Page 2 of Mated to the Alien Warlord

"My loyalties are to Thyre, just like yours," Helmut said somewhat defiantly, and my respect for the human grew. Besides having accomplished the feat of building the largest human outpost and maintaining it, calling five hundred warriors to a battle was impressive.

"But," Helmut spread his fingers deferentially, "I also owe Steppenfort. As its king, it's my responsibility to ensure my subjects' safety."

"Which you couldn't do if you sided with us and Fionbyr won the battle tomorrow," I concluded.

"Precisely." Helmut nodded. "Fionbyr has been extorting Steppenfort for years. The tythes he demands have increased with each year, and I'm sure Khazar Gryck has seen none of it."

Fionbyr was within his rights to do so, but none of us warlords did, at least not that I was aware of.

After the first humans landed so many generations ago, contracts had been drawn up, which laid out precisely how much tythe was expected each season and who it was to be paid to. The humans paid all of it to us warlords and we passed the portion owed to our khazar to him, making the transaction easier for all parties involved. Over the generations, many warlords had tried to cheat the system, as had human leaders, but they had all paid the price for their betrayal.

A warlord becoming greedy and demanding more from the humans wasn't unheard, but most of the time, the humans took their grievance to the khazar, and the matter was taken care of. I wasn't sure why Helmut had put up with Fionbyr's extortion instead of coming to Gryck. But I was sure I would find out soon enough.

"Our lands lay between Warlords Fionbyr's and Grobhan's domains, and with both of them conspiring against Khazar Gryck, it seemed wiser to just pay the tythe and use the wait and see approach," Helmut explained.

"Shrewd, but it could also be misconstrued as treason," Gryck stated dryly.

Helmut bowed his head. "Yes, Khazar, I understand. But I beg you to understand my position."

"So why are you here?" I cut to the chase, done with these long explanations.

"As I said, us humans feel we owe fealty to our khazar first, but we also need the assurance that we will be safe from Fionbyr's and Grobhan's retaliation."

"So you are offering some kind of deal to fight for us in the morning instead of Fionbyr'?" I summarized.

"He has," Gryck nodded, and I didn't like the tone of his voice or the look he gave me.

"King Helmut is not going to be merely satisfied with my word that I will keep Steppenfort safe," Gryck said and Myrca inhaled sharply at the affront of doubting our khazar's word.

"If he doesn't trust our khazar's word, then I don't understand what it will take for him to trust any of ours," I argued.

Helmut turned his gaze straight at me. "Unfortunately, my only son fell off his horse and broke his neck a month ago, leaving me without a male heir."

I didn't like where this was going and turned my gaze to Gryck, whose grin I liked even less.

"I could appoint an heir," Helmut said, "but as you probably understand, I much prefer to keep Steppenfort in the family. I have a daughter eligible for marriage. If she were to marry a warlord, that would ensure Steppenfort's safety as well as keeping my line alive."

"You want me to marry your daughter?" Aghast, I stared at him before I turned my head to my khazar. "You want me to mate a human? Dilutemybloodline to ensure the win of a battle tomorrow?"

"I wouldn't ask if the situation wasn't dire." Gryck supported Helmut's proposal. "I'm not only asking for myself. What do you think will happen to Wyrkymburg, your domain, if Fionbyr becomes khazar?"

This was unbelievable. "Then have Myrca marry the kallini—woman," I argued. "Myrca is my second-in-command, surely—"

"Only a warlord will do," Helmut stated with determination.

"Fine, get Kendryx or Brogan to do it then." I stared at Gryck.

Gryck sighed. "You are the only warlord present, and Helmut demands the deed done tonight."

"What?" I exploded.

"I've been telling you and the others for years you need to find a kallini and beget heirs," Gryck argued.

"As far as I know, you are an eligible bachelor as well," I mused, but even as I said the words, I knew this would never happen. A warlord mating a human kallini was outrageous enough, but a khazar? Never!

It wasn't that I thought the humans were a lesser species than us, nyck, not at all, it had happened before. But a warlord mated to advance his domain, or because he had found his czira—soulmate—not… I sighed, not to ensure his khazar's victory.

As much as I didn't like it, Gryck was right. Mating the human kallini would benefit me as much as him. Besides ensuring the survival of my domain, Wyrkymburg, it would eventually add Steppenfort to my holdings, a sizable prize. I would have a foothold between Slotenburg and Acklymburg, enabling me to keep an eye on the most querulous domains under Gryck's demesne.

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