Page 4 of Mated to the Alien Warlord

"Your father played my liege lord wrong, and you will pay the price, Princess," he said, jumping unexpectedly forward and grabbing my wrist to pull me out of the tent.

I screamed again, but I was no match for this cruel monster. He pulled me out into our camp, where a brutal battle raged. Horsed Thyres rode through the rows of tents, setting fires to the leather sides and cutting warriors down where they encountered them. The sun rising in the sky made me realize that morning was approaching and that I had once again read the night away, but that thought was only fleeting, as the carnage around me took my full attention.

"Is that her?" a man on a horse asked, and I tried to shrink back from the massive animal, with its rolling eyes and pinned back ears. The Thyre warrior kept a tight hold of the reins, but it still danced from leg to leg, agitated and filled with nervous energy, making me fear it would rear up any moment and take my head off.

"Princess Damaris, just as Warlord Fionbyr requested," the warrior holding my wrist confirmed, pulling me further forward and pushing me toward the rider, who held his arm out for me.

When my captor's hands encircled my waist, I finally realized that I was about to be abducted and tried to kick out, but the long hem of my dress made the attempt futile. As if I weighed nothing, the man holding me tossed me up, and the rider caught me, laying me facedown over the side of his horse in front of him.

My abductor kicked his feet into his steed's flanks, and it took off in a full gallop, leaving the blazing encampment behind and pushing the air out of me as the horse took off and my stomach was painfully catapulted up and down over the beast's neck.

Five hundred human warriors my father had drummed up to stand against Warlord Fionbyr, and I was pretty sure that all five hundred men were being killed right now or dead already. Humans, no matter how brave, didn't stand much of a chance against a full-grown Thyre. The thought of all these men's lives lost made me sick to my stomach. I had known many of them since I was a child; many had been Adrian's friends. Their loss was as hard to bear as losing my brother had been. Their sisters, mothers, fathers, and wives would mourn them just as much as I was mourning Adrian's death.

Thecontracthadbeensigned, and I readied myself for battle.

Both war parties had arrived yesterday. Separated by a small hill, we readied ourselves for the coming battle.

It would be mere hours now. Gryck wanted to attack right before sunrise when the other camp was just getting up. Even though we outnumbered Fionbyr, Gryck wanted to take any advantage he could. Fighting uphill was a lot harder than downhill, so we would climb the peak before Fionbyr did.

"Khazar Gryck, Warlord Vandor!" Screams outside my tent had me rush out, where I spied a male on a horse galloping into camp, waving his arms and repeatedly calling Gryck's and my name.

"Whoa, what is it?" I raised my arms, stepping into his path to hold the horse.

The rider pulled in the reins. He was bathed in as much sweat as his mare and breathing just as hard. "Warlord Vandor, Fionbyr's camp… it's empty!"

"What?" Gryck exclaimed, joining us.

"I was tasked to scout if Fionbyr's army was stirring yet and when I found no sign, not even that of a sentry, I made my way into the camp. Khazar, it's nothing but empty tents."

"The bastard must have found out that King Helmut was defecting," I said between clenched teeth, turning to the hill, but something caught my attention.

"King Helmut," I called out to the human approaching us, dressed in battle gear like us. "Where is your camp?"

Helmut lifted his arm to point to the east—behind us—when his face blanched. His attention caught by the same glow that had captivated me.

"Fire," Myrca called out.

"Damaris!" Helmut cried. "My daughter is over there."

"Dryck," I cussed.

Even though I had never met the kallini before, for better or worse, she was my mate since I signed the contract earlier. And nobody took or threatened what was mine.

Luckily, I was already dressed in battle gear. "Petory," I bellowed for my horse handler and stalked off without a look back at Myrca, Gryck, or Helmut, sure they would know what to do.

Petory came rushing, leading my horse, Ramsy, by his reins.

Ramsy was as scarred as I and had been with me since I took the title of warlord. We had been through many battles together, and the horse knew exactly what I expected of him as I swung myself into the saddle.

I grabbed the reins from Petory's hands and took off, kicking Ramsy into his sides and getting him into a full gallop almost immediately after claiming his saddle.

The others would be hard pressed to follow me, but I had no doubt that they would. There was no time to wait; Fionbyr's warriors already had a head start on us, and I didn't intend to give him another mile.

I recalled Helmut's words last night…there wouldn't be enough time to fetch his daughter for the ceremony. I now took that to mean they were several hours from our location. I cursed and rode Ramsy mercilessly at an even more reckless speed.

It probably would have been a mercy for the kallini if Fionbyr's henchman had killed her already, but I didn't delude myself into thinking that was what he had in mind for her. He would have sent his warriors to capture her in order to blackmail me, knowing full well that as her mate, I was now responsible for her.

Furious over having been put into this position, I increased our breakneck speed even more, made Ramsy jump over a fallen macay tree, and barely avoided an open chasm in the treacherous forest surrounding us.

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