Page 33 of Stolen By the Barbarian

"Then those are my consequences to deal with,Mom," Tasha snips.

"If the male doesn't claim you as a mate, then what?" I sort of agree with Stacy.

"What if there is no such thing as casual sex? Earth rules don't apply out here," Stacy adds another logical point. "I just want to give you time to think before boldly jumping in the sack."

"Schauen Sie, bevor Sie springen," Romy nods.

"English, Roms," Tasha says. "What does that mean?"

"It means look before you leap," Romy translates. "I agree with Stacy."

"We all know you're attracted to Slye, it's not like you've been hiding it, but what if you're one-night stand turns into a claiming?" Darcy jumps on board with the rest of us. "Ask yourself if you want to be stuck with him forever."

"You girls are serious buzzkills. You know that?" Tasha shifts her weight, leaning heavily on her curved pole.

I peer down at her injured ankle. "Why don't you use a medical cuff to heal your ankle? You've been limping around since the crash."

"I know, and I'm tired of being in pain all the time," Tasha says. "But I don't trust that alien tech shit with my body."

"Mordox used one on me to heal my head injury."

"And you ended up married to him," Tasha cheekily points out. "Maybe he brainwashed you just to get into your pants."

"Funny, ha ha," I say with a wry twist of my lips. "Nice cane by the way."

"Thanks. Me and Romy found it inside the storage room where they found the hidden door," she shivers. "Creeps me out knowing we were in there poking around."

"Me too." Romy rubs her arms. "There's no telling what they'll find there."

CHAPTERTWELVE

Mordox

"Promise me you'll be careful,"Zoe whispers, her clear, blue eyes clouding with concern.

"Of course, lula." I stand taller, hating to be the cause of her worry but warmed to be the center of it. "You and the other females will be safe in here until we return."

"All right," she says softly, gifting me a little smile that tugs at my heart.

She lifts up on tiptoes and places a chaste kiss on my lips. I long to pull her fully into my arms, press her soft body against mine, and deepen the kiss, but now is not the time. I can't become distracted with lustful yearnings. Zoe's safety must come first.

I rub Tris on the head before scratching under her chin, happy to see her perched on Zoe’s shoulder. It feels good to know my furry companion has Zoe to look after her.

Once we track down and eliminate the creature I believe to be somewhere inside, we can focus on ridding the forest of the remaining unwanted predators, including any of the lifers who might pose a threat.

I step out of the room followed by Rooke and Drax, who closes the door behind us, sealing the females inside the safety of the room.

"You sure this is the safest place?" Rooke's tail twitches nervously behind him.

"I'm sure," Drax says, double checking the lock. "My Stacy is in there too. She has a comm in case they need to contact us and a grygore device to operate the keypad and unlock the door if they need to get out. I would never leave my female unless I was certain she's safe."

Yet the techy had kept his female down here with the possibility of a lab creature on the loose. He hadn't been aware of the danger though, so I kept that shite to myself. No need to start off by souring what little trust hangs precariously between me and Drax.

Despite the wary gazes of the other males, I couldn't care less what they thought of me as long as they didn't try and lock me up again. Drax's judgment about the safety of the lab had been less than perfect. I was right to steal Zoe away in order to protect her.

We make our way out of the many entrapment areas and down the main corridor to a closed door next to the medic bay where Zoe and I were kept while I healed. Drax uses his handmade grygore device to unscramble the lock. Beyond the door is another entrapment hall.

We quickly travel the length of the long hall to the door at the end and unscramble the lock. It opens up into a storage room. The walls are lined with shelves stacked high with laboratory supplies.

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