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He looked down at his arms and sighed. Ah, he had done a partial transformation. He willed the scales on his arms to recede and took a deep breath.

  That breath brought her scent with it. Along with that of hundreds of unwashed bodies. He sighed and looked around. Where had she gone?

  Ah, there. She wasn’t watching his magnificent actions, killing her enemy.

  No, she’d unlocked dozens of cages and stood within a circle of women of all species, making a shooing motion. “Go, you need to go. Run, hide. You are free.”

  Daxter lifted one eyebrow. “No. No, they really aren’t free.” He clamped his mouth shut. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

  She turned on him and growled. “Sissy, what did he say?”

  The tall, red, part Siloth woman answered her.

  Dax sighed. She didn’t have a translator. He motioned Fred over. That would need to be fixed immediately. He wasn’t going to have someone translating his every word to his loved one.

  He stepped closer and was blocked by the Siloth woman, a child avian species that didn’t even have its’ wings yet, and another woman that looked something like his mate.

  The one called Sissy said, “Don’t.”

  He raised his eyebrow at the warning when he noticed that Sissy, his mate, and several of the women had overpowered the other guards and taken their weapons. The flash stick would hurt.

  “Fred,” he said.

  His friend came and stood in front of him, which was ridiculous. The skinny man couldn’t do anything to protect him.

  But Fred smiled and said, “I am Fred. I’m a friend of Daxter.”

  His mate pushed to the front. “Are you human? From earth?”

  Fred frowned. “I am human. I think. My parents spoke of a place called Chicago, where they were taken from. I have always lived on this planet. So, I’m not from earth.”

  His mate snorted. “Chicago is earth. The same country we are from.” She pointed at herself and four other humans.

  Fred asked. “Why don’t you have a translator?”

  Before she could answer, the avian child pushed to the front. And told them a story of how Lauren, his mate, was her protector. That she put her life in danger to save her when she didn’t even know her yet. Evidently, the child’s name was Ceely.

  Her next words were interesting. “After what they did to me, and after Lauren saved me, they told us they didn’t plan to give translators to the other women because they might try to escape.”

  He looked at all the women standing outside their cages. A valid concern if you were a slaver, he supposed. But not giving the women translators hadn’t stopped them.

  Fred asked him, “Do you want Ceely, Sissy, and I to translate for you, or do you want me to give them all translators?”

  He snorted. “Ask her if she will try to escape?”

  Sissy translated before Fred had a chance.

  His mate Lauren laughed, and the sound danced over his flesh. Oh, how he wanted this woman. He almost missed her words he was so caught in the laughter.

  “Are you nuts? I am not having those worms crawl in my ears, trusting someone to put the chemical in so they will come out.”

  The shock must have shown on his face, and Fred’s. She frowned when Fred started sputtering. “What? What do you mean? We don’t use the worms! No, no, no!” His longtime friend was visibly upset.

  Daxter took the wand out of Fred’s hand and quickly tapped Lauren on the side of the head. “Does it work?” Dax asked her in his language.

  She frowned. “Yes. That gave me a translator. I am going to kick that rat bastard’s ass.”

  He frowned. “The Siloth? He is already dead. I killed him,” he said proudly.

  She ignored him and walked over, kicking the guard anyway.

  Dax laughed. Loving her attitude. “Will you try to escape?”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “I have no idea. Probably. It depends on what I would be escaping from and where I would go. Plus, if you take me you have to take all my friends too.” She waved her hand over the crowd.

  His mate was young, beautiful, and a woman who would fight him every step of the way. Unless he disarmed her.

  He let her keep the Siloth’s weapon as a trophy. She knew how to use it and was armed. It would work to keep her safe from many things on this planet. Just not him.

  And he took all her friends with them. There was plenty of work at the castle. Some of these people, they would find places for. Some they might help find their way back to their home, and they would all have better lives than that of a slave on the planet of Megoth.

  After all. He was the prince. If he wanted it done it would happen.

  He watched his mate turn away when the auction owner was brought in to negotiate with him. It didn’t take long, but it left a smudge on his soul. His heart hurt when he watched Lauren walk away.

  LAUREN COULDN’T BELIEVE it. She had been sold to the alien, along with all the women from the Siloth ship and about a hundred others. She was at the head of a very long procession of people, walking through the country of Megoth.

  Besides the hundred or so female slaves from the cavern, there were about twenty men who had been in a back-room cage. And there were lots of shop owners with food and drink, and clothing. Walking along beside them while the prince arranged for food, drink, and clothing—then took them all to his home.

  Shit. A prince.

  He made sure her clothes were swapped out first and ordered more for her. Then he had Fred pick out foods for Lauren and the other earth women, making sure the aliens in her group were also fed.

  “How did you get here, Fred? On this planet,” Lauren clarified.

  “My parents were abducted. Together, and the king kept them together. My father served the king, my mother the queen. And when Dax and I were born just months apart, I was his first playmate and then his first advisor.”

  Lauren looked at Fred. He appeared to be in his late sixties. Dax, however, looked maybe twenty-five. And that was pushing it. She wondered how old the prince was.

  When Daxter tried to get her on a platform, carried by six burly guards, she refused. She planned to keep her feet firmly on the ground. She hoped when she refused that he would climb up and leave her alone. But no. He was walking too. She pushed Ceely and the twins up instead of her, along with the young girl who had been dragged in at the last minute. Nancy and Tawnya crawled up an hour or so later.

  Lauren still refused.

  The pace had slowed to match her stride. She fit her gait to the slowest of the women around her. They couldn’t move very fast and were constantly being stopped by people coming out of their homes and out of what she was told was an extensive network of tunnels.

  They came to watch the procession. They never said a word to Daxter and Fred, or anyone on the platform or right behind it. But they would walk with the women behind her, asking questions. Wanting to know why the prince bought so many slaves? What was he going to do with them? Where was he taking them?

  The questions went on and on. Lauren rolled her eyes. She didn’t think even the prince knew the answers to those questions.

  Most of this planet seemed to be covered in sand and heat. Yet Fred told her the other side was covered in ice. There weren’t a lot of trees in the beginning. As they got closer to the windswept mountains the number of trees grew.

  She was told many of the people lived in caves. There were elaborate tunnel systems to keep them underground, where it was cooler during the day and you could still get from one place to another.

  Buildings were often built as additions to caves, using the sand to make a red brick that blended with the countryside. It was pretty and harsh at the same time.

  She started getting tired and began to regret her line in the sand when it came to a ride on the platform. Lauren just couldn’t do it. They had spaceships on this damn planet. Why didn’t they have cars, or hell, wagons?

  Fred dropped back and asked her again if she didn’t want to rid
e with her friends, she shook her head.

  “Why are we walking Fred? Isn’t there a ship or a wagon or something we could use?”

  He laughed. “Of course, there is. But the one we had in the village of Tandoor would only hold four of us. There was nothing available that would hold so many.” He waved his arm indicating the length of the line of people. “The prince didn’t want you to stay in the room with the cages, even one more night. So, we walk.”

  Well hell. That made sense. And the logic was right on. She wouldn’t have wanted to stay another night there. She took a deep breath and focused on something that would take her mind off her aching feet. She studied Daxter. The prince. He was never far from her, yet he managed to give her space.

  The man had muscles. Lots of muscles. And there were dark tattoos on those muscles, that glinted in the setting sun. The big, strong, black tattoos were similar to tribal markings.

  He looked human for the most part. With very short black hair, that looked coarse. She wanted to feel it. His eyes were a piercing green. They had large, oblong irises that sort of reminded her of a reptile. So, he looked human except for his eyes.

  His gaze was mesmerizing.

  His skin was very white, except for where the black tribal type tattoos were. She wanted to touch that skin.

  She watched him walk. Usually just a few feet in front of her. Fred at his side or hers. Sometimes Dax would drop back with Lauren. When she didn’t talk to him, he would just speed up a bit, eventually walking away from her.

  She couldn’t talk. Not wouldn’t. The man was freaking gorgeous. Beautiful and untamed. A wild beast of a man that turned her life upside down.

  What the hell was she going to do now?

  Run was the only plan she could come up with. Run fast and hard and never look back!

  Chapter Eight

  SHORTLY AFTER THEY reached the mountains, they arrived at a palace that was built into the side of a cliff. The outside was plain and imposing. The inside was beautiful and had running water and spectacular views of a courtyard and the desert beyond. The rooms were, in turn, plush and utilitarian. With rugs on the floor, turrets with arrow slits, and technology that would rival anything on earth—it was an eclectic mish-mash of styles and ages.

  She was too tired to explore

  She didn’t want to like it. Or feel comfortable. She felt like walking through the halls with her eyes closed. This belonged to Dax.

  She groaned when she was shown to the washroom to clean up and change her clothing.

  She walked in and was staggered by what she saw. The room was large and gilded. It had a huge soaking pool that was fed by a hot mineral spring, and several incredible showers. There were small couches and chairs, and several little beds that looked like massage tables.

  It was a sybaritic wonderland of baths. More like a health spa or indoor swimming pool, or something she’d see in an ancient harem. She was glad she didn’t need to share but couldn’t help imagining Dax in the room with her. Naked. Wet. And hers to play with.

  Her thoughts were pretty one track. Sex and Daxter. Daxter and Sex. Shit. She wasn’t supposed to have sex. She wasn’t sure if the damn Siloth doctor had really ramped up her fertility and changed her biology to make her attractive to only one or two men in the universe. She had no idea if that was real. Or was she using the idea of having a fated mate as an excuse to do what she wanted?

  As she stripped off her clothes. She considered that question and what she was going to do about the answer.

  SHE DIDN’T KNOW SHE was being watched. He took several minutes, enjoying the sight before him. His mate stripped and walked carefully into the hot water. She had only a few clothes and fewer weapons. He would delight in providing for her every need.

  Leaving the small room that allowed past kings to oversee their harem and make choices for the night, he let the arousal course through his body. He had no need of a harem. He had taken just a moment to ensure that Lauren’s body was physically compatible. The gods had blessed him. And since he’d never thought to find a mate, they had to have a hand in bringing Lauren to him.

  There was no physical reason to keep the two of them from mating. His mating bands itched as if in agreement. He wondered if he should explain what would happen, or just let nature take its course?

  SHE HAD A PRETTY GOOD idea she’d been put in Daxter’s bedroom. She couldn’t argue that she was attracted to him. On the hike from hell—coming from the village to this palace—she’d watched him. She liked his laugh, and he did that often. Usually over something Fred said.

  And Dax watched over them all. Letting his guards do their job but remaining vigilant. She would bet he knew exactly where she was through the entire process. If she slowed down, those in front of her did too. If she wandered off to take care of nature, she was surrounded by a wall of blankets held by women. The long procession of former slaves was waiting for her when she came back.

  He knew where she was now.

  She was twenty-two years old and a virgin. She wasn’t a virgin for religious reasons or because she objected to sex. But because she was always so busy, she rarely paid attention to men. No one appealed or impressed her. No one tempted her to change her status.

  She was tempted now. And she had decided to put all the bullshit of fated mates and increased fertility in the background. Maybe. She would see how things went.

  HE CAME STRAIGHT FROM his bath. His hair a little wet, his body warm. But without the heated water or the sun, he would cool fast. Lauren had been shown to his room and she’d stayed. As he walked in the door, he took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of his woman in this space.

  She was looking out the window. Wearing the light robe he gave her to wear. His robe. He was a little surprised by that.

  She turned and smiled at him. Not a huge smile, a tentative one. He walked over and stood next to her. Glancing down at the center courtyard.

  He would start teaching her of her new home, and of him. “The center courtyard is where we meet those who come to barter or to dispute an action by me or the king. It is large, which gives us room to move if needed, and it is shut off from the rest of the castle by heavy doors and long passages. If we mistakenly let in a marauding army, those in the castle have time to get to the tunnels and run for it.”

  She frowned. “Are there many marauding armies on this planet.”

  He smiled. “A few. But I don’t think any of my ancestors have ever been stupid enough to let them in the front gate. Nor have I.”

  She laughed and he enjoyed the sound of it. But there was something in her eyes. “What is it, Lauren? What is bothering you?”

  She didn’t deny that something was. She turned to him with a little smile on her face. “I’m thinking about having sex with you.”

  He blinked. “I hope so.” He wasn’t sure where this was going.

  “Do you have birth control on this planet?” she blurted.

  Smiling, he relaxed. “Yes. The males are fitted with a sperm inhibitor at the first sign of maturity. It isn’t taken off until they marry or form a contractual bond for the reason of having children.”

  Her mouth opened. Closed. “I... don’t know what to say to that. How wonderfully responsible? Is it the truth?”

  He nodded. “Yes. Although, it occurred to me today that the slaves may not be treated, or the traders and slavers from other planets, such as the Siloth. Not to mention, if someone is purchasing breeders, well... wouldn’t the purpose be to breed with them? That would indicate no contract and that some aren’t wearing their inhibitor. It is an issue I have forwarded to my father and I plan to explore the situation further.”

  Frowning, she tried to figure out what bothered her about the sperm inhibitor. “Why is everyone required to wear one? Has that been going on long?”

  He nodded. “It has been long enough to make a difference. Our planet is unruly. Unlawful. We are making strides. But one of the main issues we face is having so many children who have no
father, and a mother who couldn’t care for them. Or they haven’t had any parents. They ran wild, grew up and got wilder. Now there are warlords trying to clear out the thieves and slavers, but it is slow work. Do you not want children, Lauren?” He turned the tables on her.

  “Not today. Not until I figure out what the hell I’m doing and if I’m going home or not.”

  His heart clenched at that. But it wasn’t something to decide now. It was something for later. He took her hand and led her away from the window. Facing each other he placed her palm over his heart, on his naked chest.

  THE INTERNAL DEBATE was over. Lauren reached out. Surprised that his flesh was cool and so very soft. The contours of his muscles—mesmerizing. She stepped closer. Intent on trailing the lines from his neck down to his hip. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, just some loose, soft pants. There was a lot to play with.

  When one hand wasn’t enough—she put both on him.

  His scent thrilled her. She wanted to wallow in it. In him. Pulling the spicy aroma rising from his body into her lungs, she nuzzled him. Wanting more.

  She was maddened when the words spoken by the Siloth doctor popped back into her mind. Fated Mates.

  “I don’t believe in fate,” she panted. Sticking her tongue out to taste his flesh.

  He curved his much taller body around her.

  “Not fate—genetic resonance,” he murmured. And captured her lips with his.

  She must have voiced her worries aloud.

  Sliding his hands downward, Dax skimmed the robe off her shoulders, pushing it down so he could have access to her.

  Her body melted when his hand came up and cupped her breast. She pressed into him. Desperate for more. She ached for his touch. Moaned and shifted, pressing her breast into his palm. She pulled her mouth from him and gasped. “Please, touch me,” she begged. Without knowing what she wanted and needed.

  When he didn’t move fast enough for her, she climbed his body and wrapped her legs around his hips. Forcing him to give her what she craved.