Paax: Warlord Brides (Warriors of Sangrin Book 1) Read online

  “Your idiot.” A grin flashed on his face, transforming his stoic features to boyish and carefree.

  “All mine.” Another kiss. Her teeth pulled at his lower lips. She needed to convey so much with that kiss, to express her worry, her growing affection and her desire for him to be safe. His strong arms held her curves against the hard planes of his armor.

  She pulled away. “I’m scared, Paax.” She searched his face for a response, silently pleading for him not to give her false platitude about everything being okay. “What if the serum changes you?”

  “It shall not.”

  “Omas changed.”

  “My brother’s regimen was a higher concentration and prolonged,” Paax explained. “My calculations indicated that I will remain... me.”

  “What happens if...” She didn’t want finish the statement. No undercutting his confidence right before marching into certain doom.

  “Mylomon will return you to Earth. He will protect you.”

  “Mylomon? The asshole who stabbed me?” Being stuck with him was worse than being comforted by obvious lies.

  “He is a warrior following orders.”

  “Didn’t deny the asshole part,” Mercy muttered.

  The door to the suit slid open. An unknown green skinned warrior gave Paax a curt nod. Despite a lack of horns and being green, there was no doubt the warrior was Mahdfel. The imposing build and the confidence in his shoulders was all Mahdfel. “It is time, Sir,” the man said.

  “Come,” Paax said, guiding her by the elbow.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  The green skinned warrior glanced at Paax before answering. “The Warlord is in the training arena.”

  Paax nodded as if the information pleased him. “Good. Omas will want an audience.”

  “Audience for what?”

  Both warriors ignored Mercy. In the corridor, more warriors fell into formation behind them. Slowly their numbers increased. The warriors who joined them were various hues but still distinctly Mahdfel. Mercy tugged on Paax’s arm to get his attention. “Why are they different colors? And have tails?”

  “Did you think all Mahdfel looked like me, little star?”

  Mercy blushed, ashamed at her ignorance. “You were the first I’ve met.”

  “We have traits from our mothers. I am from Sangrin. They are from Anille, Eleter and Korgol.”

  “So you look like your mothers?” He nodded. Mercy wondered what a Human-Mahdfel baby would look like. Well, she knew. There were fourteen years of Human-Mahdfel marriages. The eldest progeny were teenagers now. She wondered specifically what their son would look like. Would he be plum like his father? Pale and easily sunburned like his mother? Horns? Her lips twitched with a grin. She appreciated Paax’s horns and just knew little horn buds would be adorable on a baby.

  The warriors paused outside a set of double doors. Sounds of conflict spilled into the corridor, bringing Mercy back to the problem at hand. Get through today; then worry about her children’s appearance.

  She did want children, though. Paax’s children. Three days ago the thought of marrying an alien warrior, having his babies, was foreign. Something to be dreaded. Now that it slipped away, she desperately wanted that future. Was it love? So soon? Three days with the Mahdfel warrior and she didn’t want to imagine life without him.

  Paax lowered the visor on his helmet and drew his sword.

  “Wait,” Mercy said, touching his arm.

  He paused, lifting the visor.

  “Come home to me,” she said and pressed the flat of her hand to his chest plate.

  “Always,” he said, voice low and rumbling.

  He stepped back, holding her gaze until he entered the training arena. Her eyes watered and Mercy refused to acknowledge the tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. She refused to cry. She refused to worry. Her warrior husband would come home. No other option existed.

  Mylomon touched her softly on the shoulder. “We should leave now,” he said.

  “I want to watch.”

  “We need to leave now while we still can. If Omas wins, he will claim you.”

  Tears welled up in her eyes. Blinking furiously, Mercy shook her head. “I’m staying.”

  “Humans.” He sighed, resigned. “Stay with me. Run when I say run. Understand?”

  Mercy nodded.

  “Repeat what I said.”

  “Stay with you. Run when you say.”

  “Good. No more tears. They will not help your mate.”

  Mercy wasn’t sure what could possibly help Paax at this point. Shaky hands wiped at her face, drying the tears with the sleeve of her shirt.

  Mylomon lead her to a bench near the entrance. He motioned for her to sit.

  The training arena was a large, circular room. The center was a hard packed sandy floor. Equipment littered the floor. Benches and raised platforms circled the area. The room was filled to capacity.

  Omas stood in the center of the room. Blood and sweat from previous opponents adorned his bare torso. Paax approached his twin, weapon drawn.

  “You would turn against me, brother?” Omas asked. His words feigned shock and betrayal but the grin on his face was pure exhilaration.

  “You gave me no choice,” Paax said. “You ordered my mate to be attacked.”

  “Oh, I gave you plenty of choices. You were too cowardly to do anything.”

  Paax growled in irritation. He adjusted the grip on his sword. The edge glowed a wicked blue.

  Mercy’s throat seized with panic. Omas aimed to get Paax angry, to make him sloppy. Please let Paax spot the obvious tactic, she begged. Her hands twisted at the hem of her shirt. Next to her, Mylomon disappeared into a shadow. She only had eyes for the drama in the center of the room.

  “You are unfit, Omas, and it is my fault.”

  The larger man growled. He held his sword casually at his side, grip loose. “And you’re the one to fix it?”

  “Enough talk. I challenge you, Warlord.”

  Omas snapped his head around, as if stung on the back of his neck, and his eyes found Mercy in the crowd. “I’ll claim my new bride immediately. Let all the men see how a Warlord takes what he desires.”

  Anger clouded Paax’s features. He moved fast but Omas was faster. The Warlord’s blade sliced into his armor, drawing scarlet blood against the black material.

  The two men moved in a blur of steel. Taller as a side effect of the serum, Omas had a longer reach. Paax moved in quickly, striking shallow blows across the larger man’s arms and legs. Reaching striking distance was not without risk. As he got closer, Omas rained down with heavy, low blows across his back. The armor absorbed much but it would fail in time.

  Omas jerked his head towards the crowd, searching. He reached to his arm and plucked out something too small to see. He threw it to the ground, lips curling in disgust.

  Paax seized the opportunity and struck with an inside right blow. Omas roared in frustration but Paax danced away, out of reached. Omas grew slower. The strategy of a thousand cuts weakened the Warlord but not fast enough.

  “Enough of this,” Omas said. “Take off your armor and face me as an equal.”

  The men could never be equals. The armor was one of the few advantages Paax had over the enhanced warrior. Disbelieving her eyes, Mercy’s mouth fell open as Paax nodded. The armor retracted quickly and quietly to the epaulettes at his shoulders. Now he stood shirtless and barefoot, wearing only loose fitting trousers.

  Faster than she could follow, Omas’s sword swung high to the left and sliced through one of Paax’s horns. The man roared in pain, blood coursing down the black stump.

  “This is your fault, Paax. I have NOTHING without Naomi!” Omas shouted, swinging to the inside right. Paax blocked just in time, pushing the blade away with his own.

  “You should have let me die!” Omas charged forward, driving Paax backwards. The men moved across the sandy floor. Omas pushed Paax into a series of hurdles, used as an obstacle course. Paa
x side stepped the first but his back pressed against the next.

  Omas’s blade pushed down, slowly lowering his guard. With both hands, Paax attempted to break free but the larger man had the advantage. Paax flipped backwards over the hurdle, slipping free. Omas charged. Paax reached the next hurdle and dove over. Omas’s grasp nearly had him.

  The Warlord froze over the hurdle, shock on his face.

  Paax crouched on the ground, his sword pointing straight up from underneath the hurdle. Omas impaled himself by reaching for him.

  He drove the sword in further with a shove.

  Omas struggled to rear away but Paax knocked the large man to the ground. He stood over the fallen man, pressing all his weight on the sword, pinning the man to the ground.

  Emotion flickered in Paax’s bright blue eyes. He reached to the knife strapped at his thigh and quickly sliced Omas’s throat. He leaned in and whispered words too quietly to be heard as his twin bled out.

  Finally, the light left Omas’s eyes.

  Paax stood at his full height. Covered with a dozen freely bleeding wounds and with one horn broken, the new Warlord surveyed the arena full of warriors. His warriors.

  “Anyone else!” he shouted.

  No one in the crowd moved.

  “Good. Someone take my brother to the crematorium. We will remember him as a fair Warlord, before he… before all this.” Paax dropped his sword to the ground and staggered. “Where is my wife!” he roared.

  The crowd parted for Mercy. She ran to him, wrapping her arms around him.

  “I’m covered in blood,” he protested.

  “I don’t care, Paax. I’m so happy right now my heart my might explode.”

  He gripped her arms tightly, crushing the soft flesh. “Human hearts don't do that, do they? You need a medic. Now.”

  Kalen pushed through, interrupting her reply. “You like making my job interesting, don’t you?” A frown set heavily on the man’s features. He waved a scanner over Paax, frowning intensifying.

  “Ignore me, medic. My mate’s heart will explode. She needs your attention.”

  “It’s a turn of phrase,” Mercy said. “My heart is fine. Your lovely horns.” Her hand lightly touched the bloody stump. Paax sucked in his breath and closed his eyes.

  “They will grow back, little star.” He picked up his sword, stumbling a tiny amount, before sheathing the weapon.

  “Get to medical before I drag you there, Warlord,” Kalen said.

  “Warlord,” she repeated.

  His bright blue eyes locked with hers. He reached for her hand and kissed the palm before placing it over his heart. His muscles were like steel but she swore she could feel his heart pounding. Sound vanished. There was only the beating of their hearts. The universe fell away until they were the sole inhabitants.

  “I love you, husband,” she whispered.

  “You are my home and my heart,” he said. “I will always return to you.”

  Epilogue

  Mercy

  The older woman lay on the medical bed, immobile. Placed in a deep sleep several days ago, she would remain asleep for several more. Mercy studied the women through a glass wall. Her mother’s color had improved dramatically, no longer blue at her lips or fingernails. She could breathe again.

  “You cannot watch her the entire time she’s in there,” Paax said. He wrapped his arms around his wife from behind, nuzzling his face into the bend of her neck. He breathed her scent in deep and then gave her little nip.

  “She looks better, don’t you think? Healthier?”

  Paax nodded. “Your mother has improved already.”

  Mercy spun around in his arms and smiled. She rested a hand on his chest. If she had been told two months ago that she would be matched to an alien warlord, she’d laugh. If she had been told that she would love her warlord so completely, she’d flat out call them a liar. But it was true. She loved her husband with every ounce of her being.

  When she was teleported from Earth, all she wanted was her mate to be kind. Paax was so much more. He was king, clever, cunning, fierce and loyal.

  “Thank you for helping her,” Mercy said. “I know you didn’t have to.”

  “She is the mother of my mate. There was no question if I would throw all of Judgment’s resources to her medical care.” He leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers. “And I would do anything to please you, wife.”

  “I guess being the Warlord’s wife has its privileges.”

  Paax rumbled in agreement. His hands ran down her arms and circled around her waist.

  Static from the comm interrupted them. “Warlord, we have an issue—”

  “It can wait,” Paax said.

  “Yes, but Sir—”

  “Are we under attack? Are Suhlik boarding us this minute?”

  “No.”

  “Then let Mylomon deal with it.” Paax disconnected the call and turned his attention back to Mercy. “Time my second in command earned his keep.”

  Since taking the mantle as Warlord, Mercy and Paax lived full time on the Judgment. She adjusted to life on the battle cruiser. A security detail followed her everywhere but the crew was respectful. Occasionally he received a challenge from a young hothead, which caused Mercy no end of worry, but Paax always bested them. Mercy had worried about the effects of the serum on Paax and that he would transform into a monster like his brother. Paax assured her the dose he took was much smaller than the ones Omas received. Soon there would be battles with the Suhlik. Mercy wasn’t sure how she could sit and wait while Paax was on a strange planet’s surface, fighting the lizards.

  One problem at a time.

  “You told me once that warriors and their mates lived on the battle cruiser.” He nodded. “Then why don’t I see any children? Or other women?”

  “Ah. You see, when my brother lost his mate, he could not bear to see another warrior with their mate.” He tucked back a stray piece of hair behind her ears.

  “He didn’t kill them,” Mercy said with a gasp.

  “No, they transferred out to other battle cruisers. Judgment is entirely manned by unmatched warriors.”

  Seemed like a lot of testosterone and sexual frustration for one ship. “So if a warrior’s wife were to become pregnant…”

  “We have the facilities. Nurseries. Schools. Even a greenhouse with a grassy field.” Paax frowned. “That has not been maintained. It has been many years since there were children on board. I look forward to their return.”

  Mercy smiled. She placed his hand on her stomach. “Well, then, I have news…”

  Paax looked at her blankly.

  She raised her brows, waiting.

  “Oh!” A smile broke across his face, brighter than any sun.

  Finally. And they said he was a genius.

  He fell to his knees and pressed his face to her abdomen. Pushing up her shirt, he kissed her bare skin with abandon. “My son.” He tilted his head up towards her, joy radiating across his plum skin. “Our son. I did not think I could love you more, but you have surprised me again, little star.”

  “Kalen told me Mahdfel pregnancies go faster than human, so we have a lot to do in a short amount of time.” First, get her mother out of the medical bay and back on her feet. The new lungs would dramatically improve her quality of life. She’d need a room in their suite, unless Paax didn’t want his mother-in-law living under his nose. Hmm. Maybe separate suites were a good idea. They’d set her mother up in her own apartment on the ship. The Judgment had the space. Then there was the nursery to set up. Then restoring the parks so their son had somewhere to run and play. “Can we have a dog?”

  “A what?” Paax asked, bemused.

  “A dog. It is an Earth companion animal. Four legs and a tail. Loyal. Concentrated joy.”

  “Anything,” he said, arms wrapped around her middle, holding her tight. “Everything. Nothing I could give you would compare to what you’ve given me, little star.”

  The Warlord Brides story continues in Kalen
.

  Little Starrs!

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  More Starr Huntress titles with delicious, growly alpha aliens? Score.

  The adventure and romance is not over yet.

  Kalen: Warlord Brides

  Sent on a mission to backwards Earth, alien physician Kalen never expected to find his destined mate.

  Meridan'salluring scent, soft curves and the fire in her spirit call to him the way no female ever has. She is his destined mate. He’s certain of that.

  Fierce and independent, nurse Meridan was never interested in settling down, with a human or an alien, especially not the arrogant, rude and devastatingly sexy medic Kalen.

  How far will Kalen go to claim the woman he loves when the rules between his planet and hers prevent him from doing just that?

  After a terrifying attack leaves Meridannear death, Kalen breaks the rules to save her and bind them together as mates.

  How will Meridan and Kalen find common ground before the universe tears them apart forever?

  Read Kalen Now