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  “I think Abri’s remembering the last shuttle ride we were on, I can’t blame her for not wanting to get on,” Sam said with a grimace. “The landing was rough, the pilot and co-pilot died. We spent a year in purgatory.”

  “I promise you, I won’t allow that to happen,” Raiden said.

  After lifting Abri aboard he settled her into a seat near him. Abri’s tried to look everywhere at once. Raiden was realizing just how new this must be to her. He could scent her worry. After a thought he crouched before her. His gaze went from Sam to Abri.

  “When the vessel hits space my armor will go up. This is a shuttle not a war vessel. The moment my eyes see the change in the atmosphere it will be unavoidable. It’s not something I have control over. My armor takes care of me. I need you to try and explain this to Abri. I know you find us fearful when shielded.”

  “How long will the trip take?” Sam asked. She was trembling and reached to take Abri’s hand.

  “A few Earth hours.”

  “How come you speak our language?” Sam asked. “Don’t you need some weird device? Or to channel our thoughts? Mind probing—is that what your brother did to Abri?”

  Raiden chuckled. “I think you read too many science fiction books.” Sam gasped. “Yes we know all about your world—at least what there was of it. I’m sorry but it’s almost dead. We haven’t found survivors in a long time. Our hope has been some shuttles like your own crashed on neighboring planets.”

  “Like we did?” Sam said.

  “Yes. With the war dwindling to minor terrorist attacks, we can focus on searching more planets. As for me speaking your language—how do you know you’re not speaking mine?”Raiden countered. He chuckled again. Humans were so self-centered.

  Raiden squeezed Abri’s hands. He mouthed, “Trust me.” She really had no choice, but she gave him a tiny nod. Raiden sat in his chair near Cace. The shuttle hovered for a brief moment then shot forward. The second they broke the atmosphere, Raiden heard Abri’s sharp intake of breath. His armor was up. She was afraid. He guessed if he turned to grin at her with his fangs she might very well faint, so he refrained from doing so.

  Raiden had spent his entire life surrounded by hard warriors. He had met few females. Instinct told him he needed to be gentler. It would take some getting used to. Above all else, Cobra had stressed the need for a soft touch. A warrior wouldn’t want to accidently rip off a vulnerable human arm. The image Cobra had invoked disgusted Raiden so much that every time he touched Abri he made certain of the pressure.

  Cobra’s vessel had not left the planet as yet. They were more than likely still rounding up the terrified females. A blip sounded on the console. All Raiden had to do to control the ship was wave his hand over a desired area; the panel could scent his will. With talons for fingers, this technological idea was practical. A message then sounded.

  “We have the last of the females.” It was Cobra’s voice. “You can begin your return trip. We’ll follow closely. Our docking bay is full. We were on our way to a larger planet near this one when Doss heard your distress call. That planet is bigger and I feel we will need all available vessels. I want to get these new females settled, then we’ll make a new trip.

  “I understand you have two other females. Why were they not brought to my ship?”

  “Cace and I have imprinted with these females.”

  There was silence for a moment and Raiden could scent Cace’s worry. Cobra could demand the females be brought to his warship. If the ship was full, Raiden would have no choice but to pilot the vessel home.

  Raiden felt a small hand touch him. Sam’s scent was anxious. “Our friend?”

  Raiden had almost forgotten about the wounded woman. “Cobra, how is the injured female, Tasha?”

  “You can thank your brother’s speed for saving her life—damn, that warrior can move. Cobra out.”

  Raiden breathed a sigh of relief, not only for Tasha, but he was being allowed to keep the females on board. This time Raiden did grin at Abri who shuddered then brightened when Sam howled in her ear Tasha still lived. Raiden maneuvered the craft with practiced ease. The sleek, black, rounded hull sliced through the dark atmosphere. The planet below became a beautiful green ball.

  A strong scent of worry invaded Raiden’s senses. He turned to look at Abri who was now frowning. Her teeth began to click together. She looked at him in a panicked way. It was odd. There was nothing she should be frightened of. Abri lifted her arm to Sam. Very odd bumps were across her flesh. Was she sick? Perhaps flying didn’t agree with his little female.

  No sooner were they free of the planet, when a blip sounded on the panel. A red light glowed.

  Shit.

  Both women screamed when a massive vessel de-cloaked in front of them. The gray Tonan vessel powered up. A warning went wild in the cockpit. Raiden’s shuttle had been locked onto. The sequined pattern displayed was total annihilation. It was apparent the enemy didn’t want the females—just revenge.

  Raiden’s craft sped through the air, just missing the first assault of blue-streaked lightning. Even so, it sent the vessel spinning until Raiden regained control. Raiden felt panic building until his armor controlled it. Cace and Raiden would be fine—their armor would keep them safe until Cobra’s war vessel could scoop them up. Raiden looked over at Abri—she would die. Unless…

  Raiden jumped from his seat and grabbed Abri, he ripped her shirt off. The Tonan warship powered up. The warning on his panel sounded—they had been locked onto. Abri was screaming and fighting him. The only way for Raiden’s armor to come down now was to mate with Abri. It was the only way to save her life. It was apparent the idea had occurred to Cace as well. Raiden hated Abri’s terror of him—she felt lied to, betrayed. Not a good way to begin a mating. But it couldn’t be helped. With his fangs dripping his potent drug essence Raiden spun Abri around and bit into her shoulder blade.

  Chapter 4

  Abri was terrified. They were being attacked by the vessel outside and now she was being attacked by the being inside. When Raiden’s fangs slid into her tender flesh Abri tried to scream but felt awash with lethargy. She had been drugged. There was no pain and yet she could feel Raiden’s fangs slicing into her. Was he eating her? Was this what they had intended all along? She was food. Her legs buckled, but a large arm was wrapped around her midriff, holding her up.

  She was watching out the window as the large gray vessel was now confronted by an ebony vessel. Had they come to save them? It was too late; a blue streak of lightning was coming directly at the front window. Abri knew she was going to be obliterated. She was spun back around and crushed to Raiden’s chest right before her surroundings exploded.

  They were spinning through the dark space like a bullet. Abri couldn’t move. She felt the warmth of Raiden’s chest as her breasts were crushed up against him. Her arms were wrapped tight around his neck and her face buried into his throat. Her legs encircled his waist. With widened eyes she could see the stars. Abri had no clue what had happened. Somehow she was outside, in space, engulfed in a creature’s arms. She gasped for air for brief seconds before realizing she could breathe.

  “It’s all right, don’t be afraid.”

  Abri heard Raiden. She felt surrounded by him. She was afraid and yet not. She wanted to be afraid—tried to be afraid. It was the only normal reaction she should be having, and yet her emotions seemed stymied.

  “How?” she whispered. Raiden didn’t answer her. Had she only imagined hearing him? “How?” she said again.

  “What?”

  Abri tried to jerk back, but couldn’t move, it was like she was fused to him. “How,” she said louder. “And don’t yell in my ear.” Abri was astounded, she could hear. She could make out Raiden’s words in her left ear. She hadn’t imagined it.

  “I can’t hear you in my left ear, the sound only goes to my right,” Raiden voiced.

  “It only goes to my left.”

  “What?”

  Abri was feeling frust
rated. His lips were right next to her left ear and he kept shouting. “Don’t yell, Raiden.” She realized because her mouth was almost pressed into his neck her words were muffled. Why couldn’t he hear her?

  Abri gasped when she saw the two large vessels come into view. Blue lights once more sluiced across the dark atmosphere. Another blue streak smashed into them and they went spinning. Abri wanted to scream as she and Raiden were flung across the empty airless vastness. Somehow Raiden had tucked her inside his armor. Was that why he bit her? A ritual to allow her in?

  She should be terrified of him—Abri wasn’t, but she was annoyed. She was flying through space pressed to a being she had just met. A being that had bit her. Something told her no matter how often the Tonan—being—things shot at Raiden, he would remain unscathed. Abri determined her life just went from odd to holy shit.

  “What is going on?” she demanded. “Why can I suddenly hear out of one ear? Why are we flying through space?”

  “Our shuttle exploded,” he said stating the obvious. He sounded irritated.

  “Well stop this armor of yours; I want to get off.”

  “I don’t have a control panel.”

  “You mean we’re going to float like this forever?”

  “Cobra will pick us up once the fighting stops.”

  “Cobra?”

  “Our leader.”

  “How long does it take two indestructible vessels to fight? And don’t ask me how I know they’re indestructible—while I’m floating in outer, fucking space.”

  “You were a lot easier to deal with when you couldn’t hear.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “I suppose since we’re mated I better get used to it.”

  “Mated? What do you mean we’re mated?”

  “In order to save your life I needed to mark you so my armor would recognize you as vital to my safety. It was the only way I could lower my shield. It was the only way to tuck you in here with me.”

  “Well, how do we un-mate?”

  “We don’t.”

  To Abri his words sounded ominous.

  “Ever?”

  “Never.”

  * * * *

  Abri’s abrupt silence was all the indication Raiden needed to understand she was far from pleased about being his mate. Raiden’s armor controlled both of their organ functions and for the most part their emotions—becoming too emotional would lead to elevated heart levels. That meant Raiden couldn’t stimulate any secretions. He needed to feel her inside him for him to understand her.

  A dim memory in Raiden’s scent emotion came to mind. Mating was more than the bite. He should have been lying over top of her with his organ thrusting and penetrating her. Well, he had been a little pressed for time. Raiden knew they were mated, but because the bond was formed without her knowledge and without the physical act of connecting—something was missing. He hadn’t exactly had her permission either.

  Damn.

  Raiden searched his scent memories and was relieved to find and feel he would not be shunned for forcing her—it was done to save her life. But there was no doubt in his mind his mating was going to be a very tricky situation. More importantly, why was half of his hearing gone? He could only hear out his right ear and Abri apparently only her left.

  Raiden felt overwhelming relief when Cobra’s vessel appeared—alone. It didn’t take much for a long see-through suction tube to be deployed and Raiden and Abri were scooped from the darkness. Raiden had been trained in the art of landing after such an experience, but after floating for a while he stumbled when his clawed feet hit the soft interior vessel surface. The blasts had been extreme, his armor had been protecting them both, and he would need to regenerate his shield soon.

  “Damn the bastards,” Cobra was howling before he reached Raiden. “I’m sorry about your female. The damned Tonans have altered their cloaking device again. The females’ losses are my fault. I take responsibility. I should have demanded they be brought to my ship. The little one, Tasha, has been asking for you, Raiden.”

  Raiden dropped his armor and Abri slid to the ground much to the obvious surprise of Cobra and the others who had gathered around them. Abri was pressed tight to him. Raiden could now scent her distress. It was overwhelming without the aid of his shield to regulate her heartbeat and emotions. She was half-naked surrounded by massive Castian warriors. She had no idea there wasn’t a male there that would dare touch her.

  “We have Cace,” came a triumphant yell.

  Soon Cace was stumbling onto the tarmac. He dropped his armor and there was Sam pressed tight to him. Sam was muttering in a whimper.

  “But how can we be mated? I don’t even know you.”

  “You will get to know me,” Cace said in a soothing gesture.

  Cace looked as helpless as Raiden felt. Cobra’s look was a cross between relief and annoyance. The mating hadn’t been a normal one—everyone scented it. It was a forced mating—for the right reasons. The scent memory was disturbing all of the warriors as they tried to deal with Raiden’s emotions and the absolute stink of Abri’s and Sam’s fear. It wasn’t natural and the look Cobra sent both Raiden and Cace, they understood they had best fix the situation—fast.

  “Take your new mates to your quarters. Get them in the healing waters just in case there was something your armor missed,” Cobra said. “Then report to me.”

  “Huh?” Raiden yelled, only getting half the sentence.

  Cobra stopped dead in his tracks as he had been walking away, the words tossed back over a retreating shoulder. He moved closer to peer at Raiden. Cobra sniffed him and frowned. He then sniffed Abri who cringed. Doss came forward next. Neither man looked any too pleased. Cace cocked his head to the side and looked questioningly at his warrior mate.

  “What happened?” Cobra demanded.

  “I don’t know,” Raiden said, feeling just as perplexed. “I can only hear out of my right ear and now Abri can hear out of her left whereas before she couldn’t hear. We mated. Shouldn’t my armor have healed her?”

  “You mated, but you didn’t join. And this is the first time we have encountered a deaf female. Hearing isn’t detrimental to your living,” Cobra said. “That’s why she has hearing in her left and you in your right—to equal it out.”

  “You gave up part of your hearing for me?” Abri’s look was stunned.

  “Well, it wasn’t intentional.” Raiden snapped in irritation and was immediately contrite. If she hadn’t been without a shirt she would have pulled away from him. He had hurt her. Abri’s face buried into his chest to hide from him. His scent emotion began to secrete small amounts of fluid into Abri, trying to bond and soothe, but Raiden couldn’t stand the scent emanating from the other warriors. Frustrated, Raiden pulled her tighter against him and called up his armor. All secretions stopped flowing. Hopefully the healing water would finish the process and heal their hearing.

  At a fast pace, Raiden climbed the interior of the vessel. The walls were much like the forest floor they had left—sponge-like. It was to accommodate their claws and talons, allowing them swift motion to either ascend or descend. Before long, Raiden was on the tenth level. He stepped onto the platform and lowered his shield. Abri took one look down, seemed to swoon, and Raiden captured her to his chest.

  Great, she’s afraid of heights.

  “I don’t feel very well,” Abri muttered.

  “I won’t let you fall.”

  “There’s no way for me to get down on my own.”

  “No, I’m afraid not.”

  Perhaps it was a good thing she was trapped; Raiden scented her intent to bolt. Raiden led her to a huge door, waved his hand across the panel and the door slid open. Inside, the ceilings were high. Raiden dragged her behind him as she turned and twisted to look at everything. When they reached the healing pool, Raiden knew there was no way around what was about to happen. He picked Abri up and jumped in. She was howling as she submerged.

  Abri spluttered as the wa
ter attacked her clothing and whipped her hair around. She gasped in a few huge mouthfuls of air when she broke the surface. Bubbles circled her making the water pitch with the motion. She was soon bare. Her hands flailed as though not knowing what to try and cover first. Raiden was unconcerned; he had been told human females were shy about their bodies until they bonded with their mate. And though curious as to what a naked female looked like, Raiden had other concerns foremost in his thoughts.

  Raiden kept a firm grip on Abri’s arm, but dunked himself up and down over and over. It wasn’t working. He still couldn’t hear out of his left ear. Maybe healing waters wouldn’t work on Castians—then again, none of them had ever needed healing. He could scent Abri’s distress, but his own was building. The healing water wasn’t helping her to hear either. What the hell was he going to do? Raiden was four hundred years old, a warrior. He needed to hear—out of both ears.

  Damn it, what kind of warrior can’t hear properly? What kind of warrior mate will I be to Cace?

  Raiden finally noticed Abri had stopped struggling. She was looking at him in a sad, odd way, and he realized he was scowling while tugging on his ear—willing his hearing to return.

  “Do you wish you hadn’t saved me?” she asked next to his right ear. It was apparent she wanted to make certain he heard her. “Are you wishing I was dead instead? Are we stuck together?”

  That certainly put things into perspective. With his bite he had given Abri immortality. They were indeed stuck together. “No, I’m not sorry I saved you. I was just surprised. You have been deaf since when?”

  “A year. It happened when the shuttle crash landed. There was an explosion.”