Defender (New World Book 7) Read online

  “Don’t be afraid. Something is happening inside me. I can’t stop it.”

  Her insides began to ache with his size and strength. There was something different she didn’t expect. His length grew, she felt the sensation. Her insides were straining. He slowed his motion, but he looked so bewildered Macey’s panic grew. She was mating with an alien, anything could happen to her. He could rip her apart. What if he really was going to eat her? But she knew she felt his love. How could he do this?

  Oh God.

  “It hurts,” she moaned.

  “Damn.”

  His breathing was ragged, he was panting and Macey’s concern grew as he did. There was too much. Her insides tensed.

  “Taz,” she whispered.

  * * * *

  Taz was hurting her. He sensed it. There was fear in Macey’s tone. His shield battled to secrete fluid to calm her but it wasn’t enough. There was more to mating and Taz didn’t understand. Macey cried out. Taz couldn’t stop, he couldn’t hurt her; he had to do something. His fangs seemed to develop a life of their own, growing, dripping. Taz lowered his head and sunk his fangs into her throat. She settled immediately. Her body placid and accepting. She was no longer in any pain.

  His shield was urging him to continue, there was more to mating. Without removing his cock, he turned her and laid her across the cot. He grabbed her hips and pulled her back into him. Taz lowered his head. He licked her creamy shoulder. He needed to mark her. The universe needed to see she was his and was his to protect, and no one better fuck with her. His mate. She groaned when he carved his tattoo high onto her back near her shoulder. When finished, the tattoo glowed dark black on her pale beautiful skin and matched his tattooed cheeks perfectly.

  Inside, he knew it wasn’t time to conceive. He was in the first stages of must. She didn’t need a piece of his shield yet. She needed him. Taz roared a release. He slipped from Macey and pulled her into his arms. Her head lay on his shoulder. His shield enveloped them, and Taz was surprised; she was the first full-grown human female he had ever shielded. Taz remembered. His father could shield his mother. Taz could fix any wounds. He healed her.

  “Macey?” he whispered.

  “Yes?’

  “I’m still an ass, but I can love.”

  “Good to know.”

  “Macey, do you feel any different?”

  “I’m squished to you.”

  “You’re in my shield with me.”

  “I’m not afraid of you. At all.”

  “You’re not supposed to be.”

  “Taz?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Am I stuck in here forever?”

  “No. Don’t you like being this close?”

  “You have a huge dick.”

  Taz chuckled. “Cool huh?”

  “Yep. Still an ass.”

  Chapter 7

  Macey slipped to the ground when Taz released her. They were outside exploring. Taz moved so fast, he could take them hundreds of miles in any direction. Being pressed closely to him took some getting used to for both of them. Macey leaned back into him. Her bare shoulders touched his bare chest and she shivered. Her emotions were in turmoil once he set her down. His hand rested on her hip.

  It was hard wanting him close often while she battled to know which emotion was truly hers; when they touched, she felt his, too. Taz swore his shield could only give her what she needed if her emotions asked. It was odd having an attachment to a virtual stranger who knew what she wanted the second she wanted it. Taz definitely drove her to distraction. She needed to concentrate on something besides him.

  Before Macey was a smorgasbord for her eyes. The planet was utopia everywhere they traveled. Foliage, ponds, creeks, streams, everything the Garden of Eden must have had. Macey felt like Eve. If there was a God, he would shudder if she likened Taz to Adam.

  A layer of stacked rocks covered in moss rose fifteen feet high before them. Macey, barefoot, climbed to the top with Taz close behind. The replicator replaced Macey’s clothing with a small top exposing her shoulders, tight grey short pants, no socks, no shoes. Not that she didn’t still have hers. There was nothing to injure her feet on the planet. When surrounded by Taz’s shield, nothing could cause her any kind of distress.

  Macey sat when she reached the top and sighed. There were no birds, there couldn’t be, there was no food chain. The ecosystem was based entirely on foliage. No insects buzzed. Not even cockroaches were present. Only foliage fluttered in a small breeze. Everywhere they went foliage fluttered. She was bored as hell. There was nothing to hold her attention, except Taz. It was a strange feeling that drew her to him. He was curious to the point of being annoying. He wanted to know everything about her. While he remained aloof about his background. She didn’t turn to see if he was staring at her—he always was.

  “Why don’t you tell me about you for a change,” Macey said then sighed.

  “There’s not much to say.”

  She careened her neck to offer him a surprised look. “You’ve lived for four hundred years. Something interesting must have happened during that time.”

  “My parents died because a Tonan scientist created poison water for what he thought was to do away with the enemy. Instead it was used on all females. They all died and so did their mates. Krish, the Tonan who raised me, is pure evil. He can’t love, he wouldn’t know how. So he hates. His kind was growing smaller in number.”

  “He’s the person who will kill me or worse if he finds us.”

  “Yes. He’s a very powerful warrior. Mating you has given me an edge. Your life and mine depend on how strong I am. But it’s safer here.”

  “I have other responsibilities on Earth. I have family. My aunt Greta will be so worried.”

  “The Tonans want females of childbearing years. The children will be fine, so will your aunt.”

  Macey gazed at his ass waiting for the tail to appear and grow. It didn’t. “You’ve seen the destruction. When will it stop?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I don’t like the storms on Earth, but Taz, this place is boring as hell.”

  “Then make love to me.”

  “That’s all we do, eat, sleep, poop and screw.”

  “So you want to add running for cover to the list?”

  “I need other people to talk to.”

  “You’re the only one I want to talk to.”

  Taz sat closer until her hip was pressed to his. Bare skin touched bare skin and sensations filled her instantly. She shifted away.

  “Do not change the subject,” she said and narrowed her gaze onto him.

  “I want to know what you’re feeling, Macey. I can sense your frustration. My shield is demanding I do something to calm you.”

  “Why don’t you try talking to me instead of going for the easy fix?”

  “You don’t understand my life. Krish was brutal. When I spoke as a child I was hit, beaten while being laughed at. He would lock me away for a month at a time. No food, water or sunlight. I talked to my shield in secret to keep loneliness at bay. I learned the world was evil. You need to be evil to survive. I’m a warrior. I’ve done some cruel things you wouldn’t want to hear. I don’t like to relive them.”

  “Fine. Just remember I won’t hit you when you speak, unless you’re being an ass.”

  “Good to know.”

  “Do Tonans have schools?”

  “Places of learning you mean. Yes, I suppose, but again you wouldn’t understand. I don’t need to go anywhere for what information I need. I access understanding with my shield. Thousands of ancestors are compiled to make a shield. What my ancestors know, I know. When I learn new things, my shield will grow with knowledge, to pass on.”

  “If Krish’s kind can’t love then how do they mate to pass on knowledge?”

  “Many don’t. It’s why my breed was gaining in numbers. Krish’s type of Tonan wouldn’t pass a piece of their shield on to their offspring for protection. The female children were too vulne
rable, they died out. A female secretes a hormone when pregnant making them far too desirable for a male to resist. If she has no baby shield for protection and the baby’s father won’t keep her safe, which he won’t if he refuses to give up a piece of his shield for her, then mother and child are at a serious risk. Males lose any control they possess, a female is that desirable.”

  “Sounds horrible.”

  “My memories show me it is horrible. Since mating you, my memories show me more of what my mate needs to keep you and I safe. There had been situations a warrior of my kind protected a female with no baby shield. Rare, but true. It takes a very old warrior to keep his emotions in check around a pregnant female with no protection. A special type of warrior. When a male cycle came, female Tonans would search out my kind, for protection. A female doesn’t have to mate to conceive. But if she doesn’t mate she grows old and dies. My kind can mate but many didn’t.

  “None of Krish’s kind will mate. Krish’s kind is thousands of years old. It’s happened but it’s rare for his kind to give a male offspring a piece of their shield, and never one to a female offspring, it’s why their type of female would seek out my kind as well. But that was many centuries ago. Each generation grows more selfish, crueler, evil the likes you have never seen. Krish’s type couldn’t allow my kind to grow stronger in number; we possess some compassion. He can’t risk some of us joining forces with Cobra. But, since Castians hate us, that will never happen. They blame all Tonans for their females’ deaths. I don’t think Cobra even understands there are two types of Tonans.”

  “It sounds like you have grudging respect for Cobra.”

  “I hate him and admire him, yes. I think he would protect any female, even a Tonan female, if one existed, if she were given no baby shield. He is strong willed and a worthy opponent. Make no mistake, he would kill for his warriors and has done so.”

  “I thought you were indestructible?”

  “It’s possible to wear our shields down. With no sunlight, we become vulnerable. Warriors can battle for hours. The older warrior is normally the victor unless it’s Cobra, who lives on to protect his warriors.”

  “It’s too bad Cobra didn’t find you as a child.”

  Taz looked stunned. “But he’s Castian.” His words were spluttered.

  “Would Cobra kill a small child, even if he was Tonan?”

  “He should. I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. I don’t know if he would have been kinder or treated me as his Castain warriors, but maybe. Krish’s kind would kill a male Castian child.”

  She could see his confusion. His brows knit together as he concentrated. Macey was surprised he’d never thought of the idea. She was curious about Castians.

  “Do you war with other species?”

  “We’ve eradicated our enemies. Except Castians. My father hated Castians. I didn’t know why until I got older. He was trying to find a cure for the poison water before it was too late. A Tonan’s hate for Castians killed females. Father blamed Tonans but it was easier to place the blame on Castians.”

  Macey pondered his words. She sat closer, allowing bare flesh to touch.

  “Don’t be sad, Macey.”

  “I’m missing home. It’s been a week. Maybe the Tonans are gone. Maybe the storms have stopped.”

  Taz laid her back onto the soft ground. His fingers brushed a lock of her hair from her face. With tenderness he kissed her forehead. Then pressed his cheek to hers.

  “Every day of my life, I was called worthless and less than nothing.” His breath caressed her skin as he spoke. “I tried hard to fit in. There were cruel things done to other species that made me laugh. I was taught to loath helplessness. Maybe I am evil. I’m not sure. But I’m not evil when I’m with you.”

  “We have a saying on our planet,” Macey said as she sensed him battle his emotions. “Nature verses nurture. You weren’t nurtured really, you were taught to be cruel. Maybe our meeting was the right time and place. If you weren’t hitting must you might have killed me, who knows. Maybe it’s time for your planet to heal. Who can guess what will happen when the Castians and your type of Tonans are reintroduced to females. You may be surprised; others like you may take a chance on love.”

  “I don’t know. Only the cruel were sent to Earth. Only I was exposed as a test. I may have been sent for other reasons. Maybe Krish and his kind want to see if there is a chance of Tonans going rogue so they will be prepared. I can’t let the others find me, us. My kind will be targeted by Krish’s kind and not be aware if I’m found. Krish would never tell anyone I mated a human.”

  “Then we will never go back to Earth?”

  Taz was over her, supporting his weight on his knees and elbows. He slid the tip of his nose across her brow and kissed her hair. Macey cupped the side of his neck and gazed into his eyes. Taz looked like a lonely boy until he masked his emotions. The hard warrior gazed back.

  “No,” she whispered. “You can’t hide from me.”

  She slipped her pants down her hips and lowered his. Taking her hand she guided his erection to her wet heat. Taz groaned. Macey smiled.

  “It would seem I can always find you too,” she said.

  Taz thrust hard making her gasp. “I can’t think when I’m inside you,” he said and growled.

  “Good.”

  Moss under her ass was soft and pleasant. Taz pulled her up and ripped the shirt from her. Her pants that were lowered under her ass were next. The replicator had no clue what she meant by undergarments and fighting with the machine was useless. She wore no bra or panties.

  “That replicator is handy, even if it can be dense. I’d need two jobs for clothes with you around,” Macey said and panted as he thrust harder.

  “Humans wear too many clothes. Summer clothes, winter clothes, fall clothes. Holiday crap, weddings, funerals, parties. Clothes for sports, for casual, for school. Uniforms. And accessories, holy shit. Purses, scarves, hats, gloves. And devices. I swear I shielded once near a human teen who I believe was ‘texting’ and he didn’t notice me, walked right by. I think he fucking wished me a good day. He was disturbing. What kind of deformity causes human males’ assess to be so low? His pants were half way down his legs.

  “It’s like you dress your bodies to hide who you are to the outside world. Every day is your holiday Halloween; you only get a bit more creative—only somewhat. I’ve seen a runway of models in pictures. Some are fucking unsettling.”

  Macey laughed. She couldn’t help it. She’d never thought of simple garments that way. She then groaned when he flipped her onto her belly. His hand pressed her shoulders down until her ass was high in the air. The sensation of filling always indicated when he began to grow inside of her. He explained it was must and natural. His actions of deep thrusting slowed and for a moment he stilled until she cried out. Her breathing grew heavy. Taz waited longer to ease her into a gentle acceptance.

  “Taz,” she groaned.

  “My kind will have trouble if they take a female. Every part of me screams you must not suffer. I can’t allow this information to get back to Krish. My kind will be destroyed. We will war amongst ourselves. My race will be lost.”

  Macey felt the tips of his fangs bury in her neck giving her instant relief. He rocked against her, caressing her rump. She knew he could feel her sadness when he leaned over her and slid his tongue against her back. She didn’t want him to be used as a weapon against his own kind. Her emotions settled. Until the threat had passed, they would be stuck on the quiet little planet. At least they had each other. Macey hoped it would be enough for the both of them.

  * * * *

  Humming, Macey washed her clothes in the pond where she stood naked up to her waist. Taz laughed at her before strolling off and said the replicator would do that, but Macey liked being outside. She liked the smell of wind-dried clothing. The planet’s air was sweet and clear. The sun was high overhead, warming her shoulders. A gentle breeze sent strands of tall grass waving and their aroma was heaven to breathe
in. She squished her toes into the sandy bottom of the pond. Taz was headed inside the shuttle to see if there were other planets they could visit.

  Escape to or hide, really.

  Washing her clothes gave her something to do in the monotony that had become life. The water was warm as tiny waves lapped at her ass. Tiny spankings, she thought and chuckled. She envisioned a frog on a floating lily pad, the sound of honey bees buzzing, a butterfly. Her mind was active with her thoughts. A planet filled with innocuous beings would be nice.

  “Hmmm.”

  Macey stiffened with fear. She glanced around wondering who spoke. It didn’t sound like Taz. Macey screamed when the huge image of a face shimmered into appearance. Glowing red eyes, a hint of a nose, green skin, silver round scales trailed down cheeks, flowing black hair whipped about the twenty-foot-high floating face. She stumbled back, water sloshing to her back now, and she covered her arms across her breasts.

  The red eyes centered onto her and Macey was lifted into the air kicking and struggling. She screamed for Taz. Higher and higher she went until she was above the clouds. The ground disappeared. Her struggling ceased and she whimpered, knowing if she were dropped her body would be smashed.

  “No, wait,” she pleaded.

  “What are you?” the voice was too loud and male, and Macey lifted her hands and covered her ears.

  “You’re too loud, you’re hurting me.”

  “So you hear and understand me.”

  “Yes.” She lowered her hands when he tempered his tone.

  “Why are you on my planet?”

  “I’m sorry; we thought it was uninhabited. We mean no harm.”

  “You have defecated on my food. Eaten my food. What are you?”

  “Human. A human female.”

  “Hmmm. Humans aren’t capable of space flight this far.”