Chapter 13

He was a predator, slipping silently through the shadows as he followed his prey. Vaarn stopped in the darkness as one of the pirates walked around a rock at the back of the beach, and into what was now his killing field. He was a big brute, a Travortian from his armored skin and quill-like hair, peering into the shadows oblivious to the danger that lurked just up ahead.

Vaarn"s hand tightened around the hilt of his dagger. Ice seeped through his veins as he readied himself for battle. He fought without anger, without emotion, which made him one of the deadliest warriors on the battlefield… normally. But this time rage and fury crept into the edges of his vision. This draanthic and his friends wanted to sell his precious little mate to some male who would do unspeakable things to her. His expression tightened, his jaw clenched so hard he was surprised he didn"t shatter his teeth.

There would be no mercy for them. He would show them what it meant to cross a Latharian warrior. There was a reason that even the Krin were wary around the Lathar.

Vaarn struck, and with lightning speed, he grabbed the hulking brute and slammed him into the side of the rock. The Travortian roared in surprise and pain, thrashing wildly to try and dislodge his attacker, but Vaarn shoved a hard forearm into the pirate's throat to hold him in place.

He struck, plunging his dagger deep into his enemy"s stomach. The hot rush of blood poured over his hand, and his victim grunted. Ripping the blade free, he slashed again, opening a dark smile across the Travortian"s throat.

There was a wet gurgle as the pirate collapsed to the ground, big hands clamped over the mortal wounds in his neck. Vaarn stepped back and watched as the light faded from his victim's eyes.

Crouching, he wiped his blade clean on the sleeve of the dead pirate"s jacket. One pirate down, four more to go. Then Tiir. Already, Vaarn had moved on in his mind, anticipating where the other pirates would be in the deadly maze of shadows and rock. Where he would need to move to cut them off before they reached his little mate, where he would need to funnel them to end their lives in silence and shadows.

He melted back into the darkness. He had no problem with the way he'd killed those males. They'd already proven themselves to be without honor by trying to take an innocent female and sell her for profit. People like that deserved what they got.

He moved through the darkness, every sense alert. He"d reconned the area earlier before he"d headed over to the escape pod to recover what he could to help them survive until rescue arrived. Thankfully he had, because he"d memorized the layout of the rocks at the back of the beach. Which meant he knew where the pirates were likely to be, and where the best choke points for an ambush were. He would use their own brutal methods against them, slipping in and out of the shadows to take them by surprise.

The sound of footsteps reached his ears. He pressed himself against the rock face. Two more pirates rounded the corner, laughing at some crude joke about the females they already had in their ship's hold. His lip curled in disgust. This would be the last mistake they"d ever make. He would remind them that even the biggest predators could become prey. That there was always a bigger predator out there.

This time, it just so happened to be him.

He struck in a blur of motion, his blade finding the first pirate's heart like a laser guided missile. The brute looked down, his laugh falling silent as his eyes widened. The dagger trembled twice with the last, desperate beats of his dying heart.

Before his companion had time to react, Vaarn lashed out, tying the second pirate up in a tight hold. His arm wrapped around the male"s throat, an iron bar impossible to remove. The pirate gasped, flailing as his air was cut off, and trying to break free. Expression set, Vaarn gave a sharp twist and snapped his neck.

Dropping the second body next to the first, he crouched to retrieve his dagger again. His hands were slick with blood, so he wiped them on the pant leg of one of his victims.

He continued through the dark, keeping an eye and ear out for anything that might suggest one of the pirates looping back to sneak up on him. He couldn"t afford to be careless. There was too much at stake. He had to kill these draanthic before they could reach his mate. Sadie needed him to protect her.

He couldn't let her down.

He wouldn"t let her down.

Spotting a flicker of movement up ahead, he melted into the shadows, circling around a large cluster of rocks to come up behind his quarry. It was another lone pirate who had been separated from his comrades. His lips split into a wide smile. Perfect.

Vaarn snuck up behind him and struck with the speed of a liraas, his arm snaking around the pirate"s neck in a chokehold. The smaller male flailed and kicked desperately, but he only tightened his grip, spreading his feet for balance. With a sharp jerk upward, he snapped the pirate's neck and dropped the limp body to the sand.

Three more pirates neutralized. Grim satisfaction filled him as he melted back into the darkness. Just one more pirate left to go…

Tiir.

He stepped from the shadows a few minutes later, his boots silent on the sand and small stones. Tiir had his back to him, looking out at the ocean.

"It's over, Tiir," he said. "Your men are dead. There's nowhere left for you to run. It's just the two of us."

The big pirate leader turned to face him, a smile playing across his face. "Really, now Vaarn? Did you really think I wouldn't expect this?"

He narrowed his eyes. He and Tiir had known each other for years, but he didn't know the male that well at all. Not really. They had a shared interest in technology, but that was it. Tiir had always been more concerned with the profit that technology would bring.

"Why?" he asked bluntly. "Why betray your own people this way?"

Tiir barked a harsh laugh. "Betray? The Empire betrayed me, betrayed all of us a long time ago. But you"re all too blind to see it." Disgust twisted his features as he shook his head. "Even with the humans to breed new warriors, the Empire is dying. Its days are numbered. I"m just aligning myself with the winning side."

Vaarn's jaw tightened, anger simmering in his gut. Tiir sounded just like the purists… or the C"Vaal. Were they behind this? Kidnapping the new mates the Lathar had found and making another bid to overthrow the Emperor?

Draanth. He needed more information.

"Who are you working with?" he demanded.

Tiir"s smile turned sly. "Wouldn"t you like to know? Sorry… I"m not giving up my allies that easily."

He dropped into a fighting stance, and Vaarn tensed. Tiir's style wasn't Imperial, not with that stance. He must have learned to fight elsewhere. No matter. Latharian warriors trained against all kinds of styles and species. He would end this quickly.

They circled each other slowly, and then Tiir lunged. He blocked the blows, then went on the offensive. They traded blows and counter-blows, neither gaining an advantage. Tiir was good, he had to admit. Better than he'd anticipated and he was tiring. The bruising along his side from the crash throbbed painfully, and he had to use all his discipline to hide it. He had to finish this soon before his injuries gave him away.

With a burst of speed, he feinted left then slammed a brutal kick into Tiir's to sweep them out from under him. The other male crashed hard onto his back, the air driven from his lungs in a whoosh. Before he could recover himself, Vaarn had him pinned, jamming a strong forearm viciously into his windpipe.

"It"s over," he growled. "You"ve lost."

But then Tiir laughed, a sly glint in his eyes despite the forearm crushing his throat.

"You think you"ve won?" the other male rasped out. "I still have one card left to play."

A small cry made him look up, just in time to see a young Latharian drag Sadie from the shadows, a vicious-looking dagger held at her throat. Her eyes were wide and terrified, her face pale.

"Let him up or she dies," the youth growled. From his coloring and facial features, he was Tiir"s son. Nephew at the outside.

Vaarn froze. His mate was in danger. Relaxing his grip on Tiir's throat, he stood. Tiir coughed as he regained his breath and stood up with a smug smile.

"Not so cocky now, are you?" the pirate taunted, then lashed out with a brutal kick, catching Vaarn in his injured side.

He grunted but stayed on his feet. He couldn't afford to appear weak now, not with his mate's life at stake. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. She looked terrified but she was still glaring at her captor. The ghost of a smile crossed his lips. His brave little mate.

Tiir grabbed Vaarn"s arm and twisted it up behind his back.

"On your knees," he hissed.

He hesitated, but Tiir"s son pressed the dagger harder against Sadie"s throat, drawing a thin line of blood. Her small cry of pain was a lance to his heart. Every instinct he had focused on her, on that drop of blood welling on her tender skin. All it would take was a tiny push and his world ended.

He went cold, all emotion leaching out of him as he sank to his knees. If his beloved mate died then he would too, but not before he"d tracked down everyone in Tiir"s bloodline and brought them to a brutal and bloody end. He would become vengeance itself and no one would sway him from his goal.

"Look at the big, brave warrior. So obedient," Tiir jeered and shoved him face-first into the sand, causing him to twist painfully. Shards of agony exploded through the ribs that had been damaged when the ship had exploded, sending shockwaves and debris to slam into him. But there was a new pain now, in his hand. He bit back a smile as his palm moved on something hard and jagged.

The broken pieces of Sadie's bracelet.

"You know what?" Sadie snapped. "Screw you, asshole."

She slammed her head back into her captor"s face. There was a sharp crack and he yowled in pain, releasing her to clutch at his broken nose.

Vaarn didn"t hesitate. Grabbing for the largest shard of the bracelet, he whirled around and thrust upward, burying the jagged metal deep into Tiir"s throat. Tiir"s eyes latched into his, lips forming a wordless gasp as he tried to drag air in. He tore the makeshift weapon free, hot blood gushing over his hand to decorate the front of Tiir"s tunic in a grisly waterfall. The pirate's hands fluttered uselessly in front of his ruined throat as he dropped to his knees, then keeled over onto the sand with a bubbling gasp.

It was over in seconds. Tiir lay dead on the sand, the makeshift dagger still clutched in Vaarn's hand. He turned to see Sadie hitting the youth who had been holding her.

"Sadie, stop!" He was by her side, hand wrapped around her wrist before she could land another blow. The young male took one look at Tiir and scrambled away, terror on his face.

"Draanth, " Vaarn hissed, starting to go after him. The last thing they needed was a youngster bent on some sort of familial vengeance. But Sadie grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks

"Just let him go," she whispered, her tear-stained face turned up to his. The anger and fight drained out of her all at once and she sagged against him. "I just want to get out of here."

* * *

Sadie shiveredas Vaarn held her close, eyes wide as she looked past him to the body on the beach. Tiir, who they"d been laughing and joking with on Krantav Three only yesterday, lay in a crumpled heap. The sands around him were scarlet with his lifeblood and he stared sightlessly up at the night sky.

She trembled, the what-ifs running through her mind in a horrific, endless loop. What if Vaarn hadn"t been here? What if he hadn"t survived the ship crash? What if the pirates had killed him…

"Oh my god. . . Where are the others?" She twisted in his arms, trying to look in all directions at.

"Dead, Sadie." He stopped her movement with large hands on her upper arms. His expression was grim as he looked down at her.

"They"re dead. I killed... I slaughtered them all."

She stilled. His expression twisted as he looked down at himself.

"I never wanted you to see me like this. I didn"t ever want you to see this side of me."

She frowned. "Why not? I mean… I know you"re a warrior?—"

He yanked his head up, pain-darkened eyes boring into hers.

"I"m not just a warrior. I"m a monster," he growled as he advanced on her. The look in his eyes made her heart race and her pussy clench. Heat warmed her cheeks. Of all the inappropriate times to get turned on by her sexy alien. When he was being all serious and dangerous.

"I killed them because I wanted to," he snarled. "Because they would have hurt you and I"d do it again gladly. But it"s too late now."

He was right there, looming over her. She had to tilt her neck back to meet his eyes. Eerily pale in the moonlight, they caught her in his spell and wouldn"t let her go. The beach around them faded into nothing. There was just the two of them in this one moment in time. Tension filled the air between them like electricity.

"Why?" she breathed, barely able to get the words out. "Why is it too late? Too late for what?"

He reached out and slid a hand into her hair, holding her in place as he lifted his other arm and showed her his wrist. Dark marks like tattoos of alien ivy wrapped around them.

She caught her breath, wonder widening her eyes. She knew exactly what they were. She'd seen her brother-in-law's delight and pride when they"d appeared on his skin to mark his mating with her sister.

"Mating marks," she breathed. Reaching up to trace a delicate finger over his marked skin. "For me?"

"For you," he growled in confirmation. "The gods themselves have blessed our union, so you can"t run from me. It"s too late. You can never run from me. I will always find you."

She drew back, her eyes narrowing as she looked up into his handsome face. How could such an intelligent man be so clueless at times?

"Good, because if you think a little thing like this," she gestured vaguely around them to encompass the beach, the crashed ship, and the bodies that she knew were in the darkness somewhere. "Will put me off, then you"ve another think coming. I love you, Vaarn T'Kaan, and don"t you ever forget it."

A smile spread over his face. "You love me, really? Even after seeing what I am? What I'm capable of?"

"Oh, for all the god's sake," A deep voice drawled from the shadows above them. "Just shut up and kiss the female already, Vaarn. I always did say your caregiver dropped you on your head when you were a baby."

She gasped, jumped back, and looked up to find a young-looking Latharian warrior half hanging out what appeared to be an airlock hovering in mid-air.

"Stealth-tech," Vaarn murmured, pulling her firmly back against him. "Looks like S"aad has arrived with the cavalry."

She heard the engines as the concealed ship dropped its shielding and shot off to land further along the beach, wind whipping her hair around her face as she looked up at her new mate. She knew enough about the Lathar to know that mating marks sealed the deal. He was hers, she was his. No one could argue with that.

"Less interested in the stealth-tech," she admitted, her body softening as she rested against him. "And far more interested in this kiss."

A smile quirked his lips. "Tenacious as always. Just one of the things I love about you, little mate."

"Say it again," she demanded when his lips were a hair"s breadth from hers.

"You"re stubborn and tenacious." He chuckled at her small huff of annoyance and relented. "I love you, Sadie Keare. I have from the moment I saw you, and now you"re mine forever," he said, brushing her lips softly with his before pulling back.

She growled in frustration. That hadn"t been the kiss she was after. Not by a long shot.

"You"re supposed to ask me if I"ll spend my life with you," she pointed out in mock huffiness. "And tell me you want to grow old with me."

"Is that what human males do?" His eyebrows raised, teeth bared in a quick flash of a grin. "I"m not human, kelarris. You"re mine, and I will kill anyone and anything to protect you. My body and blades are yours, from now until the end of our days. I will love you until I no longer draw breath, and beyond that, when we are nothing but distant memories of our children"s descendants. And I will still love you."

Her eyes filled with tears, and she went up on tiptoe to yank him closer. "That was so beautiful. I love you too. Now just bloody well kiss me, will you?"