Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

O ne Hour Later

Zade stormed through the empty hallway, his jaw clenched as he barked into his communication device for his second in command. “Bren.”

“I take it the human chose someone prettier than you?” Amusement heavily laced his question.

“Is my ship ready to depart? We won’t be staying to watch this farce.” Zade practically snarled.

“What happened? I saw the way you two were eye fucking before I left.” Of course he had. Damn invisible Lumerians.

“So did everyone else. Somehow, they convinced her not to choose me.”

“Those scheming bottom feeders,” Bren growled. “Who did she select?”

“Antonelius. Some of the Council members are already here, leaving me no time to change her mind.”

“Sure about that?” Bren cut in, “because my scanners show a female form running toward you.”

Zade slowed, annoyed that he’d been so distracted he hadn’t heard her coming.

A dainty hand touched the back of his arm. Ashlyn. He wanted to turn around and make her his. Kiss her. Mark her. Take her there in the deserted hallway. Prove he was the one for her. He did none of those things, his back ramrod straight. She’d made her choice.

“Prince Miralos. Zade. Please wait. You didn’t let me explain; you just walked out.”

He felt her tug on his arm and turned to face the small human woman, his face devoid of emotion. He would not allow her to see his anger or how much her rejection stung. “What is there to say? I do not need explanations or platitudes. I am not a child in need of coddling when he does not get the toy he wants.”

“You mean the power you want?”

“Of course.” Let her believe the Council seat was all he truly wanted.

Ashlyn’s eyes flashed with temper. ““Maybe you don’t need coddling, but where I come from it’s rude to walk away from someone who is talking to you.”

His eyes narrowed dangerously as he bent closer, invading her personal space. “Then you can add rude to your list.”

“What list?” she said between clenched teeth.

He straightened; his feet planted wide apart. He had no desire to argue with her, but she was obviously begging for a fight. The fire in her hair should have warned him of her temper. Apparently, such traits existed in all females, regardless of species. Of the females who chose to add red, he was especially careful. Ashlyn appeared to have been born with the tempting shade. His cock twitched. Either way, their tempers run hot and passions even hotter.

Ashlyn crossed her arms, foot tapping impatiently. “What list?” she asked again.

His jaw tightened. She wasn’t going to let the comment go. Fine. “The lists females make to condemn a man before he knows he’s done wrong or has a chance to fix it. Sometimes lists of things he has no control over. He’s too big, too small, too fast or too slow. Maybe he has the wrong parents, read the wrong books or gets into too many fights. Maybe he asks too many questions or not enough. Whatever he does, it goes on the list.”

“I do not make lists,” she huffed indignantly. “At least, not that kind.”

“Then the kind with gold talods next to their names.” He swept his hand expansively through the air, unable to curb his anger any longer. “The one with the most talods wins?”

“Talods? As in Caldor’s version of money? Now you’re calling me a gold digger?!” Ashlyn’s face flushed an angry shade of red. “You callous, arrogant, self-absorbed alien bastard. I can’t believe I even considered.. you assho-”

“Careful, shenga .” His tone, to those who knew him, had become dangerously low. “The last woman who dared to call me names ended up bent over my knee. I daresay she can still feel my handprint on her ass.”

She gasped in outrage. “You wouldn’t dare, you insufferable...” she ranted, her index finger stabbing him in the chest with each word, “pompous, overbearing, conceited jackass.”

“That’s it. I warned you.” He picked her up, threw her none too gently over his shoulder and began walking back the way he had come.

Ashlyn screamed, her fists beating uselessly against his back. His hold on her was unbreakable. “What are you doing? Put me down!”

Instead of complying, he tapped his communicator. “Bren?”

“Still here. You do remember she chose the other guy, right?” came the sardonic reply.

“Yet here she is with me.”

“I’ll wait for you on the ship. The Council is setting up sensors all over the base even as we speak. Paranoid mezzerrholes . Why can’t they remember we’re all dead?”

Zade snorted. The Lumerians had done an excellent job of erasing their footprints. No sightings. No suspicious activity. They’d literally turned themselves into myths. Whispers of Lumerian activity were ruthlessly quashed, yet the Council persisted in setting traps. Zade thought it rather wise of them. Lumerians were practically immortal, and they would never forget the Council’s order to annihilate their planet. Bren was one of the oldest Lumerians, and his rage had only grown over time as what was left of his people were painstakingly hunted down and slaughtered like wild animals. “Set coordinates for home. I won’t be long.”

“Good fortune, Commander. I have a feeling you may need it with that one.”

“Oh my god!” Ashlyn turned and twisted, looking around desperately. “Who are you talking to? Hello? Hello? Help! I’m being kidnapped!”

A smack to her bottom made her scream again.

“Where are your sleeping quarters?” Zade asked through gritted teeth.

Ashlyn stiffened against him. “Like I would ever tell you.”

“Have it your way.” Zade set off at a brisk pace. Deaf to her cursing and pleading, he carried her on his shoulder all the way back to the secure meeting room Ambassador Shronti had taken him to upon his arrival.

Ashlyn was so light he barely registered the weight. All humans were small and light in comparison to Caldorians. Only her wiggling made the journey slightly difficult, which did nothing to lighten his mood. Every time she squirmed, her breasts rubbed tantalizingly against his back and her hips gyrated in a most pleasing fashion. If she were his woman in truth, he would run for the nearest sleeping platform. As it was, he could do nothing. She had made her choice clear. He would not try to change her mind. This would strictly be about her disrespect.

After long minutes of wrong turns and backtracking, they finally arrived. He hoped he still had access to the room. He placed his palm on the scanner. Nothing. Fulack!

“Aw. That’s too bad. Guess you’ll just have to let me go,” Ashlyn snickered.

“Not going to happen, shenga .” Zade tapped his communication device. “Bren. Track my position and get this door open.”

“Understood. Be advised. Opening the door will set off whatever alarm system they have inside.”

“Can you jam the signal?”

“Not for long, and that is likely to set off different alarms. Their tech is as good as ours.”

Zade's lip curled. He was not in the mood to play Sector politics. “Fine. Send base security a message. Tell them I left something valuable in the room and will be opening the door to retrieve it. With all the chaos of the Council members arriving, they’ll probably be glad we’re not asking for help.”

“Understood.”

Zade didn’t have to wait long before the door slid open. He stepped inside. The room had a small open box with glowing blue maju stones inside, illuminating the rest of the room with just enough light to allow him to see his way to the far end where a large hearth was nestled into the wall. He drew the protective cover aside, bathing the entire area in the soft warm glow of a thousand pebble sized maju stones, all flickering in and out as their energy was nearly depleted. The result was an almost magical dance of sparkling blue light.

He turned his back to the hearth, careful not to allow Ashlyn’s flailing arms to get too close to the stones as he scanned the room. Average sized, the area exuded a warm and inviting atmosphere with its plush sofa, a few high-backed chairs, and two small round tables overflowing with an array of delicacies including fruit, bread, and beverages, all of which were effortlessly dispensed by the food synthesizers integrated into the side wall.

The space was clearly designed to make visitors, be they dignitaries or royalty, feel at ease while they awaited an audience. After the pressing urgency of the king's messages, Zade and the ambassador had spent nearly an hour discussing the situation. And Ashlyn. At that time, she’d been nothing more than a name, an unknown. Now she would forever haunt his thoughts, and his cock.

More pummeling on his back, this time without insults or demands. He stilled. “Are you finished?”

“No. Are you?”

Her constant wiggling forced him to readjust his hold again. Definitely a temper. Stubborn. Full of sass. “Never with you.”

“You have to let me go,” she demanded. “This is not…you can’t do this!”

“Yet here I am, doing this.”