Page 31 of Bought and Shared

A urora

“Shut the fuck up!” Collins growls, dropping his dick and grabbing me roughly by the arm.

Spinning me around and slamming me against the wall of the shed, my head bounces off the wood making me see spots.

He pins me flat with his own sweaty body, pressing himself against me and grabbing ahold of my hair.

“Shut her up, man! Quick, before somebody hears her screams and finds us,” Mills whisper-yells nervously, his eyes darting to the door of the shed we’re hidden in.

I manage to let off one more ear-piercing scream before he yanks my hair, pulling my head to the side.

He clamps one moist, meaty palm over my mouth and uses his other hand to smash my face against the wall.

I nearly wretch at the smell of him pressed so close to my nose, but I fight the urge in the name of self-preservation.

Behind his hand, I continue to yell desperately, trying to kick my feet back at his shins.

“Fucking Christ! Stop it, or I’m going to knock you out!”

That threat kills the fight in me. Despite the short struggle, I’m out of breath and my heart is pounding erratically. My skin is prickling with terror and my nerves are zinging with unspent electricity.

“Do you think anyone heard?” Mills demands, his cock-sure face no longer looking so smug.

We all go silent as we listen. Just as Collins says, “I think we’re good,” the door to the shed bangs open.

The vicious grip on my slackens and I turn my panicked gaze up to see the furious face of Lieutenant Crom. The relief nearly drops me to my knees, and I let out a sob. The man fills the doorway like an avenging angel. The only thing he’s missing is the wings.

“What the fucking hell is going on in here?” Crom yells, his voice so full of rage I barely recognize it.

Collins has the presence of mind to release his brutal hold on me, but it’s too late. The Voltan warrior has already seen it. His expression turns absolutely glacial as he takes in my disheveled and terrified appearance and Collins’ flaccid penis still hanging out of his pants.

He doesn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he charges inside and grabs both men by their collars, dragging them outside the shed into the bright light of day.

Straightening my slip, I take a deep breath and follow the men outside. To my shock, I watch as Crom throws both soldiers onto the ground. Wordlessly, he kicks Collins in the ribs. I hear a sickening crunch before he turns and does the same to Mills.

“You like to hurt innocent women, gentleman?” he bellows between ruthless kicks.

Neither man answers, except with grunts and groans over the pain of their Lieutenant’s steel-toed boot finding the softest places on their bodies.

A group of Voltan soldiers notices the flurry of activity and they begin to assemble, laughing at the human soldiers’ pathetic wailing as their buddy works them both over like a heavy bag.

Crom stops and gazes down at the two men. “Get up you cowards. I want to introduce you to a little thing called the brig.”

Hot tears trail down my cheeks when I finally realize I’m safe. Shaking from head to toe, I wrap my arms around my shoulders to quell the trembling but it doesn’t work. Even my teeth are chattering.

The Lieutenant notices my distress then and his jaw hardens. “King, can you see that these two men get where they need to go?”

King strides over and hunkers down on his haunches. “It’s just a scratch, asshole,” he says to Collins. “Get up and stop making so much noise. You sound like a dying crabnotten.”

I’m not sure what a crabnotten is, but I understand the insult as well as Collins does. Rising unsteadily to his feet, he tosses me a threatening look over his shoulder that warns me to keep my mouth shut if I know what’s good for me.

Crom cuffs the man so hard on the back of the head he stumbles back to his knees. “Eyes forward, you sorry excuse for a soldier. If you so much as look in this woman’s direction ever again, I’ll make sure she’s the last thing you ever see.”

King leads the two human soldiers away, providing them with the proper encouragement every time one falters or doesn’t move fast enough.

When they are out of sight, Crom turns to me and asks, “Are you okay, Aurora? Did they hurt you?” His eyes take in the red marks on my forehead and face and around my mouth.

I briskly shake my head. “I’m okay. I’m okay. Thank God you came when you did!”

However, my body defies my words as I realize I can hear a high-pitched electrical hum that seems to be coming from inside my head from the shock of what I’ve just been through, and the horror of what almost happened.

The sunny day begins to go dark and I feel a cold sweat break out over my body.

Nausea wells up suddenly and I’m afraid I’m going to vomit.

“It’s okay. You’re safe with me, draftee. I’ll take you directly to the Colonel’s office where you’ll be most comfortable.”

Crom lifts me into his strong arms and carries me back to the officer’s barracks. When we get into the elevator, he holds me close. A low rumble in his chest lulls me into a shaky sense of calm. My body feels heavy as I snuggle against him, desperate for the comfort he provides.

When the elevator doors snap open, Crom walks swiftly down a sleek hallway. His large strides eat up the distance. When he suddenly stops, I look up.

Shifting my weight in his arms, Crom raises his fist and forcefully knocks. I hear a voice telling us to enter, and we step inside.

“Is the Colonel in?” Crom’s inquires with an edge of urgency.

I glance up to see a thin, human male with black wire-rim glasses blinking owlishly back at us. “He’s busy at the moment. If you’ll have a seat and wait-,”

Crom doesn’t listen to the delicate man. Instead, he marches beyond him and knocks on what I presume is Oren’s office door.

“Come in,” his deep voice sounds from within.

The minute we step into the room, I peek up and spot my master’s face. His nostrils flare, his lips thin, and his eyes harden to ice.

Somebody is about to be in a world of hurt.

Oren

When I hear a rough knock at my door, I set my tablet aside and call for the offending party to open it. I vaguely think about where Bryan might be when Crom enters my office with Aurora bundled in his arms.

Immediately I tense at the intimate scene. I hate everything about it. His hands on her body. Her relaxed posture as he carries her around like she’s his. Even worse, my mate looks terrified. That is something I simply can’t stand for.

I’m up and around my desk before any words can be spoken. Wresting my mate from the junior officer’s arms, I begin to purr for her. Aurora melts against my chest and relaxes noticeably once the sound begins.

“What happened? Why is she so upset?” I demand, managing to moderate my tone so that I don’t further upset the delicate creature pressed endearingly against my body.

Crom gives me a concise explanation of what has transpired.

I’m so angry, I could combust. Outwardly, however, I hold it together.

I can only imagine what will happen as soon as I tell Knox.

I can’t promise he won’t outright kill the two men, as I myself want to do, but somehow, I manage to not act upon the ferocious urge at the moment.

Thankful for Crom’s arrival at the brutal scene, I chuck my chin in his direction.

“I am more grateful to you than you’ll ever know, Lieutenant.

You have my eternal gratitude. I can only imagine what could have happened had you not been performing your rounds so diligently today. Rest assured, this won’t be forgotten.”

Crom bows his head and quietly exits my office. I’m not far behind him. I need to take Aurora back to our suite where she can tell me her side of events and rest after such a harrowing ordeal.

I purr nearly the entire way there. By the time we reach our front door, she’s nearly asleep, but I can’t allow that yet. I need answers to some very important questions first.

Carrying her straight to the bedroom, I settle Aurora into my bed and pull the covers up to her chin. I note red marks on her face and have to clench the fabric in my fists to control my rage. When her trembling subsides some, I ask, “What happened, Kitten?”

A tear streaks down her pale cheek and my heart goes tumbling with it. “The two human men from the other day attacked me while I was walking back from the draftee services office.” Her voice is thready and weak and she suppresses a little sob as she answers. I may never recover.

Confused I ask as calmly as possible, “Why were you at the draftee services office?”

“I was told they had information about potential future careers. I was so excited, I headed over there after breakfast to see what avenues were available to me,” she explains between hiccups.

Brushing her silky ringlets away from her face, I smile. “Did anything catch your attention?” This human female already has me wrapped around her little finger. Whatever she wants, if it was within my power to give it to her, I will. No questions asked, no expense spared.

She sniffs and nods. “A few things, but I’m not sure yet. The idea of going to school, to college, is still so new to me.”

“The two soldiers were there at the office then?” I press, wanting to know how the cowardly attack was carried out. I believe it was an isolated incident, but I can’t rule out the possibility it has something to do with the bus incident.

“I’d already exited the office when they grabbed me and pulled me into an equipment shed,” Aurora reveals with a full-body shudder.

This next question is very important, though I know it will be very difficult for my mate to answer. “Did they hurt you at all, Aurora? Do you need to speak with one of our doctors?”

It had clearly been their intent, though Lieutenant Crom seemed to believe he’d entered the shed before anything devastating had taken place. Either way, I want to hear what Aurora has to say about it so I can provide whatever support she needs.