Page 2 of Captured By the Dragon Warlord (Fated Mates of the Sarkarnii Warlords #2)

A ll I can hear is my breathing, short and ragged. I would hold it, so I can hear better what might be going on around me, but the adrenaline coursing through my body means I can’t.

A light flickers dimly, slowly illuminating my surroundings. It doesn’t get much brighter than a candle, but as my eyes adjust, I can start to make out what is around me.

I’m sat in a cushioned shallow pit with a selection of what appear to be colorful throws, although with little light, they look muddy, dull, dirty.

The pit is familiar, like the one which we had in our quarters back with the warlord, Darax, a huge creature who took a fancy to Kerra, one of my friends.

Because he ended up mated to her, he was the one who made sure we were all safe.

But also, both of them made sure we were given a choice.

The other warlords wanted to meet us. But it was our choice if we wanted to go.

All of us had decided we were interested enough to find out what life was like on the other grounded space ships the Sarkarnii had formed into one whole known as Vorostor Central.

Because we were supposed to be free.

With my hands and feet bound, I feel anything but safe. I grasp at the tendrils of my anger and pull them back to me.

“Are you going to show yourself or hide in the darkness like a coward?”

I’ve had only one personal introduction to the other Sarkarnii warlords besides Darax.

Dante was the warlord who helped rescue us all from the horrid cockroach aliens who abducted us a second time, but he was somewhat preoccupied at the time, clearly wanting to get back to the battle, shoving us all through an airlock and leaving us to our own devices.

If this is a Sarkarnii, out there in the dark, it is not Dante. There’s not nearly enough noise.

A wisp of smoke flows over the light, dimming it further for a brief second. The low, snickering growl comes again, followed by the sound of scales scraping over the floor.

I’m in a Sarkarnii ship, presumably in a set of living quarters, given they prefer to have this sort of hollow to sleep in. The question is, whose ship and whose quarters?

I run through the options in my mind, having discounted Dante already.

Kerra gave us a quick low-down on them all as we had agreed to meet with them individually.

There’s Driok, whom all the other warlords consider super dangerous (thanks Kerra!), Dalox, who was the fleet admiral and who still has overall control of the Sarkarnii but is even more feral than Driok, and Dexx, who is supposed to be completely and utterly feral.

Kerra was even able to show us images of each of the warlords.

I mean, all the Sarkarnii are pretty good to look at.

The scales which flow over their skin in various hues make their impressive abs stand out.

They’re huge too, all of them over seven feet in height as a minimum.

Yes, they have tails, occasionally wings, claws, sharp fangs, and they can change into dragons, but then I’ve also seen cockroach aliens, so I am counting my blessings one hundred percent we ended up with the Sarkarnii, even if they are chaos incarnate.

Dante looked suitably unhinged in his picture, Dalox was snarling, Driok was in profile. and Dexx…well, his image was so dark it was almost impossible to make him out, other than the reflection in one eye.

Simply the thought of it sends a chill down my spine. He didn’t look unhinged or feral. He looked like a killer.

A stone cold killer.

I hope the warlord who thought it was a good idea to abduct me isn’t Dexx. Any of the others will do, just not him.

Not him.

“I have work to do, little ember, so I’m going to have to leave you,” the voice rumbles out of the dark. I look around wildly, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Sarkarnii who has me.

“Don’t leave me tied up, please,” I plead.

“What if I like you tied up?” the growl comes back.

And with a further sliding sound, a door opens somewhere, and I’m aware of his absence.

The complete bastard left me like this.

It has to be Dexx.

The one Sarkarnii warlord I never wanted to meet has taken it upon himself to steal me away.

Which means I have one aim, and one aim only. Get away from him and back to Darax’s sector. I never want to encounter Dexx again.