Page 3 of Captured By the Dragon Warlord (Fated Mates of the Sarkarnii Warlords #2)

S he is not what I was expecting.

The female is small, weak even, unable to break the bonds I put her in. Unable to do much other than squirm and cover me in her scent.

But she has a mouth on her. A threat to kill is exactly what I’d expect from a female Sarkarnii who doesn’t want to mate.

And why should this hoo-man wish to mate with me? No reason at all. But I crave a female.

So, I took one.

She shouldn’t have been wandering in the neutral sector, the place where all the clans can meet and where everything is fair game. She should not have strayed.

Because I snapped her up.

“Lord Dexx.” My second in command, Dalsor appears alongside me as I stride through my ship, the Steel Jewel . “Lord Darax is on comm for you.”

I can feel the smile stealing over my face, it makes my muscles ache, but it’s been a long time since I got one over on the smug warlord who thinks because he’s in charge of supplies, he gets superior treatment.

And he gets to dictate what happens with compatible females who fall into our laps.

I should leave him waiting. It would make the final conversation much more amusing, but I can’t wait. I hold out my hand, and Dalsor places the comm device into it.

“Lord Darax.” I snarl at his face, twisted with rage. “What is it? I’m busy. The star fuel won’t mine itself.”

“Nev you, Dexx!” he fires out, smoke firing from both nostrils. “This wasn’t the agreement. You can’t breach the accords, come into my sector, and take what you want,” he rages.

“Why not? I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again,” I respond evenly. “You had females. I wanted one. Now I have one. Nev your precious accords.”

“I will”—Darax dips his head—“come over there and take her back myself.” He snarls, eyes and throat filled with fire.

“She was in the neutral sector, of her own volition. She is not yours to take back.”

Darax releases such a growl I’m surprised I can’t hear it all the way into my sector.

“That is not what was agreed with Dalox.”

“Then take it up with him. In the meantime, the female stays with me.” I terminate the comm and shove it back at Dalsor. “If Darax attempts to get in touch again, don’t answer. I only answer to Dalox.”

“Yes, Lord Dexx.” He backs away from me.

All my crew know respect, none more so than Dalsor. I insist on games once a month so my warriors can demonstrate their strength, then I take on the victor.

No one has beaten me. This is how a warlord gains his respect and keeps it.

“I have digging to do in the northern quarter,” I growl. “Send in a Paralnyi to the female before I return to attend to her. No warriors are to enter my quarters.”

“Yes, Lord Dexx.” Dalsor bows and slams his fist on his chest, backing away, although keeping his eyes on me.

I have been known to lash out without warning. It keeps good warriors ready for anything. But on this occasion, I allow him to leave without an injury.

All my clan have some ability to read thoughts, or in the case of my warriors more emotions, since we came through the wormhole.

My ability is better than all of them, given I can read their minds in their entirety, and not just my clan, all of the Sarkarnii, whilst being able to block my clan members from reading me.

My command is by reputation.

However what it gave us with one claw, it took with another.

We must stay in the dark. We must shift for at least twelve nova-hours. If not, the mutations arise once again. My shift is beckoning, and I need to get down the mine to use the Sarkarnii I become to the best advantage. Until I can shift back again, I cannot deal with the female in my quarters.

I reach the central shaft, unfurling my wings as I get close, and the wind whistles up and out at me. For a nova-second, I hang there before shifting the rest of myself and diving down into the very bowels of Vorostor.

Several of my warriors pass me, able now to return to their biped forms. I don’t envy them. I always preferred my Sarkarnii form even before I was forced to take it. The one time I couldn’t shift was the time I lost my eye.

I have never resisted the urge to shift since. Part of me wonders if that is the reason my crew and I have ended up with this mutation, whereas the other Sarkarnii seem to have gotten off lightly in comparison.

We may never know. But what I am aware of is the moment I picked up the human, the moment she was in my arms, on my shoulder, belonging to me, was the first moment of silence inside my head I’ve had since we crash landed on Vorostor.

And it was pure bliss.