Page 7 of Captured By the Dragon Warlord (Fated Mates of the Sarkarnii Warlords #2)

I f I hadn’t left when I did, I would have messed my pants. The little female’s defiance, her refusal to take my orders, is such I want to mate her instantly. Sheath myself in her, fill her with my seed, breed her.

But females cannot be taken in this way. They need careful handling to avoid being envenomated. I saw a Sarkarnii once after they had failed to mate. Envenomated, dejected, he was in a terrible state. I’ve been in plenty of battles, but I do not want to be bitten by my female.

I do, however, want to mate with her. My hips swing as I make my way through the ship to the dining hall.

Having taken her from Darax is a source of celebration for my crew.

No one likes the reliance we have on him to provide for us, especially as we spend so much time under the surface of Vorostor.

Especially as our mutations mean we couldn’t do what his clan does even if we wanted to.

The warriors tasked with preparing the feast stop what they are doing when I enter, slamming their fists on their chests and bowing their heads just enough to be deferential.

“My mate likes kifyli and meat,” I announce. “Make sure there is plenty for her.”

“Yes, Lord Dexx,” the head warrior responds.

“Do we have enough ale-wine, or do I need to send a scouting party to liberate more?” I growl.

“We have plenty from your last expedition, Lord Dexx.” He grins at me.

I scan all their minds to find they’re filled with similar thoughts about the celebration and how much they are intending enjoying it. But then all my warriors know I can pluck what they’re thinking straight out of their heads if I want to invade their thoughts.

Not that I’ve ever found this knowledge means they filter what they’re thinking. Some days I wonder if they deliberately fill my head with violence and images of their cocks.

As a species, it seems, despite all the risks, we are quite obsessed with the one body part we can store away and forget about.

Although, I ignored mine until it started bothering me with the arrival of the females on Vorostor. Whether this means I’m in rut for the little female in my quarters is another matter.

I contemplate what being in rut means as I scratch at my scales and reach the central control area of the Steel Jewel . As expected, Dalsor is waiting for me. He will be due to shift soon, but given he holds a vid-pad in his hands, it can only mean one thing.

“War?” I snarl.

There’s a ripple of interest around the room. At least war would be another use for our constant need to shift.

“Lord Dalox wants you to comm him.”

I growl out loud, inwardly cursing him to the ancestors. But to openly defy Dalox wouldn’t mean war. It would mean annihilation, and my clan has enough problems as it is.

“Fine,” I rasp. “Get him on comm.”

I wait the few nova-seconds before Dalsor hands me the vid-pad and Dalox appears on the screen.

“Nev, Dexx, did you have to go and take a female rather than wait for them to come to you?” he growls. “And why is it always so nevving dark on your ship?” He peers closer at me.

“I shouldn’t have had to wait,” I respond. “And in any event, the female was in the neutral sector. She was unguarded and so not under Darax’s control.”

“From what I hear from Darax, the females are under no one’s control.” Dalox sighs. “If you are sure she was in the neutral sector, I will tell Darax to calm the nev down. But you are going to have to let the female choose where she wishes to go.”

“I am?” I rasp.

Dalox glares at me. “Unless you wish to be envenomated.”

“The female will not envenomate me,” I say confidently.

“I didn’t mean the female.” Dalox exposes his double fangs. “I meant me. Do what you know is right, Dexx, and you can keep her.”

Dalox terminates the comm. I snort a stream of smoke. Like I’d let the nevver close enough to bite me…again.

I slam the vid-pad back into Dalsor’s hands.

“If anyone wants me, I’ll be in the mines,” I snarl. “Get the Paralnyi to prepare my mate for the feast.”

At least in the darkness I don’t have to listen to all the thoughts running through my crew and every other Sarkarnii on this nevving planet.

There the solid rock and the presence of the star fuel dulls the noise.

I’d prefer to be back with my mate in my quarters, but something tells me until I’ve worked out my frustrations elsewhere, I will be more of a hinderance to the mating process.

I need to be ready to dine with her tonight in front of my clan. For if anyone challenges me, I will have to rip them to shreds but leave enough alive as a warning to anyone else who dares take the mate I hope to rut for.