Page 34 of Chieftain (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #1)

"Is it secure?" Khaion stepped beside me, his gaze assessing the small abode, although I saw his eyes dip to where Nansar held my hand loosely on his arm.

"Of course," Nansar appeared slightly affronted. "It has an excellent alarm system, and, of course, my guard will keep watch day and night." His gaze flickered at me. "You are welcome anywhere on the villa’s grounds. My home is your home.”

Khaion gave a snort that told me what he thought of Nansar’s graciousness but covered it by striding to the pool house. Giving a sweeping flourish of his arm, Nansar moved toward the small abode.

The pool house was small—just a sitting room, bedroom, and bathroom—although well-appointed in luxury.

In the corner of the sitting room was a small counter and sink, along with a wall-mounted mechanism that appeared to be a much smaller version of the Bardaga's food generator.

Even though the space was small, it was luxurious.

I wouldn't mind staying here for a few days, but that wasn't the plan.

“I hope you will join me in the villa dining room for meals,” Nansar invited. “I have the best chef in seven galaxies.”

I doubted anybody could be as good as Orzon but politely responded with a "thank you."

Nansar preened with pride, smiling broadly while I inspected the pool house. Khaion was silent too, but his silence seethed, a more restrained pose than my host’s relaxed affectation.

"I do not wish to be a rude host," Nansar told Khaion as he led us from the house. "But the longer the Bardaga is in orbit, the more likely my father will hear of our alliance. That is something I believe neither of us wishes."

Khaion frowned but issued a curt nod. "I understand. You have my thanks. Your willingness to help will save many." He turned to me, and although his demeanor was stoic, his golden eyes blazed with emotion. "You will be safe here, little human. We will return to collect you quickly."

“Good luck,” I offered, trying to seem as blasé as possible.

We knew this might happen and planned for just this contingency.

Khaion possessed the forethought to hide another stealth suit in the shuttle.

He would program the auto navigator to return the shuttle to the Bardaga and slip away just before it took off.

Khaion would never leave me. Even so, when he turned to walk away, my heart clenched, and a scream rose in my throat.

Calm down, Emmy.

As soon as Khaion donned the stealth suit, he would return to my side.

Plus, he insisted on hiding a comm unit on my ankle so I could remain in contact.

Not to mention our secret weapons, Charick and Bartuk.

The stealth suits made them invisible to untrained eyes.

My eyes danced around the stone patio, touching every column surrounding the teal waters, looking for the shimmering displacement of light that would suggest Charick and Bartuk’s presence.

Not that my eyes were all that trained, but after the third instance of Charick’s materialization sending me screaming into Khaion’s arms, my love taught me how to recognize if someone in the suit was nearby.

At the pool's far end, my questing gaze caught a flash of movement. I relaxed briefly until I realized the anomaly wasn't a trick of reflected light. The flash happened again, and I recognized the deep chestnut color of fur peeking out from behind one of the wide stone columns.

I opened my mouth to scream. At the same time, Khaion turned, nostrils flaring. He'd caught the Kerzak's scent. How could he not? I could smell the creature myself, and there wasn't anything special about my nose.

Khaion ran for me, hands unsheathing the thick blades he wore at his back. I stepped toward him, only to find Nansar's arms slip around my waist, holding me back.

Four guards possessed the nerve to wade into Khaion’s path. He dispatched them easily. Two met the end of his blades, while the others met the strength of his fist.

I struggled against Nansar and felt the cold sharpness of a blade press against my throat. Khaion saw it, too, and froze, allowing himself to be restrained by the remaining guards.

"Dammit, Utar," Nansar snarled close to my ear as the blade scratched against my skin. "I told you to stay hidden until the Bardaga was out of orbit. Khaion knows we are working together. Now we'll have to kill him."

The Kerzak lumbered from behind the column. I recognized him immediately, a sinking dread pooling in my stomach. This was the same creature I'd run into at Dixa's tavern. His black eyes narrowed on me, and the long gray tongue slurped over his fangs.

“Good!” Utar grunted. “Vaktaire chieftain killed my comrade. I will take great pleasure in his death.”

Khaion seethed, his golden eyes not missing a move of the approaching Kerzak. His golden eyes flickered in my direction, holding both worry and determination. I could see his mind working, evaluating all the angles, trying to find the best way to attack and keep me safe.

"He's all yours. Just make sure they'll never find the body.

And make sure it looks like an accident.

I can't have a dead Vaktaire tied to the Aljani.

It would be a political nightmare." Nansar dropped the knife from my throat, sheathing it at his waist. I tried to jerk away, but he twisted my arm behind my back, and I bit my lip against the pain.

Like hell, I would let this bastard know he hurt me.

Luckily, how he twisted me put me in the perfect position to do something about it.

"You fucker! You lied." At the same moment, I hissed and drove my heel into the curve of his ankle. I felt the joint give way as Nansar blurted out what must be an Aljani curse word that didn’t translate.

Something that sounded like berikslap . Based on the pain etched on Nansar's face, the word might have been the Aljani version of fuck . I glanced at Khaion as the Aljani jerked me about, something like pride flashing across my warrior’s face.

"Yes, I did," Nansar muttered, pain thickening his voice. He twisted my arm tighter in revenge. I would never give him the satisfaction of seeing my pain and stuck my tongue out at him as he shoved me toward Utar.

My God, this Kerzak was enormous. The hand wrapped around my arm was as large as my butt—seriously, I could have sat in his palm. His head lowered, and large, black nostrils flared, drawing in my scent with such force that the hair lifted from the curve of my neck.

“Delicious.” His voice was almost a purr. “Human is mine now.”

The way the Kerzak held me, with his crotch pressed just under my breasts, I felt a twitch from his nether regions, giving me an idea. Assholes were assholes, no matter the species. Turning my head, I sought Khaion's gaze.

He wasn't struggling, but I could see the flex of muscles in his arms and chest, gauging the strength of the four guards holding him.

The Aljani put on a good show, but Khaion could dispatch them as easily as the other guards, except Nansar, who held a knife on me, and now the Kerzak had me in his grip.

Our eyes met, and a strange awareness swept through me as though I could feel Khaion inside my mind.

I cut my eyes at the Kerzak, letting the steps of my plan play out in my imagination.

Khaion shifted his eyes to the guards before flashing to where Nansar hobbled about, trying to walk off the pain of my attack.

I glanced blatantly at the Kerzak's crotch, then back to Khaion.

His eyes narrowed, his lips twisted with displeasure, but his head dipped in near imperceptible agreement.

I turned fully into the Kerzak, pressing my breasts against his lower belly. "Hey, tall, dark, and fuzzy. I know you think I'll taste like a juicy steak, but I have a better idea." I reached upward, playfully trailing my fingers down Utar's chest, ignoring Khaion's low growl.

Nansar barked a mocking laugh. “She might have a point, Utar. Didn’t I hear one of your warriors mated with a human?”

The Kerzak’s face grimaced with disgust. “A weakling, we have banished him.”

“Too bad,” I sighed, wriggling against the walking, talking, terrifying teddy bear that smelled like a combination of wet dog and sewer.

Despite his words, I felt the hardness of his cock grow against my stomach.

Fuck! The damn thing felt as big around as my thigh already, but I needed him as hard as he could get.

I let my fingers trail over his chest again, dipping teasingly toward his stomach, and he grew harder… and larger still.

Utar purred, and the hands holding me grew strangely gentle. He bent, nuzzling the side of my neck. This time, a touch of his hot, slimy tongue accompanied the inhale. Swallowing back bile, I leaned into the smelly fur, relaxing against him before jerking my knee upward.

I would undoubtedly have a bruise from where my knee slammed into the rock-hard appendage, but it did the trick. Utar howled in agony, and I jerked free, staggering back just as Khaion's bellowed Run reverberated through the air.

I scrambled as Khaion executed a graceful backflip, like a Cirque de Solei performer, ridding himself of the guard's grasp. He drew his blades before his feet hit the ground, felling the remaining Aljani guard with a few slashes.

Then Khaion turned to Utar.

I took cover behind a thick stone column, shivering as I watched Khaion and Utar circle each other like rabid lions. I noticed Nansar running for the villa from the corner of my eye.

Chicken shit!

"You are a good fighter," Utar's growl brought my attention back to the burgeoning battle. "Not as good as Utar. I will kill you and take the human as my own. She will bear me many sons, and they will partake of her flesh to grow strong."