Page 36 of Chieftain (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #1)
Khaion
Death was peaceful.
The feel of soft hands cradling my body registered in my consciousness.
It is said that the Valana carries righteous warriors to the afterlife in her arms. Not that I didn’t appreciate the blessing of my goddess, but I would trade it all to feel Emmy’s touch just once more.
In answer to my wish, fingertips trailed from my forehead to along my jawline, leaving a faint tingle on my skin.
Emmy’s touch.
It is also said that Valana awards righteous warriors with their heart’s desire in the afterlife. There was nothing my heart wanted more than Emmy.
I forced my eyelids open, unable to focus in the muted light.
Valana’s arms cradled me, my head resting in her lap.
She made a soft cooing hum as her fingers trailed across my skin.
In all my people’s images of our deity, she was tall and lithe, with straight hair the color of moonlight rippling like a waterfall down her back.
Why, then, could I see the distinct shape of curls around the goddess’s face?
"Hey there, sleepyhead."
The voice wasn’t the deep rumble of thunder, booming with power and strength, belonging to a goddess. It was high-pitched and lyrical, sounding like the music of my home world.
"Emmy?" My voice was thick, holding such a nasty taste I wondered if, somehow, I'd accidentally licked the Kerzak as I killed him.
“There you are,” the voice cooed. Two small hands framed my face, and her head lowered, lips that tasted of sweetness and sunshine brushing mine.
My heart jumped but then bottomed out as memories flooded back to me.
It couldn’t be Emmy.
I’d killed her.
I remembered how her beautiful face twisted in pain as she clutched her chest. My words, meant to be my last thought, were unintentionally uttered as the drug swept through my body.
The Valana took Emmy from me, but if it meant we spent eternity together…
my eyes closed, wanting to savor this moment.
My heart sang a grateful prayer, even though my mind ruminated on knowing I didn’t deserve this. Emmy was dead due to my weakness.
"Hey, wake up, sleepyhead," the apparition sang again.
And pinched me.
One thing I recalled from legends regarding the afterlife…
it wasn’t supposed to hurt. The way those tiny fingers tweaked the skin near my nipple sent a sharp ache zinging across my chest, enough to consider that perhaps I wasn’t dead.
The protest of my muscles as I pushed into a prone position was further clarification.
My skin felt raw in places, and I ran my hand across where the memory of the Kerzak’s claws hit home.
The wounds on my chest and arms had been cleaned and dressed with sticky antiseptic gel.
“Hey there.”
Blinking rapidly, I focused first on the riot of flame-colored curls moving downward over her beautiful pale face. There looked to be a bruise forming along her jawline. I'd figure out who I needed to kill for that later. The only important thing was that she was alive and smiling.
I jerked her against my chest, hands roaming over her body as I searched for any sign of injury. “Emmy,” I groaned, burying my face in the floral scent of her hair. “I thought… I thought I’d killed you.”
“You mean when you called me your mate?” Her laughter was slightly muffled, and I pulled away, eyeing her curiously.
"I said it out loud," I murmured, astounded.
I remembered feeling it with every fiber of my soul as I reached for her—wanting to protect her as the poison Nansar shot me with sapped my strength.
My heart was screaming the words, and my lips and mind, numbed with poison, were too weak to hold the vow inside.
“Oh, yeah.” She pulled back to gaze at me, impish amusement dancing in her green eyes. “A bunch of people heard you too, especially Nansar, who’s off somewhere trying to figure out how to use it to his advantage, the turd.”
Confusion raced through me as my mind recapped the moments before I fell unconscious.
“But how…how are you here? I thought… I saw you in pain, clutching your chest.” My fingertips trace over her breast, stopping just above her heartbeat.
I am a warrior… a chieftain. I have seen battle and bloodshed and death without fear.
But I was terrified to let my fingers move the few inches it would take to feel Emmy’s heartbeat—or lack of it.
"Oh, it hurt," Emmy snorted with a playful roll of her eyes. "You didn't tell me this mate thing was painful." Her gaze centered on my face, and the amusement died from her eyes, replaced with such tenderness.
“And you’re alright?” I cupped her cheek in my palm. She felt warm and soft—healthy.
“I’m fine.” The small shoulders rose in a shrug. “Don’t get me wrong, it hurt like hell. For a moment, I seriously thought I was having a heart attack. I passed out for a minute, but when I woke up, the pain was gone.”
Reverently, as though touching the goddess herself, I moved my fingers to lie over Emmy's heartbeat. It was strong and rhythmic, stuttering minutely when my fingertips touched her skin.
Just like mine.
My face split into a smile as I placed a hand on my chest. Emmy watched, her small white teeth embedded in her lower lip.
I grabbed her hands and held them under mine, one hand over her heart, the other over mine.
Her green eyes widened, her mouth curving into a mimic of my smile as she realized our hearts beat in unison.
Perfect unison.
“Does this mean…” Emmy’s voice held a low tone, as though she feared speaking too loudly would destroy the bubble of happiness surrounding us.
“It means the Valana has blessed us as true mates.” I felt my heart stutter as I made the statement. I said it again. Every bit of feeling I held for her poured into just two words. "My mate."
“My mate.” Emmy's lips quivered as she spoke, a subtle tremor that electrified me.
The warmth of her body radiated as I pulled her onto my lap and encircled her in my embrace.
The Valana blessed us, and Emmy fulfilled me in every way.
My breath caught as she pressed her lips against mine.
She tasted sweet, and combined with her touch, desire raced along my skin, going straight to my cock.
Emmy moaned, a low perfect sound of building pleasure, and I flicked my tongue into her mouth, tangling with hers. Her hands wrapped around my neck, holding me close as her fingers played in my hair.
“You know,” she murmured, rubbing her nose against mine when we broke for air. "If I had to get kidnapped by aliens… getting my twenty-something body back and finding the most wonderful, generous, sweet, sexy man isn't too bad a deal."
"I completely agree," I teased, feathering my lips against hers. I shifted, drawing her closer, not wanting anything more than to claim her sweet, soft body. Still, as our surroundings came into focus, the matter of her safety waned my desire.
We were in the pool house. They dumped me in the middle of the floor, and Emmy stayed by my side. As a prison, the location was a joke. The locks on the door would break easily. The problem was the eight or more guards I heard milling on the other side of the door and windows.
“You’ve been unconscious for about an hour,” Emmy answered my questioning gaze. “Nansar told the guards he didn’t expect you to wake up till morning. Guess you're stronger than he thought.”
“I would have expected Nansar to kill me,” I muttered, feeling a shiver run through Emmy at the idea.
Aljani were not a warrior people. Their military might rely on weaponry and technology, not a thirst for violence and bloodshed.
Nansar should know the Vaktaire well enough to know he should not allow me to live if he meant to harm my mate.
The burgeoning bruise on her pale skin was enough to call for his death.
“He’s too chicken shit," Emmy huffed, rolling her eyes. "When Nansar tossed us in here, he told the guards he was going to contact somebody named Brukkus to do his dirty work and to keep us in here until he arrived."
“Another Kerzak,” I growled, careful to keep my voice low. “Did he say anything about how long before Brukkus arrives?”
Emmy shook her head, curls dancing around her pale face, and I couldn’t stop my fingers from capturing a few strands. “Nansar didn’t say, but I heard a couple of the guards bitching about having to stand guard all night.”
"That's my little spy." I pressed a kiss to her upturned lips.
"We'll need to find a way out of here before this Brukkus arrives.
" I glanced toward the door. Taking on eight Aljani guards would normally be good exercise, but I felt sluggish with the drug still in my system. I wouldn't risk Emmy being harmed.
“Charick is nearby, but he didn’t want to risk springing us until we have the cover of night.”
“You talked to Charick?” I blinked at her.
Emmy grinned with adorable smugness and pointed to her ankle. “It was smart of you to hide the comm on my ankle. The guards took yours but didn’t even search me. He wants to wait until dark before he and Bartuk come for us.” Her face faltered slightly. “They haven’t found Willa yet.”
“I’m sorry, my mate.” Gods, it felt good to say that out loud. To say it and know that everything the word encompassed was mine with Emmy. My arms tightened around her waist as she snuggled against me. Nothing in my life has ever felt this right… this perfect.
“We will not leave this moon until we search every inch for your friend,” I promised her.
“I know.” Emmy turned her head toward the larger window, frowning at the shards of yellow light beaming through the gaps in the closed shutters. “How much longer do you think it is until nightfall?”
I followed her gaze. “A few hours at least.”
"So," Emmy ran a teasing finger across my chest, the lilt of her voice making my cock twitch. "We're trapped here for another few hours with nothing to do."