Even though it hurts when he applies the cream, the effect is instant, and I sigh in relief as the pain disappears. Terex studies my face and nods, finally putting the cream away and swinging his leg back over his dino-horse.
“Terex?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
Chapter Four
Terex
I frown down at the female in my arms. A few hours ago, she lost her fight against sleep, and now, exhausted, she slumbers in my arms.
As she should.
These possessive feelings are strange. I do not understand what it is about this female that makes me so drawn to her. Sure, she is beautiful with her lush curves, long hair, and expressive eyes. But she does not seem to trust me at all.
I can tell that she wants me, yet she does not seem to want to want me. This is not something I have experienced before, and I long to make her tell me all her secrets.
This female has been hurt. It is easy to see by the wounded look in her eyes. I gently ease her closer, and she lets out a tiny, adorable snore. I do not know where these strange females came from, but they are ours now. We will find their friends, and they will join our tribe.
Any tribe that has allowed their females to come to such danger as to be taken by Voildi does not deserve to have them. My king will be pleased at the addition of these new females to our tribe.
Finally, I see our camp in the distance, and Asroz lets out a growl of pleasure. I frown at him as the female—Ellie—stirs against me.
“Not a nightmare,” she mumbles. “Great.”
“We are arriving at our camp,” I tell her. She nods, but we all remain silent until we reach the outskirts of our camp and are immediately spotted by our sentries.
“Terex?” one of them calls, voice shocked, and I don’t blame him. We left to kill Voildi, and we’ve returned with strange, tiny females.
“Inform the king that I must speak to him,” I say, and he nods as he swings open the gate.
While our tribe moves each season, our ongoing fight against the Voildi has meant that we needed to improve our defenses. Now we have more guards surrounding our camp and sentries guarding our mishua night and day.
We ride close to the large pen where the mishua graze and then help the females to find their feet before servants take our mishua to be fed and brushed.
The sentry returns, almost tripping over his feet as he stares, wide-eyed, at the females. “Rakiz is ready for you.”
I nod and lead the females across the camp. They are so tired that they can barely walk, and I lean down, murmuring into Ellie’s ear. “Would you like me to carry you?”
She glances up at me, and her eyes widen. “Uh, I’m good, thanks.”
The females stare silently around the camp. Most families are in their kradis at this time of night, although those who are not are whispering amongst themselves as they watch us walk toward the king’s tashiv.
While most of our people have made their homes in large, spacious kradis, Rakiz requires extra space for meetings with his advisors and negotiations with other tribes. His tashiv is warm and welcoming, and I sigh, for once glad to be back in our camp. We walk into the meeting area where Rakiz is waiting, and I hear Ellie inhale sharply as she takes a step closer to me.
There is a reason Rakiz is our king. While he does not fight often, he is still a Braxian warrior that none would challenge.
He scans the group of females, and while no one who does not know him well would see the surprise on his face, I can tell he is shocked by what he sees.
“We found these females traveling with Voildi,” I tell him. “They had no idea how much danger they were in.”
Rakiz frowns at that. Everyone is aware of the dangers of the Voildi. This is something I also do not understand, and I am interested to hear the females’ explanation.
“How is it that you came to be in such a situation?” Rakiz asks.
Unsurprisingly, the female who rode the mishua alone is the one to speak. She seems to be the unofficial leader of the females, and she studies Rakiz in a way that would constitute a challenge if she were a male.
“We were taken from our home planet,” she says. “We were then sold on a different planet and loaded into a ship. That ship went down on this planet, and the Voildi appeared. They killed what was left of the aliens who took us and promised us food and water if we went back to their tribe with them.”
Rakiz growls and flicks a glance at me. I nod, also stunned. This story does not make any sense. And yet there is no question that these females speak a different language, dress differently, and were willing to trust the Voildi—something that no female on this planet would ever do.
“We need your help,” Nevada continues, and Rakiz returns his attention to her.
“We had other women with us. Three of them were taken by the Voildi in front of us. We don’t know what happened to the fourth, but she was seriously injured. We wanted to find them ourselves, but your men assured us that you would send your people to look for them if we came here.”
Rakiz studies the female, and I do the same. She does not appear at all discomforted by his silence and simply stares back at him, her spine straight, hands clasped behind her back.
Rakiz nods, his eyes never leaving Nevada. “We will of course help you find your friends. I will send a group of warriors at first light.”
Nevada’s shoulders slump slightly in relief, and some of the tension eases on her face. “I will go with them.”
“You will not.”
They stare at each other, the air once again tense and thick.
“Listen,” she says softly, “I was taught to leave no man—or woman—behind. I’m going to help find them.”
Rakiz gets to his feet, and I sigh. These females are different to any we have known, and my king is studying Nevada as if she is a slightly interesting bug. He lets his eyes move down her body, and she stiffens, tilting her chin higher. Rakiz’s eyes stop on one of her knees, which is oozing blood.
He flicks his gaze to me, and I nod. I will ensure all these females are taken directly to the healers.
“We will discuss this in the morning,” Rakiz says, and I raise my brow. It is unlike him to lie. He has made his decision, but he obviously wants the females to eat and rest without arguing.
Nevada nods, and Rakiz turns his gaze onto one of his servants. “Arana, will you please ensure these females have a chance to bathe, fresh clothes, and food? They will also need somewhere to sleep.”
I almost growl at that. My female will be sleeping with me. She just doesn’t know it yet.
Ellie
The king is scary. Sure, Terex is scary, but he can also be gentle, with a grin that urges you to grin back. Rakiz simply radiates threat. I don’t know how Nevada talked to him the way she did, but I suspect she has a death wish.
When Rakiz mentions food and sleep, I almost want to cry with relief. The king’s hut is warm, and I could easily curl up on the floor next to the fire in the corner of the room. Terex gestures for us to follow him, and we make our way out of the hut and walk along a path of large tents, which he refers to as kradis. He stops in front of one of them, and a head immediately pokes out.
“I heard you were coming,” an old woman says. “I prepared accordingly. Come in.”