Sambor, who seemed to be learning the steps with an ease that made me want to trip him, grinned as he executed a perfect turn on his heel. “The male’s heart is aching and breaking. However, the ladies seem to enjoy the idea of a male in pain.”
As the song repeated a lyric about a male’s heart blowing up inside his own body and killing him, the ladies stomped in unison, yelled out with excitement and clapped before starting the whole thing over again.
“Human females are, apparently, a bloodthirsty and merciless species when it comes to mating,” I muttered.
Sambor nodded in agreement. “And I thought Prillon females were ruthless.”
Two Atlan Warlords rammed into each other, one letting out a bellow of irritation seconds before his mate whirled into his arms and pulled him away. Then there was Commander and Lady Karter. She had the moves down, and beside her, Karter himself had picked it up. He was moving to the music and… fuck, he was enjoying himself. When he spun around in a circle, I saw the pleasure alighting his face.
Who would have guessed that Commander Karter could dance?
“To the right!” Lindsey shouted.
As one, the ladies turned to face the right, and Sambor and I hurried to keep pace. I was not going to humiliate myself by running into…
“Oh!”
Softness. A squeal. A small human female fell toward me after I’d run into her like a giant Atlan oaf.
“My lady! My apologies.” I caught her in my arms, and she pressed into my chest, the dark green and gold gown she wore fluttering about my legs as the forward momentum of her fall had her softness, her feminine scent enveloping me completely.
I forgot to move with the group, staring down into a pair of bright green eyes. Her hair was a halo of auburn fire, and there was a small gold ring teasing me where it pierced the delicate flesh of her adorable little nose. I blinked, frozen as if stunned by an ion pistol.
Was she from Trion? The piercing made me wonder, but her gown was not typical of that planet’s females. Nor did I feel piercings or a chain where the hard pebbles of her nipples pressed into my chest. Gods help me, she was beautiful, and my body responded with instant demand. My cock hardened, and my pulse pounded while I fought for control. Where was her mate? Her protector? I knew I should look around for a male who would be eager to take her from me, but I could not move.
She smiled up at me, her fair cheeks coloring under my attention to a perfect pink that matched her lips. Her full, open lips. I stood frozen, unable to look away.
“Sorry.” Her breathless apology made my cock jump as the tremble in her voice was all I needed to imagine hearing that aching struggle for air under different circumstances… like when I filled her with my cock as Sambor held her in place for my claiming. When she was well pleasured, mindless with need, he would take her from behind as I held her body locked to mine, as we made her ours.
Fuck. I was insane. Right now there was most likely a pair of Prillon warriors or an Atlan Warlord preparing to remove my head from my body for holding her like this.
Close. Feet off the floor. In my arms and under my protection as if she were mine.
Sambor rammed into us from the side.
I threw an elbow to protect the small female in my arms from the armored giant, and he flew backward, landing with a thud against the Atlan who lifted his mate out of the way with a speed I’d learned to appreciate on the battlefield.
The Atlan bellowed a warning. Sambor landed in a crouched position, snarling back.
“Rezzer, I’m fine.” The female reached up and placed her palm on the Warlord’s cheek. Instantly he calmed. She turned her gaze to me and then the female I held. Her eyes widened; then she grinned, a wicked sort of silent communication moving between the two human females. “Vegas?”
The woman in my arms glanced at me, then at the woman. “Maybe!”
I had no idea what that meant. “My name is not Vegas, my lady,” I told her.
Rezzer looked to me, to my arms where they remained wrapped around the female. “Lucy, has this male harmed you?”
“Of course not,” she replied, her voice melodic and filled with happiness. Her name was Lucy.
The huge Atlan crossed his arms and stared me down. This imposing action caused Sambor to stand quickly and move in close to my side, just in case the beast decided we’d harmed his mate or challenged him.
“Really, Rezz, I’m fine. I promise,” Lucy added. “I tripped and he caught me. That’s all.”
The Atlan tilted his head as if deciding whether or not to believe the female. His gaze narrowed. “Then why are his arms still about you?”
A Hunter bumped into the back of the Atlan, which did nothing more than make him frown. Huge fucker. And with the Hive tech implants I’d caught glimpses of, he was probably even more dangerous than the average Atlan, which was downright savage.
“Because you aliens can’t dance to save your lives. That one tripped and was about to run me over,” Lucy countered, pointing at Sambor, who actually turned from his usual golden tone to a much darker brown, closer to my coloring than I’d ever seen him, even in the heat of battle.
My second was embarrassed.
I wasn’t sure if I was saving her life, but I’d go with that if it kept her in my arms. “I would never harm a female.”
The Warlord grunted in agreement, and his stance relaxed. “I gave my word to Warlord Wulf to protect her while he is on Earth with his mate.” His neutral face gave way to a frown. “I knew bringing an unmated female to this planet would be a mistake.”
I heard one word… unmated. Setting the female gently on her feet, I kept my arm around her as I bowed low to the Warlord whose next words might very well determine my fate. “I am Lord Niklas Lorvar of Prillon Prime. Cousin to Battlegroup Commander Lorvar. Ambassador and trusted advisor of Prime Nial.” Warlord Wulf was this female’s protector? How had that happened? “And this is Captain Sambor Treval, close cousin to Hunt Treval of The Colony.”
“You are Hunt’s cousin?” He looked to Sambor, who nodded gravely.
“Hunt and I grew up together. He will confirm this. I am a warrior of honor. I would never harm a female,” Sambor assured him.
The Atlan paused as if considering. Around the room, several more Atlans and more than one Prillon duo had begun to take an interest in our conversation as well. Fuck. Attention was not what I wanted, not with this beautiful female in my arms.
“I assure you, Warlord, I am a male of honor. Lucy is safe with me,” I tried to ease the overly protective beast and nearly held my breath as I waited for his decision. Would he leave Lucy in my care? Or steal her from my arms before I had a chance to learn what might please her? Make her sigh? Moan? Scream in pleasure?
“Leave Lucy be,” the Atlan’s mate said to him. “These guys will take care of her.”
I didn’t miss the way she grinned when she said that, although I wasn’t exactly sure why.
“Come on, Rezzer. Dance with me,” she continued, tugging on his uniform shirt. “I’ll show you the moves.”
With one last glance at me accompanied by a snarl of warning—as if I didn’t know that to harm a single hair on Lucy’s head would mean my death—he allowed his mate to lead him back into the steps of the strange dance.