was flying away from her to land
with a splash in the pool. All she could do was stand there in terror as the
figure reached for her. With surprising gentleness, he put one arm around her
pulling her up and into a massively muscled chest, that she was entirely
certain wasn’t all armor. The other hand held some type of bladed weapon. All
she could do was stare at the blade in shock, her mind refusing to accept that
this was happening.
Her brothers had almost reached them. Both had their
blades out and were ready to fight. Instead of attacking, they suddenly went
still along with Barrett who had gained the grassy bank. The three of them just
stared at her and the armored figure with wide-eyed horror. The sacath were
circling them now snarling and snapping waiting for a command.
“Tell your pets to stop or I will be forced to kill
them.” The figure warned. His voice was
deep and husky.
She felt him tense and she closed her eyes and
whispered, “Please don’t.” Against all of the survival training she had from
the time she could hold a dagger, she just dangled there against the male’s
chest, naked and terrified. When he went to take a step, she hurried to shout,
“Cebat...Tabec...cease.” The sacath instantly stopped, their ears perking up,
“Go home!” She yelled hoping to get the beloved pets out of the way if it came
to fighting.
“Do you care for one of the males?” The figure
holding her asked shifting her in his arms. She ended up turned away from the
eyes of her brothers and Barrett.
“I care for both of them.” She thought about poor
Barrett on the grass and added, “Okay, all three of them.”
“I know you do not care for the one on the grass that
I am going to kill. I saw the way you interacted with him.” He adjusted her
higher on his chest and she was suddenly looking into the black faceplate of
his armor. “I am asking how you care for the other two. Are they both your
lovers?” His voice hit a gravely note when he said the word ‘lovers’.
Brennae had been stunned when he stated he was going
to kill Barrett as if they were talking about the weather. Then the shocks just
kept coming when he asked if her brothers were her lovers. “What? No they are not
my lovers.” Before she could think twice she asked him, “Please take down your
armor so I can talk to you face to face.” Now that the shock of his arrival and
subsequent grabbing her was wearing off, she was coming up with a plan to
incapacitate him. If he would take down his faceplate, she could go for his
eyes or neck and hurt him enough to get her brothers out of his mind control.
Hesitating for a moment he shrugged then put his
blade in a sheath at his thigh and reached for a spot on his neck. Brennae held
her breath waiting, and then released it on a breathy sigh. Her mind went blank
as she stared into the darkest blue eyes she had ever seen, framed by the
longest, thick black eyelashes. His face was a pale white color that contrasted
sharply to the dark black hair framing it. To her astonishment, this male had
hair on his face. The males of her community did not have this anomaly and she
was fascinated. Against her better judgment, her fingers brushed hesitantly
against his cheek. It was soft! She had been expecting it to be bristly or
hard, but it wasn’t coarse at all. “It’s so soft.” Had she said that aloud?
When her eyes flew to his she saw something in their depths she couldn’t
identify and then she felt the rumbling in his chest. He was laughing at her.
“If they are not your lovers then what are they to
you?” The male holding her asked causing her eyes to move to his mouth to
stare. His lips were full and looked kissable soft. When she just kept gawking
at his mouth he smiled and she saw straight, white teeth flash at her. “Tiny
female...we do not have much time. I need to know what the two males are to
you.”
Brennae wasn’t sure if she should answer. Was he
going to kill them all and then find
Sonu Shamdasani C. G. Jung R. F.C. Hull