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The Vokiren male lunged, claws extended. He moved fast, slashing his deadly paws across the front of my face, but I was quicker. I dodged out of the way, pulling Clara with me. She rolled to her feet and ran to the edge of the circle. She was smart to look for safety, but the Vokirens did not let her out of the circle. She was the object we were fighting for, and as per their customs, she must stay in the ring.
“I want her. She is mine,” the enraged male growled.
The words filled me with wrath. Clara was mine and mine alone.
I made the next move, crouching low to trip the angry male as he charged for me again. There were two ways to win this fight. The first was to immobilize him; then he could no longer fight. If that was impossible, I’d have to kill him, though I wanted to avoid that.
We were on a trade mission, exchanging the colored ores from our mountains the Vokiren used to dye their fabrics. I needed to remain diplomatic, even though every cell in my body screamed for me to tear his head from his shoulders for daring to claim my female.
The male didn’t fall. Instead, he leaped over me as if already expecting my move. He wasn’t charging for me. He was aiming for Clara.
Fuck! I’d made a mistake in judgment. This male wasn’t interested in fighting me for the female as per their custom. He planned on simply stealing her. Even now, he was on her, scooping her into his arms.
The Vokirens watching gasped. He wasn’t supposed to touch the female until after he’d bested his opponent. They didn’t realize Tolan had no plans to fight, and one look at my warriors told me they didn’t realize it either.
I rushed toward the male, but he leaped into the foliage which surrounded us, reaching up to grab a branch with the hand that was not holding my female to his body. He swung himself out of the fighting circle, landing on a platform built into the massive trees these people lived in. Then he ran, swinging up and across the canopy, with Clara in his arms.
I roared and unfolded my wings, but I didn’t have room to extend my full wingspan to lift off.
The Vokiren spectators were shocked at what had transpired. I shoved my way through the crowd until I was at the edge of the clearing. Here I was able to extend my wings and leap into the air. I scanned the dense canopy, looking for signs of movement. The foliage hid them well, but every time he swung on a branch, the leaves in that area moved, giving him away.
Eventually, he stopped in a large tree. I landed on the forest floor nearby and approached on foot, careful not to give myself away.
“Stop, please.” It was Clara’s voice. “I know you’re angry, and I’m sorry you lost your girlfriend. But I had nothing to do with that. People living in the colony have no say about what our leaders do. Most of us didn’t want the attack on your people.”
I listened as I climbed up the tree, my claws digging into the bark.
“You lived there. You had a say,” was the growled reply.
“No, that’s not true. The people have no say, and if we go against our rulers, we get punished. I’m sorry you lost her during the winter attack.”
“I was supposed to mate Eleta. Now I have no one.” The sad words were tinged with anger.
“They tried to protest the attack. The government deployed a shockwave that disabled everyone’s chip in the area. You see this scar? There’s a chip inside our arm with all our information and all our money. Without it, we can’t survive in the colony. Everyone in the area had their chips disabled. Then they disappeared.”
I frowned. The more I got to know about this colony my mate lived in, the less I liked it. It was starting to bear more similarities to the corruption that had my warriors and I standing up against the Empress. Clara was not going back to that life. She’d live a life of happiness and freedom with me instead.
“I do not care. I lost what was mine, and you will replace her. You are not ugly, and humans are compatible with my people. You will replace the future family I lost. You will hate me now, but over time, you will learn to love me.”
I’d heard enough. I pulled myself over the edge of the shallow, moss-filled central bowl that was the defining characteristic of the trees in this forest.
“Let my female go, and I will spare your life.” I stood to my full height.
The male was still in battle mode, though his claws had retracted. He growled and pushed Clara behind him when he saw me.
“Wait!” Clara cried. “Please, don’t fight.”
She put a hand on his arm and jealousy flared, telling me to rip his arm off.
“Let me handle this, Krxare. He’s mourning and upset. I would be, too. Fighting won’t solve this.” She released his arm and stepped between us. “Tolan, you don’t want a mate who hates you. I promise, if you take me by force, I will hate you for the rest of my life.”
“You will learn. I can be very convincing.”
I hissed. “She is mine.” I grabbed Clara, putting her behind me again. Enough talking.
I lunged for the male, tackling him to the moss-covered floor. We wrestled until sharp teeth snapped in my face, and I rolled as claws sprung out from his paws. I jumped to my feet but didn’t move away fast enough. He head-butted me, catching me at the front where my horns didn’t protect. The world spun but I ignored it.
I lashed out with my feet, and the male was thrown backward into a large branch, shaking loose a few twigs and leaves, which showered down on us. Recovering quickly, he kicked back, trying to nail me in the stomach, but I dodged and threw a kick of my own. He snarled as two of my claws caught him in the face.
