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PROLOGUE
Mordox
The pale-maned female is mine!I growl to myself as I catch a rare glimpse of the tiny female amid the others. A soft breeze shifts in my direction and I tilt back my head, my scentiatry glands sifting through the fragrances of the other females to lock onto her delicate scent.
My scales ripple across my shoulders and down my back to settle in a sharp tingle at the base of my spine. The tip of my tail shakes, the urge to mark her as my mate is nearly unbearable. I know not her name, but I don't care. Her semiochemicals tell me that she belongs to me.
I want nothing more than to act on my primal instincts, snatch her up and whisk her away to where I know she will be safe. The ground is not safe here, not until all those creatures are dead.
I hold fast and keep my distance so as not to frighten her, letting the others hover around her like a shield. I must bide my time. Earn their trust. Get close, so I can claim the one who belongs to me. She doesn't know it yet, but she needs my protection.
My gaze flickers between the pale-maned female and the others; their wide eyes are filled with terror, and I freeze. My heart thuds against my ribcage, and I know I must be careful. Not move too fast and add fuel to their fears by rushing in.
The group has already lost one female to the forest. She and the purple-maned one wandered off when they first crashed, but only one returned. I searched the forest for her but lost her scent on the edge of the Zune River.
Now they remain on high alert, and I have to be cautious.
I watch intently from my hiding spot behind the jufta leaves. I push aside the huge foliage, preparing to step out and make my presence known, when the scent of a male floats over on the breeze.
I silently curse and hunker down. When I see who it is through the break in the leaves, I curse again and crouch lower in the jufta shrub so the pirate won't see me.
Rooke.
I'd recognize that red-streaked fuck anywhere. An infamous space pirate known for stealing valuable artifacts from planets across the Universe.
I saw him once while on my last clandestine mission to Octari 5. I'd been tasked to disable an Octarian warship bound for Wuvr 6. The Octarians would have decimated the home planet of the Wuvrians with their plasma bombs, and that would have put an end to the trade agreement between Ziaria and Wuvr 6.
It was a self-serving mission form the Ziarian government, but our people had grown dependent on blithium as the primary fuel source for the sky cruisers used for on-planet travel.
Just like now, Rooke had been completely oblivious of my presence then, scouting out his next target.
My pulse quickens as I observe the space pirate edging ever closer to the group of females. He's a threat, and I must act swiftly. My body braces for confrontation. I unshoulder the pack I carry with me whenever I leave my home and reach back to unsheathe my sword, readying to lunge. No doubt he's there to plunder what he can from their vessel's wreckage.
I'm not worried his scentiatry glands will catch my scent. Ever since my confinement collar fell away twenty rotations ago, I've used oil from the husti flower to mask my scent. The acrid oil wrung from the petals works as well as a camo-chemical mist.
The red-maned female ushers my female inside the vessel as soon as Rooke breaks through the foliage surrounding the crash site. My female peeks around the edge of the opened hatch, her curiosity overriding her fear of the unknown male.
Rooke's hands are up in a show of peace. I shift my weight on the balls of my feet, my hand squeezing the grip of my sword. Then I notice he carries several water skins and food pouches around his belt. I relax my stance and wait to see his next move.
"I won't hurt you," Rooke moves slowly and methodically, so as not to spook them. "I only want to help. I've brought food and water for you. I'll just leave it here and be on my way."
The females back up slowly. The purple-maned one remains out front to protect the spiral-maned female she pushes behind her.
The fool pirate is speaking in Ziarian. If I'm not mistaken, these alien females are human. They can't understand his gibberish without translators, and judging by their shocked and perplexed faces, it's a good bet they aren't wearing any.
How this primitive species is in possession of a Starskip-class spacecraft is a mystery, unless there is someone else in there with them who knows how to fly it. Maybe even the same someone who abducted them.
The Luartick Sector where Earth lies is protected by Yulineon patrollers. Under Universeval Rule, infant planets such as that are nearly impossible to land on, but I've heard the rillium paid for human flesh is enticing enough to make the risk of death worth the reward.
I keep a sharp eye on Rooke with plans to track him and make sure he leaves the area. His intentions may seem genuine, but it's only a matter of time before he shows his true colors. When he does, I'll be here to strike him down.
The spiral-maned female peers around the shoulder of the one protecting her. Rooke locks eyes with her, lifts his nose to catch her scent on the breeze, and freezes, all except for the agitated twitching of his tail. His body releases a spicy perfume and I grin, knowing whatever plans he had for plundering the vessel have changed.
I'm not the only male who's been blindsided with the primal urge to claim a mate.
He gives the spiral-maned female a little wave and she returns the gesture. After leaving the food and water at the base of a nearby tree, he backs away slowly. I follow, keeping the wind in my face as I track the male through the thick of the forest.
Once I'm sure the space pirate is gone, I will return and keep watch over my female. Make sure Gruxt and the other escaped abominations I have yet to track and kill don't venture this way.
