Tempting Rever (17 page)

Brenda brought her knee up firmly and quickly. She might not have hands since they were trapped behind her back but he’d lifted her high enough and close enough to his body that her knee hit dead on between his slightly parted thighs. She watched his face as his eyes went wide and the color drained from his normally tan face. She screamed out in terror when she was thrown away from him.

The other man with the silvery eyes caught her against his chest, saving her from a nasty fall to the floor. She hit him hard enough that it caused him to stagger back a few feet to keep hold of her without letting her fall. A tiny bit of sympathy welled inside her as Allot collapsed to his knees and gripped the front of his pants. Zorn warriors didn’t wear sports cups but she bet he wished they did now. His head lowered, his black hair falling forward to obscure his face. The only sound he made was a hiss of air exhaling.

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Regret filled Brenda. She probably shouldn’t have done that but hell, he had been laughing at her when Rever’s future was on the line. The man gripping her growled softly as he eased her down to her feet. His hands gripped the chains securing her wrists so she was tethered to him by them.

“I bet you think I’m mean now,” she said softly. “Did that knee feel pathetically weak to you?”

In the blink of an eye the fallen man lifted his head up, sending his long hair flying backward as a snarl tore from his parted lips. His hands released his crotch and in a heartbeat he was on his feet. In two big steps he was in front of her to snarl again while he glared down into her frightened eyes, so close he nearly pressed against her body.

He obviously recovered from that brutal of a hit faster than a human guy did.

“If you weren’t a woman I’d kill you for that.”

Her heart hammered hard in her chest. “I stole Rever and I forced him to take me. I told him I’d blow up the ship in space if he let that asshole Volder take me away. Rever is a hero for keeping me here and protecting your kind from my mean human temper.”

“I can smell what happened here.” Allot was still snarling when he spoke. “Did you force Argis to mount you as well?”

Brenda didn’t look away from the furious, glowing green eyes. “I seduced him when I stripped naked—he’s a man, after all. He fought the good fight but I wouldn’t leave him alone. If I were naked rubbing against you and begged you to fuck me how long would you hold out?”

Green eyes narrowed. “Why don’t we find out?” His glare lifted to the man behind her. “Release her, Coto.”

Fear hit Brenda hard. “I’m not touching you.”

The man who gripped her chain didn’t let go. “Don’t let your anger get to you, Allot. She belongs to another and she purposely provoked you.”

“She injured me. She can make it better.”

Coto jerked Brenda back against his body, growling. “You won’t touch the alien.

Admit she got the best of you. You insulted her and she retaliated so you are both guilty of provocation. She is not as weak or as pathetic as you deemed her. We have other matters to attend to right now like how Argis Rever will come soon. Do you want to explain to Hyvin Berrr how we allowed his son to be killed in battle? I don’t.”

A snarl tore from Allot. His rage-filled glare lowered to Brenda, narrowing dangerously. “I don’t envy your future bound. He would be well to tie you up when you reach the
Drais
.”

“If I end up with Volder he’d better. It’s the only damn way he’ll keep me.”

“Let’s go,” Allot snarled when he spun on his boots and stormed for the cave opening.

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Coto kept his voice low when he spoke. “I admire your courage but that was not smart, alien female. Allot has a long memory with a short temper. It is a long way back to the border so stay close to me so I can make sure he doesn’t hurt you.”

Looking up as she turned her head, Brenda frowned at the man over her shoulder.

“What do you care? You don’t even know me.”

He gave a nod. The man had the strangest silvery blue glowing eyes but they were really pretty. His black eyelashes clashed with the silver-shaded blond hair he had but it made him look exotic and almost reminded her of a guy at home who wore eyeliner and mascara in high school. He’d had amazing eyes too thanks to hitting his mother’s makeup. This guy was naturally that way. The combination of his looks made him appear almost Goth in a muscled, buffed-up way.

“You are correct. I don’t know you. I do however know Rever and all of his brothers because I was raised with them. My father was killed when I was young and Hyvin Berrr took me into their home, raising me as a son not of his blood. For Rever to steal you he must care greatly for you. I am trying to protect the woman he threw his life away for.”

Shock tore through Brenda. “Then why are you here? Why are you hunting him?”

The large Zorn hesitated. “I came to make sure he was not killed. Some would love to bring down an Argis regardless of the personal price such an action would cost them.

Hyvin Berrr would kill any man who harmed his blood. Let’s go. Do as you are told so that I may protect you and Rever. We are working on a plan to clear this mess up but we can’t do that if both of you are dead.”

Hope soared. “So you think we can get around this law?”

Shaking his head, Coto gently pushed her forward. “Rever can’t keep you but we can get the charges dropped against him. You weren’t bound to Volder yet so he won’t be able to claim years of Rever’s life for mounting a bound mate. Hyvin believes he can get Rever out of this mess.”

Her hope was crushed instantly with his words. The only comfort she had as she was led out of the cave was that at least Rever wouldn’t end up in a work camp.

Sunlight blinded her for a few blinks until she adjusted to the red-tinged brightness. She was shocked by the dozens of Zorn men waiting outside in their matching uniforms.

Allot glared at Brenda for long seconds before his focus shifted to Coto. “Stand there on high ground with her. Argis will be along shortly and I want him to have a clear view that we have her.” He turned his attention away to face the men he led. “Stay back if he charges for the woman. We are under orders to capture but to not harm him.”

One of the men snorted. “Of course not. He’s Argis.”

Allot snarled, showing sharp teeth. “Watch what you say.”

The man dropped his gaze, giving a short jerk of his head, his head bowing. “Of course.”

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Tempting Rever

“No weapons,” Allot ordered. His body tensed as his head turned, sniffing the wind. “He comes.”

Brenda saw Rever walk out from behind one of the boulders to the right of her down the slope looking furious. He stopped walking.

“Argis,” Allot bowed his head. “We’re under orders from your father to take you back. He has made his wishes clear that you are to come with us peacefully.”

Rever snarled. “Let her go and leave us.”

Allot met Rever’s glare from across the distance. “If you attack we have permission to kill the alien.”

“My father wouldn’t allow that,” Rever snarled.

“He didn’t,” Coto said loudly. “She belongs to Volder under the law and he was the one who gave the order to kill her.” Disgust was clear in his voice when he’d spoken.

“Do what your father says, Argis Rever. Your father is a wise man who knows what he is ordering.”

Fury gripped Rever’s expression. “I know where his thoughts lay. She’s mine now that I bound to her and I won’t give her up.”

Allot snarled. “You already have an alien. You can’t bound with two. Not even an Argis has that privilege.”

Rever took a slow step forward and didn’t look at the nearly three dozen Zorn warriors. His attention fixed on Allot. “I challenge you a fight for her.”

Shock paled Allot’s face. “She’s not mine to challenge over so I won’t fight you.”

Rever moved so fast that it shocked Brenda. He leapt a good five feet to the boulder he’d moved closest to and landed on all fours. His powerful body was tense as he straightened up, slowly standing from a crouch, and his electric blue eyes burned with rage as he glared at Allot again.

“Release her or die, Allot. Those are the options I am giving you. If her life is extinguished, everyone here dies with her. I will fight to my last breath. I won’t allow you to take my woman away from me to give another male.”

Brenda was terrified for his life, knowing Rever was going to get killed over her.

Hot tears filled her eyes. “Rever, please don’t die for me.” Her voice shook. “I couldn’t live with that and if you die, I die.”

His mouth compressed into a tight line as his gorgeous blue gaze locked with her tear-filled eyes. “Are you mine, Brenda?”

“Always.”

Rever responded with a roar that tore through the area, loud enough to hurt Brenda’s ears. He leapt again, his powerful body landed in a roll in the dirt at the bottom of the slope but when he came up to his feet, he moved at full speed. Brenda could only suck in air as Rever launched himself at Allot. The other man barely had time to tense before Rever attacked.

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The first punch Rever threw made Allot stagger backward with a loud groan. Allot caught his balance, snarling, before he threw out a fist too. Rever ducked it, missed the intended blow, and threw himself forward to hit shoulder first into Allot’s body. Both of them went down.

Men rushed forward but Coto stopped them. “No! Back off,” he snarled. “Let them fight.”

The men slowly retreated to a safe distance but some of them didn’t look happy about it, a few obviously outright pissed off. Brenda’s terrified gaze flew to the two men on the ground where red dirt clouded up around them. Rever and Allot exchanged heavy punches, rolled around and fought for control of the other. Rever ended up on top, his fist slamming into the other man’s face. Rever climbed to his feet after Allot was unconscious. He turned, facing the group of men with a roar that exploded out of his open mouth. He took a fighting stance.

“Enough, Argis,” Coto growled. “You don’t want to do this.”

Rever turned his head to stare at the Zorn who had spoken. His uniform was split in a few places from the fight, his tan skin showed near his shoulder, and across his stomach where the material had been torn open. He showed teeth as he growled and his beautiful eyes were furious while he glared at Coto.

“Let my woman go.”

Behind her, Brenda heard Coto take a deep breath. She tried to walk toward Rever but the warrior gripped her chain tighter, jerking her back hard enough that she stumbled and bumped into his chest.

“Now,” Coto snarled.

In shock and horror, Brenda saw some of the men raise weapons that resembled guns at Rever. He must have seen their movements out of the corner of his vision, his head jerked in their direction where they were grouped together, and a roar tore from him when the men fired at him.

Brenda screamed, seeing Rever stagger as he was shot. She went wild, twisted hard against the restraints and screamed again when the man she loved dropped to his knees. Rever turned his head to look at Brenda. She couldn’t look away as she saw his eyes roll up into his head so just the whites of them showed. Almost in slow motion his body swayed before he crumpled hard on the red dirt packed ground.

Coto snarled in anger and the hold on Brenda was suddenly gone. She didn’t mentally tell herself to do it but just instinctively rushed for Rever. When she reached him, she stumbled, off balance with her hands bound behind her back, and just dropped to her knees to frantically look for bloody wounds on his still body.

His uniform was black but she didn’t see any wetness to indicate that he was bleeding where she saw things sticking out of him. They appeared to be yellow round pellets that had barely embedded just in his skin and uniform. She fought the restraints but she couldn’t break free.

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Tempting Rever

“Rever?” Tears blinded her, thinking they’d killed him over her. “REVER!” She cried out his name when she bent over him, staring at his handsome face.

His eyes remained closed but she did see his chest rise and fall, assuring her that he wasn’t dead. He’d collapsed to the side but he’d landed on his back and he wasn’t trying to get up. She turned her head to stare in horror at Coto.

“How could you? Help him, damn it. Get him a doctor!”

Coto slowly walked forward. “He will live.”

“You had him shot!” She screamed the words, struggling to get to her feet but couldn’t find the balance to do it. All she could do was glare up at Coto. She wanted to launch herself at the bastard to kill him. “I thought you said you were raised with him.”

The Zorn man stopped a few feet back. “Those are sleep pellets that will keep him unconscious for a few hours. I would never have him harmed.”

Relief poured through Brenda that Rever wasn’t seriously hurt and dying. She swiveled her head back, staring down at the man she was in love with to assure herself that he was breathing but unconscious. She bent over him more, needing to touch him.

With her hands held behind her back she lost her balance and pitched forward to land across Rever’s chest, her face was just inches from his.

“Rever, I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I love you.”

Brenda put her face in his neck, feeling his strong heartbeat against her lips when she pressed them to the skin just under his ear. She inhaled his wonderful scent even though he smelled strongly of dirt and sweat from his fight. She didn’t care. With every breath he took it moved her body sprawled on his chest.

She screamed out in protest when Coto bent down and grabbed her to take her away from Rever. He wrapped one arm around her chest while he gripped her around her waist with his other arm and totally lifted her off Rever’s still form. She screamed again, kicking wildly at Coto’s legs but he just spread them apart to make it harder for her to nail him with her bare feet. He held her tightly in his arms and kept her from touching the ground while he addressed his men.