Training the Warrior (14 page)

She startled involuntarily as Takoora burst
into the bedroom. Her roommate was dressed in the same exact outfit as Lydia. She
appeared as if she were about to explode with excitement.

“The head mistress has posted our teacher
assignments!” Takoora rushed to Lydia, grabbed her arm and forced her to spin
in a circle with her while she hopped up and down. “I got Makita and you’re
paired with Ruevash. They’re both excellent teachers.”

Takoora’s excitement was contagious. She
joined her friend in the bunny dance.

“Does it list our first duty?” Lydia
managed to ask between hops. She was more than ready to begin the next phase of
their training.

Her roommate stopped jumping. Unable to
make out her expression behind the black mask, Lydia saw Takoora’s smile take a
downturn.

“No, I saw our names paired with our teachers.
I didn’t check for anything else.”

Picking up on her friend’s frustration,
Lydia suggested, “Then let’s go look again.”

Lydia tugged Takoora out the door and they
sprinted down the hallway. They avoided colliding with several other teachers
along the way. It wouldn’t be smart to arrive late for their first duty. After
all, the young warrior’s weren’t the only ones who wanted to avoid punishment.

They joined the group of excited new teachers,
all crowded around the posted assignments. Ten new Givers of Pleasure had
joined the teacher clan. The general mood was one of excitement tempered with
responsibility. Ten Givers of Punishment were listed along with the names of
their new partners.

Lydia read for herself that her name was
beside Ruevash’s. And next to that was her first duty assignment—clan tattoo.
She’d forgotten all about the tattoo. Before she could begin her teaching work,
she had to have the clan mark on her left wrist. Studying the assignment sheet
closer, she bit her tongue to hold back a curse. Her scheduled time with the
ink artist was only fifteen minutes away
. Damn.
Her destination was on
the opposite side of the citadel. She would have to run. It was a good thing
she worked out.

“I’ve got to get the tattoo—now,” she told
Takoora. “I only have a few minutes to get there.”

Never a track star, Lydia thought she was
doing fairly well. She raced down corridor after corridor without mishap before
bursting through a set of double doors that opened on to the commons. The
tranquil garden was a place she liked to visit from time to time. It was
tropical, green and lush, but the name was a bit misleading. She’d expected
that anyone in the citadel was free to enjoy it, but only the teachers were
allowed access to this particular garden. It was within the area considered the
sanctuary.

Today she didn’t pause to take in its
beauty. The commons was her shortcut. She dashed along the path, which would
take her to the actual common area inside the citadel where teachers
occasionally came in contact with Taurans or occasional visiting warriors.

Once she reached the door that would only
allow a one-way passage back into the citadel, she stopped to catch her breath.
She had plenty of time now. There was no need to make a mad dash down the
crowded hallway when she entered. Lydia took some time to straighten her robe
and replace her hood. It’d fallen away from her head as she’d run. Her mask was
firmly in place. Okay, she was presentable once more. She pressed down on the
latch and pushed against the door. It didn’t budge
. Crap.

Knowing better, she pulled back on the door
anyway. Of course it didn’t open.
Dumbass. It doesn’t open that way.
She
shoved against it again. It still wouldn’t move, but the latch was open. She saw
it was free. She pounded on the door. It was solid, unmoving and quite stuck.
No one could see her. Now what?

Lydia stepped back and searched her mind
for an alternate route. There was none, unless she started back at the
beginning. She gritted her teeth, barely holding back a string of curses.

She grabbed the door latch once more,
pulled it down and threw her shoulder against the door. It opened a crack. “Yes!”

Using all her weight, she lunged at the
door, pushing with all her might against the heavy wood. It creaked. She found
extra strength and pushed harder. It flew open and Lydia tumbled into the
hallway. She ended up at the feet of two very large and surprised warriors.

“Oh, damn!” Before she could stop it, the
curse tumbled out of her mouth.

One of the warriors bent over and offered
her his hand while the other one just stared down at her. His nostrils flared
as he took in her scent with a loud sniff. The instinct to test her scent was
natural. However, making such a noise over it was considered rude. Grateful for
her mask, Lydia glared up at him. She narrowed her eyes in disapproval. He
bowed his head and shifted his gaze to his boots. If she’d been an enemy, the
chastised warrior would be dead now. Of course so would she. The giant hand
looming in front of her face, belonging to the other warrior, could just as
easily snap her neck instead of aiding her. She was mortified.

By the time she regained her senses and
took hold of the warrior’s hand, a small crowd had gathered around her. Except
for the two warriors, the rest were all Tauran males. He helped her stand. Once
she was steady on her feet, he immediately released her hand.

“Are you injured?” His deep voice was
impartial, his manner extremely respectful.

“No, I’m fine,” she mumbled. “Thank you for
helping.” She gave a silent sigh of thanks. The warrior was mated. She could
tell by his reactions. Unlike his younger companion, he hadn’t even tried to
scent her.

Lydia couldn’t help but notice he was quite
attractive. His eyes were the color of warm honey and his skin tone was golden
tan, but what set him apart from most warriors was his hair. The long mane was
streaked with strands of dark brown, mocha, blond and light cream. He was a
giant latte. For one brief instant, she envied his mate. The lucky woman had
the most handsome male she’d ever seen.

The warrior’s lips curled up in a tolerant
smile. “I opened the door when I saw it was stuck. I hope you aren’t bruised.” He
shot his partner a stern glance. “Jarrok meant no disrespect.”

“Pardon me, teacher,” the one named Jarrok
said.

Lydia inclined her head politely at his
apology, indicating he was forgiven. “I must hurry to an appointment. Thank you
for helping me.”

She backed away from them, turned and wound
her way through the small crowd, which was already beginning to disperse. As
she walked down the hallway she overheard the two males.

“Focus, Young Jarrok!”

“I couldn’t help it! She has pretty eyes.”

“The sword between your legs is no good to
me in battle,” the handsome warrior snarled back.

Lydia grinned. She’d forgotten. Sometimes a
battle-hardened warrior’s sharp tongue could be very blunt.

“Young Jarrok! Come here and sign off on
your partnership. We’ll miss the shuttle if you two delay any longer,” a
different voice called. To Lydia, it sounded like an impatient military officer’s
bark.

She filed the incident away in her mind and
scurried down the hall. There would be time later for her to reflect on the
handsome warrior. The tattoo artist was ready and waiting when she entered the
office. She motioned Lydia toward a large reclining chair. Lydia sank onto the
well-padded seat.

While the artist prepared her wrist for the
new tattoo, Lydia relaxed. Her life on Fortress was finally coming together.
She had a job, a highly regarded profession that every Tauran in the empire
respected. And with so many sisters, she would never be alone anymore.

As a teacher, she was free to move about
the city without an escort if she wanted. No warrior would allow anyone to harm
her. Luckily, the unmated warriors weren’t allowed too much freedom on
Fortress. So the threat of one of them claiming her was almost nonexistent.

She felt an overwhelming sense of freedom
coupled with empowerment. The Tauran Empire relied on each and every teacher of
her clan to make certain all newly-bladed warriors conquered their rage and
were mentally fit for combat training. Lydia took the responsibility to heart.
No warrior should be destroyed ever again, at least, not on her watch. Like
their mothers, she was dedicated to protecting them at all cost. She didn’t
know or care if she was a man hater anymore, but one thing she knew beyond
everything else—she cherished every warrior who passed through the gates of the
compound on the Fortress world.

Her situation was unbelievably ironic. It
took abduction from her own planet, a trip light-years across the galaxy, mated
life for too brief a time to a hunky warrior and acceptance into a sorority of
sorts to find she was almost back where she’d started. She was working and
still going to school. Did it really matter if her degree wasn’t from a college
on Earth?

Chapter Eight

Part Two: The Warrior

Female.
The fragrance lured him, rousing
him from a light sleep. Along with awareness came remembrance. Would he ever
stop searching for her scent each time he awoke? She was gone. His mate was
dead. Her life extinguished over a year ago. He was an unmated warrior now. And
yet, he still woke up expecting to find his mate wrapped securely in his arms.

Taelor took another breath, clearing his
mind while identifying the female resting beside him. She was the dark-haired
one he’d met at the bar and brought back to his room at the spaceport. Her name
wasn’t important. What was important was the fact his cock was still buried
inside her. They were lying on the bed, her back against his chest. Her rounded
ass pressed tight against his groin. Now that he was awake, his erection surged
to full expansion. She moaned as he swelled within her.

He moved his hips, pulling out halfway
before thrusting back inside. Her channel was moist, warm and ready for him.
She gasped and awoke completely. Not bothering with unnecessary foreplay,
Taelor fucked her, pumping his cock in and out of her pussy while he reached
between her legs to fondle her clit. She moaned louder, panting in rhythm to
his thrusts until she cried out. Her little clit quivered against the pads of
his rough fingers and her sheath clamped down on his driving cock. Three more
mighty thrusts and he came, shooting an early-morning burst of cum deep inside
her. She sighed happily and fell back to sleep.

Lips caressed his back, nipping at the
tattoo on his shoulder. Feminine hands massaged his ass. The other female in
his bed was awake now and begging for his attention. Before he could flip over
and ravish her, his com-unit beeped. The annoying device was strapped to his
belt, which was over the back of a chair along with his forearm restraints. It
beeped again.

The chair was just a few feet away from the
bed. What better place to leave his gear than where he’d mounted one of the
females before she’d undressed completely? The memory of her bent forward over
the back of it almost tempted him to shirk his duty.

Instead, he leaped from the bed, dragging
the newly-wakened female along with him. She let out a squeal of protest as he
draped her over his shoulder. Absentmindedly, he noticed she had shoulder-length
blonde hair and large breasts. He patted her ass to reassure her and she
quieted, but not before giving his own a few good slaps. For that, he’d
certainly give her a hard fucking they’d both enjoy.

 The com-unit blared once again, louder and
more insistent. He growled, irritation growing. What could be so important to
disturb his leave? They were on Turret V, a planet that was only five days away
by star cruiser from Taura Prime. There were no emergencies on Turret V—ever.
It was a destination world in the Turret system. A pleasure planet.

Once again, Taelor growled in exasperation.
Still carrying the female, he snatched the com-unit and studied the display.
The screen read,
Regroup at spaceport, one hour. Mission reassignment.
Urgent.
He pressed a button on the front of the device to send a signal to
let them know he acknowledged the message.

One hour? Urgent? The commander was
obviously out of his mind, but Taelor knew better than to ignore the order. He
had an hour. He needed a shower. He was certain he could share it with the
large-breasted female. Pointing out the right direction, his stiff cock agreed.
The com-unit beeped once more.

“Gacking duty.” He snarled while letting
the female slide off his shoulder and down his body until her feet touched the
floor. The new message read,
Report to Commander Gristol for instructions.
He’s waiting at the shuttle on pad A. One hour, real time, Taelor. Don’t keep
him waiting.
He sneered at the second dispatch. His battalion commander,
Kellan, knew him too well. Taelor slid his gaze to the female.

The little alien batted her violet-colored
eyes and pushed out her lower lip. Her obvious disappointment helped him make a
decision.

Taelor pointed toward the bath area. “Get
started. I’ll join you.”

She trotted off, breasts swinging and ass
jiggling. She wasn’t chubby at all, just fleshy in all the right places. He
groaned, hating to deprive himself of the few minutes it would take to contact
his partner.