Syfi Warriors Page 2

  Dwaain sat there holding his mate. He could sit for hours with her. She fit perfectly in his arms. He was still holding and rocking her when she looked up and him and smiled.

  “Hi,” she said in a soft, breathy voice.

  “Hi, how do you feel?” Dwaain asked as he continued to rock her. At least she wasn’t fighting him and yelling. That was a good sign.

  “A little strange. What was in that drink?” Myla knew she should be screaming and fighting but was so comfortable she couldn’t. She felt so safe and protected in his arms. His body was warm and perfect for cuddling with.

  “We call it Viento. It is made from fermented fruit. It is crafted by the people of my planet.“

  “It tastes like a drink I have on my planet but is much stronger than what I drink.”

  “All the people of my planet drink it with each meal. We dilute it for the children. You will grow used to it.” Myla nodded but was thinking to herself, hopefully, she would not be with him that long. She was sure her father was working on a way to rescue her. He had to be. He would not leave her. If her father weren't looking for her, she knew Naglan would. She was his betrothed, he would not abandon her. Thinking about Naglan, what would he say if he could see her. She sat up straighter. “I need to move, I should not be letting you take such liberties. I’m a betrothed woman. Please let me up.” She pushed against his arms, trying to free herself.

  “Stop! You’ll hurt yourself,” Dwaain told her loosening his hold. He relaxed his arms enough that she could sit up straight.

  Myla pushed against his shoulders enough to put some distance between them and sat her back straight. “Please let me up.”

  Dwaain moved his hands to rest on the arms of the chair and let the little female up. “You cried out in your rest. I only wanted to console you.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate your comfort. However, I’m to be life bonded to Naglan of the Leean. I would appreciate it if you showed more decorum.”

  She stood before him, and even seated he was taller than she. Dwaain reached down and lifted her chin with one finger so that she was looking into his eyes. “I will do as I choose with you and you will like it.”

  Myla took a deep breath, and her face turned red, but she said nothing. She knew better than to provoke him more. After all, she was still a prisoner and needed to keep her head about her. She didn’t know what he would do if she antagonized him.

  “I will not hurt you, a little female. Anything I do I will guarantee you will enjoy. If I wanted to, I could have you screaming my name.” Dwaain held her chin between his fingers forcing her to look into his sage green eyes. Myla let out a little huff and twisted out of his grasp. “It is of no consequence. I am to be queen. I am betrothed. I cannot break the scared promise. It would bring shame on the royal family.”

  Dwaain let her escape. “We will see, little female. We will see.”

  Myla wasn’t sure what he meant by that but didn’t say anything further. She looked down at herself and realized she was still wearing the gown. It was very revealing. It was not acceptable for him to be in the room while she was in such a state of undress. “You must excuse me I should find more clothing. This is not permitted on my planet. A man is not allowed to be with a woman in such a state of undress unless they are betrothed or life bonded.”

  “So on your planet, you do not date men other than your betrothed? Is there a mating ritual?” Dwaain had done some research into the ways of the people of Xwrest but did not know their mating practices.

  “If the child reaches the age of maturation without having chosen a mate one will be chosen for them by the parents. Usually, the parties to be mated know each other and have the choice of agreeing or disagreeing. In my case since I am to become queen, my father picked a mate that will be advantageous to the planet.”

  “Did you know him? Do you have a choice? Do you have feelings for him?” Dwaain couldn’t believe that any parent would choose a mate for their child.

  “I have met with Naglan. The Leean are a kind people, and we need his planet to establish trade within that quadrant. Without them, my people will lose access to quality goods. Goods that will cost us much more if they need to be found elsewhere. It’s a fair bargain. Neglan and I bond, and both planets have access to things they need. I’ve been raised to know that is how my life would be. It was that way for my father and mother and their parents before them. The oldest child becomes ruler and must be betrothed before the coming of age ceremony. My ceremony is to be held during the next full moon phase. The three moons of the planet are full at the same time every twelve rotations. I will be of age, and it is all planned.”

  Myla had been pacing as she talked and Dwaain stopped her by putting his hands on her shoulders. He turned her to face him and looked down upon her upturned smile. “You can state what your duty will be, but you didn’t answer any of my questions. What about love? The hunger of your body? Are you even attracted to this person?”

  “None of that matters. I will do my duty as did my father and his mother before him. It’s what’s right for the planet. That has to be my main concern.”

  Chapter 3

  Dwaain was about to say something when they heard a loud boom, and they were knocked to the floor. There continued to be a series of explosions and Dwaain pushed Myla down, covering her with his body. As soon as the explosions stopped, he grabbed his communication device and yelled into it, “Report!”

  The voice that came back was Lewan’s, “We’ve been attacked. All hands are boarding pods. I will meet you and the princess as per protocol.” Dwaain knew by Lewan’s choice of words that they were no longer secure. The only choice now was to take his private craft and hope the three of them could escape.

  “Come. We must go. The ship has been taken. We must get you to safety.” He picked Myla up in his arms and started running with her. “It’s too risky to use the transporter. We have been compromised. We must hasten.”

  Myla could see people running all directions and hear more explosions. Dwaain pushed her head into his shoulder shielding her from much of the chaos around them. He ran for what seemed like several minutes before he punched a code into a panel and stepped through the doorway that opened. He placed her in a seat and strapped her in. “Stay here. We must wait for Lewan before we leave.”

  Dwaain was gone for several minutes before he reappeared with a battered Lewan in tow. Myla unfastened herself and stood. “He’s hurt! Let me see what I can do to help.”

  “We must take off. The ship has been compromised. The Meglan have boarded. Please, we must hurry. Help me fasten him in, and we will depart.” As they were securing Lewan, Myla heard several more explosions. “They are getting close we must hurry.” Dwaain assisted Myla as she pulled the harness over her head and tightened it. Then he sat in the pilot seat and maneuvered the controls. “Prepare for take off. This could be rough. Are you ready, sweetheart?”

  “I’m ready. Let’s go. It sounds like they are getting closer.” Although Myla had never encountered the Meglan, she had heard rumors about how they treated prisoners. Male captives were sent to the mines while they used the females as slaves and for breeding. As future queen, she would be a great bargaining chip and most likely tortured for information before being sold at one of the slave auctions. If that happened she would never be seen again, never hear her father’s voice, never know love.

  “Myla was surprised at how calm Dwaain was. He handled the situation just as a leader should. She didn’t know a lot about the customs of the people of Xylan. It was a planet ruled by the military. Dwaain was the leader of the planet. An equal to her and her father. He would be a worthy mate had she not been already betrothed. She couldn’t deny the attraction she felt to him or the way her body responded to him. She had never felt this level of attraction to any other man. Maybe it wasn’t a bad thing being his prisoner.

  “The Meglan are gaining on us. I’m going to throw us into hyperdrive to try and evade them. Hold on just a few more
minutes, and we should be safe.”

  Myla watched the screen as the star systems sped by. If the circumstances were different, she would enjoy the view, but with the threat of the Meglan, she couldn’t relax enough. She didn’t want to bother Dwaain, but she had to know. “Are they still following us?” She leaned forward in her seat anxious to know if they were safe or not. She’d barely finished speaking when the ship was rocked by an explosion. “Myla, can you return fire while I find some place to hide the ship. There’s an asteroid field ahead. If I can get us in there, they won’t be able to track us.” Dwaain asked his voice calm as ever.

  Myla unfastened her harness and stood. “Show me where the controls are, and I will handle it.” She needed to be cool and calm. She was trained to handle situations like this. She wouldn’t let Dwaain and Lewan down.

  Dwaain stood. “​Here​, this is the weapon’s station. I took it because I thought I would have to do both, but if you can man the weapons, I’ll take the navigation.” He quickly pointed out the controls she would need and with a swift kiss to her lips slid into the seat next to her.

  Together they managed to evade the Meglan and find a place large enough to land the ship on. “If you can set up a​ ​series of explosions to hide my maneuvers, I will try to land on the dark side where it will not only be harder to find us, but it is more habitable according to the scanners.” As Dwaain finished talking the ship was rocked by a series of explosions. “Crap​!​ That knocked out the computer. We’re going to have to do this manually. Myla, set off your explosions and help me steer. This is going to take both of us.”

  Myla did as requested and grabbed the controls to help Dwaain set the ship down safely. “This is going to be rough. Check and make sure Lewan is secure then fasten yourself in. We only have a few moments to prevent crashing.” Dwaain helped her secure Lewan then assisted her in fastening her harness. “One kiss for luck,” he told her taking her lips in a passionate kiss. “Hold on tight; the gravity has us now. I’ll try to find a clear landing area.”

  The next few minutes passed in a blur. Myla heard a loud bang and then nothing. Everything went black.

  Chapter 4

  Myla woke to Dwaain leaning over her. “Are you okay, sweetheart?” He held a cup of water to her lips. She took a small sip and looked around. “What happened?” The ship looked okay. The landing must not have been too bad.

  “We lost life support. You blacked out from lack of oxygen.” At the panicked look on her face, he quickly assured her. “It’s all good. I’ve got it fixed now. We’re on the planet. The atmosphere here supports life. I’ve done a little scouting, and I think we will be safe here for a while. I sent an emergency beacon out before we crashed. It’s shielded from the Meglan, but others should be able to see and hear it. I don’t think we will be here long, but I want to scout the area for food and water sources just in case.”

  He started unfastening her harness and helping her up. “I want to get the portable shelter set up before dark and do some scouting. Can you check Lewan and help me?”

  “Sure. Just tell me what to do.” Myla knew that keeping busy would help keep her mind off their situation. “If you could check Lewan. I’ll get you the medical kit.”

  “Thank you. I’ll do everything I can for him.” What she didn’t say was that she was concerned. Lewan should have woken up by now. She hoped his injuries weren’t too severe and that she could help him.

  Myla was just finishing up with Lewan when Dwaain came back from his scouting expedition. “I found shelter and water. There are a series of caves not far from here. The largest cavern is big enough for all of us to stay comfortably for as long as needed. We can use the replicator and make what we need. It’s starting to get dark we need to move. Is it safe to move him?” He asked looking at Lewan.

  “Yes. I’ve healed his broken bones. There is some swelling in his brain. I’ve treated it as best I can. A healer could do more. All we can do now is wait for him to wake up.”

  “I want to load all the supplies we can first,” Dwaain answered. “And even though that outfit is very attractive, it’s not practical for traipsing through the jungle. You’ll find suitable clothing in the replicator files.”

  Myla hadn’t even thought that she was still clothed in the gown. The very transparent gown. “Yes. I should change.”

  “I’ll start loading things while you change in the back.” Dwaain knew that this was probably one of the few times he would be able to give her privacy. The cave he had found was large, but with the supplies and three people in it, things would be crowded.

  Myla helped him load everything they could onto the hover and followed him to the cavern. It took several trips to get all the supplies and Lewan settled. Then they set about arranging things. By the time they were done, it was dark and starting to get cold. Dwaain set up a heat source to warm the cavern and so that they could heat some food. He handed Myla a plate. “It’s not much for now, but will have to do. Tomorrow when the suns are up I will do some scouting and see what I can find to supplement our rations.”

  Myla took the plate and ate a few bites. She was so tired that all she wanted to do was sleep. She checked Lewan again and looked over to where they had laid out the bedding. “You will sleep beside me,” Dwaain commanded. “Until we know it is safe, I want you close.” Just then a howl was heard from outside. They didn’t know what kind of life the planet supported and anything could be out there.

  Myla nodded and wrapped her arms around herself as a chill ran over her skin. Having a big strong man close wouldn’t be a bad thing. She heard another sound and turned to see Lewan sitting up on the bed they had laid him on.

  She quickly ran to his side. “Don’t move too much. Let me make sure all your bones mended correctly.” She quickly ran the scanner over him. “Everything looks good. You need to move carefully for a few hours to let the healing take full effect. How are you feeling?”

  “Like I’ve been ran through the grinder. I havn’t felt this bad since that time in training when Dwaain took me down.”

  Dwaain walked over and helped Lewan into a more comfortable position. “Glad to see you back with us, buddy.” They heard more howling from outside, and he went to make sure the entrance was secured. “Nothing’s getting in here without me knowing about it.”

  When he came back, Myla was spoon feeding Lewan some broth and talking with him. Dwaain could see it was all she could do to keep awake and started arranging the sleeping pads. “Sweetheart, I want you between us. I’ll sleep closest to the entrance and Lewan can sleep by the heat to help him heal. If either of you hears anything, I want you to wake me immediately.” Not that he was going to sleep much. Things were still too uncertain. They were as safe as he could possibly make them but he wouldn’t be comfortable for a few days. Sleeping with Myla and not touching her was going to be torture, but she wasn’t ready for more yet.

  The next couple days were trying for Myla. Lewan wasn’t healed enough to go scouting with Dwaain, and Dwaain insisted that she stay with him incase he needed anything. He didn’t tell Myla this, but the main reason he wouldn’t take her with him was that he wanted to make sure it was safe for her before he risked taking her with him. The excuse that Lewan needed her worked well enough to keep her contained, for now. He knew as soon as Lewan was able to scout with them she would insist on going. Dwaain had brought a few small animals back to the cavern, and they had been experimenting with different ways of preparing them and eating them. The rations were going fast, and they still had no idea if anyone was even looking for them. Dwaain had started spending part of his scouting time trying to make repairs to the ship. If he could get back into space, he could get them into the shipping lanes and hopefully they would be seen and rescued.

  After several days Lewan and Myla were both complaining about being stuck in the shelter, and he had no choice but to take them with him. He had returned to find them arguing, and that was not the way this was going to go. Now that Lewan wa
s feeling better it was time to let Myla know what her place would be.

  That night after Myla fell asleep Lewan and Dwaain sat talking for a long time. They made a plan on how best to wear down their little captive. Before she knew it, she would be right where she belonged, between them.

  Lewan was glad Dwaain had decided it was time to pursue Myla. He couldn’t stand being around her without touching her any longer. Dwaain and he had been partners for as long as he could remember. He couldn’t think of a time he’d had a woman without Dwaain being involved. He and Dwaain had known they would be mated to the same woman the same way they knew Myla was that woman. It was the way of their kind. There were very few women born on their planet, and if the men did not seek mates outside the planet, their species would not survive. It was the way it had always been.

  He had met Dwaain during his training to be a protector. He was young and had lost his way. His parents sent him to the training program hoping it would give him the strength he needed to survive. He had been partnered with an older more experienced soldier, and that was Dwaain. He turned on his side to watch the small woman as she slept. Dwaain was right. She was perfect from her head to her toes. The calm way she had reacted when the ship was attacked. The way she nursed him when he was ill.