Bonded to the Alien Centurion

1 “Tell me about these human females.” Holy draanth. He was in the same room as the emperor himself. Sardaan K’Vass blinked and resisted the temptation to pinch himself. Standing as he was just behind his commander, Fenriis, no one would notice if he did but that wasn’t the point. He was a warrior with a headful of braids. He had a reputation to uphold. Still, he couldn’t help the awe washing through him as he looked around the room. It was filled to the brim with legends. Warriors from the other vessels crowded the room, all facing one way. Emperor Daaynal K’Saan stood there next to his sister-sons, War Commander Tarrick and Lord Healer Laarn, his grim face and scarred body a sight to behold. On the other side of the emperor was his champion, Xaandril, one arm in a sling, and, surprisingly, a human female. Sardaan watched her from the corner of his eye. Dressed in a curious mixture of warrior’s leathers and human attire, she seemed to be with Xaandril himself. That in itself was a surprise. The big, gruff champion was not known to frequent the pleasure houses and the story of how he’d lost his mate and child, and his reaction, was the stuff of legend. Yet, he appeared protective and possessive about the little human female, glaring at any male who looked at her for too long. It was an unspoken challenge that the woman was his. If he hadn’t claimed her yet, it wouldn’t be long. Sardaan certainly wouldn’t take him on. Even though the champion was recovering from injury, it would still be suicide. “We have the human vice president, Madison Cole, onboard,” Fenriis said, his deep voice filling the briefing room. “There seems to be some political issues. The human male, Hopkins, seems to have orders from above her, from the president himself, indicating promises she makes will not be honored.” Daaynal frowned, a deep crease between his brows. His braids, more than Sardaan had ever seen on a warrior, brushed his shoulder as he looked at Fenriis. “You think she intends to play us for fools?” Danaar, next to Fenriis, rumbled in the back of his throat, but the commander lifted a hand slightly to silence his second in command. Sardaan watched the interplay with interest. Danaar’s feelings toward the human female were no secret. Hadn’t been since the moment she’d stepped aboard their ship. “Unsure. I do think she’s being cut out of their command structure. Hopkins spouted off something about reprisals when she returns home because of her stance toward us.” There was another grumble from Danaar but he didn’t speak. Like Sardaan, he knew better than to interrupt such males in conversation. But Sardaan didn’t miss the tiny flicker of the emperor’s gaze toward the big warrior. s**t. If Daaynal took offense… “Her stance toward us?” the emperor continued, his attention once again on Fenriis. “A good one, I take it?” Fenriis nodded. “Seems level-headed and open to both negotiation and the possibility of integration of our two species.” “One species,” the Lord Healer interrupted. “Humans are a subspecies of Lathar. They literally are us. But smaller.” “And we still have women,” the woman at Xaandril’s side interrupted, something that made more than a few males around the room frown. But neither the emperor nor the lord healer seemed annoyed, instead nodding in agreement as the woman spoke. “Madison Cole is a good woman,” she continued. “Fair and level with good policies. She’s always fought for the people, even against overwhelming odds, and it doesn’t surprise me that she’s being reasonable about human-Lathar negotiations. Nor does it surprise me,” she stressed quickly, “that the asshats in Terra-command are moving against her. They’ve been trying to discredit her for years. She’s good people.” Sardaan watched her openly now, along with most of the room. Daaynal smiled. “Gentlemen, please let me introduce Kenna Reynolds, one of our delightful Terran guests. She has been most gracious in aiding our understanding of her people.” Sardaan easily decoded the emperor’s words. The woman had to be one of the women taken from the first Terran base the Lathar had discovered. Stories had been going around about them since their discovery. They were all supposed to be military women. Now, having seen her and others on the human ship just off their port bow, he finally understood what that meant. Kenna lifted her chin, looking around the room with a slight smile on her lips as she nodded in acknowledgment. “Gentlemen.” “So… you think dealing with the vice president will get us nowhere?” the emperor demanded of the human female, who shrugged. “Without knowing more about the situation and speaking to her, I can’t say that. I’ve been out of the loop for a while.” She flashed a grin at Xaandril, and Sardaan was surprised to see the slight softening of his features as he looked at the tiny female. Yeah, the champion had it bad. Why hadn’t he claimed her yet? She was right there, and much smaller than the champion. There was no way she’d be able to win in a challenge fight. “Who else are we dealing with?” Daaynal transferred his attention back to Fenriis. To his credit, the war commander didn’t even flinch in the face of the emperor’s harsh manner, but Sardaan hadn’t expected anything else. They were all K’Vass, the best warrior clan out there. “The human ship TSS Defiant originally arrived commanded by a General Hopkins, but after his attempted attack on us, command transferred to a Major General Black. Female. I can’t tell how old she is, I…” Fenriis shrugged a little. “My exposure to females has been limited. If I were to guess, I would say she’s a warrior in her prime.” The image of the beautiful Terran woman formed instantly in Sardaan’s mind when Fenriis mentioned her name, and he kept his expression level only with hard-fought control. As communications officer, he’d been the first to speak to her and had been instantly captivated. She was tiny and beautiful… her direct gaze affected him on levels he’d never experienced before, and he instantly wanted more. He’d kill to get her into a challenge circle and claim her. “Wait…” Kenna butted in, her expression rapt. “Did you say Major General Black?” Fenriis nodded, the males around the table looking at the human female. She certainly had all of Sardaan’s attention. Any information he could glean on Black was good. If he ever managed to meet her, he wanted as much intel as possible to further his interests. “You know this name?” Daaynal asked. Kenna whistled, and nodded. “Oh yeah… I know Black. Everyone in the service knows Black.” “Explain.” The emperor’s demand was brusque and would have made a lesser warrior quake in their boots but Kenna’s lips merely quirked. “Black is a legend in her own lifetime. Like a seriously scary lady. Been in just about every conflict…like ever. Totally badass.” His human female was a warrior like him. Sardaan couldn’t help the small grin that passed over his lips. Badass. Even he could work out the human word was a good one. Black would make a worthy mate indeed… once he got near enough to claim her. He cast a quick glance at the males around the table. Half looked as interested in information on Black as he was. Draanth, he’d probably have to fight for the chance to claim her. He gritted his teeth as determination filled him. He would do whatever he had to. She was his. It would be good to have a mate, someone to share his life with. She would soon adapt to life on board a Latharian vessel. “Good. Then we need her on-side, preferably mated to one of our warriors,” Daaynal announced, looking at Fenriis. For a moment Sardaan’s heart almost stopped in his chest, but then he remembered that Fenriis already had a mate, the lovely Lady Amanda. “Commander, you are the only one of us who has actually spoken to the female in question at length. Opinion?” “She’s a capable warrior and in my opinion, nobody’s fool. She will not be easily manipulated. However, during the conversation I had with her earlier, she did betray interest, a very small interest, in one of our warriors.” Sardaan blinked, replaying the conversation in his mind as he tried to figure out who Fenriis was talking about—and, more importantly, who he’d have to kill to get a shot at the female he wanted—but came up blank. There had been interference on the line during the communication, so he’d had to pay attention to his systems to keep it cleaned up. He’d taken his attention off the screen a couple of times. “Who?” the emperor demanded. Fenriis turned to the side slightly, leaving Sardaan himself in the spotlight. He half turned before he realized there was no one behind him. “Me?” His voice betrayed his surprise, and then pleasure flooded his system. Black had shown interest in him? Perhaps this would be easier than he’d thought. “Yes, you. Your Highness, this is Sardaan K’Vass, a kinsman of mine.” Fenriis gave a small smile as he urged Sardaan to step forward. “There was a slight flicker of her gaze toward him during our communication and in a woman like that…” Sardaan nodded, stunned at both the fact Fenriis had named him as kinsman and the revelation of Black’s interest. Sure, he was distantly related to the war commander—they shared a cousin—but to have the male confirm their link in front of the emperor, no less. It was a step up for sure. Then to realize the woman he’d been so affected by had apparently noticed him as well… Black had been so controlled during all the communications that such a lapse was telling. “Excellent!” The emperor beamed. “Sardaan K’Vass, you will be the major general’s escort for this evening. I want you to stick to her like pelaranss. Ply her with drink and get into her bed. If you can get her to accept your claim over her, even better. Do not fail us on this. Understand?” “Yes, sire,” he said with a bow. This time he couldn’t stop the slow grin that spread over his face. Seduce the woman of his dreams with the emperor’s blessing? He was all over that. “I won’t let you down. She’ll be mine before sunrise.”