Bonded to the Alien Centurion Read online

  “Computer, look for similar markings on the Veral’vias and compare. See if you can find a match,” she ordered, swiping the console in front of her to clear the zoomed section. The shuttle rounded the hull of the large alien ship and she spotted the open shuttle bay looming ahead of her.

  “Terran shuttle, this is the Veral’vias,” a deep voice announced over the comm as all her propulsion systems suddenly went unresponsive. “We’ll bring you in from here.”

  “This is Major General Black. Acknowledged,” she replied and sat back in her seat as the alien ship piloted her toward the shuttle bay. The voice had been a new one, not the hottie she’d spoken with before, and she wondered where he’d gone. Probably off shift, doing whatever it was Latharians did when they weren’t working. A sense of disappointment filled her. A small part of her, a very small part, wanted to see him again… find out more about him. Like his name.

  Putting that thought to the side, she watched as the shuttle approached the open door in the side of the alien vessel. As she got nearer, she realized just how big it was. Her eyes widened. Hell, what did they launch out of there that they needed a door so frigging huge?

  Within a minute the shuttle entered its cavernous maw. Dani shifted in her chair, the hair lifting on the back of her neck. Perhaps Shannon had been right. Perhaps this had been a bad idea. She was alone in enemy territory without backup and only the combat dagger sheathed on her thigh to defend herself with…

  Shaking off the thought, she took a couple of deep breaths and forced herself into a sense of calmness and ease. Fake it until you make it, baby… a lesson she’d learned a long time ago.

  She kept her eyes open and the sensors on the shuttle running as they were pulled inside and then gently set down on the deck with a soft bump. Her live stream to the Defiant had cut off as soon as they’d gotten within the large alien ship’s hull, but the recordings would be of use later.

  If they ever let her leave, that was.

  The dark thought sent a chill down her spine for a second, but then she shrugged it off. Just a dinner, K’Vass had said. Then, if she wanted to leave, both she and the vice president could.

  “Welcome to the Veral’vias, Major General Black,” the voice said again. “Please disembark. Your escort is waiting for you.”

  She rose from the pilot’s seat and made her way to the back of the shuttle. A smile quirked her lips. She was more used to jumping out the back of one of these at high altitude in full combat gear rather than waiting for the ramp to descend while dressed for a formal function. Her dress uniform was the nearest she was going to get to being a princess for the day, though, so she’d take it.

  But the man standing on the other side of the ramp stole that smile right from her lips and she gaped at him in surprise for a second. The sexy Latharian communications officer stood waiting for her, a hesitant smile on his lips. Her gaze raked him, taking in the well-fitted leather combat uniform that stretched over a heavily muscled body and the hair, shades of grey rather than the dirty blond she’d thought, with its multitudes of braids brushing one broad shoulder.

  “Welcome to the Veral’vias, Major General,” he said with a small bow, offering her his hand. “I’m Sardaan K’Vass, assigned to be your escort for this evening.”

  He straightened with a frown when she didn’t take his hand to help her step off the ramp. “Although, if I am not to your liking, I can arrange for another male to take my place?”

  His words startled her into action.

  “No! No, not at all. You’re fine,” she said quickly, adding a smile as she walked forward. Her hand was tiny in his larger one as she stepped off the ramp. “It’s not like I have to marry you. Is it? You’re just being kind enough to escort me for the evening.”

  “Indeed, my lady,” Sardaan replied.

  She didn’t have to marry him. No. In fact, he didn’t want to marry her in the human sense of the word. It was too limiting and simple a ceremony to encompass everything he wanted from her. Mating for a Lathar went far deeper than mere words in some human ceremony and, unlike their concept of marriage, couldn’t be put aside by this idea of “divorce.” The whole idea of a sundered mating was repugnant to him.

  He kept his face level with effort as she placed her tiny hand in his, not prepared for the jolt that ran through him at the merest brush of her fingers. For a moment there, he’d had to hold his breath, the way she’d looked at him making him worry that Fenriis had been wrong and she had no interest in him at all.

  But within an instant the odd look had been gone and she’d stepped forward to take his hand. Heat shot through him at her touch as she took his hand to step down from the shuttle ramp, her nearness doing things to his body that should be illegal.

  In the flesh she was tiny, compared to him at least, and slender. The bones of her hand in his were so delicate, he kept his touch light, worried about hurting her. She was dressed differently than he’d seen her before, this time wearing a jacket and a long dress with skirts that flared slightly around her ankles. On her feet…

  “Those do not look comfortable for battle,” he frowned, eyeing the straps that held the heels to her tiny feet. Goddess, was everything about her small? How on Prime would she take him as a mate?

  The answer came in another wave of heat. The lady Amanda was smaller than his human warrioress and Fenriis was not a small male. If the war commander and his mate could manage, given their differences in size, he and his little mate would.

  “What?”

  Her gaze followed his down to her feet and she laughed, a soft sound that delighted his senses.

  “These?” she asked, lifting one foot. “Oh, they’re not for combat.”

  He hadn’t let go of her hand, her grip tightening for balance as she showed him the heel. They boosted her height by at least three inches and he suddenly realized their purpose. To make her look taller. Odd. Did she have issues with her height?

  “Not unless I’m really unlucky and this evening goes tit—err, belly up real fast.”

  He looked up, head tilted slightly to the side. “Why would this evening go… ‘belly up’?”

  Her lips pressed together for a second, lines of stress at the corners of her mouth. It was a fraction of a moment before she smiled to cover, but he caught it.

  “Technically I’m alone behind enemy lines. That’s not a good place to be in a pair of heels.”

  Her unusual speech patterns both confused and delighted him. The neuro-translator Isan, their healer, had installed in them all before they’d arrived in the human system meant he could understand the words, but not necessarily all the meanings. He recognized a soldier’s patter, able to pick up the meanings of things he didn’t understand by context. She was worried about her safety this evening.

  A soft growl echoed through his chest and his hand tightened on hers, pulling her closer before he could stop himself.

  “No one will offer you harm here tonight,” he declared, the world around him narrowing down to just the two of them. Closer now, the light scent she wore wound around him, pulling him in. “I will protect you and keep you safe.”

  The temptation to declare himself and demand she accept his claim over her was almost overwhelming, but he held himself in check. Something told him she wasn’t a female to be ordered about. That if he did, her defenses would go up.

  No, far better to wait until he could get her into a position where she couldn’t refuse him.

  Amusement washed through her dark eyes—an odd mixture of rich, dark earth and green leaves—and she squeezed his hand. “I appreciate the reassurance, Sardaan. Thank you.”

  His name on her lips almost stole his breath again. Hot on the heels of his determination that he wouldn’t press his claim, he decided he would hear his name from her lips again. Screamed in pleasure as he took her to ecstasy over and over again.

  “You are very welcome, Major General.”

  “Please… call me Dani.”

  Pleasure suffuse
d him as he let go of her hand with reluctance only to offer his arm with a small bow.

  He knew her name, of course. It was Danielle. That and many other details about her had been in the file he’d been given to study. Like the fact that she was unmated, with no family… no attachments other than to the men and women she served with.

  Jealousy rolled through him at the thought of other men in her life. Did she favor one in particular… how many males would he have to kill to secure his claim on her?

  “Dani,” he inclined his head, pleased that she’d given him permission to use a pet name rather than her full one. That was a sign of favor amongst humans, or so he’d heard. “A beautiful name for a beautiful lady.”

  That startled a laugh out of her as they walked from the shuttle bay.

  “Oh, you’re a charmer.” She smiled, patting his arm. “Your commander is a clever one. I’ll give him that.”

  “Oh?” he asked, puffing his chest out in pride as warriors in the corridors saw him with her on his arm, hiding their jealousy that he’d been the one chosen for this mission behind impassive masks. Given half a chance, every one of them would knife him in the back and take his place.

  “Nothing.” She leaned in closer, dropping her voice to confidential. “Are there always so many warriors aboard?”

  He chuckled at her question, amused that she’d picked up that the corridors were fuller than they normally were. “We’re carrying a normal complement, but most of them seem to have decided to stretch their legs at the moment.”

  He looked down at her with another smile. Gods, his cheeks were going to ache by the end of the night, but he couldn’t stop himself. “That’s because of you.”

  “Me?” Her brow furrowed. She hadn’t moved away and he liked the heat of her smaller body against his arm.

  “Yes. We don’t get many females. You’re only the…” He counted quickly. “Third human female I’ve seen.”

  “Oh,” her lips parted on the soft sound and she looked again at the warriors as they passed. “Well… I’m sure they’re totally underwhelmed. I’m no supermodel. Just an old soldier.”

  He frowned. Did she think she wasn’t attractive?

  “I can’t speak for them, but I’m sure they think exactly the same as I do…”

  At her curious glance, he paused a little. They were nearly at the doors of the stateroom where the evening event was, and he wanted a little more time alone with her. He drew her closer, risking a small, fleeting touch to tuck the single strand of stray hair back from her delicate features.

  “I think you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he admitted, his voice low and gruff. “And I’ll challenge… kill… anyone to make you mine.”

  3

  Holy… crap. She was in trouble with this one if she didn’t watch herself.

  At the soft touch and raw declaration from the handsome alien warrior, Dani instantly upgraded the threat level he posed from minor to apocalyptic. Had he been human, and she’d met him at a function or in a bar, she’d have been all over him like a bad rash and taken him back to her quarters for a night.

  But he wasn’t. He was Latharian. Which meant she had to watch her step in case she caused a diplomatic incident.

  Before she could answer, the door in front of them swept open and Sardaan led her through it. A group of warriors stood on the other side, and for a moment her breath caught in her throat. There were so many of them, and they were all huge. Not letting her feelings show on her face, she kept her breathing measured as the warrior at her side led her toward them.

  The biggest Latharian warrior she’d ever seen stood in the middle of them all, flanked by two men who looked so much like him they had to be related. One of them was heavily scarred, the remnants of old injuries easily visible through the open jacket he wore. She didn’t look away when he met her gaze, nodding in acknowledgment before looking at the other men briefly and then at the big guy.

  “Your Imperial Majesty,” she greeted him, using Sardaan’s arm to execute a small bow. A full one was out of the question with her dress. Even though the fabric was high-tech polytex, it was designed to streamline her figure and be comfortable for the many hours formal functions lasted, rather than for aerobics and yoga. “A pleasure to meet you.”

  “My emperor,” Sardaan said from her side, confirming her guess that this was, indeed, the emperor of the Lathar, Daaynal. “Please allow me to introduce Major General Danielle Black, commanding officer of the TSS Defiant and the human forces in the welcome party. Major General Black, allow me to introduce his most Imperial Majesty, Daaynal, emperor of all Lathar.”

  “A pleasure to meet you, Major General. I do apologize for not announcing my arrival sooner, but it appears you figured me out as soon as looking at me,” he said with a warm smile, offering a large hand. “A clever one,” he commented to Sardaan. “A male would do well to land such a female.”

  She sucked a breath in at his comment. Did he seriously just suggest that Sardaan try and “land” her? Heat filled her at the thought, but she shoved it away ruthlessly. Despite their history of claiming human females, she wasn’t here to be seduced, and it would be a brave man that tried. She was here to do a job and by hell, she’d do it.

  “It really wasn’t difficult to work out.” She smiled back as she shook Daaynal’s hand. “We have managed to glean some intelligence on your species. Specifically, that you have two nephews who look incredibly like you, one of whom is a healer.”

  She nodded toward the two big men flanking the emperor. “Lord Tarrick K’Vass and Lord Healer Laarn, I assume?”

  Daaynal’s face split into a wide grin as he leaned in to murmur. “Still clever, and you didn’t allow yourself to be intimidated by the large number of us even though you are alone, unarmed and outnumbered.”

  She grinned back, instantly liking the big emperor, and leaned in to reply. “Who says I’m unarmed?”

  One of the other warriors with Daaynal started, shooting a glance at Sardaan. Perhaps he should have frisked her before bringing her into the presence of the emperor? She’d liked to have seen him try. Even though the idea of the handsome warrior’s big hands on her was an appealing one, there was a time and a place for things like that… which was not here and now.

  “I have a combat dagger in a thigh sheath,” she told him conspiratorially. “Not that it’s going to be much use with all of you in here. But… it makes me feel less naked.”

  It was perhaps a reckless thing to admit she’d brought a blade into the emperor’s presence, but what the hell… It wasn’t like she could hide it from the sort of advanced technology they had.

  The emperor’s expression grew more amused. “Wise move. I’m carrying at least three blades this lot don’t know about,” he whispered with a jerk of his head toward his retinue. “In our culture, always be prepared. For anything.”

  “Roger that.”

  She wasn’t sure if it was a warning or an endorsement and didn’t get chance to ask as Daaynal straightened up again. “Major General Black, if I could introduce you to the rest of my seniors… then we might be able to get something to eat around here.”

  His little human major general was utterly entrancing. And he would make her his.

  Sardaan sat at Dani’s side throughout the formal meal, leaning in every now and then to explain what the dishes were. She was an excellent conversationalist with a quick mind, and he found himself amused when she easily fielded comments meant to overset her from the warriors around them. He was forced to hide his grin when, time after time, she turned such comments back—not in a way that made the warrior look foolish but just to ensure the barbs didn’t meet their mark.

  Clever. Very clever.

  “I understand you are from Sentaris Three, Major General?” Madison Cole, one of the three human women at the table asked. The tall human woman was seated opposite, next to Danaar, in command of the Veral’vias after Fenriis’ earlier departure. Neither he nor the lord healer
had remained for the dinner.

  “I am indeed.” Dani nodded as she took a sip from her glass and set it down.

  Instantly, Sardaan nodded to the warrior behind them to refill it with water. His standing orders were to seduce her, but he didn’t want her drunk when he did so. If she was incapable of giving consent, his claim would be null and void.

  “It was a beautiful place. I was saddened to hear of its loss,” Madison said. “I’m assuming, though, you had left many years prior to its destruction?” For the benefit of the rest of the table she added, “Sentaris Three was one of our major manufacturing colony bases. It was destroyed in a reactor explosion about fifteen years ago.”

  Sardaan blinked at the news, registering the slight stiffness in Dani’s frame. For humans fifteen years was a long time, but not long enough if the tightness about the delicate major general’s eyes was any indication.

  “It was a beautiful place,” Dani agreed, her voice controlled. “Especially during the triple moon-rises. I used to head up there with my sister to watch them after second shift. It was the best time to view them,” she added in an aside to Sardaan.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you had family on the base as well. That was indelicate of me,” Madison’s embarrassment at her question was obvious but Dani shrugged it off.

  “I didn’t,” she replied with a smile. “My parents died when I was a child. I had one sister, but she wasn’t on the base when it exploded.”

  Had. She spoke about her sister in the past tense but didn’t say anything else, lifting her glass again. Thankfully, Madison took the hint, changing subjects smoothly and addressing one of the warriors near her.

  Sardaan leaned in, arm over the back of Dani’s chair. “Are you okay?”

  She slid him a glance, and for a moment he saw past all her shields to the woman within. The sight, and the emotions there, rendered him speechless for a moment. Then she smiled, walls back up in place.