Joyce refused to show fear. That didn’t mean it didn’t pump through her veins or force cold sweat from her pores. No, it merely meant she glared at the men who’d violated her quarters—stupid council identification that overruled Kede’s orders—and dragged her from her room.
Of course, that came after one of them backhanded her.
Apparently calling an alien an alien motherfucker did not go over well.
Now she just yelled the words on the inside as she pretended to stab the man through one of his mismatched eyes with a letter opener. Though, truthfully, Doshans didn’t have letter openers. Not when they had their comm pads and vid screens.
Fine, she’d stab him with one of Resane’s hypos. With any luck, it’d be filled with hemorrhoid cream.
How’s your ass-eye feeling now, dickhead?
If only…
Said dickhead must have felt her hatefire because he turned his attention to her, tearing his gaze from the restless crowd to meet her eyes. Loathing slammed into her. Loathing and fury and pure unadulterated hatred seared her veins.
Okay, he won in the hatefire department. It didn’t make hers any less valid. She just wasn’t quite that high up on the “fuck you, die now” scale.
He, obviously, was.
Point to the male with the green and red eyes. Wait, the green and red-black eyes?
She met someone recently who…
Sudden, deafening silence had her tearing her attention from the man she’d happily gut. She scanned the crowd, hunting for the reason an uncomfortable quiet blanketed the large room.
Half of her hoped and prayed it was Kede. Kede with his big assed Ginsu knives that could slice and dice better than any other Made for TV blades.
The other half of her wished he was anywhere but here. The Doshan delegate on her left and the Terran bastards to her right would happily take his blood. Take it and bathe in it. Well, maybe the Doshan assholes would. The Terrans would want to test it, manipulate, and pervert the DNA.
Good guys, those Terrans.
The crowd of warriors parted, slowly separating to create a wide swath of empty space between the low dais and… the room’s entry.
The entry where four armed males stood strong and tall. Each one clutched their own set of Ginsu knives, the blades gleaming in the ship’s light. The rays reflected off the carefully honed edges and she had no doubt they could slice through a body as easily as they’d shred paper.
The men moved as ONE, striding forward and pausing a handful of feet within the room. That’s when the one in the center, the one who towered over all others, whose strength was visible in every carved line of muscle, met her gaze.
The familiar eyes weren’t filled with the warmth she’d become used to seeing. Even when she screamed and yelled and called him a bastard… he’d always stared at her as if the bright light shined out of her asshole.
Okay, crass, but no less true.
Joyce shifted, body swaying toward him without conscious thought. He’d come for her. Armed and ready to go Kerosa all over everyone’s asses.
Kede had come for her. Kede, Resane, Hassee, and Yare had come for her.
She wanted to tell them it was pointless. She’d listened to the Doshan councilman’s speech and heard what the Terran representatives had to say.
No, not just representatives. Director Wardsen. Director Wardsen and a few of the government military personnel hitched a ride with the Doshan group to reclaim her.
It apparently didn’t matter that she didn’t want to be reclaimed. Or that she’d been genetically altered until she truly was Doshan now.
None of it mattered.
Nothing but her new life on the Vehly. The new life that included Kede Tria and sure as hell didn’t include the murdering dickheads known as Terrans.
Nobody seemed to care.
Fuckholes.
Kede’s bright eyes bored into hers and she felt his thorough perusal as if his hands were stroking her skin. When they fell on her shackled wrists, they glowed brighter. More still when he noted those that encircled her ankles. But they truly turned into blazing fire when he noted the injury to her cheek. It’d been hours since she was dragged from her rooms. She imagined the tanned hue of her skin had darkened further with the forming bruise.
Some things about her physiology were still Terran.
Blushes.
Bruises.
Her sense of taste.
Her violent nature. Violent? Ha! Let those fuckers get tackled in a hallway and see how non-violent they’d be.
Apparently that hadn’t been the worst. No, Doshan females did not shiver nor shake when aroused by a male.
She didn’t think it was her fault the males didn’t know how to arouse their women.
Thankfully she hadn’t said that aloud. She hadn’t wanted another bruise to join the one she already sported.
Kede stepped forward, Yare and Hassee flanking him while Resane followed. Their features dared other warriors to stop them. As one, the males retreated, giving the quad even more space.
“What is the meaning of this?” Councilman Dickhead snarled at the approaching group and Joyce knew confronting Kede was a mistake.
She’d seen him in action, seen him leap over tables and take another to the ground for merely calling her an abomination. There was no telling what he’d do now that he’d seen the bruise.
Kede’s steps never faltered or slowed. Even as the councilman snarled the question again, he continued coming toward her. Her. Not the mass of officials surround her. It was as if they didn’t even exist in his eyes.
It wasn’t until he reached the dais that his fluid gait slowed. And that was only so he could take a step onto the riser.
Others rushed forward, a few Terran guards and one or two from the Doshan delegation. She knew they weren’t warriors. They didn’t wear the menace and restrained power like Kede’s warriors.
The males were strong in their own right, but it took a single, loud snarl from Kede’s friends for the nearing group to halt and ease back.
The three took up position around her, Yare and Hassee keeping men away from her sides while Resane watched Kede’s back.
He placed his blades to the side and then soft fingers slid over her skin and she realized that while she’d panicked over the impending violence, Kede gently worked on her bindings. Now that she focused on him and blocked out the cacophony around them, she truly saw him.
She saw him and his barely leashed fury. His face was pale, whiter than she’d ever seen, and his muscles seemed larger than ever. His movements were quick and precise, fingers careful as he took what looked like lock picks and unlocked the shackles on her wrists. The metal fell to the ground in a heavy thud, and then he was stroking her flesh, digits exploring the reddened skin.
“My harae,” he murmured and brought first one wrist and then the other, to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss to the markings.
“I’m okay,” she whispered and fought the tears stinging her eyes. She wasn’t going to cry, not in front of these bastards and their political warring. Not when they’d laughed at the single drop of moisture that’d escaped after she’d been backhanded.
Fuck that.
Joyce Mother Fucking Enner wasn’t going to be the butt of anyone’s joke.
Especially not theirs.
Kede stroked her forearms, slid his palms along her biceps, over her shoulders and up her neck until he finally cupped her cheeks. He forced her to stare into his eyes, firmly but carefully urged her to turn her head. Her eyes remained open until her gaze clashed with Councilman Dickhead’s.
Unrestrained anger lurked in his eyes, the green and red now green and black.
Blacker than night, to be sure. It was darker than anything she’d ever seen and she imagined that if she were to stare into the very soul of the darkness that was exactly what she’d see.
So rather than stare into the gaze of evil, she closed her eyes as Kede examined her face.
“I can see you are fine, my harae.”
“Do not release the prisoner! She is your nothing!” Joyce recognized Councilman Dickhead’s voice. “Doshans do not join with other species!”
Kede stiffened, his fingers growing firm, but not tightening on her. Rather than responding to the man’s outburst, he returned to caring for her. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her bruise.
“I cannot make it better as a Terran mother, but I hope it brings you comfort.” The words were barely audible as he whispered against her cheek.
He released her and dropped into a crouch, those deft fingers easily ridding her of the shackles on her ankles as well. When he rose to his full height, she was free to run and hide. Yet, she was where she wanted to be. With Kede at her side, she knew she was safe. Oh, she had no doubt they were in a tense and potentially violent situation, but she didn’t think Kede would let her get hurt. At least, not when he could prevent it.
“Thank you.”
“Anything for my harae.” He reached for her again, his hand hovering over her injured cheek. “Who struck you?”
The words were calm, but she knew it’d take a single point and the offender would be dead. She was all for kicking ass, but she refused to have the taint of someone’s death on her soul. If the guy died over being an idiot, it wasn’t going to be because she said, “That’s the idiot.”
Besides, they had bigger issues.
Such as… the fact that she apparently wasn’t Doshan.
Then again, she wasn’t Terran either.
Which meant she was the next body on the table for experimentation.
Goody.
Joyce shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“I believe—”
“Commander Tria! I demand an explanation. How dare you come into these proceedings and—”
Kede’s roar was deafening to everyone but Joyce. She’d become used to his yells. “I come to retrieve my harae and kill any male who touched her!”
No one breathed. No one blinked. No one even twitched as his scream echoed through the room.
“She is not—” Councilman Dickhead again.
Kede snarled. “She is mine.”
The words resonated in her soul and everything inside her agreed with his statement. She was his even if she was pissed at him a lot of the time.
“Doshans cannot join with those outside our species.” One of the other robed men stepped forward.
Hassee responded, “Father, so good to see you. I thought it was against our laws, our most ancient of laws, to interfere with a joining. Have you decided you know better than millennia of history?”
Great, so there was Councilman Haspava. She was pretty damned thankful Hassee took her side in this space-bound drama.
Councilman Dickhead jumped in again. “A Doshan cannot join with another—”
Resane interrupted this time. “Joyce Enner Tria-se is Doshan.”
Joyce welcomed the addition to her name. Welcomed it with open arms as it filled a hollow spot in her heart.
“By my own tests and at my own hand, she is Doshan.” Resane reiterated his statement. “I am sure that if you were able to steal onto the Vehly and kidnap Mistress Enner, you also have the results. Is that not correct, High Medico?”
The man wearing the white robes flushed a deeper tan.
“Your testing is faulty. The procedure was flawed.” Councilman Haspava shot back. “Joyce Enner is an alien spy and will be terminated as is our law.”
Oh, that was a mistake. Resane could take insults and teasing about many things. His science, his work, was not one of them.
Wait. Spy? What the fucking fuck?
Kede retrieved his blades and rose to his full height. Rather than vent his fury, he spoke calmly and directly at the councilman. “And your evidence to support such a statement? Or has the council taken to violating all of our laws? Those that dictate the treatment of the accused? Those that dictate a formal hearing and presentation? Or those that state a harae is not to be touched by any other than her harau unless it is necessary to her well-being?” Kede eased past Yare and faced off against the other man.
Yare, Hassee, and Resane eased closer to her, forming a solid, violent barrier between her and the rest of the room.
“I will have the male who struck her brought before me. Now. Once I have my justice, I will listen to your hollow words. Then I will return to my quarters with my harae and you will vacate my ship. Immediately. If you do not, I cannot guarantee your safety.”
“You dare—” the councilman sputtered. “We are the ruling—”
“You will be nothing unless you give me the male and get the fek off my fekking ship!” Joyce was pretty sure she saw Kede’s spit fly.
“I want her back, dammit. She is Terran and I want her returned.” Director Wardsen pushed into the conversation. Or roaring match. Whatever.
At a foot shorter than even the shortest Doshan, she figured the man had to have balls the size of Terra.
Kede turned his head and his left hand tightened on his blade. Oh, that man was gonna lose his head. “Terran,” he sneered, “you have no place on my ship. Return to your blue planet. Joyce Enner Tria-se is Doshan. She is mine and she will stay with me.”
He turned his gaze and those flaring eyes encompassed the whole room, landing on each male. “She is mine and you will die if you try to take her. Hear my words, weigh them for the truth and then be prepared to fall into darkness if you step near her.”
Kede let his words sink into the minds of the warriors before him. He knew, most were not witnessing this spectacle by choice. More than one male was filled with his same rage. Their eyes flared with the familiar hues of their caste. It would not take much to send them tumbling into a bloody battle.
No, these males were related to the councilmen now crowding the stage. They were here as ordered by their Holder of House. He had no doubt.
The ruling body’s Houses were not controlled by the councilmen, but usually by their sons. Sons who then controlled the males spread across Dosha.
The councilmen had called. These warriors were forced to answer.
If they remained in place and out of Kede’s way, they would live.
He could be kind.
To them. Not to those responsible for tearing Joyce from his protection.
“Warriors do not join and she is not Doshan,” Councilman Riskz snapped back, not addressing Kede’s words or message. “She will be removed.”
Kede spun his blade, the metal making a glittering arch before he finally brought the tip to rest at the base of Riskz’s throat. “If she is removed, I will kill you. Make your choice, Councilman.”
A soft rustling of cloth and shift of white lingered in his vision, but he did not remove his gaze from the councilman. The male looked as if he would happily sever Kede’s head from his shoulders without hesitation. Some may even think Kede deserved it.
“Commander Tria,” the High Medico spoke low.
“Tria-se,” he immediately corrected. Joyce could yell at him later. He had read this. He would ask for forgiveness later and then convince her to remain with him.
“Commander, then. The Terran, Joyce, has been tested and other reports indicate—”
Kede increased his pressure against Riskz’s throat, ensuring that should the male move, he would immediately be injured. Assured of his captive’s compliance, he turned his attention to the High Medico. “Mistress Enner or Mistress Tria-se. You do not have leave to address her with such familiarity.”
The male shifted in place. “Terrans do not operate with such strict—”
“I do not care about Terrans or their customs. I care about my ship and Joyce. All on the Vehly treat every woman with the utmost respect. Further, Joyce receives what is due to the harae of Kede Tria-se, Holder of House Tria and Commander of the Vehly.”
“As you say.” The High Medico tilted his head in acknowledgement. “Mistress Enner has been tested and observed and it is the ruling of the medico council that she does not qualify as a Doshan female. As such, she is your property. However, Terrans have strict laws that state no person can be property. The council negotiated Mistress Enner’s return to Terra.”
He would not murder a medico. He would not murder a medico. He would not…
He would not be denied.
In one fluid move born of countless years of teachings and training, he raised his other blade and captured the High Medico much as he now held Councilman Riskz.
No one breathed. No one whispered. No one dared move a muscle.
Kede breathed deeply, fighting for calm. His heart called out for their blood. The councilman violated his joining with Joyce while the medico violated her body.
“Joyce?” He was proud his voice did not waver with the strength of his rage. She pressed against his back, her heat warming the ice coating his heart. “What did they do to you? How did they test you? Do you need Resane?”
He sensed his friend near and he was thankful for not only the support of his blades, but also the caring of his female if needed.
“No, they didn’t…” She shook her head, her nose brushing against his back. “They cuffed me and then one hit me, but that’s all. I swear.”
He was sure she meant to soothe him. She did not.
“They restrained you? And then a male struck you?” So much blood would flow. “Who?”
“She is not—” Kede pricked the councilman’s skin, watching as the deep purple of his life’s blood flowed from the small wound.
“She is speaking.” He was amazed with himself. The urge to end their miserable lives was strong, but his caring for Joyce was stronger. “Who struck you, Joyce? When you were bound and helpless—a single female against warriors—who laid his hands on you?”
The soft murmurs of the gathered males told Kede his brother warriors were unaware of those events. They were ordered to present themselves, but he knew the warrior’s oath. Yes, they swore their blades to their House and their home world, but protection was bred into them. Hearing of a female being abused…
It did not sit well with the two hundred males.
“Him.” Her swallow reached his ears, the move slow and deliberate. “He had one of the guards cuff me and then he hauled me to my feet. He…” Another long swallow and a tremble shook her small frame. “He fisted my hair and said he didn’t know why you wanted me. That I was just another c-c-cunt.” He would not cut the councilman into tiny pieces. He would not. “He asked me why you wanted to keep me so badly.”
“Is that when he hit you?”
Her hair brushed him as she shook her head, sending some of her soothing scent toward him. “No. I answered his question. I told him my…” she cleared her throat. “I told him you knew my value. That my cunt was made of platinum and you weren’t about to let him take me off this ship.” More than one snicker followed her words, but she pushed on. “That’s when he hit me.”
All humor fled.
“Terran trash should not—”
With a quick flick, Kede slapped the councilman with the flat of his blade and then placed it back at the male’s throat.
“High Medico what testing and observation?”
The male blustered. “I do not believe…”
Kede focused on the man, leveling him with the weight of his glare, and waited for the man to continue.
“Senior Medico Resane conducted the testing.” A triumphant gleam entered the man’s eyes and if the idiot male thought Kede would turn on his friend, the male did not know the House Tria very well.
He also did not know Resane very well.
Kede no longer had to worry over holding the High Medico captive. Resane did that for him for his friend was faster than any other. He was stronger and fiercer in battle. It was only the need to heal that kept the male from ruling his own House and commanding his own ship.
He lowered his blade just as Resane’s took its place.
“You dare accuse me of violating my oath?” Resane did not bother with just the tip of his blade against flesh. No, he held the length of sharpened metal against the High Medico’s neck.
“It is within the power of the medicos to review the records of—”
Resane cut off the male. “Of Doshans who pose a threat to others. Be they individuals, families, or the planet itself.”
“She is a threat!” the High Medico retorted. “She is not a Doshan to—”
It was Kede’s turn to cut in. “Silence!”
All eyes remained intent on him. The Terran delegation shifted in the background, several males shuffling from side to side. Weak males. Fear coated them like a blanket and he nearly curled his lip at them.
“High Medico, by the law, the medicos are able to access the medical records of any Doshan who is considered a threat to Dosha. Be that a single person or the planet.” The white robed male nodded. “And Councilman Riskz, you state Joyce is not a Doshan. Your proof, Councilman?”
“She still displays Terran traits. She still shakes in fear. No Doshan shakes with emotion. Her skin still pinks when she feels emotion. Even now, she trembles in fear behind you. Doshans do not react that way.”
Kede had to admit he spoke some truth. The future balanced on this moment, on disproving and discrediting the medico council and the attending councilmen in one. He knew today would begin a larger battle with the ruling males on Dosha, but his priority was keeping Joyce at his side.
“Children do not cry in fear or pain, Councilman? Their bodies do not flush when they are in need?”
“She turns pink. Doshans do not—”
“You speak for every male and female on Dosha, then?”
“She—”
“Is Doshan, if not by your decree, then by the High Medico’s actions.”
“Wha…?” the High Medico once again sputtered.
“You accessed her records. An action that can only be performed for a Doshan. Your own vows made the decree.” He jerked his head in a nod and waited for the male to see the truth. “You are the High Medico. The highest of them all and your actions carry the same weight as the council. You declared Joyce a Doshan the moment you performed the action.”
Councilman Haspava shoved forward and Kede ached for his friend. Hassee’s own father stood against them. He almost expected the male to cross to his father’s side, but Hassee remained steadfast.
“His actions term her Doshan, her genetics term her Doshan, but her actions will see her back to Terra where she belongs,” Councilman Haspava sneered.
“Actions? Her body’s responses to emotions will have my harae sent to her death? I think not. The moment she steps foot on Terra she is dead. I know this to be truth!”
Time seemed to stop as every male focused on the Terran delegation. The guards and younger officials shook in fear, but the director—Wardsen—simply glared and then his lips split in a sneering smile. “We would never knowingly cause Miss Enner harm.”
“No, the language implant does your work for you. If she steps on the planet, she is gone to the darkness.”
That earned him a reaction from the director as his face flushed a bright red. Good, let the male anger further.
“I know this truth, Councilman. Shall I still return my harae to Terra? Is that the ruling of this gathered council?”
The tension in the room grew and swelled until it overpowered all within the space.
“She will return to her people.”
The shift in the room following Riskz’s words was not subtle. First one male and then another left his side. The other councilmen were abandoned by not just the warriors, but their guards as well.
Warriors fanned out behind him, forming an impenetrable wall behind Kede. He glanced to his right and noted that the Holder of House Moar attended this travesty. The massive male crossed his arms over his chest and Kede followed his line of sight to where Councilman Moar stood frozen in fear.
Another son against his father.
“No.” He refused to entertain any more questions as if there were a chance she would be returned.
“I have explained she is not a Doshan. Despite Medico Resane’s efforts, she did not transition fully. She is not worthy to be a harae, she is not worthy to be Doshan, she is not worthy for a warrior to even rut upon.” Spittle flew from Riskz’s mouth. “She is nothing but a Terran discard and should be returned to the planet for their use.”
Kede did not have to move for Hassee did it for him. One moment the male hovered at the end of his blade and the next, Hassee had Riskz pinned to the ground, his arm across the male’s throat.
“Haspava, control your House.” Riskz called for help, but Kede could have told him it was pointless. The moment Hassee remained at Kede’s side instead of going to his father, he’d made his choice.
In truth, Kede was not afraid to admit that it was not he who kept the male at his side, but Joyce.
Hassee snarled at Riskz and the councilman replied in kind.
In kind and more.
The words were loud and booming despite the forearm attempting to cut off his air. “The others endured a Needing. It has been weeks and she has yet to enter her Needing. She is not strong enough for our race. Warriors, males, hear my truths.”
Joyce gasped and Kede internally winced. He did not believe for a moment that her lack of Needing was behind this Terran circus. There was more lingering and clouding the air.
Joyce’s hand was soft and trembling when she laid it upon his back. He sensed her movement and he eased to cut her off. He did not want her nearing any males who may harm her. He did not trust the delegation as far as he could launch them out a hatch.
“Let me…”
Kede looked over his shoulder and glared at her. She glared back.
Moar stepped nearer. “We stand ready to assist you, Commander.”
Kede let his gaze sweep the gathered males and saw the conviction lingering in each warrior’s gaze. “Keep them back.” He tilted his head toward the councilmen and Terran representatives.
It took that whispered order and a dozen warriors broke off to do as he desired. The interlopers grumbled, but were helpless before twelve of Dosha’s best. The moment they were secured, he stepped aside and let her ease past him.
“Resane?” Her voice wavered, but her spine remained straight and strong. The medico looked to Joyce and raised his eyebrow in question. “How long…” She waved her hand at her stomach. “After it’s removed, how long?”
The medico frowned. “No more than an hour. But be sure, Joyce. Once…”
“I know. I know.” She nodded and the truth slowly dawned.
Kede snared her arm and gently turned her to face him. “No, you are not prepared for this. You yourself said it would be when you were ready, my harae, and not before.”
He knew she thought of the IUD embedded in her body, the Terran device that kept her Needing at bay. He would happily wait for her trust and love. Her Needing did not mean they could not enjoy each other’s bodies as they learned of one another. It merely meant offspring would not be possible. At least, not yet. And if the bright light did not bless them once it was removed, he would have been happy to simply have a harae. He had never dreamed of having a female. With Joyce at his side, he was more than content. A Needing? Young? They were simply an extra glow he would not dare ask for.
Yet Joyce was asking, was she not?
Joyce did not say a word. No, she merely eased his hand from her and padded toward the still restrained Riskz. Hassee remained in place, keeping the male down, but did grant Joyce some space.
“Hey, Councilman Dickhead?” Joyce’s words were filled with confidence, but he knew fear sped through her. He should tear the male apart for instilling that emotion in his harae.
He also needed to ask her what a deek-hed was.
“First, fuck you and the ship you rode in on. Maybe you should ask yourself why your superior Doshan genetics couldn’t overcome a fucking piece of t-shaped, hormone-laced fucking plastic.” She shook her arm, much like warriors when they prepared for battle. Was his little harae anticipating a fight? He would destroy others on her behalf. She merely needed to point out his opponents. “Second, and hey, it’s been a while, but maybe this is like riding a bike,” she murmured and more questions filled him. Questions that were banished when his fierce harae made a fist and plowed it into Councilman Riskz’s jaw.
Kede stood frozen in the wake of that strike. Doshan females did not strike others. Not even their own children; discipline and violence were left to the males and yet his harae…
“Mother fucking cock sucking fuckity fuck fuck that fucking hurt! It did not hurt this bad in kickboxing. Fuck.”
A speculative gleam entered the eyes of each warrior. His friends, now used to Joyce’s outbursts, did not react, but the others…
He glared at the crowd, showing his displeasure. “That is not an invitation!”