Red Sands: Warlords of Atera Page 7

  “And how,” Drazan began the question he truly wished to have answered, “did the Living Sands males come to know of the females? Who spoke of them?”

  None would meet his gaze. They stood silently, awaiting his next words.

  Drazan ground his teeth together, hating the unknown. Had one of his own betrayed him and spoken of the females? Or had the Living Sands warriors spied without being seen. Though it did not truly matter. Either cause had ended in near disaster.

  “Return to your posts,” he barked out his orders. “No one is to approach the vessel before the first of the suns touch the skies.”

  “Yes, Warlord,” the warriors spoke in unison.

  He left them to their duties then and circled the alien vessel until he located the half-open hatch in the center of the broken portion of the ship. He strode up to the dark hole and placed one hand on the hatch. He flexed his muscles, prepared to shove it aside, when a pipe cracked across his knuckles. He yelped and yanked his hand away.

  “Stay back!”

  Drazan frowned and peered through the narrow opening. He spied Sheri, his kode, wielding the pipe like a warrior’s blade. Ah, his mate had a great deal of spirit in her, after all.

  “I won’t let you hurt them.” She snarled and bared her teeth. She kept the length of metal raised between them. The other women were huddled in fear at her back, their attention wholly on the confrontation.

  Drazan bowed his head. “My kode, you are in no danger nor are your companions.”

  “Bull shit!” She swung the pipe at the open hatch, the end bouncing off the walls and doorway. “I saw what your people were doing. You were attacking these women.

  He wondered what those human words meant. Bhul Sh-iit. She had spoken all other words in his own language.

  “We were not.” Drazan clenched his jaw. “No Ateran worthy of his blades would bring harm to a female. To do so would be an act of grave dishonor. Our most sacred duty is to serve and protect our females. To keep them safe from all harm. Just as we protected you this evening from the sand beast.”

  Sheri hesitated, the end of the pipe lowering a little. “That thing… the thing that attacked me is a sand beast?”

  Drazan nodded. “Your companions,” he tipped his head toward the women huddled behind Sheri, “attempted to flee into the desert and their movements attracted the beast. We had to stop them from running from safety or they would have been fed upon. I am sorry we were forced to restrain your companions, but it was for their own good.”

  Sheri glanced at the other females and then turned to focus on him once more. All the while she held one of her pink, plump lips between her teeth. She lowered the weapon she still gripped in her hand to let it hang at her side. “I owe you an apology and… thank you for your help.”

  “All is well.” He held out a hand to Sheri. “Let us return to my tent and rest. In the morning, we will travel to the center of the Heart Sands. You and your companions will be safe.”

  “No,” she shook her head and took a step back, moving farther away. “I’m staying here.”

  He studied his kode for a moment. She held a defensive pose in front of the frightened females and a swell of pride filled his heart. That his mate would stand strong against a dangerous enemy to protect the others of her kind… She was a mate worthy of the warlord of the Red Sands.

  “As you wish,” Drazan gave in. For now. “My warriors will remain posted for your protection. Rest while the suns remain hidden. We will leave at first light. It is not safe to travel during the greatest heat of the day so we shall travel with the dawning and at dusk. We rest when the suns are at their highest.”

  Sheri frowned. “Where are you taking us?”

  Drazan considered how much to reveal to his battle-weary mate. Whether to provide her with information about Ulmur and the purpose behind the Ateran males visiting the Heart Sands. It did not take him long to decide. He did not think it wise to reveal much. He had deduced that human females had different mating practices than Aterans. He did not know of his Sheri’s rituals, but her behavior had made it clear that her traditions were odd compared to his own.

  An Ateran female would sense that she had stirred a male’s blood, and she would instinctively react to his presence. She would present her body before her mate, scales darkening across her chest and neckline. Her appearance and behavior would make her irresistible to the one who would claim her. They would already be mating. But Sheri had been aggressive and turned him away when he tried to protect her and tend to her needs. Clearly the alien female was driven by instincts Drazan had yet to comprehend.

  Telling her that the mating days were upon him would fill her, and the other females, with fear. Especially if they learned the Ateran males had come to view them as potential mates to be claimed. Better, for now, to keep Sheri in the dark.

  “It is the safest place in the Heart Sands,” was all he said. “We will discuss it further in the morning. After you have rested.”

  Sheri studied him for a moment, frown firmly in place. Finally, she nodded. “Okay, it’s not like we have much choice. As long as I have your word that none of us will be harmed.”

  It enraged him that she felt the need to seek his reassurance. He touched a claw over his heart. “You have my solemn oath as an honorable male and warlord of the Red Sands—no harm shall come to you or your companions while you are under my care.”

  Sheri nodded, a small smile touching her lips. “All right. Good enough.”

  “Sleep well, my kode.” Drazan turned and left, feeling as if he left a piece of himself behind. He considered returning to his tent, but he could not bear to be so far from his mate. Instead, he took up a post with the warriors, vowing to remain by Sheri’s side all night.

  Even if she did not know it.

  Chapter Ten

  Sheri straddled the back of one of the large, six-legged, hairy beasts the Aterans called ceaq. Kalinda and a few other women rode the animal with her, the beast’s long body more than big enough to carry them at once. It was a surprisingly comfortable ride, and Drazan assured her the beast’s smooth tread prevented it from attracting the sand beasts. There was also the added safety of being surrounded by warriors who vowed to protect them.

  Even if she felt more like a prisoner than someone under Drazan’s protection.

  They traveled for hours in the early morning before pausing to rest in the shade of an oasis during the hottest part of the day. The twin suns hung high and scorching hot. She hadn’t trusted the aliens’ provisions and organized the human women to bring what little food and water they’d collected. She’d warned them not to eat or drink anything the aliens offered until they knew it was safe to consume. She didn’t think the lizard-like aliens would intentionally drug or poison them, but without any scanning equipment to examine their supplies, they had no way of truly knowing if it was safe for humans. It was possible that something the Aterans deemed nutritious was lethal to her kind.

  That didn’t even address their medical treatments, which was why she’d also grabbed the remaining medical supplies from the ship, tucking them in a satchel she carried slung over her shoulder. There wasn’t much left, but it was better to be prepared.

  The suns neared the horizon by the time they arrived at a large encampment filled with dozens, if not hundreds, of tents. Each time Sheri questioned Drazan, he’d been evasive about where they were being taken and why. Though she’d heard more than one Ateran use the word Ulmur—a word the TransComm Implant had been unable to translate. That implied it was a proper name of some sort—a holiday or religious ceremony among the Aterans?

  Sheri studied the crowded mass of tents as they slowly approached. More Aterans lingered in and around the tents, a variety of colors decorating their bodies. Some were red- or brown-scaled like Drazan’s group while others bore the green, blue, gray or white coloration of the other two groups that traveled alongside them. Drazan had made a point of isolating the humans from the others. He went so far a
s to surround the ceaqs ridden by the humans with his guards. The other two groups were forced to ride a short distance away, one to the north and the other to the south.

  She didn’t miss the way they rode as close to the women as they could for the entire trip.

  “What do you think they’re going to do with us?” Kalinda leaned forward and murmured into Sheri’s ear. “Sell us into slavery?”

  “No,” Sheri shook her head. “Drazan said he would protect us.”

  “And you believe him?”

  She shrugged. She didn’t know what she believed. But Drazan had fought to protect her, and that said something, at least. She’d give him the benefit of doubt—for now.

  She peered past the head of her ceaq, where Drazan rode. He had avoided her all day, staying just barely in sight though out of reach. Yet, even with him never looking her way, she felt his attention—his presence. She found her eyes drawn to him and when her mind wandered, her thoughts drifted to him as well. She wondered what it would feel like to trace the ridges of his hard scales, or the comfort she’d experience when held in his muscular arms.

  And no matter how many times she shook off those thoughts, they returned with a vengeance. His allure—her obsession—made her uncomfortable but it compelled her just the same.

  The ceaqs lumbered to a stop near the edge of the grouping of tents and the Aterans in their party leapt to the pale sands. Several reached for the human women and Sheri remained in place, using the height to watch and make sure her companions weren’t being mistreated. In truth, they were being touched and held as if they were the finest of treasures. The Ateran males bowed and were respectful, some spending a particularly long time with certain women. Just as Drazan had singled her out, a few of the aliens seemed to take an interest in the humans. And the women, for their part, handled it with a mix of shock and bemusement.

  Then there were the few who avoided any contact with the lizard-like aliens all together. Those huddled in small groups, some crying while others fought back those tears. Apart from those ladies, several were grateful for the attention, speaking sweet words to the Ateran males who showed them kindness. Drazan’s guards urged them toward the tents, but more than one human was escorted away by individual Ateran males. They headed into smaller, private tents but Sheri found herself—along with others—directed into one large tent.

  “Where are they taking them?” she spoke to one of the guards, pointing at the ladies separated from the group. Though none of them seemed to be in distress, her hackles rose. The instinct to drag them back to their group suffused her and she balled her hands into fists to keep from grabbing the ladies and hauling them back.

  It didn’t matter that the only ladies led away to private tents were those in good spirits—those who responded well to the aliens’ attention.

  “They are…” The Ateran guard frowned as his voice trailed off. He looked away, eyes no longer meeting hers. Did his red scales brighten? “My warrior-brothers are showing their… courtesy to your companions. They will be safe. No warrior would harm a female.”

  Sheri frowned, eyes on the last woman as she disappeared between the flaps of a private tent. Her escort spoke softly, her pale hand resting against his brick-hued palm. The woman released a gleeful laugh in response to whatever he said, and she followed him into the dim interior without complaint.

  “All right.” She slowly nodded and swallowed her objection. There was no point in arguing if the woman seemed happy enough to tag along. If she’d appeared to object, Sheri would have raised hell, but it wasn’t up to her to be anyone’s babysitter. If they decided to fraternize, more power to them. It wasn’t like she could blame them for taking comfort in the companionship with the only living beings they’d found on the new world. Well, the only living beings who hadn’t tried to turn them into dinner, anyway.

  Sheri followed the rest of their group into the main tent. Those who still cried now huddled together in the center of the open space. They hadn’t coped as well as the others and kept asking when they were going to be rescued—a question she couldn’t answer. Take control of a situation one time and suddenly she was the expert in all things “crash landed on an alien planet.” They didn’t seem to remember that she knew just as much as they did. She wasn’t sure if the crew even got a rescue message off before their ship was ripped to shreds. At this point, they all just had to make the best of a bad situation.

  Instead of allowing herself to get caught up in the endless drama of sobbing women, she tended to the humans with the worst injuries. Or at least the ones she could treat. Traveling all day had left more than one ragged and exhausted. She redressed their wounds, using what little remained of the medical supplies, which didn’t include anything to treat infection. She wasn’t a doctor, but swollen, red, hot wounds only meant one thing.

  Fuck.

  She scanned the interior of the tent for Drazan. The women would only get worse until… until who knew what would happen. They would soon have to make a choice—trust the Ateran medicines or avoid them all together. Possible death versus certain death if the infection spread unchecked? Not a question she wanted to consider but one that had to be addressed just the same.

  One by one, Drazan’s men entered the tent and wandered among the humans in a way she’d almost call… ritualistic. Their distance, the way they moved and acted around some of their group. They slowly strode across the hides decorating the ground and slowed near one of her shipmates. Then he would pause and study her for a moment. After that, he either tipped his head in a respectful nod and moved on or stayed in place with one particular female.

  And then they’d do it all over again.

  However, not a single one of the warriors came near her despite introducing themselves to all of the other ladies.

  Once every red-scaled male traversed the tent, two of the guards remained behind, their attention wholly on the human women closest to them. The Ateran’s voices remained low and respectful, asking questions and meeting the women’s every need. Sheri observed their behavior, a hint of a frown gradually forming to create deeper creases around her mouth. Because… because the guards acted toward their chosen women in the same way Drazan had acted toward her.

  Chosen. That word rang in her mind, resonating with something deep inside her. A part of her trilled with excitement over the prospect of being chosen. Because the alien males acted as if no other human in the tent existed—none but those females.

  She glanced around the open tent, searching for anything to stare at that wasn’t the two couples not so far away. She eavesdropped while pretending not to eavesdrop, which was pointless because the moment it sounded like one of the warriors sought to separate them, she spoke up.

  Hadn’t the woman ever been told “never go to a secondary location”? It was as if the woman had never been kidnapped by an alien species before.

  One of the women scuttled out of the tent without hesitation while the other flashed Sheri a hesitant glance.

  “You don’t have to go anywhere if you don’t want to.” Sheri only hoped she wasn’t lying. If the red-scaled male wanted the woman to go, there was nothing she could do to physically stop him.

  The Ateran frowned at her, appearing almost angry at her interference. Well, too bad for him.

  “I only wish to come to know you better.” He bowed his head to his chosen woman and gently took her hand in his. “It would be my great honor to serve you as you desire.”

  A pink blush stole into the woman’s cheeks, and she glanced at Sheri, lifting her shoulders in a small shrug. Sheri shrugged back. It was ultimately the woman’s choice.

  “Maybe we can stay here and talk?” The woman’s eyebrows rose with the question.

  The Ateran nodded. “As you wish.”

  The duo moved to a dim corner, the warrior seating the woman on a pile of furs before kneeling close to her. Soon, a low rumble of their intermingled voices reached her and within a few minutes, a carefree laugh burst past the woman
’s lips accompanied by a wide smile.

  Sheri crossed her arms and fought to focus elsewhere. As in, anywhere but the happy cross-species couple nearby. It didn’t take her long to decide that simply wanting to be distracted wasn’t enough. She found herself pacing the tent, a gradual meander from one side to the other.

  And the longer she paced, the more quickly her mind raced and connected a few alien-planet dots. Sure, she accepted that the Aterans had taken an interest in the human women. They were aliens, after all. But this was… more. Something more serious, more prescribed, than simple conversation. More than flirtation. She just couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Yet.

  On her next pass, Sheri paused near the tent’s exit and reached for the twin tent flaps—the tanned hide that separated her from the rest of the camp. Well, the tanned hide and big, massive aliens that stepped into her path.

  “It is the time of Ulmur,” the warrior on the right spoke first.

  “I just want to—”

  “Females must remain in the tent,” the alien on the left spoke and she was surprised he didn’t grunt like a caveman.

  She opened her mouth to protest—again—but the sight within the tent across the way had her snapping her teeth together with a soft click. She spied what appeared to be a few dozen Aterans—ones she recognized as females of the race. Males entered the tent and seemed to act the same way Drazan’s warriors had—introducing themselves to the women before moving on while another took his place.

  Sheri’s frown deepened, the strange sensation of something being very, very wrong enveloping her. She glanced at the small, private tents that surrounded the main tent. No cries of fear or distress came from within so she could assume they were still safe.

  Could, but should she?

  She took a deep breath and straightened, meeting the warrior’s gaze. “I want to speak to Drazan. We have injured women in here. Do you have any doctors?”