While I definitely wanted him to get me naked and fuck me again—for real this time—I didn’t want to belong to him. I didn’t want to be his marked mate. I didn’t belong to anyone, couldn’t belong to any man. Only Wyatt. I lived and fought and breathed for my son. Nothing could change that.
I’d completely forgotten that golden warriors had spoken a challenge until Kiel answered them.
“I accept,” he said, his deep voice new and yet familiar all at once. His eyes remained on me, but I knew he spoke to the two aliens behind him. “But she belongs to me.”
I gulped at that, squirmed too, at the finality of his tone, the searing look in his gaze.
“Then prepare yourself.” The two lookalike aliens behind him eyed me as well. I had to guess they were some kind of pair, perhaps cousins, for their golden coloring was identical and so were their features. Only the silver Hive additions were different. One had his left arm mostly replaced by the smooth robot-looking elements. The other had that silver eye and a silver hand.
He moved to stand directly beside me where my legs hung over the edge of the fighting pit, then turned to face his opponents. I could feel the press of his shoulder against my thigh. “I will not leave my mate unprotected as I fight.”
“She will be guarded.” I glanced over my shoulder, saw that the giant called Rezz spoke. He’d moved seats, positioning himself directly behind me.
Mr. Dinner Plate, Braun, was right beside him. The big man nodded. “Yes. This challenge is sacred. She will be well guarded as you and the Prillons decide the outcome of your claims.”
They were like an organized bunch of Neanderthals. There was honor among them, although they were going to fight—I hoped not to the death—for me. Did this mean that if Kiel didn’t win, the cyborg twins would be dragging me off by the hair to their cave? And both of them wanted me? Did that mean that they would take me together?
I glanced at Kiel, saw the determination in his gaze. He was not worried about fighting two partially mutated aliens. No, he was very confident as he took out his weapon and dropped it on the ground next to him. Next he unbuckled the holster from his thigh. Oh yeah, that was hot.
But I almost fainted when he reached behind his head and tugged off his armored shirt exposing his bare back inch by delicious inch.
I whimpered. I did. I couldn’t help it. My ovaries practically jumped for joy at seeing his bare torso. I’d thought the other aliens’ shoulders were broad, but Kiel? He won the hot man contest.
Broad, well-muscled shoulders weren’t just wide, they tapered dramatically into a narrow waist. I could practically see the muscles ripple and flex as he moved. Then he turned. “Oh my.”
He looked to me at the exclamation and he grinned. Dammit. I couldn’t compete against his hotness. While I liked him all alpha male protector, this wicked smile was like a drug to my hyped up senses. There was a distinct promise in that smile, one that made me think things I hadn’t worried about in years, if ever.
Sex. Hot, sweaty, never-wanna-stop sex.
“Wait for me,” he said, then turned to his competition.
Wait for me. Those words meant so many things. Wait for the fight to end? Wait for him to win me from all these other alien Neanderthals? Wait to jump his rock hard body? Wait for his hard cock to fill me up and make me whimper, scream, beg for more.
All of the above?
I glanced over my shoulder once again at the two giants who were to keep me safe. No, I wasn’t going anywhere. The way the others had been fighting, perhaps even getting ready to brawl over me, I had no intention of moving. Kiel, I knew. Or at least I knew him from my dreams. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. I was safe with him. The others? Even after being among them for a few minutes, I sensed their honor. It was what drove them, what defined their rules. I doubted any of them would actually hurt me, but I didn’t wish to be permanently claimed by some random alien. Not only would it sidetrack my snooping and reporting, but it might keep me from getting back to the shuttle. I had to be on that shuttle. There was no other choice, no matter how hot the alien who thought to claim me.
I needed to be back on board for the return trip to Earth in three days. No, less than that now. The seventy-two hour clock was ticking.
The three men moved, hands up, in a circle. The challengers had stripped to the waist and dropped their weapons as well. It appeared this would be decided with hand-to-hand combat.
I should have been nervous that Kiel would lose, but something in the way he moved was almost magical. The other aliens had massive chests and arms, their bodies large and built for war, but I barely glanced at them. I couldn’t tear my eyes off Kiel.