That sounded good to me, but it made me remember my purpose. “Speaking of my mate, Warden Egara said he’s scheduled to be executed.”
That stopped Sarah in her tracks and she turned to me. “Yes. You don’t have much time to save him. He’s to be executed in three days if he doesn’t take a mate and prove he can control his beast. Dax is beside himself as they’re good friends. They fought together in the Hive war for a long time. He’s probably pacing right now. We’ve been waiting forever for you to wake up.”
“How long was I out?”
“Half a day. The time is pretty similar here. Their days last twenty-six hours, but I was always a night owl, so the longer days don’t bother me.”
“Okay.” I didn’t really care about that right now, but I filed it away for later. I had three days—and a generous two extra hours for each one—to save my mate and control his beast. I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to do that, but I was willing to do anything. The Atlan warrior was mine and I wasn’t going to let anything happen to him. “Let’s go. Warden Egara said you would help me get in to see him.”
Sarah walked to the door and opened it. I followed behind her, exiting the luxurious bedroom for a long hallway that looked like a royal decorator had been given unlimited access to cash. I wasn’t familiar with the artifacts that lined the hallway, the vases and carved tables, the painted murals and fresh flowers everywhere, in every imaginable color. I didn’t know what they called this stuff, but I recognized money when I saw it.
I cleared my throat. “So, are you a princess or what? I feel like I’m in Cinderella’s castle.”
That made her laugh. “Yes. Dax is a celebrated warlord. When the Atlan men return from the war, they are treated like kings. We have another castle in the northern lands that I haven’t even seen yet, and more land, titles and money than I can even comprehend.”
If we’d been on Earth and spoke like that, I’d think she was gloating, but she didn’t seem the type.
Shock registered in my system after a moment. I knew a lot of veterans who came home from fighting broke and without a place to stay. “How can they afford to do that for all their vets? That’s amazing.”
Sarah looked over her shoulder at me, sadness in her eyes, and opened another door. “Not that many make it back. They are on the front lines with the Hive, on the ground. I know what it’s like. I’ve been there, fought for the Coalition myself. They fight like demons, but either they get taken down in battle, or they lose control of their beast. The ones who come home are the strongest warriors, and they are treated like gods.”
I grinned. “So, you’re mated to a god?”
Her smile was pure wicked. “Yes. And so are you.”
She held the door open and I preceded her into a long dining room with a table that would seat at least thirty. The chairs were high-backed black wood of some sort I’d never seen before. Seated at the head of the table was a giant.
He stood, and I stopped in my tracks. Holy shit, he was big. Well over seven feet tall with shoulders twice the width of mine. He was dressed in form-fitting black armor that hugged every damn muscle, from ripped abs to rock-hard thighs and I knew my jaw dropped, but I couldn’t seem to close it.
Sarah closed the door behind us and walked around to step into her mate’s waiting arms. She was probably five eight, and she looked almost childlike next to him.
“Welcome to our home, Tiffani. I am Warlord Dax.”
His deep voice rumbled through me and I would have stepped backward, but Sarah had her hands wrapped around his waist like he was just a big teddy bear. While I feared he could crush me with just a tight grip, I had to give him the benefit of the doubt. His words were not spoken in English, but even as the thought passed through my mind, the strange processor they’d implanted in my skull translated the words directly into my head, like a thought. Amazing. “I’m Tiffani Wilson. Nice to meet you.”
He indicated I should take a seat, but I was too nervous. I wanted to go see my mate. He was the reason I was here, and since the moment Sarah had told me he only had three days left, it was as if I had a ticking time bomb in the back of my mind. Three days was not a lot of time.
On the table in front of him were four golden bands, two similar to the ones on Sarah’s wrists, and two much larger. I glanced at Warlord Dax and confirmed my suspicions. He wore cuffs nearly identical to Sarah’s, only bigger.
He noticed my attention. “Commander Deek’s sister brought these for you when she brought the dress. They are carved with the markings of Deek’s house.”