She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision. Was that Jeb, suspended from the hand of a giant stranger? Not just a stranger, but a monster with glowing purple eyes… and horns? She was still trying to process that thought when the monster threw Jeb across the alley. She heard the crack before his body slumped to the ground, head at an awkward angle.
“Wait,” Nick said frantically. “We was just havin’ some f—”
He didn’t finish the last word before the monster’s sword flashed, and Nick’s head went rolling down the alley. A spray of hot liquid covered her cheek. Her fingers instinctively went to the spot and when she drew her hand back, she could tell, even in the dim light of the alley, that it was blood.
The monster stepped forward, and she tried to shrink back against the rough concrete.
“Come,” he said in a deep rumbling voice as he held out his hand. She stared at it. Three fingers, not four, tipped by long black claws. She had to be hallucinating.
He knelt before her, still holding out his hand.
“Come,” he repeated softly. “Safe.”
Safe? Nowhere was safe. But she looked at the hand waiting so patiently, into those strange purple eyes watching her so intently, and for the first time in a very long time, she wanted to believe.
“Safe,” she whispered. And she put her hand in his.
Chapter Two
T’saran stared down at the small fingers trembling in his. He should have been repulsed—there were too many and they were capped by pale, useless little nails—but instead, a surprising satisfaction surged through him. She did not need claws. He would protect her.
He lifted her very gently to her feet, but despite his care, her face paled. She tried to raise her other hand to her head before starting to collapse. He caught her as she fell but she had lost consciousness. The wound on her breast was ugly, but it should not have made her faint. Frantically, he checked the rest of her body, then swore when he found the bleeding gash at the back of her head. Head wounds were tricky things—he needed to get her to the ship and medical care immediately.
Placing her carefully against one shoulder, he climbed rapidly back up the rickety metal stairs which led down from the roof. When he entered the ship, he swore again. The only seating was his pilot chair. The only other alternative was the cage that had been intended to hold a female retrieved for Commander T’ngorzul’s examination. He was not going to be pleased when T’saran returned with this wounded female instead.
T’saran decided he didn’t care. Rather than place his female in the cage, he cradled her gently against him as he piloted the ship off the roof. As soon as they were clear of the city, he set the auto-pilot, then turned his attention to the female in his arms. Her hair was confined in a tight knot, but long damp strands had escaped. Pushing away the soft brown locks aside, he was struck by her delicate beauty. Her skin was a pale tan, smooth and silky over high cheekbones, a straight little nose, and a lush, soft mouth. One cheek was discolored and he checked it carefully, angry at the injury but relieved that it was merely bruised. Now that he was touching her, he couldn’t resist running a finger along her full bottom lip. As he did, her eyes fluttered, opening for a brief second.
As he stared into the deep brown pools, an unanticipated feeling of connection clicked into place. Her eyes went wide, but she didn’t look afraid, merely returning his stare with dazed intensity. Before he could speak, her lids came down and she drifted into unconsciousness once more. He swore and increased the speed on the auto-pilot.
Remembering her other wound, he unwrapped the threadbare coat and ripped clothing he had wrapped around her. He growled at the sight of the gash across her breast, but it was only bleeding sluggishly and he would wait for Medic S’kran to tend to it. Bruises were already starting to form around one nipple and the dusky peak was swollen and distended. He regretted having killed those human animals so quickly. To treat a female this way… The planet was in desperate need of Yehrin intervention.
But despite his anger at the men, and despite his concern about her condition, his cock still responded to the sight of her half-naked body. Even with the damage, her breasts were tempting little mounds and her slender limbs were long and graceful. Although…he ran a careful finger down her ribcage and swore again. His female was too thin—no one had been caring for her. Another thing he would remedy as soon as they were on board his ship.
Ignoring his aching cock, he cradled her against his chest for the rest of the short trip, unexpectedly content just to have her in his arms and know that she was safe now.
As soon as he was far enough away from the planet to avoid accidental detection by Earth monitoring systems, he sent a quick message asking Medic S’kran to meet him at the landing dock. Unfortunately, when he carried his precious burden out of the flyer, he found not only S’kran, but Commander T’ngorzul waiting for him.
“That was a rapid trip,” T’ngorzul said, surveying the woman in his arms with a raised brow.
“Yes, sir. My…
