Dzur-Khan (Alien Barbarians of Vandruk #2)

14. Chapter 14

The more I got to know the gallis, the less I understood her. I got the gist of why she felt compelled to give Dhor-Van her waterskin, but a strange notion of resentment for her being friendly with my warrior grew in my stomach. Was she one of those gallies who liked to play games and play males against each other? I didn’t know her well enough to pass judgment like this, but for some reason, she didn’t strike me as that kind. Still, after whatever it was that took place last night between her and the human leader, I would keep a much closer eye on her. Not only because the male in me didn’t like her gallivanting with other males in the middle of the night—or at all—but because, as a khadahr, it was my responsibility to make sure everyone was safe. Something she wasn’t making very easy.

I didn’t know what had compelled me last night to pick her up and carry her to my tent, but holding her in my arms had made me feel whole, something I hadn’t even known I wasn’t. Nothing had been as hard as putting her into my furs and leaving her there alone. My entire being had yearned to climb in next to her. Not for sex—I wouldn’t have minded that—but to hold her, get to know her.

Now, during the day, my distrust returned. I didn’t like feeling that way, but her actions weren’t trust-inspiring either.

My warriors handed out water and dried meat from last night to hold the humans over until what they called lunch. Tzar-Than had filled me in on the humans' constant need for food and water.

We started moving, and it didn’t take long before I watched Amber stray from the others. At least she wasn’t alone this time; her coworkers were following her example and collecting what they called samples.

All the while, I watched Willis watch Amber with hungry eyes. It wasn’t sexual. It was a hungry hunter’s stare—the same stare my warriors got when they were stalking their prey. Whatever was going on between Amber and Willis was more than just a fight , as she had claimed last night.

Damn her anyway. She was getting under my skin. I was spending way too much time thinking about her, trying to figure her out. Keeping an eye on her and the other males of her group was becoming more difficult than herding xythrax—not that anybody had ever attempted to.

All day, I had to backtrack to make sure her little convoy didn’t get lost, turning my mood more sour by the minute. I was happy to see that by lunchtime, they had caught up with us, exclaiming about their findings .

Willis and his males were sitting, again separated from everyone else, talking in low whispers to one another. All my instincts screamed at me that they were planning something. The questions were: what, when, and how.

We started moving again, and as the sun began to lower, the three males from Amber’s group returned, but there was no trace of her. From the looks of it, I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Willis elbowed one of his males into the side, sharply ordering him. Whatever Amber had gotten herself into wasn’t good. I called out to Dhor-Van to take charge again and told him that I would be back soon.

My initial instinct was to find Amber, but then I thought better of it and followed the human males—three of them now—instead. Whatever they were up to, I would find out soon.

They were stealthier than I had expected. They kept checking to see if anybody was following them, raising all the hairs on the back of my neck. I still held the advantage because Vandruk was my planet, my territory, and I knew how to blend in.

The sounds of splashing rose a dark foreboding in me, and I quickened my pace, reaching the small clearing with the pond at the same time as the males did. So far, they hadn’t seen me, and I kept to the shadows, wanting to see what would happen first. The moment I laid eyes on her, it took all my willpower to keep hidden. Naked, she was reclining against a rock in the water, displaying her nude body to the three males as they entered the clearing .

Sweat dribbled down my back, and my fingers itched to chase the males off, but in order to get a better understanding of the gallis that had captivated me, I forced myself to remain where I was.

“Boys,” she greeted the males with a word I didn’t understand.

The males also responded with words I didn’t understand, but whose meaning was easy to guess by the lewdness of their voices and the sounds they were making. Apparently, appreciation for a beautiful gallis was voiced in the same way, intergalactically.

Only a small tick by her neck and a tenseness in her jawline indicated her apprehension, something I was sure the males didn’t notice, as their eyes were glued to her nakedness.

She indicated her clothes by the shore, next to the males’ feet, and said something, to which the males laughed. She said something else, and I understood the word Willis . The males laughed again. I balled my fists, ready to jump in, but something still held me back.

Ever so slowly, Amber rose out of the water, moving straight toward the three males. What the hell was she doing? Was she oblivious to the threat the males possessed.

Quicker than my eye could follow, she threw her right hand back, and a rock propelled toward the male standing in the middle. It hit him right between his eyes, raising my eyebrows at her aim, and felled him where he stood.

His two companions stood frozen in shock for a few moments too long because Amber was already out of the water. She kicked the one to the left so hard in his knee that I heard it pop all the way to where I stood, bringing him down as well. Howling, he rolled on the ground, holding his useless leg.

The one to the right had just enough time to rally and sidestep her fist coming for his chin. Raising his fists, he danced on his feet, watching her warily. He threw a jab out, making Amber duck and take a step to the side. I was just about to yell a warning at her because the howling male on the ground was lunging for her legs, but she must have sensed it. Without so much as a glance, she kicked out, hitting him square in the nose with the heel of her foot. Blood gushed, and his howling took back up.

The last male must have thought her distracted as he moved forward, and I shot to my feet, but Amber was faster and instantly attacked him, fists flying. He didn’t have a choice but to raise his in defense, which was when her right leg flew up, striking him in the stomach and pushing him back. He stumbled, and she was on him in the blink of an eye, going for all his most vulnerable spots like a well-trained warrior. Two blinks, and he was out.

She pivoted quickly, surveying the area, looking for more opponents, and making sure the three males weren’t going to get up anytime soon. She bent over, wiggling her ass straight in my direction, giving me a view I wouldn’t soon forget and hardening my cock to a near-painful state.

What kind of gallis was she?

“Might as well come out, Dzur-Khan. I know you’re there,” she yelled. All I understood was my name, but the gist was clear. I rose and moved around the small pond .

She just took three males down, and she wasn’t even breathing hard; my cock pulsed with desire for her. What a gallis! The urge to make her mine was stronger than anything I had ever longed for. With absolute clarity, I knew she would make a perfect khadahrshi.