Alien Tyrant (Fated Mates of the Sea Sand Warlords, #1)

by Ursa Dax

“I should have known the Lavrika would bring a mighty Gahn tonight. This is no ordinary calling to destiny. The air feels... strange.”

She’d always told me I could do anything. That I was smart and worthy and strong. And my Grammy never told a lie.

It didn’t feel like I had been brought up to any kind of speed. At all. It felt like I was at a total standstill.

“But Cece’s right. A mutiny will get us shot instantly. Honestly, I’d rather take my chances on the planet.” “Shot by my own people or eaten by an alien. Who the fuck cares. Whatever,” Kat mumbled,

There was no sea of sand, no zeelk, no sky or sun or cliffs. There was only her, shining like a single star in darkness. Shining like a beacon, a sign, a glorious explosion of destiny.

She was pulling the fallen woman. The one who had fallen seemed to be in hysterics. I growled in anger. She was slowing my mate down and hindering her escape.

What a strange and sublime creature fate had chosen as my mate. A creature with skin the colour of milk. And blood the colour of poison.

I was no longer sweating, and was shivering violently. This seemed to bother him, and he tightened his grip on me, as if he could stop me shivering through sheer force of muscled will. I almost laughed. If anyone could do such a thing, it probably would have been this guy.

She’d only just crashed into my world, but I already knew that there was no way I’d let her leave it now.

Any mate of yours will have to have a will of ablik. She must be a strong one, to put up with you.”

Zeezee still clutched the dakrival hide blanket to her chest, and I bit back a growl of irritation at the sight, redoubling my tongues’ efforts. I will bring her so much pleasure that she is incapable of hiding her body from me. She will bare every naked morsel of perfect flesh in ecstasy by the time I am finished, and she will beg me to mate her.

I knew she would not understand, I spoke anyway. “I have waited years for you, my Zeezee. Years upon years of aching for someone I did not know existed. And now that you are here you are everything and more. You are strange. And you are perfect. And you are mine.”

Luck had no bearing here. Only fate. And fate had already found me.

“YOU MUST LIVE, ZEEZEE. You must. I cannot think without you. I cannot breathe. If you die, I will wander the sands forever bereft without you. I will let the zeelk strip the flesh from my bones, and even that will not be enough to atone. That pain would be nothing to this. You must live. You must fight. You must. You must.”

All this talk of falling and time was making me impatient. I wished to understand immediately so that I could make Zeezee be in love with me right now.

“Ultimately, if a woman were to refuse her mate, she would be allowed to do so, and could go and live the life she wished.” “Interesting,” I muttered, chewing my lip. And I had to ask the next question, even though it would hurt him. And maybe hurt me, too. But I had to know where I stood. Was I a captive or not? “What if she’s the mate of the Gahn?”

“I will not tie you up, my beautiful mate. I will not make you stay here with me. But you should know that, if you flee, I will always follow. No matter where you run, I will find you. I will not force you to live as my mate, but I will always be at your side. Until the very end of my days.”

“You could say something, you know,” I whispered, anxiety pulling at me. Buroudei sucked in a great breath. “Forgive me, Zeezee. You have broken open my world and put it back together again. Your words have forged futures I never thought I’d live to see. It is difficult to speak.”

She had fallen asleep. I forced myself to relax and do the same. Because wherever Zeezee went, I would always follow.

“Please, Buroudei. My mate. My Gahn. This is something I need to do.”