clung to his muscular torso and were stained, covered with soot. Apparently the Bortan had attacked Kopah territory too. That would make sense. She doubted Trev would be so filthy if he weren’t defending his land. But even with smeared mud and ash, the first thing that caught her eye was how damned sexy he looked standing there, his laser aimed at her. Her insides tightened, desire rippling through her while she stared at those intriguing grayish-lavender eyes.
This man, her lifelong sworn enemy, moved her like no man ever had. Standing there, in the middle of her yard with everything she knew burning at the hands of enemies, something ignited inside her that she couldn’t identify. She shouldn’t be feeling like this. Her home burned around her and everyone she knew was dead. Her reaction to him had to be a result of shock. Why else would she suddenly feel so damned turned on staring into his sensual gaze?
“What do you want?” She barely whispered, her mouth dry from inhaling so much smoke.
“You.” His eyes darkened, the gray giving away to lavender. Smoke and darkness around him only added to the mystery of his presence here.
Something in his gaze gripped her. Not terror, at least not the terror she knew from the Bortan. His look was almost predatory—possessive. He took a step closer, looking ready to devour her.
It would make sense that he wanted her so he could kill her. Their families had been enemies forever. But the way he stared at her right now, his penetrating gaze devouring her, he didn’t look like he wanted to kill her. That was the look of a man who wanted to fuck her silly.
She must be beyond shock. She was losing her mind.
The clinking of armor brought her back to her senses. The Bortan walked toward her from behind. She was trapped between two enemies. The last thing she wanted to do was choose which of these men would kill her—or fuck her. Her chances were slim, but she would fight to the end.
“I will not die today.” She turned from both men, praying the gods were on her side.
The uneven ground and her long cape made running a challenge, but she wouldn’t surrender. The medic’s house was her last chance for cover.
Laser fire whistled behind her. If Trev had aimed at her, he was a worse shot than she was. Her cape billowed behind her while she stumbled down the hill toward the medic’s quarters.
“There are guns here. Think.” Her hands shook while she latched the door closed.
She hadn’t been inside the small house used for physicals, abortions, or any other attention the slaves might need, for quite a while.
“Is anyone here?” The examination room appeared empty.
She yanked open drawers searching for weapons, shaking so hard she almost pulled a few drawers all the way out.
“No!” She yelped when a large bang against the office door about made her jump out of her skin.
“Leave while you can.” She screamed at the bolted door. “I’m armed.”
She needed to find a gun. A weapon of any kind would do. She raced to the next examination room, sliding on the floor, her knee burning when she fell. There wasn’t anything here to defend herself.
“Gods!” She screamed at the sound of crashing wood, realizing immediately she had given her whereabouts away.
Some warrior she would make.
There was no escape. The Bortan warrior clinked while he walked, metal scraping over the white tiled floor. There were examination rooms on either side of her, but otherwise she stood, trapped, in the narrow hallway leading to the main entry room.
“For the sake of the gods, Bortan.” She hated how pathetic she sounded. “Leave me in peace to bury my dead. You’ve done enough damage.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat while watching him slide his fire gun back on to his belt. There was no comfort in the knowledge that he didn’t plan on killing her immediately.
The Bortan raised his helmet, his red eyes glowing against his pale humanoid skin. He pulled his gloves off,