Free Coletti Warlords: Vexing Voss by Gail Koger Page A

hand. With a grimace of distaste I sucked down some of his warm, coppery blood. Ewww. Gross. Chocolate it wasn’t.
    “More.”
    Did he practice his intimidating look in the mirror every morning? ’Cause it was really effective. “Do I hafta?”
    “Yes.”
    Ick. Ick. Ick. Fighting back the urge to puke, I kept on sucking. All of a sudden I noticed his blood was starting to taste pretty darn good. What was up with that? Was it another facet of the mate bond?
    Voss stroked my mind soothingly. “Blood exchanges are a necessary part of our mating.”
    “Reading my thoughts again?”
    “Yes, they are quite entertaining.”
    “I’ll bet.” Warmth seeped into my stomach and began to spread throughout my body, easing my aches and pains. The rumors were true. Their blood did have healing qualities.
    “Feeling better?”
    “I am. Thanks.”
    Voss licked his wound, and the bleeding stopped. “I will endeavor to take better care of you.”
    “I’m quite capable taking of myself.”
    “You almost died in Dallas,” Voss snapped.
    “But I didn’t, and I killed the Rodan raiders. All of them.”
    Voss bared his teeth in a snarl. “You were catatonic from overusing your powers. If your mother hadn’t hidden you from us, you would have received the proper medical care and training.”
    I snarled right back at him. “She wanted a better life for me. She knew that Central Command would lock me up and forcibly mate me to a Coletti warrior.”
    “As is proper.”
    “This is the United States, and slavery was outlawed a long time ago.”
    “Earth now belongs to the Overlord. You have no choice but to obey our rules.”
    “Wanna bet?”
    “Without our protection, the Tai-Kok and Rodan would continue to slaughter your people.”
    “News flash. They still are.”
    “You have my promise that we will find the traitors.”
    I let out a long sigh. “Another promise you have no intention of keeping?”
    Voss’s hands clamped around my waist, and he lifted me until we were eye to eye. “I am not in the habit of explaining my actions to anyone.”
    “I’m not anyone. I’m your mate. Is this going to be a partnership or a dictatorship?”
    “A little of both.” His mouth closed over mine in a toe-curling kiss.
    My thought process ground to a complete and utter stop as Voss’s mental finger circled my clit. Wowzers. “Don’t stop.”
    “Never.” His naughty, naughty finger slid deep inside my channel, stroking me with long, hard thrusts.
    My eyes rolled back in my head as a mind-melting cataclysm of sensation flooded me. Bed. We needed a bed.
    The next thing I knew, we were standing by that damned boulder. “Don’t even think about it,” I spat, trying to ignore the tremors still shaking me.
    The big jerk put me right back onto the rock. “Stay out of trouble, and you may have chocolate.”
    What a sneaky bastard. Through the mating bond, he knew I would do just about anything for chocolate. “Deal, but I want the good stuff.”
    “Done.”
    Hothar handed me my food and sat beside me. “I’ve never had chocolate.”
    “And you’re not getting any of mine.” Okay, I’m a selfish bitch, but chocolate had been too damn hard to find in the last couple of years. I looked around. “Where’s Lothel?”
    “On body detail,” Voss answered, then snagged half of my fries and walked over to the command center.
    “Is that as bad as it sounds?”
    “Worse,” Hothar replied through a mouthful of burger.
    “So who gets to guard me now?”
    “I do.”
    “First good news I’ve had all day.” I happily chowed down on my burger, well aware the big guy was keeping a close eye on me.

Chapter Seven
    Central Command descended on the crime scene like a swarm of locusts. I was a bit surprised when Uncle Saul, a five-star general who commands the western United States, walked out of a shuttle craft in full combat gear. His two muscle-bound bodyguards followed him down the ramp. I guess discovering a hidden Tai-Kok outpost