Free Dark Planet Warriors: The Serial (Books 1-3) by Anna Carven Page B

death? I’ll start getting frostbite soon.”
    “I’m no medic,” Tarak shrugs, “but I believe the cold slows down cellular damage. Still, you Humans seem quite vulnerable to cold. I will ask her to come now and sedate you.”
    Sedate? My shoulders slump and I close my eyes. You know it’s bad when the only way you can escape your situation is to sleep. I let out a deep sigh, my warm breath misting up the faceplate again. “Dope me up then, General. And please, be a good boy and wake me when we land.”

Tarak
    She’s quiet now, after letting out her anger. Does this tiny female ever run out of energy? Even with the wounds she’s sustained, finding herself in unfamiliar surroundings, she manages to find the strength to challenge me.
    I am rarely ever challenged. This feeling is new for me. And she has a point.
    Why did I insist on taking her back to Kythia? When I saw her, injured and broken, lying helpless on the floor, a feeling came over me.
    I wanted to make things right.
    How very un-Kordlian.
    And a deeper, more primal part of me simply wanted to take her. To protect her. Mine.
    I left the rest of the First Division on the mining station. My soldiers didn’t question my orders, intent on hunting down every last Xargek larva. They know we’ll be back to retrieve them, even if backup has to come the long way. Until their mission is complete, Fortuna Tau is under Kordolian control. If the Station proves to be strategic in our fight against the Xargek, I may even consider keeping it.
    They did not question why I was taking this Human female back to Kythia. My soldiers obey me without question. And apart from that crazy female mechanic, the Humans didn’t dare stop me. Zyara raised curious eyebrows, but didn’t say a thing.
    For the rest of this journey, she’s my responsibility. Mine.
    Her eyes flutter as she stares at me through the clear glass of her respirator. They appear green now, a blue-green filter cast across her face by the liquid in the stasis chamber.
    She looks small and vulnerable, her fragile body surrounded by various lines and monitors. She’s shaking uncontrollably.
    I did not realize Humans were so vulnerable to cold. It must be unpleasant for her. Kythia will be unpleasant for her. But we’ll worry about that when we get there.
    Sedation will be a mercy as we complete the final leg of our journey.
    She puts a hand up against the glass, as if to reach out to me.
    Her brown hair sways gently in the liquid, forming a soft, moving crown around her pale face. Her body fascinates me. Unlike Kordolian females, who are long-limbed, muscular and lean, there is a softness to her. Although hidden by a fitted, black garment, I can make out the swell of her breasts, full and rounded. Her nipples are erect, two perfect, symmetrical points. I imagine them beneath my fingers, taut with arousal.
    Her stomach is exposed, a smooth plane of pale skin leading to rounded hips.
    She is small but her body has curves. She has a loveliness to her that is distinctly Human and entirely feminine. And right now, she is completely vulnerable.
    I find myself aroused. Her appearance stirs my base instincts. To dominate. Control. Protect. The thought occurs to me that I could keep her on Kythia, when she has healed.  
    But I know she would fight me, each and every step of the way.
    That thought stirs my arousal even further. Underneath the exo-suit, I am hard; painfully so. And my headache is starting again.
    I push the insanity from my mind, reminding myself that she’s hurt.
    There is something desperately sad about seeing her like this, broken and trapped, shivering and alone.
    I will ask Zyara to sedate her.
    But I cannot tear my gaze from her.  
    “What are you waiting for, General?” Even though her voice cracks, she manages to inject a hint of mockery into the question. “Knock me out already.” Her teeth are chattering. She brings her arms up, hugging herself around the chest, trembling.
    Alone.
    A strong