Wanton Warrior Read online

  The tanco grew wild and the alpana, while natural predators of the people of Metra, helped facilitate the plant's growth. The tanco fruits attracted the alpana like an aphrodisiac. And the crop had to be harvested within a short window of time.

  The last two years, they'd lost a good portion of the harvest when it rotted in the fields. They couldn't afford to lose another or their father's survival wouldn't be an issue for the Hajan family or the Metran colony.

  Fucian's line filled up fastest and the stranger's the slowest. She didn't understand it. She would've chosen the tall, muscular stranger over Fucian any day. She dare not delay any longer, though, or the workers would lose their nerve.

  She gave the signal for the colors. The workers were each given a colored band to wear around an arm to show who championed them. When all had their bands secure around their forearms, she drew back and banged the gong a second time. At the sound, the chains on the massive door leading into the tanco fields snapped tight. The ominous click of the chains as the door drew open gave her a chill.

  The scream of a nearby alpana rent the air and some of the workers tried to flee. The crowd began to pummel them with rocks when they tried to make their escape. The whole affair was so barbaric Tye had to turn away. The tanco sustained the population throughout the long harsh winters on Metra. If enough tanco could be harvested, it would be transported to neighboring planets and sold for hefty prices. A single fruit, whether dried, processed into powder, or fresh could sustain life like no other food known across the universe.

  Those who harvested and their families received first choice of the fruits. No one made the workers enter their names in the lottery for food. It was the way of Metra and had been thus for well over a century.

  The stranger charged through the door first, as if he feared nothing from the alpana more than likely laying in wait for him. It bothered her. Why should she care? No one made him join the harvest. He obviously valued the reward more than his own life. Were there unseen forces at work pushing him to compete?

  Who is he?

  Where did he come from?

  He had the look of a Stargon from a neighboring planet with his large body and blond coloring. Fucian had claimed he came from Fani, a colony to their south, that had already had a successful tanco harvest. And why had he looked at her with desire in his sparkling amber eyes? Surely it had been her imagination.

  As the workers made their way inside the field, the crowd began to cheer them on, even knowing many would die. This was the hardest thing in her life ... the reality of so many men losing their lives. It more than likely motivated the Metrans to avoid forming any ties outside of their own families. It also devalued women. Their only value was to give birth to more males, who would grow to replenish the ever-dwindling supply of workers, although Tye never understood the logic. With no other way of getting workers, why weren't women more valued?

  * * * *

  Cradon charged through the thick foliage in search of alpana. If only he could have his trusty companion with him, he'd win for certain. He knew these people would never accept a domesticated alpana, though. They looked upon the beasts as predators, the enemy. Cradon had a much different view.

  As a Tifcan warrior, not only could he control the beasts, he carried the soul of an alpana inside him. And if the population wouldn't tolerate a natural alpana, how much more so would they be intolerant of a man who turned into one in the heat of rage? Thankfully, he'd learned to control his rages.

  He could hear his crew of men behind him, already busy stripping the bushes of their fruit and filling their bags. So far he saw no fresh alpana sign, but the beast inside him became agitated. His beast sensed what he couldn't. Only seconds later, an alpana growl, accompanied a very human scream, and signaled the first victim of the harvest. At least it wasn't one of the workers he was pledged to protect.

  Why did these people not try to tame the wild alpana, or at least strike fear into them so they would learn to stay away? Another sound drew his attention and he crouched as he moved more slowly. The low growl told him a beast drew close. Worry for his workers made a rush of adrenaline course through his body.

  Cradon used the energy to move quickly. The alpana sat on a thick jucca tree limb above the tanco bushes. Its fiery eyes burned as it watched its prey. The quick movements of the worker only served to excite the beast. Cradon moved next to the man and raised his sword.

  The alpana looked away from his prey and watched Cradon with interest. “Learn or you will die,” Cradon chanted in the ancient language only the alpana and another Tifcan warrior would understand, or even hear. To the human ear it sounded like so much garble. He next made an intricate pattern of thrusts with his sword. At the same time, he used the ancient chant again. “Learn or you will die."

  The beast growled and the nearby workers froze.

  "Learn or you will die.” Cradon chanted and swung his blade closer to the alpana's neck.

  It worked. The predator jumped to the ground and ran into the thick foliage away from the men entrusted to his care. One of the workers gave a shout of appreciation and they returned to the fruit.

  In the distance, another man screamed.

  CHAPTER 3

  Tye readied the baths for the workers and their champions. Thanks to the protectors, there had never been a better first day of harvest in history of Metran colonization. Only two men had lost their lives and one, his arm. The stranger's team had lost none and not a single man came back with a scratch from an alpana.

  After she laid out the soap and thick jucca leaf towels to caress their aching muscles, Tye didn't take time to admire her handiwork. The elderly women who would see to their needs started to arrive, which signaled Tye to depart.

  She left the bathhouse and tried not to dwell on the fact it would soon be filled with naked men. As a young, unmarried female, she needed to be long gone before the harvesters came. She made her way through their walled private garden toward the back of the house and took care to make certain she'd secured the gate behind her. She wanted no further intrusions like earlier, since she still hadn't decided what she must do about Fucian.

  No way would she wed Fucian, even if he wanted her. And she was certain he did not. The stranger she now knew as Cradon was another story. Her sister always had a way of unearthing gossip. Tye discovered she wanted to know about the protector, even if only his name. Just moments before, he'd come out of the fields drenched in sweat. His naked chest, tanned and chiseled with muscle, made her insides buzz. His tight leathers worn only for his part in the harvest would soon be replaced by loose-fitting bagdas.

  More's the pity. How could a woman not notice such a man? Especially when he directed his first look toward Tye.

  She tarried over her flowers and sat on a bench to listen to the voices of the men in the bathhouse floating over the wall in the night air. A successful harvest would mean a celebration that would last for weeks. She allowed herself to relax for the first time in a long time.

  When she grew sleepy, she decided to get some much-needed rest. As she drew near to the house, a sound stopped her. She waited in the darkness. A feminine sigh, followed by giggle, told her what she'd find if she continued in the same direction.

  Her sister had company. When so many gathered for the harvest, her sister always found someone to enjoy. What did it feel like to have another woman's lips on the most intimate parts of her body?

  Before she could imagine it, the stranger's face flashed in Tye's mind, and she touched a hand to her breast.

  She was about to circle around to another door when a shadow caught her eye. At first glance she thought it was an alpana and then, in the next instant, she could see it was a man ... a very tall one. Someone watched her sister from the seclusion of the shrubbery! This could mean her sister's death. No way would Tye allow that to happen. She bent to palm a rock and worked her way silently through the garden.

  As she drew close, she could see him—Cradon. How dare he spy on
Wyn? A hiss of air between her teeth alerted him to her presence. He turned his head and his glowing amber eyes met hers. He caught hold of her. She hadn't thought anyone could be so quick.

  "Let go of me.” She whispered when she wanted to scream. No way did she want her sister to know a man had seen her like this. He pulled her closer to the patio, nearer to her sister.

  "Who is that?” he demanded.

  Tye knew who without looking, but she wanted to know what he'd seen and could tell people. On the timbant-plank patio, covered with thick alpana throws, lay her sister and another woman in a complete state of nakedness. The woman had her face buried between Wyn's thighs.

  "Please, let us leave.” Tye prayed her sister wouldn't know they'd seen her like this.

  "What I please ... is to do that to you. Who is it?"

  "My sister and one of the villagers,” Tye said. “Please, leave before she sees you ... us."

  Cradon breathed hard, as though he'd just run a race and, instead of listening, he began to move his hands over her body much like the woman was doing to her sister. He cupped her breasts and moisture flooded the juncture between Tye's thighs as she considered what he intended to do to her.

  When he pulled her back against him, the evidence of his desire pressed against her backside. Inching up her moram, he nuzzled his face against the side of Tye's neck and sent shivers along her spine.

  "See your sister's face? Soon yours will look the same. I promise."

  Tye didn't care to look at her sister's face. The earlier glimpse had been more than enough. Cradon placed a hand on either side of her head and turned her to see Wyn. Only it wasn't ecstasy on her sister's face. Wyn almost appeared to be in pain. She thrashed and bucked against the woman's blonde head. Then she flung both arms wide, sank her fingers into the alpana fur and twisted her head from side to side, moaning. It seemed far more like pain than pleasure.

  It wasn't right to see this. Tye fought against his hands still holding her head, and he released her, only to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her back against his hard length.

  "I want you,” he whispered against the sensitive skin under her ear.

  She shuddered. The tingle from the warmth of his breath ran down her neck and along her spine.

  "I want a taste of your pussy."

  At first his words shocked her, but, as they echoed inside her head, they became more intriguing. Certain parts of her traitorous body wanted to hear more.

  Why not?

  He'd seen her naked. Why should she save what no one else wanted? She turned in his arms to face him. The light from inside the house reflected in his eyes and made her shudder.

  Her arms hung to her sides. His broad, hairless chest would be an adventure to touch. The ache building inside her gave her permission and then told her to hurry. When she placed a hand on the curve of muscles high on his chest, his skin, both warm and smooth, excited her. What would it feel like to touch every part of him?

  He lowered his face toward her and she prepared for his kiss. She'd been kissed once before and had found it uneventful, clumsy even. His lips, soft and warm, moved over hers. His breath, hot and intrusive, did more than his mouth. She filled her lungs with his scent ... with him. The harsh sound of her own inhalation brought urgency to every part of her, but especially to the juncture of her thighs which seemed to swell and develop a mind of its own. She needed more—closer—harder.

  "Yes,” she heard herself say.

  "Not here,” he rasped.

  Where? This wasn't an occasion she'd given much thought. Did she dare take him to her bedroom?

  Did she dare act on impulse?

  He kissed her again, as if sensing her hesitation. This time he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips. His soft tongue made her think of what he might do with it. She understood the mechanics, but just had never had a chance to experience them.

  She parted her lips to accept him should he have it in mind to put his tongue into her mouth. He moaned and ran his tongue along her teeth and then delved deeper. The hint of tanco fruit made her want a better taste. She met his tongue with hers.

  So sweet and drugging, the tang and sensations caused a riot inside her for which she had no frame of reference. Although out of her element, she relaxed into the tide of passion. She'd never before experienced anything so sensually pleasant. Even when it threatened to make her lose the control she valued so much, Tye continued to kiss him. When next his kiss seemed to seep into her soul, she didn't believe it possible. Doubts about why she was doing this began to creep in, making Tye push away. He released her without an argument.

  She could see him trembling, and heard a sound much like a growl.

  Surely her imagination?

  "What do you want from me?” she whispered. Her voice sounded foreign to her in the still night air.

  "More than you might be willing to give, but I'll make certain you never regret it. I promise upon my honor."

  Did she dare trust him? He was a stranger. No way could he know about their father and think to use her to get the tanco crops. Who would really be using whom in this case? Tye had everything to lose and wanted the courage to seize this chance to make him marry her.

  Not only was he the first man to want her ... he was a remarkable specimen. In the moonlight, his amber eyes were pewter and the glorious bare skin of his chest and arms was gilded. His long, blond mane, still damp from his bath, hung in waves over his shoulders. She reached to touch it. The strands were silken. The contrast against the hard muscles across his chest and down his rippled stomach needed to be explored at her leisure.

  She'd told her sister they should've grabbed any cock they could find and held on for dear life. Well, shouldn't she? Who knew when another opportunity might come along?

  "I will have you,” she told him.

  CHAPTER 4

  Tye had never had a man in her bedroom—never been completely alone with one, save once ... the time of her only kiss. Metran women were well-protected from the baser urges of Metran men. Would having sex change everything for her?

  She opened her bedroom door and reached her foot toward the switch just inside along the wall. Would she ever step on this light switch again without remembering this extraordinary event? From this night forward, she'd be a different person.

  Once inside the door, she locked it behind them, then double-checked the security blinds. The steel shutters were drawn tight. Her room shrunk with him in it.

  Who was this man she'd allowed so quickly into her life? She knew nothing about him, other than he looked more perfect than anyone she'd known and he was brave, since he was a protector.

  He drew her into his arms and kissed her full on the mouth, working his firm, moist lips over hers like a man who'd had more than his fair share of kisses. Tye didn't begrudge him the freedom to do his will with her. She'd made up her mind to have sex with him and intended to take advantage of every nuance of his obvious sexual experience. She wrapped her arms around his strong neck and stood on the tips of her toes, which made them stand nose to nose. This put the hard rod at the juncture of her legs where she wanted most to feel the heat from it. She pushed against him causing friction against her own mound.

  A continuous pulse beat of pleasure within the walls of her sex ratcheted up her anticipation of what it would be like to have that hard part of him inside her. As much as she wanted to know everything, she wanted that the most.

  His kiss deepened and communicated a silent but powerful message to her sex. His hands roamed down her back and he bunched up her moram. The cool air on her legs, then her bare ass, made her pull back to raise her arms and give him access. He swiftly brought the moram over her head and cast it aside. It exhilarated her to stand naked in front of him again. She wanted him naked, too, and pulled at the tie holding his bagdas on his narrow hips.

  He gave a nod, the edges of his full lips curling into a smile. Once she made up her mind, she knew she wouldn't change it. And more, she'd get eve
rything she possibly could from the experience. Anticipation made her almost weak in the knees.

  "Let your hair down for me."

  Another first for her, Tye unfastened the broad bands holding her hair in place and it sprung free. While her hair was the same color as Wyn's, Tye's didn't shine like Wyn's. Nor was it nearly so long and thick. It hung straight from her head without any of the curl that made her sister's so alluring.

  He reached out his large hand to take a strand between his fingers. “Midnight under the clouded moons of Metra. You are blessed by the goddesses."

  Could he be for real? Did he really think so highly of her plain black hair? She reached for his blond strands and put them alongside hers. “Then together we are like day and night. Your hair resembles the radiant beams on the sunniest of days we see so little of on Tarra."

  "We complement each other. Especially here.” He lowered the unflattering bagdas he'd changed into after his bath and his cock jutted boldly out of its darker blond nest.

  It looked unlike anything she'd ever seen. The dusky cap on the thick, veined length seemed to wink at her.

  Tye wanted to kneel for a closer look. What would he say? If she had her sister's stature she'd already be close enough. Why did she have to more resemble a man in height?

  "I don't care what you think of me,” she said aloud. “I may never get a chance to see one again."

  She dropped to her knees in front of him. His cock, now level with her face when she eased back onto her heels, grew even larger upon her inspection. A pearl of moisture seeped out of the crack on top.

  "Is that liquid what makes babies? If we do this, what will stop me from becoming pregnant?"

  "I can't make promises, other than what I said earlier. I'll make certain you never regret anything that happens between us."

  She reached over to capture the pearl liquid with the tip of her finger. When she rubbed it between her finger and thumb, the silky smoothness intrigued her. She put the still-moist finger to her tongue. It tasted salty, with a hint of tanco to enhance the taste.