Treyvon's True Mate bead.
"Oh," she reached up caressing the bead. "You're talking about this."
"Yes... who..."
"Treyvon."
"The General?!!"
"Yes." She frowned at him, not understanding his shock and felt her anger start to grow. "Why are you so shocked? Treyvon is an amazing male!"
"Yes, of course he is. General Rayner is truly a fit and worthy male," Gulzar quickly told her. "I meant no offense, Jen. It's just..."
"Just?"
"I was surprised, that's all. Two Kaliszian males have now found their True Mates while on Pontus. If this keeps up, every male in the Empire will be coming here."
Jen started to laugh, her anger disappearing. "Well, I think that might cause a problem since there are no more available females on Pontus."
"This is true," he gave her a considering look, "or perhaps it is because you are Earth females."
"I would hate to think that."
"Why?"
"Because I would hate to think that the Goddess wouldn't bless a fit and worthy Elite Warrior like you with a True Mate."
"I... thank you, Jen." It was Gulzar's turn to blush. He didn't think he'd ever been given such an amazing or heartfelt compliment.
"You don't need to thank me for the truth, Gulzar," she told him. "Now since you’re here, would you mind checking on the meat in the cool room while I go get a few things from the Earth supplies?"
"I can retrieve them for you," he instantly told her.
"Really?" She gave him a teasing look. "So if I told you to get me some brown sugar and cinnamon you would know what that was?"
"I... umm..."
"I didn't think so, and even if you did," she gave him a small smile, "I would never think to ask an Elite Warrior to do such a mundane task. So I will go get what I need and be right back."
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Spada couldn't believe he was being forced to do this.
To clean!
It was so beneath him. He was Elite Warrior Parlan Spada! And he was sweeping up dust!
Dust!
Someone would pay for this!
And he didn't care who it was!
The sound of the door opening had him turning, a twisted smile crossed his lips and he knew he'd just been given a gift from the Goddess.
• • • • • •
Jen found she couldn't stop humming as she made her way to the storage area. It had been so long since she'd felt.... happy... amazingly happy. When had that last time been?
Before her parents died for sure.
Was it her wedding day? It should have been, but thinking back now she wasn't so sure. Yes she'd been happy, ecstatic even, but it had been because everything had been perfect. Not one thing had gone wrong.
Looking back now, she realized that was what was missing. The mistakes. The memorable little things that had gone wrong.
Yes, they remembered the beauty of the bride.
They remembered the handsomeness of the groom.
But what they truly remembered was how adorable the flower girl was even though she forgot to drop the rose petals.
They remembered the ring bearer when he dropped the ring.
Those were the things that made life memorable.
She'd forgotten that.
No, the last time she'd felt like this had been the day Warrior had saved Kimmy.
She could still remember standing on her parents' porch, on the rare weekday when she'd been home from school. Her mom had asked Jen to go meet Kimmy at the bus stop, but Jen hadn't thought it was necessary. After all, Kimmy was fourteen. She should be old enough to walk across the street by herself.
When Warrior, that beast of a dog, had jumped over the high fence that everyone believed could contain him, they'd been shocked. He'd run across the road and shoved Kimmy out of the way of the speeding car driven by one of the neighborhood teenagers.
Warrior had died.
Kimmy had lived.
Yes, that was the last time she had felt like this, like she'd been given a gift.
Until Treyvon.
Looking up as the doors closed behind her, she froze when she saw...
Hatred.
"Well look who just couldn't stay away from me," Spada said, as his gaze ran insultingly over her body.
She couldn't stop a shiver of disgust from running through her as his gaze traveled over her. She wanted to back out of the room, wanted to flee, but instead she forced herself to stay. She was through with hiding from anyone, including this asshole.
"I'm not here because of you, Spada. I need some supplies." She moved across the room to the container that held what she needed.
Spada's eyes narrowed as she walked over to and opened a container completely ignoring him as if he were someone she shouldn't fear. Someone she shouldn't get down on her knees for and give her utmost respect to. A sinister grin broke across his face as he moved toward her. He knew exactly what to do to make her show him that respect and she would be on her knees when she did.
Jen strained as she tried to lift the lid of the container she needed opened. Maybe she should have had Gulzar come with her. He had made it look so easy and she'd be damned if she’d asked Spada for help.
Hearing him come up behind her, she thought he was going to help. To act how an Elite Warrior was meant to act. That thought cost her, as she was suddenly body slammed up against the container, knocking the breath out of her.
"You think you are better than me?" he sneered, his larger, heavier body pressing her even harder against the unyielding metal of the container. "You? A weak, pitiful, inferior female? You are nothing!" he shouted. "You should drop to your knees and beg for my attention every time I walk by!"
"Like that would ever happen!" she wheezed out, trying to regain her breath only to gasp when his fingers sunk into her hair, dislodging her bun as he twisted her head sharply to the side.
"Oh it will," he hissed into her hear. "I vow to you it will and by the time I'm finished with you, you will know where your place is. And it is servicing a Kaliszian male."
"Go fuck yourself!" she gritted out through clenched teeth.
"Oh no, little human, I am going to fuck you!"
Jen couldn't believe this was happening, and for a moment, she was back on that Ganglian ship where Jerboaian females were dragged away by their hair, hearing their terrified and pain-filled screams as they were repeatedly raped. There had been nothing she could do except huddle in Todd's arms and pray they never realized she was female.
Well there was something she could do now. She might not win, but she could fight. For herself, and for all those females that had been abused by the Ganglians and every other unworthy male.
"Not if I fuck you up first." With a growl that would have made any Kaliszian proud, she twisted her head forward as far as she could, ignoring the pain it caused. When he yanked her back, as she knew he would, she threw her head back along with her whole body, and heard the satisfying crunch as his nose gave way.
Cursing, Spada released his grip on her hair to try and stem the blood gushing from his nose.
The sudden release had Jen's ass hitting the floor nearly as hard as she'd hit Spada's nose. And even though she was still seeing stars, she started moving toward the door. She got close enough to the door for them to automatically open when she was grabbed from behind and thrown across the room.
Hitting one of the containers with her side, she felt something snap before she flipped over it to land flat on her back. The sand and dust covered floor did nothing to cushion her fall.
"You bitch!" Spada stood over her, the blood smeared across his face making it a macabre caricature of what a true Warrior was. "I would have let you live, so I could use you again, if you hadn't done this." He gestured to his face. "Now you will experience so much pain that you will beg me to end you. Starting now!" With that, his fingers wrapped around her throat and squeezed.
• • • • • •
/> Treyvon found his steps slowing, a feeling of unease filling him as he approached the kitchen. There'd been work left for him to do in his office, mostly the tedious work of reading reports and communications. But none of them held his attention. Not when he could be spending time with his True Mate. So doing what only moon cycles ago he wouldn't have considered possible, he put his needs and desires first, and his duties second. And his need was to see his Jennifer.
Entering the kitchen he found only Gulzar, cutting a large piece of meat up into smaller pieces
"General." Gulzar set his knife aside. "Congratulations!"
"Congratulations?"
"On finding your True Mate. The Goddess has blessed you with a truly amazing female."
Treyvon couldn't stop the rush of pleasure that filled him at Gulzar's words, for his Jennifer was an amazing female and he had been blessed.
"She truly has," he agreed. "So where is my True Mate?" he asked, his eyes scanning the room.
"Jen went to get a few things from the Earth supplies."
"The Earth supplies?" he frowned, his feeling of unease growing.
"Yes, something called 'brown sugar' and 'cinnamon'. I was of the understanding she was allowed to use them."
"Yes, of course she is," Treyvon told him distractedly. "I was just surprised not to see her in the corridor."
"Well, she did leave some time ago." Now Gulzar was frowning thinking about just how long ago she had left. He'd gotten so involved in cutting the meat as Jen had shown him that he hadn't noticed the passing time. "She should have been back by now."
Treyvon lifted his comm and entered a code. "Spada, respond."
"Spada?" Gulzar questioned. "Why would you be contacting Spada?"
"Because he's supposed to be cleaning the storage area where the Earth supplies are," Treyvon told him, trying to get Spada to respond again.
"But I wouldn't have let Jen go alone if I'd known Spada was there!"
"What?" Treyvon's glowing blue gaze lazered to Gulzar. "Why?!!"
"Because Spada disrespects her every time he sees her."
"He what?!!" Treyvon roared.
"Jen hasn't told you?" Gulzar couldn't believe it, females always told their males if they were disrespected, even if they only felt disrespected. Well, Kaliszian females did, but Jen wasn't Kaliszian. He should have realized and gone to Treyvon himself. Only he hadn't realized Treyvon was her True Mate.
"Gulzar!" Treyvon's roar brought him out of his thoughts. "What are you talking about?"
"Spada makes inappropriate comments to Jen, especially now that her scars have been healed."
"And you allowed this?!!"
"No, General!" Gulzar vehemently denied. "I stepped in every time I witnessed it and warned Spada to stay away from her, especially with what happened yesterday."
"What happened yesterday?"
"Spada tried to prevent her from taking some of the Earth supplies. He had grabbed her by the arm, restraining her, when I came upon them."
"Where?"
"What?"
"Where did this happen?"
"Outside the storage area."
Both males’ eyes widened and without a word, they took off running.
• • • • • •
Jen continued to claw at the hand around her throat, even as her vision began to dim around the edges. She wasn't going to go quietly. She'd just found Treyvon. Just found happiness again and she wasn't going to let this asshole take it from her. Not without a fight.
But she was losing the fight. She could feel it as her lungs began to burn, her vision dimmed even further, and her struggles began to weaken. Just as she was about to pass out, the hand around her throat was gone and she was able to gulp in the life giving air.
"Oh, you're not getting off that easily," Spada told her, his crazed face filling her clearing vision. With that, he gripped the top of her covering and ripped it open, exposing her creamy, white breasts and the darkening bruise along her side where she'd broken a rib hitting the storage unit.
"Oh look," Spada's depraved singsong voice flowed over her. "I bet that hurts. Should we find out?"
Using the heel of his hand, he pressed down hard on the bruise and she lost the breath she'd just started to regain.
"Oh, yes that hurts. We'll have to remember that." He removed his hand and finished tearing open her covering. "Well there's not much here that will really satisfy a male, but I can make do." With that, he jerked her legs apart and went on his knees in between them.
Jen knew she was running out of time. Knew she was going to be raped, just like those Jerboaian females were, and there was nothing she could do about it. This was going to destroy Treyvon when he found her body.
"Oh there won't be a body for the General to find," Spada told her, his hands going to his pants, and she realized she'd spoken out loud. "You see everyone will believe you became so despondent with the loss of your Dasho that you walked out into a Pontus ground storm so you could join him."
"No one will ever believe that."
"Of course they will, because I will tell them how I found you in here opening the door. And when I rushed to stop you, you did this," he gestured to his face, "then ran out into the storm. I may even be awarded another bead for my bravery!"
"Treyvon will know better!" she gasped out and realized Spada hadn't noticed Treyvon's True Mate bead in her hair.
"The General will know nothing. He is an incompetent imbecile. Your death, while under his protection, will drive home the fact that he is just like his ancestor Aadi and he will be removed from power. And finally, the right male will become the Supreme Commander. Me!"
"You're insane!" she spit out.
"Insane!" His fingers wrapped around her throat again, and she knew this time he wasn't going to let go. "Treyvon Rayner is..."
A loud bang then a roar filled the room as she started to blackout, but she managed to whisper, the smallest of smiles on her lips, "Here."
• • • • • •
Treyvon’s steps picked up speed the closer he got to the storage area until he was at an all-out sprint. Something was telling him to hurry. He was moving so fast that he ran into the automatic door that had just started to open. It slowed him down, but only for a moment, for what he saw had him moving even faster than before.
His Jennifer, his beautiful Jennifer, was lying on the floor, her covering ripped open, Spada between her thighs, his hands wrapped around her neck.
His roar of rage echoed off the walls and before Spada could turn his head to see who was attacking, Treyvon was launching himself at him, causing both of them to roll and skid across the sand covered floor until they came to rest against one of the containers with Treyvon on top.
"You dare!" Treyvon roared, furiously punching Spada in his already damaged face. He ignored the other male's strangled cries and the way he tried to block Treyvon's fists. Nothing would stop him from punishing this male for harming his Jennifer.
"General!" When Treyvon continued to pummel the now unconscious Spada, Gulzar shouted more insistently. "Treyvon! Jen needs you!"
Pulling back his arm ready to strike Spada again, Gulzar's words finally got through the rage that filled him. Pushing himself away from Spada's limp body, Treyvon was at his True Mate's side.
• • • • • •
Gulzar dropped to his knees beside Jen, uncertain on whether he should touch her or not. He'd entered the room seconds after Treyvon, and wasn't sure what had shocked him more, how fast the older male had moved through the corridors or what he'd found when he'd passed through the doors.
He had never liked Spada. Had considered him unworthy of the honor of being an Elite Warrior. But he'd never thought Spada could do something so horrendous, so evil. No one attacked a female, especially one as small as Jen.
His gaze traveled over Jen, trying to ignore the fact that she lay naked before him, and assess her injuries. He wasn't sure what was more worrying to him. The bruising around her neck or
the growing darkness along her side. Reaching to his waist, he grabbed his comm.
"Luol! I need you to come immediately to the last storage unit on the sunset side of the base. Bring a portable repair bed."
"Gulzar?" Luol's confused voice answered. "What's going on? Who’s hurt?"
"It's Jen, Luol! Get here! She doesn't look good."
"What? Jen?!! What happened?"
"Does it matter? She's hurt, Luol!"
"I'm on my way!"
With the transmission ended, Gulzar dropped his communicator, then looked to Jen and felt his breath catch. She'd gotten so pale, and he wasn't even sure she was breathing.
"General!" he shouted, and when that had no effect on pulling his attention from Spada, he shouted again. "Treyvon! Jen needs you!"
That seemed to finally reach Treyvon. In an instant he was across the room and dropped down to his knees beside his True Mate.
"Jennifer..." he breathed in a tortured voice, his gaze flying over her, unsure where or if he should touch her.
"I've notified Luol and he is on his way," Gulzar told him quietly, moving back slightly to give Treyvon room.
Treyvon nodded he understood as he leaned down, putting a hand on either side of her head to whisper in her ear. "I'm here, Jennifer. I'm here."
The small exhalation that passed her lips at Treyvon's words had Gulzar's heart pounding in relief, but that was the only sign she gave that she was alive.
"Go to the door, Gulzar," Treyvon's voice sounded as if it was full of gravel while his eyes remained on Jennifer. "Make sure it is open so Luol isn't slowed."
"Yes, General!" And with one last look at Jen, jumped to his feet and was immediately at the door, standing in it so it remained open.
"Hang on, Jennifer," Treyvon openly pleaded. "Luol is on the way."
• • • • • •
"You have had to survive much, haven't you, little one."
Jen's eyes flew open and found the largest male she'd ever seen, in both height and width, standing before her. He wore only a short piece of material that covered him from waist to mid-thigh and had a sword strapped to his side. His skin… it changed colors like a chameleon, and while he had long dark hair, it covered his entire head, but his eyes glowed like a Kaliszian.