Warlord's Mercy: 4 (Barbarian Claims) (6 page)

“Take me with you, Tolui.” Lea slid off his lap. “I’ll fight
by your side. We’ll claim our homeland together.” She rested her hands on the
hilts of her daggers.

“Be strong, Lea.” Tolui reached out and clasped one of her
hands. Her fingers trembled. “I have one last task to complete.” They walked
through the ship. “Don’t make this task more difficult for me.”

“I won’t.” She sighed.

“You’ll stay in the tunnels while I’m gone,” he reminded
her. “You won’t work on your ship or hunt rock vultures or visit the market.”
He peered out the door, his vision system adjusting quickly to the increased
light. The ship had already landed. His clone warriors encircled the space,
their faces animated and their voices hushed.

“I won’t leave the tunnels…as long as you promised to return
to me soon and alive.” Lea stopped, her grasp on his hand intensifying.
“They’re all very large and heavily armed.” The sharp tang of her fear singed
his nostrils.

She never feared me. I smelled only need when we met.
Tolui
studied his males, not seeing any difference between their appearance and his.
“They resemble me. Why do you fear them?”

“I trust you.” Lea glared at him. “And I didn’t say I feared
them. I said they’re very large and heavily armed.” She slid her body behind
his, her actions belying her brave words.

“My lord, you could not have chosen a better homeland for
us.” Four, one of those large males, strolled toward him, a rare smile lighting
his scarred face. Six and Eight followed closely, appearing as happy. All of
them were bare-chested, wearing identical black leather leg coverings, their sheaths
filled with daggers and guns. “The males have been rejoicing.”

“Chamele 4 has long been my preferred planet,” Eight added.

“There are no buildings to demolish.” Six, designer of the
cities they had planned, surveyed the landscape, a glimmer in his dark eyes.
“We can start construction immediately.”

They wish to reside upon Chamele 4?
Tolui stared at
his warriors. “There are more accommodating planets for a homeland,” he replied
in the universal language, not wishing to exclude his
gerel
.

“The weaker Chameles can have those accommodating planets.”
Eight also switched languages. He pivoted on his boot heels, drawing the
attention of the other clones. “We are clones.” He raised his sword and the
males cheered. “We’re tough.” The males shouted. “And we claim the toughest
planet.” They rattled their weapons.

“Our ships will land soon and we’ll secure our claim.” Four
extracted a handheld scanner from the holder on his hip. “There are other
humanoid life forms on our homeland. Do we send hunting parties to eradicate
them, my lord?”

“No,” Lea squeaked, pushing under Tolui’s arm. “You won’t
hurt my people.”

“A human female.” Four’s eyes widened.

“She’s my human female.” Tolui placed one of his palms on
Lea’s stomach, prepared to fight his clone brothers to secure his
gerel
.

Four inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring. “She smells of
you, of rutting. No, more than rutting.” His gaze met Tolui’s. “You’ve bonded.”
A wave of murmured amazement swept over the crowd of warriors. “You’ll have
naturally born offspring.”

“There’s hope for all of us.” Eight grinned. “Once we’ve
secured our planet, we’ll search the universes and capture our
gerels
.”

“We’re strong enough to secure the entire system.” Tolui
leveled his gaze on his warriors, trying once more to sway their focus away
from Chamele 4. “You can search for your
gerels
on all of the Chamele
planets we conquer.”

“We could search there but we’ve bonded with none of the
Chamele females we’ve taken thus far.” The more intellectual Six shifted his
glance from Lea to Tolui and back to Lea. “Perhaps human females are more
compatible with Chamele clones.”

The other warriors stared at Lea. She stepped backward, pressing
her leather-clad ass into Tolui’s groin.

Tolui held his
gerel
tightly. “You won’t be
compatible with this human female.”

The three warriors shifted their gazes to him. “Agreed,”
Four answered. “None of us are compatible with your female.”

“She’s very small,” Six added.

Lea’s face turned a deep shade of crimson.

“Large breasts aren’t a requirement for bonding,” Eight
drawled. Six shoved him. Eight pushed back, the two of them squabbling as
though they were offspring.

Tolui sniffed the dry air. He smelled only joy and
excitement. No lust and no need radiated from the males. Tension eased from his
shoulders. “Four is correct.” He gazed down at Lea with wonder. “My clone
brothers don’t wish to rut with you.”

“Because I’m encased in leather,” she grumbled, tugging on
the concealing chest covering he’d finally chosen for her. “If I showed them
some skin, they might want me.”

“Even then, they won’t want you because they aren’t me.”
Tolui turned her in his arms and hugged her body close, a fierce joy surging through
him. “I’m unique. Only I can bond with you.”

Another ship hovered over them, its engine temporarily
deafening Tolui, blowing his hair back from his face. He instinctively hunched
over Lea, protecting his mate.

“Is it one of yours?” she asked, her voice small.

Tolui studied the smaller vessel. The clone insignia
decorated the hull’s silver panels. “Yes.” He relaxed his grip on Lea.

“Eight-Two would be the first to arrive,” Eight remarked
dryly, pride shining in his eyes.

“He
is
your offspring,” Six jeered. “A wise source
would have enhanced his intelligence.”

“A wise source would have removed power from your artificial
womb.” The two males moved toward the landing ship, jostling each other,
kicking sand.

“You truly believe you resemble them?” Lea peered up at
Tolui.

He smelled the musk of her arousal, the scent crazing him.
“You wish to rut,” he replied gruffly.
But with whom does she wish to rut?
That question pained him.

“And you don’t?” She rubbed against the hard ridge in his
leg coverings. “You want me even when I’m encased in leather.”

“I’ll always want you.” Tolui clamped his hands down on her
hips, stilling her teasing movements. He had to know whom she wanted, doubt
clawing at his heart. “Look at Four and tell me you don’t want to rut with
him.”

Four straightened, sucking his stomach in. Taken from the
same source and modified for the scars Tolui had earned, Four resembled him the
closest. They were perfect physical replicas of each other.

“I don’t want to rut with him,” Lea repeated, her voice flat.
“But I know you don’t believe me so I’ll show you.” She approached the other
male and Tolui growled, the primitive sound surprising even him. “I’ll touch
him. He won’t touch me.” She glanced at Four. The clone swallowed hard and
nodded. “Vow that you won’t kill him, Tolui.”

“You want to touch him.” Tolui’s voice broke, his pain too
intense to conceal.

“No, I don’t want to touch him.” Lea rolled her eyes. “I’m
proving that to you.” She extended her arm and placed her palm in the center of
Four’s chest. The big male flinched. She gasped, her face growing alarmingly
pale.

“Lea.” Tolui surged forward and pulled her away from Four.
“Are you hurt?” He turned her to face him. Her lips quivered, her normally pink
flesh white. “You’re hurt.” He pressed her into his body and stroked her back,
seeking to comfort her, to heal her.

She trembled. “I’m scared, not hurt,” Lea mumbled against
his skin. “My need for rutting cooled instantly, as though I had walked off a
high rock spire and fallen to the ground below.” She clung to his shoulders.
“Don’t make me prove myself again, Tolui,” she pleaded, her desperation
heartbreaking. “I never wish to touch another male.”

“I won’t allow you to touch another male.” Tolui lowered his
face and rubbed one of his cheeks against hers, savoring her softness. “You’re
mine and only mine, Lea.”

They’re claiming my planet.
Lea glanced at Tolui. He
leaned over construction plans with three of his males. The sun’s rays kissed
his tanned shoulders and highlighted the blue in his black hair. As though
sensing her gaze on him, Tolui looked upward. His dark eyes gleamed with
possession and pride.

And he’s claiming me.
A tremor of desire rolled down
Lea’s spine, lighting her body with sensual flames.

Eight-Two-One, one of the youngest warriors, dropped two of
the fasteners he’d replicated. The sharp pieces of metal landed in the sand
dangerously close to her boots. “My lord is a fortunate male,” he said, his
hands full of fasteners, his baby face round and smooth. Although he appeared
to have seen eighteen solar cycles, in reality, he’d only seen three. The
clones had devised a means of accelerating the maturity of their offspring,
using technology to compensate for their lack of caregivers. “I hope when I
locate my
gerel
, she’ll be as lusty as you are.” His voice broke
mid-sentence.

Lea’s face heated. “I’ll find you a pack to carry the
fasteners in.” She darted away from Eight-Two-One, heading toward the
underground tunnels. Males watched her with open curiosity, their faces and
physiques resembling Tolui’s but lacking his command, his dominance and that
glimmer in his eyes that stirred her blood.

A ship hovered overhead. Ships had been landing and leaving
at varying intervals, investigating non-clone landings on the planet, Chamele
warships having been spotted in the vicinity. That didn’t alarm Lea. Chameles
regularly hunted on Chamele 4.

“Did my offspring’s offspring offend you, my lady?” Eight
matched her strides. “He often speaks before he thinks.”

“We don’t know how that genetic defect happened,” Six added
dryly. “It is a scientific mystery.”

Eight glared at his friend.

“He didn’t offend me. I’m well.” Lea waved them away. She
followed the trail to the right, leaving the two big males squabbling by her
nonfunctional ship.

Finally, she was alone, her surroundings still and serene,
the only sounds being the hum of ship engines, the whistle of the wind around
rock spires, and her breath. Lea slowly her pace as she approached the opening
in the mountain and she savored the quiet she had become accustomed to. If
Tolui had been by her side, her contentment would have been complete.

Sun glinted off a reflective surface in the tunnel. Lea
stopped, drew two daggers from her thigh sheaths, and waited. It didn’t occur
again.

“Who’s there?” She breathed in, smelling nothing. “Show
yourself or I’ll strike.”

A male chuckled, his voice deep and low. “Don’t strike,
little female. Our fight isn’t with you.”

A tall Chamele warrior stepped into the light. He clasped
guns in both of his hands, weapons decorated his black leg coverings and a
sword was strapped to his bare back. A tiny human female stood behind him, also
armed with guns, her long brown hair pulled back from her frowning face.

“But to be cautious, we’ll restrain you.” The warrior nodded
at the female. She sheathed her guns and unwrapped bindings from her
leather-clad arms.

“No, you won’t restrain me.” Lea stepped back, moving away
from them. “Tolui,” she yelled as loudly as she could. “Run! We’re being
attacked.” She pivoted on her heels and dashed down the trail.

“I have her,” the female announced, her voice high.

Lea ran at her top velocity, pumping her arms and legs, her
grip on her daggers tight, her lungs burning. She turned right, leading her
pursuers away from Tolui, dashing between boulders, spires and fossilized
trees.

Boot heels rang on the stone-covered path behind her, the
gap behind them sometimes increasing, sometimes decreasing. Perspiration
dripped down Lea’s back, trapped by her chest covering.

“Move, Ellie,” the Chamele warrior boomed. “We don’t have
time for you to play.” The female cursed softly, her steps faltering.

Lea couldn’t hear the warrior’s steps, his tread as light as
Tolui’s, and fear filled her heart.
Where is he?
She pushed her body to
its maximum capabilities, frantic to escape him.

A solid mass barreled into her back, flinging her forward.
She screamed, tucked into a ball and rolled on the sand-covered rock. A
bloodcurdling roar thundered behind them.

Lea landed on her back, the impact knocking the breath out
of her. “Tolui,” she gasped.

“What do you know of Tolui?” The Chamele warrior placed his
boot in the center of her chest, pinning her to the ground, and he aimed the
muzzle of one of his guns at her head. He sniffed the air. “And why do you
smell of him?”

“She’s bonded to him?” The human female peered down at her.

“Clones don’t bond, Ellie.” The warrior’s mouth flattened
into a grim white line. He resembled Tolui, not as closely as the clones did,
but more as a naturally born brother might resemble another brother.

“I—”

“Get behind me.” The warrior interrupted the female.
Although the female glared at him, she complied with his command. “He’s here.”
He removed the boot from Lea’s chest, repositioned his body and aimed the
second gun at the path.

“Let her go, Berke.” Raw emotion edged Tolui’s voice. “Your
fight is with me.”

“Tolui.” Lea sat upright, uncaring of Berke’s gun. Tolui’s
face was flushed, a sheen of perspiration covered his skin, his claws were
extended, and his eyes looked wild. “You shouldn’t have followed me. I was
leading them away from you.”

He pressed his lips together, a tic pulsing in his scarred
cheek. “You were leading them to your death. He’s our enemy, a ruthless Chamele
Warlord. He would have killed you, Lea.” Tolui’s gaze shifted to Berke. “Don’t
hurt her. I’ll give you whatever you want.”

“No,” Lea protested. “He’ll kill you.”

“I will kill you,” Berke confirmed. “But unlike you, I don’t
hurt females.”

Tolui retracted his claws. “Unlike you, I view females as
equals.” He tossed his guns and daggers on the sand, his disarming frightening
Lea.
Doesn’t he plan to fight?
She clutched her daggers, prepared to
fight for him.

Berke’s lips twisted. “You say you view females as equals
yet you ask me not to hurt this female. Are all of the words out of your mouth
lies, clone?”

“I don’t protect her because she’s female or because she’s
weak or because she is unable to protect herself.” Tolui spat. “I protect her
because she’s mine. I love her.”

“He loves her,” Ellie, the human female, echoed.

Lea inhaled sharply. “You love me?” Tolui met her gaze and
nodded curtly.

He loves me.
She leaped to her booted feet and stood
in front of her warrior, her arms spread wide, sunlight reflecting off the
blades of her daggers. “You’ll have to kill me, Warlord, because I won’t allow
you to hurt my male.”

“Move behind me,
gerel
,” Tolui ordered.

“
Gerel
,” Berke and Ellie repeated.

“Yes,
gerel
.” Lea ignored her male’s command. “Your
clones might not bond but Tolui does. He has bonded with me and I’ll die
without him.”

“Or she’ll wish she was dead.” Ellie gazed up at Berke. He
gazed down at her. “Remember the pain I felt while we were apart. Would you
doom her forever to that fate?”

“I seek justice, Ellie,” Berke growled.

“No.” Ellie narrowed her eyes. “You seek a fight.” The
Chamele’s lips flattened. He didn’t deny her statement.

“Assure my female’s safety.” Tolui stepped around Lea. “And
I’ll give you the fight you want.” He extended his claws.

“It’ll be fair?” Berke asked. “No tricks?”

Tolui nodded. “It’ll be as fair as a fight between a Chamele
and a genetically superior clone can be.”

Berke’s lips flattened. “Hold these.” He handed his guns to
Ellie. “We’ll soon find out who is genetically superior.” He dropped his sword
and daggers to the ground.

Tolui grinned, his scars flashing silver in his tanned face.

I can’t stop this confrontation. All I can do is ensure
he lives through it.
“If you kill Tolui, I’ll kill your female,” Lea warned
the Chamele Warlord.

Berke’s gaze shifted from Tolui’s face to the daggers in Lea’s
hands. He frowned.

“Berke might have assured your
gerel
’s safety, Tolui,
but I haven’t,” Ellie countered. “If he dies, she dies.” She waved one of her
guns at Lea, her expression cold and hard.

“No one will die.” Berke spread his claws.

Tolui bent his knees, lowering his torso, his muscles
coiling. “Agreed.” He sprang. Berke rushed to meet him and the two males
colliding, chest smacking against chest, claws catching claws.

Lea gasped. Ellie winced. Their males pushed at each other,
grunting with effort. Muscles delineated their fit forms, their long black hair
draped over their shoulders. Tolui slowly pushed Berke backward, his biceps
bulging, veins lifting on his tanned skin.

Berke twisted to the right, swiping his claws over skin,
leaving a trail of red on Tolui’s stomach. Tolui hissed.

“Tolui.” Lea tightened her fingers around the hilts of her
blades, her world spinning slightly. She wouldn’t survive his death, not with
her soul intact. She knew this.

“He heals,” Ellie assured her quietly.

She was right. Tolui’s bleeding had already stopped, the
blood beading on his skin. The males circled each other, their faces hard,
their gazes intent on each other.

“Savor your last moments of freedom, clone.” Berke waved his
bloody claws. “When I defeat you, you and your
gerel
will be transferred
to the prisons on Gehenna 5.”

“And his people? What will you do with them?” Lea asked.
“Will you punish them for seeking a homeland? For choosing Chamele 4, a planet
no other Chamele wants?”

“They want the entire system.” Berke’s black eyes flashed.
“His clones think they can rule us.”

“We
can
rule you.” Tolui flew forward. Berke raised
his hands, bracing for impact. Tolui pierced the Berke’s flesh with his claws,
pushed off the Chamele’s broad shoulders, flipped his body in the air, and
landed behind Berke.

“Stars, he’s fast.” Ellie’s eyes widened. Berke spun on his
heels and glared at Tolui. Blood trickled down the Chamele’s chest.

“Yes, they could rule you.” Lea tilted her chin upward, her
heart filled with pride. “Yet they don’t want to.” She stepped toward them.
“All they want is Chamele 4, a planet you use only for hunting, a planet
squatters around the universe know is easy to land upon.”

Ellie snorted softly and Berke’s face darkened. “Again,
clone.” The Chamele lowered his head and barreled toward Tolui. Tolui leaped
into the air. Claws raked skin. The males bellowed, landing on their knees,
their bodies striped with deep gashes.

Tolui’s pain cut through Lea. “That’s enough.” She couldn’t
watch more. “Your fight is over. You’re both fierce warriors.” She sheathed her
daggers and touched Tolui’s right shoulder, needing to touch him, to assure
herself he lived.

“They’re both something. That I agree,” Ellie added dryly.
“Chamele 4 is not that different from Gehenna 5, Berke.” She holstered her
guns. “We could monitor their activities closely if they resided here.” She
brushed a strand of hair away from Berke’s face.

The grim Warlord turned his head and pressed his cheek into
the small human’s hand. “True.” Silence stretched, Berke’s expression
unreadable. “Tolui doesn’t leave the planet.” He retracted his claws. “And he
returns all of the females and offspring he’s taken.”

“
If
they wish to be returned.” Tolui leaned back,
trusting Lea to hold him. She would. She’d never allow him to fall. “They’ve
been treated very well. Multiple warriors dote over the mateless females and
fatherless offspring.”

“They were taken against their will.” Berke jutted his jaw.
“And their mates were killed in battle, battles against your clones.”

“Tolui?” Lea pressed her lips against Tolui’s shoulder,
tasting the salt on his skin.
Did he steal people from their homes?

He sighed. “It was done without my knowledge and the
warriors were disciplined. They didn’t do anything other than take them…and
lavish care upon them.”

“We take care of our people.” Berke glowered.

“And we take care of our Warlord,” Four announced, his voice
coming from behind Lea. “We have your back, my lord. Are we fighting?”

“No,” Lea and Ellie said in unison. Berke pinched the bridge
of his nose and shook his head, his lips lifting into a small smile.

“My
gerel
is correct, Four.” Tolui captured Lea’s
hand and pulled her arm around his bloody torso, binding their bodies closer
together. “We’re no longer fighting. We’re negotiating for our homeland.”

The males behind them cheered.

* * * * *

Many moments later, Lea cuddled against Tolui’s fully healed
form, the contact reassuring him. “They won’t hurt me.” Her brown eyes
sparkled. “You can return to your warriors.”

“I’m remaining here.” Tolui wasn’t taking any more risks
with his female’s safety, having almost lost her this planet rotation. He
glared at the three Warlords leaning against the rock walls of their living
chambers. They watched with arms crossed and small smiles on their rugged faces
as their human
gerels
oohed and aahed over Lea’s assortment of garments.

“The angriest female is spending too much time in our
sleeping chambers.” Tolui nodded toward the entrance. “I don’t trust her.” The
little bounty hunter’s violent mood swings scared all of the Chamele warriors
including her mate, Khan.

“I trust Zeta.” Lea brushed her lips over his, her touch
distracting Tolui. “She appreciates good garment construction.” She skipped
away from him, returning to the other females.