Coletti Warlords: Just Desserts Read online

  A bunch of jars caught my attention. I wandered over and concentrated. The symbols became words. I did a happy dance. Shampoo! Soap! Insect repellant and a comb. I snagged them and noticed the knives. Hot dang.

  My arms piled high with goodies, I staggered toward the fruit section. I picked up what looked like a banana but smelled more like a peach. I added some to the pile. Damn, where was a shopping cart when you needed one?

  “Females. Put them in a shop, and they buy everything in sight.”

  I peered up at Talree. “If the trader skunked you, I can put some back.”

  “Skunked?”

  “Cheated you.”

  Talree scowled. “Coletti warriors are never cheated.”

  I swallow a laugh. “Imagine that. So, I take it you did good?”

  “I am Coletti.”

  “And not a humble bone in your body.”

  He sorted through my pile. “Excellent choices.” He grabbed a knife and slid it into his boot.

  “Whoa there. The knives are mine.”

  Talree cocked an amused eyebrow. “Are they?”

  “Yeah, get your own.”

  “Three aren’t enough?”

  A cricket critter skittered by. I eyed it warily. “Lots of stuff to kill here.”

  “Indeed there is.” He scooped up my shopping and handed me a bottle. “Datol. Nectar of the Goddess.”

  I pressed the ice-cold bottle against my face. I had died and gone to heaven. Quickly popping the top off, I took a swallow and groaned. Beer. Cold beer. Or what passed for beer in this neck of the woods. “You’re a keeper.”

  “The Master Trader is waiting to show me his boats, and one of his females has prepared a meal for you.”

  My stomach rumbled. “Food! Where?”

  He grinned and pointed to a rust-covered table under the awning. “It’s not a steak, but I think you will be pleased.” He tilted my chin up with one hand, and his eyes bored into mine. “Do not talk to any of the traders or wander off.”

  Did he think I was stupid or what? Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a cockroach thingy crawling across the porch and twitched. “You really think I want to go sightseeing here? Or talk to that?”

  “The Romi are intelligent beings.”

  “I don’t care if that bug is a Mensa candidate. It gives me the heebie-jeebies.”

  “You must learn not to judge life-forms by their appearance. I am a Warlord, and as my mate, you will meet many species.”

  Warlord? How utterly wonderful. “So, it’s your job to run around the galaxy conquering worlds?”

  A wolfish smile curved Talree’s mouth. “We take what we want.”

  “Now there’s a newsflash. Got your eye on Earth?”

  “We can stop the Rodan and Tai-Kok from slaughtering your people,” Talree said confidently.

  There had to be a catch. “You and your band of marauding Warlords are going to help us out of the goodness of your hearts?”

  Talree roared with laughter.

  Yeah, didn’t think so. “The Rodan and Tai-Kok are your enemies too.”

  “True, but pushing them out of your solar system will take resources away from other battlefronts.

  “And?”

  “My father, the Overlord of the Coletti clans, will want to be compensated for our services,” Talree replied.

  Oh, yippee. His daddy was the boss man. “Compensated how?”

  An implacable expression settled on Talree’s face. “The men of your clan are unable to protect their psychic females. We won’t make the same mistake.”

  “Ever hear of equality, buster? Earth women can take care of themselves.”

  Talree shot me an angry look. “You’re a Siren, a valuable asset to your people, and yet the Rodan took you.”

  “I’m a cop. I was doing my job, and things sort of went south.”

  “Your family put you at risk,” my Warlord answered with withering scorn.

  “We protect mankind from the monsters.” Then it hit me. “You want our women.”

  “Not all of them. Just females like you.”

  “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m one of a kind.”

  He smiled, showing lots of fang. “I’ve been in your head, and I know the females of your clan are psychic too.”

  Shit! “You can’t swoop in and take them.”

  “I can and I will.” Talree dropped a hard, possessive kiss on my mouth. “Go eat.”

  “Wait! My family is off-limits to you friggin’ pirates.”

  “No, they are not.” He teleported away.

  “You fucking coward, we’re not done talking yet!” I yelled after him. This was beyond bad. Even knowing they would lose all future Sirens, Central Command would turn us over in a heartbeat. I had to warn my cousins.

  My stomach growled loudly. Right after I ate. I hurried over to the table and sat down. God, I was starving. A naked rodent female with six breasts scurried out and placed several dishes of food on the table. What was up with only the men wearing clothing? I gave her a friendly smile, and she bolted with a squeak. What? So I stank a bit. No one on this cesspool smelled good. Maybe the kids had freaked her out. Nah, not my sweeties.

  I dug in. Yum! Some kinda beef stew. Or not. I didn’t even want to know what critter it came from. I sampled the other dishes. A mixture of fruit and what tasted like spinach. I shoveled it in my mouth. God, it was so damned good.

  The kids scampered down my arms and snagged the blue ant thingies swarming the table.

  I glanced over my shoulder. Where in the hell had the mousy waitress gone? I caught her peeping around the doorway and held up my empty bottle. She jumped in fright and disappeared inside. What had put the fear of God in her?

  The stench of long-dead bodies hit me. Jeezus. Had the wind shifted? I looked around and saw two grimy lizard men carrying blood-soaked bags. Their feral gazes were locked on my kids.

  Oh, hell no. I touched the lizard men’s minds. The fatter one ran a forked tongue over his lips. “It’s been months since I feasted on Tabors.”

  The other one eyed me. “No owner’s band on the female. We can sell her to Bardell.”

  They were dead men walking. “Stay here, kids.”

  They chittered in alarm.

  Pulling the knife from my boot, I stepped in front of my babies and snarled, “Leave now or die.”

  The lizards kept coming. Not the brightest bulbs in the pack.

  The fat lizard’s tongue shot out, wrapped around my hand, and squeezed. “Drop the knife.”

  I grabbed the bottle off the table with my left hand and cracked him upside the head.

  He dropped to his knees with a grunt. I hit him again and yanked my hand free just as the second lizard lunged at me.

  I sank the knife deep into his chest. The lizard staggered backward and toppled down the stairs.

  The fat lizard jumped to his feet and lashed out viciously with his fist.

  I ducked and drove my foot into his knee.

  He went down.

  I rammed my knee into his face. “Here I am, minding my own business, and you guys decide to pick a fight. Big mistake.”

  Talree appeared. His face a mask of rage, he grabbed both lizards and hurled them into the swamp below.

  “Guess we aren’t waiting for the cops?”

  Talree’s furious gaze met mine. “No one attacks my mate and lives.”

  “Is this the beast talking or you?”

  Talree’s eyes hardened with deadly resolve. “I will not lose you.”

  “I wasn’t in any danger. On my world, this is a normal day at work.”

  “This is not your world.” He wrapped a possessive hand around my neck. “Is it?”

  “No, but—”

  “Look around you.”

  I did as he commanded. The ragtag assortment of trappers and traders watched the Warlord warily. Even the freakin’ bug thingy looked worried.

  “They fear me.”

  “Well, yeah, you’re a pretty
scary guy, but I’m a trained police officer. I arrest guys like that all the time.”

  “I protect what is mine.” Talree leaned down until we were eyeball to eyeball. “Now they know you belong to me, and none of them will be foolish enough to touch you.”

  My temper erupted. “You don’t own me.”

  Every inch a Warlord, Talree snapped, “Have I not claimed you? Have I not made you mine?”

  It was like talking to a rock. “Yes, we had sex, but on my world when a guy wants to claim a girl, he proposes. If the girl accepts his proposal, they get married. Is that too hard for your tiny brain to comprehend?”

  Talree gave an indulgent shrug. “If it eases your mind, my father will gladly perform the bonding ceremony.”

  Good God Almighty. Could Talree make it any harder? It was time for a more direct approach. “I did not accept your proposal. I want you to let me go.”

  Menace filled Talree’s eyes. “Do you? You simply want me to abandon you? Leave you unprotected on this planet? With no way of getting home? Knowing that your people will continue to die?”

  I hated when he made sense. “Why is it so hard for you to understand? I want to go home and be with my family.”

  “I am your family.”

  A groan of frustration broke from me. “You can’t bully me into doing what you want.”

  Talree didn’t say a word. He stared down at me, giving me his big bad scary face.

  I twitched. Damn. He had terrifying down pat. It definitely threatened my bladder control. When had I turned into such a wuss? “You win. I know I need you to survive this hellhole.”

  “Is that all?”

  I guess he wanted his pound of flesh. “You’re really handy to have around.”

  “And?”

  Rolling my eyes in exasperation, I added, “You’re a good kisser.”

  “Anything else?”

  “The sex was adequate,” I mumbled.

  Phantom fingers stroked my body, sending a shock wave of need up my spine. “Adequate?”

  I sucked in a shuddering breath. “Does ‘fucking awesome’ work for you?”

  Talree grinned. “I think a shower will cure your bad temper.”

  My anger evaporated. “A shower? For real?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let me get the babies.” God, I was so easy.

  The shower was the size of an old-fashioned phone booth. Talree and I barely fit. I stood under the pitiful stream of lukewarm water, letting it wash away the stink of the swamp and relishing the feeling of being clean again.

  The kids chittered their displeasure from the door frame.

  Holding out a hand, I called to them. “C’mon, don’t ya wanna be clean?”

  They fled.

  “Tabors don’t like getting wet.” Talree poured shampoo on my scalp and massaged it in.

  I sighed with pleasure. The man’s touch was pure magic. “What about the rain?”

  “Their webbing is waterproof.” Talree’s soapy hands slid down my body as he gently cleansed the grime away.

  A delicious warmth danced over me as he washed between my thighs. “Oh, yeah, I’m really dirty there.”

  “Here?” He rolled my clit between two fingers.

  My voice was a squeak. “Yes!”

  Dropping to his knees, Talree nibbled and sucked my nub until I was wild with want.

  I tugged on his hair. “Inside me now.”

  “Not yet.” Talree’s clever mouth moved over my skin, and I shivered as he sucked my breasts. Our mate bond had made me so hypersensitive that even a single touch drove me mad.

  He gave my nipples a rasping lick.

  I climbed his muscular frame and wrapped my legs around his waist. “Enough already. I want some hot monkey sex. Now.”

  “Do you?” Talree’s tentacles stroked my throbbing clit and teased my inner walls.

  “Oh God.” My entire body shook. He had turned me into a slut.

  The tentacles did the cha-cha to my womb.

  A moan tore from my throat. Being a slut was good, and boy, did I love his little fuck buddies. Tracing the seam of his lips with my tongue, I whispered, “I want all of you.”

  The friction of his penis sliding into my wet flesh had me clinging blindly to Talree’s shoulders. His hips pumped faster and faster. The tentacles vibrated wildly until my mind splintered from an overload of bliss.

  Soulet’s groan blasted me back to reality. Shit! I hadn’t intended to share that moment with her. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I enjoyed it immensely,” Soulet panted. “Coletti warriors are masters at sex.”

  “Hank and you certainly got it on.” The image of them doing it was forever burned into my mind.

  “I want to feel Hank’s penis inside me again. Many times,” Soulet admitted with a girlish sigh.

  Ugh, way too much info. Time to change the subject. “Hey, I wasn’t happy about the mate bond either, but I got twisted up with lust every time Talree touched me. Hank will be the same way.”

  “Will he?”

  My heart broke at the intense longing in Soulet’s voice. Her father had a lot to answer for. “He won’t be able to ignore you for long, and the bond grows stronger each day. I didn’t have the strength to break it, and neither will Hank.”

  “I’m indebted to you.”

  “Nah, us girls gotta stick together.”

  “I’ve never had a friend before.”

  How sad was that? “You’ve got one now, girlfriend.”

  Chapter Eight

  Tucking the survival blanket around Thor, I stroked his fuzzy hair. Talree would be so proud of him.

  Out of the blue, Soulet asked, “Are all Coletti infants born with red and wrinkled skin?”

  Huh? I wanted to smack Soulet. Thor was perfect. To the Askole? Probably not. “Most of the time they are.”

  “Our child will be the same?”

  Good question. “I’m not sure. Has an Askole ever mated with a Coletti before?”

  “No.”

  A sudden thought struck me. Holy hell. Her breeding cycle! “You’re not, like, pregnant, are you?”

  Soulet broke into a grin. “It is likely.”

  Hank was going to freak.

  “Will Hank be angry?”

  Once he got over the shock, I knew he’d want the kid. Hank had been a good father to Bree and taught her to be one kickass warrior.

  I snorted. Zarek, on the other hand, would be doing a happy dance. I noticed Soulet’s anxious expression. “Colettis cherish their children.”

  “My father wasn’t pleased my mother bore him a female.”

  “His loss.”

  Her tentacles stilled suddenly. “Yes, it is his loss.”

  “You betcha. Want me to finish my story?” Please say yes. I was so done with discussing Hank’s penis.

  “I do.”

  Where to start? Oh yeah. I woke in the middle of the night, and the baby Tabors were gone. I linked with Soulet.

  Where were my kids? Panic knotted my stomach. What if something had eaten them? In my best mother’s voice, I yelled, “Where are you?”

  “Bad man caught us,” the kids wailed.

  The image of a humongous fat humanoid dumping my babies into a huge glass terrarium flashed into my mind.

  That bastard! “I’m coming.” I untangled myself from Talree’s arms.

  Talree asked sleepily, “What’s wrong?”

  “Gotta pee.” Hey, the big guy needed his rest. Right? I was being thoughtful. Quickly pulling on my overalls and boots, I jumped about a foot when Talree’s hand suddenly clamped around my wrist.

  “Be careful. The Tamirrn come out at night.”

  “Good to know.” Yay. More monster critters to look out for. I let out a breath of relief when Talree released my arm and went back to sleep.

  The kids whimpered. “You come now?”

  “I’ll be right there.” I strapped on my laser pistol and shoved my knives into my boots. Fatso was about to get a �
�come to Jesus” lesson.

  Talree shifted restlessly in the hammock. I froze. Shit, what was wrong with me? I didn’t need his permission. I was a cop. I could deal with this all by my lonesome.

  So why was I sneaking out? I sighed. The truth was he scared the living hell out of me. I knew deep down he would never harm me, but dammit, I needed to set some boundaries. He wasn’t my keeper. I slipped out the door and hurried down the stairs.

  Following the kids’ psychic vibes, I stopped in front of a dilapidated building. A rusted-out sign proudly proclaimed KOTSOR BAR. Bet the owner was a sicko pervert who thought Kotsors were cute and cuddly. Ugh. More eight-legged freaks running amok.

  I opened the swinging doors and surveyed the interior. Clumps of orange mold decorated the walls. The tables and chairs were so rickety, I was surprised they didn’t collapse under the weight of the hulking humanoids and other bug species sitting on them.

  “Hurry. Hurry. It want eat Grandma,” the kids shouted.

  One look at the terrarium, and my stomach clenched. Holy hell. The Kotsor was the size of Godzilla.

  Godzilla crawled toward an enormous golden tarantula. Why couldn’t it be itty-bitty spiders that I could squash under my boot? Was that too much to hope for?

  My poor kids cowered behind Big Momma. “Help us.”

  Sucking in a calming breath, I hurried over to the battered counter. What do you know? Fatso was the bartender. Oh, gag me. His pants were hanging around his chubby ankles. His back to me, Fatso was energetically banging a three-breasted prostitute. Every time he slammed the poor thing against the bar, his ass quivered and jiggled like gelatin. It was enough to put you off sex permanently.

  I crept in behind him, climbed up the short ladder, lifted the lid on the terrarium, and fried Godzilla with my laser pistol. “C’mon, kids. Let’s blow this joint.”

  “Grandma stuck,” they blubbered.

  Godzilla had done a dandy job of webbing her to the floor. Which meant I had to go inside to free her. My skin crawled at the thought, but I couldn’t leave Grandma here. I took a quick look at Mister Wonderful. He was still going at it. Someone needed to neuter him.

  A tremor shook me as I climbed inside. Thick webbing clung to every surface. Good thing Talree had mucked about in my head, or I’d be freaking big-time. Pulling my knife, I hacked my way through the sticky stuff and cut Grandma free. She wiggled her legs happily.