Lilly's King

Bor fought with everything he had not to turn around and drag his mate back to his quarters and have his wicked way with her.

The scent of her arousal still filled his scent glands and it was driving him out of his mind.

The only thing that broke through the haze of desire was knowing his mate needed to be taken care of first. She needed to eat, rest, and be seen by Oris.

He would not allow his own needs to come before hers. That was not how a male treated his mate.

They turned a corner and when he spotted two of his warriors standing by the door to the training room, their chests bare and on display, he almost lost his tight control.

He roared out a warning for them to leave, not wanting Lilly’s intoxicating scent to be enjoyed by anyone else.

They must have seen the warning in his eyes, because they both bowed their heads and backed into the training room, closing the door before he and Lilly passed.

“What was all that about?” she asked, coming up to walk beside him. Bor slowed his pace to allow her to keep up with his long strides.

“They would have scented you.”

“Oh.”

He glanced down at her to see if it upset her that he was behaving in such a barbaric manner, but the small smile on her face told him otherwise.

When they reached the medical suite, he led her inside and toward the resting beds where her sisters lay.

As soon as his mate saw the other females, she pulled her hand free from his grip and ran forward, falling into their arms.

Oris came out to greet him at the entrance.

“My lord. How are the wounds on your leg?”

“They are healed. How are the females?”

Oris glanced over at them, then turned back to him. “I will check Lilly as soon as she is ready, but I see no immediate cause for concern. The two that came in yesterday are well.

“I have given them a nutrient supplement and made sure they got plenty of rest. The young female still needs some time to recover but she is in good spirits despite the state of her eyes.”

“Thank you, Oris. I will see if my mate is ready to be treated and call you when she is.”

“Mate?”

Bor sighed. “Yes. Lilly is my mate, and she will be treated with the respect expected of any lady of Toria.”

“Of course, my lord. I meant no disrespect; I was only shocked that you found a mate on this world.”

“They are nothing like what we thought, Oris. There is much to learn from these humans.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Bor watched as Lilly spoke with her other sister, her hand resting on the young female’s leg as she asked her question after question.

Even from several feet away, Bor could see the dark color of Violet’s eyes. If he didn’t know better, they would unsettle him.

But by the size of the smile on all the females’ faces, he knew that this small difference would not stop the love they share for each other.

He moved closer to the females slowly, not wanting to scare the others. They stopped talking and Lilly turned to face him.

Her eyes were filled with joy and light that brought the blue in them out even more.

“Thank you,” she said, blinking back the moisture building there.

“You do not need to thank me, Lilly. I am glad to see Violet is doing better.”

“You’re Bor? The big badass that saved our lives?” Violet asked.

Bor grinned. “Yes.”

The last thing Bor expected was for the small female to launch herself off the bed and slam into his chest.

At first, he thought she might be attacking him, but when her arms wrapped around his waist, squeezing him so tight he struggled to breathe, he understood she was thanking him.

“Thank you, big guy. You saved my life.”

Bor reluctantly wrapped an arm around the female, unsure of how his mate would react to the gesture.

When she smiled up at him with a glint in her eyes, he knew she did not feel any jealousy toward the embrace.

He could take a lesson out of her life, he realized, as he placed the small female back on the bed.

“I am sorry that my medical team was not able to heal your eyes,” Bor said, lowering his head to look down at the young Violet.

“Are you kidding me? I look totally badass now. It’s freaky, but it’s going to scare the shit out of anyone that tries to mess with me.”

“No one will mess with you, Vi. Bor promised me that all his warriors will be on their best behavior.”

“So, we really are on a spaceship? And you’re a real king? Where are you from? How did you get here, and why…?”

“Vi, take a breath,” Lilly chuckled. “We have plenty of time to figure it all out.”

“If you are feeling better, I would like to feed you all. My mate has not eaten yet and I can have food brought to you here.”

“Your mate?” Violet screeched, her smile growing even wider. “Ooh, Bor and Lilly sitting in a tree…”

“Vi, I swear to God, if you don’t shut up, I’m going to suffocate you with that pillow,” Lilly growled, her face turning a bright red shade.

Violet and the other females laughed, but Bor frowned. What did the female mean by sitting in a tree, and why would this embarrass his mate?

Before he could ask, Lilly stood from the bed and turned to him. “Would it be okay if we all ate here with Violet?”

“Of course,” Bor said, lifting his hand to stroke her cheek. He loved how her skin changed colors like that.

“Thanks. And ignore Vi, she’s a little brat,” Lilly shot over her shoulder, but that only made the young female laugh more.

He relished in the sound of their joy. It was so pleasant and a welcome change to the usual grunts and deep tones of his warriors.

“I will have Keel bring you and the others a meal. Will you let Oris see to you? I want him to make sure you are well.”

Lilly nodded, but Bor didn’t miss how Violet suddenly went stiff and her smile fell.

Panic filled his blood at the sudden reaction. The female was afraid of Keel. There had to be a reason for it, and he would kill the young warrior for causing his mate’s family fear on his ship.

As though the male read his mind, Keel entered the medical suite behind Bor, and rage filled his blood when Violet shifted closer to Rose, hiding her face away from him.

“My lord…,” Keel managed to say before Bor launched himself at the male. He tackled him to the ground, one hand around his throat and the other ready to strike a deadly blow to his head.

“Bor!” Lilly cried out behind him, but he ignored her panicked word to glare at Keel.

“What have you done!” Bor growled in the male’s face.

“My lord? I…”

Bor squeezed the hand around Keel’s throat. A clear warning that he would only get one chance to speak.

“Why does the female fear you so much? What have you done to her?!”

“I…I don’t…understand, my lord,” Keel choked out, his eyes wide and his hands resting beside his head in a submissive pose.

“Bor! Stop!” Lilly cried out, her tiny hand grabbing at the arm holding Keel’s throat.

“He will confess his actions toward Violet or his life will end on this floor.”

“No!” Violet screamed, her voice filled with panic.

Bor spun to look at the small female. As soon as he did, Violet launched herself at him again, only this time it was not for thanks.

The first blow to his chin was a shock in its accuracy, strength, and that she hit him at all.

The next move caught him so much by surprise that Bor had no choice but to let Keel go.

Violet wrapped her small frame around his shoulders, twisting herself in such a way that if he didn’t let go of Keel, his arm would snap.

She moved lightning fast over him, gripping his hair in one hand and forcing his body to the ground, face down, and one arm bent behind his back at a painfully awkward angle.

She pinned him down with a firm knee to his upper back and used her other hand to lock his free arm in a grip that left him unable to move.

“Violet!” Lilly cried out behind him.

“He was hurting him,” Violet barked back, the anger clear in her voice.

“Let him go, Vi.”

“No. Not until he apologizes to Keel.”

“Vi!”

“Do it!” Violet growled into his ear, pushing his arm up more.

Bor bit back a roar as his arm shot with pain an inch away from being dislocated in the shoulder.

Bor spotted Oris and two other males rushing into the room, but stopped them with a slight shake of his head.

“Violet?” Keel asked, sitting up beside Bor. “Release my lord.”

“He attacked you for no reason.”

“Please, little one, release him. The other males will not allow you to hurt our king.”

A few seconds passed before Violet finally released his arms and backed away from him. He got to his feet, shock stealing any anger he may have felt toward Violet. She was so small.

Smaller than Lilly and her stick-thin frame showed no strength, yet she had brought him down in less than half a minute.

He stared at the deep, dark eyes of the female, concerned that maybe the poison had more of an effect than they’d first thought.

“How did you do that?”

It was Keel who asked, his head lowered beside Bor.

“First, I want to know why he attacked you.”

Bor tilted his head to the side and frowned. “You showed signs of fear when he entered the room. I will not allow any warrior under my rule to scare a female.”

“What? I’m not scared of him.”

“Then why did you look as though you were?”

Violet blushed, the same way his mate did when she felt embarrassed about something, and Bor closed his eyes as the realization hit.

“I see. It was not fear you felt, but attraction to the young male. I should have scented the air better.”

Violet turned a deep red color and rolled her eyes at him, not once looking at Keel.

“My lord?” Keel asked, his head still lowered.

Bor turned to the male. “I owe you an apology, Keel. I attacked without cause.”

“It’s all right, my lord.”

Keel looked up to find Violet. But the female had her back to them, her shoulders slumped as she spoke quietly to Rose.

“How were you able to bring me down like that?” Bor asked, the need to know how the warrior king was brought down by a tiny female like that burning a hole in his mind.

“Vi spent the last eleven years obsessed with martial arts. She has black belts in jiu-jitsu, taekwondo, aikido, and tai chi,” Lilly said. “She also took part in kickboxing tours and ballet.”

“What are these jiu…tae…chi?”

“They are styles of fighting on our world. She fell in love with a Bruce Lee film when she was five and has trained four days a week in the arts.”

“But…she is a female. And she is so young?”

Lilly chuckled. “Yeah, and? Just because she is a female, she should be weak and unable to defend herself?”

“No, but…that is what a mate is for. If she has no mate, then her father or protector will defend her.”

Violet spun on him then and pinned him in his spot with those unsettling eyes. “Yeah, well, our father is dead. He was eaten alive by those fucking spinner assholes right in front of us.

“As for a protector, I don’t need one. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I got your big ass to the ground, didn’t I?”

Why was he not upset at the tone and words this female used on him? Was it because he liked the fire burning in her stare, the coiled readiness of her posture, or the fight she was ready to face?

But her words also brought his mind back to the present. They had a spinner problem to take care of.

“I am truly sorry for the death of your father. It is not something I would wish on anyone.”

Tears welled in Violet’s eyes, and Bor took a step back when he saw they too were as blood-red as her eyes.