Read Warlord's Mercy: 4 (Barbarian Claims) for Free Online

slave,” Lea mumbled into his skin, avoiding
his question.
    Tolui’s body shook. “ Gerel doesn’t mean slave,
foolish female.” He nuzzled his chin into her hair. “ Gerel means mate,
the direct translation being light. You’re the light to my darkness, the sun to
my moon.”
    “Oh.” Some of her anger faded.
    “I’ve fought fiercer creatures.” He rubbed his rough palms
over her back, his stroking lighting fires inside her. “There was no reason for
you to worry.”
    Because he doesn’t worry about me. Lea pushed away
from him. “Why should I worry about losing you?” She stomped to the dead rock
vulture. “According to you, all beings are interchangeable.”
     
    My gerel cares for me. Tolui smothered his joy
as Lea stuffed the dried meat into one of her packs. They’d filled other packs
with hides, sinew, and the remaining parts of the rock vultures. His
resourceful mate wasted nothing.
    She set the pack with the others. “We’ll have meat for a
hundred planet rotations.” Lea beamed at him, her beauty taking his breath
away. “And I can craft garments to trade for other goods.”
    “You’d craft garments such as mine?” Tolui swept his hands
over the brown bands on his leg coverings. The thought of Lea crafting garments
for other males didn’t please him.
    “No.” She shook her head. “Your leg coverings will be one of
a kind…as you are.”
    She hasn’t met my clones. Dread coiled in Tolui’s
stomach. “There are more edible creatures on the planet.” He lifted five of the
packs, leaving the lightest pack for Lea to carry. “Why don’t you hunt them?”
    She twisted her lips, her expressions easy to read. “I don’t
dare to hunt those creatures. Daisun and his males target them. If he catches
me…” She trembled.
    Tolui’s mood darkened even more. During his sunrise trek,
he’d seen Daisun’s cruelty firsthand, had noted the callous way the leader of
the squatters treated every being, including precious females.
    “He won’t catch you.” Tolui walked closely behind Lea. Her
footprints were clearly marked in the sand, her scent heavy and distinctive,
his gerel easily tracked. “While I’m off planet, you’ll remain in the
underground tunnels.”
    She jutted her jaw, stubbornness written on her face. “If
beings are interchangeable, why would you return to me? You could use a more
convenient gerel to ease your needs. No.” She shook her head, her brown
curls cascading down her back. “You’re not coming back. I’ll have to leave the
tunnels. I—”
    A rumble rolled across the sky. “A ship is coming.” Tolui
flattened his palms on Lea’s back and pushed her roughly toward the
scan-blocking tunnels. “Run!”
    Her forehead wrinkled. “I don’t hear anything. I—”
    “Run,” Tolui barked. Lea’s spine snapped straight. “Now,” he
urged, unwilling to take any chances with his female. She sprinted forward, her
hair streaming out behind her, her leg coverings stretching tightly across her
firm ass.
    “Faster.” Tolui ran behind Lea, preparing to defend her, to
kill for her, to die for her if he had to. The roar of a ship’s engine grew
louder and louder. He spotted the entrance to the tunnels.
    Lea panted, her breathing strained. The ship appeared on the
horizon, a menacing black dot, a threat to his mate.
    “Faster, Lea.” He shoved her toward the entrance and Lea
pitched forward, falling face first. Tolui accelerated and caught her, caging
her small, fragile form with his larger body. They rolled on the cavern floor.
The contents of the packs jabbed into his spine. Stone scraped against his
arms.
    Tolui landed on his back with his little human female
nestled into his stomach, her body curled into a tiny sphere. The ship passed
over them, rattling stones, the engine temporarily deafening him.
    Tolui held his breath. Are we deep enough in the tunnel
to block the life form scanners? The ship didn’t slow, the sound of the
engine fading, and he exhaled,