Daegon: Alien Warlord's Conquest (Scifi Alien-Human Military Romance) (3 page)

And if she knew, Zoey too would pay, no matter how beautiful she was.

W
ell
, this is not good. I think.

Zoey was confused. Her emotions towards the warlord kept changing every two seconds, and that was not a good negotiation tactic. The first impression had been that of a terrible monster, staring at her with those eyes glowing in the dark like a giant predator. Then he had seemed like a perfectly normal warrior, someone Zoey could imagine having an actual conversation with.

And now, she wasn't so sure. Daegon walked beside her, brooding and silent. Mara had warned her that Corgans were moody and proud, but she honestly hadn't expected to offend one so quickly.

At least, as he'd promised, they were approaching areas that were better lit. Zoey could see the hard lines of his face more clearly, the expression somewhere between contemplative and angry. Had she said something wrong?

Her own feelings were even more complicated, but she could deal with them. The fact that the towering warlord was the most impressive man she'd ever met didn't have to be an issue at all.

Right?

The ship was almost ominously empty. Zoey saw a few crewmembers hurrying past them, but they all had oddly guilty looks on their faces. It seemed like they were breaking a rule simply by being there. She wondered if those had been Daegon's orders, for them to be left alone.

The idea was both enticing and terrifying.

Another person might have panicked in her situation, but Zoey wasn't about to abandon her goal so easily. She said nothing while they moved through large corridors wide enough to allow five fully armored warriors to move shoulder-to-shoulder.

The
Wraith
truly was a warship. The scarce crew that she saw clearly had tasks to perform, running to make sure they were on time. It was obvious that Daegon kept proper order on his ship.

Without a word passing between them, the warlord led her into a hall that didn't seem to belong with the rest of the vessel. It was brightly lit and warmer than the corridor they'd just exited.

Zoey resisted the urge to sniff for fresh paint, because the light tones of the hall were in sharp contrast to the dark outside. Even the air was cleaner – nothing like the usual suffocating staleness common to warships.

There were two sofas for them to sit on and a small table with drinks and food. Zoey dearly wished she knew what those things were and whether it was safe for her to consume them.

"Sit," Daegon said.

Even a simple request like that sounded like an order from the warlord. Zoey found her body obeying before her conscious mind agreed and sat on one of the couches.

"Are you hungry?" the warlord asked, gesturing to the table. "You don't have to worry, the Terrans on the holy world have eaten the same and it's fine."

Out of politeness more than hunger, Zoey reached for a small pielike snack and tasted it. She closed her eyes and smiled, savoring the flavors. Even the looming
Wraith
seemed distant when faced with the memories it brought back. It was nothing like the food from her childhood and yet, it reminded her of it so vividly.

When she opened her eyes again, Zoey saw Daegon looking at her with curiosity. She couldn't be certain, but it seemed to her that the harshness had softened a bit around his striking blue eyes.

"Do you like them?" he asked.

"They're delicious," Zoey said, taking another bite, "like my mother used to make."

For a moment, a genuine smile flashed on Daegon's face, but then it was gone. Zoey was surprised at how much she immediately missed that look. The warlord's features, now cold and hard again, had been so alive for that one second. She desperately wanted to see it again.

Getting sidetracked already. Not a great start for you indeed.

Reminding herself that she had come with a task, after all, Zoey finished her pie and looked at the Corgan seriously.

"Now," she said, trying to be as fearless as her words. "Will you tell me how I insulted you? Then we can move on."

Daegon gave her a hard look, sitting down opposite her. Other than them, there was no one in the great hall. Zoey could hear her own voice echo back from the walls.

"You didn't," he said.

"You wanted honesty from me," Zoey replied. "I think it's only fair you respond with the same. I'm not stupid."

The warlord snorted, but the look in his eyes was less judgmental when he spoke.

"Why are you here?"

Trust me, you don't want to see my mission statement. Or rather, I don't want you to see it. If I can get Corgans to join the Union, it better count as a miracle.

"You know why," Zoey said, smiling. "I hoped we would get into that later when –"

"No," Daegon cut in. "Why are
you
here? Why you?"

A sharp tinge of disappointment shot through Zoey's body like a knife. She had to fight to not let any of it show on her face. Besides, how ridiculous it was to be concerned whether Daegon liked her or not.

Yet it was. Zoey didn't know why, but it mattered.

"I was tasked by the Galactic Union," she said.

"Did you ask for this job?" Daegon asked.

Zoey smiled.

"No," she admitted. "You should know what the Union thinks of Corgans. I can't say I volunteered to come here. In fact, many of my friends thought they were sending me on a suicide mission."

And there it was again, the bright light of humor shining in Daegon's eyes. The way his mouth curled into a pleased grin was the most seductive thing Zoey had ever experienced from a vicious warlord. It sent a pleasant shiver down her spine, having nothing to do with the temperature in the room or the danger she was undeniably in.

"I suppose that is fair," Daegon said and his voice lost the threatening edge. "So you didn't want to come?"

"I wouldn't say that," Zoey replied. "I could have refused."

"On what grounds? It's your duty, is it not?"

"Crippling terror."

Now Daegon laughed. He threw his head back and nearly roared, his mighty shoulders shaking as he did. The part of Zoey that was still focused on her task and not the incredible man opposite her was pleased. Amusing the clan lord was her best bet at making him warm up to her, short of warming his bed.

Good. Now we're getting somewhere.

A much larger part of her was completely taken with him. Daegon emanated raw power the like she had never encountered before. Being in the same room as him enveloped her entirely in his charisma and presence, strong and demanding. She felt herself tingling from head to toe, like a woman in love, as absurd as it was.

"That is a good one," Daegon said, turning his flashing eyes to her again. "I have to tell that to my brothers."

"Go ahead," Zoey said, inclining her head.

And like sun disappearing behind clouds, Daegon became serious again. His piercing gaze seemed to strip Zoey's very soul bare to him, but she refused to let him intimidate her. Mara had said he was no danger to her, she had to trust that.

"So why didn't you refuse?" the warlord asked. "You admitted it yourself. This is not a task you would have volunteered for."

Zoey answered his stare, thinking. It was blatant that playing games would get her nowhere with him. The only answer was to dig deep and figure out why she had accepted.

"I probably wouldn't have," she admitted. "That is true. When they offered me this, I could see that they didn't really believe that I would accept. Maybe that was what made me say yes. I don't know. I wanted to see Gaiya and I refused to let them think I'm a coward. So here I am."

The warlord leaned in closer, as if he could discern the truth like that. Zoey met his stormy gaze, allowing him to see that she had no reason to lie.

"I see," Daegon said. "That is very much like a Corgan. Are you sure there were no other reasons?"

"You mean why I was chosen for this task?"

When the warlord nodded mutely, Zoey shook her head, slightly surprised.

"Not that I know of," she said.

"You better not lie to me."

"What other reason could there be?" Zoey asked, honestly baffled.

She was beginning to wonder if despite his savageness, Daegon was smarter than he looked. Was he trying to confuse her?

Zoey had only just thought that when the warlord replied with a grin, "One of you already took down Nadar. It would make sense that they'd send another beauty to trick me. I warn you, it will not work."

Zoey didn't respond at once.

Funny. One word from a guy like that and I'm fucking 13 again.

She had to fight down a grin, thinking how close she'd come to losing all dignity and asking straight-out whether the warlord thought she was pretty. Which he clearly did.

So that is what he thought. No wonder, really. Corgans had no particular reason to trust the Union and tactics like the one Daegon had suggested weren't unheard of. The Union's council was fine with using all the weapons at their disposal, including those that didn't fire bullets.

"Now
I'm
flattered," she said, composing herself. "But that is not true. At least I can assure you that I am not under orders to seduce you."

"Pity."

This time, keeping the stupid smile off her face was considerably more difficult. Especially with the fact that the harshness on Daegon’s face had finally been replaced with the most maddening, sexy grin.

"And you?" Zoey shot back, trying to salvage what was left of their initial meeting.

"What about me?" the warlord inquired, his voice deep and sensuous.

"Are you trying to get me to bed so I would forget all about my task?" she asked, not believing the words were coming out of her mouth.

Well, he wanted honesty. That's what he gets.

"No," Daegon growled in a voice so low it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand. "But that would be a great way to spend the time when we're not talking."

Fighting down all the various responses that flooded her mind to that thinly veiled proposal, Zoey smiled.

"I don't think so," she said, seeing with relief that her refusal didn't seem to upset the warlord. "But seriously speaking. We are a very odd duo to handle these negotiations. I told you why I am here. Why are you?"

Daegon shrugged, his huge body flexing under the armor. The dark, unyielding metal plates were surprisingly flexible as they slid over each other. Compared to other Corgans she's seen, the plates were heavier, but Daegon obviously had no trouble maneuvering the undoubtedly considerable weight of it.

Zoey hadn't been around the warriors for long, but she's noticed their armors spoke of their personality more than anyone would have thought. The basic principle of sliding plates remained the same, allowing for flexibility, but some were almost leathery while Daegon's seemed to be as tough as iron.

There were patterns on the armor, and she thought they resembled the ink on the warrior's skin. Perhaps mirroring it. She saw several marks of rank too, etched in matted gold, although she couldn't decipher most of them. All she knew for certain was how good he looked in it. Zoey no longer bothered to deny how attractive she found the sight.

"The chieftain ordered me to."

"And you couldn't refuse either?"

"Corgans don't function like that," Daegon said, grinning at her in a way that made her legs weak. "An order from the chieftain is an order. I wouldn’t have had any excuses."

"Crippling terror?" Zoey said, smirking mischievously.

The flare of lust was as unmistakable in the warlord's shining blue eyes as his amusement, and for a moment, Zoey thought he was going to get up and kiss her right then. He did not, both to her relief and disappointment.

"It really is a pity," Daegon said, his gaze seemingly nailed to her. "We should have met under different circumstances. I hate to think we have to ruin this with a futile argument."

"Futile?" Zoey asked.

She was serious again, but not surprised this time. Dealing with an insanely hot alien hunk was unexpected.
That
reaction she had anticipated.

Daegon nodded, taking a sip from his drink.

"We are both here because we have to be," he said, "but I hope you know there is only one way this can end."

"We'll see about that," Zoey said.

The warlord chuckled as if she'd made a joke.

"I like your spirit," he said.

Zoey was about to respond when the alarm bells went off. At first, Daegon paid them no heed, never even taking his eyes off her. Then the klaxons changed in pitch and he transformed completely. In one moment, a dark cloud shadowed his features and Zoey saw the man she'd met in the bay.

He raised his wrist to his mouth and barked an order into the transmitter, "
Report
."

Zoey couldn't make out the response, but she could read the signs of his body language. With every word, Daegon's heartbeat seemed to quicken. His powerful body was heaving when the message ended.

He looked like a beast, ready to pounce on its prey. The glowing blue eyes were filled with bloodlust. Zoey nearly toppled over her sofa, backing away. Perhaps Daegon was no threat to her in a peaceful moment, but this clearly wasn't it.

"Stay," the warlord snarled the second she stood. "You're going nowhere."

"I need to get back to my ship," Zoey protested. "If there is a situation, I can come back..."

"No," Daegon said, pulling her along. "We are under attack. Your ship is already gone."

"What –" Zoey began, but Daegon didn't give her time to process the news.

Dragging her along, the warlord headed deeper into the ship. The vessel came to life around her, unseen crew appearing seemingly from out of thin air. Suddenly the corridors were packed with running Corgans and strong units of warriors. Daegon gave orders as they went, but his main attention was on the comm link on his wrist. Zoey assumed the bridge was keeping him updated.

"The shrine," Daegon was demanding. "Bring the
Wraith
about. Stay between the shrine and the Yemalan flagship
at all costs
."

A terrible thought occurred to Zoey. She tugged at his arm, still pulling her along to wherever he was going.