Defender (New World Book 7) (16 page)

His thrusts were wild, hard, deep. Her hands were pinned high overhead. She felt her ass begin to make a groove in the dirt behind her. He growled as his punishing thrusts hammered between her thighs. His intense gaze locked with hers, making her heart hammer. She was being taken by a warrior. She hoped he would keep her captive for a while. He pulled her wrists down and pushed them behind her back capturing her.
I should know he can hear my wants.
He lifted his hand to squeeze each breast until she was gasping for breath under his hand.

He was in possession of so much power. She felt his sweat invade her skin to conquer her emotions. She was calm and yet not. Passion bubbled her blood until she was lightheaded. He demanded everything from her as well as taking everything. What he gave back was more, he was dangerous, deadly, and she was his to protect. He began to slow as his cock engorged. Macey moaned as his thickness increased. He released her mouth and gripped her neck forcing her to look down. His erection was huge and she gasped.

“Taz,” she whispered.

Taz gritted his teeth. “Feel me, Macey. A part of me will be in you when you conceive. My gift is to protect you forever. You are that important. I will kill and I will crush others and know it will come to that to keep you safe. But safe is where you will be kept forever.”

Macey moaned and when he released her neck he pushed his forearm against her chest to keep her upright. He sunk every inch inside her as he bit her throat. She shuddered and went limp. Taz gripped her hair to tilt her gaze to his.

“Feel me,” he demanded.

She did. She understood. He was giving up a piece of his shield to her.

“Every time we make love I will give you part of me until you conceive.
Nothing
is more important than you to me. I will love you from the inside out.”

Warm wetness invaded her insides and Taz shook as he roared. He collapsed forward. Still gripping her hair, he kissed her cheeks and neck. When he slipped from her, Macey was throbbing between her thighs.

“Holy hell, Taz. How big are you going to get?”

“I don’t know, I don’t think much bigger. I’m learning how much of my shield I need to give you. I’m new at this so it may have been overkill. Fuck me, I’m exhausted.”

“I need to pee.” Came a yell from up top.

Macey groaned. “I knew there was a reason I came out here.”

“You better not be alone, young lady,” Taz bellowed.

“We all need to pee,” Greta yelled back.

“Me too,” Macey said and chuckled.

“Go back inside while I break through the wall,” Taz yelled, then to Macey, “I can’t jump us out of here with them watching.”

They quickly dressed. He took Macey by the hand and led her back to the hole opening in case the tunnel collapsed. She was watching him. With a single blow, Taz broke through the wall to the cellar. Three smiling faces gazed back at him and Macey giggled.

“So what you’re saying is human females like flowers?”

Taz and Macey had been on Earth over three weeks. Haven was outside with Taz collecting flowers. Macey claimed the girl needed air; she needed to run, yell, howl. Taz tried to take her out as often as possible. Skylar liked being with the older women most of the time. Her attraction to him had changed over the weeks. She obeyed him because she had grown to care for him. Taz knew Haven loved him, the feeling was reciprocated. He adored his entire family.

The sun was shining. So far. In the distance, Taz saw the clouds rolling in. He was keeping watch while doing his best to interact with an eight-year-old female. An opinionated female. Although Taz admitted he loved to tease the child. Her twitter of explanations was sweet. So far, he and Macey had been unsuccessful in creating a child. Deep in Taz’s memories was a niggling; the older a warrior was the better his chances were. There might not be a child.

“Women, Taz. Not human females.”

The child rolled her eyes. Taz chuckled, even annoying she was cute.

“But you are female,” he pointed out.

“Yes, but I’m a girl. If you said to me, ‘hey little girl,’ it would sound okay, but if you said, ‘hey little human female,’ it’s weird. You sound like an alien.”

Taz snorted.
I am an alien, little human female.
All human females apparently thought the same way she and Macey did. ‘Little human female’ was redundant. Taz heard a small noise and Haven screamed when Taz grabbed her into his arms and slung her onto his back. He snarled when the grown male and young boy crept around the bush.

“I dropped my flowers. Taz, that was mean.”

Taz ignored her outrage. “Go away.” The growl in his throaty words made Haven quiver with fear. She peeked around Taz’s broad shoulder and relaxed, realizing he was angry with someone else.

“You better listen to Taz. He’s kinda like my dad and he can kick a huge man through walls.”

Taz heard the admiration in Haven’s tone. She wrapped her little arms around his neck and settled her chin on his shoulder. Taz was tempted to pull her to his chest and shield her, but the grown male before him was no threat. His scent was worry. Taz didn’t want to scare Haven.

“Please, we’ve come a long way. My son hasn’t eaten in two days. Gangs of men are forming. It’s like the women on this planet are disappearing. The gangs are brutal. They want other men to join them and what they do is reprehensible. I can’t expose my son to that. You have a daughter, you understand. A storm is coming.” He cast his glance behind him and Taz could see the grey ominous clouds roll in closer.

The man put his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “This is Jimmy, he’s eight. I’m guessing about your little one’s age. If we travel together, I’ll help you watch over her.”

“Not interested.”

Taz swung Haven into his arms at his chest. She wailed she wanted her flowers. The little boy grabbed up a handful and ran in front of Taz holding them up. Taz stopped. The boy smiled, he was missing teeth. Haven reached for the flowers.

“Can’t he come for a play date?” Haven asked.

“Just until the storm passes,” the man rushed to say.

Taz cupped the boy’s chin. “You don’t hurt females?”

“Taz,” Haven wailed. She gripped his cheek with her palm and growled under her breath. “Do you have to be so embarrassing?”

Taz sighed. “You don’t hurt little girls, do you?” he asked instead.

The boy, Jimmy shook his head. “Naw. Only a coward hurts girls.”

His father beamed with pride and Taz could scent the boy was serious. The clouds were almost on them. Lightning struck and Haven cringed against him. He scented her concern, but she wasn’t afraid, she cuddled closer to his chest.

“Let’s move,” Taz said.

“We can play games together,” Haven said to Jimmy.

“It would be fun to play,” Jimmy said.

“Macey and Aunt Greta make the best food,” Haven said and she climbed higher into Taz’s arms draping herself over his shoulder, her head hanging down to converse with the boy.

“Where do you get food?” Jimmy asked as he trailed close to Taz’s side.

“He finds everything,” her gaze flickered to Taz. “He’s awesome. And he beat up men who were bad. Three of them and never batted an eye. And he finds me candy.”

“Wow, your dad’s cool,” Jimmy said. Haven didn’t correct him.

Jimmy gazed up at Taz and smiled. Taz had mixed emotions. He could scent the child was in awe of him. Krish never garnered that feeling. Taz loathed the Tonan. Here was this small male child so trusting. Taz could crush him; he could be cruel, but he wouldn’t be. How could Krish have done what he did? Taz was younger than this boy when Krish found him, Taz felt no need to lock him away or be hurtful. More fuel was added to Taz’s anger towards Krish. Anger made a Tonan stronger.

They reached the cellar as the rain began to fall. The torrential downpour was phenomenal. The generator died; they were out of gas. Haven struggled down and went to Macey, her flowers dropped to the floor as huge booms rent the air. Wood cracked and the far wall began to shatter, splintering inwards.

“Oh God, a mud slide,” Macey cried out.

The children screamed. The structure began to buckle with the weight of water and mud which began to pour into the cellar. Everything was black as pitch. Taz knew humans couldn’t see in the dark. Taz grabbed the girls and sent them spinning into the tunnel.

“Move,” he yelled to the others.

Macey and Greta raced forward with Taz’s direction, but the boy and his father were confused. They went to huddle at the back wall. The father had one hand out searching the area, blind in the dark. His other arm wrapped around his son. Taz didn’t have time to get them; he needed to get his females to a safer place. He would return after the females were away. The man and child should be fine.

It was as dark in the hole and the girls were crying they could see nothing. Taz could scent confusion and terror from all directions. The fear on their faces enraged him. He had to save his family but he couldn’t save them all at once. Taz grabbed Macey and Haven to his chest and his shield went up. It was too dark for the child to see his transformation. Her eyes were closed and her face buried in his chest, trusting him.

“No, Taz, Skylar, my aunt,” Macey cried out.

“I’ll get them. I swear I’ll get them.”

Taz jumped from the hole and bolted through the storm. Not far he saw a cave and he put them both inside.

“I’ll be right back,” he promised.

In seconds he was back in the tunnel. He yanked Skylar to his chest and Greta.

“You can’t carry us both,” Greta yelled over the storm. “You’ll never be able to climb out the hole. Take the child. Leave me. Go.”

Taz’s secretions went into overdrive with their fear. Greta meant what she said, she was willing to sacrifice her life for the girl and she feared for him. Taz was so proud of his aunt and wished he could tell her not to worry. Everything was fine now. He had them. But Greta was going to be a problem.

“Sorry, Greta, you fainted.”

“I don’t faint young man,” she protested.

Taz sunk his fangs into her neck and she went limp. He drugged her and did the same to Skylar. He jumped from the hole and raced to the cave. Haven was sobbing for the boy child.

“Please, Taz, if you can help them,” Macey asked.

Taz nodded. He would try but the opening from the tunnel to the cellar was sealed off when he went back. He roared in frustration. He raced to the cellar door and smashed through. The entire cellar was full of falling mud and wood. He could hear the boy crying in a far corner. His father had been unable to get them out. Taz should have known the human male was too weak.

The boy was half dead, Taz could scent his distress. He also smelled death. Taz moved fast to get to him. He could scent the child’s suffering. Taz smashed through the debris.

Jimmy was bloodied and terrified, lightning blazed across the sky showing him Taz, when he saw Taz shielded, he screamed.

“
Daddy a monster is getting me.”

“It’s fine little one. I’ll help you, Jimmy hang in there.”

“Daddy,” the child wailed, his eyes wide.

The boy’s father was crushed. He was dead. “Be still, I’ll help you.”

Taz finally reached him. He pulled him from under the debris. The child screamed in agony, his leg was cut almost in two. It couldn’t be helped; there was no other way for Taz to get to him. He just needed to get Jimmy into his arms to heal him and he would be fine. The boy could travel with Macey and his family. Taz wouldn’t leave him out here alone. He liked the boy, his honesty. What was one more mouth to feed? The boy could play with Haven.

The slight weight of the child was miniscule. Taz raced from the cellar as it collapsed. He dropped to his knees in the pounding rain, his arms wrapped around the boy. Taz dropped his shield and pulled him to his chest sensing the boy’s terror and agony. Nothing happened. Taz concentrated harder. Nothing. He lowered and dropped his shield again and again as the boy died in his arms.

“What’s wrong with you?” Taz screamed aloud. “He’s a child.
Fix him
.”

The boy’s eyes were wide as Taz cuddled him to his bare chest and rocked him. It was no use, he was gone. Gone when he should have been whole and healthy.
Why? Why?
He sensed the shield’s confusion as it searched for memories to his tortured question. And then Taz knew why. The baby shield on a male child formed a new shield when he became of age. A female child needed the protection of a warrior when her shield dropped to prepare her to want to mate. Taz could only shield female children and family females. Taz’s father had only ever shielded his mother when they went to the treehouse. He carried Taz each time. Taz’s thoughts traveled back.

“Why father? Why can’t I ride in your shield?”

“Because son, you are a little warrior. You don’t need my shield. I already gave you the strongest piece. Made with love.”

A male child had never in Taz’s history been shielded by a warrior, they were little warriors. It was the first time he didn’t find the term derogatory. His father was proud each and every time he called him the endearment.

“I’m sorry, little warrior,” Taz whispered as he closed the child’s eyes. It was a hard lesson to remember.

He rose to his feet shaking in fury. The male children of Earth couldn’t be protected. Taz would never want to have a male earthling child near him again. He would save the females. He could save the females. He took the boy to an indention in the cellar and walked away, allowing the pounding rain to soak him.

* * * *

“It’s not your fault,” Macey said.

Taz returned to the cave soaked, and different. His expressive eyes made her heart hurt. Something awful had happened. When Taz took her aside and explained, Macey could feel his anguish. Her ‘cruel’ warrior was devastated.

“He died so scared. He was in so much pain. I couldn’t help. I should have realized the second I touched him when we first met and my shield made no secretions, no connection, only scent, a male child was different. I couldn’t even ease his pain. It happened so fast I couldn’t bite him, he was gone.”