Soros: Alien Warlord's Conquest (Scifi Alien - Human Military Romance) (5 page)

"I will let you go once this idiocy is solved," Soros said.

"And when do you think that will be?" Kat dared to ask, frowning.

The warrior mounted the speeder, turning her way, waiting.

"Until Corgans learn to deal with their problems," he said with a humorless smile. "I can't say how long that will take. I haven't noticed any progress in my lifetime."

That was the least comforting thing she'd ever heard, but Kat chose not to argue. With no other choice, she sat behind him on the speeder and let him take them away. Hoping that a solution would present itself before they grew old together.

T
he bike picked
up speed as they approached the Grouvelle mountains.

Soros didn't have to do that, but he was interested in how the Terran girl would react to it. She clearly didn't enjoy the perilous, deadly ride they were taking, rushing on a thin road that towered over a canyon below them.

All Corgan warriors went through every kind of training their commanders could come up with and dangerous roads were definitely one of them. No chase or war would end because they were unable to pursue the enemy. Right now, the hover bike was helping, of course, but without it the path would have taken a lot of time to travel.

Soros knew what he was doing, but it must have looked suicidal to the girl. He could feel her hands tightening their hold around him.

Once again, he caught himself wondering why he'd spared her life. On the one hand, Soros didn't make it his business to kill those who were simply unlucky enough to be in his way. She had chosen to come after him, but her mission didn't matter. He would not allow her to succeed in it, which gave him the option of keeping her.

That was how it felt to him. He had seen something he liked and taken it. There was assuredly another reason for his mercy and that was that he simply hadn't wanted to see her die. Or go.

Soros regretted that he hadn't told her to sit in front of him where he could have watched her. He had chosen the other option on purpose, not wanting the distraction she posed when he needed to make sure they weren't followed. But he couldn't deny that Kat was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

From her divine body, with curves that begged to be traced with his hands, to the wild blue eyes that showed her untamed spirit. She was ideal. The way her blonde hair had fallen out of the hood she was wearing made Soros want to bury his hands in it, pull on it and bare her neck to him.

His mouth hungered to taste her soft, tanned skin, to feel her tremble under his touch. All those longings were more vivid than anything he'd ever felt for a female. It was like she was made for him, built to perfection to satiate his every desire.

Her presence had to be a sign of something greater, more powerful than him. Soros was intent on finding out what that was. Until then, some company was appreciated in his exile.

Besides, he was curious about her. From the moment he'd found her, Soros had been testing her. He had decided not to move or wake her, waiting to see what she would do.

He hadn't lied. Kat had emerged from her dreams as quietly as she possibly could, but it hadn't been enough to fool his trained hearing. That was the thing with sleep. People really woke up a few seconds earlier than they thought they did, but regaining a sense of the world took time. She had been silent, that was true, but he had heard the first small gasp before her conscious mind took over.

After that, it had been interesting. Soros hadn't been able to see her, but he kept himself out in the open so that it would be possible for her to see him. Smartly, she laid in waiting until every sign pointed to her being alone.

The fact that he'd been able to cheat her was nothing. He was a Corgan warrior, one of the best that had ever walked the worlds. Tricking one little girl wasn't that difficult, but she'd done admirably nonetheless.

Better than some of the mutts I trained, at the very least,
he mused.

The bike had been a good idea, despite being an obvious trap. He'd been impressed by the fact that she’d grabbed the gun and hadn’t tried to run. It showed willingness to stand and fight, as futile as it might have been.

And now, as he sped over the chasm beside them, she did nothing but cling to him stronger. No pleas to slow down, no protests about the dangerous path he chose.

He liked her. It was a pity that a creature so beautiful and wild hadn’t come into his life at a better time.

T
he Grouvelle mountains
were
not
the place he wanted to be, but then again, nothing but Dolon Hall was. Grouvelle ranged across the woodland area all the way to the mines, so far that it would have taken them three days to reach it with the speeder. Soros was very familiar with the mountains, knowing the paths and treacherous drops well – it was one of the areas his students trained in after all.

At any given time, there were bound to be a few attempting to accomplish a feat there, whether it was mere survival or hunting a rare animal. Alone, Soros would have been able to stay out of sight without a problem, but that didn't apply when he had to hide Kat as well.

He wondered if keeping her really was the safest choice, but he couldn't bring himself to letting her go. The marvelous cloak she wore would have to do the trick, and if she was any good with it, she would be able to scout where even he couldn't.

For now, at least, Soros knew where he was going. He had taught his students a lot, but it made no sense to tell them everything. That would just have been creating enemies – although apparently that was easier than he'd thought. Simply existing seemed to do the trick, if you were as good as he was.

Kat followed without saying a word. At first, Soros was glad that she was accepting her fate, but then it began to pose a problem. The same stubbornness he'd liked about her also meant that she wouldn't be a simple prisoner.

He didn't like calling her that. It reminded Soros of the wretched clan lords who thought of others as their property. The pack that had come after him had chosen their fate, and that was all right. But the man who had given the order wouldn't escape the revenge he had in store for him.

After doing nothing but sullenly walk behind him, Kat's eyes flew wide when she saw the hideout Soros had prepared years before. In the beginning, it had been nothing more than a cave, but over the years, he had forged it into a stronghold. It had basic provisions and a fresh spring nearby, but there was no escaping hunting. Soros figured they would be fine until the following day.

"Did you do all this?" Kat asked as she walked inside and he went to the fire pit in the middle of the cave.

"Yes," he replied, lighting the wood already waiting there.

He had a habit of always leaving the place prepared, in case he was forced to come there in a hurry, with no equipment and no chance to venture out.

As the flames leaped up, warming his hands – it was cold so high up – Kat went on hesitantly, "Don't get me wrong, but why aren't there any machines? This is all medieval. Um, I mean, this is how people used to live centuries, millenniums ago."

Soros nodded.

"I know," he said. "A part of a warrior's training is to learn how to survive without all the things we take for granted. I keep this as a reminder to myself, so I wouldn't forget I need nothing more than myself to survive."

Kat was looking around, peeking out of the doorway. Cold rain had begun to fall outside as it got darker. He could see her shiver, wondering if her armor provided any warmth at all.

"Will they be able to find you here?" she asked.

"Not unless they're very close and looking right at us," Soros replied. "I will close the cave soon enough, when it becomes too dark. They can't see us, but the fire will be like a beacon."

"What do you mean, close the cave?"

He pointed to a huge rock next to the doorway. It amused him to see Kat look at the boulder, then at him, then back again.

"You can't be serious," she said, turning to him. "No man can move that."

"I can. I put it there. It's not a perfect fit, but it's a door."

She looked like she was about to continue arguing, but seeing the look on his face, she left it alone. Soros wondered if he should disarm her. He'd taken the rifle, but she still carried a gun on one hip and a long dagger on the other, perhaps more underneath.

"Do I need to worry about those?" he asked, pointing. "Or are you smart enough to realize they won't do you much good?"

She glared at him and somehow the expression made her even more gorgeous. Soros could feel his cock grow harder, pressing painfully against his armor. She didn't seem to have any problem with igniting his desire, but he was oddly fine with that.

"You can stop your posturing," she said, although her voice shook a little. "I'm not stupid, I know you can take me. You don't need to remind me every two seconds."

Her defiance brought a new smirk to his lips.

"I don't," he replied, sitting down and leaning against the cave wall as the rain started to pour outside. "I say it like it is."

She hid the rolling of her eyes well. Soros grinned even wider. He couldn't remember the last time he’d done that. Spending all his time with warriors who either hated or admired him didn’t allow for much camaraderie. Dolon Hall didn't produce friendships, it was meant to harden the warriors for later life.

Until the rain kept pouring, he kept the cave open. It would have been practically impossible to catch a lone fire through the storm outside. He brought out two packs of nutrient bars and gave one to her. Soros had expected her to protest, but Kat accepted the tasteless lump with unquestioning ease that told him she didn't think it weird at all.

They sat near the fire and Soros found himself unable to tear his eyes from her. The flames dancing between them cast her in a beautiful, warm light as she sat on the floor and ate. She'd brought water from the spring and didn't complain about that either. Clearly, living with little wasn't unknown to her.

Soros watched her, enjoying the way her whole body seemed to relax in the heat. Once she had finished her food, there was an actual smile on her face for a moment, but it washed away when she raised her eyes to him.

"Am I your prisoner now?" she asked.

The happiness he'd felt for a moment disappeared into the darkness outside. With one sentence, she'd reminded him that it was fake and she wasn't free to leave.

"Yes," he said simply, seeing no point in lying.

She kept her gaze on him. Soros could see a thousand words beating against her teeth, wanting to spill out, but she kept them to herself.

"And if I try to leave, you will kill me?" she asked, perhaps trying to sound braver than she felt.

Soros set his cup on the cold stone floor, his voice as hard as the walls around them when he answered, "If you force my hand."

To be perfectly honest, Soros didn't know if he could do that. Her big blue eyes reflected the flames between them as she nodded, accepting the answer.

"Tell me then," she asked. "Why are you hiding? The ambassador tried to explain, but I don't think I fully understand."

"They want me to be an assassin," he said. "I will not be told who to kill by men who have no judgment and no honor."

"And I assume they are not men you can refuse," Kat finished.

Soros smiled without any humor or warmth.

"That is correct," he said.

"Okay," Kat continued. "
That
I understand. You don't want to be an assassin for the clan lords, and if you refuse them, they'll kill you out of fear that you might be a threat. But why not go to the chieftain?"

"What makes you think Nadar is any different?" he asked.

Kat seemed taken aback by that question.

"I don't know," she finally admitted. "His reputation, I guess. He made you join the Union. He fought for the holy world. He wants to do things right."

Soros shook his head, the same morbid smile on his lips.

"Nadar is a leader," he stated. "I know. I taught him. Everything you said is true. I agree that he is the best chieftain for Corgans. But I don't think you understand what that means. To force his will on a whole realm that's fighting him – you can't do that with words alone. We are Corgans. We don't go where we don't want to."

"So you think he will ask the same," Kat said. "That he wants you to kill the lords that oppose him."

"Yes."

"I think you are wrong."

Soros sighed. She was so beautiful, but every word out of her mouth told him they were living in two separate worlds.

"The chieftain is a clan lord too, and he rules us all. No man can hope to stay in that position without the support of the others. Nadar knows that. He might not like it, but he will deal with those that try to hold him back. Do not think for a second that a good man won't make a hard decision if it's what the realm needs. There aren't many who can break through the ranks of a clan lord's personal guard. In fact, I can only think of one."

He stood up. Outside, the rain had fallen silent. It was time to close the cave for the night.

"Won't
he
accept your refusal?" Kat asked.

Soros smiled to himself. He remembered Nadar Brenger, one of his best students at a time when he had been roughly the same age as the warrior he trained.

"The others hope to coax me into their service. They would kill me as a last resort, after they're absolutely certain I won't change my mind. The chieftain would only ask me once and then he'd cut my throat.
He
wouldn't allow me the chance of betraying him. I know, because I wouldn't."

Before Kat could respond, he grabbed hold of the boulder and pushed with all his might. The immense stone took a moment before it budged. Soros could hear her gasp in astonishment and just a tinge of fear as the doorway was blocked, sealing the prisoner into her cage with the predator.