Berrr's Vow (24 page)

“There is only one way to save my Shanna.” Berrr looked down, his hand running up her back, over her shoulder, to cup Shanna’s face with his large, warm hand.

Misery was apparent on his face and mirrored in his beautiful blue eyes as Shanna stared up into them. She frowned, not knowing what his plan was but knowing that whatever it was he was anything but happy about it. A horrible thought struck her. Would he have to let those men rape her? She didn’t even want to think about that horrific possibility.

“Zorn laws are clear, my Shanna. If I fight those men I will be breaking the laws that I have vowed to uphold.” He took a deep breath. “The only way to protect you from Alluwn’s vengeance is to give you to Vinlotti.” He took a shuddering breath, shaking as he held her tight. “No one can touch you if I give you to him solely and you will no longer be under my bound’s rule to give to other men to mount.”

Shanna stared at him in horror, never expecting him to announce that in a million years. “Not for real, right? We’ll just say you’re giving me to him but once she’s gone he gives me back, right?” Her fingers clawed at his shirt. “Right, Berrr?”

His jaw clenched as he lifted his gaze from hers to glare at his friend over her head. “You would belong to him and the only way I could get you back is if he were willing to give you back to me once she is gone.”

Turning her head, she stared at Vinlotti. He looked as shocked as Shanna did while he stared at Berrr. The handsome Zorn took a step back and then froze, frown lines marring his features.

“I leave tomorrow and I can’t put off my return, Berrr. If your bound stays beyond today then I would have to take your human back to Voltos with me in the morning. You know I am your friend but there is no way I could resist a woman for that long and we both know it. Don’t ask this of me, my friend, for I fear our friendship would end when I did give in to the lust. It was difficult enough for me to spend the past few hours smelling her without touching her and if I take her to my home I would have to put her in my own room to keep my brothers from going after her.”

Shanna shook her head. “I don’t want you so if you’re talking about sex, think again, Vinlotti.”

Berrr snarled. “That is the only option I can think of to save my Shanna. You’re a strong warrior who is in control of your body. I don’t want you mounting my woman.”

“Don’t ask this of me, Berrr.” Vinlotti growled back, looking furious. “It is too much to ask for you to wish me to take her home with me, sleep in the same room with her for days and not touch her. I am a strong warrior but I’m also a male with needs. She is too tempting.”

“Wait a minute,” Shanna jerked her head around to stare up at Berrr. “I have a better idea.”

Looking furious still, Berrr lowered his head to stare down at Shanna. “You don’t know Zorn laws or what is at stake. I can’t protect you and Alluwn has finally found a way to get her revenge by offering you up to my guests. If I fight them to stop them from mounting you after she offered you to them, I will be arrested and probably put to death. Alluwn would have you put to death as well so we would both die. As much as I hate it, I know Vinlotti won’t harm you and he will protect you.” Berrr was shaking with fury as he lifted his head to glare at his friend. “If you mount her we will fight to the death.” Baring his teeth, Berrr snarled. “She is mine.”

Vinlotti snarled back. “Don’t ask this of me, my friend. I am warning you now that you are asking the impossible. If you send her home with me it will be a matter of time before I lose control.”

“Stop it,” Shanna gripped Berrr’s shirt hard, her fingers fisting it again, clawing at the leather. “I said I have another idea.
Down here, Berrr.
Look at me, damn it.”

Berrr snapped his chin down, eyes narrowing as he softly growled. “There is no other way, my Shanna.”

“Yes, there is.” Shanna took a deep breath. “I think there is anyway. You don’t have to share your bound with other men right? Just house helpers?”

Berrr gave a nod, his beautiful eyes looking furious as their gazes locked together. “Alluwn is safe from them unfortunately. It would be fitting if she could suffer the fate she wishes you to face.”

Nodding, Shanna stared into his eyes. “I am officially asking your permission to challenge Alluwn to be your bound then. If I fight that bitch and win then she’s out of our lives, I’m your bound, and those men can’t touch me, right?”

Shock swept across Berrr’s features but then his mouth opened as he sucked in air. He got control of his reaction in seconds, deeply frowning, and shook his head no. “She would kill you for sure. You are human.”

“Is it hand-to-hand fighting or are weapons allowed?”

Berrr was frowning, glaring at Shanna, refusing to answer her question.

“Hand to hand,” Vinlotti said softly. “It would be in front of witnesses to show fairness after one of our law judges approved the challenge. If you beat her then Alluwn would be sent far away if you allowed her to live and you would win the right to be bound to Hyvin Berrr if he accepted you as his bound.”

“No,” Berrr growled. “I won’t allow you to challenge Alluwn.”

Shanna shoved hard at Berrr, pushing away from him. He released her as she backed away, her heart taking a solid hit. Blinking back tears, she turned her back on the man she loved, forcing herself to look at Vinlotti as she walked closer to him and away from Berrr.

“I guess I’m all yours then, Vinlotti.” She turned her head to look at Berrr. “He won’t be returning me to you so if he mounts me or not won’t be an issue anymore since I’m never coming back. I don’t want to be with a man who cares more about another woman than he does about me.”

Rage was easy to read on Berrr’s features. “You are all I want, Shanna. That is not why I have rejected your challenge.”

She turned fully around to face him, keeping a good eight feet between them. “Then you just think I’m too pathetic and weak as a human to fight that bitch. You just don’t have any faith in me at all that I might win, do you, Berrr? You’d rather send me away with one of your friends who admits he’s going to fuck me than let me make my own choice about my life. I hate all the options but it’s my choice and I choose to fight over being raped. Do you understand that? If you don’t let me fight for my freedom, since that’s obviously what it’s going to take to get me out of this mess, then I don’t ever want to see you again. I’ll make a life with Vinlotti here or someone else who might have a little faith in me.”

Berrr looked really unhappy as he stared at Shanna with narrowed eyes. “She will kill you without mercy because you are smaller and weaker. This is no insult to your pride, my Shanna. It is a fact.”

“Let me fight for my freedom or turn around now and walk away from me, Berrr. I’ll go home with Vinlotti in the morning and I won’t ever see you again. I refuse to be with a man who’d rather hand me over to someone else than give me a chance to save my own ass. Your hands are tied. I get that but mine aren’t.”

Berrr growled, raising his hands to glance at them and then her.

“It’s a saying,” Shanna sighed. “I know your hands aren’t really tied. It means you’re out of options but I’m not. Trust me when I tell you I’m mad enough at that bitch to fight her. She set me up to be gang raped by that hairy ape and your other friends. I know you think humans don’t stand a chance against a Zorn but I was doing pretty well with your house helpers until they ganged up on me six to one. I’ve met Alluwn and I know she’s a tough bitch, tougher than your house helpers are, but don’t do this to me, damn it. Don’t let me get raped or handed off to another guy who admits openly that he’s going to try to fuck me just because you are a male chauvinist pig about some things.”

His frown deepened. “She will kill you.”

“At least I won’t be raped. I’d rather take my chances in a fight so I have a fair shot at defending myself one on one.” Glaring at him now, Shanna took a deep breath. “This is your last chance at keeping me, Berrr. I am asking your permission to challenge Alluwn the way your fucked-up laws require.”

Vinlotti moved closer to Shanna. “She did get away from Ssshal and she moves fast, Berrr. If given the choice if I were a woman I’d rather fight as well.”

Berrr snarled, turning away, his rage making his body visibly tremble. He gave a jerk of his head. “I accept.” He suddenly spun back around to face Shanna, his angry gaze locking on her. “You better win, my Shanna. I hope that you are as tough as you keep telling me humans are.”

Shanna nodded, relieved that he’d agreed. “Just let me at that bitch.”

“Zorn women fight unfair,” Vinlotti warned softly. “
It’s
body fighting against body fighting, no weapons allowed. Those are the only rules. She can use her teeth against you so watch her mouth. Most Zorn women go for the eyes of another woman to blind them so they can kill them easier or in Alluwn’s case, toy with you to taunt Berrr.”

Shanna turned her head, staring up at the beautiful dark-skinned man. The fear of fighting Alluwn started to settle in but she nodded at him, letting him know she heard him. “Thank you. I’ll watch her mouth and my face.”

Berrr growled. “Please reconsider, my Shanna. I do not want to bury you.”

Anger returned almost instantly as Shanna snapped her head in his direction. “Your lack of faith in me is starting to piss me off. Let’s get this show on the road. What happens next?”

Berrr looked enraged again as he turned for the door. “We find Alluwn, tell her I accepted your offer of challenge, and then we take it to a judge who has to agree to the fight. You both will be taken to the arena where you will face off with her if the judge approves.”

Berrr just stormed out the door. Shanna stood there stunned for a second before a large hand gripped her arm, startling her, making her turn her head to glance up at Vinlotti. He looked grim.

“He is worried about your life and very angry that it has come to this. I would be furious as well in his position. We are very protective of our women and I would be insane right now if you were mine, realizing you were going to have to fight to stay in my bed. It goes against all we are to allow our women to fight for us. We need to follow him.”

Shanna’s feet moved as the large man steered her for the door, both of them following a slow-moving Berrr toward the center of the house where he went in search of Alluwn. Berrr never turned his head to check if they were following or not, his body
language clear
that he was still enraged. Alluwn was in the kitchen, her voice loud as she yelled at one of the poor house helpers cooking dinner.

“I do not know where my bound found you,” Alluwn snarled loudly. “But he should have left you there. Do I have to show you how to prepare a meal properly for honored warriors? They come from far away to stay in the Hyvin’s home and they expect quality food served to them. You are a—”

“Alluwn,” Berrr snarled harshly. “Leave her alone and face me.”

Shanna walked into the kitchen in time to see Alluwn spin around, looking furious as she glared at Berrr. “Never order me around the way you do your house helpers,” the woman hissed. Her attention turned to the doorway, spotting Shanna and Vinlotti, her anger increasing. “She is expected in the guest quarters by Ssshal. I’ll inform him myself that he may have her now.” Alluwn attempted to storm past Berrr.

Berrr’s hand shot out lightning fast, reaching out to grab Alluwn’s arm to stop her. “You will not.”

A mean smile curved the woman’s mouth and her dark eyes narrowed in pure glee. “You can’t protect your pathetic human. You should have hidden her better when I arrived. I will take great enjoyment watching you suffer knowing that other males are going to mount your new toy.” The woman tried to jerk out of Berrr’s hold but he refused to release her arm. Pure rage filled her features. “House
helper,
go inform the guests now that the human is in the kitchen waiting to be mounted. Go now!”

The house helper gasped and then ran for the door, terrified by Alluwn’s yelling at her. The frightened house helper nearly slammed into Vinlotti who was in her way, barely missing him, and fled the room. Shanna didn’t look away from the couple glaring at each other. Berrr took a deep breath.

“My
toy
has issued a challenge and I have accepted.” Berrr softly growled. “She challenges your place as bound.”

Alluwn laughed. “Your sense of humor has improved greatly over the years I have been gone, my bound.”

Berrr growled, releasing her arm roughly, stepping back. “The challenge is real, unfortunately, and you have left me with no other choice but to accept it. She would rather face you in a fight to the death than be mounted by other males.” Berrr took another deep breath. “If you let her live I will give you my vow to do whatever you wish.” He gritted his teeth, his voice sounded as rough as gravel as it lowered. “I will bow to you in front of my warriors and take that shame if you do not kill her, Alluwn.”

Shanna was instantly pissed off even knowing he was doing it to save her life but the fact that he had so little faith in her made her mad and it hurt. “Don’t you dare,” she said softly.
“Berrr?”

He turned his head, his beautiful eyes looking really sad as their gazes locked. “She will kill you, my Shanna, and I can’t stand to bury you. I would bow to her, set aside my pride to save you from death. You matter more to me than the shame I would feel to show her submission in front of my people.”

Shaking her head, Shanna moved right up to him, her hand going to his chest, again wishing she could touch his skin instead of the leather shirt of his uniform as she stared up at him.

“I don’t want you to make a deal with her, all right? I’m not as weak as you think I am and I have anger on my side on this. Haven’t you ever heard that the good guys always win in the end?”

He frowned, his hand curling around her hip, as he stared down at her. “Is this yet another one of your Earth sayings?”

“Yes. It means I’m going to kick the shit out of that bitch so stop trying to make deals with the devil. That would be her, it’s a bad word, it means she’s not a nice person and I have far too much to gain if I win so have a little faith in me.”