Coletti Warlords: Vexing Voss (3 page)

“Surrender and I will be merciful,”
the Battle Commander added.

I burst out laughing. A merciful warlord? Wasn’t that an oxymoron?

“You find me amusing?”

“Very.”

“You refuse my offer?”

“My, you are a bright one, aren’t you?”

“I will find you.”

What a smug asshole.
“Wanna bet?”

“You issue a challenge?”

“Sure, whatever.”

“As you wish. A challenge was issued and has been accepted. We will meet on the battlefield in twelve hours.”

“What? I’m not fighting you.”
Was he nuts? I wouldn’t last ten seconds in any kind of hand-to-hand combat with him, and the jerk knew it.

“The challenge has been accepted. You have no recourse.”

“The hell I don’t.”

“Are you without honor?”

“No, but this is ridiculous.”

“You have the option of surrender.”

“Surrender is not an option.”

“Then we meet on the battlefield, or those close to you will pay the forfeit.”

“If you want to kill the general, go for it.”

“Alejandro Vega is my guest. Do you still wish me to go for it?”

I ground my teeth in frustration. Dammit, I had been outmaneuvered.

Marie stared at me anxiously. “What’s going on?”

“The Battle Commander has your son.”

“What! How? Is he okay?”

I held up a hand.
“I want proof that Alejandro is okay.”

“He has not been harmed.”

“Give him access to a phone and—”

Voss broke in with a menacing growl.
“You doubt my word?”

Insult a Coletti’s honor and you didn’t live very long.
“Who, me? Never. His mom wants to speak with him.”

“I will make the arrangements.”

“Thank you. Am I allowed to bring weapons to the challenge?”

“It is permitted.”

“Where’s the big smackdown happening?”

“Smackdown?”

“You know…the battlefield?”

“The base gym at dawn.”

That was so lame. You’d think the arrogant bastard would set it up at one of the big arenas and turn it into a media event. See the big bad warlord beat up the itty-bitty human.
“Could you specify a time? I’d hate to be five minutes late and find out you had already hacked off Alejandro’s head.”

“That would be unfortunate. Zero-five-hundred.”

“Perfect.”
I broke the link and sagged against the wall with a groan. What had I done?

My cell phone beeped. “Hello?”

The raspy voice of my private investigator, Pete, announced, “El Jefe will be at Latin King’s Family Farm this Friday at ten.”

Crap. The wiretaps had finally paid off, and I knew where one of the traitors would be tomorrow. If the Battle Commander won, I would never find my mother’s murderer.

Chapter Two

The rising sun painted the cloud-covered sky bloodred. I sure hoped it wasn’t an omen. I knew the Battle Commander wouldn’t kill me. My psychic skills made me too valuable.

Voss might toss me around a bit to teach me a lesson, or he’d just pounce and take me down in the first ten seconds. Game over, and El Jefe and the traitors would keep on killing.

My inner radar prickled a warning as I rode my motorcycle through the open base gates. Jaylan was lurking nearby, waiting for me to chicken out.

The two sentries saluted sharply.

I saluted them back, wincing when the gates slammed shut behind me.

Grim-faced soldiers lined the roadway to the gym. As I drove past them, they saluted. I was kind of surprised and overwhelmed at the honor. Had the general arranged this? Nah, wasn’t his style. Daddy was probably drunk on his ass celebrating with Jasmine the whore.

The minute I turned the engine off and removed my helmet, Jaylan appeared in a spiffy black dress uniform with a ceremonial sword strapped to his waist.

I’d love to be able to teleport anywhere I wanted go.

His gaze swept over my long shiny black hair, flawless skin marred only by the bruise Daddy had given me; lingered for a moment on my curvy figure revealed by the formfitting black T-shirt and jeans I wore, before examining my steel-toed boots and weapons. “Why would you hide such beauty?”

“Gee, let me think. Oh yeah, it’s the fate worse than death. You know, being forced to mate with some Coletti asshole.”

Jaylan bared his fangs in a predator’s smile. “You have no choice. The Battle Commander awaits you.”

Choice? He might be surprised at how many choices I had. Fluttering my eyelashes like some Southern belle, I gushed, “Gosh, I’m all atwitter in anticipation.”

“I can see why your father wanted to beat you.”

“Speaking of beatings, have you ever heard the story of Donna and Goliath?”

“No.” A firm hand at my back, he herded me toward the gym.

“Goliath was a giant Philistine warrior brought down by an itty-bitty female.”

Jaylan laughed. “A female will never defeat the Battle Commander.”

“You’re one hundred percent sure of that?”

With a low growl, Jaylan yanked the door open and shoved me inside the gym.

My eyes widened in horror as I surveyed my opponent. The Battle Commander was shirtless, barefoot, and weaponless. He probably thought the sight of all those awesome muscles would intimidate me, and boy, did they. He’d scare the piss out of anyone with a lick of sense.

Good thing I didn’t have a lick of sense. I sucked in a deep, calming breath and fought down the urge to run screaming. I wouldn’t get very far even if I did make a run for it.

“Still think you can win?”

No, even being a sneaky bitch, my chances ranged from slim to none. “The big guy’s going down,” I blustered.

Jaylan snorted. “You won’t last one of your minutes.”

“Care to place a bet on that?”

The warlord cocked a disbelieving eyebrow. “You wish to wager on the outcome of the fight?”

“Yep. If I last longer than one of our minutes, I get that nifty sword of yours.”

“And if you do not?”

I slid the knife out of my boot, and I held it up. “Then this genuine black oxide SEAL combat knife is yours.”

Jaylan suddenly snapped to attention. “The Battle Commander waits.”

“So?”

“You delay the inevitable,”
Voss warned in my head.

I turned around and gave him the one-finger salute.
“Go fuck a duck.”

Displaying an awesome set of fangs, Voss answered,
“I’d rather fuck you.”

“Not happening. Ever,”
I snarled, putting my knife back into the sheath.

The smug bastard started laughing.
“I will soon be inside you.”

“I’ll die first.”

“No you will not die, but you will submit to me eagerly.”
Voss’s possessive gaze surveyed me from head to toe.
“I am very pleased with your beauty.”

“I can’t tell you how happy that makes me,”
I retorted sarcastically.

“You would do well to hold your tongue.”

My temper roared to life. He was so going down. I stomped across the thickly padded floor toward the Battle Commander. He was a satanic figure—massive, motionless, and wholly focused on me.

I stopped directly in front of him and snapped, “I want Alejandro released now.”

“The only one I accept commands from is the Overlord,” Voss responded, folding his arms across his massive chest.

I fought down the urge to scream in frustration, plastered a pleasant smile on my face, and said sweetly, “Please release Alejandro, snookums wookums.”

He raised one eyebrow. “Snookums wookums?”

“Would you prefer asshole?”

“I would prefer you show me the proper respect.”

Hunching my shoulders, I assumed my timid mouse demeanor and let the tears flow. “Please forgive me, my lord, it won’t happen again.”

The Battle Commander’s big hand tilted my head up. “I think I prefer the fierce little warrior.”

“No! Get your fucking hands off me!” Alejandro suddenly shouted.

I spun around. Alejandro fought fiercely against two Coletti warriors who were dragging him out of the gym. “Let me fight in her place. She hasn’t got a chance.”

Testosterone was the bane of my existence. Alejandro was a homicide cop and built like a pro wrestler, but he was no match for the Battle Commander. The Overlord or Talree, the Overlord’s son, were probably the only ones that could defeat Voss in battle.

“Stop it, Alejandro!” I yelled, starting toward him.

Voss’s fingers clamped around my arm like a vise. “You are not permitted to leave until the battle is concluded.”

Just fucking terrific. If I didn’t do something, Alejandro was going to get himself killed. Once the fight started, Voss would know exactly how powerful I really was anyway, so I might as well go out with a bang.

Dropping my shields, I slid into Alejandro’s mind and commanded,
“Stop fighting.”

Alejandro stopped struggling, and the warriors released him.

“The Battle Commander will not harm me. Your mother needs you alive and well. Go, Marie waits for you outside the gates.”

His face blank, Alejandro obediently walked out the doors.

“Impressive,” Voss commented, obviously pleased.

“Then this should really knock your socks off.” I pulled out my bottle of eau de dead skunk perfume and sprayed myself from the chest down.

Voss took a step back as the stench hit him. “What have you done?”

“Evened the odds. Still want to fuck me?”

Moving with a speed that was astonishing for a man his size, he yanked the bottle out of my hand. “A strategic but futile move.”

If he started spouting
resistance is futile
, I was going to smack the living shit out of him.

He walked over to the edge of the mat and handed Jaylan the bottle. “Find an antidote and quickly.”

“Yes, my lord.” Giving me a nasty look, Jaylan vanished.

The Battle Commander turned, and every cell in my body went on red alert. In that instant I knew he would take me, dead skunk smell or not.

Meeting his merciless gaze, I smiled and struck his mind with every ounce of power I had.

Voss’s head snapped back, and shock flared for a brief moment in his eyes. An unholy smile formed on his cruel mouth as he inclined his head in recognition. “Nicely done, little warrior. You are everything I hoped for and more.”

Oh hell. Drawing heavily on my psychic power, I punched him again and again and again.

Voss easily blocked my blows as he stalked toward me like some great hungry cat.

Shit! I was about to become lunch
. Yanking my Taser out of its holster, I shot him dead center in the chest.

The Battle Commander growled and pulled the electrodes out.

Before I could retreat, he snatched the Taser away from me and crushed it into itty-bitty pieces.

Note to self: Tasers only piss warlords off. Cold fear prickling my body, I pulled my knife and hurled it at him.

Voss caught it in midair and threw it across the gym. The knife impaled the far wall and quivered violently.

“Neat trick.” Swallowing hard, I backed away from him, wondering if I could outrun him. Nah, he’d just teleport and catch me.

Voss bared his fangs in a predatory smile. “Now it’s my turn.”

I jumped a good foot when phantom hands began caressing my breasts, and a ghostly mouth trailed erotic kisses down my stomach. “Hey! Knock it off! What kind of fight is this?”

“Sensual. You have been with a man before. Draw on that experience to seduce me.”

How in the hell did he know about Paul? I smothered a groan. Alejandro. “I’m not going to seduce you. I’m gonna kick your ass.”

Voss smirked. “I think not.”

“Think again,” I snarled and smacked wildly at my chest, trying to knock those ghostly hands off my breasts.

He feathered caresses across my nipples. “Can you resist my touch, my possession?”

I shuddered at the sensation. Good question. I might have his full, undivided attention, but at least he was keeping his distance.

“You will soon beg for me to take you.”

“That will never happen.”

The Battle Commander arrogantly answered. “Are you so very sure?”

“Never gonna happen,” I stated defiantly.

Voss’s tongue stroked my clitoris, and his oh-so-amused eyes watched as my hips bucked helplessly. “Are you a screamer?”

I fought back the raw need and hissed, “Your touch disgusts me.”

“No, it does not.”

My knees buckled as his hot mouth closed over my clit. He licked, suckled, and nibbled my swollen bud of flesh, enflaming every nerve ending. I heard my shallow, ragged, desperate pants as he drove his tongue deep inside me. “Stop!”

“You are mine, little warrior.” Voss tweaked my nipples, sending an explosion of pleasure racing over me.

I knew Coletti warlords were experts at mental sex, but sweet Jesus! He made me want and need to feel a man’s touch again. Paul had been the only man in my life. How could I betray him? I focused on his handsome face and fought the Battle Commander’s seduction.

Voss replaced his merciless tongue with two long fingers. He pumped into me hard and deep.

My eyes rolled back in my head as the flames grew and blossomed, sweeping me into a maelstrom of need.

His mind pushed into mine. “You belong to me.”

I whimpered as the Battle Commander’s powerful arms lifted me. He filled my senses, stole all reason.

Voss’s lips closed over mine, and his tongue invaded, tasted, possessed. He began thrusting into my mouth, the rhythm matching the movement deep inside me.

His every touch twisted the coil of arousal tighter and tighter.

My inner muscles clamped around his marauding fingers. No! I had. To…

Oh God. Oh my God.

Stop him.

“Come for me, little one.” He wielded an expertise that had me writhing under his mental seduction.

Paul’s familiar face vanished from my memory and was replaced by Voss’s hard features.

He rolled my clit with his thumb, and wave after wave of ecstasy pulsed through me. A scream tore from me as I climaxed.