The Barbarian's Captive by Maddie Taylor Page A

transit will be brief.”
    He guided her into a large room with plush furniture and several large viewing screens on the wall. Bypassing it, he proceeded down a short hallway, through another set of doors, and into a bedroom. “We sleep here.”
    “We?” she squeaked.
    “Of course.” He arched a brow and cast her a meaningful look as he crossed to the wide bed. “I would think last night made it clear you belong to me now.”
    Eva bristled. “I’m not sure what last night was all about since I didn’t understand a word you said. What’s more, I’m a lieutenant in the United States Interstellar Forces. I don’t belong to anyone except myself. Nor do I answer to anyone other than my captain.”
    “Correction. You are my mate, so you answer to me. And since you are soon to be of the planet Primaria, of which I am Maxime Princep, that goes doubly so. None of what you were before is relevant any longer.” He pulled down the linens on the bed as he gave her more directives. “Remove your clothes and climb in. I am going to shower and change. Then I have some contacts to make before I can attend to you. I will rejoin you later.” Without waiting to see if she complied, he left.
    She stood staring after him in shock, her mouth opening and shutting in outrage. “His mate!” she finally sputtered. “Fuck that!” She spun on her heel, and rushed out of the bedroom. “And fuck him,” she grumbled as she retraced their path through the suite to the main entrance. Where she would go, or what she would do beyond that she had no idea. She only knew she had to get away from the bossy, arrogant, infuriating alien.
    “What I was before is irrelevant now, my ass.”
    When the door didn’t open, she waved her hand over the sensor, a stretch for her, as it was placed high on the wall to accommodate the above average height of Max Kerr and his cohorts. It didn’t budge, nor did the indicator light flash as it had for him. She took her hand away and tried again, frowning when nothing happened. Laying both hands flat on the door, she tried to slide it. When that didn’t work, she eyed the sensor panel at length. It had to be the key.
    Dragging over a heavy chair from a nearby table, she climbed onto it to get a better look. She studied the glass paneled recessed box for a moment. Maybe she could pop off the outer casing and rewire—
    “What are you doing?”
    She jumped and shrieked, twisting around to discover Max standing about three feet behind her, arms crossed over his chest, lips flattened into a thin line, his golden eyes snapping with anger. But she moved too fast, losing her balance. She flailed her arms wildly, trying to keep from falling. He was there in an instant, steadying her with his big hands on her hips. Her own fell instinctively to his broad shoulders as she stabilized.
    That was when she noticed the change.
    Max’s loincloth and miles of bare, tanned skin were gone, instead replaced by a dark red tunic and black pants. There were gold slashes across the shoulders which she assumed signified his rank. His long silky black hair had been tamed and gathered at the back of his neck and the full, somewhat overlong beard had been removed, leaving his face clean-shaven and smooth. The barbarian had disappeared, and in his place stood a handsome, sophisticated, evolved man.
    “I asked what you were doing, little one.” His dark brow angled up, a habit she noticed he had when annoyed or impatient. “I’m not used to repeating myself. Nor am I used to having my orders blatantly disobeyed. Where are you supposed to be?” His fingers flexed, digging into her hips, not painfully so, yet delivering a clear warning that she was trying his patience.
    Eva opened her mouth, but nothing came out. He dipped his shoulder with a grunt that sounded much like annoyance, and the next thing she knew she was once more draped over it, being carried back down the hall. Her ass was in the air, her upper body dangling down his