“He didn’t,” Coto said loudly. “She belongs to Volder under the law and he was the one who gave the order to kill her.” Disgust was clear in his voice when he’d spoken.

“Do what your father says, Argis Rever. Your father is a wise man who knows what he is ordering.”

Fury gripped Rever’s expression. “I know where his thoughts lay. She’s mine now that I bound to her and I won’t give her up.”

Allot snarled. “You already have an alien. You can’t bound with two. Not even an Argis has that privilege.”

Rever took a slow step forward and didn’t look at the nearly three dozen Zorn warriors. His attention fixed on Allot. “I challenge you a fight for her.” Shock paled Allot’s face. “She’s not mine to challenge over so I won’t fight you.” Rever moved so fast that it shocked Brenda. He leapt a good five feet to the boulder he’d moved closest to and landed on all fours. His powerful body was tense as he straightened up, slowly standing from a crouch, and his electric blue eyes burned with rage as he glared at Allot again.

“Release her or die, Allot. Those are the options I am giving you. If her life is extinguished, everyone here dies with her. I will fight to my last breath. I won’t allow you to take my woman away from me to give another male.” Brenda was terrified for his life, knowing Rever was going to get killed over her.

Hot tears filled her eyes. “Rever, please don’t die for me.” Her voice shook. “I couldn’t live with that and if you die, I die.”

His mouth compressed into a tight line as his gorgeous blue gaze locked with her tear-filled eyes. “Are you mine, Brenda?”

“Always.”

Rever responded with a roar that tore through the area, loud enough to hurt Brenda’s ears. He leapt again, his powerful body landed in a roll in the dirt at the bottom of the slope but when he came up to his feet, he moved at full speed. Brenda could only suck in air as Rever launched himself at Allot. The other man barely had time to tense before Rever attacked.

The first punch Rever threw made Allot stagger backward with a loud groan. Allot caught his balance, snarling, before he threw out a fist too. Rever ducked it, missed the intended blow, and threw himself forward to hit shoulder first into Allot’s body. Both of them went down.

Men rushed forward but Coto stopped them. “No! Back off,” he snarled. “Let them fight.”

The men slowly retreated to a safe distance but some of them didn’t look happy about it, a few obviously outright pissed off. Brenda’s terrified gaze flew to the two men on the ground where red dirt clouded up around them. Rever and Allot exchanged heavy punches, rolled around and fought for control of the other. Rever ended up on top, his fist slamming into the other man’s face. Rever climbed to his feet after Allot was unconscious. He turned, facing the group of men with a roar that exploded out of his open mouth. He took a fighting stance.

“Enough, Argis,” Coto growled. “You don’t want to do this.” Rever turned his head to stare at the Zorn who had spoken. His uniform was split in a few places from the fight, his tan skin showed near his shoulder, and across his stomach where the material had been torn open. He showed teeth as he growled and his beautiful eyes were furious while he glared at Coto.

“Let my woman go.”

Behind her, Brenda heard Coto take a deep breath. She tried to walk toward Rever but the warrior gripped her chain tighter, jerking her back hard enough that she stumbled and bumped into his chest.

“Now,” Coto snarled.

In shock and horror, Brenda saw some of the men raise weapons that resembled guns at Rever. He must have seen their movements out of the corner of his vision, his head jerked in their direction where they were grouped together, and a roar tore from him when the men fired at him.

Brenda screamed, seeing Rever stagger as he was shot. She went wild, twisted hard against the restraints and screamed again when the man she loved dropped to his knees. Rever turned his head to look at Brenda. She couldn’t look away as she saw his eyes roll up into his head so just the whites of them showed. Almost in slow motion his body swayed before he crumpled hard on the red dirt packed ground.

Coto snarled in anger and the hold on Brenda was suddenly gone. She didn’t mentally tell herself to do it but just instinctively rushed for Rever. When she reached him, she stumbled, off balance with her hands bound behind her back, and just dropped to her knees to frantically look for bloody wounds on his still body.

His uniform was black but she didn’t see any wetness to indicate that he was bleeding where she saw things sticking out of him. They appeared to be yellow round pellets that had barely embedded just in his skin and uniform. She fought the restraints but she couldn’t break free.

“Rever?” Tears blinded her, thinking they’d killed him over her. “REVER!” She cried out his name when she bent over him, staring at his handsome face.

His eyes remained closed but she did see his chest rise and fall, assuring her that he wasn’t dead. He’d collapsed to the side but he’d landed on his back and he wasn’t trying to get up. She turned her head to stare in horror at Coto.

“How could you? Help him, damn it. Get him a doctor!” Coto slowly walked forward. “He will live.”

“You had him shot!” She screamed the words, struggling to get to her feet but couldn’t find the balance to do it. All she could do was glare up at Coto. She wanted to launch herself at the bastard to kill him. “I thought you said you were raised with him.” The Zorn man stopped a few feet back. “Those are sleep pellets that will keep him unconscious for a few hours. I would never have him harmed.” Relief poured through Brenda that Rever wasn’t seriously hurt and dying. She swiveled her head back, staring down at the man she was in love with to assure herself that he was breathing but unconscious. She bent over him more, needing to touch him.

With her hands held behind her back she lost her balance and pitched forward to land across Rever’s chest, her face was just inches from his.

“Rever, I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I love you.” Brenda put her face in his neck, feeling his strong heartbeat against her lips when she pressed them to the skin just under his ear. She inhaled his wonderful scent even though he smelled strongly of dirt and sweat from his fight. She didn’t care. With every breath he took it moved her body sprawled on his chest.