Bride of Death Read Online Free

own fingers up and under her mane to ease the bruising caused by her reverse head-butt.
    The physician asked Hinlior a few questions, and the general’s answer made him jerk in surprise. He gave Saloa a respectful look as he took care of the last of her bruises.
    General Hinlior extended his hand when the treatment was over. She slapped her hand into his and let him escort her back to her quarters.
    If she was a prisoner to an alien race, she was going to start acting like one. Name, rank and ident number.
     
    Two days later, Hinlior came to her quarters. “Time for lunch.”
    She stood up and followed him, quiet and solemn. She hadn’t spoken since their first meal together, and she was trying to come up with some sort of escape. The city beyond was almost complete, and if she wanted to hide, she needed to do it before the area was fully populated.
    If she could get to the mountains, she knew the trails and tunnels better than any of the men with her. She could get lost in there until she could think of something else.
    “Why aren’t you speaking?”
    She gave him a blank look.
    “I order you to speak.”
    She whispered, “What would you like me to say?”
    He blinked and leaned back. He had not been expecting her to speak.
    “Anything. How was your sleep?”
    “Fine.”
    He exhaled sharply and instead of the dining room, he grabbed her by the bicep and hauled her into the lift and to the private level for the command officers.
    He pulled her down a hall and into a room that bore his particular stamp of neatness and predatory attention. He steered her onto a couch and pulled a chair to block her escape. He sat and stared at her, his deep brown eyes searching hers. “What is it?”
    “What is what?”
    “Why are you so sullen?”
    She couldn’t believe it. “Why! Why!” She stood and pushed at his shoulders, but he seemed to be waiting for it. He pinned her wrists together and slammed her down on his thigh.
    She snarled and fought him until she slumped and panted.
    “Now, tell me what is wrong, and I will see if I can help.”
    “I want to choose my own mate. I mean, I know we can’t have a Prothean bonding, but it would mean so much.”
    “What is a Prothean bonding?” He was genuinely curious.
    She sniffled and inhaled. “We link minds during the ceremony and our emotions are shared throughout our lives. There is a reason we mate for life. If we don’t, we go mad.”
    “Why haven’t you explained this to me before?” He stroked her hair away from her face.
    “Would it have mattered?”
    “Of course. I would have gotten the details about your tolerance, and I would have contacted the enclave.” He frowned. “Your well-being is a prime concern.”
    “What if I can’t breed with more than one male?” She held her breath.
    “Are you telling me that you can’t have more than one breeding partner?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t know any Protheans that have. If your mate is alive, you can only have children with them.”
    He sat back in his chair, taking her with him. His hand was still absently stroking her hair. “I am unaware of the customs of your people. Are you willing to let the medical officer examine you?”
    She blinked. “Will you be there?”
    “I will be there.”
    Saloa followed her instinct and kissed him, her hands still pinned.
    He backed away, stared at her for a moment and then he returned her kiss until his teeth grazed her lip. She gasped, and he pulled back.
    They stared at each other, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. No man she had ever met made her feel this way, and for it to be a stranger from another world seemed to be just her luck.
    She blushed and slumped her shoulders. “Medical then?”
    He sighed and held the back of her head in his hand. “Why do I think my life just took a sudden shift?”
    Saloa shrugged. “I don’t know, but it is nice not to be the only one in the out-of-control category.”
    He chuckled and kissed her again; their