Grace Goodwin - Tamed by the Beast

When my eyelids drifted closed with an irresistible urge to sleep I realized, yes, they absolutely were pumping me full of some kind of feel-good, either in the water or in the air, and I simply didn’t care.

Tiffani, Planet Atlan, Warlord Dax’s Fortress

I awoke on a soft bed that made my king-sized mattress at home look like a twin. A fabric as soft as silk cushioned my cheek and I stroked the soft, cream-colored fabric as I looked around the room. I had landed in the middle of a freaking fairytale castle. The room was larger than my one-bedroom apartment back home, the walls looked like pale blue and gray marble. Plush rugs with scenes of oddly colored birds and trees littered the floor and a huge canopy draped the bed, making me feel like I was in a secret clubhouse.

Elaborate designs decorated white crown molding with swirls of gold and pewter gray that looked strangely similar to the cuffs I’d worn in my dream. And everything, from the couch and chair across the room, to the pillows, was bigger than I’d ever seen before. I wondered just how big these Atlan warriors truly were. And how big were their women? A human child would need a small ladder to get up on that couch.

“You’re awake.” The voice was friendly, female and spoke in English. I rolled over to see a petite brunette smiling at me. She was dressed like a princess in a flowing green-and-gold gown, her hair piled on top of her head in an elaborate up-do I could never hope to master. Her eyes were a warm brown, and full of sympathy as they looked at me. “How’s your head? Those NPUs can be brutal for the first few days.”

“NPU?” I blinked and tried to sit. With the movement, a flash of pain, like an icepick in my temple, made me groan.

“Yep, that’s what I thought.” She grinned and leaned forward with a glowing blue stick of some sort, which she waved around near my face. “Hold still. The ReGen wand will help with the headache.”

“Thanks.” I held still, but my eyes followed the wand back and forth, wondering what the hell she was doing. But it seemed to help and the headache faded. With it went the nausea. And a few moments later, blessedly, the room stopped spinning. I needed one of those.

“The NPU is a translator. While I obviously speak English, the Atlans don’t. It allows you to understand all languages. Better?” she asked.

I nodded and I didn’t feel a hint of pain.

She pulled the ReGen wand back and turned if off somehow, setting it on a decorative, gold-flecked nightstand next to the bed before holding out her right hand. “I’m Sarah.”

“Tiffani.”

“Nice to meet you.” She shook my hand, her grip warm but firm and I noticed the elegantly carved gold bands on her wrists.

“So, you’re mated to an Atlan, too?”

Her smile was a mile wide and gave me hope. “Yep. Dax is all mine. We had a rough start, but I love it here. So tell me, how’s Earth?”

It seemed an odd question, but I wasn’t actually on Earth anymore. “Um, well, the same, I guess.”

“Where are you from?”

“Wisconsin.”

Sarah nodded. “I was an Army brat. I moved so much, nowhere ever really felt like home. I miss Earth, but I don’t. I belong here, and soon you will, too.”

I scooted to the edge of the bed and looked down at my body. I was dressed in a gown similar to the one Sarah wore, but instead of green and gold, it was a deep burgundy that I knew would bring out the red highlights in my hair. It fit me perfectly, and I had to wonder where they’d gotten the darn thing. It wasn’t like I could buy clothes off the rack at home and I definitely hadn’t gone clothes shopping on Atlan while I slept. Unlike Sarah, my wrists were bare.

She must have read my mind. “Oh, isn’t that color perfect? It brings out your eyes.”

“Yes. I… thank you. But where did you get it?”

She rose to her feet and began to pace beside the bed. Back and forth, making me nervous once more. “Don’t worry. We borrowed it from Deek’s sister. She’s about your size, which is small for an Atlan, but it will have to do until we can get a seamstress here to fit you.”

Small for an Atlan? So, Warden Egara hadn’t been kidding.

I scooted to the edge and stood, trying to get a feel for having my legs beneath me. The dress was actually a bit too large, but very flattering. It hugged my large breasts, a band of gold crisscrossing in the front and boosting them from below. I’d seen something similar in television shows of ancient Romans or Greeks in togas. “They dress like ancient Greek gods?”

Sarah burst out laughing as I inspected my gown. “Just the women. Wait until you see these boys in their armor. Hubba-hubba, baby.” She waggled her eyebrows. “You won’t be able to keep your hands off your man.”

That sounded good to me, but it made me remember my purpose. “Speaking of my mate, Warden Egara said he’s scheduled to be executed.”

That stopped Sarah in her tracks and she turned to me. “Yes. You don’t have much time to save him. He’s to be executed in three days if he doesn’t take a mate and prove he can control his beast. Dax is beside himself as they’re good friends. They fought together in the Hive war for a long time. He’s probably pacing right now. We’ve been waiting forever for you to wake up.”

“How long was I out?”

“Half a day. The time is pretty similar here. Their days last twenty-six hours, but I was always a night owl, so the longer days don’t bother me.”

“Okay.” I didn’t really care about that right now, but I filed it away for later. I had three days—and a generous two extra hours for each one—to save my mate and control his beast. I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to do that, but I was willing to do anything. The Atlan warrior was mine and I wasn’t going to let anything happen to him. “Let’s go. Warden Egara said you would help me get in to see him.”

Sarah walked to the door and opened it. I followed behind her, exiting the luxurious bedroom for a long hallway that looked like a royal decorator had been given unlimited access to cash. I wasn’t familiar with the artifacts that lined the hallway, the vases and carved tables, the painted murals and fresh flowers everywhere, in every imaginable color. I didn’t know what they called this stuff, but I recognized money when I saw it.

I cleared my throat. “So, are you a princess or what? I feel like I’m in Cinderella’s castle.”

That made her laugh. “Yes. Dax is a celebrated warlord. When the Atlan men return from the war, they are treated like kings. We have another castle in the northern lands that I haven’t even seen yet, and more land, titles and money than I can even comprehend.”

If we’d been on Earth and spoke like that, I’d think she was gloating, but she didn’t seem the type.

Shock registered in my system after a moment. I knew a lot of veterans who came home from fighting broke and without a place to stay. “How can they afford to do that for all their vets? That’s amazing.”

Sarah looked over her shoulder at me, sadness in her eyes, and opened another door. “Not that many make it back. They are on the front lines with the Hive, on the ground. I know what it’s like. I’ve been there, fought for the Coalition myself. They fight like demons, but either they get taken down in battle, or they lose control of their beast. The ones who come home are the strongest warriors, and they are treated like gods.”

I grinned. “So, you’re mated to a god?”