Claimed: The Warriors of Nur by C.C. Coats Read Free Book Online Page A

his home.  Once the moon covered, it would be harder to protect her with so many places for others to hide in wait.               
    Standing, he settled his borża over his shoulder.  “Come, female…we must go.”
    “I don’t think so, Tarzan.” 
    Climbing to her feet, Leo brushed imaginary dirt from her legs.  Here we go… she thought.  It was time for her to ‘assert her authority’.  “I don’t know where we are, but I need to stay as close to where my pod landed as possible.  You can’t just kidnap me.” 
    The farther away she went, the less likely they would find her when the Recovery and Retrieval Team arrived.  She could picture her sister’s face when she found out that her distress signal had activated.  She wouldn’t send another team.  She would come herself.  As Lead Recovery and Retrieval Officer, she was the one who assigned teams, and she would come any distance to make sure that Leo’Nya was recovered.  Her sister would never stop searching, but why be more difficult to find?
    “I don’t know what is this ‘kidnapping’…but you will not return to your transport vessel.”  As he spoke, he advanced.  He could see she wouldn’t come willingly.
    “Kidnapping…to force someone to go with you against their own desires…”  She pointed to herself.  “I would be the one you forced against her desires.”
    She backed up towards the edge of the clearing slowly. Obviously this was not someone used to hearing the word ‘No’.  She’d have to outrun him; hopefully she could lose him in the dense vegetation behind her.  She’d have to shake him before trying to cross back over that dessert.  His legs were way longer than hers, so there was no way she was going to beat him in a foot race.  She again took note of the chiseled perfection of his body, and a shiver raced her spine as she remembered how good it’d felt to be pressed against the softly hard warmth of his chest as he’d carried her.
    “This place is unsafe, female…we cannot linger.”  He was almost within striking distance and continued to steadily advance.
    “I’m not planning on…um…lingering…Tarzan.”  She edged farther back.  “I’m returning to my…uh….transport vessel.”
    “You will come freely, or I will bind you…but you will come.”
    Erol stopped.  Only a few feet separated them; if she continued to retreat, she’d be consumed by the vegetation.  She wouldn’t be able to escape him; her scent was such that he could track her for miles, but he’d waste precious time catching her. 
    Ok.  So he reeeally wasn’t used to the word NO.
    Spinning, she got less than three feet before she was slammed with a huge wall of solid muscle. 
    Damn he’s fast …she thought as she began to fall. 
    Bracing, she expected to feel all of his considerable weight smash her to the ground.  He had her by a good 100 pounds.  There was no way she was walking away from this without at least a few cracked, if not broken, ribs. 
    Twisting, Erol landed on his back and shoulders, taking the brunt of the impact.  Mothers Breath…she’s fast… a few more feet and he’d have lost her. 
    Taking her wrists in one hand, he used the long leather strip from his hair to bind them together.  He didn’t have anything for her feet, but at least her balance and speed would be compromised if she tried to run again.  
    In one fluid movement, he went from lying to standing with Leo still held snuggly in front of him.  She kicked, yelled, and tried to head butt him, all with no success.  He dragged her back to where he’d dropped his borża , scooped it up, and flung it carelessly over his shoulder. 
    “Will you walk, or must I carry you?” 
    Crossing his arms, Erol moved closer, using his size to intimidate.  Usually he wouldn’t want her to fear him; but if it’d make her more malleable, so be it.  Taking her silence as refusal, he bent to press his shoulder to her stomach,