Berrr's Vow (23 page)

Vinlotti had his back to her, just feet in front of her, trapping her in the corner. He faced a very furious Ssshal, blocking the asshole’s path to Shanna, it taking her a few seconds to realize that Berrr’s friend was protecting her. He’d thrown her into the corner to put her in a safe location. Ssshal was furious as he roared out in rage and tried to move around Vinlotti.

“Do you want to do this?” Vinlotti snarled the words. “I will fight you for the human, Ssshal.”

“She was given to Hyvin’s guests to mount.” Ssshal snarled again, sounding similar to a dog about to attack. “You have no right to interfere.”

Terror struck Shanna as movement from the corner of her eye made her turn her head to see that the eight other men had followed them into the larger living room area and on their heels was Berrr’s uniformed guards. Vinlotti was outnumbered, there were too many of them to fight and Shanna realized he’d get killed if he didn’t move out of the way for those men to hurt her.

Shaking hard, Shanna reached out and put her hand on her would-be rescuer’s back. As much as she didn’t want to face the fate that Alluwn had set her up for, she didn’t want this friend of Berrr’s to die. Her voice shook as she touched him.

“They’ll kill you. Thank you for trying but it won’t stop this.”

Vinlotti didn’t even turn his head to look at her. “Shut up and be still, human. I have this.”

Biting her lip, Shanna let her hand drop and backed up to press into the corner. Her gaze ran over the big man in front of her. Vinlotti was Berrr’s size, bigger than the men he faced off, but he was still outnumbered. She didn’t care how good a fighter he was, no one could win against those odds. She swallowed hard and kept silent. Maybe he could stall for time and Berrr would come home.

“I called her first,” Ssshal snarled.
“Move.”

“I challenge to mount her first,” Vinlotti said softly.
“That I can do, Ssshal.”
He growled deep, the rumble sound scary. “Concede your first call or fight me for it. I am in a mood for a good fight.”

Shanna could see Ssshal’s face. The man looked furious but he also looked a little nervous. His black eyes narrowed, his hairy fists clenched at his side, and then he snarled, turning away to stalk a few feet away before spinning back around to glare at Vinlotti.

“I call second.”

Shanna didn’t know if she should feel relief or more horror. She thought Vinlotti was saving her but instead he was ready to fight to get to fuck her first? Shock rolled through her as he turned around. Her stunned gaze flew up to stare into a pair of beautiful blue eyes. He winked at her and then held out his hand to her.

“Come with me, human. I get to mount you first and then Ssshal can have you.”

Shrinking back against the wall, pressing her back to it tightly, she shook her head frantically. “I thought you were Berrr’s friend and he doesn’t want me touched.”

Beautiful blue eyes narrowed as the man stared down at her with a frown. “Trust me, human. Take my hand and come to my room with me now.”

Something in his eyes got through her panic and she reached out to him with a shaking hand. His large hand was warm and gentle as he gripped hers, turning to glare at the other men as he started to walk. Shanna’s legs didn’t want to work right so she was yanked forward, almost stumbling, half pulled, half dragged through the large room to another hallway.

Vinlotti opened a door and dragged her through it only to release her hand when they were in the large bedroom. Shanna spun around, staring up at the big alien while she backed away from him. He slammed the bedroom door closed, shutting both of them inside his room.

“Relax, human,” Vinlotti leaned against the door, crossing his arms over his chest, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement. “I have no intention of mounting you.” He said the words softly. “I just needed to get you away from them until we can think of a plan.”

Shanna stopped backing away and her knees went weak in relief. “Thank you. I thought…” She swallowed. “Just thank you. What do we do? Can you get me out of here and back to Berrr’s son’s house? I was at Rever’s when Berrr’s guards came to get me to tell me that Berrr wanted me home but it was that conniving bitch Alluwn who sent them.”

He shook his head. “They will be watching for that if they are smart at all and Ssshal is deviously minded. He knows how close I am to Berrr and he knows that Berrr didn’t want you mounted by anyone. He and Alluwn come from the same district and grew together as children so he was probably the one to think of her plan to get revenge. He is jealous of Berrr and always has been.” His eyes swept over her. “You are very fortunate that I came back when I did. Berrr was suspicious when not all of his guests arrived at the meeting, wondering what they were up to, so he sent me in search of them.”

Fear crept inside Shanna again. “I’m shocked Ssshal let you take me out of there then.”

“He knows I have a right to challenge him to mount you first and he doesn’t want to fight me. We trained together and I always won our challenges we fought together. They will be outside waiting for me to finish with you.” He sighed, pushing away from the door, and walked to one of the large windows without curtains to stare out it. “It is hours until Berrr should be done.”

“Will they come in here after me?” Shanna stared at the man’s back, which he kept to her as he continued to stare out the window.

He shrugged. “I am not sure. It depends on the other
Vartas
who Alluwn has given permission to mount you and how impatient Ssshal is to have you second.”

“Let’s make a run for it then.”

“No.” He slowly turned, his beautiful blue eyes roaming over Shanna’s body from head to foot and then their gazes locked together. “We will stay here. I am a Zorn warrior so I don’t run away from a fight. If they come into my room I will fight and you will go hide in the bathroom.”

“That’s a really bad plan since you’re outnumbered and can’t win.”

The man shrugged. “Berrr and I are very close and he would do the same to protect my woman.” He turned back around to stare out the window. “We will wait and see what happens.”

“Fuck that,” Shanna muttered, her eyes searching the room. “You wait while I’m going to even out the odds.”

Vinlotti turned, his bright red eyebrow arched. “What are you planning to do? They will either grow impatient, coming in here to get you and then face my wrath or they will not. There is nothing to prevent it except hope that I can hold them off until my friend Berrr returns. Even then I don’t know of a plan to save you from what his bound has done. Laws are laws even for a Hyvin and from what I understand she offered you up for the use of his guests. He has to honor what she has done.”

Shanna stared at the man in shock. “What?”

He nodded. “As his bound she offered you to his guests. He will have to honor what his bound does and with you as a house helper Berrr has no right to defend you from the men he’s invited into his home as honored guests. She really outmaneuvered him this time.”

“If that’s true and Berrr can’t stop those men from hurting me, why did you just save my ass?”

A grin split his features. “That is what friends do and Berrr will appreciate the gesture I made. I want him to send me a human if he comes across a stray one. He would do no less by attempting to save my woman. He will at least be here to make sure they don’t harm you even if he can’t stop them from using your body. I will stay with him to keep him from killing them, restraining him if I must, while they mount you, for he will be arrested if he kills a guest of his home.”

“Your laws are so fucked up.” Shanna felt sick and horrified.

The big man nodded. “I agree but that is how it is. Berrr has changed many of them but he can only go so far before the displeasure of the public could put his family in harm. He picks his battles with the laws but unfortunately the way of house helpers is not something that will be allowed to change. Our women can’t handle an adult male alone and while traveling it would be impossible to bring our own house helpers with us so access to a host’s house helpers is a must. It’s been this way for thousands of years.”

Shaking her head in disgust, Shanna moved for the closet, opened it up and grabbed the clothes bar stretched across the space. Vinlotti didn’t hang his clothing so it wasn’t in use. She tugged hard at the thick rounded wood, breaking it free, and gripped the new five-foot weapon.
It wasn’t a baseball bat but close enough.
Her eyes roamed the room, looking for another weapon. She knew Vinlotti was amused as he watched her silently but she ignored him, heading for his bathroom next.

Her mind was working as she opened drawers and found a mean-looking knife. She grabbed it and stepped out of the bathroom. As weapons went she didn’t have much but a baseball bat and knife were better than not having weapons. Vinlotti’s eyebrows rose, his smile widening when he saw the knife in her hand.

“You wish to cut my hair?”

She eyed the wicked looking short blade with a frown. “You cut hair with this?”

“And shave my jawline.”

Damn,
she was impressed.
With Zorn technology didn’t they have electric razors? Maybe it was a manly thing to slice off hair with a mean-ass knife with an exceptionally sharp edge to compare who had the bigger balls.

“It’s a weapon to me and
trust
me, you don’t want me cutting your hair. I couldn’t cut a straight line to save my life.”

“So you want me to hit anyone who comes in with the hanging rod and shave them with my
shara
?” Amusement laced his tone.

“No. I want you to barricade the door with that big-ass dresser and if they get past it I want you to beat the shit out of them while I beat on them with the hanging rod and maybe stab anyone stupid enough to come after me with your little knife.”

“
Shara
.”

“Whatever. That’s my big plan until Berrr gets home. Now please move that heavy dresser in front of the door.” She gave him her best smile.
“Pretty please?”

He shrugged massive shoulders. “I will do it but it will not stop anyone from coming in. It is why no one bothers with locks on the interior doors. Any warrior worthy of his adulthood could come through the walls if need be.”

Blinking, Shanna sighed. “At least it will slow them down and it will hurt them if they have to break down walls.”

“They will tear through them.”

Rolling her eyes, Shanna turned away. “Great. Please just block the door. I have to think.”

The extremely loud sound of wood being shoved on the tile as Vinlotti pushed the dresser across the room only slightly distracted Shanna. She really needed to think of a way out of this mess. She paced, knowing that a pair of beautiful blue eyes were watching her, while she prayed that the only person who came to the door would be Berrr.

Chapter Thirteen

“So you live with your brothers?” Shanna studied the handsome Zorn. “And there are no women there? That must be rough.”

Nodding, Vinlotti chuckled. “We are always being attacked by the wild ones who try to come ashore so females do not want to live in a warzone no matter how well we can defend the island.”

“Your home sounds beautiful though.”

“It is but very lonely. That is why I am hoping that Berrr does send me a human. He rescued you so perhaps other humans will end up on Zorn without a male to protect them.”

“No offense but I really hope that’s not the case. It was hell being kidnapped by those three assholes and I didn’t even know other life existed on other planets until I woke up on that ship in a cage. I—”

An earsplitting roar cut Shanna’s words off, startling her, and made her almost slide off the bed she sat on. Her head snapped around toward the source right as something hit the door hard. In horror Shanna saw the dresser knocked on its side as the door came crashing open. Hundreds of pounds of wood furniture slid a few feet across the tile as though it were made out of papier-mâché.

Berrr stormed into the room looking enraged, another roar tearing from him, making Shanna actually
fall
off the edge of the bed to land hard on her ass on the floor, where she stared up at him in shock. She’d never seen anyone that mad in her life. Vinlotti on the other hand chuckled as he slowly stood up from the other side of the bed where he’d been sitting.

“It took you long enough.”

Berrr’s furious gaze dashed over the bed and then rested on Shanna. He snarled when he spoke. “Did he touch you?”

Unable to speak around the lump in her throat, Shanna shook her head, knowing that if she nodded Berrr would tear the man apart. His entire body was tensed, his fingers clawed at his sides, and the harsh way he spoke sounded as if the words were ripped from his chest. He took a few more steps closer to her, his gaze tearing from hers to glare at Vinlotti.

“I was protecting her,” Vinlotti said softly. “Calm yourself now. I would never mount your precious human.”

Berrr breathed hard, his massive chest heaving as he obviously fought to control his temper. He moved closer to Shanna and then reached down, holding out his hand. As stunned as Shanna was at seeing Berrr totally lose it, she put her hand in his, letting him yank her off the floor. He literally jerked her against his chest, his arm wrapping tightly around her, molding her to his body. He breathed in her hair, rubbing his face against the top of her head, another growl coming from
him,
only this one was softer and not terrifying.

“Your bound has outmaneuvered you, my friend.” Vinlotti stayed back, not getting too close to Shanna.

“I heard.” Berrr released Shanna’s hand to run his hand down her back, almost petting her. “One of my men sneaked away to come tell me what happened and what Alluwn has done.” Berrr’s body tensed hard, almost feeling as if he were turning to stone.

Shanna looked up to see why he’d stiffened up that way but he didn’t meet her curious gaze. He was glaring at his friend instead and looking extremely pissed off. She rubbed his chest through his leather shirt, wishing she could touch his skin.