With the way my stomach was growling, I’d probably eat the whole thing, skin, bones and all, even if I could have felt its emotions. “Can we eat it raw?”
Yaseke nodded. “It’s not good cooked, turns it rubbery.”
“All right. Can you use your claws to cut it?”
“Sure.”
Yaseke didn’t waste any time, splitting the thing open after he finished tearing off the head. He rinsed it in the water, thankfully downstream of where I was drinking. We sat there on the bank of the stream and ate the caoud, along with another mae fruit. It was a little slippery, and I had to keep spitting out small black bones, but I’d eaten worse. The fizzy seeds of the fruit cut the slightly oily taste from my mouth when I was done.
My whole body still ached, but my stomach was full. That was all a soldier could really ask for. I washed my hands in the stream and splashed water over my face.
“It’s hot,” I said as I sank back down on the ground next to Yaseke. He’d tossed the remains of our lunch into the stream, and the water washed the evidence away.
“Middle of the day. We should rest while we can.”
I lay back on the ground, pillowing my head on my hands. “You know, we haven’t talked about it at all, but our little jungle expedition is happening because we were attacked.”
“I know.” Yaseke clenched his hands into fists.
“Do you know why? Do you have any enemies? Were we stuck in some border dispute, another territory trying to claim Seral’s dad’s lands or something?”
Shaking his head, Yaseke said, “It doesn’t work like that. Toleral Modoalm rules the whole planet. Other factions have tried to take over before, but right now our planet is focused on the war with the humans. And I don’t have any enemies; it makes little sense for those guards to attack us.”
I rolled onto my side. “You know who they were?”
He nodded, his expression grim. “I recognized one male just before I was stunned.”
“Who is it? Someone from the city? Are they capable of coming after us?” Maybe it wasn’t just animals Yaseke had been worried about hiding from the night before. “I’m a soldier, Yaseke. A fighter. I need to know what we’re up against, if I’m going to keep you safe.”
Sighing, the smaller man ran a hand through his hair. A leaf was stuck in it, and he plucked it out. “They might, but the sampanga trees in the jungle actually help us here. They register as a life form; their energy mimics ours and confuses the bio net’s scanners. That’s why I don’t think we’ll be rescued. But if we can find some way to contact Seral, and his guards, we should be able to safely get back to the city.”
“So the men who attacked us weren’t Seral’s men?”
“Of course not.” Yaseke sounded angry, denying it vehemently.
“Hey,” I said. “Can you blame me for asking? You said the guy wanted me tested and thought I was dangerous. Maybe he decided I was too dangerous. Or that council did.”
Yaseke stilled. His eyes flicked away.
I held my breath for a second, and then it came out in a whoosh of air. “That’s it, isn’t it? Those guards were from Seral’s father and the council guys, the ones who wanted to let people rape Nicklaus and me.”
An angry hum escaped me, and Yaseke winced. He rubbed one hand against the skin behind his ear. “They weren’t council guards, but they were the guards for one of the males on the council. His personal one. I-I knew him when we were kids.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. The nasty fucker from the council had eyes sort of like Yaseke’s golden color. I’d never even thought about it before, but while his were darker, they both had yellow eyes. I leaned in closer and stared hard at Yaseke. “Who? Who is he?”
“Buphet.” Yaseke looked me straight in the eyes. “My great-uncle.”
CHAPTER NINE
“I don’t know why his guards attacked us, though. I swear, Dade.”
“That’s a lot of coincidences all at once.” I sat up and stared hard at Yaseke, watching every flicker of his expression. “Your uncle wants to force me into whatever this besedad is that your people seem to equate with marriage, and you were asked to determine if I’m some sort of threat that needs to be neutralized—”
“I already told you I wasn’t going to do that,” Yaseke protested. “And ‘neutralized’ isn’t what I’d call it either.” He stared in my eyes, no deception visible in his face. Damn it if I didn’t believe him. I was growing soft.
I shook my head. “What else do you do with someone who is a threat?”
Running a hand through his hair, Yaseke sighed. “They were worried about your mental stability and your ability to adjust to living in our society. Seral wanted to know if talking to someone would help you.”
Leaves crackled as I crushed them in my hand. “I don’t need to talk to anyone. I’ve been on plenty of planets before. I’ve seen things most men haven’t, things that could send Seral screaming, and I’ve never cracked. No matter what those doctors did to me, I’m not going to freak out.” My teeth were clenched tight by the time I was done.
“What have you seen?” Yaseke asked quietly. He shifted to sit up, pulling his legs back into the shade under the tree.
Like I would force him to hear about things like that. “It’s not important. That’s in the past, and I refuse to live there. This is a good place. For the first time I’ve not had to kill anyone immediately after landing.”
Yaseke winced. “I can’t even begin to imagine a life like that.”
I reached out and touched his hand. “I’d never want you to.”
Turning his hand so our fingers twisted together, Yaseke sighed. “Where does all of this leave us?”
“Lost in the jungle, with your uncle trying to kill me and possibly you.”
Yaseke snorted at my wry comment.
“Is that not the truth?”
“I guess you have it right, but I meant us.” He squeezed my hand. “You and me, I mean. Do you still…?”
My teeth, mostly my fangs, ached. “I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “A lot of complicated things are happening around us. I usually see the path I need to follow and charge forward, but now?” I shrugged one shoulder.
“Well, that’s honest.” He didn’t sound happy, though. Yaseke’s golden eyes were shining in the shadows. “I know Buphet is my uncle, but blood is all we share. I wasn’t raised around him. He and my father didn’t get along. The males in my family have always been after power, but my dad didn’t want it. My grandfather supported my father’s choice to become a tavern owner and raise me away from the family, but I didn’t want to follow in his footsteps. I always wanted to help people. I’d see how just asking a person how their day had gone and listening helped them lighten their spirits as they had a quiet drink.
“I wanted to do that, just without the alcohol. Both my grandfather and my father were proud of me, and the choices I made, before they died. I’m good at what I do, which is why I came to the Toleral’s attention and was moved to work at the residence. Buphet has never once acknowledged me, though.”
I could see Yaseke being good at his job. He’d gotten me to reveal my secret within a day of meeting him, and I hadn’t known he was a counselor. If I went to him, knowing he was trying to help me, I think I’d have told him everything even sooner. His patients were lucky to have him.
“I’m not in league with whatever he planned to do to you. Buphet was probably trying to kill me too. Maybe he figured he could get rid of the last stain on his so-called ‘family honor.’ That stun blast could have fried my brain or heart if I’d been hit in a vital area. I think we need to just keep moving, try to get somewhere we can contact someone safe at the residence.”
“Are you sure there is someone safe there to contact?”
Biting his lip, Yaseke nodded.
“You don’t exactly look certain.”
Sweat trickled down Yaseke’s face, and without even thinking about it, I reached up and wiped it away, pus
hing his damp hair from his face. His lips parted slightly, and he leaned into my touch. Reluctantly I pulled away, my palm tingling from the contact with his skin.
“Seral I’d trust with my life. He’s a good male. Besides, Ryker would kick his ass if he let anything happen to you or Nicklaus. I’ve spent quite a bit of time with them. Ryker and I met in the sampanga grove a few weeks ago and started talking. He told me Seral asked for me when the Toleral agreed to have you assessed, and told the asheksi that their doctor couldn’t do it.”
It was hotter than hell, even in the shade, but I still felt a shiver go up my spine. I could only imagine what type of man those horrible old men would have chosen. I sighed and looked around the jungle. “Maybe it would be better to stay out here.”
Yaseke laughed. “Hungry, sweaty, and dirty? I don’t mind being naked, but it’s kind of cold at night.”
I sighed and squeezed his hand one last time before I pulled away. “I guess we should probably get going, then.”
Yaseke yawned as he shook his head and flopped over onto his back. “It’ll be too hot to move for a bit longer. The last thing we need is heat exhaustion. Let’s take a nap.”
I slid back down onto my side, facing Yaseke. He had a smudge of dirt along one sharp cheekbone, and his hair was a tangled mess. I fought an urge to run my fingers through it.
Fuck it. I started at the ends of the multihued strands. Slowly, carefully, I began to pick out the tangles, combing the strands until I could slide my fingers from his scalp to the ends. He let out a soft hum that made me shiver. The sound drew out, the soft rumble making me feel good as I gently removed twigs and bits of leaves and smoothed the hair fanning out from Yaseke’s head.
By the time I was done, Yaseke was sprawled bonelessly beside me, sound asleep. I’d inched closer to him, the heat from our bodies radiating between us. I sifted my fingers softly and slowly through his hair. So smooth and silky. I wound a hank of hair around my fingers and drew it up, rubbing my cheek against it.
A deep hum vibrated in my throat. I wasn’t trying to wake him up, but Yaseke turned and snuggled into my body. I rolled backward in surprise. His head ended up on my chest, and he threw one leg over mine. I lifted my head up to ask him what he was doing, but he wasn’t awake. As soon as his hand landed on my stomach with a light slap, he went limp and what could only be his version of a vibrating snore startled me.
I pillowed my head on my arm. I’d let Yaseke sleep for a while, but, in the meantime, I’d keep watch. I was strong, even in this weakened state. Fighting was what I knew, what I was good at. I’d let down my guard, allowing the shock of my change and my captivity on the ship dull my sense of self-preservation. I didn’t need to depend on anyone to keep us safe.
Yaseke mumbled and swiped at a bug buzzing around his face. I shooed it away and then looked down at the alien man using me as a pillow. Maybe I didn’t need someone to depend on, but if anyone was a person I could trust at my side, it would be him. Even with all the shit going on, he’d never once lied to me, even when the truth looked bad for him.
My need for him made my chest hurt. I had to wonder how long I would be able to restrain myself from claiming him.
We walked for hours after I woke up Yaseke. I’d only had one scare when a sudden buzz and then a shriek broke the silence in the early evening hours.
“Things are starting to hunt,” I said. Constantly scanning the jungle, I was alert for any sign that we were being stalked.
“There should be somewhere we’ll be safe close to here. I know there’s a hunting lodge nearby. That last clearing had a view of Pearling Butte, which is popular with the kavpuk hunters.”
“We’ve been following a trail for the last hour or so.” The path had made it easier to walk, but it appeared to be an animal trail, not something man-made. There were a multitude of tracks in the soft ground, but leaves and branches were broken high above my head. Whatever the kavpuk were, they were big.
“Yeah. It should lead us back toward the river. We should have made it past the big bend. We could keep heading straight and hit the city in a day or two, but I’d rather call for a pickup.”
The fading light made interesting shadows move and flex on Yaseke’s naked body. My need for him kept rising, burning hotter the longer we were close to each other. It felt good, this clean and honest need for another person.
But it was so hard to resist.
Everything about him attracted me. His brain, his smile, his tight ass flexing… I ripped my eyes off him and spun around when something crashed across the path behind us. I caught a glimpse of something red and shiny, but whatever it was, it didn’t stick around.
The question was if it was prey or predator. Not to mention what we were in its eyes. Thank fucking God it wasn’t interested in eating us, just the leaves I saw jutting from its mouth.
“Where in the hell is this camp, then?” I wanted off this path. Humans weren’t the only ones who could lie in wait, and any prey that big usually attracted predators capable of taking it down.
“There!” Yaseke pointed up and over about four hundred yards.
“It’s in a fucking tree?”
He laughed and led me through the undergrowth on a tiny trail. Bushes covered the entrance off the animal trail we were on, but I could see the faint track in the fading light after we pushed through them.
I craned my head back when we arrived at the base of the tree. “That’s high.”
He nodded. “Safer up higher when you’re near the kavpuk.”
“So how the hell do we get up there? I don’t see any steps.”
Yaseke stepped up to the tree, tapping at the bark, and I saw the air shimmer. Soundlessly, a section of the structure high above us seemed to break off and float down the tree. I was leery of stepping onto it when Yaseke did, but I trusted him. He held on to one of the thin, clear filaments that came up from each edge.
“You might want to hold on.”
I felt the vibration seconds before we started moving up.
“Shit, this is high.” I hadn’t realized quite how far up the tree the shelter tucked against the side of it was. The height had been deceptive since the tree had such a narrow trunk at the base—it didn’t look nearly big enough to grow tall enough to support such a large structure. What looked like a small rectangular building from the ground was actually a pretty damn big lodge made of some material that blended into the tree. We stepped right off the platform, which had become a seamless part of the floor. There were several small beds along one wall, a kitchen, and some chairs. There even appeared to be a bathroom with a good-sized shower. Maybe it collected condensation or rainwater.
“Wow.”
“This is one of the Toleral’s hunting retreats. I came here once with Seral on a day trip.”
I paced around the interior, checking the security. I’d let things slide, and I wasn’t going to do that anymore. I wouldn’t be taken by surprise again. There didn’t appear to be any traps hidden anywhere.
“Perfect.” A cupboard held several of the energy weapons I’d seen the guards carrying. I pulled one down and checked it. Standard charger and trigger setups, even if the technology wasn’t one I was used to. Yaseke moved toward a food-prep area. There was a sink surrounded by cupboards, which he began opening.
“A meal, a shower, and some rest will be perfect.”
“You don’t want to send a message right away? Get back to the city?”
Yaseke’s gaze flashed to one of the beds, then to the panel on the wall, and then back to the bed. “No. Not tonight.”
I licked my lips; they suddenly felt dry. I’d spent more time talking with Yaseke in the last two days than I’d said total in the last five years. I’d told him things I’d never imagined I’d tell anyone, making myself vulnerable to him. He’d told me several hard truths about himself, never once lying to me, even at the risk of angering me.
My teeth ached and my palm tingled.
Mine. It was time for him
to become mine.
The moment was broken as Yaseke’s stomach growled and mine echoed it. Some of the heat I felt had faded, but it redoubled when I laughed, and he almost purred in pleasure.
“That laugh feels so good, but I’m hungry.” Yaseke put a few packages down on a small table between two chairs.
I carried the pistol with me over to the kitchen area. “Let’s eat, then get cleaned up.”
There was what I’d call ready meals in the bags, nourishing and surprisingly tasty compared to campaign food I’d had. I kept getting distracted by Yaseke’s mouth closing over the end of the nutri-bar.
My shorts were too tight. I should’ve ordered them made in a bigger size.
I groaned. He pulled the bar back out of his mouth slowly, staring at me. “What?”
“Fuck,” I moaned. They were way too tight. “Just hurry.” Yaseke’s eyes seemed to glow.
“Shower,” I said hoarsely when he finished his last bite. I’d eaten much faster than he did. My history with downtime for meals being cut short prompted me to eat quickly.
It came in handy sometimes.
Yaseke was already naked. His arousal showed in his rock-hard erection tapping against his flat stomach when he stood up. There was a wet spot on my shorts, and I hurried to shuck them off. I detoured to grab a small bottle I saw on the counter in the kitchen, setting it and my weapon down by a bed.
I turned back toward the shower.
His slim curves, perfectly rounded and right in front of me, were too much to resist. I came up behind him, my breath growing short. His skin was smooth and warm under my hands as I cupped his ass.
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