by Eve Langlais
“I don’t remember an asteroid field on the way into his star system.”
“We left in a different direction.”
“Trying to muddy the trail so he can’t come after me,” she accused.
“Foolish little human. He is not coming after you. He is the one who gave us the coordinates once he realized you were leaving.”
“You lie. He would have wanted to speak to me first.”
“Would he?” Ish asked slyly. “Perhaps his sister was correct and he is relieved by your departure.”
“No, he wanted me to stay. You had no right. I want to go back. We’re meant to be together.”
“Are you sure?” her friend asked. “Or did you simply settle for the first male who made your quim quiver?”
She opened her mouth to reply and then shut it. Ishtara asked a valid question. Had she fallen for Thyos because he truly was her soulmate or because she’d not met anyone else?
She owed it to herself to know for sure, which was why she didn’t turn the ship around. She did think about sending a message, only to hesitate each time. For one, he’d not sent any. And two…he wasn’t coming after her.
The disappointment dragged down her spirits. How dare he respect her choice?
Maybe he wasn’t her mate after all.
Fifteen
Belle had left. He couldn’t believe she’d done it and without even saying goodbye.
Thyos had been so sure the bond would snap into place. That she’d realize they were meant to be together.
It never happened. And she left. He moped almost as much as her dog, but at least—unlike some furry beasts—he didn’t try and eat anyone.
After the incident with their neighbor—who escaped with all his body parts intact, if slobbered on—he made sure Ralph stuck close by and had plenty of raw meat. It seemed to soothe the beast, whereas Thyos turned to physical exertion. which didn’t actually help. He missed Belle.
His goddess was less than pleased. She appeared while he was sword training, not even taking the time to possess a mortal body. She appeared in all her youthful glory, her brows drawn together in annoyance. “Why are you not making babies with the orphan?”
He didn’t pause in his swinging at the dummy. His arm throbbed as the impact of sword against immovable object reverberated the length of it. “If you’re talking about Clarabelle, she left.”
“And you allowed it?”
He paused to lean the tip of his sword on the ground. “It wasn’t up to me. I always said it was her choice.” Either she wanted him or she didn’t.
The didn’t part still hurt.
“You stupid, stupid male! Leaving wasn’t her choice. She is only gone because of your damned sister and that bird!” The goddess paced in agitation.
He took a moment to mull the statement and slowly said to ensure he understood, “Are you saying she didn’t leave of her own volition?”
“Of course, she didn’t! The girl is head over heels for you. She was planning to tell you when they knocked her out and tossed her into her cabin on the ship. They kept her asleep until they entered the next star system.”
Which Thyos knew took only a few days. It had been more than eight since she left.
He glanced at the sky then his goddess. “If what you say is true, then she’s now been awake long enough she could have returned.” Clearly she’d chosen not to.
“She’s confused.”
“Aren’t we all?” he grumbled as he whacked some more at the dummy that didn’t deserve the abuse.
“She’ll be back?” Karma should have tried to sound more confident.
“Doubtful. I gave her exactly what she wanted.” The coordinates for a human colony with all kinds of males for her to choose from.
Bang.
Males she could fornicate with.
Slam.
Someone like her to fall in love with.
Clang. Crash. He stared at the severed dummy at his feet.
“So when will you go after her?” was Karma’s dry reply to the savagery.
“I’m not.”
“What do you mean not? You need to fetch her right now.” Karma stamped her foot, and the whole world trembled.
The idea tempted, but he did have some pride. “I’m not abducting her. If she is my sykyrah, she’ll come back.”
The question being, how long would it take?
And what if she never returned?
Sixteen
It was taking too long. The repairs on the ship should have been done two weeks ago.
Two.
Weeks.
Two weeks of being unable to leave this nightmare colony.
How had Clarabelle ever thought she could live among whiny humans again? Had she ever been so soft?
Worse, she wondered about Thyos. She’d been unable to send any messages. The communication system just another broken thing in a string of them.
And Ishtara didn’t seem bothered one bit. She was having a grand ol’ time on New Galilea, swapping stories with the colonists, getting drunk on their wine.
But all Clarabelle wanted to do was try and salvage the future she’d tossed away.
The colony leader, who called himself General Murphy, sauntered to her side, a portly man with a luxurious mustache and a genial expression. “You seem agitated, niece.”
General Murphy had a tendency of calling all the girls his nieces. And the boys his nephews.
“I’m anxious to get going, but apparently, the repairs are taking longer than expected.”
“I’m surprised you’re in such a rush to leave. Wasn’t finding a human settlement your dream?”
She cast him a glance. It wasn’t the first time the leader of the colony had shown an odd perception for what she might be thinking. “Apparently I didn’t know what I wanted.”
For so long she’d had a certain fantasy about her perfect life. This colony should have fulfilled it. It was everything she’d dreamed of, with its humanized dwellings featuring chairs and beds, even utensils like she used to have at home. There were humans here, people who looked just like her.
The females had rights. Held power. But this wasn’t a warrior place. Most of them were soft, with only the guards going around armed and looking capable of not dying if dropped into the wild.
It wouldn’t be the worst thing to live in a place that didn’t require she be on guard at all times. She knew a few of her sisters would absolutely adore living inside a compound designed to keep them safe.
Sounded stifling to Clarabelle.
And it lacked something.
“Is it missing a certain warrior?” Once more Murphy spoke right to her as if reading her mind.
“I never got to say goodbye.”
“Would you have said goodbye?” Murphy asked.
“No.” An answer she’d learned too late.
“What will you do when you return?”
“Keep him confined to a bed until that damned bond snaps into place,” she grumbled.
“And if it doesn’t?”
“I don’t care. I love him.” Tail and all.
“Love who?” Murphy asked.
She huffed as she faced the colony leader. “As if you don’t know. I love Thyos. I want to be with him.”
“Who are you talking to?”
She whirled to see Thyos. Here. In the bronzed flesh.
She gaped. “Thyos?”
“Surprised to see me?”
“Yes.”
“You shouldn’t be. You left without saying goodbye.”
“You said I could leave if I wanted.”
“Did you want to leave?” he asked softly.
She shook her head.
“Yet you didn’t come back.”
She didn’t need a mind reader to know he was hurt. “Does it help if I say I was trying to? The moment I got here I knew it was a mistake. I tried to leave the very next day, but they keep screwing up the repairs. Ask Murphy. He’ll tell you what a bunch of incompetent morons
the mechanics are.”
“Who?”
She turned to wave at the colony leader, only to blink. “Where did he go? He was right here.”
“Sure, he was.” Thyos tucked his hand behind his back.
“I was just talking to him. Chunky fellow, big mustache.”
“Calling himself Murphy?” he asked.
She nodded.
Whereas he laughed. “I do believe you’ve met your first god.”
“God? What are you talking about? Murphy is the leader of this colony.”
“No, he’s not, caw,” Ishtara announced, stomping into view. Amazing how quiet she could move when she wanted to sneak.
“What are you talking about? You’ve met him,” Belle insisted.
“I have, but he’s not a human leader. He’s a god. Demi-god to be exact.”
“Because there’s a difference.” Clarabelle rolled her eyes.
“You really don’t know how the gods work, do you?” Thyos said as if she were the crazy one for not believing in that shit.
“I don’t know what you’re both talking about, but I would think I’d know it if I met a god.”
“Do you believe it now?” A woman appeared, suddenly and without warning, in front of Clarabelle. A beautiful woman, wearing an almost see-through grown.
And what was her first impulse?
She slugged her.
Seventeen
Belle punched Karma in the face, and for a moment, Thyos was fairly certain they’d all die. Belle especially, which was why he threw himself in front of her.
“Don’t you kill my sykyrah!” he yelled.
His goddess, recovering from the fine blow, scowled at him. A terrible thing to see given it involved an actual storm cloud forming over her head, tossing out little lightning bolts. “She hit me!”
“Don’t blame me. You’re the one that appeared out of nowhere!” Clarabelle yelled right back.
“I’m a goddess; it’s what we do.” Karma appeared mightily peeved.
Which was when a chubby fellow with a mustache appeared. “Goodness, Karma, what happened to your face?”
“She did!” Karma pointed in accusation.
“The human did it?” The man who could only be Murphy, turned, his head pivoting more than halfway to glance at Belle. “Nice shot.”
“What is happening?” Belle’s expression showed a hint of fear, but courageous determination held her rigid.
“You are in the presence of gods,” Murphy offered with a flourished bow.
“Goddess, actually.” Karma grimaced, and the bruise disappeared.
Whereas Ishtara snorted. “Demi gods. Let’s keep things accurate.”
That turned a glare from two gods on the Zonian, who didn’t look disturbed one bit.
“We are powerful and deserve respect,” Karma snapped.
“Or what? You’ll give me bad luck?” Ishtara leaned forward. “Do it. I dare you.”
Murphy clapped his hands. “I say, accept the offer. Think of the fun we could have.”
“We? What’s this we? This is all me,” Karma said, swirling her finger at the group.
“And a fine job you’ve done,” Murphy declared. “His family tried to kill her and, when that didn’t work, got rid of her. Then the boy took his sweet time coming to fetch her.”
“Because I was trying to respect her choice,” Thyos exclaimed.
“He’s the only one who did,” Belle announced with a hard stare at the gods and Ishtara.
“I am your friend. I am supposed to save you from bad choices,” the Zonian declared with a ruffle of her wings.
“I tried to bring you together, but you just had to be stubborn,” Karma huffed.
“That might be my fault.” Murphy raised his hand. “You know how I like to do things.”
“I do know,” Karma snapped. “You’re always screwing up the perfect plan.”
None of that made any sense to Thyos, but he did know one thing. These people—gods, demi or whatever—were standing in the way of a proper reconciliation with Belle, and he was getting mighty tired of it. He’d come here for one thing only, to abduct his mate and bring her home.
It should be noted he’d come to this decision only after much rumination. Thyos never planned to interfere with Belle’s choice, but finding out she’d been helped along…
That changed things. Had she intended to stay? Could they perhaps still be together? He had to know.
But it appeared he needed some help. He stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled, loudly, which brought him some silence.
“Now that I have your attention, be advised that you will no longer interfere with our lives.” He pointed to himself and Belle.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” Karma declared.
“Interfering is a specialty of mine,” was Murphy’s addition.
“You are tempting me to peck out your eyes and eat them like berries.” Ishtara smacked her beak.
Gallump. Gallump.
The steady thudding drew several pairs of eyes and even widened them.
Clarabelle smiled. “You brought Ralph!”
“He missed you almost as much as me.”
The wolmoth, running so hard the ground trembled, appeared as if he’d barrel right through Belle, only to abruptly stop so she could hug him and exclaim, “Who’s the cutest, wutest puppy dog evah?”
Thyos had no idea what she said, but Ralph panted happily until she whispered something in his ear. Then he turned and growled at the gods and the Zonian warrior.
Belle sauntered close. “That should keep them busy for a while.”
Maybe. He wasn’t taking any chances. He tossed her over a brawny shoulder and headed back for his ship.
Of course, being his Belle, she had to argue about his methods. “Are you seriously going to make a habit of carting me off?”
“I was told by your friend Betty that it is considered very amorous by humans to kidnap one’s mate.”
“Am I still your mate?” she asked softly.
Did she really have to ask? He flipped her to her feet so he could look her in the eye. “Do you want to be with me?”
She leaned back to look at him, her hands cupping his jaw. “More than anything. I don’t care if we’re not sykyrah or whatever you want to call it. I love you. I want to be with you. If you’ll have me.”
“Always,” he whispered. How could she ever doubt otherwise? “I am yours, and you are mine.”
“Forever,” she said before pressing her mouth to his.
The kiss began tamely enough, but it had been too long. Too emotional a journey as he worried that he’d arrived too late. That she would have moved on.
The passion between them proved as explosive as ever. They came together in a clash of body parts and teeth, their breath hot and panting as they tore at each other’s clothes. Her skin smooth and lightly scented, bearing no one’s mark. Which might be why he sucked at her collarbone hard enough to leave an imprint of his mouth.
He wasn’t alone in being a little possessive. She placed a love bite high on his neck, in plain view.
He’d wear it with pride.
Given the trees were prickly, he turned her around in his arms and pushed down her pants. She only had to bend over a bit for him to slide inside.
The tight heat of her made him groan. He thrust slowly that he might enjoy the suction of her as he slid in and out. His arm wrapped around her waist, and his other hand was on her thigh, giving him the grip and angle he needed. To bring her pleasure up to the next level, he brought in the tip of his tail to rub her button.
The clenching of her sex muscles proved instant. He cried out, and his hips jerked forward, deep, hard, again and again. He closed his eyes as the pleasure rolled over him, a wave of intensity that froze him and left him floating at the same time.
Thyos.
It wasn’t really a sound so much as a warm feeling. It wrapped around him, a hug and awareness. A presence that saw him. Knew him. I
t went two ways.
Belle.
My love.
My mate.
He could have sworn the connection between them purred with satisfaction.
Coming back to himself, he pulled reluctantly from Belle’s body but only so he could fold her into his arms. Eventually they pulled out of the hug and their gazes met.
“We just got married, didn’t we?” she asked.
He nodded.
“I am not going to learn to cook,” was her first pronouncement.
“My stomach is grateful,” was his reply.
“I don’t know if I want kids.”
“Let me know if you change your mind.” He’d prefer his own, but he could be an uncle to orphans as well.
“I don’t know if I can sit around on a planet all the time. I might want to explore a little.”
“Travel can be arranged.”
“I don’t like your mother.”
“I’m sure it’s mutual.” He smirked.
“Thanks for coming to get me.”
“You’re welcome.”
“And bringing my dog.”
“He’s not so bad. Just don’t feed him sugar.”
“Is it bad for his health?”
He grimaced. “My health. The smell.”
She laughed.
And he laughed with her.
Their journey back to his planet was uneventful, with the gods having decided to leave them alone. Ishtara sullenly sent them a message indicating she’d been called home. The only sore spot was Ralph somehow kept finding sugary treats and then slept with them, releasing a gas so noxious, more than once they had to flee the room.
Thyos threatened to kill the beast. To which Belle replied with a threat of her own, “Kill my dog and no sex for you.”
Ralph lived, but Thyos’s sense of smell suffered.
His mother had a celebration ready to launch the moment they got home. It seemed she was prepared to accept his choice. In her own fashion.
She grabbed his wife by the arms and hissed, “I expect lots of babies!”
“Maybe I’ll get a kitten instead,” was Belle’s saucy reply.
Despite the celebration being for them, they fled it early. Hand in hand, they ran through the woods, taking paths he knew all too well.