To fuck her until she screamed his name in ecstasy.
Mine. He put on a burst of speed, ready for the chase to be over, ready to catch his prize.
He was only ten feet from her when she hit the bottom of the hill, the opposite side from where they’d left the tunneler. She skidded, fell and was up on her feet again, heading out onto what she must have thought was part of the valley below.
It wasn’t. “Stop!” he shouted as fear for her safety overrode his need.
She didn’t look back, arms and legs pumping. She slipped again, and got up, unaware that the ground she traversed was really a frozen lake.
But how frozen? The volcano rumbled, a deadly reminder of how thin the crust was here, of how soon the heat would combat the freeze in a deadly battle. Instinct told him Sage was in danger, the lake wasn’t frozen through.
Though it took more strength than Dayen knew he possessed, he stopped his pursuit. The beast’s instincts fought him, demanding he catch her, and make her safe, to kill whatever threatened her. But the man’s soul he possessed, Isaac’s soul knew he was her greatest fear.
“Sage, it’s not safe!”
There was a crack and a scream as the ice gave way beneath her boots. She vanished from sight.
He roared again, this time with panic as he tore after her, half hoping the ice would swallow him up as well.
Her panic clawed at him, deeper than the battle wounds he carried. He called her name, looking for the spot where the ice had given way. More cracking, his considerable weight straining the lake’s surface. Her terror washed over him, pain as thousands of needles jabbed into her tender flesh. The thermal suit was made for keeping out cold air, but was useless in water. He roared again, and slammed his fists down onto the frozen pond.
Fissures spilt the ice and water pooled beneath his hands. He hit it again and again until the ice broke apart beneath him, plunging him into the icy depths.
Even in water he knew where she was and swam directly for her. He could no longer hear her thoughts, she must have gone unconscious. Fearful for her, he gave himself over to the beast for the second time that day, needing the creature’s strength and power to guide him to his mate.
After what seemed an eternity, he caught a hold of her arm. He dragged her into him and kicked for the surface. His head bumped against solid ice but he pounded his fist against it with all the fury and desperation in his body. It shattered and he pushed Sage up first, hoping she’d wake and breathe.
She didn’t.
They were about twenty feet from the shore. Dayen ruthlessly broke through the ice with his claws, towing her behind him. Finally at the water’s edge, he rolled her up onto the bank and pulled himself up after her.
She was so still. Her lips were completely blue and she wasn’t shivering.
Air. He must get air into her lungs. As if from a great distance he realized the beast’s features were receding, as the need for human hands and mouth became clear.
He checked her pulse, found none and started chest compressions, as well as mouth to mouth resuscitation.
He called her name in between breaths and wished he had the medical supplies from the shuttle. There was a defibrillator as well as thermal packs to help warm her in the emergency kit. But he didn’t dare take the time to move her there until she’d stabilized.
Another breath, another count of compressions. She was fading, he could feel her going where he could not follow. Madness clawed at him, the beast’s his own, as icy tendrils of fear snaked through his bloodstream.
Can’t lose her. “Don’t leave me,” he begged.
On the next breath she coughed and regurgitated lungfuls of water. Dayen quickly turned her on her side so she didn’t choke. The sound she made as she wheezed in air was terrible and wonderful all at once because it meant she was still alive.
He didn’t breathe until he found her pulse, still too rapid but steady enough. She still hadn’t fully awakened and wasn’t shivering. Still in danger, now from hypothermia. He lifted her into his arms and scented the air, searching for any shelter that was closer than the trek back to the shuttle. His nose detected the acrid tang of sulfur and he set of with his precious cargo.
The cave was pleasantly warm compared to the outside, the spring bubbling with heat. He hurriedly stripped her down to her blue tinted skin, then shed his own clothes before carrying her into the water. The pool was deep enough to reach his shoulders and would have come up over her head, so he settled her on his lap. She was immersed up to her neck and her head rested against his shoulder in a notch that seemed carved for exactly that purpose.
He had to touch her, to keep her safe and warm until she thawed completely.
“Stay with me, mein Schatzi,” he said as he cupped her cheek. The German phrase he’d read in one of Aunt Cassie’s journals fit her. She was his little treasure and he would guard her ruthlessly. “Give me a chance to make it all right. I vow that I will not let you down.”
The shaking started then, her teeth chattering. He pressed her deeper into him, as though he could meld them into one being. He shook too, adrenaline still tearing through his system as he relived the events of the afternoon. She’d been in so much danger, he could have died and then she would have had no one to protect her.
And then she’d run. Not from danger but from him. What had she seen that made her fear him so? Shamed burned through him as he recalled the thoughts that prompted her to run. He’s hideous.
Before he’d always fought the beast, been fearful of what the creature would do if he handed over control. He hadn’t known that he’d transform into a monster, but even if he had, he would have gladly done so if it meant he had the ability to save her life.
“You have what you need to save us,” Aunt Cass had told him when he’d lamented his multiple burdens. A beast, the memories of a dead man, and telepathy that made him shun touch. What had he done to deserve such a mixed bag of misery?
But now he understood. The beast had the power and the determination to save its mate when she faced danger. His telepathy gave him insight into Sage’s particular needs. And Isaac’s ghost?
It taught him how to love her and her alone.
For her all the parts of him had come together instead of warring within his own flesh. With her he could be whole, not just a badly patched amalgamation of abilities and voices. Now it was Dayen who shook, not from hypothermia, but from emotion. He caressed Sage’s soft cheek, admiring the smooth texture of her skin. She could have drowned or frozen to death or been ripped apart before he knew just what she meant to him.
Everything.
****
Sage snuggled deeper into the solid warmth of her bed. It shifted beneath her and large calloused hands smoothed over her bare back. The sensation startled her awake.
She sat up and then gasped when she realized she was completely naked. So was Berrick, who lay flat on his back under her. Green eyes were fixed on her face.
“How do you feel?” his rumbling voice jolted her into action. She sprang away from him as far as the confines of the small space allowed.
Cave, they were in a cave. And from the looks of it, not just any cave, but one of the Born inhabited ones. The firepit had been painstakingly carved out of the rocky cavern floor, and tattered blankets were strewn over rocks, creating a somewhat softer seat. The cave had long since been abandoned for more secluded tunnels and burrows. This one was exposed on one side to the elements, thought the snow had stacked up by the mouth of the cave, creating a barrier against the howling wind. How did they get here?
“You fell through the ice. I pulled you out and brought you in here to warm up.”
Her jaw dropped and she swung back to stare at him. His ability to read her mind had to be more than intuition—he’d done it too often. “How did you know what I was thinking?” Was it really Berrick or was it part of that….thing he’d morphed into?
“Don’t fear me,” his deep voice commanded. He reached for her, and
she skittered away, all too aware of her nakedness.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” she snapped. God, she was so fricking sick of every male she met treating her like she was some sort of halfwit that needed to be ordered around all the time. “And where the hell are my clothes?”
He pointed to a large rock beside the fire pit where her thermal suit had been laid out to dry. His clothes—what remained of them anyway— were spread out beside them.
“Sage,” he stayed where he was, his posture intentionally non-threatening. As if that could somehow erase her memory of him, large and in charge, never mind bloody and befanged. “I vowed I would protect you.”
“Yeah? Can you protect me from yourself?”
His eyebrows drew down. “I’d never hurt you.”
She looked him over, doing her best to ignore the fact that he was very naked. And according to his anatomy, very aware that she was also naked. “You’re not Bred, are you? I mean, the Bred can’t transform at will.”
“Neither could I, before a few hours ago.”
She frowned. Why was it the more questions she asked him, the less she seemed to understand him?
He rose abruptly and her back slammed into the wall. Berrick scowled at the movement. “If you believe nothing else, accept that I mean you no harm.”
She shook her head. “Sorry, but I’ve been told that before and it didn’t hold water.”
His expression turned murderous. “Who was he? The Born who hurt you?”
She blinked at the change of subject. “Holy shit, you really can read minds! What the hell are you?”
“I don’t know,” He looked away. It might have been a trick of the light, but she thought she saw color rise in his cheeks, almost as if he were ashamed?
“He’s dead.” Sage spoke before she realized she was going to tell him anything. “The man who hurt me. So there’s no point in talking about it.”
“Yet he haunts you.” His eyes were like lasers on hers. “I know what it’s like, to have my every step dogged by a ghost.”
She shivered at the expression he wore. Memories fought to escape the vault she’d stuffed them in, but she was too uncomfortably aware of him to give way to a panic.
Abruptly, he strode to the rock, picked up his clothes and pulled them on. He reached for her thermals and flipped them over. “These need a few minutes to dry yet.” He moved toward the mouth of the cave.
He was going to leave her, just like that? “Wait!”
He paused, glanced at her over his shoulder. “I’m going to get Lily out of the tunneler, as well as a few supplies. You’ll be safe enough here. Stay by the fire and keep warm.”
She watched him melt into the darkness. Though his orders chafed, every part of her seemed to ache and it was unbearably cold without her clothes. Or without Berrick to keep her warm. She moved to the floor in front of the fire and held out her hands to the heat. They warmed slowly, then grew hot, even as her back froze. She rose and turned around, trying to warm the other half of her, even as her nipples puckered in the cold. The ultimate no-win situation.
Just like her life.
The life Berrick had saved. Twice. And was out braving the cold in what amounted to rags to retrieve her dog. That wasn’t the kind of thing a manipulative bastard would do, was it?
Sage turned again and stared into the flames as though they held the answers she sought. She’d been naked and unconscious. Totally at his mercy and yet he’d just held her, kept her warm and safe. Maybe she really could trust him.
She heard a bark and scrambled for her thermals. Even if they were still damp, she would rather wear them than sit around naked under his heated gaze. She’s just pulled up the zipper when Lily rushed into the cave, little claws clicking on the stone floor. Berrick was right behind her, a pack slung over one arm.
“Hey baby,” she cooed to her dog. Her eyes filled with tears at the sight of Lily’s wriggling little form. She scooped her up and buried her face into the wiry fur, letting it hide her tears. If Berrick really was psychic, he knew she was crying, but was gentleman enough not to say anything about it.
He did scowl at her clothes though. “You’re shivering.”
“I’ll be fine,” she pushed the words out through chattering teeth and plucked at the clammy fabric to keep it from molding to her breasts.
“Stubborn woman,” he dropped the pack on the floor and retrieved one of the blankets. “Put this on if you feel the need to cover yourself. Though you don’t have to on my account. I’ve seen all of you there is to see.”
She blushed, turning away from him with the blanket clutched in one hand. Her body wasn’t impressive by any standards, other than her height, which was just freaky. Too tall, too plump and currently battered and bruised from their ordeal. But Berrick looked at her as though she was a fine treasure worthy of study.
She studied him, where he crouched by the fire, opening a can of some sort. “I owe you a thank you.”
“What for?” He didn’t look up from his task.
She’d lost count of the reasons for her gratitude. “For everything. You’ve been decent to me since we first met, even when I’ve been a less than ideal companion. Most men wouldn’t have bothered to come after me when I took off like that.”
He did look up then. “I’m not most men.”
She was well aware of that fact. Not just his physical differences, he was bigger than any man she’d ever seen, large enough to make her feel small in comparison. Nor was it his other side, the beast that had fought off…
“Hey, what was that thing that attacked us earlier? I’ve never seen or heard of anything like it before.”
Berrick poured the contents of the can into a pot and set it on the stones that encircled the fire. “I don’t know. Most of the larger predators died out when the Earth stopped spinning. The food chain above ground all but collapsed. No sun for half the year and nothing but sun for the other half makes growing things all but impossible, as you well know.”
She did. Sage had devoted most of her waking hours to her garden. She didn’t ask how he knew that, his mind reading ability was unnerving but oddly, she was growing used to it.
“So with nothing to eat, herbivores grew extinct. The carrion eaters survived longer, feeding off the dead, but eventually the meat spoiled and they too died off. Only the domesticated beasts, like your little friend here, that the Born and Bred managed to save are still around.” Lily had come to investigate the pot of warming food and he scratched the top of her head.
“What about below ground? Have the cyborgs created anything like what we saw?” Her eyes were fixed on her dog, waiting for Lily to turn and lunge at him, surprised she hadn’t done so already. Lily had been kicked and swatted but most of the males she’d ever encountered, and typically led with her teeth whenever an unknown man approached her.
To her astonishment, the dog turned and licked his hand. When had they become such bosom buddies?
Or maybe it’s a canine thing. He did sort of resemble a big scary dog when he changed.
Berrick’s eyes met hers and she glanced away, embarrassed that he’d heard that thought.
“No,” he said at length, returning to the earlier conversation. “The cyborgs have not created predators. It’s illogical to try and reestablish the food chain from the top down. Any sort of future earth has needs to start with flora, not fauna.”
“If we have a future at all,” she muttered darkly, her thoughts on what he’d been explain to her before.
They remained silent for a time, each lost in their own thoughts. Well, he probably heard hers, but he didn’t comment on them at least. She watched him divide the contents of the pot into two chiseled stone cups that were still intact. It was a hearty vegetable soup. They had no spoons so they sipped their dinner.
“Why did you agree to the mating?” Berrick asked.
His question caught her off guard. “What do you mean?”
His green eyes glowed in the dimness. “You
fear males. It makes no sense that you would bind yourself to one you had never met.”
She laughed. “I wasn’t given a choice, Berrick. Either the Born agree to the terms of the contract or we have to die. My marriage was one of those terms.”
He didn’t like her answer at all. She knew it even before he deposited the remains of his mug at Lily’s feet and strode out of the cave.
Chapter Six
Dayen paced at the mouth of the cave. The beast’s restless energy and the frequency of Sage’s thoughts had him halfway to crazed. She didn’t want him, had been forced into accepting their union to save her people. Never had the idea that she would be so unwilling ever entered his mind.
Not until her thoughts put it there.
Her rapist was already dead. He should be glad of that fact, but it left him with nothing to do, no way to atone for forcing her into his life. Because if this afternoon had taught him anything, it was that he didn’t just want her, he needed her to keep him whole.
Despite the quagmire of turbulent emotions, his thinking had been clearer in her presence. Before, when he’d bathed her and held her in his arms he’d experienced a blessed silence unlike any he’d ever known. Everything in him had been content to simply stroke her soft skin, inhale her sweet fragrance. He hadn’t lied when he’d said he’d seen all of her. He couldn’t help but look as he’d dried her after the bath. Patted the dark curls between her thighs, glimpsing the hidden pink folds beyond with only the flimsy excuse for a blanket between his skin and hers. He wanted to taste her there in the worst way.
From stray thoughts he’d picked up over the years, Dayen knew that was a Bred trait. Cyborgs tended to mate the way they did everything else—efficiently. Borns were often preoccupied with their own satisfaction, but Breds…
Breds reveled in exploring one another with every sense they possessed.
Isaac’s memories of sex had both unnerved and aroused him. The dead male had taken his time pleasuring his Only One, had loved to lick her between her thighs until she cried out her release. After the dreams had started, Dayen had done his level best to avoid spending anytime with Rothguard and Mel. It was uncomfortable, having such carnal knowledge of his honorary aunt.
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