Saxon (Shared Survival Book 1)

by Annalise Alexis

  “You’re already it.” She smiles and tries her best to acknowledge everyone we pass. With the bulk of those who chose to greet her in our wake, we pass under an altar of Ro’tor flowers to find my mother and father waiting for us with none other than our king.

  “Is that her? Saxon, she’s so beautiful.” Leigh says as the bright red headpiece adorning my mother’s head comes into view. Males in my culture are expected to remain emotionally unmoved, but the vision of the second most important female in my life just as fulfilled and happy as the first makes maintaining myself difficult.

  My father stands by her side and narrows his eyes in warning. King Kizan is to his left. Tightening my jaw, I allow my claws to lengthen and rein in the soft emotions my two females inspire. My mother and father dip in a low bow to King Kizan, showing the appropriate respect, then turn to us.

  “It is so good to finally meet you. We have waited for this day for so long. I am Eisa and this,” she gestures to my father, “is Vrukai. Welcome home, daughter.”

  Leigh covers her mouth, then without warning lunges at my mother and pulls her into a full embrace. My mother tightens her arms around my mate and holds her without hesitation. Those remaining close cheer, and King Kizan steps forward.

  “Saxon of Revaris, Exune of our people has returned with his mate!” More cheers and grunts echo through our collective. “Come, shower them with well wishes and enjoy yourselves on this fine occasion!”

  “She is wonderful, Saxon. The ancients have surely blessed you.” As always, my mother sits neatly, hands tucked at her side as she watches the males tell stories of the times they have bested each other. Although she has engaged the other females and accepted their praise, she has sat alone for the last few moments deep in thought.

  My Leigh sits on the steps of the home I secured before I left with the furry overlord in her lap. She looks tired, the hours of gaiety wearing on her. My people do not indulge often, but when they do, the celebrations go well beyond the set of our final sun.

  “She is more than I could have hoped for. More than I ever hoped to deserve.”

  “If only your brother could find an equally impressive female to settle him. His mind is always wandering.”

  “Do you worry for him? Fear that he has not returned? I know you were hoping the ancients would send us our mates at the same time.”

  She presses her hand to her heart. “He lives. I still feel him here. You forget you have not been gone that long, my son. Your journey may have felt like an eternity but time has hardly passed here. The marker for your birth has yet to pass. It is you I worry about. You two have never been separated.”

  “The world we left behind was not a peaceful one. I will spare you the details, but perhaps, that is why I am left uneasy in his absence.”

  “He is a Revari male, is he not? You and your brother are trained to fight and to protect those who cannot defend themselves. Pavil will find his mate and return to us just as you have. And if he should fail, you have my full permission to search the stars, find him, and kick his ass.”

  “Mother!” I gasp, unaccustomed to hearing her speak vulgarities. She is a warrior, deadly enough to earn the markings of Revari elite, but she has never shown us anything but unwavering understanding and strength.

  “What? You are matured and no longer need me to shelter you from my occasional slip of the tongue.”

  The furry overlord jumps from Leigh’s lap and scurries through the crowd, shouting demands, and my mother narrows her eyes. “How does your mate tolerate this creature?”

  I clear my throat, unsure of what to say. Even as a child before being instilled with the Revari code of ethics and swearing my oath, I could not deceive her. “Leigh cannot understand the foul words it speaks.”

  “And you managed this how? The tiny beast is not exactly quiet about her disdain. Or her desires for…completion.”

  “I altered her chip. If she knew of the things it says, she would be heartbroken. She loves it. And despite its foul temperament, it loves her, too.”

  When the wind shifts, scattering the brightly colored flowers lining the ground, my mother catches one and places it in my hand. “You are a good male, Saxon. Go to her. Let her rest her eyes and be done with this night if she wishes. But most of all, love her as your father has loved me, and you will spend the rest of your days with endless happiness.”

  “With her, it is impossible to feel anything else.”

  Drawn to her like the pull of a Xisun moon, I make my way toward her and everything else fades away.

  “Are you okay?” she asks as I offer a hand and pull her to her feet. The light streaming down from the final setting sun reflects off her eyes in the most intriguing way. Just the sight of her in our traditional dress stirs my desire, and I am painfully aware of my need for her.

  “You are here,” I whisper. “How could I not be?”

  She laughs and tugs me closer by the black chain adorning my uniform. “ Since when did you get so smooth? I feel like now that we’re not being chased by an army and dodging bombs, we’ll have to get to know each other all over again.”

  I shake my head and angle my hips so she can see what she does to me. “I know you. From the second I felt the connection between us stir me awake, I knew without a doubt you were meant for me. Whether spent in turmoil or sweet relief, an existence with you is all I desire.” Her nipples harden underneath the thin material of her U’chai robes, and a hint of her arousal teases me.

  “To feel you underneath me, to taste you at first and last light every day the ancient sky spirits see fit to keep me breathing is all I have and will ever dream of. You need not worry, my Leigh—my everything. You are it for me, and I will spend the rest of my life loving you.”

  Her pupils dilate. “Can we go inside? I’d really hate to attack you out here but if you keep saying shit like that to me, I don’t think I’ll be able to help myself.”

  A deep growl rumbles in my chest, and I am throwing her over my shoulder and carrying her up the few steps to our door before she can blink. It opens, responding to my thoughts, and as soon she is on my bed, I stop and take in her image. Cheeks reddened with arousal, swollen lips and hooded eyes so blue she puts her planet’s sky to shame.

  “Do you know how exquisite you are?” I ask, peeling back the thin layers of cloth keeping the flush of her skin from me. She parts her thighs, welcoming me in, and with soft strokes of my tongue I drink her in.

  “Saxon,” she moans, tangling her hands in my hair. “ Please…don’t…stop…”

  She whimpers once more, then arches her back as I score my teeth along her sensitive nub. “We have forever mate, and I do not plan on stopping any time soon.”

  Epilogue

  Leigh

  The rides into the major cities still make me nervous. It doesn’t matter than I’ve been living in the Revaris countryside close to a year or that I’ve ridden in roans nearly a hundred times, I just can’t get used to them. Autonomous cars have their own special place in hell.

  There’s something about giving up all control that doesn’t sit well. Probably because I worked for a megalomaniac who attempted to kidnap and murder me.

  Fun times.

  Usually Saxon’s there to distract me, but this time I went solo. His mother came to me this morning right as he left to train with the other males and said the ancients came to her in a dream. Pavil is returning, and for some reason, I needed to bring a Roshini cloth soft enough to keep a Zoros egg from breaking.

  I guess it’s a good thing she gave me a list because I have no idea what the hell a Zoros is and I’ve never seen a Roshini cloth. Yet, here I am. Nearly tripping out of one of those blasted cars with an armful of bags to wait in the small garden I’ve managed to grow. Saxon’s mother should be here any moment to pick me up to meet him.

  The waxy leaves of my Yu’Kuvu flowers have finally started to peek through the purple soil, and in just another few days, they should be in full bloom. The keyword he
re is should. The plant life here, like all the other living things on this planet, has a mind of its own and is far more sentient than what grows on Earth.

  If you happen to choose a seed that doesn’t like you, it just won’t grow. Yeah, living here has been quite an adjustment.

  The days are longer, the nights shorter, and their year is comprised of over four-hundred Earth days. Don’t even get me started on how they don’t use toilet paper.

  The communicator Saxon created for me buzzes around my neck, alerting me to a foreign presence near our house. The device is a little heavy and sometimes gets in the way, but it was either this or having one surgically implanted in my arm.

  After watching Elgin’s men try to dig it out of Saxon, I just couldn’t do it. I try my best to push thoughts of what happened away, but there’s so much good mixed in with all the terrible we experienced. We’ve only grown closer, fallen deeper in love, and I swear, if anyone ever tries to take him away from me again, I’ll rip their face off before they even get close.

  Eisa’s roan comes around the corner, and I stand to dust off my pants. The heel of my shoe rustles the Yu’Kuvu bud, and I drop to my knees. “Shit, I’m sorry. Don’t get mad. I swear, I’ll sing to you later.”

  Up again, carefully this time, I head over and slide in beside Saxon’s mother.

  “By the ancient sky spirits, you look lovely. Have you told him?” she asks, her deep citrine eyes sparkling with excitement.

  “No. He’s still in the training circles with Deg and the other warriors.”

  She claps her hands, then quickly checks her hair. “Wonderful. He will be so pleased. This is the longest they have been apart, and I cannot wait for them to be reunited!”

  “Oh, here.” I grab the bags of stuff she sent me into the city for and hand them over. “Are you going to tell me what all of this is for?”

  “That part…is your surprise, my daughter. And it will be a big one.”

  “Oh, fun! Do we know when he’s going to be here? How does that work anyway? Do the dreams give you an exact time or…”

  She smiles and pats my leg gently. “The ancients are wonderfully mischievous. They send images only. Some are mere flashes, and they are left up to the receiver for interpretation. The suns were low in the sky. Much like they are now. Call him to our location but tell him nothing. It should be any moment now.”

  After meeting Saxon, you’d never know his mother and the rest of the Revari females are festive. The males are the polar opposite—cold and at times, unforgiving. They focus solely on the protection and defense of their home. But their decidedly curvier counterparts?

  They find joy in absolutely everything.

  Makes me feel a bit out of sorts at times, still dragging around so much baggage. It’s getting better, and with Saxon’s steadfast reassurance, most days I don’t even think about the events that brought us together.

  Trying to practice maintaining the connection between my chip and my communicator, I close my eyes and focus on the buzz in the back of my head. Letting go of the urge to do, rather than think, is harder than I expected. Everything here is designed to sync with your chip and operate hands free.

  Saxon answers instantly. “My everything, are you all right? You do not normally call upon me while I am working.”

  “Yeah, but I need you and I can’t exactly tell you why.”

  A deep growl carries over the communicator. “Are you harmed? Has the furry overlord gotten herself in more trouble? I know you love the cursed creature, but she refuses to keep her distance from the other mated males.”

  Saxon’s mom rolls her eyes, and I try to contain my laugh. He’s so protective, and while most of the time I get a kick out of it, I also think it’s freaking hot.

  “No, nothing like that. I actually left her at home. I just need to show you something, but it has to be now.”

  “Will you be naked?” he asks in a low voice, and I blush bright red, silently praying his mother didn’t hear.

  “Is that all you think about?”

  He chuckles over the line. “Yes. You are all I think about.”

  Well hell, how can I stay annoyed when he says stuff like that?

  “No, I will be fully clothed, but I still expect you to show. The naked part comes after.”

  “How naked?” he asks almost immediately.

  “Like the day I was born.”

  “Right then. I am leaving now.”

  I try to get another word in before he severs the connection, but he’s already gone. The male is insatiable.

  Eisa invites me to join her sitting on the hood of the roan while we wait. Let’s hope for both our sakes she doesn’t mention the mini-foreplay Saxon tried to start during our call.

  “I used to do this as a child on Earth—stare up at the sky and watch the clouds roll by. I can help you if I know what I’m looking for.”

  “Some things are universal. Saxon and Pavil both used to join me in doing that very same thing while we waited for the Exune of the past to return.”

  “It sounds like he had a really great childhood.”

  She gives my hand a squeeze. “He did, as do all younglings raised here. Your progeny will be no exception.”

  Here it comes. The conversation I’ve been dreading. Saxon and I have been doing it like rabbits, but mother nature still hasn’t done her thing. Eisa hasn’t said anything, and she’s never put pressure on me to get pregnant, but the possibility of not meeting everyone’s expectations always hangs in the back of my mind. I can’t help but feel like she wants more from me.

  A lot of little mores. And I want them, too. And they’ll happen when my body is ready for them.

  We sit there in comfortable silence, leaving her statement open ended because I have no idea what to say, until a loud boom sends Eisa to her feet. “There. He has arrived.” She points to a green streak not far off in the distance.

  She’s nearly a quarter of a mile away before I can blink, and I rush to catch up with her. I don’t even know why they bother to use roans when they can run so damn fast. The females are especially quick.

  As I jog toward her, my communicator warms, letting me know Saxon’s close. He’s going to be so excited. I know he misses his brother. He mentions him all the time, so much so, I had a hard time at first listening to him.

  It might sound selfish, but I was pretty messed up emotionally after everything that happened, and once Saxon and I settled into our wonderful new life, all I had was time to think. Think about how I’ll never mend my relationship with my sister. About how I left Anya after everything she did for me.

  Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy. Happier than I’ve ever been really, but stuff like that doesn’t just float away because your circumstance changes.

  Everything I’ve faced has only made me stronger.

  Now that I’ve graduated to the point of using those feelings rather than trying to run away, it only makes me appreciate Saxon more.

  He wakes me every first sun rise with a kiss, and I’m not just talking about my lips. He feeds me, holds me when memories keep me up at night, and most importantly, he never stops wanting me. Wanting to listen, wanting to be around me—it’s been a year and we’re still just as crazy about each other as we were when we first met.

  But for him, there’s always been something missing, and his brother coming home is the last piece.

  Holy crap, I’m so excited to see him.

  His roan comes to a stop near a cluster of trees between his mother and me, so I veer off to meet him. He’s bounding toward me before the hover mechanism can disengage. Once I’m in his arms, I nuzzle against the corded muscles of his neck and enjoy the sweat clinging to his skin.

  “You got here fast,” I say, popping my head back up to kiss him.

  He chuckles and gives me one more squeeze before setting me back down. “I had a substantial amount of motivation.”

  “Yeah? Like what? Getting out of sparring with your father?”

  My
skin tingles as he runs a claw from my neck to the apex of my thighs and flicks my clit through my pants. “You know what I want. What I always want. Do not pretend you do not know what you do to me.”

  The bulge in the front of his pants is getting larger by the second, and no matter what my lady bits are telling me, we don’t have time for it. “Easy there. I’d hate for your mom to catch sight of your raging hard-on.”

  His face pales slightly. “She is here?”

  “Yep. And that’s not all. Come on, pick me up and carry me over to her, I’m slow as shit.”

  Saxon laughs as he lifts me in his arms. “You are not slow, my everything. You are not as quick as I am because the ancients meant for me to carry you.”

  I hold up a hand before he takes off. He’s going to figure it out in a few feet and I really want to be the one to tell him.

  “Wait. I want to say something to you before we go over there. I love you, and I’m so incredibly happy we found each other, but I swear, if you try to move him into our house, I’m letting Binky sleep on the bed.”

  “Who are you talking about? I do not understand—” He squints, and as soon as he realizes who I’m talking about, his sunshine eyes light up like the Fourth of July, and he starts running.

  His mother is the picture of pure joy as she greets us, pulling us both in a hug.

  “Pavil,” Saxon whispers, a hint of child-like excitement in his voice.

  “Would you like to do the honor?” Eisa asks, holding the blade they use to draw the blood necessary to open the pod.

  “No, Mother. That honor will always be yours. But I ask that I be excused from all consequences. He deserves to be throttled for what he pulled back on Earth, and I would be remiss if I didn’t greet him accordingly.”

  Eisa shakes her head and smiles. “You two… I will allow it.”

  Holding the knife between her hands, Eisa says a small prayer then drags the blade across her palm. She smears it across the seamless silver tube and whispers something I can’t hear to make a door appear.