The Running Mate

by Georgia Thorne, Georgia Thorne

  * * *

  Four Girls Publishing

  www.4girlspublishing.com

  Copyright ©2006 by Georgia Thorne

  First published in 2006/02/20

  * * *

  NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.

  * * *

  * * * *

  * * * *

  Running Mate

  By

  Georgia Throne

  Four Girls Publishing

  www.4girlspublishing.com

  Published by

  Four Girls Publishing

  Copyright © 2006 by Georgia Thorne

  Names, characters, and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Any resemblance to actual events, locals, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, emailing, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Four Girls Publishing. Violation of this is considered copyright infringement and is punishable both by criminal and civil legal actions.

  Credits

  Cover Artist: 4 Girls Graphics

  4girlsgraphics.4girlspublishing.com

  Editor: Edith Morrison

  Printed in the United States of America

  Dedication

  To my family, Bryan for always being there, Alishia with her mad skills, Nina for the moral support and The Nerd Herd. Thanks.

  Prologue

  On Malach, a frustrated father was trying not to shoot the messenger.

  "Are you telling me that the only thing you know about my daughter's whereabouts is where she might be?” Like his daughter, his voice also rose when he was angry. “Get out NOW!” He yelled at the bounty hunter.

  As fearless as he seemed to be, the bounty hunter knew better than to go up against Klist del Mar. Bowing and turning, he quickly left the room.

  Klist had had enough. His three sons had been scouring planets and spaceports looking for their sister, and they too had come up with nothing. The only information he had, that was somewhat credible, was she had been working as a mechanic on various trading ships. His daughter was resourceful and intelligent and that made finding her difficult. Every time he got close to finding her he lost her due to the fact she only signed on for one way trips, and then she would change ships in space ports making it a lot harder to track her. She could go across the galaxy and back in less than a week and they wouldn't even know.

  His precious daughter Britta had disappeared more than a year ago; and he always seemed to be a couple of steps behind her. After the first few months, he returned home to his wife mate and at her insistence had not paid bounty hunters to try and track her down. After two more months with no word from Britta, he had secretly gone and hired the very bounty hunters he had promised his wife he wouldn't.

  In a way he was almost proud of her. She had escaped from locked containers, ships, and had even hijacked a vessel belonging to one of the bounty hunters sent to find her—restraining the crew and dropping them off on a desolate moon. No other female had ever managed to so thoroughly humiliate so many men at one time, yet he wanted his child home. It was dangerous for her to be out for so long on her own, and he had aged years every day just thinking about what could happened to her. All he could do was hope no harm would ever come to her, and that she was alright. Hope was no longer enough though. He had begun posting reward and bounty signs at spaceports for her safe return.

  The reward bounty was large enough to attract attention, and the fact his name was on it offering the reward was enough to ensure nothing would happen to her when she was found. Still, he did not like how he had gone behind Trina's back to do this. Trina would be furious, but he could live with it. His wife just did not understand or know how dangerous the rest of the galaxy was. He had come from the rougher side of life while she had grown up in luxury. Britta could be at the mercy of any kind of barbarian out there. Some would use her as a humanoid breeder, or a sex slave, or even worse. It was enough to send any father into a full blown rage. But for Klist, who doted on his youngest child and only daughter, it was enough to bring him to tears.

  Chapter 1

  Tork Ro'den was tired and needed a drink. This job for his uncle had taken him longer than he had thought it would, and now he was eager to get home. Tul was not the kind of planet anyone went to unless they had some shady business trading to do. His uncle was in charge of the small mining planet owned by the royal family, and had been disturbed to hear of a group of fanatics who were causing trouble. As prince, Tork was responsible for overseeing all family interests in the outlying planets. The mines were the most important business operation on the planet and they must always run smoothly. Though he had been here many times before, this was the first time a business problem had taken so long for him to resolve.

  As he waited to land the shuttle at the spaceport, he looked at the numerous freighters and trading ships in the area. Tul's location at the edge of two large galaxies made it a perfect place for commerce and certain illegal activities, which was why this spaceport was always busy. The mines were located on the other side of the planet, far away from the single spaceport, and he had been there for almost a week trying to find out who was behind the attempts at sabotage. He was no closer now to finding out what was really going on than he had been when he first arrived. Frustrated he had not resolved the issue he had to admit it was time to go back to Rara.

  "Vessel R1022 you are cleared to land.” The computerized controller's voice brought Tork back to reality.

  Finally he had clearance to land. Unbuckling himself he left the ship and made his way to the company offices, where Karn was waiting for him.

  "How did it go?” he asked Karn.

  "I couldn't find a thing. There's no record of this group existing before they came here. I can find nothing strange in any of the manifests going back five years. No security agency on any planet in this system has heard of the resurrectionist movement. They must have been smuggled onto the planet, which is the easy part to figure out. But I'm perplexed as to why they are trying to stop our mining operations."

  Tork made himself comfortable in a chair, “There are only two possible motives for disrupting the mines, political or economic. They either want to destroy the royal family or they have bolder plans. Without the Sero ore there's no other source of energy for N-Fusion engines. We're the only ones that have Sero mines for two quadrants. Any disruption here will cause a huge price spike.” Tork gave a heart felt sigh, revealing his level of frustration. Running a hand through his hair, he spoke with weariness lacing his voice. “I don't think that we're going to find out much more here."

  "I know, but it was worth a try. I hate trying to solve problems from behind a desk. I'd much rather be hunting.” Karn grinned and pushed himself back from the desk.

  Tork knew what kind of hunting he meant, and it was more of the two-legged female variety. “Well, you have tonight. I need you and the crew to go and rustle up supplies for the trip home. We're getting out of here in the morning. I'll see you later."

  Without too much trouble, he found his way into the nearest bar and proceeded to get roaring drunk, hoping maybe he could ease his frustration. He was half
way through his third bottle when her scent hit him like a physical blow. It was like smelling heaven. His spine began to tingle, and a heat shot through his body making him instantly hard. Only his warrior's self control stopped him from instantly going primal. He flared his nostrils wide to take in more of the heavenly scent of the female he knew was nearby. He knew at once what this meant; he had found his mate.

  Whipping his head around, he scanned the room until he spotted her in the corner of the bar. She looked to be Raran except she had jet black hair, not the blonde that was so common among Raran women. She was also rigged out for combat, which meant that she must be alone. Her black hair and green glowing eyes had captured his attention the moment she entered the bar. His body tightened as he stared at her. Waves of lust rolled through him as he fought the urge to run over and grab her. He wanted to sling her over his shoulder and take her to his cabin. The need to secure a mate for himself—and mark her with his scent—was overwhelming. He needed to claim her now. Once a Raran male scented his mate the Ber Toc, or mating fever, would soon set in. If he did not claim her quickly, he would start to lose all of his control. The last thing he wanted to do was go primal and scare her.

  She was trying not to be noticed, and he could understand why. This space port was not a place for any female. She would be his from this day on and there would be no need for her to defend herself again. He would make sure she was never again in a place such as this. He noticed her eyes shoot up when a small fight started at the bar. She looked wary, and it was all Tork could do not to go over to her. Damn, but she brought out his protective instincts. It was going to be a long night. He kept his eyes on her as she got up and walked towards the exit.

  By the Goddess! She was nearly as tall as he was! Much taller than the average Raran female—in his estimation. Her height was not the only thing distracting him though. Her breasts were large and firm, and they way they were pressed against the material of her black vest made his mouth water. As he watched her, his hunger growing by the moment, an image of his mouth suckling at her breast filtered across his mind's eye making him sweat. His hands ached to touch them. Her skin was a creamy tan color he had not seen on any female before. The urge to touch her was so strong he had to clench his hands to stop them from shaking. He needed to her have her next to him.

  Caught in a haze of lust, Tork did not notice the Vok trader until it was too late. The fight at the bar had spun out of control. What had been between two men had become an all out brawl, and the beautiful female was walking right into it. He watched her duck as a large man swung at her. She weaved to avoid the man as he fell over, carried there by his own momentum. Tork admired her body as she moved, but froze when he saw the Vok trader turn and step towards her. Incredibly fast, the Vok trader grabbed the beautiful woman by her hair. She reached for her blasters, but before she could pull them clear of their holsters, the trader had slammed his huge fist into her head.

  Tork let out a war cry that shook the room. All movement stopped as his cry echoed. The trader never had a chance. He knew his only hope was the weapon still strapped to his belt. But before he could even draw it the fight was over. Tork drew the laser sword from its sheath and ran at the man that had hurt his woman. The laser sword flew at him in an arc and cut the man almost clean in half. Before his body could even hit the floor, Tork swept his newly discovered mate up into his arms and walked out of the door.

  * * * *

  Britta was tired of running. Since she had left home she had been from one end of the galaxy to the other. It had been fun in the beginning, getting away from her overbearing father and brothers. Then the chase had begun. Her father had sent bounty hunters after her. The first two she had dealt with quickly. The third had been dogging her for the last year without any relief. If not for the fact she secretly talked to her mother every week, she would not have been able to keep a couple of steps ahead.

  Tolpek had been the hardest to shake. He had caught her twice, and both times she had gotten away, but he was getting better. That was the reason she had ended up on this forsaken rock of a mining colony out in the middle of nowhere. She had been forced to travel as a crew member on some dingy freighters in order to avoid popping up on passenger manifests.

  Britta knew she was in trouble and needed to get out of town fast. Her short stint on a Dorian freighter as a mechanic had ended here on Tul. The place was in the middle of some fanatical religious revival. Even though she had stayed near the general area of the spaceport, the message of the fanatics was getting through loud and clear. The presence of women working alongside men in the spaceport was considered corruptive on Tul and would no longer be tolerated.

  Britta threw her head back and relaxed for a minute. She eyed the crowd in the bar, keeping her back to the wall. She knew the men there saw her as bad luck or a risk since many of them had lost contracts due to the fanatics. Still, this area was mostly full of traders who weren't too dangerous and were only concerned with keeping the money coming in. She didn't think things would be getting too out of hand. She'd been in worse bars, in worse spaceports, and could hold her own. Still, with fewer ships coming into Tul, she wanted to get off this rock, and she couldn't afford to get into a fight with a possible employer.

  A sudden burst of noise from the bar caught her attention. Two guys were beginning to brawl and this could only mean the night was going to go downhill fast.

  "Damn. They would have to start early.” She muttered under her breath. This was her signal to leave. The crowd was drunk and rowdy—she would be a prime target. Britta downed her drink, and standing up, began making her way towards the door. She was almost there when a Vok trader grabbed her arm and spinning her around. Before she could even reach for the blasters strapped to her legs, she was hit in the face. Right before she lost consciousness she heard a loud roar and hoped that she wasn't being fired at.

  Chapter 2

  Tork waited anxiously for the hatch of the med unit to open up. After a little while he gave up and began pacing in front of the machine. What was taking so long? Med units were supposed to be quick and efficient. She had been in there for a long time. What he thought was a simple injury had turned out to be worse. What he thought would have just taken minutes to fix had turned into a half hour. After the first fifteen minutes he checked the display. Severe head trauma, hemorrhaging, and concussion.

  None of these were simple injuries. The words on the screen brought him a moment of fear. He had only just found his mate, he could not think of losing her now. There could only be one mate in his life, and she was the one. He shuddered and tried to reign in his fear.

  The lapses in his control were getting worse. He could feel his ability to manage his emotions starting to ebb away. The Ber Toc mating fever would get progressively worse until he joined with his mate. Only after their first mating would he be able to control himself. Until then he needed to focus. His mate had been through enough without having to deal with a Raran male in the grips of full blown mating fever.

  A soft hiss signaled the opening of the med unit. Her face betrayed none of the pain he knew she would feel when she woke up. Tork's eyes lingered on her face, so different from what he knew, but still with a familiar feel. Physically, she enchanted him

  She was taller than the average Raran female and her coloring was all wrong. Raran females tended to be pale skinned with golden, honey colored hair while this woman had long black hair, dark lashes, and beautifully golden skin.

  Picking her up, he cradled her soft skin to his as he strode to his cabin. Her scent wafted up to him and without control his cock sprang to attention. Her scent was slowly overriding all of his control. He placed her under the covers of his bed. Drawing the sheets up he paused to linger at her bare breasts. In the coolness of the cabin they had begun to pucker and tighten. Unable to resist temptation, he leaned in and tasted one. Her sweetness sent a shudder through him and a low rumble began in his throat. Reaching up, he used his other hand to massage her right
breast. He drew back before losing himself to the taste of her warm and inviting body. Tork quietly cursed under his breath. He needed to get out before he went primal and took her. There would be plenty of time for them to play later. Smiling to himself, he pulled the sheet up over her delicious body and left the room.

  Voices in the hall signaled the return of his crew. He realized he had forgotten all about them. With his mate now secure on his ship, it would surely be the last time he was so distracted from his duties. Now that everything was under control, he needed to focus all of his attention on his mission. The troubles on Tul were only going to get worse, and he needed to inform the family.

  * * * *

  Karn was just coming out of the cargo bay when he arrived.

  "How did the search go? You were successful?” asked Tork, pausing at the entrance to the cargo bay.

  "We retrieved all of the supplies. Jorn and Haar are loading them now. I wouldn't be your first in command if I couldn't find a little food every now and then.” From any other person his words might have seemed bitter or sarcastic, but Karn's lifelong friendship with Tork meant they could talk to each other in ways no one else would dare. Born cousins they had been raised together as brothers and there was no one he was closer to than Karn.

  "The meat was harder to find, which was why we were gone for two days instead of one. It's all been slaughtered and put in the hold."

  Rarans were one of the races which had rejected the use of replicators for food. Their craving for near raw, red meat could never be satisfied by machine made food. It made it so that any trip outside of their planet required frequent stops to acquire and kill fresh game.

  "Good job.” It was one more thing off of his mind. He had not planed for the trip to take so long, and they had burned through their supplies. “I have some business to attend to after we take off. I'll need you to pilot the ship for the first leg of the journey home."