Miners of Djaromir: K'hor

by Leora Gonzales

  “There were no matches,” K’hor repeated slowly, as if she were hard of hearing.

  “What?” Licking her lips, she eyed him suspiciously as if he were trying to somehow trick her. “What do you mean there were no matches?” Juniper asked in a strangely calm voice as her breathing began to return to normal.

  “You were lied to.” He pushed the hair back from her face gently, tempted to play with the strands that were just as soft as they looked. Shaking his head at his thoughts, he refocused. “From what we were told, the bride handler on Earth made sure the ones she sold were unattached.”

  “None of us were matched?” Juniper asked in a blank tone. “I don’t have someone waiting for me?”

  “No, you don’t have a Phaeton waiting on you to arrive. None of the brides do,” K’hor said with a shrug. “That was their plan. No matches meant no one would be looking for you. If we hadn’t intercepted the shipment, the Traccorians would have sold you off to the highest bidder and you’d be gone. Every step was taken to guarantee that you would not be missed. There would have been no trail to follow once everyone had been split up and sold. Your liaison made sure of that.” K’hor answered, regret filling him when Juniper physically winced at his words. “I’m sorry, Tiny. I didn’t mean for that to sound so harsh.”

  Tugging her arm gently, he pulled her back into his side. He couldn’t even begin to describe how grateful he was when she relaxed and leaned into him. K’hor savored the feel of her figure against his own as he soothed her.

  “I don’t understand, K’hor. How can people be so awful? I trusted— we all trusted her.” Turning her face up to his, Juniper blinked up at him with damp eyes. “Why are people such assholes?”

  "I don't know, Tiny," he answered honestly. It hurt his chest to see her so upset. K'hor felt a pang of shame at the reminder that he'd been selfishly focused on his own good fortune instead of his mate. He'd been so happy that he had a mate that he didn't even consider Juniper's feelings or what she'd been through. The pain and the betrayal on her face was easy to see. Even though it wasn't directed at him, he felt it as heavy as a physical blow.“Well…I guess it figures right? Nothing ever works out for me. It doesn’t matter if it’s something as trivial as a one dollar scratch off. One time for my birthday, I got twenty of ’em…not one damn winner among the bunch.” Sniffing, she rubbed her nose. “Why’d I ever think signing up for that stupid Pact was going to actually work out?”

  “Shhhhh,” K’hor soothed when he could see her start getting agitated again. “I understand how distressing the situation is for you, but everything will turn out in the end. I promise.”

  Juniper blinked up at him with eyes that were glistening with unshed tears. “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because you’re here with me,” K’hor answered easily. This was exactly where she was meant to be, even if it wasn’t her original destination. “The stars brought you to me.”

  Juniper scooted away, causing him to frown at the distance she had put between them. When he reached for her to pull her closer, she held out her hand to hold him back.

  Not wanting to scare her, he froze immediately. He had to convince her that she was not only safe with him, but safe from him as well. There was no way she would ever accept his claim if there was no trust. He was sure of it.

  “I can’t think when we’re that close,” Juniper said, her cheeks turning pink. “And right now, it’s probably a good idea to keep my wits about me.”

  When she offered him a small smile, he returned it with one of his own. “I understand, Tiny.”

  “Why do you keep calling me that?” Juniper asked.

  “Tiny?” When she nodded, he felt a blush of his own heat his face.

  He focused on the raaschon stones lighting the wall across the room as he thought of how to answer without sounding foolish. Juniper tapped his arm to call his attention back to her and the smile she now had stretching across her beautiful lips. Lips that he wanted nothing more than to taste again.

  “Well I have to know the answer now, especially if it makes you blush,” she teased, her smile more contagious the longer he looked at her.

  “I call you that because you are tiny,” K’hor answered sheepishly. Standing up, he tugged Juniper to her feet as well. “See,” Raising his hand up and down, he compared their heights, hers at least two feet below his own. “Even compared to the others you’re small—the tiniest bride of the group!” he said on a gust of air.

  K’hor paced away, then back, with his hands on his hips. Thrusting his palms out, he gestured up and down her body. “The first time I picked you up, I had to keep reminding myself how small you are compared to me. I kept calling you Tiny One in my head over and over again to make sure I wouldn’t forget.”

  Juniper stared at him with a puzzled look on her face. “Why?”

  “Because I never want to hurt you. I can’t risk being too rough and accidently hurting you with my size.” He had thought the answer obvious, but from her expression, it hadn’t been as clear as he thought.

  When her eyes began to grow wet with tears again, he feared he had upset her once more. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, unsure exactly what he was apologizing for but doing it anyway.

  “That—” She swallowed hard. “Dear lord, I’m a mess.” Juniper patted her cheeks to try to dry her tears.

  “If it upsets you this much, I won’t call you it again.” K’hor promised even as he recognized how hard it would be to keep it. Using the term of endearment felt as natural as breathing and would take some time to overcome.

  “No!” Juniper yelled, the word coming out so abrupt he jerked back. “I mean…” She cleared her throat. “I like it. It’s sweet.”

  K’hor frowned, thoroughly confused. “Then why are you crying?”

  Juniper shrugged, the movement emphasizing her fragility. “Because you’re sweet and I was crammed in a box for god knows how long and I’m tired and sore and I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do…or even feel right now. This whole mess started because I wanted a new life, but which one do I choose? I think I could be happy here but am I just scared to go back and fail again? And you—that’s another thing that’s driving me crazy! This,” Juniper gestured between the two of them. “is crazy, right? I mean—I’ve never felt anything like this before. You make—” Juniper took a calming breath. “I feel so out of control right now. Not only with the kidnapping and all of that but up here,” she said, tapping her temple. “It’s too much at once.”

  K’hor watched as she rubbed her eyes, her fists seeming ridiculously small as she made the weary motions. “I can’t imagine what my emotions would be like in the same situation.”

  “It’s just—” Juniper broke off to chew at her lower lip, worrying the plump flesh until it was a bright pink.

  “Overwhelming?” he suggested, feeling the confusion clearly through their connection. The tingling sensation was not a welcome one, stirring emotions he rarely had to deal with.

  “Yes, that’s exactly what it feels like.” Juniper blew out a breath of air. “I just need time to process everything. The last thing I want to do is make the wrong decision again.”

  “I don’t think you made the wrong decision, Tiny.” K’hor said. “You did need to leave Earth. You simply had the wrong destination chosen. I believe fate decided to step in and correct the course for you.”

  Juniper nodded but didn’t say anything. He could see her head was filled with everything they’d talked about and the decisions were weighing heavily on her.

  Twenty-eight days from now the Phaetons would land their shuttles on Djaromir to pick up the brides. He knew it was going to take a miracle to keep her here but that didn’t matter to him. There was no way he could let her go.

  Not now, not ever.

  K’hor gave Juniper the space she asked for and did the only thing he could think of.

  Bowing his head, he prayed for a miracle.

  Chapter Five

  Wh
at the hell was she doing?

  Juniper’s watched through damp eyes as K’hor leaned forward on the bed to brace his elbows on his knees. Dropping his head forward, he closed his eyes with a heavy sigh.

  He looked…weary.

  Kind of how she felt. Every single part of her body was sore. Her arms, her legs, her abs, her brain. All of it. Her entire being was one large blob of over sensitized molecules. The only thing that didn’t feel like it had gotten stomped to the ground was her libido which kept reminding her how fraking hot he was every time he breathed.

  It was discombobulating.

  Juniper had little to no control over the situation, or even what she was feeling for that matter, and she didn’t like it. It was exactly as K’hor described. Overwhelming. There wasn’t one emotion that she hadn’t felt in the last few hours. It was messy and uncomfortable.

  This entire situation was an example of why she avoided people.

  “Tell me what you’re thinking,” K’hor said after a while, breaking into her thoughts with his request.

  “Too much,” Juniper answered automatically. She rubbed her temple, hoping to ease the ache slightly with soothing pressure. “There’s too much whirling around in here and I’m not quite sure how it’s all supposed to fit together yet.”

  “Can I help?” he asked, replacing the hand that she had rubbing her head with his own.

  Juniper melted a little at his touch, taking in the comfort he offered without question. “I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure I just need to give everything a little time to settle.”

  K’hor continued to work his strong fingers against the sensitive skin of her scalp. For someone with such rough hands he sure knew how to avoid pulling her hair. He also seemed to have some sort of sixth sense to tell him exactly how much pressure to apply.

  It probably didn’t hurt that she was also groaning like a porn star as he played with her hair.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Huh?” Juniper mumbled; her body more relaxed with every stroke.

  “Would you like something to eat?” K’hor repeated, this time leaning back slightly so she could see his face and the smile upon it.

  “Food?” Juniper thought for a second, trying to figure out if her body would rebel against anything solid going into it after being trapped in a box for a while. “I’m not sure. I feel a little queasy but I guess it could be because I’m hungry.”

  “Come on, Tiny. Let’s get you to the dining hall so you can meet the other brides. I’ve requested more bland meals for you and the rest of the women until you’ve had a chance to acclimate. Stasis can have a few lingering affects but you should feel back to normal soon.” K’hor untangled his hands from her hair before helping her up.

  “That would be great,” Juniper said as she fought back a yawn. The last thing she wanted to do was go back to sleep right away if she could help it. “I’m tired but I know I probably should at least get a little something in my stomach.”

  “Don’t worry, Tiny. I’ll make sure you don’t overdo it. We’ll come back here to rest if you get too tired.” K’hor held her hand as they left the room and began to walk down one carved hallway.

  As they walked, light from the stones implanted in the walls would illuminate. Their shine imitating a soft natural light that even the most expensive light bulbs had no chance of mimicking. The effect of the alien stones was amazing as they began to glow as if triggered by motion sensors.

  Juniper cast a quick glance back, amazed to see that the stones they had already passed were starting to dim slightly the further away they walked. “That’s so crazy.”

  “What’s crazy?” K’hor asked, looking down at her by his side as they continued.

  “The glowing rocks.” Juniper stopped walking to touch one before looking back at K’hor for permission. “It won’t burn me, right?”

  “No, they won’t. They’re called raaschon stones and they’re one of the minerals we mine. Although they look hot, they don’t hold heat.” Lifting his chin in encouragement, K’hor nudged her forward when she hesitated. “Trust me, Tiny. I’d never put you in danger.”

  Juniper couldn’t stop the small smile at hearing him use her nickname again. Even as she was still trying to wrap her head around—everything—K’hor managed to set flight to the butterflies in her stomach.

  Gently touching the raaschon stones, Juniper was still surprised to find them cool to the touch. “That’s so weird.”

  K’hor tugged her away from the wall. “They’re waiting on us.”

  Juniper jerked her gaze away from the illuminated rocks to look up at him. “Who’s waiting for us?”

  “The other women,” K’hor answered as if that explained everything.

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why are they waiting for us?” she asked nervously.

  Juniper slowed her steps until they had reached a complete stop.

  The idea of meeting the other women filled her with a nervousness she couldn’t help. She always got that way around large groups of people which was one of the reasons why she avoided them to begin with. Even now, just thinking about it, made her palms sweat.

  “You’re the last bride out of stasis, Tiny.” Now facing her, K’hor tugged her close enough to hold her other hand between them. “We’ve gone over the basics of what happened but were waiting until everyone was awake before we explained the entire situation.”

  Juniper rolled her eyes. “The situation? Oh, you mean the fact that you guys ‘rescued’ us and now want to keep us here?”

  “As mates,” K’hor added seriously with a nod.

  “Only those who want to stay, right?” Juniper questioned, needing him to say it again. His talk of mates distracting her from the anxiousness she’d felt earlier when he’d mentioned the others waiting for them.

  “Believe me,” K’hor growled, the sound sending tingles up and down her spine. “You’ll want to stay.”

  “How can you be so sure of that?” she pushed.

  “Tiny…” The way K’hor breathed out her name affected her just as much as if he was physically touching her. Goosebumps broke out up and down her exposed limbs, eliciting a shiver.

  “Yes?” she breathed, internally wincing at the sound of her own voice.

  When did she become a phone sex operator?

  “One thing you should know about Djaromir miners is that we don’t give up.” K’hor took a step forward.

  He was close enough that her breasts brushed the front of his tunic when she took in a deep enough breath—something she was now doing with every intake simply because she couldn’t not do it.

  She could make a ridiculous amount of money if she could bottle him up.

  When he leaned into her, Juniper swayed back, coming up short when she felt the cave wall behind her. With one hand, K’hor braced himself against the cave wall over her shoulder.

  Juniper. Almost. Died.

  It was the move.

  The same move she had seen in every teen movie she had ever binge watched. It was the move that she always imagined her high school fantasy bad-boy boyfriend would pull in the crowded hallway during passing period.

  And it made her just as tingly inside as her daydreams had in the past.

  “Without our perseverance none of this would exist.” Tilting his head to gesture to the cave around them, he let his eyes sweep over their surroundings before focusing on her once more. “We work hard and when given the chance—” K’hor let his words trail off to drop a kiss on the skin just under her ear. “we love even harder.”

  Juniper squeaked as an overabundance of hormones surged through her uterus at his words. If she hadn’t been soaked before, she sure as hell was now. Licking her dry lips, she ignored the breathing that was coming out faster than she’d like.

  “Really?” Juniper tried to keep her tone casual and even but was pretty sure she failed as she caught the knowing smile on K’hor’s face.

  “You will ne
ver want to leave.” K’hor gently tapped his finger against the area over her heart. “This will stop you.”

  Juniper didn’t realize her mouth had fallen open until K’hor reached up to close it for her.

  “That’s why you’ll stay.” K’hor stroked the curve of her cheek. “Your heart won’t let you leave.”

  K’hor stepped back, giving her the room to breathe she felt like she desperately needed.

  “Now, are you ready to meet the other women?” K’hor asked lightly as if he hadn’t just sent her spinning.

  “Not really but okay,” Juniper croaked, clearing her throat. Hopefully the walk would give her body an outlet to burn off the extra energy it was flowing in her nether regions. Taking calming breaths, she tried to immerse herself in the amazing distractions of her surroundings.

  “How far do the tunnels go down?”

  “This level is two kilometers beneath the surface.” K’hor nodded to a tunnel shoot off that was up ahead of them. “That tunnel leads to two more levels beneath us.”

  As they came upon the corridor he was referring to, Juniper felt a shiver at the cooler air drifting from the space. “It’s cold.”

  At her words, K’hor not only moved closer to her but also tossed an arm around her shoulders to cuddle her into his side as they walked. Even though his arms were bare, his skin was much warmer than hers.

  “I’m sorry, Tiny. I forget that you are not used to the conditions on our planets yet,” K’hor mumbled as if he were mad at himself.

  “Planets? There’s more than one?” she asked, trying to ignore the chill that began to seep into her bones at the air that was still rushing past them. There was a small bit of relief when the tunnel they were walking down curved to the right and began to incline slightly. The change effectively slowed the cold breeze that was moving past her to a light annoyance. “Are we going up now?”

  “Yes, the dining hall is just up ahead. You should be more comfortable there since the ovens will be warming the space.” K’hor said the words just as Juniper began to feel a small amount of heat wafting toward her.