by A. Star
He suddenly stepped in front of her. “Have a seat. We need to make better time, and that limp of yours has gotta be painful.”
She climbed onto his broad back, sinking her fingers into his thick coat. Although she’d never felt it before, there was no denying the feeling coursing through her, thrumming from her head to her toes–intense, unmistakable desire. “Thank you.”
She stuttered, something she seldom did, but she wanted to comply. Obviously he’d been given misinformation. If not for breeders, the entire human race would be extinct.
“I, uh, I guess I always assumed everyone already knew about us, so I’ve never put it into words. Um, as a breeder, my blood will be harvested safely, bringing no harm to me, and used to save the lives of tens-of-thousands of humans. I--”
“Sounds like you’re reading from a marketing ad. Is that what they told you? That there will be--”
“I’m talking here! Do you mind?” She bristled. “You asked me to tell you about who I am as a breeder, then when I start trying to tell you, you--”
“It’s just that they’ve lied to you, Kimani.”
She knotted her fingers, tightening her hold on his coat to slow him down. “What do you mean? You don’t say that to someone and just stop. Please, tell me what you think you know and stop playing games with me.”
“Playing games? Kimani, breeders were never meant to be ‘harvested.’ There’s a reason the Almighty only created a limited number of you. You humans always find a way to exploit, to tip the balance and you’ll eventually send us all careening toward another doomsday more catastrophic than the last.”
Her stomach clenched. His words rang frighteningly true. I think I liked it better when he didn’t say much.
“You were meant to have a family of your own, raise them, and allow those infected with the virus to perish. It was meant to be a cleansing of the Earth, Kimani, not another way to manipulate and abuse nature.”
“With who, Ahkil? If all the humans are dead, who am I supposed to have this family with?”
He stopped suddenly. “You are not responsible for caring for the entire human race. And Kimani, they will harm you. How many breeders have you spoken with after they’ve reached their assigned colony? Breeder colonies were created as a way for wealthy humans to continue living their artificial lives at the expense of every other living creature.”
“Let me walk. I need to walk.” Her mind raced, forcing her to move.
Ahkil sat down and she slid down his back, her bottom hitting the ground with a clump.
She pulled herself up, using his back as leverage and glaring at him behind her head covering. If he had any instinct at all, he’d feel it.
“I don’t want to talk about that anymore."
“Fine. You started it. I’ll go get dinner.”
A few moments later, Kimani leapt back when Ahkil dropped three pieces of fish at her feet. “Hey! I’m sitting here. Guess you expect me to clean that.”
He sauntered away, muscles rolling as he grumbled in her head. “I caught it, you cook it. If that includes cleaning, that was the deal. Anyway, you said you needed some protein and we both know it’s all about you. You’re the treasure. I’m just a guardian. I enjoy mine lightly seared.”
She snatched the fish from the ground, drawing back with a pained hiss when the fins sliced into her fingers. She shook her bleeding hand, still hissing, and lifted it to her mouth.
Ahkil was there in a flash, licking the blood from her hand.
Kimani tensed, shocked and unsure of how she should react to this sudden behavior when she heard his whisper in her head. “I’m sorry about the death of your caretaker. My mother was very fond of her.”
“She was very kind to me. She did things for me that most wouldn’t.”
“Like?” He continued to minister to her wound, his sandpaper tongue surprisingly soothing.
“Well, she made things for me with her own hands. She--”
“I hope she didn’t make that awful garb you’re wearing now.” He nudged her and bumped her head with his own, his green eyes laughing.
She looked at her hand and waved it around, marveling over the fact that it was completely healed.
“How? You healed my hand! You have the ability to heal, too?”
“Obviously,” he said, his tone dry as he sauntered away.
“So what else can you do?” she called after him.
“If you cut yourself again I might show you.” He glanced playfully at her over his shoulder.
“That was mean,” she said with a chuckle.
He charged her, stopping just in time, his exotic grace causing her heart to flutter. She gasped when he wrapped himself around her body and bumped the back of her knees. She lost her balance and found herself tangled in his luxurious fur.
Laughter bubbled out of her mouth before she could stop it.
“What did you just call me?” his deep voice taunted.
Unable to stop laughing, she answered him between gasps for air. “Mean! I said you’re mean!”
He flipped up and stood over her, narrowing his eyes. “What are you doing down there? You’re supposed to be fixing our dinner.”
She grabbed his thick fur and pulled herself up again. He stood and waited patiently while she got her balance.
Who would have thought her surly guardian even had the capacity to be playful? He was an arrogant ass, but his way of lightening her mood was a welcome surprise, not to mention the fact that her hand wasn’t even scarred. So, he did have feelings…maybe.
As she cleaned and prepared their dinner, she found herself absently wondering how he looked in human form. Where did that errant thought come from?
She tried not to think about it. Almost seemed blasphemous to consider his version of truth, but what if she could have a family of her own? What if the so-called “divine passage” was a man-made “exploitation of nature,” as Ahkil called it? The possibilities tumbled over one another until she had to shake her head to untangle them.
“Have a seat.”
Kimani climbed onto Ahkil’s back and wrapped her arms around his muscular neck. Dawn approached quickly as he padded into yet another hideaway, his charge in tow. Over the years of tracking, protecting, and guarding, he’d learned the location of every natural and manmade cave within miles, and this was one of his regulars.
No matter how hard he tried thinking of other things, Kimani’s reluctant trust was intoxicating. He wanted to tell her about the other human groups, but they were underground for a reason. Distant thunder and laser shots served as immediate reminders that no matter how understated, war surrounded them. Humans killed for access to breeders every day. The quest for immortality was alive and well.
He’d been depended upon his entire life, but never by one so fragile and…strong. There was much more to this human than he’d imagined, and the more time he spent with her, the more he cared about what happened to her. She possessed the power of life in her tiny frame, and for that she would never be allowed to live in peace. He became increasingly uneasy about leaving her side, and more and more, he doubted his ability to go through with his original plans.
He shifted, muscles elongating fluidly like water as thick black hair morphed into golden tan skin. Just as he had done the night before, he sat next to Kimani on the makeshift pallet he’d instructed her to scavenge along the way, slid under the blanket next to her and nudged one of his arms underneath her head. He wrapped his other arm possessively around her, telling himself these actions were necessary to ensure her safety. Nothing else made sense.
Chapter Four
“Shh!”
Kimani fought to breathe. Her eyes popped open but it was too dark to see clearly. A heavy, meaty hand over her mouth made screaming impossible. She shifted, attempting to get a glimpse of her assailant. Anger rushed through her like an electric current, and she wanted to kick herself for allowing her preoccupation with Ahkil to lull her into a false sense of safety.
&nb
sp; When her attempt to turn failed, she kicked back, surprising the man into removing his hand. Once free, she turned, her hands braced and ready for a scuffle, but he was not alone. Another stranger grabbed her burka and snatched off the headpiece, revealing her face, but before he could do more damage, a clawed hand came out of nowhere and lifted the second man, tossing him into the brush and fatally mauling him in the process.
Kimani sat up, pulling her knees to her chest protectively as she caught a glimpse of the first assailant attempting to scurry away on his knees. Like lightning, the same being who’d tossed the second assailant away brought both of his hands down in the center of the fleeing man’s back, breaking it on contact. The assailant didn’t even have time to scream, probably dying instantly.
She gazed at her clawed protector, allowing her gaze to slowly travel from his feet to his long legs, narrow hips, to his ripped, bronzed chest, broad shoulders, and finally to his face. Green. Glowing green eyes glared back at her as his chest rose and fell in rhythm with his breathing.
Somewhere in the recesses of her mind she knew she should be more concerned about what just happened, who those men were, and whether or not she was safe for the moment, but all she could do was stare. She’d wondered how he looked in human form, but nothing could have prepared her for the vision she beheld. She knew it was Ahkil because his eyes were the same bright green.
Unable to stop gawking at him, she whispered his name. “Ahkil.” Beautiful. She’d seen men before, of course, but never experienced the shallow breathing, heart racing sensation she felt when she looked at Ahkil, and when and how had he gotten his clothes? She distinctly remembered keeping them so she’d know when he shifted.
Before Ahkil, no man had ever been allowed to get within arm's length of her due to the whole “untouched” clause attached to being born a breeder. Even her martial arts trainers were female.
She took a deep breath, deciding what to say other than the obvious. “Thank you.”
He smiled, and two slash-style dimples graced his perfectly symmetrical face, his green eyes piercing, warming her from head to toe. He hesitated a moment, frowning. “It’s my job.”
Her stomach plummeted. Why couldn’t he have just said “You’re welcome,” or something just a little more personal. She hated that his statement bothered her so much, but she didn’t need the reminder that he’d be nowhere near her if Bagdi and the rest of her village hadn’t paid him a hefty retainer.
Kimani stood and paced. She snatched up her head covering and dropped it over her head. Ahkil didn’t even seem to notice. Nervous energy drove her back and forth, eyes still riveted on Ahkil. She didn’t know what she expected. She’d never felt anything like this before. He’d saved her life, just as he was supposed to, and she was unharmed. Why couldn’t she be satisfied with that?
He didn’t even look at me. The little voice of wisdom in her head reminded her, I’m not supposed to want him to! She should be happy, shouldn’t she? It wasn’t as if she could have anything meaningful with him, even if what he’d said about the possibility of her having a family of her own was true. Shifters and humans, especially breeders, simply didn’t mix. Why, then, did she yearn for him to hold her right now?
“Dammit!” Ahkil hopped on one foot.
Kimani turned to see what had happened. She reached down, pulled out the nail he’d stepped on and ushered Ahkil to a tree stump so she could inspect his injured foot. The long nail had gone clean through his rubber-sole boot.
She slid one of her daggers from her bra and sliced it across her middle finger.
“What the hell?” His husky voice zinged straight through her and she had to take a deep breath to continue. Must remain untouched. Must remain untouched. She repeated the mantra in her head to overcome her body’s reaction to him.
“Take off your shoe and let me see.”
Surprisingly, he didn’t hesitate.
She stooped in front of him, lifted his foot, then glanced into his eyes with a smile, his handsome face a mask of suspicion, and his green eyes smoldering. She swallowed, repeating her mantra faster, and smeared her blood over his wound, grasping it tight to give it time to heal. With his super-charged metabolism and her healing blood, he’d be back to normal in moments.
Kimani nearly fell on her bottom again when Ahkil surprised her by removing her head covering. She gasped and looked up at him. His smile held a wealth of information–warmth, affection, and…was that respect? His striking green clouded with another emotion, but she couldn’t allow her mind to go there.
She stood, and he pulled her into his lap with preternatural speed, one arm around her waist, the other gently lifting her leg to minister to her injured calf. “Where’s that stuff I’ve seen you putting on it? Let me return the favor. Your own blood won’t work for you, huh?”
His deep voice rolled over her, eliciting a visceral response. She nearly had to shake her head to focus.
“Right. It keeps me youthful, but can’t heal my external wounds. Um, not trying to tell you what to do or anything, but why can’t you just heal my leg like you healed my hand?”
He frowned, giving her a look reminiscent of the panther with his ears pinned back. “Who says I can’t? I need my strength right now, and the laser wound here would take a lot more out of me than the cut on your hand.”
“Whatever. So we’re just buying time now.” She reached inside her burka, removed the salve from one of the many inside compartments, and handed it to him without another word. She teetered between blushing with the realization that sitting on his lap gave her such joy, and socking him for not being honest with her. She didn’t have to be a shifter to know that healing was an act of intimacy for him. The fact that he was still holding back, keeping secrets, cut deep like one of her daggers, and she hated herself for caring so much.
Ahkil wrapped his hand around her ankle and lifted her leg. His fingers felt like sandpaper on her soft, hairless skin, and his pointed incisors pricked her lightly, sending pleasant tingles along her entire leg. Her traitorous body sent her a barrage of unwanted signals and she fought to control herself.
She couldn’t help closing her eyes to fully enjoy the pleasant sensation the simple act evoked. His touch felt so natural against her skin, his scent woodsy and intoxicating.
He leaned over, placing his lips less than an inch from hers, and every instinct screamed kiss him!
Suddenly, he turned as if he heard something, then lifted her gently from his lap and stood. “We should get moving.”
He lifted his foot, that sexy smile blossoming on his face when he looked at Kimani, then quickly slid his boot on. “I’m good as new.” She’d never been more grateful for her ability to heal others. She could easily become addicted to that smile.
Chapter Five
As they neared a large city, Ahkil decided to remain in human form. Even with Kimani’s strange get-up, two humans would attract less attention than a human traveling with a shifter. It simply wasn’t done.
Her delicate fingers brushed his. “Ahkil, someone’s crying.”
He rolled his eyes. He’d heard the sniffling long before Kimani’s human ears picked it up, along with whispers. “I know,” he drawled. “It’s got nothing to do with us.”
She limped around to face him, stopping him in his tracks before speaking softly. “Because she’s human? Is that why you don’t care? She could be in trouble.”
Ahkil called after her as she turned away from him and headed towards trouble. “Kimani, we have a limited amount of time. Don’t--”
“Don’t what, Ahkil? Don’t what?” she hissed.
The woman jumped up and backed away, eyes glistening when she saw Kimani. Ahkil stayed close but approached slowly, his instincts on full alert.
“Breeder! Breeder!”
Ahkil’s instincts took over when the woman yelled, continuing to back away. He shifted, nudged Kimani’s crouching form onto his back, and took off for the tree line they’d just passed as a horde of
human men converged on them from the bushes ahead.
He felt her shifting on his back and his panther smiled inwardly when he felt her turn to face the men. He heard metal against metal as she drew two daggers or knives from yet another hidden place inside her burka. I have got to see what’s under that thing. If his panther could frown, that would describe his expression at the unexpected thought.
Her head was still uncovered so he moved even faster to throw off her aim. He had his own reasons for wanting the men maimed but alive.
His long, strong legs and claws coupled with preternatural speed soon had them in the top limbs of a large baobab tree, one of the few survivors of the earth’s near-demise.
He deposited Kimani on a large, flat-lying, steady branch and launched himself at the men below, shifting and clothing himself in mid-air, claws extended.
A few of them ran, and he incapacitated two by chambering his legs and giving them swift power kicks just before landing, as graceful as the cat inside him.
Humans were no match for him. Fangs and claws bared, he ripped and tore, efficiently removing every threat from Kimani but leaving them alive. He turned, making sure none of the men could come after him, then glanced up the baobab where he’d left Kimani.
Guilt punched him in the gut when he realized she was gone. He knew exactly where she was and who had taken her. Damn! Not now! His initial reaction had been instinctive, but now he realized for the first time how much he wanted to keep Kimani with him. Somewhere along the way, protecting her had become more than just a job.
Chapter Six
Kimani woke with a blaring headache. Someone had to have climbed into the tree and used something to knock her out. She tried to lift her hand and realized she was tied to a bed. It must have been daylight outside because she could see fairly well inside the room. She surveyed the room for signs of her whereabouts and clues as to who or what had taken her, but there was nothing. The bed she was tied to was the only furniture in the room. Ahkil. She prayed he wasn’t hurt. She wasn’t sure when she’d started caring about him, but the huge panther felt like a part of her. Now that she’d met him, the thought of living the rest of her life without him was unimaginable.