PrimalDemand

by Rebecca Airies

  Primal Demand

  Rebecca Airies

  Part of the Primal Attraction series.

  When Leah finds a warrior being abducted, she leaps into action. She’s drawn to Arron, and she can’t resist exploring his hard, muscled body thoroughly before they have to part ways.

  Arron’s found his mate and intends to cement the bond between them with searing caresses and sweet kisses. The pleasure he finds with her consumes him, but Leah has enemies hunting her down. He’ll have to use every ability at his disposal to keep Leah safe, and he won’t let anyone stand between him and his mate.

  A Romantica® fantasy erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

  Primal Demand

  Rebecca Airies

  Chapter One

  City of Osput, Planet Acowim, 870 Neshan Calendar

  “So how are we going to do this, Arron?”

  Arron Tarian had to look up to see which one of the Barian brothers had asked that. Broc and Mac sounded almost exactly alike. He found Mac, the black-haired brother looking at him from across the room. They’d taken rooms at an inn, because one day wasn’t going to be enough time to find the monks and discover if they had a stronghold here.

  Arron finished buckling on his sword belt before answering. “We’ll each take a section of the city and meet back at the market.”

  He’d gathered the men in his room to go over the plan for the search. There were only four men with him. They’d come as part of a larger group to search the cities where monks responsible for shifter disappearances had been sighted. Finding where the monks had some sort of holding was a priority, and not only to the Oroyai pack but to several other packs of Zarain.

  The warriors had split into smaller groups to blend in with the normal people coming and going from the worlds. They didn’t want to draw attention to themselves. Other small groups were on two different worlds checking the cities they’d linked to those monks. Osput was the only city on Acowim where they’d heard of the monks visiting.

  For months, he and the other Zarain had listened and talked on any world they visited, trying to find some information on the monks. Each little bit of knowledge led them closer to finding the monks’ stronghold. Or at least one of them. There had to be more than one. There weren’t enough of the monks here for this to be the place where they took the people they kidnapped.

  “We’ll need to be careful if we see any of the monks here. I don’t want them to know we’re looking for them. They’ve taken shifters before. I don’t want to add any of us to those numbers.” Arron looked around at the men.

  “We’re stronger than they are, Terchal Tarian,” Tison Derani said dismissively.

  The use of his title surprised him. It had been a while since he’d heard it. Terchal in the Zarain language literally meant assistant, but he served as a commander. They’d kept things very informal to hide the fact that there was an organized search for the monks in this area.

  “Watch the titles while we’re here.” Arron put a little growl in his voice to let the young man know he was serious.

  Arron expected the disbelief of any threat from Tison. Tison was the youngest of the group and one of the brothers of a warrior who was with another of the small scout groups. They’d been sent because the two had been fighting recently and needed to learn to get along. A lot of it was Tison’s attitude, but that would take time to change.

  Unfortunately they’d learned early on that keeping the two men in the same group often made the mission harder to complete. So Arron had taken Tison. He might have wanted to bang the young man’s head off a wall, but he hadn’t yet been pushed to it.

  “Size and strength can be overcome with cunning and trickery. These monks have taken warriors. Fully trained, seasoned Zarain. They know what they’re doing. Watch yourself and be aware of what you’re doing and who’s around you.” Arron stared at Tison. Seasoned was one thing Tison was not, but he’d learn and this would be good experience for him.

  Tison nodded.

  “Tison, I want you to start at the east end of the city and work your way back to the middle. Mac, take the north. Broc, you’ve got the west and I’ll take the south. Our searches will overlap, but hopefully, we’ll catch sight of our quarry.” He glanced over at Tison to make sure he was listening. “Today, I want to know if they’re here. Tomorrow, we’ll see if we can follow them home.”

  “Shouldn’t we follow them today?” Tison frowned and glanced around the room.

  “No, we want to know if they’re here first and how many of them if possible.” Arron frowned. They’d gone over this before. “We want to know if the people here are relaxed around them or afraid. We don’t want the monks to know we’re looking for them at all if possible.”

  As much as the young man’s attitude irritated him, Arron wasn’t worried. Tison was young, but to this point, he’d performed his duty. Arron sent all of the men in his group off and followed them out of the inn. They separated without a word.

  Arron headed for the south end of the city. His muscles tightened in ready tension and his senses sharpened. He had to be prepared. If there were monks here, they might have guards here as well. Those guards might very well be some type of shifters. He’d be able to feel their presence and that might help him keep the monks unaware that they were being watched.

  When he reached the edge of the city, he began to walk the streets and simply look around the area. He didn’t see any sign of the monks at first. He kept searching and studying the buildings and people.

  It wasn’t too bad as cities went. Although the city streets were relatively clean, they were mere dirt lanes between rows of gray stone buildings. Those paths would become a quagmire during heavy rain, but luckily that wasn’t happening today.

  As he came to the end of a block and turned down a connecting lane, he saw a flash of white and black. He narrowed his eyes, uncertain if he was seeing an actual monk. With a longer look, he saw those unmistakable robes. He’d searched for the kidnapping bastards for so long that he thought perhaps it was what he wanted to see.

  The robed man kept going down the street. Arron hoped the man wasn’t here to get some person they’d been hired to take. Even knowing his mission and how important it was, it would be difficult to stand back and simply let that happen. He knew what would happen to them.

  The monk stopped to talk to a tradesman and Arron strode past him. He couldn’t think of a reason to linger that would keep the monk unaware he was being watched. He went down the street and thought about perhaps waiting or finding a spot to watch from a hidden area. As he looked for a connecting alley or street, he saw another monk walking down the lane.

  He blinked. He hadn’t expected that. Because of the number of stories they’d heard about the monks, he had expected to find that the men at least passed through this city regularly. He hadn’t thought that he’d find two of the monks as he started his search.

  It was a good start to the mission. The monks didn’t seem to be trying to take anyone. They strolled around the city. It all seemed normal. They had to have some kind of holding on this planet or nearby. They seemed too comfortable here and the people, too accustomed to them.

  He watched one of the monks enter a large gray stone building. It might be one of the monks he’d seen earlier or another. Steps flanked by two columns led up to the doorway. Arron followed slowly, hoping to learn something about the monks.

  The moment he entered the building he looked around in awe. Shelves of books and scrolls lined the area in front of him. The dark, wooden bookcases reached almost completely to the ceiling. This could be why the monks were here.

  He didn’t see the man he’d followed into the library right off, but moved forward. Maybe there was some information here that would help wit
h their search for the people taken by these monks. One female mate and two male Zarain had been taken by these men. That was all that they knew about at this point, but there were more. There had to be. The monks seemed to travel everywhere.

  Found anything today, Arron? The voice of Achan Raven Talinian, his pack leader, filled his mind.

  The mind-to-mind contact was a talent of the Shadatai Zarain. It enabled them to get reports or send for help without the delay of messenger. It also made for an effective tool during battle or times when silence was needed. The ability let them send focused or intense thoughts and strong emotions, but not truly read each other’s minds.

  There are monks here. Not enough to have a holding here, but maybe on the planet. I followed one into a library. I’ll try to keep track of him and follow if he leaves the city. Arron wandered down one of the narrow corridors created by the tall bookshelves.

  Be careful and keep in contact with your men. We need to find out where they live and where they keep people, but don’t take unnecessary risks. They have enough of our people, Raven advised.

  Arron could feel the anger in that statement. The emotion wasn’t from personal loss. The monks hadn’t captured anyone from their pack. It was the loss of Zarain and other shifters in general that stirred the rage. It was only luck that their pack hadn’t encountered the monks.

  I will. I’ll contact you if I need help or have news. Arron slowly eased into another aisle.

  He felt the moment Raven’s mind disconnected from his. Arron kept watch for the monk, but he didn’t want to be obvious in his attempt. He stopped every once in a while and glanced at the books, opening a few as he made his way through the maze of shelves.

  As he approached the end and a wall of books, a young woman came around the corner. Reddish-brown hair hung around her shoulders, falling to just over her breasts. Large brown eyes rounded in an oval face as she caught sight of him, but she passed him and hurriedly stuffed a book into the shelf behind him.

  He drew in a breath and stiffened. Desire slammed through him along with the urge to grab and claim the woman. His mate. He spun and saw the curvy woman hurry down the next row of shelves.

  Damn. He stared in the direction the woman went, back the way he’d been going and then wandered back to where the woman had disappeared. He had to keep an eye on the monk, but that was his mate. He couldn’t let her simply disappear. She might not live in the area. Torn, he stood there. His instincts urged him to go after his mate, to claim and keep her safe. Duty told him to stay where he was and continue the mission.

  He felt a sting on his arm and looked down to see what happened. A small dart hung crookedly from his skin. A surge of panic slammed through him.

  Drugged. He’d been drugged. Who had done this? His heart pounded in his chest. His fingers wrapped around the hilt of his sword. He spun, but no one was there. He frowned and stepped out from between the two shelves and looked around. He couldn’t see anyone close.

  Confusion and dread washed through him, but before he could follow the urge to run or fight his way out of the library, a disorienting cloud fell over his mind, blunting his fear and instinct to flee. Dizziness and a sudden disconnected feeling swept over him. He couldn’t think. He knew he should be doing something. His mind felt almost frozen. He swayed and fell sideways bouncing against one of the shelves, before he crashed to the cold, gray floor. Darkness crept around the edges of his vision, spreading until it enclosed him.

  * * * * *

  Leah glanced nervously to the left and right as she walked up the dark-gray steps to the library. Large gray columns loomed to each side of the stairway. The dark-stone building seemed so imposing. She didn’t want to go inside that large building, but she had to do it to get the information she needed. The Tareshi monks had Fae, but not in this city or the nearby city they controlled.

  She’d hoped that Fae would be here. Now, instead of disappearing with her sister and staying far away from the world where her brothers lived, she’d have to continue the search. She would find her sister. Nothing would stop her. Not those monks and not her family.

  Her brothers probably wouldn’t accept defeat. They certainly wouldn’t help to find Fae. They’d given their sister, her sister, over into the monks’ hands. And all for power they would never have. She’d make sure of it. After what they’d done, she’d sooner take the Tares potion and forget the secret herself than hand it over to them.

  She knew there was at least one monk in the library. There always was. They guarded those books. Most of them were normal texts, but others had valuable information about the Tareshi monks. Not the most valuable information to the Tareshi, but what she needed was there. Well, hopefully.

  She’d have to find the books with the locations of the main Tareshi holdings and copy those locations without being seen by the monks. It was dangerous to be looking at the books she needed. She would be taken if they caught her near them.

  As she walked into the building, her throat felt tight and her stomach knotted. She had to do this. She had to rescue her sister before the monks could hurt her. Taking a deep breath, she slowly walked to the rows of shelves.

  Her eyes scanned over the spines of the books. They didn’t have the names on them, but symbols. She knew what symbols to look for, but she had to be cautious. As she walked through the shelves, she looked for somewhere out of sight to open the books and write down the names of the cities and planets. At the back of the building, she found a table in a dark corner. No one was near and it was so quiet that she should be able to hear someone coming before they saw her.

  She went back to the shelves. As she pulled the first book off the shelf, she glanced down the aisle. Her mouth felt dry. Her nerves pulled tight. She wondered if she should gather all the books or take them one at a time. She bit her lower lip. She’d be here longer if she took them one at a time.

  She couldn’t risk it. The monks were here and she had to get out of here as soon as possible. If she were caught, there was no one to go after Fae.

  Leah moved down the aisle and found two of the other books she’d need. She eased down to the end of the shelf and peeked out before moving into the next to get a couple more texts. She took them back to the table. She glanced around cautiously before sitting down and pulling a piece of recha parchment from her bag along with a stylus and ink.

  Making sure that no one was close again, she opened the first book and turned the pages. She found the page she needed and began copying down the names of the cities and planets where the large monasteries were located. It was hard to read the names in the dim light back here, but she was thankful for the shadows. She finished the short list available in that book and looked around nervously.

  She didn’t hear any footsteps. The anxiety didn’t lessen though. She moved the next book in front of her. Her stomach churned with anxiety as she wrote down the information. It seemed to take so long to find and copy the locations. With every moment, her muscles tightened and she expected to feel a hand on her shoulder.

  Taking a deep breath to calm her pounding heart, she finished the list. She stood and looked down at the books. She could leave them there and try to rush out of the library so no one would connect her to them. If anyone saw her hurrying away and the books on the table, it would be just as bad.

  Torn and a little scared, she decided to put them back. If she could do it quickly, she could leave and they’d never know the books were touched. She stuffed the parchment in her bag along with the stylus and ink. She stacked the books and carefully eased out of the shadowy little spot.

  Leah peeked around the shelf. No one was in the aisle and she couldn’t hear any footsteps nearby. She hurried down the row and slipped the two books from that shelf into the empty slots. They were the right books, but she wasn’t sure she’d put them back in the right order. She was too nervous to take any more time. She moved back to the end of the row of shelves and peeked around it. Glancing left and right, she eased out into the open an
d glanced around the edge of the shelf. She spotted a shadow at the end of the row of bookshelves, but it disappeared. She exhaled as she realized someone had gone down another of the aisles. She hurried to the spot where she’d taken the one of the books and stuffed it back into the shelves without paying too much attention. The last book rested heavily in her hands.

  Not wanting to be seen on the aisle in case she’d put the thick tomes back wrong, she hurried back to the end to go to another of the rows of books. She stepped out and strode down the darkened path formed by the ends of the shelves. A flash of black-and-white robe caught her eyes and she ducked into the nearest row. The monk’s presence startled and scared her. The book in her hand felt heavy. She couldn’t be seen with this.

  Her breath caught in her throat and her heart slammed in her chest as she saw a big form in the middle of the aisle. She hesitated and it took a moment to realize that it wasn’t one of the monks as she’d feared.

  It was a warrior. The large, black-haired man seemed out of place in the aisle. She’d seen warriors before, but he was different, something more. He was tall, broad and so muscular she wanted to reach out and touch him, simply to see if he was real. The strength and male beauty in him drew her, but she had no idea what he was doing here. He didn’t seem to be looking at the books.

  Other than the size, he didn’t look too different from other men in this city. He was dressed in a light-blue shirt and black pants. He had a sword on a belt at his hip, but other men in the city wore those. It was his attitude and bearing that separated him from the others to her. His stance screamed confidence.

  She forced her eyes away from him and strode past him. Spotting a gap in the books, she stuffed the last book in it regardless of if it went there or not. As she left the row, she made her way over a couple aisles. She wanted to rush out of the library, but she forced herself to slow down and make her way through the shelves slowly. Her path took her around the room to approach the entrance from the left corner. She walked to end of the shelves and hesitated a moment, a little afraid they’d jump out at her.