Oh, she won’t like hearing this. Talk about screaming women! And the man had lost her respect one damnable act at a time. Kindrist’s raging hormones were not at fault here.
“You must trust me and follow your hidden psychic ability, Straightarrow. I cannot control your gut. What does your intuition say?”
Absolutely nothing. “Maybe my old yammering gut was neutralized behind those flickering energy bars in the containment area.” He shoved his cup of extraterrestrial brew aside and shot the commander a wary glance. “Then again, maybe my intuition’s silence tells me I’m to believe you. Whatever I decide, I’ll let you know.”
Goro assessed Jake with the gaze of a keen opponent.
“I’d be foolish to expect anything else.” He wiped his mouth with the back of a hand and shoved away from the table.
Maybe the guy was mentally drained. Each step of his plan relied on absolute cooperation of his crew. And I’m not exactly his whipping boy. Neither is Kindrist. But this seemed too easy a victory. Or was Goro insulted? Only time and observation of Goro would reveal the man’s reason for walking away.
But Goro was best kept at distance. Far away where he could create plans and act upon them with as little effect on my wife and child.
The door whisked shut.
Alone with a bucket of booze.
Not good after the day I’ve had.
A guy could drink the madness away. Numb his senses. But Kindrist needs my mind covering her back now. He shoved his cold glass across the table to clink against Goro’s.
Boy a drink sure would ease away the day’s stress.
Just one couldn’t hurt.
Nope. The damned commander brought him here for that very reason. To dull his senses and get him to cooperate. Not today.
Bright light sliced through the lounge’s darkness.
A person stood in the doorway.
Large. Male. Radiating his own light.
Strako. How convenient. Goro leaves and Strako arrives. The commander had to be sending in the humanoid beacon to induce cooperation. Why did the Illusian just stand there? “Are you coming or going?”
Strako strode into the darkness. “I had hoped to find Rosa here.”
“Check with Goro. He’s probably got her working on one of his plans.” Jake leaned back to assume his full height while sitting to match the alien’s kick-ass ambiance.
“Not you too.” Strako sauntered over to descend onto the bench across the table.
What did that mean? “Huh?”
Strako sighed and leaned onto his elbows. “Kindrist is ranting about Goro too.”
Tell me something new. “So your nose is squeaky clean?”
Strako’s clean-cut jaw leaned right.
How funny the tough bastard could be rattled into silence. “Are you at a loss for words?”
“No.” Strako maintained a genuine expression. “I just have no idea why it matters that my nose is squeaky clean.”
So much for learning earth sayings. “I asked if you fancy yourself at Goro’s beck and call.”
Strako shoved backward, letting his arms fall to his side. “An Illusian fights for justice. I joined The Cause to bring peace to the universe. And, yes, I realize there could never be a utopia. But I never agree to perform any tasks I disapprove of.” He leaned back onto his elbows and the tabletop.
More casually. Maybe he was being honest.
“Ask Kindrist. She sees me for my Illusian ethics. She knows I bow to no one.”
Kindrist’s anger isn’t exactly the best point of reference today. But for Strako to make the point, I’d have to accept his explanation. “So, have you heard of Goro’s grand plan to hide Kindrist on earth with me?”
Strako’s eyes squinted in thought. But his gaze riveted on Jake. “That’s not a bad idea.”
“Abandonment?”
“He dares not leave you without a pod fighter.”
That’s transportation for one. “What about Kindrist and the child?”
“Pod fighters have firepower.”
They sent me down to Gameddaron without telling me I had big guns? Jake laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”
Strako flipped out a bright palm. “Everyone knows....” His words died as he looked at Jake.
Dead on. “They never said a thing about the pod fighter having weapons.” Why the limited knowledge of pod-fighter usage?
“I think it unwise that you are left alone on earth with the mother of freedom and no understanding of how to operate a pod fighter. I will accompany you.”
A guy couldn’t fault the alien for his sense of chivalry. But could he be trusted? “Even if Goro let you go, what makes you think I’d take you along?”
“Red would want Rosa and I there.”
Maybe not today. Or tomorrow. Kindrist wasn’t up for philosophizing with anyone these days. “I don’t know.”
“She will agree.”
* * * *
“Why are you making demands?” Goro’s mouth almost twitched among the shadows.
As if the commander disliked someone telling him how things were going to happen, Jake thought and swallowed a chuckle where he stood in Strako’s brightness among the subdued stars floating in the darkness of Goro’s star-chart room. “This is a modification to Plan A.”
“Modification? I haven’t even decided to send you back to earth yet. Red Trekaar is near insane with distrust. She can’t be as you put it abandoned on a planet.”
Nice try to rescind Plan A before modification by an opponent. Hiding out on earth just kept looking better and better. No Goro. No questioning the ability of a person to command. And no shaking the chain of command. Yep. Throw in a glowing guy who looked like an angel or ghost floating around and nobody would dare bother them. And an ex-mercenary’s savings account was still nestled safely away racking up interest. Earth, the perfect destination.
“Rosa and I can be there to help them when the baby comes. And we can offer additional protection,” Strako added.
“I’ll let you know what I decide to do,” Goro announced. “Now leave me to my star charts.” He didn’t dismissively turn his back to them or move a fraction of an inch.
The commander stood with every ounce of his being trying to force their wills to bend to his.
“Goro,” Strako trumpeted. “We feel this is the best way to protect the child. I will tell Rosa to pack her things for the mission.” He pivoted and vanished in the darkness.
Goro just stood there with his blank expression, watching the blackness where Strako had stood.
Caught off guard. “Now you know how Kindrist felt when you hid the plans from her. Take a breather from managing The Cause and think about the consequences of your actions.”
Goro’s gaze slid to Jake.
But no malice danced in his eyes. “Prepare for your journey.”
* * * *
Heading back to inform his wife she needed to pack Nulvitian baby stuff because they couldn’t get them at earth stores wasn’t what Jake had planned for the day. How would she react? Either scream or embrace the idea. Why did the first thought prove the strongest of the two possibilities? He stepped toward his mindless door.
Life threw lots of doors along one’s path.
The door opened.
Kindrist lay with her back to the door fully dressed in her white uniform.
Hopefully she slept.
“Jake?” she asked without moving.
“It’s a good thing I’m not trying to kill you.” He strode to the bed.
She rolled over to face him. “Goro dare not try something that foolish after eliminating Sevra and Paul. Do you think Goro was my attacker using Sevra and Paul to cover his footsteps?”
He settled on the bed’s soft padding. “I don’t know. But that’s a sweet thought for us to mull over.”
Her brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
So nobody visited her to spill the beans before him. “Goro’s decided you and I will be hiding out on ear
th until the baby comes.”
She shoved up with her elbows. “Maybe....” Her gaze drifted around the room.
“What’s wrong?”
“It sounds like an interesting plan. But I’ve never given birth.” She met his gaze with her eerie yellow eyes.
Almost cataract-ridden. But she could see. Maybe she could see better than the rest of them. “Strako has insisted he and Rosa accompany us.”
“Were-mates? What a frivolous waste of a couple.”
Well so much for her vision. He chuckled. “They know how to operate pod fighters. I don’t. They know all about the universe. I know almost nothing. They can kick alien ass while I try to help you escape—”
“All right. All right. I understand.” She shoved his arm a little as if fantasizing about shoving him off the bed.
“Stop pushing. I’m here to stay, Kindrist. And you need to pack some baby stuff.”
She almost squinted at him. “Baby stuff?”
Boy, this really was her first time around the playpen. “Whatever Nulvitians use to console their crying infants.”
Her confused stare only revealed she had no idea what he was talking about. “Scratch that suggestion. How about just packing a toothbrush?”
She took two deep breaths and stared at her boots.
“What’s wrong? I thought you would like putting as much distance between yourself and Goro as possible.”
“You really want to go with me?” She shot him a sideways glance.
What a question? “How many times do I have to almost get my butt wasted for you to prove that one?”
She turned her nose to him and barely smiled. “You don’t have to go. I can do this alone. We can separate with blood bags.”
Just what in the Hell was she thinking? Time to show her how I felt. He slid a palm over her knee.
She studied his action without much of one herself.
Fine. He slid his fingers between her knees and followed the firm muscle of her inner thigh up to her mound.
She spread her knees for him and shot him an almost drugged glance.
It’s nice to know I’m as potent as whiskey. He fought a chuckle but lost.
She reached for his shoulders and pulled him down onto the soft bed. “You are very important to me, Jake,” she whispered.
Was I? “How so?” he whispered against her lips.
She kissed him gently and drew back to gaze into his eyes. “I love you as much as I did back on earth when I selected you.”
That would explain all the incredible sex. “I could tell.” He shot her a wink.
Her gaze slipped to his lips and back to meet his. “But what about you? Are you happy with the fate I forced upon you?”
He pulled her curves as close as he could and studied every turn of her ear, eyes, and nose.
“I wouldn’t wish a future you despised upon you, heart of my heart,” she whispered.
Chapter Twenty Eight
If only Jake’s mate realized he wanted to be with her now. To protect her. And coddle her, even if only just a little. But she seemed so fragile these days. He locked onto her gaze. Like they could separate with blood bags? Like a man wanted some cold squishy water bottle to cuddle up with. And where were those damned bags he had left? Undoubtedly, in the lavatory. He headed for the invisible button.
Four breaths passed before he stood in the lavatory, staring down at the only thing keeping him from achieving complete manhood.
“What are you doing, Jake?” She pressed her warm curves up beside him in the ridiculously small space.
Warm or cold? Breathing or inanimate? Forget the cold hot-water bottle. He met her curious gaze. “Making certain nothing comes between you and I again.” He reached down to her boot, unsheathed her small personal knife, shoved the pliant bags in the sink, and slit them both wide.
Talk about liberation. Now, where are those long legs and soft curves I remember?
He went rock hard.
“What are you doing? Those bags were like the only cure for a plague,” she gasped.
“Better to plague Goro than me.” He winked and tossed her knife into the sink where the remnants of the bloody river washed away from the bags down the drain.
Kindrist stood there in nothing other than awe.
Maybe she just needed a good sex libation. He pulled her curves against his hard-on and snaked his arms around her tiny little ribcage.
Heat ebbed from her seductive body.
And she was all his sweet little woman. “This is it, Kindrist. Your Destiny. I thought you wanted to meet it.”
She slowly slid her palms around his waist with her red lips tilted up, begging to be kissed.
Just what a man wants to see. “Nothing comes between us again,” he said. Not even the commander’s games. “It’s just you and me, babe. Destiny or not.”
She blinked. “Are you saying you desire me?”
God, can’t she tell? He squeezed her firm ribs even closer to the point her breasts mounded upward. Thank God they’d get bigger with pregnancy. And just how long did they have before the baby arrived? “How long will your pregnancy last?”
“Ten of earth’s lunar months.”
That is plenty of time to practice sexual positions. “Well, get ready, Goth Babe, because I’ve got plenty of time to show you how I feel.” He planted his lips on her warm mouth for a second. “And Don’t worry, Kindrist. I’m not going to fuck you like a wild animal. I’m going to make love to you until you understand what this lesser-evolved human feels, just because you can’t read my mind.” And how that was true given she couldn’t sense how he felt about her.
“You know, that feral crap is great for starters.” He ushered her back toward the bed. “No more fifth wheels and no confusion. Anyone out to knock off a legend had better worry about which side of the bed loose-cannon Jake Straightarrow rolled out of.” He planted another kiss on her soft mouth.
She blinked coyly and wriggled free from his grasp.
* * * *
What kind of man differentiated between sex and love? Her mate’s intent stare, head tilted, gaze locked on her like she dare not run away again, had to mean he loved her. That meant more than the spoken sentiment and didn’t require clarification through sex. But, damn the desire welling inside me, a little sex to seal their new marriage pact was just what I needed. Kindrist almost leapt back into bed.
He towered overhead, his hands working to free himself from his leather pants.
Why couldn’t he hurry?
Her heart raced as she yanked off her boots and clothes while he stripped the black leather from his glorious body. His hands slid across her body like an assassin paying homage to his weapon. Then he leaned down to shove his amazing muscles against her.
Who wouldn’t want to lay here while her mate slowly peeled his pants off? She wormed into his fleeting touch, trying to prolong the sensation, only making her body ache to meld with his.
His hot breath warmed her neck.
Sent a shiver tickling through her cells. She arched her neck.
His lips were there, playing where her neck bent.
Tracing. Kissing. Possible writing I love you across her skin. Who wouldn’t want to revel in a mate’s touch? Her future was more than surviving to raise the child. Her future was Jake. If their future landed them on earth, so be it. They would be together.
His hands glided down to her lower back and pulled her belly against his hot heavy body.
Blessed Devros, save me. “Jake.” She couldn’t control her utterings.
He rolled her onto her back.
Both easy and safe. Well, he was definitely going to take care of her now. Little did he know this was too damned slow. She spread her legs for him.
She would give him a few minutes to feel like he was in control. Like she would risk her child’s safety! For the love of the blessed universe, without completion I will go mad. “Please, Jake.”
He carefully began slow penetration.
&
nbsp; Too slow like a man who worried he might cause her to miscarry. Why worry now? Too torturous. She rolled him over, pinned him to the bed, and matched his gaze. “Let me decide what’s safe.”
His hands were on her breasts. Gripping her ass. Pulling her hips down. Tracing out every inch of her body.
They danced and danced until she couldn’t bite back words as if he had always wanted her on top. The entire ship had to have heard them. Especially when they came. She fell onto his sweaty muscles and slithered around until she fit against the side of his hard body under his steely his arm. Not such a bad place to be given you’ve sacrificed everything you had twice over to save the universe.
“Your eyes are still yellow, babe.”
Just like they were meant to be. “Are you glad we’re returning to earth?”
“Life shouldn’t be so bad. I’ve got money in banks. We can live high on the hog.”
He had no idea how placing people into hiding worked. The Cause had so much gold and platinum that they could buy the Taj Mahal. Precious metals varied around the universe. And when some mines produced enough trash metal other cultures treasured, all you had to do was know where to dump your garbage to beat the system and live like royalty.
“You didn’t say anything,” he said.
Since earth males fancied themselves the providers, she had probably insulted his masculinity. Time to play dumb. “I don’t know what high on the hog means.”
He squeezed her bottom again. “Living like rich people. So don’t worry about bringing baby stuff. We can buy loads of it. Have it delivered.” He smiled and touched the end of her nose. “It’s easy to order online and have the loot delivered outside your door. Hide those wild yellow eyes.” He gasped. “I know. We’ll buy you contacts. You can choose from any color on the market. Try a new color, you know, those dream eyes you’ve always wanted.”
The lilt in his voice almost made her laugh. “I’m not fussy. Earth women spend too much time primping. Just give me a hair brush. I’ll wear sunglasses outside.” But the reality of their hiding on earth began to mushroom with issues. How would they hide Strako? The Illusian glowed.
Skhye Moncrief - [Feral 01] Page 24