“How did you get everyone moved?”
Taz smiled sheepishly. “I bit them and knocked them out, the same way I healed Jinx. Macey was easy, she knows what I am. I can shield a child until they turn twenty-one and as I said one is thirteen; her older sister recently turned twenty-one and can’t be shielded anymore. Jinx is twenty-three and I was able to move her four years ago.”
“You said one was in her sixties.”
“Macey’s aunt. It seems any female family can be shielded by a warrior. I was surprised to say the least. Before Macey, I had never shielded any female. I had to bite them and move them all within a twenty-four hour period. It was hell. I hid them well in a cave, sealing them in like a tomb, knowing if I didn’t come back their fate was sealed. I made certain I went back.”
There was passion in Taz’s voice. An entire continent in twenty-four hours on a planet with barely any sun at the time. It could have killed him. Roam’s head was spinning. Taz actually moved them over a continent to get them to safety. There was no doubt in Roam’s mind, Taz’s armor didn’t go up; his tail didn’t grow. No matter the research and experiments it was the one thing that vexed the Tonans—their inability to stop their tail from growing when lying.
Taz could have taken Macey, their child and the girl who would have been only nine at the time all at once, but he would have had to make another trip for the two young women, and yet another for the older female. The velocity he would have had to move at a continuous pace was mind numbing. It was humbling. Roam found himself thinking he had no other choice but to comply with Taz’s wishes. It would be the only way Taz would let him near his females.
Roam was about to break a direct order from Cobra, he was not to lower his shield while on Earth. If he didn’t he wouldn’t be able to help the Tonan with six other lives. If the young woman, Jinx, saw him in his Castian armor she would more than likely run screaming in terror. It would be best if she got to know him with his shield down.
Roam took a breath. His shield came down. Macey gasped.
“You’re almost as handsome as Taz,” she whispered. “Taz told me Castian males look like human men as do Tonans, but it’s such a surprise to see someone so good-looking absorb a hideous beast into their skin.”
Roam was a little surprised and he grinned. He hadn’t really thought about it. When shielded he was told by a female he looked worse than the boogieman, whoever the hell that was. The only likeable attribute Earth females agreed on was the green tattoo which blazed on his cheeks while shielded. It would be the mark he would tattoo his mate with once they joined. When unshielded his dark black hair flowed thick with waves and a few curls he battled to control and lost. His dark-as-night locks were a contrast to the Tonan’s spiked blond hair. Roam had also been told his eyes were ocean-blue. He was close enough to see the Tonan had brown eyes.
“All we need to do is find you a shirt,” Taz said. He was staring at Roam’s chest. Like Taz and all Tonans and Castians, Roam’s chest was void of nipples. He didn’t know why humans found that so unusual. He was male, why would he need nipples? What purpose could they possibly serve?
All Roam was wearing were tight formfitting black pants that went to his ankles. He noticed Macey staring lower for a split second before blushing red. His cock was rock hard and perfectly outlined. Taz wore the same type of pants except his were grey. But what was he to do about shoes? His feet were bare. He couldn’t have his armor come up every time he stepped on something sharp.
Roam looked at his feet, then at Taz’s. Under the warrior’s feet his shield remained but two bands of his shield crossed his bare foot on top. He looked like he was wearing sandals the females on his planet liked. Concentrating, Roam adjusted the shield on his feet. Inch thick bands covered each foot in strips. The bottoms of his feet were protected.
Taz went to stand in a direct beam of sunlight. After a few moments he gripped Macey in his arms. His armor went up. So did Roam’s.
“There’s a place not far from here we can—shop,” Taz said. “I leave my jeans and shirt in a spot when I go hunting and wear my armor clothes only when I have to. You’ll need a pair too. I can’t have all the women sitting around staring at your huge dick. Maybe I can find us some dinner.”
“Maybe we can both find us all dinner,” Roam said pointedly.
Taz nodded. At a fast pace they were once again on the move.
Chapter 2
The rancid odor of death hung heavily in the air all around Jinx as she moved. The torch she had lit flickered in a small breath of wind. Holding the top of her t-shirt against her nose and mouth did little to help. Under her feet, wearing the too tight running shoes she had found, broken glass and debris crunched. On a single shelf unit in a corner not nearly far enough away, there had to be a hundred rats, all watching her with their beady little red eyes. For a second, she stopped moving and considered turning around, before taking a deep breath. She carried a pouch of gasoline in case they tried to attack.
The sink hole she searched had been buried deep underground. Jinx had stumbled onto it, or rather into it when her one leg had vanished under her. Debris covered the small store’s roof. It appeared no one knew about this old store, she hazarded a guess every store on the planet had been ransacked by now. Perhaps it had been one of the first to succumb to the earthquakes. The terrible storms that plagued Earth had subsided, but occasionally one caught the very few survivors unaware. She and the others needed anything she could find to get them through the rainy season. It was a bad time while being trapped for weeks in the cave, but for some reason it was hardest on Taz.
It had been at least four years since Jinx had seen any other survivors except their small group. If it wasn’t for Taz and Macey and the rest, she wouldn’t have had the heart to go on. If the storms hadn’t been bad enough, the aliens had come. Just that morning Jinx had seen the shadowed outline of a massive Castian vessel. She loathed the creatures.
Bunch of ugly fuckers.
They had stolen her older sister, Jade. Tonans had been battling with the Castians; her father had been killed by the grey fanged being while trying to protect his daughters. That night, half the world seemed on fire. The smell of blood lingered in her nostrils for days. Nothing would ever be the same. Jinx would never see Jade again. If Taz hadn’t found her, alone, scared…Jinx gave her head a small shake, she had bigger fish to fry. She wasn’t a frightened little girl anymore; she hadn’t been for a long time. She needed to get her thoughts into the present.
The store was more like a crypt; it suited her mood. Dank and oppressive, it appeared the tomb was home to a few bodies. Jinx wouldn’t look. She couldn’t bear to see the fear left on some faces as they died. Right now this place could give life. If her living soul was to be the last these poor dead humans saw she would put a smile on her face to let them know there was someone left to grieve their loss.
Animals had scoured the tiny sunken store. Mostly vermin, as a person really had to wiggle through a small, hidden opening of the sink hole to gain entrance. Luckily, Jinx was small enough. Jinx had one thing going for her, animals couldn’t open cans. Cans were what she was after. With a wave of the bright light, she spied a counter where numerous cans and glass jars dotted a shelf and littered the floor. Eagerly she scampered over and stuffed as many of the treasures as she could carry into a duffle bag. She had to hurry. If Taz made it back before her, he’d kick her ass for taking such a risk.
Jinx liked Taz; he was annoying at times, treating her like the little sister he didn’t want but got stuck with. She owed him her life and supposed she should be grateful. It was hard when the world around went to shit and she had no family left. Taz took care of all of them. He was the glue that kept their little family together. It had been a rocky beginning; Taz had some of his own demons to deal with, though he never let on what they were. Taz was too overprotective, sometimes overbearing. For some reason, he seemed to expect they would all follow him around like sheep. Jinx was no sheep and if
she were she’d be the black one. He’d had to learn to loosen the proverbial leash with her. He also didn’t seem to appreciate Jinx’s aptitude for being helpful. Okay so maybe there were a few times he had bailed her out of a couple of minor situations.
It’s not like Jinx went looking for trouble, it just sort of found her. Jinx stood up and hefted the bag to her shoulder. When she turned, the small grin on her face fell. The rats were creeping up on her. Jinx backed up slowly, inching further into the darkness, waving her torch back and forth. The few rats on other shelves and stacks of gear joined the group forming on the ground. As their number grew so too did their confidence. Jinx had one chance as they approached her like a rolling ominous wave. Jinx opened her little bag of gasoline and tossed as much of it as she could on the closest rats.
Her flame touched the ground and—poof. Squeals of agony pierced the air. Chaos ensued. Balls of fire spun wildly on little feet helter-skelter. Jinx took off. Tripping over a few skeletons, dodging toppled shelves, her torch light bounced in her death grip as she ran. Jinx made her way to the hole that would get her out of the sunken store. Her torch was dropped to land on and sizzle a few rat bodies scampering ever closer. The bag was pushed through the wild overgrown foliage with Jinx following close on its heels, but not before her calves and thighs began to sting with the many bites of numerous rodents. She could feel the little beasts climbing up her clothing.
Jinx tried not to scream. She slid through the small hole on her belly then once free stood up and shook six rats from her legs, while tugging at a small rat attached to her ass. She yelped as she yanked the little bastard that had dug into a chunk of ass flesh. She threw it at a tree and watched with grim satisfaction when it splatted and dropped. Jinx grabbed her bag and ran. When she looked back, her pace increased tenfold. There had to be at least fifty rats, with the number growing, hot on her tail scampering eagerly after her through the foliage.
Holy Mother of God.
This was not good. Jinx had no idea what to do, no doubt they wanted to make a meal of her. Her heart pounded harder in her chest than her feet on the ground beneath her. One thing was for certain—she couldn’t lead a pack of hungry vermin to the cave where the others were. Even Taz wouldn’t be prepared for this mess. Little Ally would be lunch meat in seconds. Aunt Greta’s old bones would serve as a tasty snack.
Another glance back and the rats were gaining. They swarmed as one, under, over the jungle-like ground, moving as a wave, changing direction with her. Five feet behind, three feet behind…Less than a foot away. Up ahead was a swampy pond. Jinx swallowed hard, three alligators were sunning themselves near the shore. Jinx ran straight for them. Mayhem followed. Jinx leapt over one startled gator almost into the mouth of another. She grabbed at a huge vine and swung like Tarzan over the last one. A can of something fell from her pack and bonked the gator on the head. It was then the reptiles saw easy tasty morsels now scampering their asses off to backtrack. No longer a hunting wave, it was every rat for itself.
Jinx set herself up on a branch and snickered as the gators spun left then right, snatching up the little creatures, crunching them under their feet, splattering them with the flick of a tail. A few managed to make it to the tree where she perched but Jinx used the bag like a bat and swung each rat back down into the mouths of the waiting gators. By the time the alligators were finished gorging, nothing but a few rolling rat tails in the dirt remained. Jinx watched the gators amble their way into the water.
The long vine was still in her hand; Jinx used it to shimmy down onto the ground. She cast a fast glance at her pants; visible streaks of blood dotted her legs. She slung the bag up higher onto her shoulder and began walking. It would take her a good half hour to make it to the cave they called home.
Along the way Jinx found a few edible plants. Her thoughts kept her mind busy. She had been amazed a few years back when she fell asleep to fire and smoke, death. Then awoke to this tropical paradise. Macey said the weather was so strange; maybe summer had set in overnight. Jinx was no dummy, but there wasn’t a decent explanation for the occurrence other than what Macey claimed. Jinx guessed she had to be right; after all, the raging blizzards they experienced in the tropics of Florida had amazed her.
Foliage had sprung up overnight covering buildings. The old shelter she had been in was the same, but Taz moved them to a nearby cave Jinx had never seen. Another oddity. The animals were easy to explain, zoo life run amok. Still, there were times when Jinx felt like she wasn’t in the same country.
On the tip of her memory was an odd dream of being carried and settled into a dark hole shortly after Taz had found her and taken her into their little family. The air was stale in the hole. Taz was there running a gentle hand across her brow, telling her all would be fine, she was dreaming. She supposed she was because Taz kissed her neck. Taz would never do that. The kiss had made her lethargic. She summed it up to feeling distraught and needing someone strong, someone she trusted. Taz was the only one to fit the bill, after finding her he had kept her as close as the others. He made her feel welcome and protected. An even odder sensation of giving herself to him washed over her, emotionally and physically in a platonic way. It was as though they connected.
Jinx walked on, deciding she could ponder all this for another four years and it wouldn’t matter. Once she had woken from the strange dream, the sensations vanished; Taz was just Taz. Taz kept them all safe. They managed to find food. The place that was once her home turned into a jungle overnight. There seemed to be no end to Mother Nature’s surprises.
The bag on her shoulder was getting heavy and Jinx breathed a sigh of relief when she spied their cave. There seemed to be a small commotion. She cringed inwardly; no doubt Taz had discovered her missing. Honestly, the man thought of his women as a private harem. Except he only had eyes for Macey. Jinx envied the love they had for one another. Jinx hadn’t seen a man besides Taz in years—except dead men. Occasionally, she would come across a body half eaten by something.
Jinx pulled up short when upon entering the cave she saw a man even more handsome than Taz. Taz was annoying as hell but it didn’t stop her thinking he was drop dead gorgeous. This new man was a slice of oh my God followed by a chaser of wow factor ending in a hot holy hell.
He was built bigger than Taz, his arms like bands of steel covering tree trunks. Black as midnight hair, gorgeous blue eyes. When he smiled at her, she could have melted into the dirt beneath her feet.
Tight dirty jeans made love to his ass and crotch, while a black t-shirt left nothing to the imagination. He had muscles in all the right places. His perfect, unmarred skin was tanned to perfection. There wasn’t a hint of a five o’clock shadow. His face looked as smooth as a baby’s butt. Odd but not impossible; Taz always seemed freshly shaven no matter the time.
“Where the hell were you?” Taz stormed, when she appeared. He went to her immediately and looked her over. From his critical gaze she knew she must be a sorry sight. When his gaze reached the blood on her pants he swore only loud enough for her to hear. He grabbed her by a leg and arm, then physically hefted her into the air to stare at the blood on her pants. He turned her over and swore. Jinx guessed the ass bite had left blood too.
“I went shopping,” Jinx said and smiled despite his manhandling of her.
Taz settled her onto her feet. Taz was a large, buff man, but his strength never ceased to amaze her. He handled her as though she were a doll, a glass doll. He was powerful, sometimes hard as nails, and yet the day he held Ally, bringing her and Macey from the jungle, he had brought tears to her eyes. His tenderness was overwhelming. Jinx had been amazed when Macey raved at how helpful Taz was during the delivery they had all missed. Taz had to be the gentlest man Jinx knew—next to her father of course.
“Damn it, Jinx. You know you have to travel in twos and you know you absolutely do not leave this cave when I’m out.” Taz settled his steely eyes onto her.
“Meh,” she replied and shrugged her shoulders.
Casually she went and started setting her jars and cans onto a shelf. Try as she might, she couldn’t contain her curiosity over the new man. Of course, Skylar was practically drooling all over him. Thirteen-year-old Haven was talking up a non-ending babbling brook. The man stood there pretending to be interested in what the teen was saying, but Jinx saw him eye her up and down.
“Daddy I has a boo boo.” Ally was pouting when Taz hefted her slight weight into his arms. “Fix me.”
Ally had skinned her knee that morning. It was the first tumble she had taken. The child was remarkable, even when learning to walk she had never once hurt herself by falling. Jinx often wished she had the same luck. After meeting Taz, Jinx was positive her arm had been broken, and perhaps a few vital organs damaged. When Taz lifted her from the ground she felt a sensation of being in a cocoon but succumbed to oblivion. When she woke the next morning she was whole and healthy.
Until Jinx turned twenty-one, she also seemed to heal quickly. A bruise would vanish overnight. A broken finger healed itself, again overnight. Jinx became careless, thinking herself indestructible, until on or around her twenty-first birthday she had taken a nasty fall. For a week she nursed a swollen ankle, a bruised hip, concussion. Taz, ever diligent with guarding his harem had found her. He seemed not only furious with her but scared. After that he made certain he knew where she was at all times. Recently he behaved the same way about Skylar. Skylar had turned twenty-one. They kept time with little nicks in sticks. Taz had insisted on it for some reason after Jinx’s fall two years prior. He wanted to know exactly how old everyone was—at least he concentrated more on Haven’s age now.
Taz stood holding Ally, looking uncomfortable. “I’ll be back. Roam, make sure that one doesn’t leave.” Taz looked pointedly at Jinx who rolled her eyes. He then practically raced from the cave holding his daughter.
The surprise on the man, Roam’s, face, was odd. He stared after Taz. Jinx wondered if he was amazed Taz would leave him alone with them so fast. Jinx was surprised. Taz was a barracuda cross piranha cross rabid wolf, when it came to his family.
Guardian [New World Book 6] Page 3