“You need to be present to translate. It would be a tragedy if someone were hurt from a silly misunderstanding.” I massaged the knots in her shoulders. My mate was filled with worry for her people and their future. Talk of babies seemed to only add to her unease. She doubted her abilities to be a good mother, but the depth of her caring for others only proved that my tell-sign had chosen well.
From now on until my body breathed its last breath, there shall be no other for me but her.
She leaned into my hands and moaned. “You’re right. We can fix the beacon once everyone is safe.”
I bit the inside of my mouth to keep it shut. I hated the beacon. It would bring others to my world, crashing their ships. The more diverse the population became, the more chance of war. I did not carry so many knives and spears because of the animals.
This world held people who cared nothing for other races. When-di’s kind could thrive here, depending if they were all open-minded like her.
What if the rescue ship managed not to crash? I would follow her, if her people would let me. My hearts twisted at the idea. I would miss my home, but life without When-di just wasn’t possible. Then again, her people might just whisk her away.
I kissed my mate tenderly and hoped the beacon lay in pieces too small to fix.
She curled her hand around mine and rose to her feet. “The suns are setting. Let’s see how flexible that tongue of yours really is.” She glanced at the hut.
I did not need to be asked twice.
Chapter Two
Venturi
A rough hand shook me loose of my blankets. Reflexively, I rolled and took up a fighting stance before my mind was even fully awake. I blinked my vision clear of sleep until I focused on my attacker.
Argeer faced me, his mouth thin with anger.
My gaze traveled lower where my hand gripped his throat. The corded muscles of his neck stood out with the strain to breathe. I released him.
The chief cleared his throat and rolled his thick neck, cracking the joints. “Next time I will bring a big stick to wake you.”
“I’ve been out on the sky roads too much lately.” I shook the tension from my arms. A small snore caught my attention. When-di still slept, curled in our blankets. The noise hadn’t woken her. Her trust in my skill to protect her was humbling.
I gestured to Argeer to exit the hut.
“Put on some leggings.” He made a disgusted face before doing as I asked.
The door to my sister’s sleeping space was woven shut. She must have crept in like a dushoa bug not to wake me. Or I had just been so tired to have slept through her entrance.
I resisted the urge to kiss When-di awake and pulled on my leggings. Grabbing my spare dagger harness, since I’d cut the last one to make a sling for my mate, and I followed the chief out onto the branch supporting my sister’s home.
Argeer stared out into the thick green foliage surrounding her hut. My sister’s hut was difficult to find unless you knew where to look. That he seemed to know did not escape my notice.
The first sun, the smallest one, hadn’t risen yet. Its light barely touched the sky.
I stretched a cramp in my lower back. Maybe I wasn’t as flexible as I had thought. Today would be physically grueling after my journey through the storm, but there was no time for me to recuperate.
“We leave for the crash site soon. I need you to organize the hunters while I instruct Yen’al Ffuttan on what needs to be repaired while we are gone.” Argeer’s eyes were dark with exhaustion. Had he slept at all last night? My chief sometimes acted like he had a nettle cone shoved up his ass, but no one cared more or worked harder for our tribe than he did.
I rubbed the knot in my back. “How many did you want?”
“Three volunteers with you and me and the healer.”
“And When-di,” I added.
“Yes, yes, and the tiny human. Can she carry anything?”
I gnashed my teeth in irritation. “Add her bag to mine and I will carry both. We might need one more warrior, though.”
“What! Why?”
“There are seven on the ship. What if they all need to be carried? When-di can’t be expected to carry a person. She’s barely recovered.”
The chief set his hands on his hips. “I will carry two if I must. Our resources are stretched as it is with hunters having to help with repairs.”
I nodded. He was being generous by letting three join the rescue. Sliding my dagger harness over my shoulders, I dragged my feet as I followed Argeer to the platform where the men had gathered around a fire. Someone handed me a cup of tea, helping to waken my mind.
I sat among them. That was when the questions started. I knew they would. Understandably, they were curious about the humans they were being asked to rescue.
How many were there? Were they all women? Did they have mates? What did they look like? Were they shaped like tassuone women?
“There are not many differences,” I explained. “She has pink skin all over. No tales. Their teeth are flat like grazers. Most importantly, they do not have a tell-sign like ours for their mate.”
“But… You are mated to one.” Sem’di padre pointed to my spots.
“My tell-sign developed like normal when the call was heard, but her kind find their mates differently. They choose their males they wish to spend their lives with.”
Silence was my fellow warriors’ response.
At first.
“What if she doesn’t choose you?”
“We only spark one time.”
“Does that mean we could steal her away?”
They all spoke at once.
I cleared my throat. I had had all the same questions at first. “Trust in your tell-sign. It sparked for a reason. You can’t expect a human to pack her belongings and move into your hut without question like our own women.”
“Is that why you’re living with your sister?” someone added.
Laughter followed and I punched the joker in the arm. Not too lightly either.
“Treat them as you would your mate. My When-di is content with me and showers me with affection.” I kept that she refused to carry my child a secret. The pain was too fresh. “And anyone who has the balaur-brained idea of trying to steal her away will find my dagger in their gut.” I grinned, baring my sharp teeth. Just to make sure there were no misunderstandings.
“No one has asked the most important question.” My brother, Rog'ba Durab i Pallopa, approached the fire from the shadows. “She is small. Can she take all of you?” No doubt picturing himself next to my tiny mate and trying to fit himself into her.
I growled. My brother had kept his word and returned with the moon but he had been in the jungle too long and had forgotten his manners. Even a brother did not have the right to ask such questions. I noted the curious looks the embarrassed hunters tossed my way. Like the others, I enjoyed a few nights with the unmated females of our kind. Even explored a few with other races in the trading town of Spindal.
I should tell them the truth. That sliding into When-di’s tight entrance was like nothing I’d experienced. That her cunt had little muscles that clenched as she came and milked my cock. That my spur latched against something so silky soft just the thought made me ache. I’d come so hard with her, I thought I was going to lose consciousness.
But it seemed too intimate.
I knew Rog'ba Durab i Pallopa wanted a mate of his own. Someone to anchor him home. To give him purpose besides the hunt. So I gave him a grudging nod.
He snorted. “You must have a small cock, otherwise she would be asking you for more, instead of feeding you this story of no tell-sign.”
Jumping to my feet, I confronted my ass of a brother. “You are only jealous that I have found my mate and that she chooses me over anyone else. She is perfect in every way. It’s not her fault that she is made different.”
Hands fisted, Rog'ba Durab i Pallopa loomed over everyone. “Very well. Then I will go see the humans with you and judge f
or myself.”
“Your tell-sign will do the judging,” someone whispered loud enough for all to hear. The others broke out in laughter.
My brother snarled and stormed back into the shadows. I rubbed my face wearily. My brother’s company on this journey would try my patience and it did not help that thoughts of When-di’s beacon would not remain dormant. She was so obsessed with calling for help. I couldn’t bear the agony of her leaving. It was like a knife to my gut.
“It’s a good thing you heard the call, Venturi. Otherwise, they all would have died,” said Benali sa’Andoui.
I was glad to be among my tribe again, but I would much rather be sharing When-di’s blanket. “Who else will join?”
Many volunteered. I was not surprised that they were all unmated males. I chose the two largest since they might have to carry more than one human on their back and explained as much.
Once the hunters were decided, I sent them to Argeer for supplies. They didn’t need instructions for packing. Both were experienced travelers like myself and my brother. Unlike a certain healer, who hadn’t been among the group.
I poured a cup of tea and went to the hollow.
Ne’flav’s snores greeted my arrival. He slept in a hammock hung in the corner of the space. The area had returned to normal. No portable leaf walls or debris from those who’d been housed here yesterday. Nor was there any sign that the healer had started packing.
May the mother trees help me. I couldn’t watch over both him and my mate on this journey. I would have to assign one of the warriors to protect him. I smiled inwardly. It should be Rog.
“Ne’flav,” I shouted.
The healer flailed, arms and legs moving in random directions. The hammock swung erratically and dumped the sleepy healer on the ground.
“By all that’s green and growing, somebody better be dying.”
“Seven humans are.” I knelt and offered him the cup. “Hurry and pack your gear. Don’t forget to bring your fighting daggers and a water skin.”
“Fighting daggers.” He smirked. “They are probably dull.”
I shook my head. He wasn’t a warrior, this I understood, but even those who took up trades such as tanning kept their daggers sharp. We lived in a dangerous place. “Take two of mine.” I handed him the weapons. “Try not to cut your fingers off.”
Ne’flav twirled one around his hand expertly before giving my daggers back. “My surgical knives are sharper than those. I’m well-armed.” He drank down the cup. “Give me a moment to gather some fortifying teas.”
I eyed the pouches he filled. “You did not give When-di any of these.”
“I didn’t need to. She received the bioprocessor.”
I scratched my chin. “Will we not be doing the same for the others?”
The healer tossed me a confused look over his shoulder. “I can’t carry the bioprocessors to the ship. They would die on such a long journey. We have to bring the humans here for me to perform the procedure.”
I rubbed my face wearily again. When-di would not be happy when I explained.
“The tea will help fortify them,” Ne’flav continued. “Until we return home.”
I recalled what my mate had said last evening about eating things in small quantities. “If you don’t poison them with it.”
He set the tea aside. “I will use it as a last resort. They will die either way.”
“In smaller quantities. They are a tiny race.” My heart sank at what we might find at the ship.
As if hearing my thoughts, the healer added, “I hope we are not too late.”
I sheathed my fighting daggers. “Meet us at the sky road. Don’t take long. Argeer is in a mood.”
“When is he not?” Ne’flav dressed in his vest, the pockets stuffed with pouches of tea leaves. “Now where did I put my water skin?”
Chapter Three
Wendy
I woke to an empty bed again. That was two mornings in a row. Wasn’t having a mate supposed to mean I wouldn’t have to do that anymore? Scratching my head, I peered at my surroundings. I was used to having an alarm clock and hadn’t a clue if it was morning or afternoon. I knew there was a way to tell time by the sun, but on this planet I had two suns, so what the fuck?
Look at me, taking the first steps to being a flatlander.
Sitting up, I blinked the sleep from my eyes. I wasn’t alone. Venturi’s sister sat on the floor across the room from me, watching me sleep.
That wasn’t creepy.
“Good morning, Sandala’pa Durab i Pallopa.” Hey, I think I’d said it right. That language download was really handy.
She held a small fruit in her hand, something like a purple orange, showing me the round object before tossing it in my direction.
Out of reflex, I caught it. “Thank you.” I wasn’t sure if I should peel the purple fruit or bite into the flesh.
Her head tilted as she examined me. The lighting was poor in the hut and shadows hid her midnight-dark face. “Venturi is preparing for your journey. He asked me to bring you if you woke before his return.” She pushed a folded pile of leather across the room. “Some of the women gathered yester-eve to alter some children’s clothing for you. Something more appropriate for tracking on the sky road.”
I set aside the fruit and held up the outfit. Holy Xena Warrior Princess. It wasn’t anything different than what I’d seen some women in the tribe wear, but I was used to flight suits, which were one long zipper down the center away from undressing.
Sandala rose and left the hut. “I will let you dress,” she said as she exited.
Okay, that seemed easy enough once said but…uh…how did I put on the outfit? I folded the thin white shirt she had lent me yesterday and left it on the pallet. Then I struggled with the skintight pants that left little to the imagination. The leather was very thin and breathable but tough like an enviro suit. Nice. I didn’t want to meet the animal the skin came from.
Now, the top formed a bra that crisscrossed over my breasts, leaving my shoulders and abdomen bare. I tossed my old transparent bra aside. It could be worse. The women could have gone topless like the men.
I held a knife belt, complete with daggers. Did it go around my waist? Because if it did, it would need to go around twice, at least.
Sandala popped her head back in. “What is taking so long?”
“This is.” I handed over the belt. “It’s too big for my waist.”
“Why would you wear it there?” She strapped the belts across my chest, crisscrossing between my breasts. The daggers were at my sides, handle angles perfect for a cross reach.
Wow, those seamstresses were good.
Sandala eyed me from head-to-toe. “Do you know how to use a dagger?”
“Besides for cutting my own fingers? No.”
The corner of her lips quirked. Her temperament seemed more like Rog’s but maybe I might actually get her to laugh. Once. A girl had to have goals. Where had my Venturi inherited his sense of humor? At least, Sandala could almost smile.
“We will get you a spear. Do not use it as a walking stick. Come,” she said.
“I’ve never used a spear either.” I followed behind. Her steps were long and fast so I had to jog to keep up.
“You stab with the pointy tip.” She’d almost made a joke, I thought.
She hopped from branch to branch, descending to the platform this way instead of using the trunk trail.
“Thanks for the advice.” I hesitated. Should I follow the leaping branch descent of most-likely-broken-legs? If I missed my step, it was a long way down. But I’d never been one to back away from a challenge and no doubt about it, Sandala was challenging me. One didn’t get through flight school without recognizing a hazing.
Fine. She wanted to scare me, let her do her worst. I clambered down the branches, not following her exact path since she was so much taller. I discovered I could use the thinner branches that she’d had to avoid and managed to arrive on the platform with only a couple scr
atches. My knees shook but I’m sure she didn’t notice.
She was too busy thrusting a spear into my hands. “Don’t throw it. You might hit one of the hunting party. Use it only to stab at what is attacking you.”
I held the weapon at my side, the tip passing just above my head.
She knelt so we could see eye to eye. “Ne’flav explained you have no mating tell-sign.”
I showed her my bare arms. See no spots.
She frowned. “You have become the center of my brother’s world. To him, you are his mate.”
“I understand this.” Not sure where this conversation was going.
“Then understand if you break his hearts, I will cut out yours.” Suddenly, the tip of a dagger was pressed against my breastbone. I hadn’t even seen her unsheathe it.
“Fair enough. Will you cut out his if he breaks mine?” I pushed a dagger aside as she gave me a slow blink. “What is happening between me and Venturi is private. I have no intention of hurting him.” As I spoke those words, I realized they were true. I would cut off my own arm before causing him pain. “Now, where is the meeting?”
“When-di!” Venturi waged from the other side of the huge platform.
Some early risers were already milling around the fires. My alien boyfriend strolled toward me and I met him halfway. He had two packs on his back, one smaller than the other. His gaze traveled from my head to my toes and back again. He paced slowly around me.
“What?” I glanced over my shoulder, looking for a bug or monster on my back.
“I like this.” He caressed my leather-clad ass.
I jumped. “I can tell. You bit it last night.” I probably still had his teeth imprint.
He made an approving noise deep in his throat. “Who gave you the travel clothes? It had occurred to me to ask for some.” He fingered the daggers.
“Your sister.” I had assumed my mate had made all the arrangements. I guess his sister wasn’t such a bitch after all.
Venturi, Complete Serial Parts 1-4: Alien SciFi Romance (Crashlander) Page 15