“What made you point out my tattoos?” She stilled and glanced at the treetops again. Reaching up, she touched her right ear gingerly as if she were in pain. The thought of that set Alejandro on edge.
“Ladies, I don’t mean to interrupt, but I think Dr. Murray should get out of the sun for a bit,” Alejandro said, still caressing his weapon but wishing it was the good doctor that his fingers were running over. He knew it was wrong to want his friend’s woman but he couldn’t help himself.
Both women ignored him.
“Onnie, I’m telling you, it’s a temple for the Avatars.” She shook her head a bit, still appearing to be in slight pain. Deryn pointed at a stone, set deep within the wall. “Look, this is a stamp. It’s a symbol of royalty.”
“Yeah, right.” Ondrea shook her head. “Even you can’t possibly know everything.”
“I can’t make mac and cheese, so I do not know all that there is to know,” Deryn said, grinning. “Does that help my credibility?”
“Want me to come over and show you? I have some very creative techniques that I doubt you’d ever forget,” Fulk said, obviously making a move on the good doctor. “I can only promise you one night but with those abs and that wit, I’ll think about an entire weekend.”
Alejandro couldn’t stop the low growl that slipped from him. The moment it came out, Fulk stopped and backed up slightly. Ondrea glanced at Alejandro and gave him a look that said she knew exactly what the growl meant--she’s mine. Unsure if Ondrea would call him out on it in front of her friend, Alejandro prepared to be humiliated.
Reaching out, Ondrea ran her fingers over Deryn’s arm. “Sweetie, I think the colonel is right. You need to get in the shade for a bit.”
Alejandro exhaled deeply, happy that the need to see him blush and run the other way hadn’t hit Dr. Harris. He made a mental note to thank her later. The shifter in her gave her firsthand knowledge of how things worked for their kind. According to her records, she was a were-panther. Alejandro was a were-jaguar, who had managed to get a bit of magik from his mother. Ondrea was keenly aware of the alpha warning he’d uttered announcing to all that he’d staked claim on Deryn. It was unintentional and had come out of nowhere. After he had a chance to explain that to Ondrea, he hoped it would clear everything up.
Thankfully, he hadn’t shouted mine, shoved his cock in the good doctor and bit her or his claim would have been binding. The urge to do just that grew by the minute. If he didn’t get away from the temptress soon he’d end up with a wife his family would hate. Not to mention one who apparently belonged to his friend. Not him.
“Deryn, shade, now.” Ondrea looked like she meant business.
“Huh?” Deryn asked, sounding a bit dazed as she stared at the tree line again. “Onnie, I think this wall is a warning to leave or risk resurrecting what lies within.”
“Here.” Ondrea held her canteen out and ignored Deryn’s warning. “Drink.”
Deryn touched her stomach gingerly and curled her nose. “Ugg, no thanks.”
“You have to.”
Backing up, Deryn shook her head. “I just drank a ton. I’m sloshing. Really. I couldn’t get even a little sip down. Sorry.”
That was a lie. She hadn’t touched her canteen once in the last several hours. Alejandro had kept a close eye on her all morning. She needed to eat and find shade. She was also scared of something she thought was lurking around them. He hated seeing her like that and would do all he could to fix it. “Let’s break for lunch.”
Fulk let out a low whistle. “Mmm, Colonel, that is the best thing I’ve heard all day. Well, that and how that fruit won’t make my guy dry up and fall off.” He eyed the plant Deryn had named and then renamed cautiously. It took all Alejandro had not to laugh. Issac on the other hand began snickering and most likely wouldn’t stop anytime soon.
His men began to file out, heading to the jeeps to get their lunches but the two doctors stayed in place. There wasn’t a chance in hell he’d leave them alone so Alejandro decided to give them a moment before hurrying them along.
Ondrea touched Deryn’s forearm and shook her head. “You didn’t take your medicine did you? Could the sun be causing you to hallucinate? Not that I don’t believe you but come on, Deryn.”
Deryn took an abnormal interest in the wall before her, ignoring her friend and coworker. Alejandro moved in closer and stared down at Ondrea. At six feet five he towered over her tiny frame. “Do I need to get her back to base?”
The wide-eyed, innocent look that Deryn cast him made him feel bad for having asked in the first place. Still, he didn’t want to see anything happen to her. The fierce need to protect her was off-putting. It only added to the sense that he knew her from somewhere but couldn’t place her. “Dr. Murray, if you need medical attention I can have you back at the base within fifteen minutes.”
“Thank you, Colonel, but I’m fine. Really.”
“Deryn.” Ondrea shook her head. “You didn’t take it, did you? Dammit, this isn’t something you can keep forgetting to take. It’s not like you haven’t had to have it every day for the last fifteen years. I swear, you’d forget your head if it wasn’t attached.” She snorted. “Thank the gods I made you an appointment for birth control shots before you came to a realm full of sexy men.”
“Excuse me?” Alejandro asked, unable to hold his tongue.
Ondrea smiled. “Hey, I knew I was dragging Deryn to a place where the men outnumber the women twenty to one. I thought it best she be prepared. And stop giving me that look, as if sex isn’t the first thing that popped up in topic when the news spread that two females were coming.”
Alejandro watched Deryn carefully, hoping she would shed some insight into her friend’s statement. Did she make sleeping with men a hobby? She stood, staring at the wall full of symbols.
“I think this says two earths.” Tracing the edges of another marking, Deryn seemed engrossed in her work. She also appeared to be hearing the music again. That or she was just plain old crazy. Either would explain her swaying ever so slightly and glancing to the treetops again.
Ondrea covered her eyes and shook her head. “You forgot to get the shots, didn’t you?”
“No,” Deryn said, turning to face the wall.
“Good.”
“I didn’t forget. I canceled the appointment just like I cancel every other one you make for me.”
Every ounce of Alejandro wanted to ask her why but it wasn’t his place. Ondrea apparently shared his curiosity and she wasn’t afraid to ask. “Deryn, what in the hell do you mean you canceled the appointments? I’ve been making them for you for like ten years.”
“Twelve years and three months,” Deryn said, moving her finger over two matching circles. “I’ve canceled them all.”
“Then how in the hell do you not have an endless line of kids?”
Endless line?
Deryn chuckled. “Gee, since you put it that way, I almost feel compelled to explain my actions to you.” She glanced over her shoulder and gave Ondrea a hard look. Sarcasm dripped for her every word. “Almost.”
“Deryn, you cannot afford to have a baby right now.”
Laughing, Deryn shrugged. “I wasn’t aware that I was having financial troubles.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” Ondrea grabbed her arm. “Does Kane know about this?”
“He’s the one who told me to cancel them, so I’d imagine so.”
Wonderful, I have a hard-on for a woman who is not only with my friend, they’re trying to have children.
“Dammit, Deryn.” Ondrea tugged on Deryn’s arm. “This is not a matter that is up for debate. Your body cannot handle the stress of a pregnancy and Kane knows that. It’s enough for you to get through the day. Do you think I really want to see you fighting for your life because Kane decided you shouldn’t bother with them? Do you?” Ondrea snapped so loud that Deryn actually jolted. “Why in the hell would he tell you to cancel the appointments?”
Stress of pregnanc
y? Fight for life?
“Do you really think this conversation is appropriate in front of him?” Deryn glanced back at Alejandro and he did his best to appear neutral. He was anything but.
“I can wait back at the jeeps,” he said, not wanting to leave them alone but sensing their need for privacy.
The slow blink that Deryn did left Alejandro’s cock digging painfully at his pants. “No, Colonel, you’re fine. If you’d like to jump in and start discussing various forms of birth control and what you do and do not practice, you’ll fit right in.”
“I’ll pass. Thanks though.”
Ondrea sighed. “I’m sorry, Deryn. I just worry about you. I walk around convinced you forgot your medicine all the time. You’re the smartest person I know and you’re also the most forgetful. How is that?”
“Too many thoughts.” Deryn grinned. “Well, that and the voices in my head keep interrupting all day.” She cast a sideways glance at him.
Ondrea sighed. “Deryn, please.”
“I did take it today, Onnie. It’s just that this realm has two suns, both of which are a considerable amount closer to it than our sun is to Earth. I have to tweak the serum a bit to compensate for the difference. I thought I managed to get it right prior to arrival. I was wrong. I ran every test I could back home but without having the exact conditions to replicate, I couldn’t be exact.” She touched her friend’s face lightly and smiled. “Now that I do know the exact conditions here, I can recreate them at home. I’ll fix it the second we get to Earth. I’m scheduled to check back in within three days. I’ll go to the lab there and fix it then. They have the supplies I require. The general saw to that. I promise. Until then I’ll just have to remember to wear long sleeves and try to avoid the midday sun. That’s all. The colonel was nice enough to let me borrow his hat for the day and that’s helped tremendously.”
“Serum?” he asked, very curious as to what was going on.
Ondrea gave Deryn a questioning look that wasn’t lost on Alejandro. “How much information about you was given to the team?”
Deryn glanced at him and bit her lower lip. “I’m not entirely sure.”
“I just learned your first name if that tells you anything.” He left out the bit about how he wanted to sink his dick into her and fuck her until he could fuck no more. Somehow, it just didn’t seem to be the right time.
Deryn directed her blue gaze at him and looked puzzled. “You offered me your hat without even knowing anything about me? Without knowing I have a sensitivity to the sun?”
He nodded, unsure why she’d asked. A huge smile broke over her face and before he knew it, she was on him, slipping her arms around his waist and hugging him tight. Shocked, Alejandro just stood there, in full gear, letting her do it.
Hug her back.
Before he could respond to his inner voice, Deryn pulled back, her eyes glistened as if she were in the verge of tears. “Thank you.”
“Anytime,” he said, silently scolding himself for missing the opportunity to hold her in his arms. “Let’s go eat.”
Ondrea snickered. “Please tell me I saw what I think I saw.” She tapped Deryn. “You cuddling.”
* * * *
Alejandro watched Deryn closely as she set bits of her sandwich out for a tiny monkey-like creature. Its brownish-red fur was matted in spots, giving it an almost sheepdog like appearance. This one in particular had taken an interest in her from the start. The second she sat down to eat, it had come running up to her. It had taken everything in him not to shoot it the moment it did. Had Deryn not seemed fine with the thing approaching her, he’d have had target practice for the day done.
The pouty-lipped look she’d cast him melted his heart, leaving him powerless to do much more than watch in awe as she interacted with the thing. He’d been stationed in this realm for seven months and had never seen the creatures do much more than swing from vine to vine and throw half-eaten native fruits on the jungle floor. They only seemed to inhabit the areas of the planet that were thick with growth. The desert portions played home to a variety of species, which they were hoping the addition of the doctors would help to identify.
The monkey-like creature moved towards the food Deryn had laid out, quickly picking up the pieces and eating them. It made a screeching noise before moving towards her again. Alejandro stiffened, not sure he wanted the thing any closer to her.
“Doctor?”
“It’s okay.” Deryn winked and then stood. When her blue gaze fell on him, he stilled, waiting to see what she’d do.
“Colonel?” she asked, her voice low. It was a voice he could easily imagine whispering his name as he gave her pleasures she’d never forget.
Thoughts of entering her body, soaking her with his seed while he tasted her lips struck him. His cock throbbed, hardening to a painful state. Vaguely, Alejandro remembered Deryn saying something. Thoughts of fucking her senseless still plagued him and he was fairly sure she could tell what was on his mind. “Yes?”
Deryn glanced around nervously. “How much longer do we have until lunch break is over?”
He checked his watch, doing his best to wish his erection away. When it was at half mast, he nodded. “I think we can squeeze about a half hour more out if we need to.” It wasn’t something he ever thought he’d hear himself say. Yet, he could sense that she was desperate for more time. Since she hadn’t eaten a bite of her lunch, he wondered if she felt all right. “Would you like me to take you back to the base, Doctor?”
“No.”
A sense of relief washed over him and Alejandro realized he didn’t want to have to take her back and leave her there. No. He wanted her close to him. “Want to come and sit down next to me? I promise not to bite and you look like you’re tired.”
She hesitated, eyeing him cautiously. “Thank you but I’m going to take a little walk. I’ll be back before lunch break is over. I promise.”
Before he could object, Deryn headed off in the other direction. Grabbing his M-16 but leaving the rest, Alejandro took off after her. He moved through the jungle quietly, just as the beast he held in him would if it were in control. There was no way he’d let her wander about on her own. She was his and if something happened to her, he’d never forgive himself.
Mine? Where the hell did that come from?
The very fact that he couldn’t lock onto her right away shocked him. She was human. She shouldn’t have been able to slip away from him that easily. When he caught Deryn’s scent, he stopped. Peeking around a large, braided tree, Alejandro watched as she stared up at the tree line.
He did his best to sense something in the area with them but got nothing. Still, Deryn looked very convinced something was there. When she touched her ear and rubbed it tenderly, he wanted to run to her. He held back.
“I hear it, okay?” she whispered towards the treetops. “That’s what you’re trying to figure out, isn’t it? You don’t have to keep turning it up. I heard it fine at the first level.”
Great, she’s crazy. Hot, but crazy.
A slow smile came over her as she turned in a tiny circle, still staring at the treetops. “Oh, you’re pissed they can’t hear you. You want them to know you’ve been watching, waiting for the right moment.” She snorted. “And I get accused of toying with men. Please.”
Yep. A certifiable nut. Damn sexy one, though.
Tipping her head, she seemed to be listening to something. “Oh, I didn’t hear you there,” she said, smiling and nodding her head.
At first, Alejandro thought she was talking to him but when he realized she was talking to something he couldn’t see he considered scooping her up in his arms and taking her to the infirmary. He didn’t. Instead, he watched Deryn carefully to try to understand what was happening to her. He couldn’t believe that the government would actually send him a certifiable nut. Perhaps, the suns here were too taxing on her.
She averted her gaze from whatever it was she saw, giving it the exact look she’d been giving him all day--the sh
y, but curious look. At first, he was infuriated she’d give it to more than one person. When he thought about the fact nothing was there, he calmed down.
I’m even jealous of nonexistent men.
“Why do you want to know more about that?”
Huh?
Deryn shook her head. “I’d rather not ‘disrobe’ as you referred to it earlier this far out with just ... umm ... we should get back, right?”
Disrobe? He’d told her that. Was she hallucinating about him?
He licked his lips. This could be interesting.
“Sir, or umm, whatever I’m supposed to call you. This really isn’t appropriate. If you have any questions you can ask....”
Deryn’s head snapped back and she grabbed her cheek. Alejandro saw nothing with her. Whatever was happening, her hallucination had taken a violent turn. He went to move only to find something pressing against him, holding him in place. His first instinct was to struggle. It hit him then that he was obviously letting his imagination get the better of him.
Shaking his head, he relaxed and felt fine. No more pressing sensation. Glancing up, he found Deryn holding her face, her eyes full of unshed tears. He went to go to her again but the second she started talking, he made a split-second decision to hear what she had to say first. He had to try to make sense of what was going on.
“Fine. I’ll show you.” She yanked her tee shirt over her head, not taking the time to assure the tank top underneath didn’t ride up too far. Alejandro’s cock hardened the second he caught a glimpse the underside of one creamy, perfect breast.
Deryn turned to face him and for a second he thought for sure she saw him--the real him. “That one means, moon. I said that already.”
He stared at her closer and realized that she had a very red and very perfect hand print on her cheek. It was way too big to be her own. Lifting his hand, he eyed it and her face. If it wasn’t a match, it was at the very least, damn close.
Shifter Fated Mates: Boxed Set Page 58