“Dr. Murray?”
Deryn yanked her tee shirt off and went to work taking her boots off. “I’m going to rip this thing in two the minute I get my hands on it. It wants proof. Fine. Can I get the colonel to stop growling? No. Now I have to get naked to prove a point,” she mumbled under her breath.
Naked?
He reached for her to stop her but she knocked his hand away and glared at him. “Not a word or you’ll end up getting us both killed. They’ll rush us. Right now, I’ve got one trying to prove he’s big shit to his buddies. Open your mouth and they’ll step in and take care of the alpha threat.”
“But....”
Deryn yanked his knife free of its sheath and put the blade to his throat. He wasn’t afraid of her. He was terrified for her. If she thought for one second that he’d allow whatever the hell was out there to harm her or force her to get naked to prove a point, she was wrong. He was about to growl again but held it in when he watched a lone tear slide down her cheek.
“Please,” she mouthed.
He nodded, his jaw tight and his body full of tension. The need to kill something was great. The need to fuck her was greater. It only intensified when she slid her pants off, revealing a set of long, toned, legs, an ass so perfect he wanted to sink his dick in it and the tiniest of swells on her lower abdomen.
She threw his knife about six feet in front of her. It stuck in the ground, upright. Deryn took a step forward and for a moment, Alejandro thought he heard the sounds of drums beating. Could that be what Deryn had been hearing all day?
Putting her hands up, she took a deep breath in. “Here I am. The writing is clearly on the ... umm ... body.” She let out a nervous laugh. “Come and see.”
The voice said something else Alejandro couldn’t make out but knew he didn’t like by the way Deryn flinched. She nodded and glanced over her shoulder at him. “I-I’ll meet you ... meet you back at the jeeps. Go.”
Fear coursed through her veins to the point it filled the air around him. There was no way in hell he was going to leave her. He went to take a step only to have a piece of monkey-nut fruit hit him in the back of the head. Turning, he found the ugly little monkey-thing Deryn called Che sitting in the tree. He blinked, unable to believe what he’d just seen. The thing actually shook its head ‘no’ at him.
He tried to ignore it and go to Deryn. It pegged him in the back of the head with another piece of fruit. Obviously, it thought going to her was a bad idea. Since it had intervened earlier and she lived to tell about it, he decided to listen to its warning--at least for the minute.
“Go,” Deryn repeated, her bottom lip trembling. “I don’t want you to see this. Please.”
“See what?” he asked, not bothering to hide the anger in his voice. “I’m not moving.”
“Then give me your word you will not intervene.”
The voice spoke again, this time sounding close enough to be standing right next to Alejandro. Deryn gasped. “No! No, I don’t need a lesson in disciplining my warriors. They,” she glared at Alejandro, “will not question my authority again. Now, are you going to verify what you came to see or are you going to stand there admiring my head warrior? I should warn you he’s not into that sort of thing. I didn’t realize you were.”
The minute it left her mouth, a gush of wind went past Alejandro. Deryn went airborne and hit the tree behind her. He went to run to her and got pelted with more fruit. It went against his very nature to stand there allowing whatever was happening to occur.
Deryn hit the ground and was seemingly pulled up by strings. The second her thong began to move downward all on its own, she slammed her head forward. “I said you could look, asshole, not touch. Drop your magik. I’m sick of you running around looking like him.”
She pointed at her lower abdomen. “The other marks you’re looking for are there. See, åricus. Happy now? Want to keep trying my patience?”
It murmured something.
Deryn threw her head back and laughed. “Do you honestly think I’m going to allow you to ‘sense’ all of my power? I may be young but I’m not stupid. No. I think I’ll keep that trump card to myself right now. Besides, I don’t need anything special to kick your ass. I did it once today already. Shall we go another round?”
She shook her head. “I’m not taking orders from anything not man enough to show himself. Stop hiding behind the colonel’s image.”
Arching a brow, she appeared to be eyeing something up and down. “Umm, I didn’t realize you were literally a copy of him the other way. The loincloth was much more impressive on his body. Go ahead and go back. He’s a hell of a lot better to look at than....” Deryn’s words were cut off when she was launched backwards. It was obvious something had struck her in the stomach. What, he couldn’t tell. The second he went to go to her, he watched in awe as she twisted and landed on her feet. He sensed it then, the presence directly in front of her.
The sound of tribal-like music thumped in his head and for a split second, he could have sworn he saw a shadow standing before Deryn. Alejandro let his claws erect from his fingertips and rushed in between Deryn and what he was sensing.
Screaming out, Deryn pushed up in front of him and pressed her nearly nude body to him. She ran her hands up his arms and took hold of his wrists. He went to retract his claws, afraid of cutting her but she did something unexpected. She jerked his arm and he felt his claws strike something but still, he saw nothing. Well, nothing except blood dripping from the end of his claws.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked, in a panic he’d cut Deryn.
She began to move her body against his seductively. His cock hardened instantly. She glared at something Alejandro couldn’t see. “No, go ahead. Call the others and tell them to come and kill him because you assume he’s my husband--then you’ll forever be known as the warrior who got taken by his,” she ran her hand up Alejandro’s arm and put it behind his head, leaving her breasts thrusting forward, “bitch. Is that what you really want? Do you want him dead bad enough to risk eternal ridicule or do you want to go back to the boys and confirm you found an åricus?”
Something snarled and Alejandro drew Deryn closer to his body with his free hand. He let out another low growl, warning whatever was there that she was his and his alone.
Deryn stiffened as the beating of the drums grew louder. As quickly as she started to panic, she stopped and began to sway against him again. She let out a sultry laugh. “I don’t know how things work for you boys but here,” she turned her head back towards him and nipped playfully at his jaw, “my favorites earn certain rewards for their loyalty. If you’re done here, I’d like to see to it he’s taken care of now.”
The threat around them slowly diminished, leaving him holding Deryn to him, his cock hard and his clawed hand bloody. “Are you hurt?”
A piece of fruit rolled past his foot and he took that for the sign it was--they were not alone yet. Pressing his mouth to Deryn’s ear, he whispered to her, “They’re watching us, aren’t they?”
She turned in his arms and faced him. Her blue eyes caught the light just right and he realized then that all the signs of damage from the sun she’d had earlier were gone. Deryn looked nervous as she ran her hands up his body slowly, seductively. She mouthed, ‘I’m sorry.’
Sorry? She was apologizing for acting out his fantasy? Oh, she was entirely too perfect.
She tugged on the back of his head and he bent down a bit. “Can you make this look real?”
“Sex? With you?” It came out sounding all wrong, as if he didn’t want it.
“Don’t fear, Colonel. I’d never force that on you,” she whispered, her lips to his ear. “Can you make it look like I’m punishing you? They aren’t stupid enough to think I’d reward you for interfering. That’s why they pulled back, not allowing you to sense them anymore. They want to see what happens.”
“Yes,” he said, desperately wanting to clarify how she misunderstood him. He did want her more than she could possibly know.
Deryn took a step back and winked at him. She turned quickly, swiping his feet out from under him and knocking him to the ground. He was stunned. Too stunned to do anything other than lay there while she yanked his knife free from the ground. In an instant, she was straddling him and thrusting the knife up and under his vest.
The smell of blood filled the air, but no pain followed. Sniffing, he realized why. It wasn’t his blood. It was Deryn’s. She’d cut herself instead of him.
“Dr. Murray....”
She captured his mouth with hers, rendering him speechless. He could feel the tension in her kiss. She was in pain and he knew she’d done it to protect him.
Deryn pulled back and stared around. The monkey rushed out and Deryn nodded. “I know. Thanks.” She glanced down at him. “They’re gone.”
He went to sit up but she shook her head. “Hold on.” She pulled the knife out and handed it to him.
Alejandro’s gaze went to her other hand. She had it down by her side, partially behind her. He seized hold of it and had to fight down bile when he saw what she’d done in order to keep him safe. She’d slit her own wrist, long ways. He gasped.
“I-I didn’t mean to cut so deep. Your vest was tighter than I expected and,” she bit back tears, “my wrist got pinched between the blade and it. I should wrap it up and ... uhh ... I don’t feel so well.”
Alejandro let his magik ride out and over her. The same strange heated sensation occurred between them that happened when he’d touched her before--taking her burns away. Now, he watched as her arm healed under his touch.
It was Deryn’s turn to gasp. “How?”
He didn’t have an answer for her. Normally, he could heal only himself. No one else. This was new territory for him and he wasn’t exactly sure he liked what it implied.
She’s my mate.
He shook his head and with it any thoughts of Deryn being his potential wife. That was absurd. Wasn’t it?
“Let’s get you dressed and then get to the jeeps. The others will be looking for us soon if we don’t get back.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you going to tell all of them I stripped down in front of you and...?”
The need to calm her, assure her that he wouldn’t embarrass her in any way overwhelmed him. He did something he shouldn’t have. He agreed. “No.”
“Thank you.”
Chapter Three
Deryn stared at her reflection still in awe that the colonel had managed to heal her with no more than a touch. Normally, that much sun exposure with that amount of ultraviolet light would leave her blistered and sick for days and days. She hadn’t always been that way. There was a time in her life when she’d been able to frolic about in the sun with no concerns. Those days were long gone.
She ran a finger over the spot where she’d accidentally cut too deeply. It was smooth, unharmed. How had he managed to do that? He’d healed her better than any healer she’d ever seen and in record time, too.
“You coming?” Ondrea asked, entering Deryn’s tent and scaring the hell out of her.
She drew in a sharp breath and shook her head. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”
“Sorry.” Ondrea adjusted her tight black leather mini skirt and winked. “Is that what you’re wearing tonight?”
Deryn arched a sandy blonde brow and glanced in the mirror. The faded vintage wash pocket jeans she had on were one of her favorite pairs. They hugged her hips just right and were made of a stretchy jean material that allowed for full movement and a slim butt and thigh fit. It was hard to find jeans for her height that hung down to the ground with a flare bottom. When she’d come across these, she’d made sure to buy several pairs.
The black, mid-calf leather combat boots she had on were staples as far as she was concerned. They went with just about anything. Ondrea was a shoe diva who never seemed to wear the same pair twice. The very idea that Deryn not only owned combat boots but actually wore them had always made her an easy target on Ondrea’s fashion no-no list.
“Well, at least the shirt is cute,” Ondrea said, sneering at Deryn’s outfit.
Deryn glanced at the turquoise fitted tee shirt with an emerald green dragon on the front and smiled. It came up above her belly button, leaving several inches of exposed flesh between it and the start of her low rise jeans. “Uhh, thanks. Kane gave it to me.”
“I know. I was with him when he picked it out.”
Deryn snickered before moving to follow her friend as they headed out to explore the base further. It was quite extensive considering it had only been in existence less than a year. They walked down the narrow lane, ducking and weaving to avoid the different types of alien plant life. All of it looked like variations of plants found in rainforests on Earth but none were identical. They came to a stop several tents down from hers.
“Is there a reason we’re stopping?” Ondrea touched her arm. “Care to tell me how it is you aren’t burnt at all?”
Glancing around, Deryn tried to pinpoint exactly what had prompted her to stop where she did but couldn’t. She eyed the tent they were outside of and listened for signs of life. Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, Deryn decided it was safe to speak freely with Ondrea. “The strangest thing happened today.”
“Aside from you insisting tomb guards are real and these guys have stumbled across an Avatarian temple? Oh, and that you can hear music no one else does? Or you fighting with something no one else could see?”
“Bite me.” Deryn shook her head. “I’m being serious here, Onnie.”
“Then by all means, enlighten me. What happened?”
Deryn swallowed hard, still confused by the events of the day. “When the tomb guard decided to make its presence known to the colonel, he pushed me behind him.”
Ondrea laughed. “Deryn, he’s in the military and he, like most of the men around here, radiates alpha maleness. Of course he’d want to protect you. It’s not only his job, it’s part of who he is.”
“Gee golly wow, Onnie,” Deryn bit out sarcastically. “Thank the gods I wasn’t operating under the illusion he picked me and only me to protect in his life. Have no fear, I don’t suffer from any delusions. I know I’m the farthest thing from his type of woman there is. Okay?”
“I didn’t mean that the way it came out.” The warm look Ondrea gave her helped to soften Deryn’s mood a bit.
“Yes you did and give me a break.”
“Deryn, you have the worst self-image known to mankind. I didn’t mean he couldn’t possibly find you attractive. Hello, I’ve seen men fall off barstools, straining to watch you walk away. Trust me, you’re doing just fine in the attractive female category.”
Deryn rolled her eyes. “Stop it! I’m serious. I’m not fishing for compliments and I don’t want to hear lies, Onnie. I came to terms with what I am by the time I was twelve. Listen, I’m trying to tell you....”
Ondrea glared at her. “No, you didn’t come to terms with anything. You let a bunch of jealous girls and guys, who were pissed you monopolized their buddy’s time, fill your head with lies. You let them tear you down and you continue to surround yourself with men who do the very same thing the minute they find out about you! That’s what you did, Deryn.”
“Onnie, I....”
Ondrea pointed at her. “Do not even try to tell me different. I’m the one who had to get you to stop crying because no matter how many times you wished upon those shooting stars, you didn’t wake up with my skin tone. They did that to you, Deryn. They set you up to feel like a misfit. Destiny didn’t help you fit in with the crowd but I can tell you this--you are a beautiful, smart and, if I do say myself, a damn sexy woman. Now, you were going to tell me about how you hid behind the colonel?” The smile on her face told Deryn she was kidding about the last bit.
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t cower behind men’s legs expecting them to protect me.”
Putting her hands up, Ondrea rocked back and forth. “Ain’t that the truth. You’re right, something strang
e did happen today. You didn’t club the colonel in the back of the head for doing his job.”
“No, I just clung to him, terrified for him.” Silence greeted her. She tipped her head. “Just say it. You know you want to.”
“Don’t you dare fall for him, Deryn.”
“Considering the circumstances of my being here, I have every right to be concerned when it comes to him and his safety,” Deryn said, dangerously close to losing her temper. “The tomb guard wasn’t alone. I could feel others waiting in the wings, listening to what the colonel said. They wanted him dead and were looking for an excuse to kill him. First the guard accused the colonel of being a thief. Then it moved on to saying he was my husband.”
“Husband?” Ondrea asked, giving her an odd look. “Why would a supposed tomb guard assume a man was your husband? Did the colonel do or say anything?” She rubbed her temple. “Did he start growling weird again?”
“How did you know?”
“Lucky guess,” she sighed, “now finish telling me what else strange happened.”
An odd sensation moved over Deryn. Turning her head, she found herself staring at the tent closest to them again. “I think I’m losing my mind.”
“I’m positive you are.” Ondrea winked.
“Yeah, well I can almost feel the colonel around me. Right now. Like he’s close. Very close.” The sensation Alejandro was near consumed her.
“I don’t sense anyone around us and I’m the shifter here.”
It wasn’t as though Deryn didn’t already know that but still, the feeling of Alejandro being close stayed with her. She shrugged. “I don’t know. I can say this is a new feeling for me. He’s confusing my senses. I don’t know how I feel about that. He’s like walking sensory overload in amazing packaging.”
“Do not fall for him, Deryn. He’s Kane’s friend and boss. Things will end badly. If you’re not willing to do it for yourself, do it for Kane. Don’t leave him in a position to have to hurt his friend to protect you.”
Shifter Fated Mates: Boxed Set Page 61