I ran until I couldn’t run any more, until a stitch in my side made me slow my pace. Absolutely terror kept my legs pumping but I was slowing down.
A heavy tree trunk blocked the path. I went to the left, where the brush was clear. I wish I could get off this path but the undergrowth was too dense. I’d lose too much time trying to fight my way through bushes and bramble, better to keep running on the path and look for an exit.
My foot caught a root. The air knocked out of me when I hit the wet ground. Prone, I rolled over quickly. My pursuer still approached but not quickly, like he was giving me time to recover. The hunter like the chase, it seemed.
Back on my feet, the path ran alongside a creek. It was too wide and swift to cross. I kept on, looking for a bridge or even stones to cross. My pace flagged more. I’m not a warrior. I can’t keep running flat out. The path forked. Another tree trunk block the left hand route, directing me to the right and deeper into the forest.
I was being herded.
My angry grew exponentially. It was one thing if I ran afoul a poacher in the king’s forest, or even someone who hated the idea of a Terran mated to the prince, but this reeked of organization. Or a spider spinning a web and I knew which spider was at the heart of this web, pulling strings: Baris.
Fury blinded me, I did not see the rope strung across the path. I hung for a moment in the air, arms swinging but I landed hard on the ground, face first. Herding was over. I must have arrived where the hunter wanted; now it was time for the kill.
“I know who sent you!” I shouted, voice more brave than I felt. I wanted to cry, to whimper, and to beg for Aster to save me.
A figure emerged from the shadows, dressed in brown and greens. I didn’t recognize the man. He could have been a member of the queen’s guard, he had the hard, honed look of a professional soldier.
I just wanted to see Aster again, if only for the last time. His eyes, his kissable lips, and the way he moves with grace like a dancer. Or the way his broad shoulders tense when he’s upset. I wanted too much. It was foolish to think I would be allowed to have all that.
The hunter was close now. I scrambled backward, rocks digging into the palms of my hands. A sneer broke across the man’s face. His hand raised, the dim light gleaming on the pistol.
My heart thundered so hard in my chest I thought it would split open with the force. This is how my life ends: scared and tired in the mud on an alien planet.
The man leveled the pistol, pointed directly at me.
I would not turned my face away. I would not close my eyes. I would face my death with valor.
A wet, thunk sound filled the forest.
Instinctively, my hand went to my chest, searching for the spurting, angry wound. My fingers found only mud. Confused, I looked back up at the hunter.
A spear head protruded from his chest. His mouth opened in surprise and a blood trickled out.
I rolled to the right when the man fell forward. Voice caught between a sob of relief and a plain old sob, I picked up the pistol from the mud.
“Kompli!” Aster shouted, emerging from the dark of the trees. The jacket and shirt of his formal uniform were gone. His bare chest glowed with the pattern I knew was for me alone. My mate.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I bawled like a baby, overwhelmed by the swift change of emotions from terror to relief to love. I stumbled towards him, into his strong arms and I never wanted to leave. My chest heaved and I couldn’t catch my breath and my throat was raw. Aster held me gently while the tears worked their way out of my body.
Finally, my lower lips stop trembling and I dried my eyes. My mate was warm and I never felt safer than I did in that moment.
“Are you hurt, Evie?” he asked, pulling away enough to inspect my hands and limbs.
I still clutched the pistol. “Exhausted but unhurt.”
“How can you tell under all that mud?”
My laugh surprised me, leaping out of my mouth and making me bend over. Was this what hysteria felt like? My abdomen muscles burned with exertion. “Don’t make me laugh,” I said. “It hurts too much.”
Aster frowned, suddenly concerned. He pulled me towards him, holding my trembling form to his hard, lean body. He stroked my back tenderly. I couldn’t help myself. Stress and panic flooded my system and the small act of tenderness broke me.
“Are you hurt, kompli?” he asked again.
“No,” I stammered, fighting back tears. “I’m just being stupid.”
“You Terrans,” he said. “Can’t trust anything you say. I’ll have to inspect you.”
He tugged the shirt up, exposing my belly. His large, warm hands caressed the skin, searching for blemish or mark. Not satisfied, he removed the shirt and my bra. His hands massaged the flesh at my shoulders and skimmed the length of my arms before gently massaging my breasts. My nipples pebbled under his touch.
My breath caught in my throat but it wasn’t from tears. Would someone see us? The forest had to be wired to get plenty of footage for the news outlets. No, the hunter drove me to this place in the forest for a reason. It was reasonable to assume we were far from the lens of any camera.
Aster’s chest rumbled a low and deeply arousing growl. My body responded immediately. His hands yanked down my pants and skimmed the flesh at my hips and bottom. Satisfied I was unharmed his hands went down the front of my panties. I’m not complaining. I leaned into him, sighing as his fingers found my wetness.
Taken with a primal need, he roughly yanked down the panties, spun me around and pressed me against a tree. One foot knocked my legs as wide as they could go, hobbled by my panties and trousers at my knees. His hands were on either side of me on the tree trunk. I could feel the dead of his cock at my entrance.
My back arched. “I need you, komplan,” I said. I need his muscle and his weight to press against me, to fuck me hard because we were alive and life was precious.
Roughly he sank into me and it was glorious. His strokes were deep and erratic. He was out of control with desire and I loved it. I loved him. His fangs nipped me on the neck. I tilted my head to the side and he nuzzled my ears. “I will not lose you,” he growled.
“No,” I agreed. “You can’t lose me.” I’d say anything with him pumping into me savagely.
“I’m going to get my scent all over you so the other males know you belong to me.”
Belonging sounded fantastic. “Yes, Aster,” I said, voice growing into a repeated cry.
One hand reached down and played with my clit. I exploded, shuddering with pleasure. Aster’s cock grew thick and pulsed. He pulled out and hot seed splashed on my back. Now I was marked.
Aster leaned against me, pinning me to the tree. He nuzzled my neck and one hand rubbed his seed into my skin. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I couldn’t control myself.”
“I like it when you’re rough,” I said. I did. He was so completely delicious when he lost control.
As I put back on my muddy garments, Aster retrieved the spear with a yank and rolled the hunter over. “I know this man,” he said with a grunt. “He is in the Queen’s Guard. It pains me say that we have to bring this traitor back to the camp.”
“Are there more?”
Aster lifted the hunter’s and tossed the body across his shoulders. He scanned the woods. “Perhaps. Chem and Sindre are out there. Let them track down the last of the dogs.”
As if on cue, a communicator sounded. Aster spoke rapidly and then turned to me and gave me a nod. “We need to get back before it is dark.”
“What happens after dark?” Will the queen send another round of her guard to hunt me down? Do the vicious kiopatt wake up hungry and grumpy? I shivered.
“You will lose the challenge,” Aster said bluntly.
I laughed again, this time bracing myself for the ache in my chest and abdomen. The challenge completely slipped my mind. “I need to trap a hartarvan.”
“You need to kill it cleanly and smear the blood on your forehead.”
&
nbsp; “No,” I said immediately, unsure why I declined his help. “I will do this thing the right way.”
“Kompli,” Aster said, rubbing his face in frustration. “Let me help you.”
I nodded. “Fine. Let’s get this over.”
We walked back along the trail, headed west or north. I lost track of direction.
Finally, we arrived back at my pathetic trap. It was trampled and empty. Aster lowered his burden to the ground. He raised his spear and slowly scanned the clearing. He motioned for me to stay put and then he crept forward, approaching a bush.
Crouching down, he plunged the spear in. An animal shrieked. Aster reached in and lifted the thrashing body of a speckled brown hartarvan.
The little beast kicked its legs wildly. Aster held it aloft by the scruff of the neck.
“Slash your knife across its throat,” he commanded.
I reached for the knife but I paused, frozen in place. This was a new brand of fear, one I was not expecting. The little creature made a panicked noise.
“You have been very brave,” Aster said, voice calm and soothing. “I know you can do this.”
I shook my head. “I’m not brave, I’m scared.” This is what it felt like to fail my komplan, to be helplessly paralyzed at the prospect of taking the life of a fluffy bunny. Tears leaked out of my eyes.
“Did you not subject yourself to the challenges, despite your fear? Or was that another stubborn Terran woman?”
Aster leaned in and pressed his forehead to mine. “It is easy to be brave when you have no fear and only a fool is without fear. Doing what you must, despite your fear, is true bravery.”
“I’ve never taken…”
Aster raised my hand holding the knife and placed the blade against the hartarvan’s throat. The animal continued to thrash. I willed my knife to sink in but it did not move.
“I can’t,” I said, weakly. I’ve cleaned and dressed freshly slaughtered animals before. I’ve butchered and chopped, but I’ve never been the one to end a life. I can’t. I’m not a Fremm and not a fearless warrior. I am only myself.
“It is my honor to help you, kompli,” Aster said, voice a warm murmur. “You have given me the world, let me give you this.”
His hand guided mine, pushing the blade in and drawing it across the animal. Blood pulsed down the speckled brown fur and the light left the tiny black eyes. With two fingers, Aster scooped up the blood and dragged his warm and sticky fingers across my forehead. The hartarvan’s blood tickled as it dried.
“You are blooded, mate,” he said.
“But I did nothing…”
Aster shook his head. “Enough of that. You kept your wits about you and stayed alive while an assassin pursued you like game. I have half a mind to anoint you with this traitor’s blood but I would not mar your lovely head with something so vile.”
He picked up the hunter’s body like it was nothing and slung it across his shoulders once again.
Chem and Sindre waited at the base camp, with their captives bound and kneeling in the dirt.
Chapter Sixteen
Evie
A crowd was waiting inside the tent at the base camp. Aster strode towards the queen and dumped the corpse of my assassin at her feet. Even with hands bound behind her back and guards surrounding her, she managed to look haughty and scoffed. Nothing impressed that woman.
With less flare, I presented the hartarvan to the king. I bowed my head and he accepted the brown speckled animal, proof I was blooded and worthy. No one was watching us. Every eye was on Aster as he held the tip of the spear against Baris’ throat. The thinnest line of red trickled down her pale sky colored throat. Her eyes widened with alarm but she said nothing, lips pressed firmly together.
“Is this man familiar to you, mother?” Aster asked. Clearly not looking for an answer, she continued, rage echoing in his voice. “Because he is known to me. I recognize him as a member of your guard, as are the other two men you sent to murder my kompli. The only reason I do not kill you where you stand is that you are my mother and I must honor you.”
His hold on the spear relaxed and the pressure eased. “How could you?”
Baris’ eyes flashed. “I did it for you, son. I see your greatness. Let me help you be great.”
My instincts said to run in and hold Aster, to assure him of his purpose and greatness, but I resisted. That would be shameful and codling. No true Fremm warrior needed assurance of their prowess.
Aster said, “I already have everything in Evie. I cannot forgive you, mother, that would be so selfish and take her away from me.”
“I’m selfish? You’d throw away everything for a children's story. Mates are not real and she,” her lips curled bitterly when she spoke of me, “is not worthy enough to lick your boots.”
“You’re a conspirator and an attempted murder. No one is above the law,” Aster said, withdrawing the spear tip, “not even the queen.”
Emre motioned with a hand and the guard took Baris away, who now shouted unkind things about my qualifications and family. Charming woman.
“I’m sorry this happened,” Emre said. “Baris will serve out her sentence very far away.”
Nowhere could be far enough for my tastes.
Emre took my hand and Asters and placed them together. “Let me be the first to congratulate you, kompli and komplan. Tonight we reflect on how hatred blinds us. Tomorrow we celebrate a wedding.”
The rest of the world vanished; there was only me and Aster. His dark eyes swallowed me whole. I could see our future now.
“One question,” I said. “What’s a Fremmian wedding like?”
“Not so different from a Terran ceremony: witnesses, vows and, of course, the nudity,” Aster said.
“You’re joking, right?”
Chapter Seventeen
Evie
He wasn’t joking. A traditional ceremony had the groom and bride naked, to display any and all markings on their flesh. It was also probably to demonstrate a lack of weapons. In the old days, Fremm weddings could be bloodbaths. Films taught me that much.
So no wedding dress for me but I really couldn’t care. Aster defended me against his mother. He chose me. Baris will not be the only person to have a problem with a Terran mated to a Fremm warrior and prince. We can survive all the hateful stares and comments. We will have a happy life if we are a united front.
Exhausted and covered in mud, we made our way home. Before getting in the skimmer for the journey back, I took Chem to the side.
“I don’t suppose tattoos are a thing on Fremm?”
Confusion knitted his brow. “Not really. Why?”
“I have an idea but I need your help.”
He nodded. “Of course, anything.”
So I gave him a brief outline of my idea. By the end Chem was smiling with enthusiasm. “I’ll see what I can find.”
An hour later, Aster and I were finally back at Bitterot. I stripped off the mud cake clothing immediately, leaving a trail from the barn to the house. I need a bath and I needed it now. Then food. Then sex with my gorgeous mate. It’s been too long and I positively ache when I think about his thick, muscular thighs and the way his skin glows when I touch him.
Mmm.
I filled the tub again with scalding hot water. Easing in slowly was nearly more than I could tolerate. My caramel skin had a reddish lobster quality to it as the knots in my muscles slowly worked themselves out.
When Aster arrived with a mug of hot tea, I was already asleep.
Chapter Eighteen
Aster
This is my wedding day.
Bird song and sunshine fill the room. I lay still in the bed, watching my kompli sleep. Exhaustion rattled in her throat with a snore. I do not care. She wore herself thin to complete the challenges set by a bigoted woman determined to hate, all to prove herself worthy of me. Me, when clearly I am the one worthy of her.
I have never been so proud and humbled.
I go to the kitchen to fetch our mo
rning meal, already prepared. When my mate wakes, I am ready with the honey tea she prefers and I hand feed her the choicest morsels from the tray. She blushes and protests, trying to push my hand away but finally acquiesces. I will not accept no. I will provide for her, even feed her before myself. There is no discussion on this.
Chem arrives with Maja and a red headed human woman I do not know. Evie immediately burst into tears and threw her arms around the woman.
I stood up from the table so fast, hand on weapon, that I smashed a chair.
The talked so fast and so high pitched, I could not follow. I recognized the voice as belonging to the “Jaimie” Evie spent so much time talking to.
“Ohmygod, you made it! I was so worried!”
“Look at you! You’re going to be a real princess!”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
“I’m so happy for you!”
“I’m so happy you’re here!”
Chem glowered with irritation but could not take his eyes from Jaimie. Worrisome.
The women disappeared with Evie and, I swear, a flotilla of luggage. Evie did not want to take my two finest warriors but there is no discussing this matter. I will protect my mate always. Without my bidding, Chem also followed at a discrete distance.
The hours blur and I stood at the altar under the red canopy, waiting for my kompli. We are in the gardens at the palace, on the south bank of the lake. The castle proper sits to the north, hovering low over the lake. The ornamental trees here are a vivid green. Flowers are a riot of color. Every plant, bush and shrub is in bloom. The air is fresh from rain and the summer sun warm on my exposed skin.
The crowd is small, just our most intimate friends and relations. The bright red hair of Evie’s only human guest stands out among the blue and dark hair of my people.
It is perfect day.
Music started and the audience turn to the back.
Bride of the Alien Prince: Alpha Alien Romance (Alpha Aliens of Fremm Book 2) Page 8