Feral Fever

by Feral Fever (lit)

  * * * *

  Var struggled between sitting and holding Aisling's hand while she was unconscious and storming off to find something to kill among the trees. But the events weren't showing she was narcissistic. She'd thrown the axe that killed the Thunder clan warrior who could have killed me. I might be as dead as Mart if she hadn't handled the weapon like a Royal Guard.

  But I didn't want to look weak now. I just sat there as Borun spoke with Calen while Lehd and Ovh were on watch. Anything to look normal. To appear the same strong warrior bothered by nothing. Ready to react.

  However, when she said nobody else dies for me, I should have chased off after the retreating Thunder clan warriors and killed them all myself to prove myself worthy after my distrust. But here I sit shamed for doubting her.

  A presence pushed into my mind. "You should sleep, Var. You'll need to relieve one of the others soon," Borun said.

  I nodded at him.

  But sleep wouldn't drive away the thoughts keeping me awake. Aisling and I had things to discuss. Yet, those things would have to wait until she was safe back in her lodge.

  * * * *

  Aisling awoke with a start, bolting upright inside warm sleeping skins beneath a starry sky. She wondered where were the men were. Was the Thunder clan gone? Dead? I scanned the sleeping mounds of my guards.

  "Lie down, Aisling. Sleep. It's over," Borun said, snaking an arm around her waist and nudging her back toward his warm solid body.

  But Mart was dead.

  My heart sank.

  "Lie down, little one. Try to sleep with me."

  He had to have heard my heartbeat. I sank down into his warm furs next to his even hotter skin.

  But Mart died with my stupid insistence on searching for a portal. Me. I was the cause of his death. I snuggled my nose into Borun's neck to avoid that discussion.

  His fingers wove into the loose hair hanging down my back, and he pulled me as close to his beating heart as he could, leaning his lips down to my ear. "Shh, little one. It's over," he whispered.

  How could someone's death I caused ever be over? "For Mart." I'd failed another guard.

  Warm tears stung my eyes.

  "No." Borun squeezed me ever so slightly.

  "What happened after Mart's death? What did the others say when they realized I could shape shift?"

  "You took them by surprise. And me. But the Thunder clan left because of you. We might all be dead if you hadn't shifted."

  Dead. All of us. God, if Borun had died… I slid my palms across the supple iron of his back and tried not to think of anything else. I had him. I had the babies. And Ovh, Lehd, and Var. We were all a happy family. Well, maybe not Var. But he and I were friends. I sniffed to clear my nose of the residual tear-induced sniffles. "What now?"

  "We go with Calen. He insists we work with him now that he's witnessed how your powers terrify the Thunder clan."

  What did that entail? Coercion because he knew what I become? But Calen had saved me in battle. What was going on with him?

  "Roll over," he whispered. "So I can hold you. I want you to sleep."

  I rolled and laid my cheek on his bent upper arm. His arm pulled me into the spoon of his body.

  What if something had happened to Borun? "I don't know what I'd do without you, Borun, after my boot ripped to shreds and I lost the syringe. I'd have two days. Just the amount of time I had from the last blood exchange. Unless I had some vials of your blood… And then, when the blood ran out, I'd turn into a raging beast craving nothing but your essence. Only yours would keep me from shifting. I would kill Luvks trying to satiate my blood lust."

  "What do Marshals do if this happens to their mate?" he whispered against my ear.

  "Suicide takes care of the problem." But how would I know if I'd even consider suicide? I'd never had to face that one yet.

  He nuzzled my ear with his nose and scratchy beard. "Then let us ensure you don't have this problem. That's what Ovh, Lehd, and Var are here for. We'll all take care of you." He kissed my cheek. "Now, sleep."

  In the morning, I popped my eyes open to find Calen sitting near the fire, watching me in my sleeping skins. Borun didn't growl but pulled the skins around me as he crawled from our bed to sit between Calen and I.

  Thank goodness. I almost felt like meat.

  My hand shook.

  Joy. Now let's all learn about the Marshal's sexual appetite.

  "Does she shape shift often?" Calen asked Borun.

  So that's what he was after? Information. Well I didn't have any answers written on my body.

  Lehd stepped to my side, crouched, and handed me my backpack. "Blessed sunrise, Aisling."

  I shot him a smile. Clothing might make me feel better. I quickly dressed in tank top, khaki pants, and my standard black were-assassin boots. Apparently, my olive drab pants and combat boots were torn during my transformation into a were-creature. And undoubtedly the syringe was gone too.

  As if Borun could read my mind, he turned and handed me the syringe with his long striped arm. "It's full."

  I tucked the syringe into my boot and crawled over to Borun's back, rising on my knees, propped against Borun's shoulders to meet Calen's blue gaze.

  His eyes were the same color of mine. Sky blue. No telling what else he hid under that mask. Probably the thinnest high-caste black stripes to match the ones on his arms and legs. But I wasn't about to unmask another male.

  "Well, little Marshal, what do you think of Luvk now?" Calen asked.

  He hadn't reverted to using his strange cartoon character voice. But something in his question hinted at last night's happenings. "I became a Marshal to serve a higher purpose in life. That's what I'm doing. Working to end the raids on Luvk. If that includes dealing with clan hostilities, so be it."

  "The warring nature of the clans must be focused on the sky demons."

  Borun rumbled to life. "So we'll go to the Sunrise palace. Learn what it is you have hidden from all Luvks throughout your life."

  That didn't sound safe to me. Especially with the hint of subterfuge directed at Calen. "I don't think so. Why should Luvk's Marshals affiliate themselves with Calen's mother? That may be exactly what she's wanted all along. How do we know we can trust him?"

  Calen growled a soft gurgling threat. "I do not lie, Marshal. Grant it. I may not be held in the highest respects because of my feigned lunacy. But I am serious about uniting the clans. I don't need my mother to help achieve that feat."

  Borun sat in silence.

  Maybe my were-mate allowed me to respond. I'd certainly not pass up the opportunity. Alas, I can't make a mistake. Calen must be part of the solution if his life has been spent trying to resolve the issue of the portals. That was his sole purpose for existence. Duty. And I understood duty. But what if my mates were correct about Calen's sanity? I'd have to test him. "Then close the portal. Prove yourself to the others."

  Calen nodded once and stared a hole through me. "I have tried for sixty years."

  He couldn't possibly be that old. He looked just as young as Lehd.

  "Can The Order of the Marshals help?" Calen asked. "Anything to end the sky demon raids. To cease the cycle of pain instigated by my ancestors so long ago."

  Maybe. "I don't know what they're doing. We're so isolated here. But if I can contact them, I will request assistance."

  "Then go, back to Ishan. And continue to defy her. For the Queens are what keep us trapped in this cycle of madness."

  Without Mart, I was dogpaddling in a whirlpool of foreign symbols. I needed Calen to continue teaching me the written language. "Borun?"

  He turned his gaze to mine.

  My blood mate wasn't going to like what I said. "Speak with me."

  We backed up a good twenty yards, Lehd, Ovh, and Var joining us in a ridiculous football huddle where I stood dwarfed before four towering males in wicked masks like a miniature quarterback.

  "Listen," I whispered. "He knows what Mart knew about the written language. I need his h
elp."

  Borun's groaned. "No, little one. You can't be suggesting…"

  All the other warriors wagged their heads.

  With those damned masks in the way, I had little else than the body language to go by. What were they thinking? I only required Calen's guidance in reading the history. "Look, I don't want another mate. I have enough already. But I need what's inside his head-"

  "He's insane, Aisling," Borun snarled.

  "Then why is he the leader of the Sunrise Royal Guard?" Who would allow him power of the sort? A queen wasn't that crazy.

  The quiet males looked between each other and back at me.

  "See, you have no answer." I looked at each pair of glowing eyes. "I have you each to protect me." No matter how foolish my proposition was.

  "No," Var growled.

  So much for my voice of reason taking my side.

  "We found the portal. Now let's find a way to close it." Var shot the others an insistent glance. "We know all we need to know."

  Not true. "But what if there's something else I need to make everything work? What if-"

  Var interrupted me by whipping off his mask and grabbing my cheeks, staring into my eyes with insistence. "Gaze upon my face. What do you see, Aisling? This is fear. Fear for your life. You don't know what he wants. What if Calen is the warrior murdering the Queens?"

  I couldn't stop looking at the seriousness on his face. The truth was we couldn't know what Calen wanted until time revealed the details. "I have to do my job. My mates are here to help me do that job. I trust you will protect me, Var."

  Var's blue eyes begged me to stop speaking madness. "What is your job, Aisling?"

  Something in those eyes had changed, softened, and pleaded with me for reason. "To help Luvks achieve an environment in which they can operate as they deem fit and not by Slaken interference. If you want to be able to unite the clans, we have to close the portal. I can't do that when I'm swimming blind. And none of you knows what Calen knows. I need Calen's help."

  Var sighed, allowing his hands to drop away. "This is a mistake."

  Not if Calen lives at Ishan's palace in another lodge. I can use him but limit how much he can use me. "Everything will be alright." I shot them all a reassuring glance and turned to Calen.

  He sat casually leaning on an arm with the other hung over a knee he had thrust up in the air.

  Watching us. He'd undoubtedly heard everything. Maybe not my thoughts. But he knew what was coming. I strode to face him, kneeling before his conspiratorial gaze. "Come back and help us close the portal on my terms, Calen. My terms alone. You will not live in my lodge. You will not be my mate. I need an advisor. That would be you, the first son of the last Sunrise priest taught the ancient secrets and wisdom. Luvk's harbinger of truth. And here's my truth. Now that Mart's gone, I only have you for guidance. I can't close the portal without your help." I stared him down.

  He made a smacking noise and shifted to sit upright. "Well, hear my terms."

  "No," all four of my mates blurted simultaneously.

  Borun's hands slid beneath my arms and hefted me to my feet. "We're leaving now."

  * * * *

  By the time Aisling stepped through the doorway to her familiar lodge, she was ready to scrub off what had to be almost a month's worth of grime. Okay maybe life hadn't played out that horribly, she thought. There were many opportunities to bathe along the way. But a bath in warm swirling water with amazing floral suds would certainly make my aching body feel better. And squeaky clean. But I'd give Goro a good shock and see if he'd come running. I pushed the button on his communicator gadget and hurried toward the bath.

  My pool was full of gorgeous tiger bodies. Even Var. Oh well, if he was going to linger in the water with a determined female afoot, he'd just get an eyeful. I caught Borun's attention. "I summoned Goro for what good it will do. We would have been better off with Calen here to help."

  All four warriors glared at me.

  "Are you being territorial in reference to Calen? Or is this reaction something else?" I yanked off my boots and stripped, tossing them the cold shoulder.

  "He's mad," Borun said.

  What does using that excuse gain my were-mate? Protection for his children? Or me? I turned to find Borun's smirk waiting at the pool's ledge.

  The others lathered up and ignored me.

  So much for my defenders. "Fine, Borun. You run the show. I'll just sit around and wait for your next command. I couldn't possibly know what's important. I'm just a stupid female good for nothing but breeding." Like I would ever just sit around and gestate. I stepped into the lapping water.

  His annoyed gaze followed my descent. "I don't command you. I protect you. You presented Calen with your terms. He argued nonnegotiable terms. We weren't going to allow him to force you into something you didn't want."

  "Dammit, I know that." Why did Borun have to be so damned logical?

  "What is dammit?" Lehd asked from nearby.

  "Cursing." Why couldn't I just be content with an easy job back on Earth? Back where you bought a hamburger on the way home and watched the six o'clock news to find to your horror another idiot had done something you had no control over. But you were safe in your home with your hamburger… Because I'm a psychic misfit. And space just offered way too much intrigue.

  "You're quiet," Borun whispered beside me, his warm arm touching mine.

  "I don't want to be quiet. I want to scream. To yell about how frustrated I am. Why can't we just close the damned portal? Because Calen refuses to work with me. Maybe there is something else in his refusal. Maybe he wants a piece of the pie. Dammit. So do all males consider females potential mates on Luvk?" I rubbed a bar of silky soap up my arm without looking at Borun.

  "Royal Guards do," he whispered.

  All except Var. But Var was something else. Maybe Borun just tried to calm me down with his voice. I loved that quiet voice. He certainly knew that since he could hear my traitorous heartbeat.

  Borun eased up to claim a seat beside me on the ledge.

  I suppose the discussion was dead. Killjoy. But I loved Borun. Wouldn't trade him for anything…

  He slid an arm around my back to bend my waist against his side.

  Oh! I'd rather be alone to grind my teeth about the lost possibilities with Calen's help. But how do you tell an enormous tiger man that when he's all cuddly?

  "You're angry with me?" he asked.

  Lying wouldn't help when your audience could hear your heartsong. "A little."

  He chuckled and pulled me to straddle his lap where I couldn't do anything but speak with him where I faced him. "You are a stubborn little thing."

  "That might be what saves your ass in the long run." I smiled and smeared his bearded cheek with suds.

  "Calen can't work with you unless he agrees to your terms." With a wink, he plucked my soap from my grasp and proceeded to bathe me.

  It was a nice apology. Who would balk at a little delicate massage? Albeit, he couldn't cook. But I'm not complaining.

  Lehd and Ovh departed in great leaps.

  Undoubtedly resigned to the fact Borun would have me after bathing me. So, I settled into his capable massaging hands.

  * * * *

  Var hadn't wanted to speak to the Marshal until now. But her First Mate had his hands on her across the pool, Var thought and grated his teeth. Borun always had his hands on her. Var choked back another sigh. Nobody else could say anything to her whenever they wanted to. And I'd never be able to thank her for saving me with that axe.

  Borun's gaze rolled up to her face and caught my eye past the side of her head.

  Curses and spit. I tried to look away.

  Maybe my joining them in the bath today had been foolish. Awkward. But Aisling hadn't been in the room when I leapt into the water. I had no idea she would join us.

  Borun slid Aisling to the ledge and dove into the water.

  Why? I belonged here. By right, I could enter the bath when the others were present. E
ven though Aisling and I hadn't mated.

  Borun swam back and forth across the pool without surfacing, back toward me to burst upward before me, shot me a commanding glance, and leapt from the pool.

  "Borun?" Aisling seemed perplexed where she sat covered in lather.

  The door to her lodge thumped.

  Borun was gone.

  She sighed, slipped from the ledge to disappear underwater.

  Speaking to her began to seem as foolish as joining them in the bath today.

  She rose, pushing her wet hair over the back of her head, thrusting her perky breasts high, and wiping the water from her eyes.

  Beautiful breasts. Everything about her was extraordinary. Including the fact she hadn't displayed one typical characteristic of a queen.

  Her gaze locked onto me. "Are you alright, Var?"

  ?

  Chapter Thirty

  Var almost choked where he stood before his nude Marshal's breasts in the bathing pool. He couldn't avoid answering the female who risked her life to save his. Now was the time to tell her everything, he thought. "Yes, I'm alright."

  "Then why do you look like you want to speak with me or vomit?"

  My heart sank. But why should her reply make a high-caste prince feel like a youngling? "I do."

  "Oh?" She walked toward me. "I'm glad you finally decided to speak with me." She smiled.

  I'd better just say what I came to say, or I'd be tongue-tied like a youngling. "Thank you for saving my life with that axe back at the ruins."

  She halted and looked at me sideways. "I'd forgotten about that. It was an awful night." She gulped. "Mart died. I guess I haven't thought about it much. Maybe I should."

  A caring female wouldn't want to relive the memory. "And I want to apologize."

  Her head tilted curiously. "Why? You've never done anything but voice a valued opinion. I'm grateful for that, Var."

  Admitting one's true feelings was difficult, even when those feelings had completely changed. I looked her in the eye. "I didn't trust you. Not until you saved my life."

  She nodded slowly with understanding. "I had wondered why you were so aloof whereas my other mates readily welcomed any attention from me. Your actions are completely warranted given this violent world you live in. I can't begin to imagine what happened to you to make you behave so guarded toward me. I guess it's the Queen position I don't like to think I hold."