by Ruby Dixon
Bridget's Bane
Icehome Book 13
Ruby Dixon
Copyright © 2020 by Ruby Dixon
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Photo: Depositphotos.com
Cover Design: Kati Wilde
Edits by: Aquila Editing
Created with Vellum
Contents
BRIDGET’S BANE
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Epilogue
Author’s Note
People of Icehome Beach
Want more to read?
BRIDGET’S BANE
A’tam is the worst.
Sure, he’s the prettiest man on the beach, but he’s a terrible listener. I’ve told him a dozen times that we’re not compatible - in SO many ways - and he refuses to take no for an answer. He had his chance with me, and he blew it.
But A’tam thinks we should be mates. He thinks he can just woo me enough to change my mind. He thinks that sultry kisses and soft touches are the way to a girl’s heart. He thinks that if he shows me that he can be everything I need, I’ll just fall right back into his arms and forget the past.
And….sigh.
He might be right.
Because I want him again and I really, really shouldn’t.
1
THEN
BRIDGET
As we stare at the brawny, half-naked aliens near the fire, Flor leans over to me. "This beach just got a whole lot more interesting."
I have to agree.
It's been a weird month, but I've tried to adapt. First there was waking up after being kidnapped by aliens in my sleep. That was a lot to absorb. Then it was a mental adjustment to realize that this frozen, deserted planet is now my home and we'll never go back to Earth. All in all, I think I've handled it pretty well. I've had a few rough moments, some tears shed, but I'm picking myself up and moving along.
This is just how it is, I remind myself. You'll manage. You always do.
So I help out around camp. I joke around and get to know my new “village family” since these are the people that I'm going to be living with the rest of my life. There are no cities on this ice planet, no vast civilizations. There's another group of survivors intermixing with the sparse alien inhabitants, but they're deep in the snowy trenches in the mountains and it's too far a journey for us to make right now. Or so I've been told. Me, I just think they're keeping us separated to kind of suss us out. To make sure we're all reasonable and safe before they invite us home. After all, the other village has a lot of kids and they don't know us. We could be serial killers.
I don't mind, though. I'm adaptable. Always have been. It's nothing new for me to have to start from fresh. Growing up, my mother sent me to boarding school after boarding school just because she couldn't be bothered with me. So I know how to survive. I know how to ingratiate myself and be friendly and make sure that everyone's my buddy.
The whole “no men” thing was kind of a bummer, though. Especially after we were told that our khui—the symbiotic parasite we had to acquire in order to survive here—chooses our soulmate. That once the khui “resonates” in my chest (which is like a purring sound), it “finds” my mate for me and then we're happy ever after and have babies and stuff. The romantic side of me thinks that's pretty dandy…except there's sixteen women to four men.
And one of the men immediately resonates to Veronica, who's sweet but utterly unremarkable otherwise.
The two red-skinned guys are hot, but they're obsessed with pregnant Angie.
And the only other guy left? Is a monster. There's no way I'm getting near Gren, and I'm not sad when he escapes the village (except that he takes poor Willa with him).
So yeah, slim pickings. I'm told there's one guy who just recently hit adulthood in the distant mountain village. Other than that, the nearest unmated alien is a kid. Gonna be a long drought for most of us, unfortunately. At least I'm in good company with the other girls in our endless bachelorette-hood.
Which is why tonight is a big deal. Tonight, everything's changing.
Both Flor and I stare at the pack of brawny, muscular men as they file in from the beach. I don't consider myself a rampaging wild woman in the sheets, but…damn. Maybe it's the drought of available guys that makes me appreciate this visual feast. Guy after guy shows up near the fire, wearing a few furs tossed over their bodies. They've all got horns and the blue skin and tails like the sa-khui tribe do, but they seem different, too. Not in a bad way. In a sexy, appealing way. And they just keep streaming in from the rafts down the shore, with a newly returned Lauren talking animatedly to Mardok and Raahosh.
Flor leans over to me. "How is it that when we get stranded, we end up on Vagina Beach but when Lauren gets re-stranded, she gets a tropical island filled with beefcake?”
"Her luck is obviously better than ours," I murmur to my friend, watching as one particularly handsome sort moves toward the fire. He's got a beard, which is unusual considering all the sa-khui have clean-shaven jaws. His hair is long and messy, and the horns on his brow are small. He doesn't have that weird armored plating on his face or arms like the sa-khui do, and I decide I like this better. It makes him look a bit more human, even if his nose, cheekbones, and facial structure are decidedly pronounced and just as alien.
I study his hand as he holds them out to the fire to warm them. Three fingers and a thumb, just like the other aliens. "Maybe they're like different dog breeds," I say to Flor. "You know, like how with dogs they're all canines but have different characteristics or something."
"Woof," Flor purrs. "I'll be that one's chihuahua any day of the week. He's fucking gorgeous."
I kinda have to agree. All of the aliens that are arriving are good-looking. I don't think I've seen an ugly one on this planet…well, except for Gren. But this guy is something else. There's a set to his features that seem to be downright magical. His eyes are bright, lined with thick, dark lashes. His nose is slim and straight, and his beard frames the most gorgeous, kissable mouth I've ever seen. He's just…perfection.
Perfection gets to his feet and tosses the fur off his body, throwing it onto one of the empty seats near the fire.
He's not wearing a stitch underneath.
Flor grabs my hand even as I gasp aloud in surprise.
Island Adonis is…packing heat. In fact, he looks like he's packing too much
heat. The sa-khui are pretty fluid about nudity, so I've seen some peen and buns on the beach. It doesn't feel right to look, though, considering each guy is someone's dad or some lucky girl's husband. So I tend to look away when there's a reveal. I should have guessed that an islander would be even more loosey-goosey about nudity, though. Dude's got a baseball bat between his legs. He's hairless here, of all things, but I can see a heavy set of balls, that weird spur-thing that everyone giggles about, and most of all, what has to be at least a foot of extremely thick, veiny dick.
He must have heard my gasp, because he looks around. Our eyes meet across the fire.
A slow smile curls his mouth, showing a hint of fang. If it's possible, he grows even more gorgeous.
Flor nudges me. "He's checking you out, Bridge!"
"I'm sure he's just curious," I murmur, even though I can't look away from those eyes. He's confident, this guy, and that confidence is utterly appealing. It's like he knows that I find him sexy and it amuses him. I pretend like it's no big deal, returning to the sewing in my lap. "If he wants to come talk to me, I'm sitting right here."
"At least we won't die virgins," Flor says with a dramatic sigh.
I nudge her with my shoulder. "Bitch, please. You haven't been a virgin in forever."
She laughs wildly. "No one tell my nanay that. I'm a very good girl." The look she gives me is pure naughtiness, though. That's Flor in a nutshell—always trying to make everyone laugh and enjoy themselves. She's a bit of a clown for all that she's the oldest of our group, but I love her fun attitude. She leans over and whispers to me. "He's big, though, isn't he?"
Yeah, I noticed that, too. He's definitely less David and more Goliath in the loincloth. I glance over at him again—because how can you not?—and he's watching me still. With a smile and a toss of my hair, I go back to teasing Flor. "You know for a so-called virgin, you're very knowledgeable about dicks."
"Don't tell my nanay that, either." She winks.
2
A'TAM
It does not matter to me that this beach is cold and covered with white fluff that I am told is frozen water. It does not matter that my home has sunk to the bottom of the sea and I have eaten nothing for three days but a few bits of dried fish. It does not matter that I have not slept in just as long.
My mate is here.
Of course, she is not my mate yet. I do not know her name, and my khui is silent. It does not matter, though. She will be my mate. The moment I saw her sparkling eyes and smile, I knew. Her face is lovely, for all that it is strange and flat like L'ren and M'rsl. Her humor shows clear through, as does her fearlessness. She is not afraid of a strange clan appearing on the beach, but only stares at us with blatant curiosity.
She stared at my cock with the same obvious attention, and I decide this will be a fine, fierce female…just as soon as I resonate to her.
I rub my chest, silently encouraging my khui to sing out its claim, but it remains silent. Soon enough, then.
I finish warming myself by the fire and move to go talk to the creature. A hyoo-man, L'ren said. K'thar of Strong Arm seems very happy with his hyoo-man mate, and T'chai of Tall Horn…well. T'chai would likely be very happy with his female if his guts were not in danger of spilling out of him.
I see the others mingling, and I see the Tall Horn males racing after one of the females. Are they going to snatch them all before we can? Frowning, I push aside the bowl of food offered to me. I am hungry, but some things cannot wait.
I'rec grabs my arm. "And where do you go?"
"I saw the female that will be my mate," I tell him. "I must get to her before Tall Horn or Strong Arm do."
I'rec shakes his head. "You stay here. All of Shadow Cat needs this word stone they will put in our heads first. You can chase the female afterward."
"But—"
I'rec gives me a look that means I will lose this argument. "There are many females on this beach, A'tam. I feel the same excitement you do. But stop and think a moment. What will you do when you approach her? You cannot talk to her. Will you just grunt and beat your chest and hope she decides to fling herself into your furs?"
I consider this for a moment. "…yes?"
He rolls his eyes. "Stay here. You will get this word stone. We will all get the word stone before the other clans. And then we will talk to the females all we want."
His plan sounds like a good one. I reason that it must be, even if I am impatient. I wish to learn her name. I wish to know more about her, like why the hyoo-man skins are such odd colors and why their teats are so large. Maybe I'rec is wrong. Maybe she would fall into my furs and demand to be pleasured. From what we have been told by the one called M'dok, this beach is full of unmated females.
They will not be unmated for much longer. With this thought in my mind, I grab the food bowl offered to me after all and devour its contents.
When I finally get the word stone in my head—truly, it is no larger than the tiniest of fish scales—I rub behind my ear and look for the female. I race through the camp, but the one I seek is nowhere to be found. The scents of these people are layered over one another in a confusing mess; I cannot pick out just one. I certainly cannot pick out my mate's scent.
Several of the new tribe are yawning, and as I watch, one male banks the fire, tossing several large chunks of some sort of fuel onto it in a heap. In the distance, I can hear someone crying, and more hushed conversations. It is all so…noisy. Noisy, and full of scents. I compare this to the lonely quiet of the Shadow Cat cave, of long days where nothing could be heard but the cries of birds in the trees, or the buzz of a nearby yellow-fly. A Tall Horn male stalks past me with an angry glare, but I ignore him. More of the white, drifting fluff is falling from the skies, and the air grows colder than ever. I regret tossing aside the fur cloak I wore.
Actually, I do not regret it much, now that I think about it. The female enjoyed eyeing my cock. For that memory, I will shiver, just a little.
Tomorrow, then, I tell myself. Tomorrow I will seek out my mate and learn her name.
Someone drags our raft near one of the fires, and it is there I sleep for the first night. It is not the most comfortable of beds. I see no greenery in this place to make myself a leafy nest, so we must get more skins, and skins with the thick layer of fur on them will be best. I wake up and see O'jek by the small fire, alone. Judging from the scent trail, I’rec has gone to the main fire and converses with the leaders there. O'jek has not, but that does not surprise me. For all his sourness, O'jek has always been shy.
I give a bone-cracking yawn and get to my feet. The twin suns are about to rise, and the air is crisp but not quite so cold as last night. The white fluff rests atop the rocks and the mountains in the distance, but the shore is on the other side of me and it is unchanging, if a little icy. I can get used to this place, I decide. With a stretch, I scratch at my stomach, wondering how one hunts in this frozen land.
The moment I stand, O'jek tosses a length of leather at me. "Wear that."
I eye the leather, and the loincloth he wears. "Why?" Loin coverings are worn at times amongst my people, of course, but usually just when the biting flies are the worst, or in special hunting ceremonies. A silent hunter does not wear additional clothing, because if it catches on leaves or a branch, it can give away your location.
"I am told it is considered impolite to have your cock swing freely," O'jek says in a dry voice. "The hyoo-mans do not like bodies, it seems."
I think of how entirely covered the human females were, their bodies draped head to toe in thick furs. "A shame."
I put the loincloth on, tying it at my waist, and then head to the main fire, where many people have gathered. There is a strange mixture—I see two males with bright red skin, a pregnant female, and more of the tribe that calls themself sa-khui—the people of the khui. I do not see my bright-eyed female, though, and I pace around the fire, searching faces.
A pregnant female with a strange orange mane and a spotted face holds a bo
wl out to me. "Are you hungry?"
I pause, wondering if this is a trick. "Of course."
She gestures at the bowl. "Go on, take it."
My stomach growls. My mouth fills with saliva, but I do not reach for the delicious-smelling food. "I have not hunted for this meat."
Her expression turns to one of sympathy. "There is plenty of game in the mountains, and in the waters here. We all pitch in together and bring in enough food for the entire tribe. Now that you're part of the tribe, you get to eat, too." She takes a step forward and places the warm bowl in my hands. "When you have rested, I'm sure you and your people will contribute, too. Until then, we'll feed you gladly."
I sniff the bowl, raising it to my lips. It looks like a mixture of cooked seeds and meat in a thick, rich broth. Hesitant, I scoop some out with my claws and eat. It is unusual, but the taste is good. It is also hot enough to scald the tips of my fingers, but I do not care. I will eat it anyhow.
The female smiles and holds a thing with a rounded end out to me. "Spoon?"
I eye it, but it does not look all that tasty. In fact, it looks as if it is made of dried bone. Not wishing to offend when she has offered me food, I take it and gently bite on the end, wondering if I am supposed to get a flavor from this.