As long as he wasn’t extruding, everything was fine. Uncomfortable but still within the limits of the laws. While he preferred to remain separate from Argurumal, he didn’t wish to be hunted for violating any of the planetary laws. He knew with the link between his systems and his brethren that someone would notice if he extruded and went into the consequential mating heat.
His eyes drifted back over to Terri and he grimaced. He could admit that he was fascinated with the female. She had so much strength within her delicate, vulnerable body. It made him hunger for it.
He hadn’t been untruthful when he told her that many males would have courted her as a worthy mate if she’d been Argurma. Even as a human, she still wouldn’t suffer any lack of males vying for her attention, but it would have happened only after she’d received basic control implants and permission was granted from the mating registrar. They would insist on the implants to tie her to Argurumal, whereas mating would do nothing more than load her system with nanos, extending her life and linking it to that of her mate without interfering with her mind or autonomy. He could almost imagine the pleasure that would come with being tied to her… Though he saw what it did to his sire, a part of him drew toward her, seeking to bind to her with his vibrissae.
Terri looked over her shoulder at him and his body tensed, uncertain if she was going to approach and surround him in the overwhelming pull of her pheromones. She didn’t move; instead, she turned away and bared her teeth in a smile at Krono, who took it as permission to drape his massive frame over her lap while she bent down to smother him in affection. Veral felt his vibrissae lift away from him into the air as jealousy speared through him. He drew them back down with self-admonishment. He was acting absurd over the affection that the female was giving his dorashnal.
It was illogical for Veral to possess any sort of feeling toward the human female, or to even consider that she might set off his mating heat. He was on Earth for a limited time, and despite her fears, the female was capable of taking care of herself. She would relocate to a better area with his aid, as promised, and perhaps take a mate and attempt to breed a new generation of humans. It was the logical outcome… so why did he want to kill something so badly? Not just something. He lusted to destroy any male who would so much as even attempt to touch Terri.
Maybe he would even procure a dorashnal pup and have it delivered to her to give her company and added protection. He would protect her from the unwanted advances of males, even if he had to acknowledge that she would eventually find a mate. Until then, however, she would be safe. Even a pup was dangerous to most beings after it bonded. Given the way that Krono was acting like a lovesick pup over the female, he had no doubt that one would bond to her.
He could clearly read the dorashnal’s frustration as Krono rolled against her, his vibrissae tapping against her. He was instinctively trying to lure out her dorashnal that she would also have had if she’d been born Argurma. Such signaling could prompt a mating between dorashnals that could disastrously provoke the mating heat between a male and female Argurma if they weren’t careful. At least that was something Veral didn’t have to worry about with Terri, though Krono didn’t understand why a female wasn’t presenting herself to him for mating. Veral growled and looked away.
It was for the best.
With a growl, he pushed himself to his feet. He couldn’t stay still any longer. He would do a circuit to check his traps. Even though he could go several days without food, he knew that Terri couldn’t. In any case, he desired the distraction that it offered. “I will be back,” he rumbled. In a few short steps, he was at the door and pushing the barrier out of the way again. He could feel the female’s eyes on him, but she said nothing.
Veral stepped out into the hallway and immediately closed his inner eyelids as a gust of sand blew over him. He stood rooted in place, his mind still occupied with Terri. Her behavior had been strange since yesterday. Usually, the female filled the space around him with her voice, especially when they were at rest, but something had changed. Although he found it annoying at first, he hadn’t realized how accustomed he’d become to it until she lapsed into silence. He narrowed his eyes at the door. What had transpired while he was away? He hadn’t been gone long, only enough to escape the overwhelming pull of her pheromones, but when he returned, she’d refused to acknowledge him. Instead, she remained curled up with Krono while the wind howled outside.
Clicking his mandibles in irritation, he made his way into the exposed main room and stepped out into the street. Though the air around him bore a reddish-yellow tinge from the sand, he had little trouble seeing through the thin membrane of his inner eyelid. Even his nostrils sealed with a porous membrane. He was able to breathe adequately enough, and it kept the sand out, although it did so at the sacrifice of his sense of smell. He could always open his mandibles and mouth to taste the air if necessary, though it would result in a mouth full of sand which would be entirely unpleasant. As an extra precaution, he pulled up the folds of material at the neck of his armor until it covered his nose, mouth, and mandibles.
Standing in the center of the empty street, Veral’s eyes scanned the distance, his sensors kicking on to analyze everything before him. He increased the scope of his vision and smiled grimly. As Terri had said, there were no humans risking the sandstorm. Snapping his vibrissae, Veral headed down the street to the first of his traps, his feet taking him farther away from Terri once again. Just as when he’d left her before, his body tightened and protested. Every nerve screamed in agony, yet this time the sensation was more acute. So was the unease that filled him. Although he knew that she was safe in the dwelling while the sands blew, the greater the distance between them, the stronger his discomfort grew.
A roar of helpless rage ripped out of him as he threw his head back, protesting to the uncaring heavens of the universe. He did not want to believe it, but all signs pointed to the fact that he was bonding to the human female. He wanted to return to his ship and leave Earth with what little salvage he acquired. He even went as far as turning in the direction of his ship and heading in that direction, determined to seek out safety in space, far away from the dying planet.
He did not get far before his feet stopped, unwilling to go any farther than the edge of the city limits.
He peered at the shadowy form of the red rocks jutting into the sky in the distance. No matter how he willed it, his processors refused to respond, and his body remained rooted to the spot, unwilling to get any farther from Terri. The bond had already advanced beyond the point of no return. There was no way he could flee or sever it. All that remained was the final step. Once he extruded, he would be powerless to prevent his instinct from taking over to seed the female. At that point, the bond would be complete and the officials on Argurumal would be alerted to his deviance. He would have little choice but to take the human and move farther into uncharted space.
He shook his head, whipping his vibrissae with the force of his movement. It was a good thing that he was an independent salvager. His contracts would not be dependent on the favor of Argurumal. Given that his homeworld made no efforts to maintain alliances with other civilizations in the sectors, they would not be able to interfere with his operations. They would, however, send elite teams of Argurma hunters to capture him and his mate.
He would be dragging the female into danger. The thought did not appeal to him.
He debated if it would be kinder to kill her and spare her the future that would now lie ahead of them. He would suffer endlessly from her absence, but she wouldn’t suffer. Humans were small and fragile. He could hold her in his arms, and imprint to his databanks the final memories he’d have of her before snapping her neck effortlessly with one hand. He could do it before the bond became any stronger.
Even as he envisioned it, Veral knew he would be incapable of carrying it out, even to spare her. He groaned and sat on a rock as he stared out into the swirling sands. His decision came to him quickly. He would resist the call of he
r pheromones and his instincts for as long as he could to give them more time to collect what they needed. A full cargo would get them a lot further. There was a repository just within Federation space where he could deposit the goods to be collected. From there, it would just be a matter of waiting for the credits to appear. He would continue to weave back and forth over the border, exploring new worlds to salvage and returning to resupply. If they were fortunate, they would be able to stay out of the grip of the Argurumal council for many revolutions, if not most of their long lives.
He found the idea of spending hundreds of revolutions with Terri more appealing than he would have anticipated. He chuffed and shook his head again. He wouldn’t have hundreds of revolutions if he did not keep her fed. Veral headed back into the city, tracking the coordinates for the nearest of his traps.
To his frustration, the first trap was empty, as were the second and third. The fourth trap had a long legless creature that coiled up at his approach, its black tongue flicking out at him as the end of its tail shook sending up a sound not unlike his vibrissae. He recognized the warning and bared his teeth at it. With one swift motion, he drew out his taka blade, the same which had gained him the trophy for Terri, and pierced the top of the creature’s skull, splitting its head from its body within the span of half a breath. Yanking his blade free from where it was buried in the earth beneath the creature, he sent the electrical charge over it, cleansing the length of it while he snatched up the creature with the other hand. He ruffled his vibrissae while giving the creature’s head a passing glance.
It had not been a great enough foe to keep as a trophy. He wondered if the planet had any beasts yet that might present a suitable challenge. He made quick work of stripping the internal organs from the creature. As he dropped it into a dark, expandable sack on his belt, he acknowledged that it was perhaps foolish to wish for such a thing. There was enough distraction from his work, with the Reapers being an unpleasant nuisance and a mate bonding lighting his blood on fire. A hunt challenge would be best pursued later when he could afford the indulgence. He would look forward to that day. It had been some time since he enjoyed a hunt. Idly, he wondered if he shouldn’t just hunt the Reapers and take his pleasure.
No. His work required his attention first.
Nothing would prevent him from taking his pleasure reaping them, the same way they threaten to do among their own kind, after his tasks were satisfied.
He bared his teeth once more as he navigated among the buildings, locking on to the coordinates of the domicile where he left Terri. As he returned to his camp, he found that his spirits were surprisingly high as he drew near. He suspected that it was largely the release of chemicals into his blood and brain at the instinctual satisfaction of nearing his bonded female once more. His body, which had been stressed the entire time they were apart, was reacting in a way that he at least understood.
Terri glanced up at him from her spot, her brows jerking up. Tilting her head to the side she regarded him curiously. “You seem happy,” she observed.
He bared his teeth triumphantly as he produced the legless earth-slider from the bag at his side. “One of the traps yielded a positive result. I shall feed you now.”
“I can’t say I’ve ever eaten snake before,” she admitted with a tiny twist of her lips.
He glanced down at it uncertainly. “My scans indicate that the meat is safe to eat. Do you find it objectionable?”
She shook her head, her smile growing. “No, I’ve just never met anyone who would hunt a large rattlesnake like that. They’re aggressive and fast.”
Veral snorted, his vibrissae shaking in amusement. “And I am not?”
A laugh trilled out of her and her eyes sparkled with humor. “Good point,” she acknowledged. “All right, let’s skewer the sucker. I’m starving.”
He paused, his head snapping to her with concern. “You are starving. You did not say that your condition was so deplorable. I would have fed you earlier.”
Terri stared at him for a heartbeat and then laughed once more. “No. No. I’m sorry. It’s an expression. An exaggeration. I’m just really hungry and looking forward to eating.”
Slowly, his lips curved in understanding, and he bent down to retrieve the elongated emergency pin from his supplies that had served in cooking their meat over the open fire. It threaded through the creature—the snake, she called it—and he set it over the flames. As it cooked, a melody drifted through his mind in his mother’s voice. He leaned forward, trilling and humming the tune as he carefully watched and rotated the meat, all too aware of his female’s eyes on him.
His female. Veral’s vibrissae puffed up in pleasure. Somehow, he already liked the sound of it.
12
Although she tried to put distance between herself and Veral, Terri found it difficult and gave up on it completely after he returned with dinner. She knew that he didn’t need to eat as often as she did, for he had been surprised by her admission of just how often she required sustenance the first day they were together. That he went out into the sandstorm to provide for her was sweet, and the wall she’d erected between them crumbled all too easily.
So much for any sense of self-preservation.
Terri watched him curiously as she ate. Unlike a human, Veral seemed to not be disturbed at all or even really notice the distance. She bit back a smile and stuffed more food into her mouth. He probably considered it another human eccentricity that was tolerable regardless of whether or not it was considered rude in his culture. She couldn’t help but stare. He was crouched beside her, close enough that she could reach out and touch the bunched muscles of his thigh.
It was a far cry from his earlier behavior. In fact, he was carefully stripping meat and handing her one bite-sized morsel at a time. He ate as well, but he was so attentive to her needs that she wondered what provoked the shift in his disposition toward her when earlier he was making every effort to stay as far away from her as possible.
“All right, what gives?” she asked abruptly and then winced at her lack of tact. He was being nice to her and she was accusing him of an ulterior motive.
One horned brow lifted. “Gives what?”
Terri huffed. “I mean—I’ve noticed you’ve been trying to stay as far away from me as possible, like I had a disease you were concerned over catching. So why are you being nice to me and coming near me again?”
He tilted his head. “Is this the reason you were silent and not speaking ceaselessly in your normal habit?”
She flushed at the observation. She knew she had what her father laughingly called verbal diarrhea, without even the grace of a mental filter to save anyone in her company from hearing anything at all that sprang to her mind. Maybe she had chattered too much at the alien over the days if he found her silence that unusual.
“I didn’t think there was anything worth saying if you didn’t want to be around me. I was trying to be considerate,” she muttered.
His arctic and silver eyes narrowed on her. “You were insulted and reacting with anger,” he corrected. She felt her face getting hotter but shrugged in a manner that she hoped appeared to be nonchalant. Veral chuffed knowingly, adding to her humiliation. Terri thought of moving away from him when a thick arm banded in front of her, stopping all movement as he held her in place. He leaned in against her, his head lowered, and Veral’s blunt, broad nose trailed along her jaw in a manner that made her belly clench with desire at the hot fan of breath over her skin. He nuzzled her as his lips dropped down to her ear.
“I was trying to escape you,” he hissed softly in her ear. “Your presence is overwhelming to my systems. The delectable scent of your pheromones, your inquisitiveness, your spirit, even the sound of your voice…” he whispered and brushed his nose against the rim of her ear. A shiver ran down her spine. “I thought to escape you, but there is no escape. I couldn’t even leave the city before my processors refused to cooperate. My systems will not allow me to part from you now. You have awakened s
omething in me that should have been left to sleep, little human, and now you will have to suffer the consequences.”
“What consequences?” she rasped. She was proud of herself for getting the words out. Her tongue wasn’t following directions and her entire body tingled with awareness. She tried to keep from panting and prayed that he didn’t notice the way moisture was slipping out from between her thighs on the wave of arousal crashing over her.
Veral drew away, his thick lips nipping at her ear with only the slightest sting of his teeth. The feeling shot straight down to her clit and her hips jerked in reaction. One large hand pressed on her pelvis, capturing her and dragging her against his body as he held her still. “Not yet,” he growled huskily, his voice low and intimate. He nuzzled the nape of her neck and a breath panted out of him.
“Your smell…” He groaned. “It has changed. My oath, it is beyond anything I’ve experienced. My systems crave and seek it.”
Her breath came out in ragged pants. “You’re smelling my arousal. It’s my body’s response to everything you are doing to me. It is… a natural reaction.”
Veral surged to his feet, dropping Terri so quickly that she fell backward. Brushing her hair out of her face, she watched him in confusion while he growled and paced. The whips around his head twitched wildly, rattling impotently as he walked the length of the room repeatedly back and forth. With considerable effort, she reined in her desire as she looked up at him with concern.
“Are you okay? Your whips are going wild there,” she said quietly.
He shot her a confused look. “Whips?”
“Yeah, you know—hanging from your head,” she motioned with her hands over her hair in a demonstration. He peered at her with amusement and chuffed, his anxiety forgotten, which cheered her considerably, as the long, thin appendages lifted from around his shoulders.
Broken Earth Page 10