by Octavia Kore
There were fruit trees out here, but he’d taken the time to collect the ones Ky pointed out to him before seeing to Laurie and left his full bag back on the ship. Once he found his mate, he would ask her if these were safe to consume and offer to come back for them. Perhaps this would please his females.
The sound of distant voices caught his attention and he slowed his steps, grinning victoriously when he heard Ky. She was speaking to someone… a male. His lip pulled up into a snarl as he approached them, moving silently through the underbrush.
“What if I said you had inspired this hunt, that I came all the way out here for you?” The voice of a male drifted toward him, making his hackles rise.
“You know as well as I that every member of your hunting party can scent my impending heat, and it is obvious it was not triggered by you or any of those males lurking in the trees. Why not tell me what this is really about?”
A deep, rumbling laugh filled the air, and Xuvri struggled to stay hidden when what he actually wanted to do was rip the male’s spine out for the familiar way he spoke to Ky. The only thing that kept him in place was the desire to see his female’s reaction. Would she keep her distance, or would Ky need to be reminded of just who she belonged to?
The thought sent a thrill through him, and he moved even closer, catching sight of the other males in the distance she’d spoken of. They hadn’t spotted him yet. He was outnumbered, but Xuvri had faced worse odds before. He would relish the sensation of their warm lifeblood on his plates as he tore them apart.
The one closest to Ky, a male with colorful, shimmering plates and black eyes, reached out a hand to brush his fingers against her short slender xines.
I’ll kill this one first, Xuvri thought.
With a growl, Ky slapped the hand away. “Do not touch me, Trakseer. It will not end well.”
Xuvri’s chest swelled with pride and pure satisfaction at the uncertainty that played across the other male’s face. Trakseer was imperfect, unworthy to touch his female, to even speak to or look upon her. This male had to be proof that the village was nothing more than a dumping ground for the failed attempts at breeding. Surely he hadn’t been made on purpose?
“My apologies, Kythea. I meant no disrespect.” He held his hands up between them. “We were alerted to the presence of two females alone in the forest. I was simply concerned for your safety.”
A thin smile spread across her face, and she inclined her head. “Your concern is appreciated.”
No, it is not. Xuvri clenched his jaw as his tail curled up behind him, eager for a fight. This Trakseer did not deserve her smiles, her attention, or the honor of her presence. She belonged to him.
“Where is the other female we were told about?”
Ky’s body stiffened as the other males began to close in on them. Those among them with more Venium features seemed to lose control of their fushori at the mention of Esme, their long, pointed ears twitching. His human mate may fear him, hate him even, but Xuvri would pluck the eyes from their skulls before he’d let them anywhere near her and their offspring.
Mine. Kill them. Eliminate the threat.
“She is safe for now.” Ky’s tail whipped across the ground, scattering leaves and branches as she eyed those approaching them. “Perhaps we could speak privately?”
Trakseer raised his hand, halting the progress of the males behind him. “Enough,” he said. “Move back and give us a moment.”
Xuvri watched the others exchange curious glances before doing as they were told, turning their backs toward them. How many of these failures had been created in the lab and how could this have been done without the Kaia knowing? Maybe he did know. Xuvri shifted, peering around the other side of the tree as Ky stepped farther away.
“Something is bothering you,” Trakseer said. “What is it?”
“There have been many changes lately,” Ky said, her fingers trailing over the handle of the knife he’d given her. “And many more are coming. I am aware we have not always seen eye to eye, but I would ask a favor of you.”
The colorful male inclined his head. “I regret my part in your decision to leave, Kythea. You know that I will always be at your disposal.”
“I can feel the approach of my heat. I have no family here to aid me through it, to protect myself and my female during––”
Xuvri didn’t care what else she had to say. She had no family to aid her? No family to protect her?
Lies, the darkness hissed.
Chase.
Claim.
Breed.
The terror on Trakseer’s face when Xuvri stepped out from his hiding spot was nearly enough to bring a smile to his face, but the rage that thrummed through him won out.
Kill.
Eliminate him.
Ky spun around, her eyes going wide before narrowing dangerously on him.
“Xuvri––”
“You have no family?” he asked, prowling toward her. “You have no one to protect you, to protect Esme?”
“Who is this, Kythea?” Trakseer asked, moving forward as if he meant to come between them.
Ky stopped his progress with a raised hand, not bothering to take her gaze off of Xuvri. “If you had waited until I was finished––”
“I am your mate. I am your protector,” Xuvri hissed through clenched teeth. Ky frowned up at him when he grasped her chin, tilting her head back to watch the aqua light within her eyes swirl angrily. “You doubt me?”
“No.” His mate glanced over her shoulder before turning back to face him. “There are things about my heat that you do not know.” Ky’s hands pressed against his chest as he slid his arms around her waist to pull her closer.
“Then you will tell me the things I don’t know instead of sneaking off to enlist the help of some defective male.”
“Defective?” Trakseer bristled, his xines wriggling against his plates as his black eyes focused on the red glow beneath Ky’s hands. “You have mated an Offspring of Nem, a tainted one?”
The aqua lights of his mate’s fushori raced over her skin, and she pursed her lips as her tail curled around her leg. It was hard to focus on his anger and displeasure at the other male’s presence when one of his females was standing in front of him looking so tempting.
It would take such little effort to duck his head and capture those pouty lips, to pull her up against him and wrap those long legs of hers around his hips. His instincts were riding him, urging him to hunt, to chase her down and rut her. He would show these males who Ky belonged to.
There was something nagging at him, a gentle presence at the back of his mind that told him there wasn’t time for any of that right now. Esme, his little human mate, was back at the ship with their offspring. She needed to eat, needed the fruit and herbs they’d gathered so that her milk would come in and she could nurse Eina.
The sun reflected off of the defective male’s plating, causing streaks of multicolored light to dance over his female’s body and shimmer in her eyes when she turned to look at him. He should be the only male putting a sparkle in her eye. Ky opened her mouth to speak, but Xuvri cupped her chin, turning her face away from Trakseer. The red glow emanating from his fingers played over her face, and he grunted in approval.
Much better.
“Give me a moment, Xuvri,” Ky said, pulling her chin from his grasp before turning back to Trakseer.
Xuvri’s lip twitched, lifting to reveal his fangs. Once again, he reached out for her, using two fingers to gently turn her head. “No.”
This time, Ky growled at him, slapping his hand away from her face as her tail whipped around behind her. “Stop that!”
“Stop looking at him.”
“Excuse me?”
Xuvri leaned down to rub his lips against her cheek as he purred softly. “Stop looking at him. I am your male.”
“There was never any doubt about that,” she said, trailing the tips of her fingers over his chest. Something brushed against his mind, a warmth that tamped
down some of his agitation. Ky’s face softened as she reached up to touch his xines. “You and Esme are my mates, the only ones I will ever want. If we were back in the village, or even in the dome, I would have my whole family to protect me, to make sure I was safe during my transition. It is not just me, though. We have Esme and Eina to consider as well, and you are our only protector.”
Xuvri opened his mouth to interrupt and tell her he was plenty, but Ky pressed her fingers to his lips and shook her head.
“I know you are capable, that you will do whatever it takes to keep us from harm, but there are three of us and one of you. More males means that if we are attacked for some reason, you have others to defend you while you protect us.”
Did she doubt him because of what happened with Laurie? He’d told them too much, opened up and shared things he should have kept to himself, and now his females thought he needed help protecting them. If he let this happen, that meant there would be many males around his mates and his offspring, and that wasn’t an option right now.
“Males? No.” Xuvri shook his head and reached down, grasping her hips and lifting her up. She was all lean, compact muscle, as solid as any warrior he’d ever known, and he liked the way she fit against him.
He took several steps away from Trakseer before the sound of her growl made him pause. It was strange for him to see any female as a warrior, especially since the Grutex didn’t allow their few remaining ones to train. The way she glared at him made Xuvri feel like an offspring caught in a lie.
His grip on Ky loosened, and she slid down his body as he watched her, suddenly uncertain of what he should do. From the thinning of her lips, Xuvri knew she was displeased, and if that wasn’t enough of a sign, he could feel the frustration rolling off of her in waves. His attempts to intimidate her, to bend her to his will, only left him feeling… silly.
Xuvri shifted uncomfortably before running his hands up and down her back, doing his best to placate her, but it didn’t seem to do much good. It was obvious his mate wasn’t used to being challenged, and if she was, she was used to coming out on top. The moment her short, slender xines began to writhe against her cheeks, Xuvri knew he’d lost the battle of wills. Still, he wanted to maintain some semblance of control.
“I will allow one male to return with us.” When Ky’s frown deepened, Xuvri growled and lowered his head. “I am doing my best to compromise, Ky. One male.”
She stared at him for a moment, her eyes searching his face before she inclined her head. “Fine. I choose to bring Trakseer.”
“Not that one. Choose another.”
Ky huffed. “You are allowing me to bring back one male, and I have chosen Trakseer. This is not your decision.”
Like gleck it wasn’t. Xuvri spun around, examining the males in the distance as they stood with their backs toward them. Surely one of the weaker ones would be a better choice?
“What about the ugly one over there?” he asked, jerking his head toward one of the more Venium looking males. “Bring the short one.”
“Xuvri…” Ky warned. “Uger is a good hunter, but I would prefer to have someone with a little more experience. He is hardly more than a youngling himself.”
The male in question turned his head as if he’d heard their conversation. Trakseer stepped forward, his xines thrashing against his shoulders as he grimaced.
“As much fun as I am having listening to you insult my hunters, I think it is in our best interest to leave this place.”
Gleck the colorful male and his sensible words. As much as Xuvri wished he could strangle Trakseer, he was right. They didn’t have time to throw around insults when Esme and Eina were waiting.
“See,” Ky said with a grin as she tapped the tip of her claw on his chest. “Sensible and straightforward. A good male to have around.”
The gleam in her eyes told him his female was intentionally trying to provoke him. Xuvri growled as she stepped back, swinging the bag of fruit over her shoulder. When her transition passed, he was going to enjoy reminding Ky who she belonged to.
Chapter 12
Esme
The fear she felt the first time she got into the saddle was something Esme would never forget. She’d been terrified she would do something wrong, move in a way that would get her thrown off the horse or say something to spook the creature. It’d been a calm, older mare with sweet eyes and a gentle, steady gait and that fear had quickly dissipated.
Esme wished she could say the same about holding Eina, but every time she picked her little girl up, she felt that same impulse as she had that first day in the saddle. It upset her that something so amazing should make her feel that way, but as she looked down at Eina sound asleep in the middle of the bed, Esme wondered if this was normal. Surely all new parents felt this way? It had taken no time at all for this tiny little being to wrap herself around Esme’s heart, but right on the tail of that love came the crippling guilt.
What about her baby? Was she moving on too soon? How could she give love so freely to this baby when her own child was gone? There were times over the last day or so where she looked at Eina nursing or sleeping and wondered if this was what her child would have looked like. Would he or she have been more human like Eina, or more Grutex, like their donor?
Holding Eina, nursing and caring for her, it felt so right. She made Esme feel safe and whole for the first time in months, but somehow it also made her feel like the worst mother in the universe. Rationally, she knew this little girl, her daughter, didn’t and couldn’t ever replace her first baby, but some dark part of her whispered that this was wrong.
Esme shook her head as she reached down to lift Eina into her arms. Her suit fell away with a whispered command and she offered her breast to the baby, wincing when she latched awkwardly. Remembering the way Ky showed her after their shower, Esme gently corrected her, but the moment Eina realized there was no milk she let out a frustrated screech as her little xines thrashed against Esme’s chest. The fact that the only water she’d had to drink since running into the forest had come from the shower probably wasn’t helping.
A tear slid down Esme’s cheek as she tried to calm the hungry infant. “You aren’t a replacement,” she whispered. “You’re my little warrior, my rainbow.” She knew she wasn’t the only person to have ever lost a child, but anyone she’d known back on Earth who had gone through it didn’t talk about it. “I know I shouldn’t be so hard on myself, but no one here understands what it’s like.”
A smooth, slender tail wrapped around Esme’s wrist as she bounced Eina, and she shuddered. As odd as it sounded, there had been times over the last day or so when she’d forgotten just how alien the baby was, but Eina was hers, and that was all that mattered.
With a sigh, Esme moved around the room, gently bouncing her little bundle as Eina suckled. A smile tugged at her lips as the infant’s brows furrowed. “Wishing that milk would hurry up and come in, huh? Me too. I bet your mama will be back soon, and then we can try those herbs again.”
A knock on the bolted door made Esme jump, and she quickly detached Eina before placing her inside the makeshift crib. “Suit up,” she whispered, glancing around the room for anything she could use to defend them. Earlier, when Ky was searching for clothing, Esme had spotted a long metal bar going from one side of the closet to the other.
As quietly as she could, Esme slid the closet door open. Wrapping both of her hands around the cold metal, she tugged as hard as she could, using all of her weight as she gritted her teeth and yanked. Maybe it was the adrenaline coursing through her from the need to protect her only living child, or maybe the Grutex who built this ship were shitty craftsmen, but the bar gave way with a crack, sending her stumbling backward.
“It’s all right.” Esme reassured a crying Eina as she tiptoed closer to the door. Holding the bar like a bat, she leaned back against the wall. “Who is it?”
“It is me, Esme,” Ky answered.
Esme’s grip on the bar loosened, but she didn’t lower
it. While she liked Ky—really liked her—she was wary.
She’s an alien, and you shouldn’t trust them. Look what they’ve done to you.
But Ky hadn’t been anything but caring and understanding. She made Esme feel safe, and that kiss in the bathroom… it made Esme feel… wanted, desired.
You’ve forgotten, her mind chided. You’ve forgotten what they can take away from you. They are the enemy.
Esme shook her head, choosing to ignore that paranoid voice inside her head as she opened the door to the room just a sliver. Running lights of some kind had been turned on in the hallway, making it a little easier to see, but she knew that aqua glow came from Ky’s fushori.
“God, I thought you weren’t coming back for––” Esme’s words died on her tongue she saw the massive being standing behind the female. He was a Grutex, but he didn’t look like any that she’d ever met before. The male was shorter than Xuvri, with wide shoulders and black eyes that unsettled her straight down to her core. The opalescent sheen on his plating reminded her of the small patches on Eina’s body, but this rainbow demon somehow made it seem less beautiful and far more terrifying.
Ky opened her mouth to speak just as Esme slammed the door shut, swiping her hand down the inside of the frame and locking it. She should have known something like this was going to happen. She should have known she couldn’t trust any of them.
Stupid. She could hand you and your baby over to the Grutex. Maybe that was her plan all along and you spilled your guts to her.
“Esme?” Ky called out. “Open the door. Please.”
No. She wouldn’t let them take her. She wouldn’t go back to the lab—to him. She wouldn’t let Eina be experimented on and tortured in the same ways she’d been.
“I can’t…” she whispered, not at all sure why it felt like her heart was breaking. She didn’t know them, not really. It shouldn’t feel like this.
“Esme.” It was Xuvri this time. The rich timbre of his voice moved over her, sending a shiver down her spine. Not only had she allowed this male to touch her, she’d enjoyed it, and she would have let him continue if it hadn’t been for the memories his touch invoked. Just the sound of his voice made her feel flushed. “Open the door, little one.”