Honeymoon for the Alpha Read online

  “Uh huh.” Jill took the co-pilot’s chair as he quickly ran through the pre-flight checks, which she admitted to herself he did in an exemplary manner, and then took off. Checking the readouts, she whistled. “Wow, this ship really moves.”

  “Does acrobatics too.” Without warning Aydarr took the small flyer into a screaming dive and then looped it before following a straight line course to the north.

  Amused, Jill laughed out loud. “Our pilots will be fighting with each other to get access to this hot rocket.”

  “If I decide to share.” Obviously pleased with himself, Aydarr flew onward, making a number of course adjustments as he followed the deceptive path designed to fool any Khagrish scanners which might be trained on the sky. Eventually he banked easily to the east and flew low above the terrain.

  “Are we going where I think we’re headed?” Jill asked, eyeing the surroundings as the flyer made its mad dash. “What’s left of the original lab? Why?”

  “You’ll see.” He gave her a look of appeal, eyes glowing slightly. “I’ll explain when we get there.”

  Aydarr overflew the ruins of the lab where he and his kind had been created, held captive and tortured until Jill ‘s arrival and her subsequent escape. Jill eventually managed to free all of them in a manner which seemed nothing short of miraculous even now. The Khagrish wouldn’t underestimate another human woman after Jill’s feats. Of course her background in the Sectors Special Forces had made her a force to be reckoned with.

  He landed in a forested area on the other side of the ruins and shut off the engines. Rising from the pilot’s chair, he held out his hand. “Up for an adventure?”

  “Absolutely.” Without any hesitation she took his hand and they walked through the tiny cabin, past MARL. A pair of personal backpacks and a larger one for gear sat on the rearmost seats and Aydarr paused to hand her one of the small sacks. “A few useful items.”

  Both of them were armed since no member of the packs went anywhere outside the valley without weapons, so she wondered what was in the packs. Her mate turned to MARL, floating behind them, his surface now a dark purple with swatches of yellow.

  Grumpy colors, Jill thought.

  “As agreed?” Aydarr said to the AI.

  “I will remain here, in relatively close proximity to my Authority, Jill. I will shield the flyer from surveillance. You will observe the time limits. You will call me promptly if trouble arises. I’ll locate you if I detect a problem.”

  Aydarr raised one hand, talons showing ever so slightly. “A major problem, an urgent problem. Nothing minor.”

  Fascinated by this exchange between her mate and her alien sidekick, Jill stifled a chuckle.

  MARL’s surface took on a dull red hue, with one spot of turquoise and a sprinkle of yellow. “Agreed.”

  Aydarr didn’t hesitate but opened the rear hatch and drew Jill outside. As she left the ramp, she turned her head to find the flyer had already disappeared from sight.

  A fluttery feeling in her stomach and a touch of giddiness in her head, Jill gave her mate a sidelong glance. “How did you persuade MARL to agree to any of this? And are you planning to explain what exactly we’re here for?”

  Her mate scanned the sky and then pivoted, taking a few steps toward the deeper woods. “I’ll explain it all as we go.”

  Don’t ruin the man’s fun. Adjusting her pack, she shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

  It was a beautiful day and as she hiked, Jill enjoyed being out of the valley, not having MARL floating behind or beside her, and just being with Aydarr. “I don’t think we ever had a day like this,” she said munching on sun-warmed berries he picked for her. “Not once. Even when you first found me, I was injured and we had the pack with us.”

  “And we were being summoned by the Khagrish to report to the lab for the next set of tests.” Aydarr rubbed his bare wrist where the neurocontroller bracelet had been implanted for most of his life.

  Slowly Jill turned in a circle, staring at their surroundings. “This is the old Preserve? I thought the area seemed familiar. Of course it was raining the day I woke up here.”

  He nodded, pulling her gently onward. “I want to show you something on the next hilltop. Then I’ll explain.”

  “As long as you don’t want to revisit the vermore den for old time’s sake.” She crossed her arms in a flash of stubborn amusement and laughed. “I’ve no desire to meet up with those slimy predators again.”

  “I wouldn’t risk you so,” he said with a serious face before his eyes twinkled and he grinned. “We have the special memory and the shared experience, which is quite enough.”

  “Exactly.” She poked him in the ribs as they both broke up laughing.

  At the top of the hill the view was magnificent, forest as far as the eye could see. Hand over her eyes, Jill saw the glitter of water in the distance and figured there must be a river. Aydarr took her backpack and set it aside before drawing her into his arms. “This was the limit of the Preserve. The force barrier ran right along here, just below the summit. Since I was a boy, I always wondered what lay beyond the fence, what might be over the next hill.”

  She studied his face, noting the tired lines bracketing his eyes. Being the supreme Alpha brought so many cares and such weight onto Aydarr’s shoulders. He was strong enough for the task and he’d never be able to step away from being who he was—his power and his obligations as Alpha were imbued in his DNA as a Badari—but Jill could see the toll it was taking. Arms around his waist, she rose on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “I vote we go find out.”

  Throwing his head back with a laugh, Aydarr said, “I hoped that would be your answer, mate.”

  “Are we taking a break here? Are we on vacation? Running away from home? Does Mateer know we’re out here?” she asked.

  Hugging her tight, the Alpha said, “We are on our honeymoon. Yes, my enforcer and the other Alphas are aware and on notice no one is to disturb us without a damn good reason. I’ve even closed the telepathic link to the other Badari for the duration of our trip so no one bothers us. I’m going to have a few peaceful days to savor my mate and the miracle of our claiming each other, as we never got to do at the time.”

  Now it was Jill who was amused. “Honeymoon? I didn’t think that was exactly a Badari concept.”

  “When Landon went through the human marriage ceremony with Mandy, I learned quite a bit from Nicolle,” he said, naming their mutual executive assistant. “I’d heard the term but really didn’t understand what it symbolized.”

  Tilting her head, surprised at the direction the conversation was taking, she asked, “And what did she tell you?”

  “The first month of a marriage was meant to be sweet and carefree, with the only concern for both partners being each other and their mate bond. The concept was tied to the original Moon on your ancestral home planet, which would be seen as full for a certain amount of time and then wane until there was no moon. So a couple had to seize their happiest time and make full use of it to prevent the moon of their love from waning.”

  Jill wasn’t sure he had the concepts exactly right and certainly humans had no physical and mental mate bond, which the Badari did, but she was touched he’d been thinking about it. “That’s nearly poetical coming from you.”

  He turned to stare at her, brow furrowed. “Do you not know your love is the most important thing in the world to me? You and I may be the strength of the pack but you are the foundation of my power now. I may have all the aspects of an Alpha which the Great Mother grants a few individuals, including the ability to dominate and defeat any other Badari, but my soul—who I am as a man aside from being the Badari Alpha—is all wound up in what you mean to me and how we are together.”

  Now she was speechless and had unaccustomed tears in her eyes. For sure they’d never had a conversation as deep as this one was proving to be. Blinking hard, she stepped to his side and leaned into his hug. “I feel the same. Our bond should tell you even if I don’t say the words o
ften enough.” She gestured at herself. “Soldier here, not overly big on words and flowery speeches. I tend to show my emotions through action.” Blushing, she added, “And in bed.”

  Aydarr held her close. “We’re the same in this as well. But I was concerned we lack specific time just for us, not once since the day we first met. Snatched hours here and there and nights in between days and days of responsibility and serving the good of others. It’s my lot in life as Alpha and yours as Alpha’s mate but we mustn’t lose each other in the whirlwind of demands.”

  “Yeah,” she said, “First there was the whole imprisoned-by-the-Khagrish thing and then the fight to escape, followed immediately by starting life in sanctuary valley and waging war. But we make time for each other.” Tapping her chest over her heart, she added, “We’ve grown our bond, strengthened it. I couldn’t love you more if we spent a frickin’ year out here by ourselves in the wilderness.”

  “I know and I’m grateful.” Aydarr gazed across the valley in front of them, stroking his hand through her hair in a gesture she enjoyed. If she was a Badari, she’d purr under his skillful massage. The intimacy and his pleasure in touching her hair was worth allowing her previously short hair to grow out a bit longer. He continued, tone deeply reflective. “The Great Mother has blessed us. And even to my best warriors I can only give a week for their private celebration after claiming. But I want you to have the best of everything from me and I knew no other way to give you time for just us. A honeymoon to remember so we can call upon the memories from these days if needed.”

  Impressed by his commitment to their bond, she rushed to express her agreement. “This is a wonderful idea and I’m fully on board. Do we have an itinerary, other than seeing what’s ahead of us beyond this hilltop? I do like the symbolism by the way.”

  “I have a plan,” he said, nodding and with a twinkle in his amber eyes. “May I keep it a secret?”

  “You’ve obviously given this a lot of thought,” she said. “Sure, I like a fun secret as much as the next woman. I’m sure I’ll get it out of you soon enough.”

  They kissed long and hard and then retrieved their backpacks to descend the steep slope and explore new territory. As she hiked, Jill asked, “Was everyone all right with this? The Badari, I mean? The other Alphas? Not that you asked for permission but just the idea of both of us being gone—”

  “What I said to Mateer and Timtur and the other Alphas was part of what I expressed to you. We need private time to keep our bond strong and vibrant and we do it for ourselves but also for the pack.” He flashed his fangs in a big smile. “No one demurred. Daegan did say he’d want to take Flo on a similar trip, in the future, but to the South Seas.”

  Trust him to negotiate. Stifling her instinctive laugh, she asked, “Are you going to lend him the red striped flyer?”

  Aydarr shot her a sidewise glance and grinned. “Maybe. If he asks nicely.”

  “So how did you get MARL to agree to stay with the flyer?”

  “I put it to him this trip by ourselves was a necessary exercise to maintain our bond.” Her mate gestured to her and then to himself. “He recognizes we’re both essential to fight and win this war. He grudgingly accepts the fact I’m necessary to you. MARL sees the world in terms of what you need, you know.”

  Laughing, Jill thumped his shoulder. “You’re totally necessary. I bet you don’t get told very often that you’re secondary to anyone.”

  With haughty dignity and a wink to undercut his stern tone, Aydarr, said, “In this case, I take no offense. So MARL agreed, with the conditions he cited as we left the flyer.” Offering her his hand, he steadied her descent down a particularly treacherous incline with much loose gravel.

  “You know, I asked him once who he’d accept as an authority if I weren’t here and if there weren’t any children of mine, because there’s no doubt he’ll outlive me,” Jill said as Aydarr broke into an easy jog now the terrain was more accommodating and effortlessly she stayed with him. Of course as a Badari he could run much faster than any human, even the fastest, but the whole purpose of this day was to be companionable. Stretching her legs and running was sheer delight. “Guess what he said?”

  “I can’t imagine, since he’s an alien over 10,000 years old. Maybe he’d go back into his original cave and put himself on standby again?” Aydarr sounded hopeful with his guess. He and MARL often didn’t agree on priorities.

  “Good guess—I hadn’t thought of that one myself but no. He actually pondered for a while, longer than he usually thinks about anything and then he said Yonn.”

  Her mate didn’t seem to be surprised by the choice. “Did he give any reasons?”

  Idly scratching her cheek, she shrugged. “Not really.”

  “I think Yonn will be an exemplary Alpha when he’s older. The power he carries even now as a child speaks to his potential. Jamokan doesn’t have what it takes to do what I do as commander of the entire effort against the Khagrish and running the valley. He knows it, I know it and we’re both fine with that. Keshara, as she herself admits, is not alpha-born. Daegan could step into my shoes and probably would if something happened to me but he’d have a lot of challenges, not having lived through the same Khagrish experience we did and not understanding the humans as well. But he’s who I’d see as my replacement in the short term.” Brow furrowed, Aydarr flicked a glance in her direction. “I hope you’re not upset I haven’t mentioned you taking over. You’re more than qualified but—”

  “But I’m like Keshara, not an alpha-born.” Jill was totally at peace with the realities of the situation. “First of all, I love having time to really talk about topics like this instead of what combat sortie we’re running next, do we have enough ammo in Stores and what crop should we be planting when the rains come. When we get back from this honeymoon, we need to make sure we take time to just sit and talk, hard as it is in the daily press of everything we need to do.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Second, I’d assume if you weren’t available to lead the packs, I’d be gone too.” To her it only made sense but she could tell by his reaction the idea bothered him.

  He made an instant protest and she came to a halt. Hands on her hips, breathing hard, she said, “I don’t think either of us wants to survive the other. I don’t think we could—our mate bond is wound so tight into our hearts.”

  Aydarr reached out to stroke her cheek in a tender gesture. “True.”

  Counting off her points on her fingers, she shook her head. “And third, this whole Alpha business is so deep in the Badari DNA, I couldn’t give the pack what it needs if I tried to be the leader in your place.”

  “You’re strong willed enough,” he said. “Smart, tough, a canny fighter and strategist.”

  “Aww, you’re going to give me a big head with all these compliments.” Jill did careful stretching so as not to get leg cramps while she took this break. “But we both know I don’t carry Badari in my DNA and there’s clearly a biological component to all of this, for your people.”

  “Well then, we’d better just make sure to survive for many years to come.” He chuckled and they continued through the forest.

  “What about Ronan?” she asked, naming the only surviving Generation Nine alpha-born.

  Aydarr frowned as he held a branch aside for her to pass through a grove of trees. “He’s strong but I don’t see him running the entire operation as I do. Maybe the arrival of Daegan casts him into the shade. It may be the succession goes from me directly to Yonn.”

  “Hey, we could have children at some point. One of them might be an alpha-born, even if they would be half human.” She swallowed hard, arriving at the decision to make a commitment she’d been debating about for months. “Speaking of which, I want us to go ahead with the blood transfusion when we get back.”

  Aydarr stopped dead in his tracks. “Really? That’s a thing I’ve desired for some time now. I want to be able to talk to you mind to mind, over distances, as other Badari mates who’ve
been transfused can do.”

  “I know and now I’m ready to agree. I’ve seen how valuable the skill is and it’s silly of me to hold back just because I don’t like medical procedures.” The whole thing terrified her actually because a few humans had worse reactions than others while their bodies learned to cope with the Badari cells but the telepathy was a tactical advantage she and Aydarr needed to have. Forcing a grin, she said, “I mean, it’ll be my own sister doing the transfusion. Gotta trust Megan.”

  “You’re entitled to a few human foibles,” Aydarr said sympathetically. “And after the transfusion we can take the necessary precautions not to have a child until the time is right.”

  Glad she’d told him the news she was willing to grant one of his most fervent wishes and take the blood transfusion, Jill heaved a sigh of relief. “Ok then, that’s settled. Do we have a plan for the rest of this day?”

  “I’ve been tracking a herd of faleker by scent for the last hour.” He mentioned the pronged horn antelope-like creatures the Badari preferred to hunt. “I plan to serve my mate juicy steaks for dinner. First we should find a campsite, by the body of water we saw in the distance from the hilltop and then I’ll go hunt.”

  “While I tend the fire?” Jill grimaced, not being one to sit idly while someone else was busy with necessary tasks. “I can hunt with you.”

  “I’d like to do this alone today—I have this drive to prove myself to you as a good provider.” His tone indicated he was only half joking.

  “Oh, I see, and then undoubtedly once I’m full of prime antelope steak, I’ll reward you suitably in bed later.” She laughed and poked him in the ribs. “I thought I made it clear in those first few days together before we were mated that I can take care of myself.”

  “You did. I have no doubts.” His reassurance was prompt.

  “But just this once I’ll let you play the mighty ancestral warrior. I might go for a swim or go fishing or just relax and do nothing.” Jill frowned. “Although twiddling my thumbs isn’t my nature. Downtime drives me crazy.” Then she felt bad and rushed to add, “But this trip doesn’t count—we’re together and we’re hiking and talking—”