Honeymoon for the Alpha Read online

  “And we’ll do other things tonight in the moonlight,” he said with a wink. “I can also smell the water, not too far away now.”

  Soon they came out of the forest to find a small lake, with a miniature waterfall at one end and a river flowing to the south. After hiking along the shore for a bit, Aydarr located a secluded spot he declared to be a perfect campsite.

  “You get going on your hunt and I’ll set up the camp and build the fire,” she said, giving him a gentle push. “I think all this walking has made me hungry.”

  “If you’re sure?” He looked like an eager boy, excited about exercising the skills the predator DNA in his makeup gave him. His talons deployed.

  Jill kissed him and took his backpack and the gear bag with her into the shade of the trees he’d selected. Aydarr waved and headed off into the underbrush. She unfolded the self-establishing shelter, arranged their few amenities inside and the expandable sleeping mat he’d brought. Adding a bit of camouflage to the top of the tent, she was satisfied their campsite was well enough hidden under the canopy of the trees. Next Jill gathered wood for the fire and got a cheery blaze going. The weather was mild although a few clouds on the horizon made her frown.

  Mocking herself for being unable to simply sit and enjoy the break from daily life and duty, Jill decided to explore the area on her own and see if there was a suitable place to shelter if a storm blew up. This planet was known for the frightening intensity of its weather. She had an excellent sense of direction and if Aydarr came back sooner than expected he could track her as easily as he did the herd of faleker. She banked the fire to be safe and set out.

  The lake was tiny compared to the one in Sanctuary Valley. She supposed there were fish but had no real desire to catch any today. Jill got tired of all the fish on the menu at home, no matter how many different ways the chef prepared it. Grateful for the supply of protein, bored with the oily taste. Flocks of gaily colored birds swarmed the lake, diving for fish. Aydarr might want to try for a few of the plump fowl the next day. A nice juicy roasted bird sounded delicious. How good are Badari at catching prey on the wing? It’d be fun to find out. Aydarr’s predator DNA was feline so she was sure he wouldn’t be able to resist the challenge if she posed it to him. He’d take the suggestion in the right way too, not be offended because he absolutely owned the part of him that was the ferocious beast’s nature and used the attributes to his advantage.

  Her attention was caught by a bed of reeds just offshore, in the shallow portion of the lake. Stopping to wade in and harvest the starchy tubers, Jill was pleased with her discovery because she relished the inherent sweetness of the vegetable. Matanna could be cooked in the coals of the fire. Proud of herself for adding to the dinner menu, she turned to leave the patch of reeds to go back to the campsite and prepare her haul for cooking.

  As she walked out of the lake, she felt her boots sinking into the soil at the bottom of the shallows and making progress toward shore became more and more difficult. Seriously alarmed, she took a moment to toss her backpack well onto the bank and concentrated on her forward movement. Changing strategy, she tried stepping backwards but the suction grabbed at her foot and she wobbled. Taking a deep breath, she stabilized her balance and realized the muck was sucking her downward as she stood still.

  Horrified, she reminded herself of survival classes in the military years ago. The instructor had sworn a person couldn’t actually sink far enough into quicksand to suffocate because humans were lighter weight than the sand but in this case, if she got pulled below the surface of the water above the unstable soil, the situation could be dire.

  This would be a great time to have that telepathic link. She hoped Aydarr would sense her distress through the mate bond. Which would be good because I might need help here. Taking herself to task, she scanned her immediate vicinity, seeking anything useful. With a shudder she peered more closely at a nearby stack of what she’d assumed was driftwood, branches drifted together on the lake shore and was horrified to grasp that the sticks were actually bleached bones, picked clean. She was up to her knees in the quicksand now and although her boots remained sealed so none of the water got in, there was an odd sensation around her feet. Her legs prickled and tingled as if the mud was dissolving the fabric of her utility pants.

  “Seven hells, this isn’t just mud—it’s something alive, trying to eat me.” Swearing, she lurched as the sand or whatever held her yanked her down to midthigh, the suction increasing against her body almost enough to be painful.

  Keeping her arms above the surface of the water, she made a futile attempt to raise even one leg from the substance holding her fast. Think fast , Garrison, or Aydarr will come back to find his bride disappeared on her honeymoon. Carefully she reached for her pulse gun. Breathing a prayer to the Lords of Space and taking a deep breath, she aimed into the water next to her foot and pressed the trigger for a short burst. The lakebed heaved underneath her and she nearly fell, which would have been a disaster. Jill fired into the water three more times, around herself in a circle and made another attempt to step forward. This time she was able to get her feet free and took a few steps before she was caught fast again. Fortunately the gun held a generous charge and she fired three more times. “I wish I knew where you had a vital organ, swamp monster,” she said through clenched teeth as the sand-like substance moved unpredictably and clasped her left leg nearly to the top of her thigh. Firing steadily into the water, keeping her balance only with the utmost concentration, she got to the shore, falling to her knees briefly as she left the water because her muscles were cramping and exhausted from all the unusual pulling against the quicksand.

  Gritting her teeth against the pain, she staggered to her feet, fired a parting shot into the water with an oath and crossed the reassuringly solid ground to the spot where she’d thrown the backpack. Taking a look at her boots and utility pants, she swore and plopped onto her butt to start ripping them off.

  There was a shout from the edge of the forest and Aydarr came running up. “What is it? What’s wrong? Were you bitten by a predator in the water?” He fell to his knees next to her and began working on the other boot.

  “There’s something in the water, like quicksand but alive,” she said, inspecting her boot briefly while holding it in two fingers. The synth surface was pitted and an unappetizing pinkish green substance oozed from the sole to the ground. “Tried to suck me under and eat me.”

  Aydarr wasted no more time but used his lethal talons to shred her pants and get them off her body. The normally resistant fabric was full of tiny holes and stained by the ooze. He balled the pants up, careful not to touch the wet parts any more than necessary and threw it into the lake.

  Jill lay on the mossy bank, one arm shielding her eyes, trying to calm her pulse and slow her breathing. Aydarr’s presence was reassuring. “Can we clean the boots, do you think? I didn’t bring any other footwear.”

  “You rest here. I’ll go down the shore a ways and see if I can do anything about the boots. But first, let me examine your legs, make sure the substance didn’t get onto your skin.” He peered closely at her legs, front and back, brushing his hand over the skin. “A few faint red marks but overall you’re fine.”

  Jill rubbed her calf and grimaced. “Cramped up pretty badly. I feel like I just spent three hours in the heavy gravity trainer. The water must have diluted the gunk, lucky for me. Test the surface underwater first if you plan to step into the lake.”

  “Will do. “ Gesturing at the boots he held, Aydarr said, “There’s a slight scent to this, probably too faint for your human nose, so I should be able to tell if there’s another quicksand creature, now I’ve been alerted to it.”

  “Good. We’ll have to have patrols check the entire perimeter of the lake in the valley,” she said, reclining once more and studying the sky. “I only escaped because I shot it.” Patting her pulse gun, she drew a shaky breath. “I don’t think I did much damage, truthfully, but at least I was able to move.”


  She rested until he returned a few minutes later.

  “I rinsed these off thoroughly, inside and out so I think you’ll be fine. The synth lining has dried already and the scent is gone.” Aydarr, squatted beside her. “Can you stand?”

  Reaching for the boots, Jill put them on. “Yeah, with a little help. I think it’d be better for me to walk and stretch out these cramps.”

  Her mate pulled her to her feet and then retrieved the backpack, moving to her side to put his arm around her as they headed toward the campsite. “Do you want to relocate?”

  Surprised, Jill glanced at him. “No, I’m fine. The view of the lake is pretty and we’re shielded from the sky, so if a Khagrish did happen to fly over, we wouldn’t be visible. The breeze is dissipating the campfire’s smoke nicely, or was before I damped it. And I don’t think I’ll have nightmares of a quicksand creature leaving the lake to come after me.” She laughed. ”Sounds like a bad trideo plot, doesn’t it?”

  “I might have nightmares,” he said with a wry grin. “All these years on this damn planet and I had no idea.”

  “Count yourself lucky,” she said. “What brought you back and where’s dinner? I was getting hungry for those steaks you promised.”

  He rubbed his hand over his chest. “The mate bond. It was as if you’d reached out and twanged it hard. I set the steaks in a safe place, high in a tree and ran, praying to the Great Mother I’d be in time. I should have known you’d get yourself out of the trouble, my resourceful mate.”

  “Probably took me longer than it should have to comprehend how much danger I was in and then to think of using the gun. All’s well that ends well.” She survived, now they were aware of a previously unknown hazard and to Jill’s pragmatic way of thinking the incident was a closed book.

  “I do like your current state of undress,” he said with a wink, rubbing his hand low on her back. “Tee shirt and lingerie looks good on you, although the boots are an odd note.”

  Giving him a playful shove, she said, “You like me in anything or nothing, admit it. Although I think the pink nightie I was kidnapped from the colony in was your favorite.”

  Aydarr made a noncommittal sound as they arrived at the campsite. He waited while she got herself a fresh pair of pants from the backpack and changed her tee shirt, before leaving to retrieve the faleker steaks from the spot where he’d stashed them in his hurry to find Jill and discover what danger was making the mate bond agitated. She sat leaning against a tree and got the matannas ready, pushing the tubers into the glowing coals of the fire so they could bake in their own tough coating. Then she brewed up Badari tea and had two steaming mugs waiting when Aydarr returned.

  Dinner was delicious and companionable. They sat close together, savoring the smoky flavor of the meat and the tender sweetness of the tubers Jill had harvested, washed down with tea. Aydarr fished three wrapped pieces of candy from his pack and gave them to Jill, who exclaimed in delight. “I haven’t seen any of this in months. Do you want one?”

  “All for you,” he said, sipping his tea and watching her face. “Enjoy. Sandara has a hoard of goodies for special occasions.”

  “Mmmm.” Enjoying the flavor on her tongue, Jill leaned against her mate and unwrapped the second candy.

  “Are you having a good honeymoon so far?” he asked.

  “Anywhere with you is perfect,” she said, giving him a kiss. “Other than my encounter with the lake creature today, it’s been terrific.” Waving the last candy, she said, “I get the idea you’re wooing me pretty single-mindedly here, with a special dinner and candy in a romantic setting.”

  “Would I have done that in the Sectors? Brought you candy and invited you out to dinner? Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if we’d met somewhere else, some other time?”

  She shook her head, amused. It wasn’t like her mate to be fanciful but this trip of theirs did seem to be allowing him to show a new side of himself and she enjoyed the different perspective. “But we couldn’t have, since you were here and I was there. Besides, I think meeting you in the middle of a life and death battle with the vermore was the perfect way to find each other. An extremely Badari introduction to each other.”

  “I was so astonished to find a beautiful human woman fallen into the creature’s lair, doing battle with only rocks as weapons. I think you won my heart right then and there actually, although it took a while for my head to understand what we were to each other.” Aydarr pulled her onto his lap.

  Jill wound her arms around his neck and raised her face for a kiss. Aydarr held her close and tenderly licked at her lips before she parted them enough to allow him entry. She stroked her tongue against his, enjoying the warmth and special flavor that was Aydarr’s alone, spiced with the tea they’d both drunk. Her body ached deliciously at the core, craving more closeness from her mate than even the hottest kiss could provide. She reached to where his manhood pushed against his pants, finding him hard when she curled her fingers to capture the length through the fabric. Fumbling with the fastening, she freed him and immediately began stroking root to tip, firmly massaging the ridges, enjoying the tactile pleasure of the soft skin over the steel hard arousal.

  He broke off the kiss, breathing hard, holding her slightly away from his chest. “Before we go any further, I brought a gift for you. It’s in my pack, in the tent.”

  “It can wait,” she said, not releasing her grip on him. She moved in for another kiss.

  “Please? I really want you to have this present tonight.”

  Curious, she lifted her hand away from his cock and slid from his lap. Aydarr asking her to hold off on making love to him was unheard of. “I’m intrigued now. Go ahead, I’ll wait.”

  He nuzzled her neck, kissing the golden tattoo-like mate mark where her neck met her shoulder and then rose to hasten into the tent. He returned shortly, carrying a small parcel. “I hope you didn’t get cold while I was gone,” he said with a smile as he sat down again.

  “We’ve got a good fire going, but I would rather be soaking up all your Badari body heat,” she said, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

  “Soon, I promise.” He handed her the bag. “Well, open it.”

  “You are taking this honeymoon seriously,” she said, not at all displeased. Having Aydarr focused completely on her was always exhilarating. His eyes glowed amber gold with emotion and the expression on his face showed concern, alerting her that he needed unaccustomed reassurance from her. The Badari had no tradition of gift giving, having been kept prisoner and subjected to torture and experiments from the moment each came to consciousness in the lab. “I’m sure I’ll love it.”

  He extended one talon and sliced impatiently through the knot holding the bag shut.

  With a laugh, Jill upended the now open bag and gasped in surprise as a length of rose pink silk flowed into her lap. Setting the sack aside, she pulled the fabric up to examine the unexpected treasure and realized she was gazing at a sexy and expensive piece of lingerie. The nightgown was short, probably to the mid-thigh on her, semi sheer and had black lace trim at the hem, the side slits and over the bust area. There was a Sectors price tag, which her mate promptly cut off with his talon before she could see the price.

  “I told Kelli at Stores to leave the tag, so you’d know this was a brand new garment,” he said, tossing the token into the fire, which blazed up a bit as the flames consumed the odd new fuel.

  “It’s beautiful. And I’m sure it’s my size.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. “Thank you.”

  “I’ve had a standing order with Kelli to go through every bit of ships’ cargo we looted from the Khagrish storerooms and keep her eyes open for this. Well, for a pink gown anyway.” He reached out to cup Jill’s cheek softly, the lethal claws sheathed. “The mental picture of you in the gown you arrived in sustained me through many a difficult moment, mate. You were stunningly beautiful, especially the day you sat on the rocks at the goddess’s circle of trees while we perfo
rmed our pack rituals. Almost unreal, like a vision…and all mine. As I am all yours.”

  She was touched by his obvious sincerity and deep emotion. It had been a special treat for herself to wear that nightie, one of her most expensive things, and a striking shade of pink, lighter than this one. She’d liked to pamper herself at bit at the colony, after a day spent fixing tech and engines and generally getting greasy and dirty. Sexy lingerie had been a small luxury.

  “I know it’s not the same shade of pink,” he said apologetically.

  “No, I love it. I prefer this one in fact.” Holding the garment, she rose to her feet. “Give me a minute to change and then come inside.”

  “I’ll put out the fire and clean up the campsite while you’re doing that.”

  Jill paused. “You do think we’re safe enough here?”

  “We’ll both have our guns close at hand, no natural predator is going to come anywhere near me and the Khagrish don’t fly at night.” His arguments were compelling and the arousal tenting his trousers gave evidence of his impatience to retire to other activities.

  “All right then.” She headed for the tent.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Aydarr took a few extra moments on his tasks and then paced the perimeter of the camp, drawing air deep into his lungs to check the scents. As predicted, there was no wildlife anywhere in their vicinity. Animals were smart enough to give a Badari a wide berth, recognizing an apex predator like himself as nothing to tangle with. He had no fears of the Khagrish sneaking up on them either, not in this location. Unaccustomed to shyness, he swallowed hard and strode to the tent. “May I come in?”

  “You’d better before I get cold.”

  He stepped inside the flap and stopped, mesmerized by the sight in front of him. Jill was a beautiful woman in his eyes and the gown he’d given her fit in all the right places. His mate was a force to be reckoned with in any situation and tonight he’d be helpless to deny her anything. All the blood in his body was centered in his cock, his balls drawn up tight to his body and the only thing he wanted to do was make love to his mate.