The red fur fits nowhere. I huff, trying to make sense of the design. While I’m covering the ground, I debate whether I should simply arrange the red fur over the fluffy pillow and keep my wet hair warm. I try it, but it looks ugly, so I lie down and cover myself with a pile of blankets and furs. I peek between the furs, finding Vemlox sitting on the ground, a small smile playing on his lips. “You’re nesting.”
I chuckle. “I guess I am.” Alleluia, the alien speaks again. I notice he’s given me all the covers. “Seeing as we got up close and personal, you can share my blankets.” I’m not a bitch who leaves a man sleeping uncovered in the middle of the Regha Rocky Mountains. I pat the place next to me. “I don’t bite.”
Vemlox hesitates, gets up, crouches as if he’s gonna lie down, then snarls, picks up the red fur, and disappears behind me. I rise to see he’s marching across the cave toward the hound. When he gets there, he sits on the bare ground, leans against the animal, and covers his head with the fur. From underneath, I hear him mumbling.
“I do that too!” I whisper-shout as if someone will hear me.
“Do what?”
“Talk to myself.”
I wait, but he’s not gonna talk anymore. Awww, I broke his moment. “Carry on, man. I won’t tell nobody.” I rest my head on the pillow, and sleep takes me the moment I close my eyes.
* * *
Loyo barely stands, wobbles, then falls back down, eyes locked with Vemlox’s.
I glance at the alien male, who barely spoke a word to me this morning other than again asking me if I wanted to waste. I’ll be happy to leave that conversation here on Regha and never hear it in San Diego again. Frankly, the cold’s getting to me. I’m ready to hike up this damn mountain on my own if it means reentering the light that is a space gate so I can live my life never having to worry about frostbite.
Vemlox crouches and cradles Loyo’s head. His jaw works, and he starts purring at the animal. The animal responds, matching the sound. Vemlox presses his forehead to the hound’s and pecks his wet nose. It’s an image I don’t believe I’ll ever forget.
Tears sting my eyes, and I turn away, not wanting to intrude.
A hand on my shoulder squeezes. “Ready?”
“Yes, sir,” I joke.
No laughter, not even a chuckle. This alien either has PMS or I’m a shit judge of character.
“Hop on.”
Without a word, I go around him with Loyo still lying there, just watching us, intelligent black eyes watery. “Is this animal…crying?”
“Loyo is an Alpha. We don’t cry.”
“But that’s ridiculous. Everyone cries.”
“We don’t produce tears.”
Oh wow.
“No tears,” he continues, “no sweat, no urine, no—”
I lift my hand. “I got it, but what’s that water in his eyes?”
“Pain.”
“Please give him some meds.”
“No meds.”
“Heal him.”
“He will heal best if left alone.”
“Alone?”
“He will stay and rest and wait for my return.”
I gape at Vemlox. “You’re gonna leave him behind?”
“Of course. He is not able to climb. I will deliver you and return for him.”
“But what about the nessers?”
Vemlox appears confused. “We showed them we’re not prey. They’re dead.”
“But there are others, and they might come.”
Vemlox snarls. “Female, you speak in riddles. Tell me what you want to say.”
“You can’t leave your dog here. It’s not safe.”
“I can’t proceed with him. I have no choice.”
“You can close his wound. There! A choice.”
Vemlox lifts his upper lip, showing me his canines meant for ripping into flesh. “Those meds are meant for you.”
“Don’t want them. Don’t need them. Thanks to you, I’m fine. Better than fine. I’m feeling fantastic. Rested, bathed, climaxed. What more can a girl want?”
“Oh, I can think of several things.”
“Oh yeah?” I narrow my eyes.
“Yeah.” Vemlox turns and points at his back. “Climb on.”
“Nope.”
Hell hath no fury like an alien disobeyed. Vemlox bares all his teeth as he spins and says, “I will deliver you to Montar or die trying. I am Horde!” He beats his chest.
Dayum. Okay. I beat my chest. “I am a woman. I don’t have the heart to leave him here when I know there’s a way he can move on his own.” I plop next to the hound. He’s delivering me to Montar. It sounds like a name of a town. I understand part of Vemlox’s plan. I also see that the bottles were handwritten in English. The girls could be in Montar.
“What in the name of Serpent’s balls are you doing?”
“Gonna sit here until you change your mind. Also, I’m trying to picture a snake with balls. The image is not coming to me.”
9
Vemlox
If she were my subordinate in the Horde, I’d have whipped her. Then again, if she were Horde, she would know better than to risk her life for a hound. I glare at Loyo, who doesn’t meet my gaze. Instead of snarling at the Omega, he’s purring like it’s his job as she carefully rubs between his scales and right behind his ears.
Fuck. My. Life. Fuck it hard. I leap and land at the top of the cave, catch a tree trunk for balance, look up, and contemplate what I’m about to do for the damn Omega. Montar better kiss my ass and sing at my burial for this. Both hands firmly gripping the tree, I hop back down, bending the stem. Then I yank, trying to break it off. Not happening. I snarl at the damn tree and bite the trunk, chomping at the fucker with my teeth until I’ve weakened the outer layer. Spitting out the nasty bitter taste, I yank again. It breaks off, and I land on my ass, then slide, catching myself before tumbling down and breaking my neck. Not a bad way to die compared to dying of ridicule as I walk into the Guardians’ camp.
Sam extends a hand to help me up. I bat it away. “Get out of my way, female.”
“Oh, so that’s how it is, partner.”
“I’m not your partner.”
She huffs and crosses her arms over her chest.
The red-top tree is one of the strongest trees on Regha. It can hold an incredible amount of weight and is used in building reinforcements. The thick red top laid out like a blanket, I motion for Loyo to rest on it. Instantly, he obeys. I point at the hound. “You see this, woman? This is called obedience.”
Sam rolls her eyes.
From the sack, I get my ropes, wrap Loyo in the red top, and then tie the ropes around my middle. “Let’s go.” I stomp past the stunned human and begin climbing. When she doesn’t follow, I glance back. She stands there, unmoving. “I said let’s move.”
“You’re not gonna drag the dog all the way up there. Are you?”
“I am.”
“Just give him medicine and heal the wound!” She stomps her foot.
It’s cute. She’s so pissed off with me but can’t do anything about it. I smirk. “Don’t make me tie you up and gag you again. Because then I will drag you too.”
“You’re impossible.”
“Unstoppable is the correct term.”
“Gah!”
I plunge on. Loyo is a proud Alpha hound who weighs three times what I do. He serves me, and now the tables have turned, and I’m serving him. I know for a fact he’s mortified by what I’m doing, and that’s the reason he’s buried his snout inside the wrapped tree cover as I struggle to climb. There’s a bump from below. I turn my head and see the Omega pushing the damn hound from the back. I don’t have time to argue, as in, mention she should be walking in front of me so I can catch her in case she slips, so I simply produce more rope and order her to attach it to her body.
Surprisingly, she does as told. I look up at the sky and thank the Great Serpent for that small bit of obedience he gifted my Omega. My? Oh nooooo. Snarling, I pull, and we fina
lly move a few relos. The snow is high but offers some footing. The only thing saving me from tumbling is the thickness of the trees as we climb. I use them to pull myself forward, clear my mind and focus my thoughts on the very top, where I’ll relieve myself of Loyo’s weight but not of my duty to the Omega.
The hardship of the journey doesn’t bother me, for I am Horde, used to hardship, used to journeys, used to making it happen no matter what obstacles stand in my way. The hard part will be convincing Montar he needs to bond the Omega and join the Horde. As always, Loven’s orders were specific. “Bring me the Guardians of Nessetra.”
* * *
Loyo growls and struggles, snarling when he can’t get out. He senses something I don’t. Of course I don’t. I’m too fucking busy keeping his ass and the Omega alive. Ear flaps up, I tune out her ragged breathing and listen. Faint footsteps, many of them coming my way. As if they’d not known I was approaching from the moment I stepped onto the mountain. From the pocket of my til, I take out the Horde’s flag and wave, locking my knees when they want to fold from exhaustion. Sure enough, a pack of Alphas dressed in furs emerges from under the snow.
I search for my sister, Sidone, Montar’s second-in-command. Ah, there she is. She wears black furs tailored to her firm body, a pair of crossed axes peeking from behind her shoulders, and gives me a smile I remember with fondness. Sidone is one of only a few Alpha females, and she’s the toughest one, a self-proclaimed Alpha Bitch.
“Brother! Is it really you?” Sidone leaps, her blonde braid swaying as she runs down the mountain. I expect her to tackle me, so I brace and crouch to catch her, my fucking muscles shaking in the process. Not a soul better notice how exhausted I feel. Gotta do the badass Horde motherfucker thing so these baby Alphas don’t get any illusions that Guardians are tougher than Horde. They’re not, not even in their wildest dreams.
Sidone stops abruptly, nearly tripping over her own feet. Wide-eyed, she surveys me, the bundled-up hound, and the human. “It’s good to see you, Vemlox.”
I grab my sister and bring her to my chest. She erects her armor as I hug her tightly and inhale the familiar scent of the strong female I used to bail out of all kinds of trouble growing up. Raising an Alpha female isn’t easy. We changed more nannies than anyone I know, namely because Sidone doesn’t follow another female’s rules. She makes the rules, naturally able to follow only those Alphas stronger than her, which, luckily, is me.
At my ear, she whispers, “Tell me you didn’t drag these two up the mountain.”
“I wish I could.”
“Why are you hauling your hound?” a Guardian asks.
Sidone releases me and steps back, gaze on the Omega, measuring her up and down, probably trying to figure out what the fuck an alien female is doing here. Seven males stare at me, expecting an answer.
“The hound is wounded,” I say. I am a pussy, succumbing to the Omega’s feelings. Yes, kill me now before Montar sees this. But at least I’ve made my Omega happy! There’s that possessive adjective again. I better watch those.
The Guardians stare at me. I do not make sense to them or to me or to anyone sane on Regha. It only makes sense to the Omegas of the universe who respond to this thing called feelings. I can’t possibly imagine what made her feel I should rescue my Hound right then and there, but it sure as fuck seemed strong. Strong enough for me to look like a fool right now. “I’ll need the hound for my trip back to Ohala.”
“Why didn’t you leave him at the Horde’s safe house?” Sidone asks.
They don’t know the exact location of the house, but they know we have one. We raid all of Regha, including anyone, king or otherwise, who disobeys. “Enough about the hound. This is Sam.”
Sidone steps back, tilts her head, eyes narrowed. “And she is your trainer?”
My sister is a comedian.
The Guardians erupt into laughter.
I’m not laughing. I cut Sidone a look.
Here comes the tricky part. The do-or-die part. By now, Montar has surely heard of the Horde parting ways with the king and has to have anticipated the Horde coming in to recruit his Alphas. And while Montar is Loven’s brother, he’s bitter that Loven bests him at all times, and he’s loyal to the king. Bringing an Omega here is a risk I took. My life means nothing if I don’t deliver Montar and these Alphas to Loven, and it will mean even less if I can’t defend the Omega should Montar decide to capture us and turn us over to the king. But if Loven was willing to send Kinre, his brother, on this kind of mission, he deemed the risk worthwhile, and I sure as fuck won’t fail him.
I glance back at Sam, who hops in place, rubbing her arms. I’m unsure why she’s dancing right now, but when we lock eyes, I scowl, an expression an Omega would understand. It says she’ll go along with whatever I say until we are alone. When we are alone, she will voice her protest freely. “Captured her at the bottom, brought her along for fun.”
The Guardians don’t even bother with her scent, which I admit even I can’t smell at this altitude at these temperatures, mainly because her body is half-frozen. But eventually, as we get inside the cave, they’ll become suspicious. While they might have heard of the human Omegas, they’ve no way of knowing what they look like, or at least I hope they don’t.
Sam’s jaw tightens. She’s displeased, likely offended by my words. It hurts me that I have hurt her feelings again, but I am Horde, and I have a mission. Nothing will stop me. I pull the ropes and move along.
Sidone barks at the Alphas, and Loyo’s weight comes off my waist. They’re carrying him the way kings are carried in one of our neighboring lands. With a glance back at Sam, I extend my hand to help her climb the short way to the Guardians’ stronghold, but she marches past me.
10
Sam
The Regha woman that the men call Sidone and I follow a group of men carrying the hound through a wide opening and inside a…settlement. Abruptly, I stop and marvel at the interior. It is a village with rooms carved inside the walls of the largest mountain cave I’ve ever seen. Drapes over doors give them a sense of privacy. I’ve only ever seen something like this in images of where the monks in Lebanon built their reclusive monasteries inside mountains.
Regha Alphas climb up and down stairs running along the walls. There’re hundreds of them, and they’re all dressed the same in long robes made of fur that taper at the waists, showcasing their broad shoulders. They wear white leather belts around their middles, with some sort of animal engraved onto them. The scent in the village is pleasing. My body buzzes with an excitement I ignore.
Next to me, Sidone taps her foot. I check out her belt. Not just any animal, but that nesser we encountered on the way up here is engraved upon it. This can’t be just a village. This is some sort of a military compound. Montar.
While embarking on the journey with Vemlox was wiser than doing nothing about finding those girls and the space gate, his motives elude me. This is an alien planet, and finding my way home can’t possibly be as easy as meeting an alien I’m inexplicably drawn to who wants to save and help me the moment he sees me. There’s something in it for him.
I glance at Sidone, who watches me with suspicion in her pitch-black eyes. “This is your home?” I ask.
“For the duration of my service.”
Service? “It’s beautiful. Who built it?”
“The Guardians of Nessetra who served here before us.”
Got a name. Guardians of Nessetra. This is not just a village where his sister lives. It’s a fucking military compound called Montar. The farther we venture inside the cave, the more convinced I become that Vemlox has trapped me inside this military fort. The hound is my only hope. I can’t survive these conditions alone. I gotta get that hound better and ready for travel.
A hand lands on my shoulder.
I yelp and kick out in reflex. I’m on pins and needles here!
Vemlox sidesteps before my foot connects with his groin. A smirk, then, “Sidone, you will find us a room for two.”
<
br /> Sidone narrows her eyes. “Yes, Alpha. After, you will tell me why you stink of mating pheromones.”
Vemlox squeezes my elbow. “I’ll meet you upstairs.”
It takes everything in me not to jerk my elbow away from him and connect it with his nose. His touch makes my body buzz, and now I also know he’s emitting mating pheromones. I wish I had a cold so snot would block my nose from the scent of all his maleness, and I suspect the pleasant scent in the settlement has to do with pheromones too. I’m no longer blaming myself for making him eat my achy pussy. And it’s still achy, but thankfully, I’m also pissy and a little too preoccupied with my new surroundings to hop on his dick right now.
Vemlox takes the stairs, and my gaze follows the steep climb. Groaning, I move after him. Sidone grabs my elbow. I jerk it away and fist my hands.
She smiles, showing me all her sharp teeth. “We’ll take the bridge.”
Huh?
Sidone spins on her heel and crosses the short distance to a…a cage hanging from the ceiling by ropes. We enter, and I watch as a male pulls the thick ropes to lift our cage so we can travel to the upper level. This is a Regha version of an elevator. It’s still better than climbing the stairs. I’ll take it.
We reach the upper levels, probably two hundred feet from the ground, and another male extends a foot-wide metal bridge. Calm and confident, Sidone walks on the narrow thing as if she’s stepping onto a runway. I don’t wanna look any less confident, so I follow along behind her and don’t look down, forcing myself to put one foot in front of the other, and when we reach solid ground, I cross myself and thank the good Lord for awarding me with a purple heart. I’m no chickenshit. Right. Moving on. “Where’s Loyo?” I ask.
Alpha Knots: Alpha Horde, #3 Page 6
