And she sighed happily as his head descended.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Varga asked again, and Joan rolled her eyes.
“I already told you I didn’t. I’m beginning to think you’re looking for an excuse not to go.”
He shrugged. “I must admit that the idea of spending several hours in a frozen wilderness does not particularly appeal to me.”
She laughed up at him. “Too bad. You told Baralt that you would go.”
“I suspect it was the Aldarian whiskey talking.”
“Izzie said that the two of you can do some damage to a bottle. Maybe this will teach you. And anyway, he said it was a great honor.”
He muttered under his breath but went off to put on his outdoor clothing and she gave a relieved sigh. Today was a feast day and she had offered to cook the evening meal. Although no one had said as much, she took it as a trial of her cooking abilities, and she was determined to do her best. It would be easier to concentrate with Varga out of the way. The hunting party was also bringing back the main course, and the sooner they returned from the hunt, the sooner she would be able to prepare it.
She and Izzie stood at the gate in the wall surrounding Baralt’s house and waved them off. Njkall had joined them, but even the three large males looked insignificant as they strode out into the vast white plain leading away from town.
“They will be all right, won’t they?” she asked, suddenly having second thoughts about sending him away.
“They’ll be fine,” Izzie said firmly. “Baralt has always returned triumphantly from the hunt, and I’ve learned not to think about what he’s doing.”
“Does that work?”
Izzie gave her a rueful grin. “Only a little bit. But I don’t want to tie him down with my worries.” She smiled at the guard waiting to close the gates and together the two of them returned to the main house.
Joan had decided to begin by making a quick bread, and she started stirring ingredients together as soon as they returned to the kitchen.
“Tell me about this siloza they are hunting.”
Izzie giggled. “It’s something like a very large turkey—if you can imagine a turkey as tall as a human. With foot-long claws.”
She did her best not to worry about Varga being threatened by those claws and forced a smile. “Hmm. In that case, maybe I should make some stuffing.”
“Oh, I love that idea. What do you need?”
“Bread, of course, but I can use some of this. I don’t suppose you have any carrots or celery?” she joked.
“No, but Baralt’s sister uses something similar when she makes soup.” Izzie jumped up. “Why don’t I run into town and see if she has some I can borrow? Or if she can tell me where I can buy some.”
“I thought you told Baralt that you wouldn’t leave.”
“I won’t go by myself. I’ll get Rolisar to go with me—he’s the one at the gate. We’ll just lock it behind us, if that’s all right with you?”
“It’s fine with me. I don’t intend to go anywhere.” The town still made her uncomfortable. Saka had ventured in a few times, accompanied by one of Baralt’s males, but Joan’s memories of the night they arrived had given her a distaste for the port, even though Baralt had succeeded in freeing the unfortunate female. Joan would be happier once they moved to the resort and further away from town.
“We won’t be long.” Izzie gave her a happy smile. “This is going to be just like Thanksgiving.”
“I’m pretty sure that most Thanksgivings don’t include a six-foot turkey,” she said dryly.
Izzie laughed and rushed off.
A few minutes later, Saka entered the kitchen, yawning.
“No one around here seems to appreciate the luxury of sleeping late.”
“The males went hunting, and apparently it’s something you start at the crack of dawn.”
“Why? Because they want to catch their prey while they are still asleep?”
“Maybe so.” Joan laughed. “I’ve been thinking. We have a holiday on earth called Thanksgiving and I thought I would try and recreate some of those dishes. Can you make some pastry? Enough for two—no, better make that three pies?”
“You’re such a slave driver,” Saka teased, then went still. “I didn’t mean that.”
“Of course you didn’t. But maybe it’s a good thing that you can make a joke about it now.”
Saka shook her head and gave her a weak smile as she started to gather her ingredients. “I suppose so.”
Joan wondered how often the memory of their time on Drahana would come back to haunt them. Assuming we can move past it at all, she thought with a sigh as Polly wandered into the kitchen. The other woman still refused to bathe or wear clothes, but her moods seem to have evened out. She didn’t talk much, except to Njkall, but she seemed to like to listen to the others talk and didn’t scurry away as often as she used to.
Polly went and curled in her usual place next to the big stove. George chirped happily and climbed up on her lap. The small lizard hadn’t been impressed by the snow-covered ground of Hothrest and preferred to spend most of her time in the warmth of the kitchen.
Joan smiled at the pair and started chopping some of the small round fruit native to the planet. It wasn’t really fruit—it was actually an edible spore that grew in the caverns beneath Hothrest—but if you ignored the fluorescent pink coloring, it had a vaguely apple like taste, and she thought it would work in a pie.
George chirped again and she looked up to find the lizard eyeing her hungrily. She laughed and tossed her a small piece of fruit. When Polly gave her an expectant look, she tossed the girl one as well.
“You aren’t going to have anything left for the pie,” Saka grumbled good-naturedly.
“We have plenty. Although maybe I should make four pies, especially if Rummel is joining us. You know how much he likes sweets.”
Rummel hadn’t joined them in Baralt’s house. Instead, he had taken a job as a dealer in one of the small gaming establishments, a position that included lodging. She missed his presence, but at least he visited often.
As she was sautéing the apple substitute, she heard a muffled bang from outside. “Did you hear that?”
Saka shrugged. “Probably just the wind. You know how strong it is.”
“Hope it doesn’t mean there’s a storm coming in.” Even in the brief time they had been here, they had experienced one of the terrifyingly strong blizzards that could sweep in without warning. “What if Varga and the others don’t make it back in time?”
“Njkall will take care of them,” Polly said confidently, and Joan had to hide her smile. The girl seemed to think that Njkall could do anything.
“I’m sure you’re right,” she agreed, turning back to her pan
Then George suddenly hissed, and Saka gave a startled cry. Joan followed her gaze to the stranger looming in the kitchen doorway. Her heart started to race as she recognized the big, furred merchant they had confronted the first night.
“Well, well, well, this is an unexpected bounty. Not one but three females ready to be sold.”
Polly gave a wailing cry, and the stranger glared at her. “Shut up, girl.” His eyes traveled over her with disgust. “Fuck, you’re a dirty little thing. It’s gonna take a lot of water to get you clean enough to fuck.”
George hissed again, but Polly’s arms were tight around the small animal even as she continued to wail softly. Saka took a step closer to Joan, and she could feel the other woman trembling as the male’s eyes traveled over to them.
“Hope you two are worth a little more. Still, I expect the three of you will compensate for the loss of the other one.” He glared at Joan. “Those bastards took her away from me.”
“Because you mistreated her.”
“She was a fucking slave. She should have been grateful for anything I gave her. Just like you three will learn to be grateful.”
“My mate will never let that ha
ppen.”
He laughed, and the sound sent a chill down her spine. “Maybe not—if he could find you. We’re heading straight for a ship—and one of you is gonna be the price for the journey.” He gave them a speculative glance. “I hope I can convince him to take the dirty one.”
Joan heard Saka take a deep breath, then she sauntered towards the male, her tail twitching seductively. For a moment, Joan’s heart sank, but then she realized that Saka was waving her hand behind her back. She was pointing at the big knife Joan had been using to cut up the spores. It was only an arm’s length away.
“I’m sure you don’t want to get rid of me,” Saka purred as the male gave her an appreciative glance.
Joan took a quick step forward while he was distracted by Saka. Her hand closed over the handle of the knife, and she slid it quickly off the table, hiding it in the folds of her skirt. She snuck a quick glance at Polly and even though the girl was still moaning, her eyes were bright and alert.
“Yeah, you could be the most useful. Show me what you got.” The male’s big hand clamped down on Saka’s shoulder as he started to force her to her knees. She began to obey, then suddenly snarled and raked her claws across his groin. At the same time, Polly released George, and she skittered forward, sinking small sharp teeth into the male’s leg, apparently undeterred by the thick fur.
Polly was right behind her, her fingernails clawing at the male’s face. He tried to fight back, throwing Saka to one side, but Joan replaced her. With a muttered prayer, she thrust the knife into his stomach. It slid into his flesh with sickening ease, and he stumbled backwards. She was about to follow up with a second blow when he gave a high-pitched scream and collapsed.
She jumped out of the way, tugging Polly with her, while he clutched at his leg where George had bitten him. He writhed on the floor, moaning with agony, as Saka climbed slowly to her feet and came to join them. As the three of them watched, the moans faded. His body gave a final jerk and went still.
“We stopped him,” Polly whispered. “The three of us stopped him.”
“The four of us,” Joan said as she bent down and picked up George.
“I fought back…” Saka sounded dazed.
“We all did. And we won.”
Polly started to cry—but they were soft, exhausted sobs rather than that eerie wail.
“I would join you if I could,” Saka admitted, and Joan gave her a fierce hug, her own eyes wet.
Polly gripped her hand, and the four of them huddled together, laughing and crying. And that was how the males found them when they came rushing in a few minutes later.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Varga wrapped his arms around Joan and found that his hands were shaking. His appalled gaze went to the dead body on the floor, recognizing the signs of George’s fatal bite. He had never been as scared as he had been in the past few minutes.
They had been making their way back across the plain after a successful hunt when Baralt’s gaze suddenly fastened on the house in the distance.
“Something’s wrong,” he muttered, walking faster.
Varga’s heart skipped a beat. “What is it?”
“Rolisar is not at the gate. He would never leave his post.”
They exchanged a horrified look, then took off at a run, Njkall at their side. The siloza was abandoned in their frantic haste. As they got closer, Varga could see that not only had the guard disappeared but the gate had been compromised. The terror he had felt as a child when he was trapped in the cave-in was nothing compared to how he felt now.
She had to be all right—she had to be.
He heard the sound of crying as soon as they burst into the house and raced for the kitchen. His appalled gaze snagged on the body on the floor but then he saw Joan, alive and unhurt. She flung herself at him and he covered her face with kisses until an indignant squeak from George made him realize that he was crushing the two of them against him.
“Isabel!” Baralt roared, his gaze frantically searching for his mate.
“She went into town,” Joan said quickly, “with the male at the gate. To see your sister!” she called after him as he raced out of the room.
Njkall had collapsed in a chair by the heater, and Polly was perched in his lap, excitedly telling him about what had happened. Njkall’s hands were clenched on the arms of the chair, but he nodded calmly as Polly spoke. Nothing she said made sense to Varga.
He sat as well, his knees suddenly weak, and tucked Joan against his chest, unwilling to let her out of his arms. Saka patted his shoulder as she went to the stove to make a pot of tea.
“What happened, sweetheart?”
“I really don’t know. It’s that male who was beating the poor slave girl, remember?”
“Yes, I recognized him.” Despite the terrible bloating from the poison. “How did he get in here?”
“I think he must have been watching the house. Izzie and the guard went to get some vegetables, and he showed up not long after they left.” She shuddered. “He was going to take us away, make us slaves again.”
His skin began to harden as anger and horror swept through him. To think that he might have lost her… “I would never have stopped looking for you.”
“I know.” She put a hand on his cheek. “I told him you wouldn’t.”
He sighed and cuddled her closer. “It looks like I have to thank George once again.”
“Not just George,” she said indignantly. “We all helped. Saka clawed him and Polly went for his eyes, and I… I stuck a knife in him.” She shuddered again. “Which is something I never want to do again.”
“You will never have to,” he vowed, horrified yet again at the idea of the females attacking the much larger male.
“Still, I suppose George was probably the most effective,” Joan added, stroking the lizard’s small head. “Is… is that what happened to Baahy?”
“Yes.”
“I know he deserved it—they both did—but it’s a terrible way to die.”
Varga followed her gaze to the body and reluctantly decided that he needed to deal with it. He was about to put Joan down when Baralt stalked into the kitchen, his arm tight around Izzie, and followed by a very shamefaced Hothian.
“Take care of that,” he ordered, pointing to the body, “while you reflect on what could have happened due to your failure to obey orders.”
“It wasn’t Rolisar’s fault,” Izzie protested. “We thought everyone would be safe behind the locked gate.”
“And you shouldn’t have left either.”
Izzie’s chin went up, and her eyes sparkled dangerously. “You can’t tell me what to—”
Baralt roared and picked her up, stalking out of the room with her in his arms.
“He’s usually so calm,” Joan whispered, her eyes wide.
“Knowing that your mate is in danger is enough to send any male over the edge.” His eyes met Njkall’s as he spoke, and he saw that same knowledge there. Their precious females had been so close to being taken from them. “I think Baralt had the right idea.”
He stood, Joan and George still in his arms, and headed for the stairs.
Somehow, Varga was not surprised when Joan still insisted on cooking dinner. He had inspected every inch of her for damage, kissed those same inches, and buried himself in her until she was limp with pleasure, and it was still difficult to let her leave their bed.
“Don’t be silly,” she huffed. “Everything is fine now. And I’m sure everyone is going to be hungry after all the excitement. It’s a shame about the siloza,” she added wistfully.
But when they entered the kitchen, they found that Baralt had sent the hapless Rolisar after the bird as well. Joan grinned and set to work at once. Varga sat down at the table, not yet ready to let her out of his sight, and soon found himself chopping vegetables for her. Saka quietly assembled pies but a smile kept flickering across her face.
Baralt and Izzie joined them, Baralt considerably more relaxed and Izzie glowing. She bent t
o whisper something in Joan’s ear, and both women laughed. The whole room went silent when Polly and Njkall appeared.
Polly had been scrubbed clean. Long dark hair framed a pale, extraordinarily innocent looking face. She was not only clean, but wearing a short, floaty dress in pale blue. She blushed as they all stared at her and took a tighter grip on Njkall’s hand.
“Njkall gave me a bath,” she said proudly.
Varga felt Joan tense, but before she could say anything, Njkall added calmly. “At her request, of course.”
Joan sighed but remained silent. Varga looked at the other male and realized that despite Njkall’s apparent serenity, there was an underlying strain on the male’s face.
“And we’re moving to the resort,” Polly added.
“But why?” Joan asked. “I don’t understand.”
“I… I don’t feel safe here. I know we stopped that male today, but what if someone like him comes again? I don’t want to be anywhere near town.”
“But—” Joan started again, and he put a hand on her arm. She looked at him, then sighed and nodded. “Of course, Polly. If that’s what you want to do.”
“Does this mean that there is housing there?” he asked.
Njkall nodded. “The staff quarters are almost completed. Perhaps the two of you would care to join us?”
“What do you think, sweetheart?”
She smiled up at him, and he suspected that she was secretly as relieved as Polly to be getting away from town. “I’d like that.”
Izzie nodded. “I think it’s a great idea. That way you’ll be right there to make sure everything goes as planned with the restaurant and the kitchens.”
“You mean you’re giving me the job?” Joan’s eyes lit with pleasure.
“Of course. And we can still come visit you—we have the most marvelous sleigh,” Izzie added with a smile at Baralt.
“It is time for another ride,” his friend agreed.
The conversation turned towards the plans for the restaurant. Varga watched as his mate laughed and talked while she cooked, while the kitchen filled with delicious aromas. They were surrounded by their friends, and his mate was safe and happy.
Joan and the Juggernaut: A SciFi Alien Romance (Alien Abduction Book 10) Page 16
