Melissa frowned up at the sky as well. “Do you want me to help you look?”
Jaelle shook her head. “I know you have to get back to the village. You didn’t see any other sign of her on the way up, did you?”
“I’m afraid not.” Melissa hesitated. “Has anyone else been up here?”
“As you pointed out, no one is particularly enthusiastic about visiting a haunted mountain,” she said dryly. “Why?”
“It’s hard to tell because there isn’t much snow, I thought maybe I saw footprints.”
Jaelle’s heart skipped a beat. Could someone have taken the children? But why would they have done such a thing? And why would they have brought them up her mountain – unless it was a twisted attempt to punish her. “You’re sure Knut is still in the village?”
“I’m sure. I can understand why you think he might be behind this, but Kara told me he passed out early last night and I believe her.”
Damn. She cast another worried glance at the sky. “I’ll see if I can find them.”
“Look, Jaelle. I know you worry, but as much as I hate to admit it, Knut could be right.”
“Even if he is right, it looks like Cinna was here.” She nodded at the ribbon in Melissa’s hand. “Why would they come up here? Unless…” Her stomach clenched as she remembered. “Whit and I were talking about caves on my last visit.”
“Are there any caves around here?”
“A few, higher up the mountain.” Surely the boy wouldn’t have headed there. But the more she thought about it, the more she couldn’t escape the sinking feeling that something was wrong. She had to at least take a look. “I’m going to go check them out.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Melissa was undoubtedly sincere, but Jaelle could see the worry in her eyes.
“No, really. The cave isn’t that far from here and you have a long trip back down the mountain.”
“All right. If the storm holds off, I’ll be back tomorrow. If you can’t find them, we’ll just have to get a larger group to search with.” The other woman must have read the doubt on Jaelle’s face because she gave her a quick smile. “Trust me, if I close down the tavern until they’re found, I’ll get a search party together.”
“Thank you, Melissa,” she said sincerely.
The tavern keeper gave her a quick smile, then hurried back down the path. Jaelle grabbed her cane and her heaviest cloak, then set off in the other direction. Robin fluttered around her head with a scolding chirp, but she ignored him.
As she reached the edge of her clearing, she paused to inspect the ground. As Melissa had said, there wasn’t much snow, but what was there was scuffed as if someone large had passed this way. The memory of her encounter with Knut made her palms dampen, but if the children needed her… She took a firm grip on her cane and set off.
Chapter Six
The woods surrounding Jaelle were oddly still, and within a few steps, the snow began to fall. At first it was almost pleasant, big white flakes drifting lazily down from the sky, but it accumulated with astonishing speed. The flakes came faster and faster and before long she was trudging through an ankle-deep layer of snow. She kept switching her cane from hand to hand, burying the free hand deep in the pocket of her cloak, but despite that, her fingers were beginning to go numb. Her face was also tingling from the cold as she peered ahead through the swirling white. The cave she and Whit had discussed shouldn’t be much further.
A branch concealed beneath the snow made her stumble, wrenching her ankle in the process. Robin chirped anxiously, but Jaelle managed to keep her feet. Even with the numbing effects of the snow, each step was increasingly painful. She leaned more and more heavily on her cane, and she was almost at the point of giving up, when she caught a glimpse of a darker patch ahead. The cave!
“Whit! Cinna!” she cried, stumbling towards the opening. As she did, she caught a glimpse of movement inside the cave and gave a sob of relief. They were here!
“What were you thinking?” she asked as she took another step in that direction. But instead of a child’s high-pitched voice, a low growl answered her. She froze as a huge animal came padding out of the cave entrance.
The settlers called them dire wolves, although their only resemblance to the Earth creatures was their size and the claws that extended from their massive paws. Her heart pounded against her chest so rapidly that she felt sick, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the enormous blue-furred creature studying her.
The dire wolves were rarely seen in these parts, but the villagers had encountered them during hunting expeditions. She’d heard enough of those stories to know how dangerous they were. She took a cautious step back, then another, as it watched her from gleaming yellow eyes. With the third step, disaster struck when her injured ankle crumpled. As she fell back into the snow, her head struck a hidden rock and dizziness washed over her. She watched in horror as the wolf prowled towards her.
Robin squawked and dove at the wolf’s head. It snapped at the bird, but he kept coming, still making those outraged noises, until the wolf caught him with a massive paw, sending him flying.
She tried desperately to focus on the dire wolf and saw it gather itself, saw it prepare to pounce. She fumbled for her cane, knowing that it would do little to stop the creature but determined to die fighting.
The dire wolf sprang, but before it could reach her, there was an even louder roar and a man came flying out of the snow, crashing against the animal’s body and sending it sprawling to the ground. As he followed it down, her dazed mind took in the broad shoulders and the white hair and suddenly recognized the man from her dreams. No, not a man, not with those horns. How could he be real?
But even as she struggled to believe what she was seeing, the two intertwined bodies rolled closer and she saw her rescuer grip the wolf’s neck with long black claws, penetrating the thick fur as the animal thrashed beneath him. A sudden gush of blood and it finally lay still. Without even sparing it a second glance, the stranger turned to her, his eyes glowing.
“Now you are mine.”
She tried to scramble backwards, but she put too much weight on her injured ankle and pain washed over her. Black spots danced in her vision, and the last thing she saw before darkness overtook her was the stranger reaching for her.
Krampasarian swore as Jaelle’s eyes fluttered closed. This was not how he had intended their first meeting to occur. He had seen the fear in her eyes. Fear of him, no doubt due to the savagery of his attack.
He had been too late. Distracted by the children, he had not realized that she had left her cottage until she was already on the path. A path that would lead to the top of the mountain and close to where his ship had crashed. If he did nothing to prevent it, they would meet in person at last.
The prospect had left him unexpectedly nervous, as nervous as he had been the day he took his final exams at officer training school. She hadn’t flinched from him when she had seen him at the window, but had she thought she was dreaming? It wasn’t until he had polished his horns for the second time that he realized that he – a Commander of the Tandroki Fleet – was primping for a member of a primitive race. Ridiculous. He resolutely strode back to the viewing screen, and that was when he had realized that she was in trouble.
The snow had grown increasingly heavy, and he could tell that she was struggling with each footstep, but she still continued up the mountain. Her determination was to be valued no matter how foolhardy, but watching her struggle made his chest ache. He also realized that she had gone astray. She was no longer heading for his ship, but rather towards the caves to one side of the peak. Caves that were inhabited by –
Shouting a quick warning to Whit to close up the ship, he took off at a run. During his initial studies of his surroundings, he had seen the inhabitant of those caves - a large, primitive beast equipped with far more deadly, natural weapons than those possessed by the villagers.
He dashed through the snowy woods, moving more quic
kly than he had since his last training run with Nicholsarian. The obnoxious snow was falling even more heavily now, but his thermal suit kept him warm and he ignored it. He reached the clearing just in time to see his female stumble and fall as the beast leapt for her.
A thousand years of civilization and a lifetime of training disappeared. He forgot about the blaster holstered to his right hip and the ceremonial sword on his left and attacked in the same way his primitive ancestors would have attacked - with his horns and his claws. The roar that erupted from his mouth was an ancient battle cry, echoing through the clearing as he intercepted the beast before it could hurt his female.
The animal fought viciously, but there was never any doubt in Krampasarian’s mind that he would win. The deathblow filled him with satisfaction as he turned to claim his female. He had fought for her and he had won.
“Now you are mine,” he proclaimed triumphantly.
But her eyes were wide, scared, and she tried to scramble away from him. He saw her wince and sway, her face turning the color of the snow, and automatically reached for her. Her eyes fluttered close as he lifted her into his arms, but he had seen the fear in those deep blue eyes. And when he looked down, he saw the blood staining his claws. What had he done?
Remorse washed over him as he carefully carried her back to the ship. How could he have abandoned his civilized ways and how could he expect her to understand?
Even now, his instincts demanded that he claim her. The feel of her soft curves against him had his cock stiff and aching, even though he would never press his attentions on an injured female. He would never press his attentions on any female.
Whit was standing at the open door at the top of the landing ramp, but Krampasarian didn’t have the heart to chastise him. The boy’s eyes widened as he saw who Krampasarian was carrying.
“You stole a lady too?”
“I didn’t steal her.” Although he hadn’t exactly asked for permission to bring her on board. He soothed his conscience with the knowledge that she needed medical assistance. “She’s wounded.”
Whit closed the door behind them and accompanied him to the medical lab, still shooting worried glances at the female in his arms.
“Who is she?”
“You know who she is,” he said shortly as he placed her on the exam table.
“No I don’t. And she’s pretty. That means someone is gonna come looking for her. You need to get rid of her.” The boy crossed his arms and scowled at Krampasarian.
“You would have me send an injured female out into the storm?”
“Well no, I guess not. But as soon as the storm lets up. We don’t need her.”
Krampasarian was running a scanner over Jaelle’s head when her eyes suddenly flickered open. Rather than focusing on him, she looked to the boy, and a smile crossed her face.
“Safe…” she whispered, and then her eyes closed again.
“That’s Jaelle!” Whit rushed over and took her hand. “I don’t understand. She looks so young.”
“She is young. She disguises herself when she goes into the village,” he said absently, studying the results of the scan. The damage to her head would be painful but it was not life-threatening. Her ankle was in worse shape, and he tried to use the medical bed to heal it. Unfortunately, its systems had also been damaged in the crash, and in the end, he was forced to attend to the injury himself as the medic machine provided instruction. She would recover, but it would not be as swiftly as he would have preferred.
“Is she going to be all right?” Whit asked anxiously.
“She will be fine.” Anything else was unacceptable.
He hesitated for a second, glancing around the small medical bay, but he didn’t like the idea of leaving her in here surrounded by these machines. Bending over, he lifted her back in his arms. By the Horns of Moroz, she felt so right there.
“Where are you taking her?” Whit bobbed anxiously next to him. “Do you want our bed? I can sleep on the floor, but do you think she would mind sharing with Cinna?”
The question brought him up short. He had automatically been heading for his cabin – that was of course where she belonged – but perhaps she would prefer a room of her own. Unfortunately, his cabin and the small crew quarters occupied by Whit and Cinna were the only sleeping accommodations on the ship.
“Thank you for offering, Whit, but I’ll put her in my bed.”
The boy scowled again, his speckled nose wrinkling. “That ain’t proper.”
“I do not believe there is anyone here to object,” he said dryly. “But do not be concerned for her honor. I will sleep in my chair.”
“I reckon that’s okay.”
“Thank you.” Despite the sardonic note, he found himself appreciative of the boy’s determination to protect Jaelle’s honor. Whit was quite right. Krampasarian’s own people did not believe that a male and female should share the same bedroom. But he had observed enough of the villagers’ behavior to realize that the same prohibition did not exist here, at least not for permanently bonded couples. A month ago he would have dismissed the idea as ridiculous, but it no longer seemed so unpleasant. He could actually imagine bonding with Jaelle, sharing a room with her…
What was he thinking? He was not remaining on this planet, and once he was back amongst his own people, he would be negotiating for a suitable mate to help advance his career. No matter how little the idea appealed to him.
Whit followed him into his cabin and watched critically as Krampasarian carefully placed Jaelle in his bed and then covered her with a blanket. Her eyes were still closed, but her breathing was deep and even, and the medic machine had indicated that she would sleep. He would watch over her until she awoke.
Chapter Seven
The sound of hushed voices, accompanied by a tiny giggle, penetrated Jaelle’s sleep. Was someone in the cottage with her? Her eyes snapped open, and the first thing she saw was Whit and Cinna grinning at her.
“You’re all right! Where have you been? How did you get… here?” Her eager questions came to a halt as she took in her surroundings. This was not her cottage.
Impossibly smooth walls in a deep shade of red outlined a space that was far larger than her small living room. An elegant seating area was precisely arranged in front of a large window panel that displayed the snow swirling around outside. A window that was far beyond the capability of their current technology. She was lying in an impossibly soft bed – a bed? – on a raised dais at the other end of the room, and the children were standing next to her, their expressions eager.
“I told you not to wake her,” a deep voice said sternly as a door panel slid to one side.
Her eyes flew to the man – no, she reminded herself, not a man – standing in the opening. It was the stranger. The one she had seen in her dream and the one she had seen so terrifyingly in the snow. But it was hard to reconcile the elegant figure in the doorway with the snarling warrior who had attacked the dire wolf. Neatly clad in what appeared to be some type of uniform - the dark blue fabric accented with an intimidating variety of insignia - with his silvery blonde hair pulled back in a tight knot, the only resemblance to that frightening figure was the impressive ivory horns spiraling back from his brow. She shot a look at his hands, but the long dark claws had disappeared, leaving short dark nails no longer than a human man’s.
“Who are you?” she whispered.
“I am Commander Krampasarian D’Marchandar, of the Tandroki Fleet. At your service.” The words were accompanied by a graceful bow.
“Damn, Krampus. What are you all dressed up for?” Whit piped up.
Did a touch of pink stain the smooth ivory skin covering his cheekbones? Before she could decide, Cinna skipped over to him and took his hand.
“You look very nice.”
“Thank you, little one.” The stern features softened as he reached down and lifted the little girl into his arms.
“I don’t understand.” The whole situation had an unreal quality that mad
e her wonder if she was still dreaming, but the pain in her head and her ankle argued otherwise. “You were missing, both of you, and I came looking and then there was the dire wolf…”
“Krampus took us,” Whit said proudly.
“I don’t understand,” she repeated, rubbing her head.
“Does your head trouble you?” the commander asked immediately. “The scan said that it would heal, but it did not indicate how long it would take.”
He strode over to the bed and placed Cinna carefully on her feet before he pressed long, cool fingers to her temple. She still remembered those vicious claws covered with blood, and his touch should have terrified her, but she had the oddest urge to lean into that soothing touch. Instead, she forced herself to pull away.
“What scan? Who are you?” She waved an impatient hand when his mouth opened. “And don’t tell me you’re Commander what’s his name again. You obviously aren’t human. Is this your planet?”
The briefest hint of shock crossed his face before the stern mask reappeared. “I am a… traveler. I’m performing some repairs before resuming my journey.”
“By yourself?”
“I have some… machinery that is assisting me.”
She had the impression that he was choosing his words very carefully, but right now she was more concerned about the children – and herself.
“Do you mean us any harm?”
This time his shocked expression was easy to read. “Of course not.”
“Then why did you take the children?”
Not that they seemed particularly bothered by their abduction. Cinna was leaning against the commander’s leg, her eyes heavy, while Whit was following the conversation avidly. Neither of the children seemed the least bit afraid of the horned male.
Once again, that faint touch of pink crossed his high cheekbones. “It is a long story. Perhaps it would be best to wait until you have recovered. Would you care for something to eat?”
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