Shard Valdon’s eyes narrowed as Jaksen strode over to the tables where he and Kaleb Markan, the man who ruled as Ardin with him, were inspecting some artifacts. Jaksen Aledo was carrying something in his hands. Shard didn’t recognize the object. Brown, mottled and compact, the edges were rounded and appeared smooth. What was it? Where had he found it?
Other than still being unable to find Nerisa, everything had been going according to plan. The construction of the buildings—a permanent home for the thent, their clan—progressed ahead of schedule. They had found enough evidence on the planet to encourage the belief that their clan’s symbol was still here. And surprisingly, the researchers had been following the rules that had been set for their stay here. Until now, there had been little sign of trouble.
“Ardin, I found this pack in the forest outside our camp.” Jaksen handed the sealed packet to Shard.
“Outside our camp?” Shard looked down at the array of browns on the packet in his hand. “How did you find it? Was it just left somewhere?”
“It was stashed, Ardin.” Jaksen hesitated a moment as he walked toward them. “I would have missed it if I hadn’t fallen on the trailing branches of the bush in front of the hole in the tree where it had been hidden.” The admission came out in a rush.
“You fell?” Kaleb raised his brows and a smile tilted his lips.
“A limb broke beneath my weight.” Jaksen shifted his feet and slanted his eyes away as a blush heated his cheeks.
Shard lifted the bundle and sniffed. The packet was waterproof and carried no scent. Shard opened it. Inside, clothing for rough travel had been packed along with nice, pale green feminine underwear, a pair of shoes, a pack of food and a filled water container.
“Whoever she is, she has nice taste in underwear.” Kaleb fingered the ample tetri silk cup of the green bra before taking the pack from Shard.
“You’re sure this was stashed and not just put somewhere and forgotten?” Shard looked at Jaksen as he asked the question.
“Yes, it’s definitely a Santir or other shifter’s stash, but she is good. There was no disturbance of any of the branches or leaf litter near the base. This was an experienced woman.” Jaksen looked them each in the eye as he gave them his opinion.
“Gannon, have any ships landed on Nariu since we arrived?” Kaleb looked over at Trane Gannon. If no ships had landed, that left only the women within this camp as the possible source of this stash.
“No, nothing has even come close to the planet, Ardin Kaleb. The only shuttle on the planet is the one we use,” Trane reported after he consulted the link they had with the Ovian.
“I wonder if any of our women would care to explain this.” Shard looked over at two of the women who’d been allowed to come down to the planet. Something seemed wrong about this. Why would one of the women be stashing packs as if in preparation for an escape attempt? “You’re certain that this is a fresh stash?”
“Yes, it’s fresh, no older than a week at most,” Jaksen confirmed.
“Get the women together. They have some questions to answer.” Kaleb’s hand clenched on the fine fabric in the pack.
Shard mentally went through the list of females on the planet. Every one of them was bonded. It made no sense that they would be stashing packs around the area. That was the behavior of a single woman who thought to escape a mate who hadn’t yet claimed her. The married women knew that there was no escape from a bonding and most reveled in the connection.
The women were gathered in the center of camp, near one of the long tables currently being used as a work surface. There were only fifteen females in the group that had come down in the shuttle. They stood in a cluster, curious as to why they’d been called before the Ardin.
“Does this look familiar to any of you?” Shard held up the pack for the women to see.
The women all looked blankly at the pack. Not even a hint of recognition flickered in any of their eyes. Shard frowned. The woman who’d done this was either a very good liar or they all really knew nothing of it.
“What of this?” Kaleb held up the silky bra, dangling it by one strap. It hung from ends of his dark fingers. The endowment of the owner was obvious by the large cups of the garment.
“May I see it, Ardin Kaleb?” Medina Tallen stepped forward.
Kaleb lifted his brow. Lithe and slim, Medina would have space to spare in this garment. “We know that it doesn’t belong to you.”
“It isn’t mine, but it reminds me of a bra I saw on a world we visited. They have a special symbol stitched into them. If it’s one of those, it couldn’t belong to one of us,” Medina explained. “We don’t waste that amount of Common Credits on something we rarely wear.”
Kaleb handed her the garment. The short woman with curly black hair looked near one of the catches to the bra. She smiled and then held it out to Kaleb.
“See. This is the symbol of Teria Design. It’s an exclusive shop. One of these bras costs more than anything in my entire wardrobe. It’s made specifically to the body of the woman who will wear it and that decorative stitching is done by hand. If I had one of these, it would be worn only on special occasions and treated gently.” Medina showed both of the Ardin the distinctive symbol surrounding the stylized letters T and D.
“How much would one of these bras cost?” Shard fingered the fine material of the bra.
“Well, she has matching panties there. She probably bought them as a set—around three hundred Common Credits or more. If there is a woman who paid that much for underwear on this planet, it’s probably one of those with the researchers.” Medina smiled at the Ardin and looked enviously at the garment they were holding.
“We’ll check that, but the method and expert camouflage indicates that it was done by a born shifter female.” Kaleb looked at all of the women. “In these times, we can’t afford to lose one female of our kind, much less a female from a mated pair.”
* * * * *
Kaleb and Shard stalked into the researchers’ camp. All the busy researchers immediately stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on the two Santir males. A few of the people wore a gloating look, others looked arrogant. They all acted as if they knew something important. That attitude told Kaleb more than any words could that someone had slipped onto this planet, most likely a shifter female.
The lead researcher, a gray-haired man named Vedix Mercia, rushed forward to greet them. “Welcome, Ardin Kaleb, Ardin Shard. What can we do for you? We told you that we would contact you if we saw Nerisa. She hasn’t come here. We assumed that she was with you.”
Kaleb read the lie of that last statement in the man’s eyes. He didn’t need the man’s scent to reveal the deceit. The researcher had known that she hadn’t been found. Kaleb found that very interesting.
“What do you know of this?” Shard held up the pack of clothing, opening it to display the feminine articles.
Fear rolled off the researcher, a pungent smell. “I-I’ve never seen it before.”
He might have never seen it, but he knows something, Kaleb sent the thought Shard on the mental path they shared as Tierna, bond-brothers, bound by magic and blood.
There is one way to ensure he tells us. His work means more to him than anything else. Shard narrowed his eyes as he paced closer to the researcher. “Is there something you wish to tell me? Remember, this is Shifter-Protected Space. You are here at our discretion.”
The calm warning had immediate results. Vedix reeled back as if he’d been hit and his eyes opened wide. The man didn’t need the threat to be made any clearer. If he didn’t cooperate, he’d be sent back to his museum without a single artifact. Kaleb knew the moment that the researcher made his decision.
“Nerisa sent out a distress signal the day that she escaped. Galactic Central Command sent someone to look into the situation,” Vedix rushed to tell them.
“Who did they send? How many are here?” Kaleb stepped forward and stared down at the man. That they’d managed to slip onto th
e planet undetected astounded him, but it was the fact that they seemed prepared to take the mate of a shifter that angered him. Any shifter should know better.
“I only know of one and from the way she spoke, I thought she was alone.” Vedix shrugged and stepped back intimidated by Kaleb’s size. “She introduced herself only as Lina when she came by early yesterday.”
“Describe her to me,” Kaleb snapped.
“She’s blonde, large breasts, tall and long legs. She has the same spots along her jaw as you do, although hers are more visible. They’re a light brown against her golden skin.” Vedix pushed his hand through his hair.
That would make it much easier to find her and it explained why she was stashing packs. In tiron form, she would be golden and unable to blend with the other Santir here. Kaleb wondered just how a female shifter became mixed up with Central Command and just how far she intended to go. Would she actually try to take a mate off the planet?
“Did she ask any questions or speak to anyone for any length of time?” Shard stepped forward, looming over the short, thin man.
“The same people you spoke to, she spoke to,” Vedix answered quickly.
She probably has the woman’s entire history, Shard raged silently. She wouldn’t require much outside information if she knows the woman’s habits. That’s an advantage that we don’t have.
“Do you wish to ask anyone any more questions?” Vedix wrung his hands nervously during the silence that had fallen.
“Did she say when she’d arrived here? How did she come to Nariu?” Shard looked at the man. He stepped forward, close enough to smell a lie if the man tried it.
“She didn’t say, but I got the impression that she’d been here a few days. She assured us that Nerisa wasn’t with you.” Vedix shrank back. His fear carried easily to them on the light wind.
She’s not only stashing kits in preparation—she has been watching us. Shard’s growl rumbled through the researchers’ camp. The low, menacing sound startled several people and a piece of old pottery crashed to the ground, breaking into small pieces.
“If we think of anything we need to know, we’ll return to ask you,” Kaleb informed the man just before he and Shard turned to walk to the skimmers. Now they had to hunt for not just one woman but two—and the second had found a way to get past the sensors of a Veriga-class battleship.
We have more questions now than we did when we came here. Shard activated the skimmer. It hovered and a single toggle took it to a level above the treetops.
Kaleb pulled his skimmer even with Shard’s as they turned toward their camp. Like how she even got close to the planet, much less on it without the sensors picking up her ship, where that ship is and where this little, golden-haired kitten is right now?
If we can find Nerisa soon, we’ll probably come across the woman. Shard turned the skimmer to take it in for landing.
You don’t think that she’ll try to take Nerisa with her? Kaleb raised a brow. Since she’s on her own, she likely didn’t grow up in a thent.
She has been taught more than the basics. The expert method of stashing indicates that she was taught and lived as a shifter at least part of her life. She’ll know the primary laws. Once she finds that Nerisa is on the cusp of transformation, she’ll make plans to leave. The assurance was filled with certainty.
We’ll just have to make sure she doesn’t get the chance. Kaleb clenched his jaw. This woman had lived on the edge too long. It was time she was brought back under the protection of Santir society.
Chapter Three
This part of Nariu was riddled with ruins, some aboveground and some below ground. Dense forest surrounded the remnants of some old civilization. In the end, an offhand remark made by the woman who had shared a tent with Nerisa had led Lina in the right direction.
The woman had said that Nerisa had had an argument with the lead researcher about where they should be searching. Nerisa had believed that there were more buildings outside the valley on the opposite side of the mountain. The lead researcher had considered it a waste of time when the ruins were so abundant within the valley and wouldn’t investigate.
According to the Sendar’s scans, Nerisa had been right. There was an extensive, mostly subterranean complex on the mountain and more beyond the mountain’s slopes. More importantly, someone was in this area. Lina had picked up a sign of life yesterday as she flew a remote scanner drone over the area.
She’d been excited when she had found that sign. She was anxious to get this mission completed. There were too many Santir on this planet. Every time she stepped off the Sendar she took a risk. Just going to the researchers’ camp without being seen required intricate planning and a huge amount of luck. With so many shifters roaming the area, it would be impossible to remain undetected for much longer.
This morning, she just had to make sure she had a clear path and then she could go. As early as it was, she hoped most of the men were still in camp. The sun hadn’t even fully risen yet. She wanted to know where all the Santir were before she went after Nerisa. She sighed as she watched the screens. Counting the Santir in the camp, she noted thirty men were missing.
First, she piloted a remote bot to the sites the men had been searching for artifacts. She found seven of the men busily at work there. Didn’t any of them sleep in? She’d love to be curled up in bed, but finishing this damn mission quickly was too important.
Switching the bots into search mode, she began finding the men in groups of one and two throughout the forest, some much too close to the direction she had to go. She grimaced—going around them was going to take time and care. The bot slowed as it flew through the trees, pausing just inside the tree line at the edge of a clearing.
The large man with the curling black hair strode from the forest. His eyes were focused on the ground. The man was very obviously hunting, but she had no idea what. He wore camouflage-patterned clothing that hugged his body tightly. The only unbroken colors on him were on the pack at his hip and his black boots. He stopped occasionally, looking for signs in the tall grass. She switched the control to manual for a minute, unable to resist the urge to get a closer look. She focused the image on the man’s backside. She sighed in appreciation as his tight pants molded to muscular legs and a gorgeous ass. Those muscles clearly showed as they flexed and relaxed with each step.
Pulling the camera back to a wide view, she noted the man’s location and was preparing to put it on auto again when she saw dark shape creeping through the tall grass toward the big man.
It was a tiron. She frowned as the Santir in animal form kept low to the ground, moving with absolute stealth toward the man walking toward the trees. He seemed completely unaware that anyone was stalking him.
The huge animal with brown-black fur drew close, within pouncing distance. She saw the muscles bunch beneath the sleek fur and then it leapt. The man spun and his arms lifted to catch the huge feline hurtling toward him. This wasn’t anyone’s pet kitty. Standing on all fours, it would probably be almost chest high even on the huge black-haired man.
He didn’t look shocked or frightened. He smiled. For a moment, she wondered if he was insane. A huge tiron jumped him and the man found it amusing.
As the animal’s momentum knocked him off his feet, the tiron changed into the man with brown-black hair she’d seen earlier standing next to Curly Hair. They wrestled, rolling around the clearing. She watched avidly, unable to tear her eyes away from them. She wished she could hear as well as see them. Her imagination was running wild wondering what they’d do next.
Kaleb pinned Shard to the ground. His lips turned up into a satisfied smile as he saw the heat building in Shard’s brown eyes. Kaleb leaned down and ran the tip of his tongue over lips pulled into a tight line. He knew that Shard wasn’t angry, just a little annoyed that he’d ended up on the bottom.
“I got you this time.” Kaleb went to work on Shard’s clothes. He’d known from the tense set of Shard’s shoulders this morning that his bond mat
e needed something to break the tension of the search for Nerisa and the mysterious Lina as much as he did.
Shard’s fingers brushed his as he tried to keep his shirt on. “We do have to find Nerisa and the other woman.”
“And the others are looking. You know we’ve looked here. If you’d really wanted to search, you’d be searching fresh territory. You’re only upset because you were going to lure me here and didn’t get a chance.” Kaleb fastened his lips to Shard’s, thrusting his tongue deep into Shard’s warm mouth.
“But my plan was so much better than this. A nice swim in the river, a long fuck to help us both relax and here you are on top of me in the middle of a field and you don’t appear to have any supplies with you.” Shard raised a brow in challenge.
Kaleb just couldn’t let that go unanswered. He slid his hand down Shard’s hard body until his fingers touched the pack. “I might not be prepared, but I’m willing to take advantage of your foresight.”
He unfastened the closure and slipped his hand inside, searching until he found the slim bottle of lubricant. Bringing it up, he rolled the bottle between his fingers before he lowered his head to lick his lover’s lips.
“We’re going to fuck, and then we’ll have a swim. After that we’ll find those two women and get some answers.” He rolled his hips, rubbing his cock against the cloth covering Shard’s penis.
Shard’s eyes closed and his hips arched, returning the grinding caress. Kaleb tipped his head back, reveling in the sensation of cloth rubbing against his shaft. The soft rasp against his already hard, sensitive cock felt too good. His balls drew tight to his body. He took a deep breath and grabbed for control. He wanted to be inside Shard when he came. And he wanted to give Shard a hard, satisfying orgasm before that happened.
He pulled back, intent on removing Shard’s clothes. He’d just pushed the shirt wide when he felt warm fingers brush his cock a moment before they closed around his balls. The hand tightened, squeezing firmly and rolling his balls. A bolt of fire shot up his spine and his pelvis thrust forward involuntarily. At that moment, he knew he’d lost control and needed to get it back.
Between Two Tiron Page 2
