The boys love girls
The girls love curls
The cabras bleat
About the reet
It’s time to eat
Eat! Eat! Eat!
I looked down at the flowers in my hand one last time and said goodbye to the old Natalie. The barren stalk of helixgrass reminded me of my old self, of how shriveled my emotions used to be. Now they resembled the lush heads of helix that filled the meadow — well, before the battle trampled them into the ground.
A memory flashed in my brain. Amma bent over me as I lay dying in the meadow. The meadow. She seemed obsessed with the place, but for no reason I could figure out. Everything around me grew fuzzy, out of focus, as my brain worked to solve a puzzle I hadn’t even known existed.
Something…something…
I spun on my heel and hurried back to the lab, bursting in as Jorek reached for more samples. He jumped when I slammed the rotting bouquet onto his work table.
“You tested these, right?”
“What?”
“The helixgrass, the reddish one with the billion seeds.”
He quirked an eyebrow at me. “First of all, that plant doesn’t have a billion seeds. Second of all, yes. I tested it twice. Seeds, stalk, leaves, I tested it all.”
Frustration boiled in my chest. I’d been so sure.
I’d never wanted to punch something more in my entire life. It was totally irrational but there it was. The days of compartmentalizing my emotions were over, it seemed.
Still, something nagged at me. Something to do with helixgrass.
“When?”
“First, just after I got here. Then again when Markon gave them to you. Why?”
I couldn’t shake the flicker of an idea that flared in my brain. “Test it again.”
“But—“
“Do it!”
Jorek shrugged and reached for the stalk.
“No,” I nearly shouted. “Just the seeds.” I pinched several off my table and dropped them in his palm.
My own palms grew sweaty as I paced the tiny hut, watching his every move as he prepared the sample. Finally, he slipped the slide onto the microscope’s stage. After tucking an errant strand of black hair behind his ear, he adjusted the focus and added a drop of reet extract.
The air in the hut grew so hot and stagnant my lungs burned…until I realized I was holding my breath. I couldn’t remember ever feeling so anxious. I tried to chalk it up to my new Warg-ness, but I suspected I would have felt the same as a Terran. An entire species’ future depended on the results.
Jorek pulled back from the eyepiece but didn’t say a word. Didn’t even look at me. Instead, he pulled the slide off and quickly prepped another. When he repeated the process, my heart started beating again, three times faster than it should have.
“Well? What do you see?”
28
Markon
“Gotta hand it to you, little brother, the tribe has thrived under your command. ‘Course, you almost got them all killed, so I guess it’s a wash.”
Thrane slapped me on the back, a little harder than necessary, and gave me a wicked grin. All around us, cheerful Wargs danced around the bonfire, enjoying their last night in their ancestral home.
“Good thing you came back, huh?”
“Damn straight.”
“Just don’t go thinking you’re the boss again, Thrane. I know it’s not going to be easy for you to give up control, but this is the only way—“
“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled, giving me a hard shove. “It’s the only way for our species to survive. I know, I know. Now tell me, how’s mated life treating you?”
“Um, good.”
His flaming orange eyes narrowed to slits. “You hesitated. What, she not cutting it in the bunk?”
My growl rumbled across the commons, stopping everyone in their tracks for a split second before they continued their revelries. They were used to hearing their two alphas growling at each other, especially over the past several days. Thrane raised his hands at my hot glare.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to overstep. Won’t happen again. But you can’t deny you hesitated.”
I let his apology hang between us for a moment to let it sink into his thick head that everything had changed. No one, including my own brother, could speak that way about my mate. Not ever, unless they wanted a serious ass-kicking, as Natalie called it.
But he was right. I’d hesitated.
“This week has been one form of torture after another,” I finally sighed.
It didn’t even need explaining that the worst, of course, had been nearly losing Natalie. I’d been out of my mind with grief, but the instant my fangs sank into her cold flesh, I knew Amma was right. The visions of our happy family returned, but this time accompanied by a serenity that warmed my very soul.
“First Natalie, and then her recovery. Thank the Elders that Amma helped Binkor treat her injuries or I’m not sure what the outcome would have been. Then those interminable discussions with the council.”
“Don’t get me started,” Thrane huffed in agreement.
“I was very impressed with how controlled you were, by the way. You didn’t yell at them once.”
“Probably because I agreed with their hesitation in moving the entire tribe down to the Valley. Not so long ago, that would have meant certain death for all of us. Now…”
“Now we have a greater enemy who could easily bring a dozen of those shuttles in the meadow and slaughter us before we even knew they’d landed. At least in the Valley, we’ll have the forest protecting us in all directions, including up. Besides, it’s going to take time and practice for us all to learn to fight together. We’re so used to fighting each other.”
“I still can’t believe you’re pushing for females to join the fight, but I gotta say, I’m looking forward to training them.”
Thrane waggled his eyebrows and shot me another devilish grin.
“Elders help us all,” I laughed, my eyes flicking over to Natalie’s lab again.
I hadn’t seen her since breakfast, and my body ached for her. The only sign of life in the hut was a dim light burning within. Several times over the course of a very busy day, I found myself wanting to check on her, but she’d asked me not to.
“That’s another thing I can’t believe,” Thrane said, shaking his head. For the first time in a long time, his hair was clean and streamed perfectly down his back. “You just let her stay cooped up with that Valley sc— sorry, our Valley cousin — all damn day. I’d gut the man first.”
“Jorek’s not so bad. He’s certainly no competition. Now, if he touched her, I’d tear his throat out, but I don’t have any worries about that. Besides, she needs his help to find a cure.”
Thrane snorted. “Like that’s gonna happen. But I guess people hang onto hope by their claws sometimes.”
Almost as if she’d heard Thrane’s comment, Natalie threw open the door of her hut and strode out to the center of the commons. Flames from the fire burned brightly behind her, outlining her deliciously curvy frame.
That had been the final torture for me — not being able to consummate our union. Amma had forbidden it, warning that Natalie needed to heal. At first, such thoughts never entered my mind. My only concern was for her survival. But Warg beasts heal quickly, and as soon as she was able to shift to her womanly form, we could barely keep our hands off each other. Still, as I waited to get the all-clear from Binkor, I somehow managed to stay strong and resist her temptation, no matter how much she kissed and fondled and stroked me. Such exquisite torture.
“Excuse me!” she shouted to the throng. “Can I have everyone’s attention please!”
“What’s she up to?” Thrane asked, but I had no clue.
It took a few moments for the crowd to quiet down enough that the only sound was the crackling of the bonfire. All eyes turned to her and Jorek, who stood half a step behind her, looking positively dazed. A sour ball settled in my stomach at her impending announ
cement.
“Told ya,” Thrane muttered, but his voice held no satisfaction.
“As you all know, Jorek and I have meticulously tested every plant on the Hill in search of the missing piece of our fertility problem,” she started. “I want to thank each and every one of you who took the time to bring us samples and to feed us when we worked late. With Binkor’s help, we catalogued every species to be sure we didn’t miss any. We tested each one twice and even tried mixing them together, but the cure eluded us.”
The crowd sighed collectively, disappointed but not surprised. Everyone had hope, but few had faith. Now even the hope had been dashed.
“But something happened today.”
Even the fire faded into silence as every Hill Warg held their breath. Eyes grew as wide as eggfruits, and mates clutched at each other. Ripples of tension shimmered in the air like heat waves.
“Today, I remembered that the chemical structure of some species changes as the plant matures. The unripe seeds of helixgrass yielded only disappointment when we first tested them.” She held out a sagging, brown stalk, the ravaged end curling around on itself. “The ripened seeds, however, yielded different results.”
Teema stepped forward, her normally pink cheeks ashen and her voice wavering with emotion. “W-what are you telling us, Natalie?”
Natalie smiled at her friend and then sought my gaze. She could deny the existence of fated mates all she wanted, but I knew the truth. Only fateds enjoyed a strong enough connection to know what the other was about to say. In that moment, a whoop swelled in my throat before she even opened her mouth.
“We found the cure!”
29
Natalie
Before I even finished speaking, roars and cheers erupted from the crowd, and bodies swarmed us. Jorek disappeared in a sea of jubilant half-naked males. Teema was the first to reach me, pulling me into a tight embrace, and then we, too, were surrounded. I craned my neck, trying to find Markon in the sea of happy faces, but even at my height, I couldn’t see over their heads.
“Move!” The heart-stopping bellow drowned out the din of voices and the crowd parted for their alpha.
Markon, his green eyes flashing and his bronze skin glistening in the firelight, stalked up to me, his teeth bared. Before my transformation, I might have wondered if he was angry, but my new body — my beast — instinctively sensed his arousal and howled in response. Without a word, his big arms scooped me up and cradled me to his body as he stalked back out the way he’d come. When our lips met, another wild cheer ripped across the commons.
He broke our kiss and stared so deeply into my eyes that I felt it all the way down to my toes. “If you’re not ready yet, tell me now because the minute the door to our hut closes, I mean to take you.”
Thrills zipped through me, stoking my need for him into a blazing inferno. Amma be damned — I wasn’t going to wait any longer to make love with my mate.
“Take me,” I breathed against his lips.
His arms tensed around me and his pace quickened as we left the revelers behind. A savage rumble reverberated through both our bodies as our beasts urged us to hurry.
The moment the door closed, though, Markon grew gentle, carefully laying me down on the cot. I wanted him to rip my silk garments from my body, I yearned for him to take me fiercely, but his caution touched me so deeply tears sprang to my eyes.
With great care, he lay on his side next to me and removed my garments, his fingers tracing the jagged, red scar on my midsection. I couldn’t read his mind, but I could read him. He was worried about hurting me, and my heart swelled at the love that flowed and pulsed between us.
Covering Markon’s hand with mine, I guided it to where I needed it to be. The instant his finger slipped inside me, I nearly exploded. I bucked against his hand and begged him to kiss me. Soft lips whispered against mine, teasing me, as his fingers did, and enjoying my impatience.
As much as he tried to hide it, his desire and need boiled just under the surface, I could sense it. It ran just as fiercely through my veins. The only difference was that I could no longer hold back.
My fingers skimmed down his chest, the muscles quivering in my wake, and wrapped around his cock. The old detached Natalie would have been fascinated at the correlation between the intensity of my grip and the intensity of his kiss, but I just smiled against his lips and pulled until he pressed up against my entrance. For a just a breath, he hesitated, searching my face and very essence for any hint of doubt. He found none.
“Natalie,” he said, his voice thick, his body trembling. “I claim you as my mate. Do you claim me?”
“I do. I claim you, Markon.”
With a guttural growl, he plunged into me and my world turned upside down and inside out. Golden wisps and blinding sparks of light flashed behind my eyes with each thrust of his hips. As pressure built inside me, green wisps joined my golden ones in a dance, twining around one another until they merged into a single strand that glowed brightly enough to light the universe.
And then I knew.
A cry of joy ripped from my throat and tears spilled freely down my face. I’d been so blind. The truth had been staring me in the face all along but I’d refused to see it.
Fated mates did exist.
All this time, I’d wanted someone to love me for me. So shortsighted. With our union, Markon and I had become one — separate but connected in a way my puny brain couldn’t comprehend. Everything he felt, I felt. My need became his. If I’d settled for mere ‘love’, I would have cheated myself.
Sienna had tried to explain it all, but I’d dismissed it as serotonin-induced delusions. But the power of the bond Markon and I now shared threatened to suck me under.
Instead of fighting it, as the old me would have, I succumbed, allowing my body, mind and soul to float freely on this river of love. What a frightening concept that would have been to me only a week ago, but now it seemed as natural as breathing.
My arms and legs wound around Markon, pulling him deeper into me as I basked in the unflinching certainty that no one could ever break the link between us. His fingers snaked deep into my hair, pulling my head back and exposing the bite marks that had saved my life.
When his lips pressed against the spot, I clenched around him, drawing a feral growl. When he sucked on it, my body convulsed, sending him into a frenzy. When his fangs pierced the healing wound, all the stars in the galaxy coalesced into a blinding supernova that shattered my very existence.
Wave after wave of love and light rolled over me as Markon pounded into me, drawing out my orgasm for what seemed like hours. Only when his own climax approached did he release me from his bite to throw his head back and let out a deafening roar.
Later, as I lay snuggled in his arms and drifting off into bliss, Markon’s hand slipped down to caress my stomach.
“I can’t wait until your belly is heavy with my whelp.” He kissed my shoulder and hugged me tighter. “I wonder how long before the next girl is born.”
A slow smile spread across my lips, recalling my lunch — a steaming bowl of helix-seed mash accompanied by a special treat Jorek pulled from the supplies he’d brought from the Valley.
A single reet cake.
“With any luck, just about nine months.”
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About the Author
New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Marina Maddix is a romantic at heart, but hates closing the bedroom door on her readers. Her stories are sweet, with just enough spice to make your mother blush. She lives with her husband and cat near the Pacific Ocean, and loves to hear from her fans.
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Copyright © 2016 by Marina Maddix
All rights reserved.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are obviously a work of fiction or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author, as well as being highly unlikely.
This story contains sexually explicit material, and is intended only for persons over the age of 18. All of the characters involved in the sexual situations in this story are intended to be 18 years of age or older, whether they are explicitly described as such or not.
The cover art for this book makes use of licensed stock photography. All photography is for illustrative purposes only and all persons depicted are models.
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Markon's Claim: A SciFi Shifter Romance (The Last Alphas of Thracos Book 2) Page 15
