“It’s been a long time. You’ve learned some things.”
I came up onto my feet, readied myself again. This time when he lunged, I sidestepped and punched him, hitting his jaw. He moved back, circled, working his mouth back and forth.
“That was to warm us up,” he replied. “Ready?”
“You’re circling, Neron. Scared like you were as a kid. There’s no med center to run to this time.” I taunted him, for while the rage drove him, it also blinded him. He wasn’t clearheaded when his temper took over. I remembered he was quick to anger, even when we’d been little.
He narrowed his eyes, lifted his hands once again.
The true fight began. We punched and kicked, hitting targets that were off limits in the practice ring on Everis. But we were millions of miles away and there were no rules now. Kidney punches, low kicks to the knees, jabs at the throat and strikes to the groin, nothing was too brutal.
I had no idea how much time had passed, but years of aggression were fought with fists and feet until we were both bloody, both breathing hard. He’d fallen, I’d fallen. He’d landed a punch to the face and so had I. Kick for kick, punch for punch. Up to this point, it hadn’t been about killing the other, but an equal battle one last time.
But when I stumbled over a tree root and landed on my ass, it all changed. Neron took the opportunity to kick me, a swift roundhouse to the head. While I’d put my hand up as a shield, it had been ruthless. My head was knocked to the side and my vision blurred. I’d bit my tongue, the rusty taste of blood filling my mouth.
He followed that kick with another that struck me hard, the punishing power of his booted foot across my jaw. I fell onto my back and struggled to rise to my hands and knees, my head spinning as I fought to remain conscious. My body ached, my jaw throbbed, nearly dislocated. Little specks of black floated in my vision.
In the corner of my eye I saw Neron walk away from me to where he’d thrown his ion blaster. He picked it up and walked toward me as I struggled to my feet, but stumbled. This was to be my end.
I fisted rocks in both hands and prepared to make my last, desperate move. If I could get the dirt and sand into his face, perhaps I could leap from the ground, distract him before he had a chance to pull the trigger.
He stood two steps away, the blaster aimed directly at my head. We were both breathing hard. “Goodbye, Maddox. When you see Maddie on the other side, let her know your brother will be next.”
I spit blood from my mouth and lurched forward, throwing the rocks and dirt at his face as I rose to a crouch and rushed him. My arms wrapped around his waist as he shouted and fired his weapon. The discharge caused a large group of rocks to explode from the side of the canyon behind my back and fall to the ground.
Pushing with all my might, I drove him backward in an attempt to tackle him, get him off his feet. I was too addled to stand, but I still had a chance in a ground fight.
His fists came down on my spine. I roared with pain but kept pushing forward to tackle him.
A loud shot sounded, echoed and reverberated off the stone walls of the ravine. The woman screamed.
“Aaaaagh!” Neron jerked in my hold but I kept pushing until, seconds later, hot, wet liquid flowed over my right arm and shoulder.
A second shot and Neron’s legs went out from under him. Without any resistance from him, I fell forward and we both went down in a heap. I landed on top of him with a hard thud.
Tensing for a fight, I wrapped my arms around him, ready to resume the struggle, but his body was limp, his arms and legs slack, offering no resistance.
I lifted my head from his torso to look up at his face. His mouth was open, his eyes wide but empty.
He was dead.
Shock made me numb but I turned at the sound of approaching footsteps. A rush of adrenaline had me jumping to my feet, arms raised, only to see my mate marching toward me with her rifle pointed squarely at Neron’s head.
Cassie
* * *
Seeing Maddox fight Neron was an amazing sight. They were both so well skilled at it, so evenly matched, that it had been almost a dance at first. Even though I knew of their past, it was clear they’d done this before, knew each other’s abilities. In a sick tradition I did not understand, they appeared to be enjoying themselves. That was, until the serious fight had begun.
As I pulled my rifle from the saddlebag, I knew the instant the sparring turned to more. The intensity of the kicks changed, the anger behind the punches, the elbows, even the knee strikes. Maddox would have held his own if he hadn’t tripped. When I saw him fall, saw the first and second kick that Neron delivered to my mate’s head, I panicked.
Maddox’s eyes lacked the focus he’d had only seconds before. He was injured. If I could see it, then Neron could as well. This was where Neron would finish him. I couldn’t allow that to happen. So I’d cocked my gun as I approached, raised the weapon and fired. Neron had stood before him and only his upper body was exposed. If my aim was low, I’d shoot Maddox in the back of the head.
But I hadn’t missed. I was too good of a shot and had too good of a reason to aim true. I either had to take the risk, or lose Maddox forever.
And so I’d quickly settled my arms on a rock, aimed and fired. Once, twice. The kick of the shots was powerful, but familiar. I’d shot cans first with Charles, then rabbits. Eventually I’d moved onto bigger game to put on the dining table.
But this moment was defining for me. While Maddox had grown up fighting with Neron as friends, I’d learned how to shoot alongside Charles. With him. When he’d died, I’d become obsessed, practicing as often as possible as a way to escape my loss. My past was what had saved Maddox, had taken the life from Neron faster than the blood seeped from the wounds. I’d used my past to ensure my future.
Nothing, nothing would keep me from my mate.
“Cassie,” Maddox said, his voice full of pain and surprise. He stood, although he weaved and swayed on his feet, unsteady. I moved to stand before him, to stroke his cheek, but he angled his head. “Help her.”
I flicked my gaze to the woman who was tied to the rail. Rising, I went over to her and undid the leather about the rail, then the other one about her wrists. “Hi. I’m Cassie. We’re not going to hurt you. You’re safe now.”
Once the bindings were gone, she flew to her feet and dashed across the ground, grabbing the blaster that had fallen from Neron’s hand after I shot him.
“Cassie, come here. Now,” Maddox said, his voice low and even.
I didn’t say a word as I backed up toward him, all the while keeping my eye on the woman. She was taller than I by several inches, but near the same age. Her hair was dark auburn that made me instantly envious, her skin pale with just a few freckles covering her face. Her eyes were a soft brown and wide in her face as she held the alien weapon in one hand. The other hand she rubbed up and down her blue skirt as if her palm itched or burned. I recognized the motion as one I’d made myself before Maddox appeared.
Maddox’s arm went about my waist and he tugged me behind him. She’d been through an ordeal and I didn’t know what she’d do next.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” Maddox told her, putting his hands out in front of him.
“He’s dead,” I added. “You’re safe now.”
She scoffed at my words and walked forward, holding the blaster pointed at Maddox’s chest. “I don’t believe you. I have eyes. I saw your palm.” She nudged Neron’s shoulder with the toe of her boot. “And his. I know what you are.”
I stepped from behind Maddox to face her, ignoring his order for me to return to safety behind him. “You do?”
She eyed me with more curiosity than menace and I relaxed, waiting for an explanation.
“Yes.” She took a step back, her aim still on Maddox, judging him to be the greater threat. Smart woman. “Show me your palms.”
I lifted my hands before me, as Maddox had done, and her shoulders nearly slumped with relief even as she rubbed her own
palm up and down her skirt with increased vigor. “Is he yours, then? Your marked mate?”
“Yes. He’s mine.”
“Thank God.” She lowered her weapon and apologized to Maddox. “Sorry about that, but you wouldn’t believe the crazy dreams I’ve been having.”
“You’re marked, aren’t you?” I grinned, but my amusement quickly faded as I studied her. My dream sharing with Maddox had been erotic and arousing. Every time I’d thought of them I’d grown wet and needy, not angry or afraid. It appeared this woman was both, and I struggled to come to terms with the possibility racing through my mind. I glanced at Neron’s still form, then back to her. “Was it him? Was he yours?”
She kicked his dead body in the shoulder, not with great force, but as a show of disrespect, of contempt. “No. But I almost wish he had been.”
Maddox sucked in a harsh breath at her words as I tried to soothe her. “I’m sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m leaving now. And I’m taking your horse.”
“All right. Her name’s Cali, short for California. She’s a good horse, smart and doesn’t need much pull on the reins.” I wasn’t about to argue with her. She’d been through hell, and I knew where Maddox had left his gelding. The ride back to the ship would be slow, but we’d get there. And then? I wouldn’t need a horse at all; I’d be headed for a new life on another world.
She glanced at Maddox. “Thank you for saving my life.”
He nodded, his shoulders back even as he struggled to remain on his feet. “You’re welcome.”
We watched as she climbed up onto my painted mare, nudged the animal into motion and turned her to the east. She rode off at a reckless pace, but I could not blame her.
Only then did Maddox pull me into his arms and sigh. He felt good, warm and solid, his heartbeat steady. Taking his hand, I lifted it so I could see the mark, then put mine over his. I felt the heat of it as the connection flared to life.
“I think I’m in love with you,” I whispered, the feeling of contentment and love washing over me, cleansing the horror of what I’d done. I’d just killed a man. A murderer, true, a cold-blooded killer who’d murdered my adopted father, but I could still feel the grief, the weight of Neron’s death on my hands as I held Maddox close. I did not regret the killing, for it had been necessary. But for the first time I was not afraid to leave Earth behind, to leave my home. Maddox was my home now. He was mine to love and to care for, and right now, he really needed to be looked after. “You’re hurt. I brought the ReGen wand. Let me heal you.”
Maddox stiffened and pulled from my arms. “No. Not here. Not where Neron lays dead.” Maddox looked down at his old friend’s lifeless body. “He was my friend once.”
“I know.” I leaned up on tiptoe and kissed his chin. “I’m so sorry, Maddox. I heard everything.”
He shuddered and looked down at me, his heart in his eyes. “I’m done, Cassie. When we get back to Everis, I’ll work with my brother, take my place in the family.” He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to mine. “I’ve lost the taste for the hunt.”
Together, we dragged Neron’s body into the abandoned log cabin and set the place ablaze. I helped him gather his things and we walked back to his horse, who, against all odds, was only a few feet from where Maddox had left him, chewing on fresh prairie grass.
Chapter 15
Cassie
* * *
Of all the new space things Maddox had shared with me, I was most thankful for the ReGen wand. As we stood beside his docile horse, I was able to run the amazing tool over his body, quickly healing every bruise, every sore spot until he was whole and healthy once again.
As I healed him, he lifted his hand to the odd device behind his ear—the O-C, he called it—and contacted the other hunters from his ship.
“Maddox here. Flynn, unless Thorn has completed his mission, you win the bet.”
I could not hear the other men’s replies and assumed their voices were carried directly to Maddox’s inner ear. I listened to his side of the conversation as he described the showdown and the woman we’d rescued.
“She’s marked and she knows about our people. She asked Cassie if we were bonded and demanded to see both our palms.”
One of the men must have said something in reply, for Maddox chuckled. “Yeah, well, she said Neron wasn’t her mate, so either it’s one of the other escapees, or one of you bastards has been dream-sharing with her.”
Maddox informed his friends that we were going back to the ship to recover for a day. “Once Cassie is settled, I’ll head out, help one of you with your hunt so we can get off this planet and go home.”
The others must have denied him, for when he disconnected the communication, he looked at me and smiled. “We’re all alone, Cassie, and they all refused my aid.”
I blinked at him, confused by his smile. “I don’t understand. What does that mean?”
He got to his feet and pulled me into his arms. “It means, I’m done. We will remain on the ship…” he lowered his head so his lips brushed mine as he spoke, “…where I can fuck you, and taste you, as often as I’d like until they return.”
My pulse raced and my nipples pebbled under my dress. “And how long will that be?”
“It could take weeks.”
I smiled. “Then let’s get back to the ship.”
We rode his gelding for several hours, the return trip unhurried. I sat across Maddox’s lap where he frequently forgot about the reins to kiss me breathless or spend long minutes with his mouth exploring my neck or breasts.
When we arrived at the ship. I was thankful for the bathing tub and the instant hot water that filled it. We stripped off our ruined clothing and shared the tub, taking our time to clean each other, removing the dirt and dust. I took special care cleaning my mate, removing the sticky sweat and blood of his battle until the water finally ran clear.
Through all of this, we remained mostly quiet, speaking through touch, through a look, a gentle caress.
But when Maddox finished drying my body and dropped the cloth to the floor at my feet, he finally spoke. “Come here, Cassie.”
Ever since I put my palm in his, I’d been eager for him. Needed him with an intensity that only grew sharper with each passing minute. My pussy was wet in anticipation of his cock and there was nothing to distract us.
“Yes, God yes. Please fuck me.”
I wasn’t modest with him any longer. I knew what I wanted and I would ask for it. Demand it, if required.
Maddox smiled slowly, ran his knuckles down my cheeks. “So eager. That is not what I was speaking of.”
I frowned then. “You don’t want—”
“Oh, I want you,” he cut in. “And I will take you, but not yet. First, you must be punished.”
Taking my hand, he led me out of the bathing room, down the hall and into Maddox’s bedroom—our bedroom. I resisted with each step, but perhaps he’d put our marks together on purpose to assist him, for I could deny him nothing when our marks touched.
“Punished?”
The door slid silently shut behind me. While the other men had yet to return, and we were alone on the ship, I was still thankful for the privacy the door provided.
“You left the ship.”
I nodded. “Yes, because Neron set a trap.”
Maddox wrapped his hand around the back of my neck. “I was aware of that. The map on the comm display showed the area clearly.”
“You never said you knew of the danger. After studying the map, I could see what Neron had planned. The other men called and said they would help, but weren’t close enough to arrive in time. I couldn’t just let you be killed.”
With his free hand, he tipped my chin up so I had to look at him, not his bare chest. “The moment you stepped off the ship, you put yourself in danger. Not only was Neron a danger to you, but the other men who escaped with him. They are still at large. While your mark no longer attracts unmated males, if they found you, they could use you
as leverage for their own ends.”
My eyes narrowed then. “So you were to face Neron alone, even if he killed you?”
“If it meant you were safe, yes!” he countered. “I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you. My life is nothing, Cassie. You are my only priority.”
He released his hold and paced before the bed.
“I couldn’t live with myself is something happened to you,” I countered, crossing my hands over my chest. Realizing I was naked, I grabbed the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around me. “I didn’t leave unprotected. I was armed.”
“Armed with an Earth rifle against an ion blaster? You saw Neron’s weapon. It has a charge that will last for two Earth years.”
“Yes, and now that woman, Elizabeth, has it.”
“She is not my problem. You are mine. And you left the ship when I told you to remain here.”
“But I shot Neron with that primitive weapon. I saved you!”
“Yes, and we were lucky. This time. But in the future, what about then? Will you always go off without thinking? We will be going to a planet you do not know, dangers that could befall you that you aren’t even aware of.”
“Yes! That’s right. You were on a planet you do not know with dangers that could befall you that you aren’t even aware of. Shouldn’t you be punished for your actions?”
Maddox sighed. “It is not the same, Cassie. I have skills, armor, training in combat and many ways to protect myself, to protect you. I will not have you endangering yourself again. Besides, it might not be just you any longer. I’ve taken you repeatedly, Cassie. You are most likely with child.”
I had not thought of that possibility. During the time I was married to Charles, I’d never once conceived and assumed I must be barren. I shook my head. “No, I can’t.”
The Alien's Mate Page 14
