The Last Marine

by Cara Crescent

  “Is that all?” One of Lucan’s brows arched. “I’m having trouble imagining you being alone with a woman like that for a week and leaving her alone.”

  Griffin shrugged. “We’re lovers. I’m not sure where we’ll go from here.”

  Lucan’s gaze pinned him in place. “Where do you want to go from here?”

  “Christ, that’s a loaded question.” He wanted a civvy job. He wanted Prudence to call him babe when she interrupted his work. He wanted kids. He wanted to live close to Lucan and get to know him again. “I’ve still got a few things to settle.”

  “Damn it, Griffin, you got to stop with this shit. You do not carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. You don’t. You can pretend otherwise forever, but you’ll never get a chance to be happy.”

  Griffin leveled him a glare. “You done?”

  “No. I’m just getting started—”

  Chapter 28

  Griffin walked past, ignoring Lucan’s curse. “Well, I’m ready to meet your hubby.” Sometimes that old adage about safety in numbers was true. Like when little brothers got too smart for their own good. He must have still had his angry face on, because as he approached, Prudence’s eyes widened. She jumped up and rushed over to him.

  “Merrick is very nice.” She looked up at him with pleading in her lavender-eyes. “Don’t hurt him. You’ll upset Lucan.”

  Griffin opened his mouth, but clamped his lips shut again in defeat. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Prudence and buried his face in her hair. Her body went soft against his and she enfolded him in her embrace. For a moment, everything fell into place and made sense.

  With her lips to his ear, she asked, “You all right, baby?”

  “Yeah.”

  He straightened and threw his arm over her shoulder, anchoring her at his side, hoping to hold onto the sense of peace she brought him.

  Lucan took Merrick’s hand and brought him over to where Griffin stood. “So, uh, Griff, this is Merrick.”

  A smile spread on the giant’s face, softening his features and making him appear a bit more human. “Glad to see you in one piece, Chief.”

  Griffin shook Merrick’s hand. “Thanks.”

  Merrick released his hand and flung his arm over Lucan’s shoulders, his gaze full of challenge. “We good?”

  Griffin checked Lucan’s reaction, but his brother seemed fine with Merrick’s possessive act, he even leaned in closer to the larger man which put the remainder of Griffin’s fears to rest.“Yeah. Lucan says you treat him well. As long as that remains true, we’re good.” He glanced at Prudence. “This is Angelica.”

  Prudence shook both men’s hands, but held on to Lucan for a heartbeat longer. “Griffin’s told me all about you. I loved what I saw of your artwork.”

  Lucan pulled Prudence away and escorted her back into his shop. “You pick out anything you like and it’s yours.”

  Merrick rolled his eyes. “He gives away as much as he sells.”

  “I believe it.”

  “Come on in.” Merrick clapped him on the shoulder and headed back to the shop. “We live upstairs. You’re welcome for dinner and we’ve got a spare room if you need someplace to stay.”

  Griffin nodded. “We’d be grateful.”

  However, when they reached the shop, Merrick pulled the door shut instead of walking through and joining the others. He scowled. “The Blue Helmets are looking for Angelica.”

  Shit. He searched Merrick’s face, but couldn’t tell if he was warning him or letting him know he planned to turn them in. “They’re looking for a lavender-eyed woman.”

  Merrick snorted. “There were a lot of Lythonian women on Genesis V, huh?”

  Their eyes locked, but the son of a bitch wasn’t backing down. “Do we have a problem?”

  “You’re my brother-in-law.” Merrick sighed. “Where I come from, family sticks together. We’ll keep you both hidden best we can, but eventually, someone’s going to see her. You can’t hide forever.”

  “I’m planning to take care of the problem. I had considered sticking around awhile, but I guess I should head out tomorrow. Can I leave Angel here with you?”

  “Yeah, but . . . .” Merrick stared at him hard. “Did you tell Lucan?”

  “Not in so many words.”

  Those bright blue eyes turned cold. “You and I are going to have a problem if you hurt him again.”

  The door opened and Lucan poked his head out. “What’s going on out here?”

  “We were having a private discussion.” Griffin walked into the shop, forcing Lucan to back up. “Never could get any privacy with you around.”

  “This is my shop, my house.” Lucan winked. “My rules. Let me lock up and we can go upstairs. You both look like you could use a hot meal.” He locked the door, flipped the sign and as he walked passed, took Prudence’s bag from her. “Holy crap, what do you have in here, rocks?”

  Prudence giggled. “Yes. The glowing kind. They did a good job keeping the Scarecrows away.”

  Lucan stopped and turned around. He appeared incredulous. Him and Merrick both.

  Griffin shrugged. “Our pod landed out in the Black Desert near the outpost.”

  Merrick started laughing. “Those old coots out there have never even tried to cross the desert—they’re too damn scared—but you two made it across?”

  “Yeah, well, Angel here didn’t give me much of a choice.” He shot her a teasing frown. “She kept taking off by herself.”

  “And you couldn’t let her go.” Lucan shook his head. “Griff’s always had a streak of responsibility about ten miles wide.”

  “Is that what you call it?” She scoffed, shooting Griffin a wink. “He wanted to use me for a hostage.”

  Lucan’s eyebrows shot up. “Did he now?” He put his arm around her and started up the steps in the back of the shop. “Well, you’re safe now, sweetheart. I won’t let him bother you. Why don’t you tell me all about the big bad Griffin?”

  Griffin pushed past Merrick and pulled Prudence to his side. “We worked all that out.”

  Lucan shot Prudence a conspiratorial wink and led the way upstairs. The upper rooms were no less crowded with art work, most of what Lucan had displayed were pictures of their home and their parents. The stairs ended in the living room with large masculine pieces of furniture positioned in a seating area. Off to one side a door led to what looked like the kitchen and next to that was a dining area. Simple and clean, their living quarters had a homey feel.

  “You have a beautiful home.” Prudence walked over to inspect a painting of the Payne family, which was so detailed it looked more like a photograph than a painting.

  Merrick lowered a table top from the wall, and pulled out four chairs from a nook. “Come sit down, babe. I’ll get dinner.”

  Lucan brought them some glasses and a carafe. “Wine?”

  They both nodded.

  Griffin took his glass and leaned back in his chair. “How long have you been married?”

  “Almost a year. We met the day I arrived. Merrick had a little place up the street and he offered me lodgings.”

  “How long have you been here?”

  “A little over a year and a half.” He sipped his wine. “I was the tiniest bit freaked out when I got off the ship.”

  Merrick, who must have been listening from the kitchen, laughed. “Is that what you call it?” He poked his head out of the kitchen. His smile faded briefly as he met Lucan’s gaze. The little communication was over in done in a heartbeat, but Griffin caught it. “Poor guy still had hibernation sickness, didn’t have a damned thing with him but the clothes on his back. He sat down on the church steps off Main Street and I’m watching him stare at one of the vendor carts and could almost see him calculating out how to swipe some food.”

  Somehow, he had a feeling Merrick was only telling him part of the story.

  “Merrick offered me a job—three square meals and lodgings, included with pay.”

  Griffin frowned. “Doing
what?”

  Quiet laughter rumbled from Lucan. “Not what you’re thinking. He needed someone to do all the paperwork for the town court and jail.”

  Griffin raised his voice so Merrick could hear. “The Blue Helmets don’t take care of all that?”

  “Nope. We police our own,” Merrick said from the kitchen. “The Blue Helmets pretty much stick to the spaceport and Blue Mesa. I play sheriff and judge for Diamond Fjord.”

  “You get a lot of crime?”

  “Nah. Mostly drunken disorderly B.S., and some property disputes. I think it’s just too soon. What happened on Earth is fresh in people’s minds. They don’t want to make the same mistakes. Right now there’s one law—live and let live. People follow it. They have tolerance. Might not last forever, but I expect it’ll last a while longer.”

  “The town is beautiful,” Prudence said. “I didn’t expect anything this advanced.”

  Lucan took a sip of wine. “We’ve got doctors, architects, and programmers, everything you can imagine. It’s just a matter of applying those skills to the resources here on Asteria.”

  “Food’s ready.” Merrick served them each a steamy plate before joining them.

  Dinner comprised some kind of fish—the meat was yellow and lumpy, but tasted buttery and melted in his mouth—a mashed green vegetable which was tart by comparison and black bread with sweet cream. He and Prudence didn’t talk much during the meal, he suspected she was doing the same as he was—savoring every bite.

  After Merrick cleared away the plates and Lucan filled their glasses for the umpteenth time, Griffin sat back with a sigh. “My perceptions might be distorted right now, but that was the best dinner I remember eating.”

  Lucan raised a brow. “Better than Mom’s Thanksgiving?”

  “All right, second best.”

  “What about the barbeque ribs Dad used to make on the Fourth of July?”

  “Third best.”

  Merrick sat down and bumped his shoulder against Lucan’s. “Babe, stop now while I have a little confidence left.”

  Griffin chuckled.

  Prudence wrapped both her arms around one of Griffin’s and rested her head on his shoulder. “I thought dinner was fantastic, Merrick.”

  “Thank you.” He made a little bow. “See, someone appreciates me. And I bet your parents were good cooks, right?”

  She covered her mouth with her hand and yawned. “Well, no, not really.”

  Lucan and Griffin laughed.

  Prudence rushed to smooth things over. “But I did like dinner.”

  Merrick pulled a face. “Thanks, sweetie, but you’ve got nothing good to compare my food to.”

  She settled back against Griffin and for a moment he was at peace. For a few heartbeats he was content to be here. Sharing a meal and a conversation with family, Prudence right at his side.

  But it couldn’t last.

  He had to head out tomorrow. He needed to make sure Prudence remained safe and he had to earn back his honor. “So, how far are we from the spaceport?” Griffin took a sip of wine.

  Lucan frowned. “Doesn’t matter much. The place is locked down tight. Merrick can’t even get in. Only spaceport personnel has access.”

  Griffin’s looked to Merrick. “What about a bribe?”

  “With what?” Merrick leaned back in his seat and stretched his arm over the back of Lucan’s chair. “He’s right. Spaceport personnel have one very good reason to be on guard—their ticket back to Earth. They can’t be bribed. Whatever you come up with, I guarantee someone has already tried it. My first two years here, I tried—I’m ex-Special Ops. The place is impenetrable.”

  “On top of live personnel, they have auto-scanners.” Lucan took a sip of wine. “If you’re not chipped and you’re anywhere within a quarter mile of the place, they’ll see you.”

  “Chipped?”

  Merrick grimaced. “Again, I’ve already tried. Captured a spaceport security guard from Blue Mesa, cut his chip out and implanted it into myself. It was as close as I ever got, and I still didn’t get beyond the front gate. After that you still have to pass a retina scan, live inspection, and a DNA scan. You’re not getting in.”

  Bullshit. There had to be a way. “What about maintenance? Don’t they ever have locals come do any work?”

  Lucan rolled his eyes. “Never. The place is locked down tight.”

  Merrick shook his head. “Look, even if you got past all the security, you need two key codes entered at the same time—one aboard the craft and one from Earth—to launch the ship.”

  No place was impenetrable. The spaceport had a weak spot. And he was going to find it.

  “Why did you come, Griffin?”

  Lucan’s question jarred him from his musings. “I don’t know. I was worried. Couldn’t imagine you being happy here. It’s stupid, I guess. Now that I’m here, I see you’re fine.”

  “I’m glad you came.” Lucan’s smiled. “It’s good to see you.”

  Griffin’s gut tightened. He was glad to see Lucan, too, but he didn’t deserve such consideration from a brother he’d put at risk. He almost preferred Lucan’s lecture from earlier to this. Hearing his anger and hurt was difficult, but it was expected. Warranted. Lucan’s acceptance on the other hand, left him restless and uncomfortable.

  “Angel is out cold.” Merrick grinned.

  Sure enough, she’d fallen asleep leaning against his shoulder.

  Merrick stood. “You want to put her to bed?”

  “Yeah. I’m pretty tired, too. Why don’t we call it a night?”

  Lucan nodded. “Sure. I’m not going to open the shop tomorrow. We can catch up more over breakfast.”

  Griffin stood and lifted Prudence into his arms. “Where do you want us?” He followed Merrick down a narrow passage with low ceilings. They passed a closed door on their right and paused at the end of the hall near an open doorway. Griffin tried to walk through, but Merrick stopped him. “Please don’t leave without talking to him first.”

  Griffin shook his head. “I won’t. I’ll explain everything.” He glanced down at Prudence. “To both of them.”

  “Goodnight, then.”

  “Night.”

  Chapter 29

  Griffin meant to leave tomorrow.

  Prudence kept her eyes closed, but heard every word of the exchange.

  She waited until the door closed and Griffin bent to lay her down on the bed, before she tightened her arms around his neck and did her best “waking up” routine.

  “Didn’t mean to wake you, Angel.”

  “It’s okay. I can’t go to sleep yet. I haven’t had my bath.”

  Griffin walked into the adjoining bathroom and came back. “No bath, just a little CO2 laser shower.”

  “Sold.”

  While she got undressed, she glanced around the little room. They had painted the walls a pale blue and all the moldings and accents white, reminding her of a china plate. A white dresser sat between two windows and the airy drapes hung long enough to pool on the plush carpet. The bed was a deep royal blue, with pale blue and white pillows. She folded her clothes and placed them on the dresser before turning to Griffin. “Please tell me you’re not planning to get between those pristine white sheets without cleaning up first.”

  He gave the bed one last, longing glance before sighing. “Hurry up. I’m right behind you.” She’d climbed into the shower when someone knocked on the door.

  “I got it.” Griffin went into the other room.

  The door slid closed behind her and she flipped the switch and blue-light filled the small chamber. She turned, lifting her arms and shaking out her hair while the Carbon-Dioxide lasers did their job cleaning her skin and hair. After a few moments the chamber went dark and she got out.

  Griffin leaned against the doorjamb, arms folded over his chest, naked as the day he was born. She couldn’t help but admire his muscular physique, and how her mating marks rode low on his abs. Just the sight had her aroused. She liked seeing her marks
on his body.

  Had he noticed? Was that what had him frowning so hard?

  “Who was at the door?”

  “Lucan. Christ, he’s a cheeky bastard.”

  Prudence’s lips twitched. “Why now?”

  “He’s going to wash our clothes.”

  Clean clothes? “Praise the Goddess. I love him even more now.”

  Griffin snorted. “The little shit said breakfast might be more enjoyable if we’re only smelling the food.”

  She gasped. The temperature in her body spiked as a full-body blush engulfed her. She smelled?

  Griffin crowded into her space, chuckling. “Pink suits you.”

  “I can’t face them again.” She buried her face against his shoulder.

  His big hands stroked her back. “I’m pretty sure he was messing around, Angel. I don’t smell anything.”

  “Pretty sure?” She groaned. “Of course you don’t smell anything. We’ve been together.”

  “I’m positive.” His whole body shook with laughter. “I swear to God, he was just trying to rile me.” He bent to nuzzle the sensitive spot on her neck between her ear and shoulder. “Besides, you’re squeaky clean now.”

  “Oh, go take your shower. I’m going to go hide under the covers.”

  His laughter followed her into the bedroom. She folded back the comforter and climbed into bed. She had every intention of seducing her mate, but as soon as her head hit the pillow, she drifted off.

  *****

  Griffin finished his shower and stood in front of the mirror to check on his wounds. Christ, he looked like hell. His hair was a bit too long, he was in dire need of a shave and the claw marks from the Scarecrows covered a good portion of his neck, chest and arms. They were healing, scabbed over and ugly as fuck, but they didn’t look infected.

  He was turning away when something else caught his notice. Below his bellybutton, he had a mark like Prudence’s. He looked down at himself. Christ. What the hell had she done?

  She’d what, mated him? Weren’t the men supposed to do the claiming?

  What the hell had she said last night? When she loved someone and they loved her back her mating marks would transfer. Is that what all this turmoil was? Love? Jesus Christ on Sunday, had he known he’d be claimed by some alien mark because of his unspoken feelings he’d have been more careful because she sure as hell deserved someone better than him.