Ranger Trent (Shifter Nation: Werebears Of Acadia Book 2)

by Meg Ripley

  “Are you ok?” he asked, kneeling before her on the bed. His cerulean eyes were peering into hers, and he took both of her strong, slim hands in his. “You saved me, Caden.”

  “How did we get here?” She felt no pain as she sat on the foamy mattress, and her hair was unbound around her shoulders. She let the sheets fall to her waist as she reached forward to press Umi’s shining face between her palms, and a current of something she couldn’t quite name passed between them. Her body was naked, but she was healed from the injuries she knew she should have died from. She slipped her thumb over the fullness of Umi’s mouth, and he shivered, smiling as she gazed at him in silent wonder. “How did you save me?”

  “I ran,” he said softly. “When you ripped out one of its neural sacs, the fluid got all over you and starting eating through your skeletal frame.” His eyes were dark with fear as he spoke, and Caden realized she could hear the quick pounding of his hearts. “I ran. You were screaming, and…I thought I was dying, Caden.” He laughed, and the sound was bittersweet---like the windchimes she used to see on Earth outside some houses when she was leaving a patrol to go back to the hub. It made her sad without quite knowing why. “I was healing you while I ran.”

  Caden gasped. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

  Umi’s eyes burned into hers. “Neither did I.”

  The silence stretched between them, and Caden’s mind burned with questions-- she wanted to ask why he tried so hard, why he kept running for what must have been two or three hours while carrying something twice as heavy as he was, how he was even standing up and conscious, even though it surely couldn’t have been more than half a day since the meeting had passed. The words were there in her mind, but like earlier, she found herself answering them as soon as they had been formed—and the answers were all the same. It was the same reason he had found himself unable to deal with the idea of leaving her dying body behind if something went wrong, the same reason that she squared up in front of a beast that very nearly killed her—the same reason she found herself unable to look or pull away from him now. She could hear the thudding of his twin hearts, and it was far faster than it should have been; she began to wonder why, and again the answer came immediately, and was the same as the others. She felt her lips curl upward slowly, and saw Umi’s beautiful face light up in response. They—and their energies-- were entwined, like two separate particles spinning thousands of micrometers apart in space but still inexplicably bonded together in rhythm. They had been, ever since their energies mingled and Umi healed her body; it was the reason for the warm, gently tingling feeling wrapping around her heart, her sudden clarity in the face of death. She let herself feel it before she opened her mouth to speak.

  “I love you,” Caden whispered. Umi was silent, and she was afraid she was wrong, and was ready to recoil in shame; then he surged forward and kissed her, pushing her back onto the bed with his powerful body as he tore away the sheet from her naked flesh. He knelt back, and Caden could feel the weight of his gaze taking in her small, tight breasts, the curve of her stomach, her strong, slim thighs and the shock of dark hair between them. She saw his eyes brighten until they were almost white, and her pussy clenched with desire when she saw his cock rise from his curly green pubic hair, thick and long, as his kilt dropped away.

  “I love you, too,” Umi said, and his voice was rough with desire. Caden spread her legs wide, and her hand moved to pass over her vulva automatically, relishing how sensitive she was now that each of her nerve endings and circuits were buzzing with activity. Her lips were already slick with her juices, and her hips were moving slowly, almost imperceptibly, against the weight of her hand. Her other hand was pulling on her nipple, twisting the nub until it puckered and grew erect.

  Umi lowered his mouth to her breast as he pressed the head of his member on her hot, wet opening. He sucked her nipple between his lips, teasing it with his teeth until Caden cried out in pleasure, pressing her hips upward in an attempt to pull him inside. He left her nipple and kissed the soft skin of her neck, raising his eyes to meet her gaze before he slowly pushed himself into Caden’s wet pussy.

  It was like a door opening inside her--- she could feel the force of his love, his passion, his unbelievable need to stay inside her as long as he possibly could, and the desire to make it last forever. Every inch of her velvety walls was being massaged by Umi’s steely member, and she wrapped her legs around his strong hips, gasping as he pulsed deep inside her soaking pussy. She gazed at his gorgeous features as he slowly drew his cock out and rushed back inside, marveling at the exquisiteness of his expression, even in the throes of passion. His eyes were glowing softly, moving across her features and lowering to take in the bounce of her perky breasts as he thrust between her legs. His strokes intensified, and Caden felt the first stirrings of euphoria start to build in her core. She wanted to stay like this, being pounded by his beautiful, powerful body until she couldn’t move or speak from the mind-blowing pleasure.

  “Umi,” she moaned deliriously as his cock moved faster more forcefully inside her. Every stroke brought another streak of incredible pleasure ripping through her body, and she tried to focus on meeting his passionate strokes with the motion of her hungry hips. He kissed her lips roughly, burying himself as deep inside her as his body would allow. Caden shrieked in pleasure, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders as he thrust against her hips frantically. Her body was starting to tighten around him, and his moans were growing higher and more frenzied. One of his hands fisted in her silky red hair, and Caden looked down at his lean body as he propelled himself between her slick walls, pounding against her g-spot so hard that the air was sapped from her lungs. His mouth opened, and a low moan poured over her body like molasses, triggering an orgasm so violent she felt her nails rake down Umi’s muscular back before she could stop herself.

  “Caden!” Her name left Umi’s lips as a passionate cry, and she felt her walls clench around his thickness as his cock twitched and spasmed, emptying inside her. He kept thrusting against her, and his weight rubbed against her swollen clit, provoking another slow wave of ecstasy that tightened the muscles in her thighs and inner core. She bucked against him weakly as he kissed her again, and he moaned with satisfaction. Then he pulled back and slid off of her, and, to her dismay, found his kilt to dress again.

  It seemed wrong to jump back into action after having such an incredible first time together, but Caden realized she still hadn’t been debriefed. She pulled the white sheet around her, watching Umi’s muscled ass disappear behind his green garment. Something had changed between them; they were both smiling and meeting each other’s eye far more easily than before. It’s the bond, she thought suddenly. It didn’t seem like that profound a change, but it was there—in the he looked at her, the way she wanted to be constantly touching him, and the jab of pain in her heart when she thought about when she might need to leave him again. This is love, she thought, and it surprised her; Caden had assumed love would be a weakness. A sort of Kryptonite, she liked to think. But it had enabled her to take down a monster she never thought she could take down while clear-headed. Love had done that, and it made her happier than she’d ever been; who needed to be fearless when love could teach you to use it as a weapon?

  “What’s next?” Caden mused aloud.

  “Well, now that you’re awake, we need to go meet with the High Council.” He smiled when she didn’t react, and Caden blushed. “I take it you overheard us speaking. Lia will be there, and she’ll explain it better than I can.”

  “Is something wrong?” Caden felt fear trickle into her bloodstream, remembering that she was millions of miles from homes. “What am I here to do?”

  Umi looked embarrassed. “Well, you’re here to protect me while I help my planet try to stop its impending doom.” He laughed. “You look surprised now. I’m just kidding. Kind of.”

  “Umi, be serious!” Caden stood, and was satisfied to see that he was very distracted by her naked body. “
Eyes up here.”

  His light brown skin took on a bluish tint, and Caden realized he was blushing. “Sorry. I’m trying to think of an easy way to explain it before you have to get dressed to meet them.” He paused, and his eyes closed again as he accessed his memory banks. They opened again a moment later, and he smiled excitedly.

  “Superman’s planet was destroyed by natural forces? It imploded because of internal forces, and he never knew his home planet because of it.”

  Caden nodded slowly. “This isn’t making me feel better, Umi.”

  “It’s not like this yet,” Umi said. “There’s at least a handful of ways to stop it. One of those ways involves going down into the crust of our planet where only machines can go, in order to destabilize a pocket of energy that is threatening life.” He hesitated. “But the machines get too hot for us to pilot, and remotes stop working at a certain distance.” He gazed at her, apparently unwilling to go on.

  Caden frowned, wondering what it was that he wasn’t saying. Then the answer came a moment later. “You need us to go down for you,” she said slowly. “You need cyborgs to pilot the machines.”

  Umi nodded. “But I won’t make you, or anyone else, do anything you don’t want to. I won’t make anyone do anything until they’re informed.”

  “I’ll help,” Caden said quietly.

  “What?” Umi’s voice was laden with panic. “Caden, it’s dangerous. We don’t even know how dangerous. A cyborg has never done this, not on this planet.”

  Caden smiled impishly at Umi. “You mean I get boldly go where no cyborg has gone before?”

  Umi blinked his lovely blue-green eyes. “That’s not from comics.”

  “Star Trek had comics, too,” Caden insisted. “That’s not the point. I want to do this.” Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she took hold of Umi’s hands as she spoke. “I’m awake now. I can do this. For the first time ever---even though I was created for a specific task—I feel like I have real purpose.” She pulled him toward her and kissed him gently, and she felt him soften against her lips. When she pulled back, he was smiling, too. “Let me do this for you,” Caden said. “Let me help. I’ll do whatever the council agrees is best in the end. What do you say?”

  Umi seemed to battle with his emotions for a moment, and his eyes closed again. When the opened, they were clear and decisive. He smiled, and Caden’s hear skipped a beat. “My hero,” he said, and leaned forward to pull her into his arms.

  THE END

  Captured By Two Aliens

  PART ONE

  “I'm coming! I'm coming! I'm coming!” Rachel hollered across her empty living room as she made a mad dash across her apartment wearing nothing but a towel to reach the ringing cell phone she'd forgotten in her purse.

  She knew hollering at the phone wasn't going to make the caller on the other end stay on the line any longer, but she couldn't help it. She delved into her purse, releasing the towel in her haste. Her hands found the cell phone in the same moment the towel hit the floor. She'd forgotten to close the curtains, and any passerby on the street would easily be able to see into her second story windows, but this call was too important to miss. She slid her finger across the screen to answer the call, hoping for the good news she'd been longing to hear.

  “OK. I see. Thanks very much. Yes, of course. There's always next time,” Rachel spoke methodically into the phone and then pressed a button to end the call.

  Forgetting about the towel, Rachel walked despondently back across the room, the moonlight streaming through the windows, gently highlighting every curve of her tall, slim frame. Her long, flaming red hair cascaded down her back and shimmered in the soft light. She rummaged listlessly through her dresser drawer and slipped on a black satin thong. She had intended to locate its matching bra, but the effort seemed too much to bother with at the moment. Feeling deflated, she sat down instead.

  “I can't believe they passed me over for some girl from Alaska. Alaska!” Rachel whispered incredulously, sitting on the edge of her bed, bare-breasted and forlorn.

  She had really thought that this audition was the one. She had risen above the majority of the competition, and even received a call-back this time. But the chestnut-haired twit with the blue eyes and clueless, perky smile ended up with the part. Rachel had no doubt that the Alaskan girl fucked her way into the role, and that was the only reason Rachel wasn't the one rehearsing on set right now. It wasn't that Rachel was a prude—she liked sex just as much as the next girl—but she wasn't exactly what one would call “wild,” and she certainly couldn't fathom sleeping with some director or producer to make her career happen.

  She was beautiful, talented and intelligent—that should count for something, right? At least, that's what Rachel had thought four years ago when she arrived in L.A. But, years later and no acting jobs in sight left her thinking that unless she was ready to add “Blow Jobs 101” to her résumé’s list of academic accomplishments, she wasn't landing a career-launching role anytime soon. She flopped back on her mattress and stretched her arms above her head.

  Her dream of becoming an actress wasn't unique, she knew—it was the dream of a multitude of young women. But, Rachel wasn't only interested in fame and fortune. With stardom came the opportunity to effect real change in the world. People would listen when she spoke and pay attention to the causes that were important to her. When she supported a foundation seeking to end world hunger, others would follow in her footsteps, and together they would make change happen. But, so many years later and the only impact she'd made was providing a finer dining experience for too-rich restaurant-goers with more money than manners.

  Rachel stared out her window, always fascinated by the multitude of stars that blanketed the sky, and honed in on one that appeared particularly bright tonight. It seemed to almost flicker in the dark sky, and each time it was brighter than before.

  “Would it be totally ridiculous of me to wish on a star?” she queried aloud wryly.

  But the longer she stared at the bright light in the sky, the more it compelled her. She was drawn to it, so much so that seemingly of its own volition, her body sat upright and leaned forward. It wasn't enough. Rachel stood and crossed the few steps from the bed to the window, her eyes never leaving the bright star. Her hands rose to press against the window in front of her, as if beseeching it to move her closer to the star trapped in her gaze.

  “OK. Here goes nothing,” she conceded, feeling a little foolish. But a nagging voice in the back of her mind got louder; it assured her that there was nothing foolish in what she did now.

  “I want to be a leader. I want to make change happen. I want to live in a world where what I've done has mattered somehow,” she wished aloud.

  She felt ridiculous, but the task was done and over with now. And a calm, comforting feeling washed over her. She moved gracefully toward her closet, her hips swaying gently, and reached for a form-fitting, silky cream-colored tee and a pair of boy-cut shorts. She slipped on the clothes, her breasts pressing firmly against the fabric of her shirt, her nipples clearly visible through the light-colored material. The shorts barely covered her ass and hugged every curve. Though definitely not traditional lingerie, the outfit made her feel incredibly sexy, and since she was the only person in her apartment tonight, she could sleep in whatever outfit she chose.

  Rachel crawled beneath her covers, enjoying the feel of the lightweight fabric of her sheets caressing her bare skin. She'd worry about her non-existent acting career in the morning. For now, she held onto that calm, peaceful feeling and within moments, she drifted off to sleep.

  ****

  She awoke slowly, stretching languidly to feel the soft rub of the bed linens. But the sheets weren't covering her body. With her eyes still closed, she felt around the mattress for their softness, thinking she must have kicked them off during the night. But she didn't find the plush texture of her mattress beneath her hands. Instead, her hand made contact with a smooth, cool surface. Rachel's eyes were open i
n a flash, but the darkness surrounding her made the action pointless. She couldn't remember her apartment ever having been so dark before. She moved to sit abruptly, but she couldn't bring herself upright. Her arms and legs were free to move, but her torso was immobilized.

  She tried to remain calm, fighting the panic rising within her. Rachel's first thought was that something happened to her. Had she somehow suffered some injury that caused damage to her spine? But the last thing she remembered was climbing into bed, perfectly healthy and uninjured. Certainly, a fall from the height of her bed could not cause serious damage. And how could she move her arms and legs if she had suffered a spinal injury? She fought to sit upright again, lifting her head off the hard surface beneath her. While still immobilized, the action reassured her that she had definitely not suffered a paralyzing injury; too much of her body could move freely.

  But then, fear rose to the forefront of her mind. If she weren't injured, why on earth couldn't she sit up? And then the room illuminated and she could see her surroundings clearly. What she saw was not the interior of her bedroom; she didn't recognize anything at all. She began to fight vigorously against the invisible bindings keeping her in her current position. Seemingly out of nowhere she heard a voice.

  “Please. Do not hurt yourself. I will release the hold on you. It was only meant to keep you safe from injuring yourself,” a deep, husky voice spoke, but Rachel could not find the source.

  She stopped thrashing and suddenly she could move freely. In one swift movement, she was upright and off the cold, hard surface that had confined her a moment prior. Her eyes darted around frantically, searching for a way out, but finding no obvious means of escape.

  “Who are you? Why am I here? What do you want from me?” She questioned frantically.

  A door slid open and a figure walked slowly, carefully into the room. “I am not here to hurt you Rachel. I promise you that,” the figure with the deep, husky voice tried to assure her.