Choosing Riley: Sarafin Warriors Book 1 (20 page)

“I’ll talk to Creon and see what I can do. By
the way, I love your descriptions. You wouldn’t have a few you
could share on a couple of Bobbsey-twins that have been practically
parked up my ass, do you?” Carmen asked humorously.

Riley’s eyes glittered. “Darling, you are
talking to the Queen of Mean. The mouth from Denver. The Bitch
extraordinare. Give me a little background and we can make them beg
for a transfer.”

The next several days passed in relative
quiet, at least after the first night. She had talked Carmen into
helping her find a temporary place to stay until she could sort out
her feelings and deal with what had happened. Vox had not handled
the new sleeping arrangements very well. He had left deep gouges on
the outside of the door when she refused to open it. According to
Carmen, he had gone ballistic when he returned to their living
quarters and found her things gone. He had roared, hissed, and
snarled for over an hour before he realized that she was not coming
out and he was not going to be allowed in. Riley shivered as she
thought about his parting words. He had vowed that when he got his
hands on her, she would never get away from him again.

Lucky for her, she had a few hidden resources
he wasn’t aware of, namely a couple of guys who were having way too
much fun at his expense. Thanks to them, she had gotten really,
really good at hiding from him. If she didn’t know better, she
would think they were enjoying his discomfort. The first clue she
had was when Creon’s face lit up with a huge grin as he showed her
to her new living quarters then proceeded to show her a half dozen
times how to override the system so she could seal it from the
inside. The second clue was when Ha’ven had come trotting up to her
early the next morning with a cool little device that showed Vox’s
exact position at all times on board the
Horizon
. He had
even shown her how to switch to a map that would display ways to
get away from Vox should he get too close. She had eyed the two men
with a cynical look but all they did was grin and slap each other
on the back a lot. She had even approached Carmen about it but all
her new friend did was roll her eyes and mutter something about
little boys and payback.

She spent most of the day with Carmen or
exploring the ship. Her favorite time was when she and Carmen went
to visit with Mel and Cal, two other humans on board. They had been
abducted in much the same way as she had been and sold to the
Antrox as well. The biggest difference was ‘Mel’ turned out to be
‘Melina’. Riley just shook her head in disbelief that no one else
appeared to see through the oversized clothes and the ‘grandson’
references. One look at the way Melina walked and the soft sound of
her giggle was enough for Riley to figure it out.

She had been relaxing with Carmen and Cal
when she put two and two together. She finally answered Carmen’s
question as to how she had ended up with five mates instead of the
one. That was when Melina had given herself away.

“So, who is the scarecrow?” Riley asked
Cal.

“Scarecrow?” Cal repeated confused.

Riley jerked her head toward the cargo crates
where Melina spent her time hiding whenever anyone came into the
repair bay. “Yeah, little miss Priss. Does she think I have cooties
or something?”

Carmen’s soft gasp told Riley she had let the
cat out of the bag. “Granddaughter,” Carmen murmured. “That is why
she stays hidden and doesn’t talk.”

Cal had called out to Melina to join them and
slowly explained why they had decided to continue the ruse. Cal
mentioned that Creon promised that he would return them to Earth
with the understanding that they could never tell anyone about what
happen to them. Riley’s brain froze on those softly spoken words.
Cal and Melina were going to be returned to Earth, so that meant
she would be going as well.

Riley listened absent-mindedly to the
conversation going on around her. A part of her was interested as
Cal relayed story after story of the past four years of their lives
on the mining asteroid but it was only a small part. She was
overwhelmed with sorrow at the thought of never seeing Vox again.
Sure she had been avoiding the big pussy cat, but she always knew
where he was thanks to Ha’ven’s neat little device. She casually
slid it out of the pocket of her skirt and glanced down at the mark
showing Vox was back in their living quarters.

His,
Riley reminded herself.
His
living quarters.
She thought sadly as she watched the tiny spec
on the screen.
I wonder if he misses me as much as I miss
him.

She was just sliding the device back into her
pocket when the door to the repair bay opened and the other twin
who protected Carmen walked in. Melina jumped to her feet and
scurried back between the crates before he had taken more than a
few steps inside. Riley’s eyebrow rose in wonder as she saw the
dark hunger and confusion in the male’s eyes before he shielded
them.

Somebody is not happy,
Riley thought
with a curve of her lips.
And somebody doesn’t realize that Mel
is really Melina if the confused look is any indication of his
feelings.

Life, it would appear, was about to get very
interesting for Melina if Riley had to make a guess. She had seen
the same expressions on the other twin’s face. She wondered how
long it would take before they figured out Mel was a girl. She also
wondered if they would discover it before Cal and Melina made it
back to Earth.

“My lady, your mate wishes to see you,” Cree
said in a low voice to Carmen before he cleared his throat and
looked carefully at Riley. “Your mate as well, Lady Riley. Lord Vox
said quote, “tell her to get her beautiful ass to our living
quarters now’.”

Riley snorted and tossed her heavy mane of
blond hair over her shoulder. If he thought trying to be sweet
while still bossing her around was going to work he had another
think coming. It didn’t matter anyway. Now that she knew for sure
they were heading back to Earth, she would do whatever she had to
resist. Deep down, she admitted that if Vox ever got his hands on
her again, she might not let him take them off.

She shivered as another wave of heat started
flaring inside her. She was already wearing lighter clothing. Ever
since Vox made love to her she had been having blasted hot flashes.
They were getting worse, especially at night. Not only that, she
felt like there was something weird going on with her skin. She
could swear something was moving underneath it. It was really
beginning to freak her out. If it didn’t stop soon, she might have
to ask Carmen for help again.

No,
Riley thought dismally.
I need
to stick with my plan.
Staying away from him is definitely
still the best for everyone, especially me.

Her mind might rebel against the idea, her
body might protest it vehemently, but it was the safest plan for a
supporting character like her. That was one reason why she had made
herself watch all the science fiction movies she had on her iPad
again. She was not about to take a chance of having anything
exploding out of her or morphing her into some disgusting creature
that ate people.

Riley drew in a deep breath before she
responded to Cree with a determination born out of desperation.
“Tell him quote ‘my beautiful ass is quite comfortable where it is
and he can shove his…” Riley almost broke off when Cree made a
choking sound during one of her really descriptive-filled
sentences. She finally took pity on him when she realized there was
no way he could remember everything she said anyway. “Oh, never
mind. Tell him I’ll be there when I’m damn well ready,” she
muttered instead in resignation.

*.*.*

Vox ran his hands through his hair and
groaned as he bent over. The pain he was feeling was not just
mental anymore but had manifested in the physical as well. His cat
needed his mate as much as he needed his. The fact they were one
and the same didn’t matter. His cat was clawing at his insides
until he felt raw. The one night that he had with Riley would never
be enough. He couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, he could barely
function. He knew Creon and Ha’ven were having fun at his expense.
He would have done the same thing to them if given half a chance.
The problem is they didn’t understand how devastating it was for a
Sarafin male to be separated from his mate, especially during the
transformation. Riley would have begun feeling the changes almost
from the very first. The problem was that the symptoms she was
experiencing would gradually get worse. It could become dangerous
to them both if he was not there to support her.

Go get mate,
his cat roared furiously,
slashing at him again.
You should have kept her with
you.

Vox grimaced at the fury in his cat.
How
in the Guall’s balls was I to know she would get a hair up her butt
and hide from us?

Need mate. Can feel her,
his cat
hissed back, pacing inside him.

Gods, he probably should have told her about
the transformation. In all honesty, he hadn’t thought about it
since he didn’t think it was going to be an issue. Now, he wasn’t
so sure that had been a good thing to keep from her. With his luck,
she would finish shredding him to pieces once she found out what he
had done.

That’s what you get for thinking,
his
cat angrily snarled back.

Will you just go lay down?
Vox snapped
back.
And for the sake of all the Gods, quit using my insides as
a scratching post! It is not helping me.

Vox breathed a sigh of relief when his cat
finally settled down in a sullen heap inside him. He tiredly ran
his hands over his face. He straightened up when the chime on the
door sounded to let him know someone was there. His heart jumped
for a moment wondering hopefully if maybe Riley had finally come to
her senses and returned to him before he remember that this was
Riley. She never did anything that he expected or wanted for that
matter. He gave the command for the door to open and let out his
breath when he saw Cree standing outside of it alone.

“She’s not coming, is she?” Vox said more
than asked.

Cree’s lips turned up in a slight tilt at the
corners before he replied. “No, my lord. I have to admit I’ve never
heard so many colorful and descriptive ways for body parts to be
placed. She said to inform you she will join you when she feels
like it. I would not expect her anytime soon.”

“Thank you, Cree,” Vox said wearily. “I would
just like to know how in the Gods she is able to avoid me.”

Cree’s eyes lit up with amusement. “I
couldn’t say, my lord. Though I believe the tiny device she carries
around that Lord Ha’ven gave her might have something to do with
that,” he offered.

Vox’s eyes narrowed. “Thank you again, my
friend. If you ever get tired of hanging with the Valdier, you
could always come to Sarafin. Who knows, you might find your mate
among our females.”

Cree’s face smoothed into a blank mask but
Vox saw the slight tightening around his mouth before he replied.
“I appreciate the offer, my lord. I may take it under
consideration.”

Cree nodded to Vox before he turned and
strode down the corridor. Vox stood at the door, watching. So,
Creon and Ha’ven were behind Riley’s successful escape. He needed
to find out what Ha’ven gave her. That damn Curizan was a wizard
when it came to creating useful and annoying devices. It was about
time he took some of his aggravation out on a couple of royal pains
in the asses.

“Computer, what is the location of Ha’ven and
Creon?” Vox called out.

“Lords Ha’ven and Creon are currently in the
training area,” the automated voice replied.

“Perfect,” Vox grinned as he headed out the
door.

*.*.*

An hour later, all three men sat on the
padding that covered the floor. They were drenched in sweat and a
small amount of blood. Creon lay back, staring up at the ceiling
drawing in deep breaths while Ha’ven checked out a new wound he had
on the back of his arm. Vox sat with his arms draped over his
knees, panting.

“That was interesting,” Ha’ven said dryly.
“Could you keep the claws in next time, Vox? This stings like a
Sargum’s piss.”

Vox looked up with a nasty grin. “You help
Riley again and it won’t be your arm that feels my claws.”

Creon chuckled from where he lay on the mat,
exhausted. “So that was why you felt the need to kick our asses. I
haven’t had to fight so hard since the wars.”

Vox glared at Creon. “Don’t think I didn’t
figure out that you were the one to help my mate relocate,” Vox
grunted out. “You two owe me. You have to help me capture her.”

“What the hell fun is that?” Ha’ven
grumbled.

“I need her,” Vox replied quietly. “She will
be going through the transformation.”

Creon sat up and stared at Vox. “I thought
all your females could already transform into cats.”

Vox looked at Creon before he turned his gaze
down to the floor in front of him. “Sarafin females, yes. As you
know, Riley is human. If a female is of a different species and is
our mate, a warrior and his cat can share his essence giving a part
of himself to her.” He looked up at his two friends who were now
focused on what he was saying. “This leaves us vulnerable. Because
we have given a part of who we are away, we must be near them or we
suffer great distress.”

Creon stared intently at his huge, spotted
friend. “Define distress.”

Vox grimaced as a wave of pain swept through
him. “It is much like you and your dragon,” he said. “We feel
intense pain, need, and anxiety. Riley will have already begun the
transformation. I did not tell her about it. I was afraid if I did
she would not be very happy,” he grinned briefly. “Riley can be
very difficult when she is not happy.”