Forsaken Realms (Bounty Hunters United Book 1) (12 page)

“That creature is twice your size, and it hunts at night. Are we going to be okay?” She hated the fear in her voice. The bite and all the mixed emotions it brought with it, had robbed her of her flinty edge.

“I will stand watch.”

“After everything you’ve done today, you need rest, too. We have a long march ahead of us to Naveen’s compound and a possible fight on our hands when we get there. I’ll take the first watch.”

“You just admitted to feeling like a ‘zombie.’ The word left a very ugly image in my mind. I cannot allow an exhausted woman to take the first watch. It is not what a Kironian man of honor would do.”

“Okay. We’ll work something out. Let’s build the campfire at the mouth of the cave and have our weapons ready, which we should do anyway. I’ll doze for an hour and then you can rest an hour, all right?”

He rubbed his chin and seemed to be weighing the alternatives. “I will agree to that.”

“How far away do you think that creature is?”

“Many kilometers.”

“And still so loud?” She pointed into the brush. “Do I have time to walk off and—“

“Yes, but do not linger. A hungry syan can move fast in silence.”

A shudder of dread rushed through her. “That’s my cue to go right this second.”

“I will gather fuel for the campfire.”

Gemmina fled into the dark, feeling nervous as hell, which wasn’t like her in the least. Typically she faced her daily challenges in New Mumbai with stoic courage, but not this. The claim bite caused issues she wasn’t used to. Her entire body was in sensory overload. Challenging emotions simmered at the surface. Being near Syan was too tempting. Her nerves were frayed. What should have been a jungle holiday now felt like a trip through the looking glass with stalking predators.

The moment she was alone she realized she hadn’t brought a weapon with her and hurried to finish and return to the cave. Syan was away gathering branches and twigs. She knelt by her pack and located a tooth-cleaning kit and a man-sized insulated shirt that hung to her thighs. In a swift motion, she removed all her damp and salt soaked clothing and pulled the insulated shirt over her head.

Syan strolled into the cave carrying an armful of broken branches and vines. He smiled at her. “You look comfortable.”

“There’s another clean shirt in the other pack. You’re welcome to use it. I need to rinse out my clothes and hang them near the fire to dry.”

“I should do the same.” Without a shred of self-consciousness he tugged his pants down his legs, stripped away his shirt, and walked over to the waterfall to rinse and twist his clothes under the spray.

She tried not to stare, but he attracted her gaze like a magnet. His rippling muscles were stunning to watch. Too stunning. Her jaw dropped. In need of distraction, she dug through the second pack and found the other shirt, balled it up, and tossed it in his direction. “Here you go. Something dry to wear.”

“My clothes will dry almost instantly.” He picked up the shirt she had tossed to him and held it to his chest. It was far too small and barely covered him to his waist. “I don’t think this would have fit me anyway, but thank you.”

A big man holding a little shirt. It was quite a sight, and she laughed at the silliness of it. A glint of foil inside the pack caught her eye. “Oh, look at this.” Without hesitation she grabbed the flat foil wrapped bar, tore it open, and waved it in the air. “Do you know what this is?”

After setting his damp clothes by the fire, he sat. “No, what is it?”

She broke off a square. “This is chocolate—the real deal. Have you ever tried it?”

He didn’t appear impressed. “No.”

“You should.” She rose and walked toward him. “Open your mouth.”

His lips parted, but his gaze never wavered from hers.

With a dainty touch, she slipped the tiny square of chocolate past his lips. “I hope you’ll like it.”

The chocolate sat on his tongue for a moment before he closed his eyes and sighed with pleasure. “It’s melting.” A blissful smile warmed his face, and he looked as if he expected to float off the ground. “Chocolate is good.”

“You like it?”

“Very much.” He kept staring at her. “Are you naked beneath that shirt?”

“Yes.” Gemmina broke off a small chunk of chocolate for herself and handed the rest of the bar to him. “Here, you’re the chocolate virgin. Enjoy. I’m going to rinse my clothes.” She walked to the edge of the waterfall to wash her clothes under the cascade.

He turned and followed her with his gaze, watching every move she made with fascination. “Why don’t you rest a little while. I’ve added so much wood to the fire a syan would never risk coming near.”

“Do you have a weapon handy?”

“I have a knife and the machete.”

“There’s an extra blast stick in the side pocket of the one of these packs, but the charge is low. I wish we’d stopped earlier in the day to recharge them when we had sunlight.”

“Don’t bother I don’t know how to use one.”

“It’s simple.” She dug through the pack nearest her and retrieved a small silver object the length of her hand and examined it. “A blast stick creates a short but intense energy beam. There are three settings.” With a firm press of her thumb, she dialed the weapon down. “The first setting would be powerful enough to make a large predator howl and send it running from camp without doing any permanent harm.”

A look of relief smoothed his brow. “I would not want to kill a syan. That would be very bad luck for me. They are noble creatures and rare.”

“Hopefully we won’t cross paths with one.”

He stretched his hand toward her.

Gemmina put the blast stick in his palm. “Click the red button. Make sure your thumb lines up with this arrow, point, and shoot.”

Syan nodded that he understood. He reached down to touch his clothing that had been set by the fire. “These are dry.” With swift actions he stepped into the pants and pulled them up his long legs.

She stared with disbelief. “Your clothes are already dry?”

“Oh, yes, long dry. Bilo fibers repel water.”

“I gotta get me, some of those bilo fibers. My clothes are still soaked.”

“You should rest.” Syan’s expression softened. “I will take first watch.”

“I don’t feel good about that, but arguing the point is probably futile. I’ll agree, but only for an hour.”

A gentle smile crossed his face. “Close your eyes and try to sleep.” His gaze broke from hers as he piled more wood on the campfire and fanned the blaze.

Gemmina turned and walked toward the bed wondering how the hell she was ever going to fall asleep with a shirtless dream man sitting a few meters away watching over her. The green square of bedding was activated and a small pillow and thermal blanket appeared. At least she’d have something to cuddle with. A moment later she collapsed across the mattress and pulled the blanket around her, but tired as she was her eyes wouldn’t stay shut. The image of Syan’s fire-lit profile with a sheeting waterfall behind him was a surreal sight to behold. Her overheated imagination searched for a comparison and decided he possessed the sleek elegance of a panther crouched in the shadows. It had been ages since she’d had a guardian of her own to stand watch over her and the sight was something to savor, not sleep through.

He turned and glanced her way. “Go to sleep, Gemmina,” his deep voice was a soothing rumble.

“Good night.” Instead of setting the pillow under her head she gathered it into her arms and hugged it tight. The campfire crackled in noisy competition with the cascading waterfall. It was hard to relax. Her entire being was aroused and sensitive. The light brush of the blanket against her skin was almost as exciting as the sensual caress of a lover’s hand. The swell of her breasts felt warm and full as she willfully rubbed against the mattress. Though she tried to rest, her eyes refused to close. Everything Syan did was fascinating to watch and not to be missed. The silhouette of his powerful arms, snapping branches into bits to toss on the fire was utterly compelling. The thought of running her hands across his broad chest, toppling him onto the ground, and mounting him was driving her mad.

“Gemmina, don’t do that,” he mumbled. “It’s torture.”

“Sorry. I can’t help it.”

“I know it’s difficult, but please try to sleep.”

“I can’t.” She drew an anxious breath. “Syan lay beside me.”

He swallowed hard and said nothing.

She patted the bed covers. “Please, I want to be close to you.”

“That’s a bad idea.”

“Why?”

Syan turned away. “I can’t come any closer than this. We could get into a lot of trouble.”

“We’re both adults,” she scoffed. It wasn’t fun to beg and get rejected.

“It’s not a rejection. Gemmina, you’ve gone into heat. Your scent is hanging heavy in the air and driving me crazy. I’ve never been tested like this. I had no idea it would be this difficult. If I get too close, I might not be able to stop myself. You could get pregnant so easily, and I bit you without your consent. This isn’t right.”

“Trust me. We don’t have to go without. We could do other things and make each feel good.”

Despair tugged his brows downward. “I can’t trust myself, and you shouldn’t either.” He hung his head. “I want you, and I hope to share everything with you, not just one night. I will have terrible regrets if you to look back on this and feel you were tricked or taken advantage of.”

“I won’t.”

“But you don’t know that,” harshness crept into his voice. “You can’t trust your feelings. It’s the claim bite making you say these things.”

“Syan, I’m pretty certain I’d want you under any conditions. You’re wonderful.”

With a brusque movement, he stood and moved farther away. “Then we should wait.”

“I can’t. What if we died tomorrow? We were almost killed several times today. I don’t want to have regrets.”

“That is a man’s line,” he grumbled.

“It’s a great line, and it usually works.”

He shook his head and stared at the crackling flames.

The bedcovers were flung aside, and she rolled upright. “Please. What’s wrong with touching and sharing a little pleasure?”

“I don’t want you to be sorry that you gave in and did something you would not normally do.”

“I’ll be sorry if we don’t.”

He said nothing but looked troubled.

With serpentine strokes, she brushed her fingertips against the sheets. “Please. I’m giving you permission to drop the guilt.”

“Claim bites cause begging. Gemmina you are begging.”

“You’re right, and I don’t feel the least bit sorry about it.”

A groan crossed his lips. “You are impossible to say no to.” More branches were tossed onto the campfire.

“Then don’t say ‘no’. Come over here and stretch out beside me.”

Syan seemed lost in thought. His hand froze mid-toss as he stopped piling branches onto the campfire. For many long moments, he did not move.

Gemmina rose from the bed and walked toward him. He remained still while she wrapped her arms around his neck and melted against him.

He tensed.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered.

“Nothing.” The pupils of his already dark eyes had gone wide and liquid black. “It’s been so long.”

She stroked a few silky strands of hair from his temple. “It’s been a long time for me, too, and even longer since I felt so attracted to anyone.”

His response was slow in coming. “The past two years have been spent in service to my people. I’ve been busy earning the final elements to complete my shambu. There have been no lovers, not even casually. I chose to wait and earn the right to choose a real mate—someone I could keep. I was afraid to fall in love before that. Gemmina, you are the first—”

“Hush.” She held a finger to his lips. His softly spoken words were too beautiful. It was too far to look ahead. “Am I really your first choice?”

“Yes.”

She clasped his hand and led him away from the heat of the fire. “Let’s enjoy the moment. Tomorrow will take care of itself.”

He followed in silence and allowed her to lead him toward the bed. She reached the mattress first climbed onto it and gazed at him. “I want you to be comfortable with this. On Kiron, how do lovers…?” There was so much that remained unknown. “Get acquainted?”

A puzzled look followed. “We are already acquainted, are we not?”

“I meant get started.”

“Oh.” A crooked smile crossed his lips. “You mean courtship and foreplay? A claim bite is always involved, so there is usually a mock fight or playful struggle followed by a foot chase. A mate is captured, abducted to a private place, stripped, and spanked.”

“Wow! That sounds absolutely hot. If there wasn’t some sort of tiger stalking us and if we hadn’t already had such a rough day, I’d say let’s do it.”

Syan laughed. “I’m certain matters are different on Earth.”

“Not that different.”

He appeared so earnest. “Pleasing you is important to me. What would make you happy?”

She patted the mattress. “You—here—would make me very happy.”

With a fluid motion, he knelt on the mattress and stretched out on his side taking up most of the space. “Come here.” He drew her into the crook of his arm, smoothed her hair with his palm and gazed into her eyes. “Gemmina, I think you’re lovely. You are brave and intelligent. Your dark eyes are as cunning as a jimbuca.”

“What hell is a jimbuca? Please don’t say it’s some sort of rodent.”

“A jimbuca is a sleek creature that hunts on the wing. May I continue? Your body is reflexive and strong and would prove a great challenge for any predator to kill. Sometimes you appear to be far smarter than I, but I don’t mind. In fact, I like that.”

She giggled.

“What? Have I said something wrong?”

“Kironian pillow talk is different from what I’m used to.”

“What is customarily said to new lovers?”

“Sometimes no talk is best.” With heart pounding she leaned closer and kissed the soft swell of his bottom lip and gave it a gentle nip. The edges of her teeth lingered for a heated moment before releasing him. “Kiss me. Do it.”