Viper (Second Wave Book 1) (21 page)

“Do you need anything?” Viper asked
courteously, unsure what to talk about.

“No, thank you. I’m fine. Are you
ok with… everything going on?” Lara asked, tired of beating around the bush.

Viper sighed heavily. “I would be
fine with anything as long as you are safe and well. I will admit that I am a
little curious and nervous about your beast.”

Lara laughed. “You aren’t the only
one. I think Grai was ready to rip out his hair. He doesn’t seem to take well
to surprises, and I think I was a pretty big one.”

Viper grinned and couldn’t resist
placing a gentle kiss on Lara’s head. “No, Grai doesn’t take surprises well. To
be fair though, he has a lot of people depending on him, and he likes to know
what is going on in order to ensure their protection. He’s a good man and means
well.”

“Of that I have no doubt. Abexis
and I can see that he only wants what is best for his people. Our people.
Technically, we’re all clan. Abexis is just a little older than the beasts you
are accustomed to.” Lara said, trying to help Viper understand that things
weren’t really much different. Ok, she thought, except for the whole reincarnation
thing and kick ass beast upgrade she got.  

Viper turned to look down at Lara
incredulously. Did she really just try to compare her beast on steroids with
his beast? Lara burst out laughing at the expression on his face.

“Oh come on! Granted, Abexis is a
little stronger than you’re used to.” When Viper’s jaw dropped open, Lara
laughed again.

“Ok, so he’s a lot stronger. But
that doesn’t change anything between us… does it?” Lara asked, looking away
from Viper.

Viper could feel Lara’s uncertainty
and refused to let her feel like she wasn’t wanted. Pulling her closer into his
arms, he relished the feel of her slight body pressed so intimately against his
own.

“I don’t care if you grow another
head, I am just glad to have you back. I know that Dread and Drago feel the
same way. You have been greatly missed for far too long, my love.” Viper said,
wearing his heart in his energy so Lara would have no doubt about his
sincerity.

“I have missed you as well. More
so, now that I remember everything.” Lara admitted.

Viper turned to look at her. “You
remember everything?”

Lara turned gold flecked eyes to him,
and his heart melted all over again. Placing a gentle hand on his cheek, she
rubbed her cheek against his. “Yes, I do.”

Viper wasn’t sure what her idea of
‘everything’ was and needed a little more detail. “Everything… as in?”

Lara giggled and laid her head back
on his chest. “Everything. Like when you went to Zendar and brought me back one
of their rare Indigior flowers.”

Viper was surprised, she remembered
that. Only sketchy details remained in his mind of doing that for her. However,
he had been more concerned with how much she remembered of her and Jacordan’s
death.

“Can you tell me why?” Viper asked
suddenly. Lara knew exactly what he meant by the question and sighed heavily.

“It was already too late. Jacordan
was killed on impact, and the hull of the ship compromised. You were too far
away to get there in time, and I knew that you and your brothers would only get
yourselves killed trying to recover our bodies. I couldn’t allow all of you to
suffer the same fate because we were stupid. You would have done the same.” Lara
told him honestly.

Viper nodded silently. Yes, he thought;
he would have done the same. It was exactly as he, and his brothers had
suspected after they had finally found the crash site. And it did nothing to
ease the pain he felt all over again just thinking about it.

“Hey… I didn’t tell you so you
could relive it. I’m here. Now. That is what we need to focus on. Right?” Lara
asked, hoping that Viper hadn’t decided he didn’t want her this time around now
that she had Abexis.

“Yes, that is what we need to focus
on. Are you sure you are well? There are no… problems, with your beast?” Viper
asked, hoping Lara would talk about the Prime and ease his worry and curiosity.

Lara looked up at Viper and smiled
a little nervously. “If you have questions, you can ask; I don’t mind. And yes,
Abexis and I are fine. Are you sure you’re ok with all this?”

Viper sighed, knowing that Lara
could sense his concern. “I am worried. Not because of you, but for you. We
know nothing of the beast species that you are hosting, and until we know more
about where it came from and how it got here; I will continue to be worried about
your safety.”

“Do you trust me?” Lara asked
simply.

Viper replied without hesitation.
“With my life.”

“Then trust me when I say that
Abexis is not dangerous and there is no reason to worry about him.” Lara looked
up at him, feeling his internal debate and wishing she could help him. She knew
that he had to be the one to make up his mind though.

“It’s kind of hard to let go of
that. I just got you back and have almost lost you several times again. It’s
hard… very hard not to want to put you where I can guarantee you stay safe. It
will take some time for me…” Viper admitted, his voice catching in his throat
as his emotions took hold.

Lara’s heart broke at the pain and
fear Viper was feeling, and she hugged him tightly unsure how to help him. “I’m
sorry, Viper. So very sorry. Jacordan and I, we never intended to go up there
and die. It was an accident. A stupid accident. One that we all paid a very high
price for, but one that we can try to recover from. Can’t we?”

Viper could feel Lara’s concern and
worry, and he pulled her tightly to his chest. “I would go through anything to
have you back again. I don’t care if you host a dozen Prime’s and have two
heads. You are and always will be, the greatest love of my life.”

“There is nothing I want more than
to try to have the life together, that we were meant to have. And I will do
whatever I must in order to make it happen. Do not doubt that.”

“My struggles are with my own mind
and the memories of the years without you. I believe the pain, and fear will
subside the longer we are together. I just need patience. As you know, that has
never been a strength of mine.” Viper said the last with a self-depreciating
chuckle.  

Lara giggled, remembering just how
badly Viper sucked at having any form of patience. “Luckily, we have lots of
time. We have a lot to catch up on as well. I’m dying to hear details about how
you ended up here and what you, and the boys have been doing.”

Lara sat up and crossed her legs,
looking down at Viper who moved his hand to Lara’s knee and rolled to his side.
Lara placed her hand on his and gave him a small smile.

“We just need to get to know each
other again. We’re all a little different than we were back then. I think it’s
the changes that we see in each other that we’re having a hard time with.”

“I think we need time to talk and get
to know each other again without dodging bullets, invisible creatures and
clones in the woods.” Lara looked Viper with a smile, feeling more hopeful now
that she could sense his happiness and hope.

Viper felt relieved and elated that
Lara wanted to spend time with him. A small part of him had worried that the
past or the Prime would end his chances of finally claiming his mate.

“I think I would like to try this
date thing that Jax spoke of.” Viper said with a half grin.

Lara laughed. “No, you don’t! You
don’t even know what a date is!”

Viper looked at Lara with
irritation and grunted. “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to try it.”

Lara could hear the pout in his
voice and giggled. “Ok then. How about you plan a date for us for tomorrow night?”

“Why not tonight?” Viper asked
without hesitation, willing to do anything to spend more time alone with her.

“I have a feeling we’ll be speaking
with Grai and the others for most of the day. I don’t think either of us will
be in the mood for anything but food and sleep after that. Besides, it gives
you a day to figure out what a date is so you can plan one.” Lara said with
another giggle at the thought of Viper asking around about what a date was.

Viper thought for a moment and
realized Lara was right. It would be their first date, and he didn’t want to
screw it up, in case this was something really important to her. Yeah, he thought;
a day should be enough time to figure it out.

“All right, tomorrow night then.
What makes you think we’ll be in a briefing all day?” Viper asked. He hadn’t
heard anything about a meeting.

“There’s been talk on the Shengari’
and Grai doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who takes uncertainty well. He
just found out his mate is the host to an unknown species of a beast more powerful
than his own; he has a lot of questions, and he wants answers. Don’t you?” Lara
asked, sensing the nervous edge to his emotions when she mentioned the Prime.

Viper took in a ragged breath.
After the teasing moments they had just shared, he hadn’t expected her to
blatantly throw out there what concerned him the most. He should have though.
She never had been one to allow things to fester between them and would talk
things out as soon as she knew something was wrong. Viper would respect that,
as he always had, with honesty.

“I’m terrified for you. I admit it
is mostly because of my ignorance of the species that you host. However, that
knowledge does not ease my fear for you. You have almost died, several times,
since you have come back to me, and I fear greatly that I will lose you again.”
Viper admitted, squeezing her tightly to him as, he fought his emotions.  

Lara hugged him back, her heart
breaking at his pain and fear. For her. “Hey… I’m the same girl who used to
sneak up behind you and scare the hell out of you. That cut your hair while you
slept and trimmed all your clothes in pink ribbons.”

Lara smiled along with Viper as
they both remembered the past and happier times. “I’m just a little more kick
ass than I used to be and Abexis… is not much different than your own beast.
Yes, he’s a little stronger, but only because he’s older and more evolved.”

“Think of it this way, your beast
is the equivalent to human evolution while Abexis is the equivalent to the
Tezarian’s or Valendran’s. The humans have a saying that applies here, that
there is always a bigger fish in the sea. It was arrogance to assume that we
were the most evolved thing out there.” Lara added, having thought that very
thing in her old life.

Viper considered her words, and
although they made every bit of sense, he still couldn’t shake the fear he
still felt for her.

“I know what you are saying, and I understand;
I really do. But I’m with Grai on this; I need to know more. It’s not the power
that worries me; it's not knowing where it comes from, where it’s been and why
it’s taken so long for it to show itself.”

“Grai and the Valendran’s have been
on this planet a long time, why did it wait, until now, to show itself? There
are just too many questions right now for me to feel comfortable about this.”

“It’s not helping that Zaxin can’t
scan it, can’t communicate with it and can’t even sense its energy except for
the power it radiates.” Viper admitted, his frustration and that of his beast
clear in his voice.

Lara was surprised that Viper’s
beast had even tried to scan Abexis; she hadn’t felt the attempt at all.

“Their energy isn’t strong enough
to disrupt our outer energy sphere.” Abexis said in her mind, answering her
question before she asked it.

Now was not the time for this
conversation, Lara thought, suddenly exhausted. Especially not when she was
going to have to go through it all again tomorrow with Grai, and the others
that he was calling to the meeting through the Shengari’.

“Can we talk about all that
tomorrow?” Lara asked, covering her yawn.

Viper wanted answers now, but knew
she needed rest. He hugged her to him and kissed the top of her head. He
started to slide out of the bed when Lara grabbed his arm.

“Stay. Cuddle with me like we used
to.” Lara said, her gold flecked eyes melting any resistance he may have had.

Viper slid back in beside her and
pulled a quilt over them before pulling her back into his arms. Within moments,
he could hear the soft whisper of her even breathing as she drifted off to
sleep. He truly wished he could do the same.

Chapter Twenty

Lara looked around the crowded
table and smiled. The brothers were just as boisterous as she remembered and
the addition of David and Ratoka hadn’t stopped them. If anything, David fit
right in and Ratoka only encouraged them.  

With everyone helping, making
breakfast had been a fun and entertaining event for all of them. It reminded
Lara of the many times they had done the same thing in the past. The only thing
missing was Jacordan, she thought with sadness. However, David made an
impressive replacement in an odd sort of way.

“We need to hurry; Grai is
expecting us in less than an hour.” Dread said, interjecting some seriousness
into the playful banter.