Viper's Hope (Anguis Defenders Book 1) (18 page)

"Viper I don't think I'm in the mood to play."

"I can see that." Viper said into the back of her neck. "Hope don't feel pressured. I understand we come from two different worlds. Let's just enjoy being together today, we can worry about tomorrow when it comes." Viper whispered as he ran his nose through her hair breathing Hope in.

Her friends had said the same thing.

"I can do that." Hope snuggled into him.

Maybe their relationship was a diamond in the rough. Hope wondered if they had what it takes to chip away at the veneer to find what lies beneath? One day at a time was sound advice. If everyone would just gives them that chance and stop rushing things.

"I'm pretty sure your mother hates me." Hope moaned.

"She's just over protective of her only young." Viper attempted to reassure Hope.

"I know I'm trying to remember that."

"You were very diplomatic. My mother can be very vocal."

"I'm sure she has to be considering her position."

"I hope you weren't teasing about that nap, I'm exhausted." Viper hugged her close.

"Well who's fault was that?" Hope wiggled her hips playfully against his crotch. She felt better after talking with him, some of the weight lifting off her shoulders.

"Yours." Viper latched on to the crook of her neck with a growl.

Beep, beep. Beep, beep. Everything was so warm and cozy as the sound invaded Hope's mind.

"Oh where are those strong arms going?" Hope wondered as she stretched and reached out for Viper.

"Come in Acris." She heard Viper say as her eyes cracked open.

"I have some clothes for Uxorem Hope from the Regina." Acris entered their room.

"Yes my mother said she'd send something. Just place it on the table, please."

Had it already been a few hours? Acris put the pile down then nodded her head as she left. Viper turned towards Hope.

"Hello Lepus." Viper smiled as he looked down at her.

"What is that?" Hope yawned.

"Before I learned your name, I called you Lepus because you reminded me of the bouncy little creature on my home world. You have a cute bounce to your step."

"That's funny I did the same, but I named you after a sexy TV star."

Hope giggled when Viper puffed up his chest and struck a pose.

"Tell me more of this sexy character."

"You heard enough!" Hope grinned at the compliment seeking rogue. "What did your mom send?"

"Most likely something a bit more traditional. Don't be shocked when you see me in our traditional vestments. They are a bit different than what you've seen here on the ship."

"How about we take one of the smaller ships and make a break for it?"

Hope didn't dress up often, not for lack of wanting to, it just never turned out right. She was most comfortable in jeans or capris and a little t-shirt. The thought of meeting all his people on top of the expectations everyone had for her were daunting.

"I know of a small moon" Viper teased as he cracked a smile. He played along but clearly wasn't the fleeing type.

"Just remember I gave you the chance." Hope warned as she started to crawl out of bed.

Viper launched himself onto the bed making it wobble.

"Where are you going?"

"We have to get ready." Hope whined.

"No, it's been just under an hour since you dozed off." Viper snagged Hope around the waist and tugged her back to the mattress.

"She ruined our quiet time!" Hope was certain Hyla intentionally interrupted them. "You know if your mom wants to see you happily mated she's certainly not helping!" She grumped. "I'm sorry I need to relax." She was as bad as a toddler when you ruined her naps.

"I might be able to help with that."

Viper shoved his face into her crotch and growled, then tickled Hope's ribs until she was laughing hysterically and tears eked from her eyes.

"Viper stop I'm gonna pee!"

11 Brave New World

Hope

A few hours later Hope stood staring aghast in the mirror. The outfit she wore was a glorified bikini. The band across her chest was so small and tight that her boobs pushed out the bottom and the top, worse than the usual tube top. It covered the swath in the middle but her nipples stood out clearly. Hope rubbed at the THO's hoping they would go away. The skirt was little more than a pair of skimpy panties with hundreds of tassels. It reminded her of a slutty hula skirt. To top it off the material was strange. It took on the color of Hope's skin, making her look entirely nude.

"I'm just going to the beach." Hope told herself as she pulled up her hair and pinned it with a clip Acris had found.

Hope couldn't help admiring the matching fang marks on each side where her neck curved into her shoulders. She blushed as she relived gaining those marks.

"Are you doing okay in there?" Viper called out.

"I was right she hates me!"

Hope walked out of the bathroom. Viper stared at her with intense lust burning in his green eyes. Hope liked how they looked luminescent when he was aroused.

"No I'm pretty sure she hates me." Viper half growled half groaned as he adjusted his crotch.

Hope looked him over. The man wore a pair of skin-tight pants. Like her clothes his took on the color of his skin. His chest was bare, but he wore two criss crossing bands covered in ornate symbols and weapons. Viper's forearms were covered in shining brassy armor that exposed and accentuated his spikes. His dreads were pulled almost into a ponytail. The ends fell like a halo around his head. By itself his outfit was sexy. Add to it the fact that she could clearly see his impressive bulge and Hope was smitten.

The man looked like a warrior prince. Viper's skin was usually a bronze sun kissed tone, but the usual subtle variations of dark and light were now in drastic contrast. The valleys between his muscles were a deep brown, giving him a super ripped appearance. It was like his entire body not just his clothes had taken on a regal appearance.

When Viper swaggered towards her, Hope took a sharp breath in. She was pretty sure she soaked her fancy panties.

Viper stepped behind Hope and clasped a chain around her neck. Just above the swell of her breast hung the most beautiful sheathed, dagger. It had a curved blade with a platinum handle encrusted with iridescent opals.

"Viper its gorgeous!"

"It pales in comparison."

Viper pulled the blade out and offered it to her. It fit nicely in the palm of Hope's hand.

"It's a traditional blade, a physical symbol of my desire to protect you."

"Thank you." Hope replied, the symbolism not lost on her. If Viper kept it up she wasn't going to be able to resist him. She barely held the leash on her heart as it was.

When Hope stepped off the ship with Viper by her side, she was greeted by a crowd of at least a thousand Anguis, gathered in the field like they'd come to witness an outdoor concert rather than a ship landing. The gathered throng cheered the instant Hyla and Adder preceded Hope and Viper off the lowered platform. It was a surreal experience seeing so many aliens in one place. Hope felt a little claustrophobic and tucked closer to Viper's side.

The air was hot though arid rather than humid. Thankfully it wasn't unbearable. Hope had to squint against the sun hovering high in the sky. Hope gaped at the large ruddy moon cresting on the horizon, she felt like she could almost reach out and touch it.

The vessel had landed not far from where the new colony would be situated. It hovered over the earth rather than marring the ground which was nice since despite the heat the area was lush similar to the Serengeti after the rainy season. The landscape was covered in patches of waist high grass and clumps of wild flowers, much like Viper had shown her on the ship. The rainbow colored flora was vibrant against the neutral tones of the earth.

The crowd cheered until Adder Rex, held up his hand.

Hope took a deep calming breath and straightened her shoulders as Adder began to speak. She did her best to not shame Viper in some unknown way, attempting to mimic Hyla's stance near Adder. Hope didn't want to embarrass him or make humans look bad.

Then again her imminent wardrobe malfunction might undo that effort. The damn band of fabric was way too narrow. Hope glanced down in horror as she felt her tits slipping free. A bead of sweat that had little to do with the heat ran down her brow. Should she tug it back up?

"What is wrong?" Viper leaned in and whispered as his father addressed the people.

Hope pointedly glanced down at her chest and Viper's eyes followed. The areola of her left boob was exposed, only her nipple keeping the fabric from slipping lower.

Viper's eyes widened and his mouth rounded with an "Oh".

"God this outfit was a joke. For a race where men growled at other men in jealousy you'd think a burqa would be the preferred attire for females. No no, they showed off their skin since it did that freaky chameleon thing." Hope silently cursed.

Viper tugged Hope against his chest and banded one arm across her breasts. Anyone watching would just assume it was a possessive gesture.

No sooner had Viper gripped her than a cheer went through the crowd.

Adder cast them an amused glance and stopped discussing the rescue and relocation of Hope's people and moved on to introduce them, seeing that the Anguis people were more interested in that detail.

"Thank you, people of Anguis Minor." Viper rumbled at her back and Hope nodded to the crowd in greeting.

It was odd being stared at by so many people, let alone alien people. Viper held her as he spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"You honor me and your new Uxorem with your warm welcome."

Another cheer erupted and Viper had to wait for it to subside before continuing.

"I am blessed to find my subeo among this great race of humans whom we have had the honor of assisting. As you can see Uxorem Hope is small of stature, but like many of her kind, brave and strong of heart. I am humbled at the generosity you have shown not just here for the humans but for many years now as we fight against the Morbo."

Another boisterous round of applause rippled through the crowd and Hope smiled up at Viper. He was quite the diplomat and apparently well received. She especially liked how he described her people to the Anguis. Humans may look small and were probably more delicate, but they were brave and strong, and generally outspoken too.

Today began a melding of their people and customs. No doubt the culture clash would take some getting used to.

Hope was relieved their public appearance was short lived. She got the distinct feeling this might be one of many. Several Anguis men that looked like guards similar to those on the ship approached Viper and Adder. Viper whispered something to one of the men who jogged off, but quickly returned with a cape.

Hope sighed in relief when Viper placed it around her shoulders. Not only did the long thin white linen material hide her lack of clothing, it covered her shoulders which were starting to to look like they might burn in the Anguis sun.

The four of them followed the guards through the crowd and Hope caught a peek of her new home.

When Viper and his father had described the temporary dwellings Hope had pictured a tent city, but this was much better. There were hundreds of pods all clumped in organized rows, along a main promenade. Each dwelling was a different color to help distinguish between them and featured a simple shape beside the door. It was a system any race might be able to use to find their assigned quarters.

The central area featured a large oblong dome at the middle. Outside the main building were tables and chairs scattered here and there that Anguis citizens sat at. Along one side of the central park was a playground, at least that's what Hope assumed, since several little Anguis children were frolicking on the unusual structures.

"I like the playground." Hope grinned up at Viper.

"It keeps the little ones busy since they usually rebound the fastest after revival." Adder smiled.

That sounded about right. Children were resilient.

"Most of the dwellings will hold five to ten people." Viper commented. "Would you like to go inside one?"

"Sure."

Viper opened the door of the first pod they came to. There was a large sitting room with seating and a dining area connected. The walls were a calmer yellow hue than the lemony color that decorated the outside, with a large shuttered window facing the main road and a colorful abstract painting on one wall. It looked like much like a chic modern hotel suite. Certainly not barren and stark like she'd expected from emergency housing.

"This area is for preparing meals but the main building has a large dining hall. Most of your people will be too overwhelmed to deal with making meals straight off."

Hope agreed. She herself didn't know half of what she was looking at in the kitchen. She followed Viper down the hall to see two bathrooms similar to the ones on the ship and five bedrooms some with two beds others with one larger bed.

The best thing about the pods were that they were air conditioned. It would've been hard on most of her people if it hadn't been, considering the temperature of the planet.

Nothing could truly make the loss of her home better, but this really went a long way. Hope was impressed and touched by how their needs had been considered. The Anguis really had out done themselves constructing all this in such a short time.

"These houses are amazing." Hope exclaimed as Viper led her back out to find Adder and Hyla waiting.

Hyla was leaning against Adder smiling at him. She almost looked sweet.

"This is really great. Thank you. It's better than what I could hope for." Hope told them truly grateful.

"Sadly we have done this before." Hyla said sounding sympathetic.

Hope wondered if Adder had encouraged her to retract the claws, or maybe Hyla was glad Hope hadn't embarrassed them earlier. She wasn't quite sure which.

"I know, I'm sorry." Hope replied and meant it. The woman had lost all but one of her children, and Viper apparently spent a lot of time traversing the galaxy fighting the strange virus. "I thought these homes were going to be glorified tents from the way you described them going up."

Hope would've never fathomed that one of these pods unfolded from a smaller cube about the size of a car, almost like an RV expands. It was shocking the Anguis considered this temporary. She knew many people who'd be content to stay in them permanently.

Apparently in the next few years a community would be built with permanent homes more like those of the not too distant Anguis metropolis. Humans could choose to mix in with the Anguis as they became acclimated or form a closer knit suburb to the town that welcomed them.

Hope was so glad the Anguis were used to other alien species. She could only imagine what chaos would ensue if a group of aliens tried to colonize the burbs back home.

"I'm glad you like them." Viper smiled as he and his parents led her towards the large building.

Hope pulled the thin wrap around her shoulders, again blessing Viper for hunting it down. She looked up to see Tara and JP along with Ophidian approach.

"This building is the main center for recreation, meals and security." Adder pointed to a large central structure.

"Is this where the medical facilities are located?" Tara asked.

"Yes, they are here too, though there is a larger hospital in town." Adder replied.

"Oh good. I like how it's in the middle of everything." Tara noted.

"Let take a look and see if it is to your liking." Viper suggested to her doctor friend. "Ophidian can introduce you to the physicians, you haven't already met from the ship who can get you acquainted with everything."

"That will be good, then we'll be ahead of the game when we wake everyone up." JP added as they entered the community center.

In no time at all close to five hundred humans would be swarming the place, with ten times more arriving in the weeks to come.

The dining area was massive like a highschool cafeteria.

"So where will we be staying?" Hope asked Viper.

Hope paused as she realized how quickly she'd gotten used to the idea of shacking up with Viper.

"The prime household for Anguis Minor is just inside the city." Hyla stated.

"Oh."

Hope hadn't realized she wouldn't be close to her people or her friends. Viper saw her concern and shook his head at his mother.

"No, there is a smaller pod near central command that we will occupy, so I can oversee everything."

"Eventually you will be expected to return to Anguis Prime." Hyla argued. "I expect you to settle down now." She looked from Viper to Hope with an expectant expression.

It was amusing how Anguis females seemed more docile and meek on the surface, but in Hyla's case it was a bit of a ruse. The woman was opinionated especially where Viper was concerned. Hope couldn't blame her even if she was bearing the brunt of her angst. Hope was doing her best to not take it personal. She couldn't get a bead on the woman. Hope didn't know if Hyla felt like she was losing Viper to an alien or if she was pleased at the prospect Viper might have a reason to stay closer to home.