Worlds Apart 2: Hunter's Revenge (4 page)

He hated to leave him alone with the healers. No one deserved to wake injured and alone but he needed to go back for his mate. As much as he hated to admit that his bond with his oldest friend was changing, his mate needed his help now more than
Mikel
did.
Mikel
was their prince and his people would do everything in their power to ensure he lived.

Turning back to the path that would lead him to where he’d last seen his mate, he inhaled deeply and followed her scent. Pride filled him at her inner strength. She would be no submissive to follow his lead. This woman was strong enough to rule by his side and as his father had just decreed, that was as it should be. Even as injured and filled with pain as she was
,
she’d managed to overcome her own inner turmoil to help when needed.

Hunter longed to bond with her—to truly be one. Yet, he knew he must wait a while longer. He knew she wasn’t ready for a mate bond. Hell, she may never be ready for it, but it would come, no matter how hard she resisted. She may not realize it, but the emotional tie between them was strong and soon, like it or not, their bodies would demand the formal binding of the
Manruvian
mate bonds. It was strange how for months he and his mate had shared a connection, both mental and spiritual and yet, he still didn't know her name.

He heard a woman's scream, and though he knew it wasn't that of his mate, he quickly shed his clothes and changed to his other form on the run. He would stop any threat to his mate, no matter the cost. Their tie was already strong enough that he knew he would die for her—heir to his father’s rule or not. His life would be worth nothing without her in it.

When he rounded the corner, he saw a man using a laser whip on his mate. Cold rage whipped through him. A fury as icy as the planet they now found themselves on stole through his body when he saw the wide gash in his mate’s fur. Blood welled up from the wound, dripped down her side and stained the snow red. An icy storm brewed within him as his anger grew, seethed, as he watched her precious life’s blood flow onto the once pristine snow. For that reason alone, the man would die.

Another male loomed over a trembling female, the one he'd heard scream no doubt. The young woman cowered from the man, defense wounds on her arms and hands where she’d already attempted to deflect the blows from the deranged fanatical follower of the Black Rose. She scurried backward, terror filling her face as the large man followed her. He held a laser whip gripped in one hand, a phase pistol in the other as he looked on her horror-filled gaze with maniacal glee. Pinned beneath his mate’s weight, a lone female struggled, doing her best to escape her fate. Obviously, this one had lost a challenge in the past if her lack of left hand was any indication.

He’d seen enough. It was time this ended. With little regard for his own safety, and before anyone could react, he'd pounced on the one holding the whip, ripped his throat out and was landing on the other male roaring out his outrage before the rebel could so much as utter a sound.

Behind him, he heard a terrified whimper. Knowing there was no time to waste, he made quick work of the trembling male beneath him, tearing out his throat as quickly as he could. He ignored the inevitable death twitch and whipped around, scented for danger, ready to defend his mate against anyone who dared harm her or those she protected.

His mate, though injured, was in fine form. She made quick work of the traitorous female, swiping a paw across her throat, leaving her to bleed out on the ground. Though he wanted nothing more than to shift and cuddle his mate to his heart and make sure she’d be fine, Hunter padded over to the still trembling woman instead. Gently as he could, he nudged her with his muzzle, indicating she should climb onto his back.

Rather than take the hint, she scurried away, curled into a tight ball and began to rock back and forth, whimpering into her chest. Realizing that being near her only caused her more trauma, Hunter retreated a short distance, and lowered himself to the ground. Laying his head on his front paws, Hunter waited for the woman to relax, though he knew before long they’d have no choice but to leave. The last thing he wanted to do was force either of these two women to do anything. Up until now, others had forced their choices on the women, giving them no say in what would happen to them. He refused to begin his relationship with his mate in the same way, if he could help it. Within seconds of lying down, his mate nudged the woman. When she still wouldn’t respond, wouldn’t move, his mate nipped the woman’s thigh then gave a low growl.

His mate nudged her again, and this time the woman pushed herself to her wobbling elbows before sitting up. She reached a shaking hand out to the lioness, rubbing her behind the ear as if she were a pet. “Thank you,” she whispered.

The frail woman turned toward him, lowered her gaze. She swallowed once.
Twice.
He could tell the thought of speaking to him directly terrified her. “Thank you, too. If you two hadn’t shown up when you did, they would have taken me back down there.” She shuddered, whether from cold or fear, Hunter didn’t know. “I couldn’t have survived down there much longer.” Tears ran down her cheeks, glistening on her face as they froze in the icy cold of the elements.

Hunter grunted, the only acknowledgement he could give her while still in lion form. Again, his mate nudged the woman, this time none too gently as she grabbed the woman by the bottom of her thread-bare tunic. She had to be freezing, but at least she had some form of covering. His mate had naught but a filthy sheet to wrap around herself.

His brave lioness pushed the woman closer until she slipped up onto his back. Burying her face in his thick mane, she sighed. “You’re so warm. I haven’t been warm in weeks—maybe months.” She turned to look at his female. “Oh God, I can’t thank you enough for rescuing me. I should have known, should have been stronger,
should
have fought harder.”

The woman continued to babble as Hunter began the long trek down the mountain, evidently soothed by the droning sound of her own voice. It was fine with him as long as his mate kept at his heels. He refused to leave her on the mountain this time. If there were others to rescue, he would send more men down. His mate also needed medical care and she needed it now. She would need the help of the female healers—those who healed the mind and the body. Both of these women would soon need to seek their council.

They rounded a bend he knew led to the clearing where his ship sat below. He would have just had them transported aboard, but it was more difficult for the
Manruvian
transporters to lock onto their life signs while they were in their
Lionese
form. And now, with their weapons and clothing left behind, their human forms were not only more vulnerable to the weather, they were also more vulnerable to attack.

A cold feeling clenched his gut and he rolled onto the ground, throwing Maryann into a nearby snow bank. His mate too felt the threat with her heightened
Lionese
senses. She ran to the girl, pushed her toward the ship and snarled. The girl, not needing another warning, turned and ran to the relative safety of the ship until she reached the entry and several males rushed out. His bodyguards and those of
Mikel
rushed toward them as he and his mate turned to face their enemy. When would these poor, demented souls realize they worked for a lost cause? When would they give up and quit trying to stop their escape?

Hunter barely had the time to wonder exactly how many women they’d actually rescued from this hellhole before his mate growled a warning. With a speed that astounded him, she threw herself at the lion easily twice her size that seemed to appear out of nowhere to ambush them.

By the Goddess Alana, he’d never seen a lioness move that fast. Before he could aide his mate, a dozen or more lions rushed the small clearing. Surrounded, they were cut off from the ship and their avenue of escape. With a roar, he charged into the fray, taking down every lion shifter between him and his mate. He’d fight by her side, in this, as in all things.

By the time he reached her side, the frozen ground was littered with the dead and dying. Some were his allies, but most were the enemy. Back to back, Hunter and his mate stood, their bodies quivering, their lungs billowing as they tried to absorb the frozen air.

Energy coursed through his body. He knew, as soon as they reached safety, he’d want only one thing, especially with his mate finally within touching distance. He’d want to mount her. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to take his mate, wouldn’t be able to sate the desire that would bombard him and knowing that, he wanted to destroy the rebels that intercepted their departure all over again.

Through their bond, Hunter could feel his mate weakening. Her body swayed and their connection dimmed. Sensing her coming collapse, he shifted back to his human form and moved to her side.

“It’s okay,
moya
. I have you. Shift and I’ll get you to safety.”

A few seconds passed, while Hunter waited, holding his breath to see what her decision would be. Would she trust him in this? He hoped she’d rely on him, at least in this. If not, he’d do whatever he needed to earn her trust. He wouldn’t give up on her—on them.

As though the Goddess Alana herself heard his prayers, his mate shifted, collapsing into his arms in an unconscious heap. With great care, Hunter lifted his mate into his arms. Heedless of the cold or his nudity, he carefully navigated the clearing. “Gather up the living, have their wounds treated then moved to a holding cell. I want to know everything we can about the Black Rose’s activities.”

“And the dead?”
Beran
, one of
Mikel’s
bodyguards, asked.

“Leave them for their compatriots to deal with. I’ll be in the medical bay if anyone needs me.”

“Understood, Prince Shi’Lan and may I be the first to congratulate you on finding your mate.”

Hunter nodded then moved into the transport beam. Only after the medical personnel assured him she’d live would he finally be able to rejoice. Until then, all he could do was pray.

* * * *

For the first time in Goddess knows how long, Amy felt well rested and ready to take on the day. She slowly stretched, luxuriating in the feel of the soft mattress beneath her, the sweet scent of lilies in the air, and the blessed warmth of the bedding around her. She smiled, enjoying this lovely dream. Soon, she’d wake and she’d be back in her dank cell waiting for the next male to rut on her unwilling body.

She shoved her bleak thoughts aside, doing her best to enjoy this short respite. She rolled onto her side, smiled into her feather soft pillow and inhaled the clean scent. Minutes passed, and still she didn’t wake. Her brows furrowed in confusion. The scents were all wrong. The warmth, the comfort, the feeling of safety--all wrong. Everything felt too real, too substantial to be a dream. And, if she wasn’t dreaming that meant this was all real…
The bed, the warmth, everything.
How?

Afraid to open her eyes, Amy just laid there, allowing her mind to work through the problem. Questions circled in her mind, questions she had no answers to. Where was she? How did she get there? Who had her and what did they want? In the months since she’d been held captive, she realized one thing—favors were always given with the taking of favors in exchange. Her only question was how high was their price?

Her heart thumped madly against her chest. Panic threatened to overwhelm her. She continued to lie still and feign sleep while she tried to calm her racing heart. It wouldn’t do to alert whoever guarded her that she’d regained consciousness.

Before she could come up with any answers, she heard the unmistakable hiss of a door opening then muffled footsteps approaching. That answered one question then, she was on a ship. That wasn’t a sound she’d likely ever forget. Her body tensed as she sensed the newcomer approaching. This might be her only chance to flee, and she wouldn’t waste the opportunity to escape if it presented itself.

The footsteps grew closer then stopped altogether. Someone cleared their throat—a woman, if she had to guess. “Why don’t you get some sleep, Hunter? You haven’t left her side in three days.”

Amy’s breath hitched. Her heart stuttered then galloped in her chest. She knew that voice, prayed for months she’d hear it again one day.

“I can’t, Eve. Could you leave the room if it were Taliff lying in that bed, unconscious and unresponsive?”

Amy heard Eve sigh. “You have a valid point. I wouldn’t want to leave his side either, Hunter, but collapsing from both exhaustion and starvation won’t help either of you in the long run. You should at least eat something. You haven’t eaten since we brought her aboard.”

“I just can’t leave my mate, Eve. I need to be here when she wakes. She needs to know that I’ll be by her side—that I will always be there when she needs me.”

Amy could hear the male’s worry, could feel it in her mind. She barely kept herself from shuddering. She didn’t want to be connected with a male.
Any male.
After the horrors she’d been through, she didn’t think she could ever let a man touch her again. Not willingly.

“Amy isn’t going anywhere, Hunter. And you were right there when the healer who treated her insisted she only needed sleep.”

“But it’s been three days.”

“Yes, Hunter, and it may be three more. Look, go eat and while you’re at it, bathe. By the Goddess Alana, you stink. You don’t want your mate’s first glimpse of you when she wakes to be of you with your hair sticking up every which way, three day’s worth of hair growth on your face, and bloodshot red-rimmed eyes.”