GalacticFlame (8 page)

Used to the call of birds and chirping of crickets and frogs
on Earth, the mountain without its chorus of wildlife seemed deathly quiet. Too
quiet.

She suppressed unease as Simon broke into a clearing, where
another rock wall ahead gurgled with the sound of running water. She ran a
tongue over her dry lips, approaching the area with caution even as excitement
filled her.

What a lucky find!

Perhaps she’d live through this ordeal after all.

She focused on the area where most of the water seemed to be
drizzling down the rock wall, ensuring Simon headed that direction. What was
the command for stop? The word evaded her.
“Karsh.”

Simon stopped and knelt within the vicinity of the cool,
flowing water. Leaning over to better cup the water in her hands, she tipped it
back into her mouth and allowed the sweet-tasting liquid to trickle down her
throat and ease her thirst, soothing her dry throat. She only wished she had a
canteen or something to fill.

Simon plucked some of the healthy grass around the base of
the rocks with his teeth and chewed contentedly. Eden frowned. “Aren’t you
going to have a drink? You must be hell thirsty by now?”

As he pulled more grass into his mouth and continued to
chew, his lower lip doing the trembling pleasure thing, she realized the
bolishtas
consumed enough of the grasses to give them all the hydration they needed. And
the grass beneath a natural waterfall would be juicy indeed!

She grinned, relief making her giddy. “Let’s stay for a minute.”

But as everything around her abruptly faded and became
bright again, before permanently fading into a world of dark gray, she realized
the giddiness wasn’t from relief at all.

Shit.

The plant she’d sucked all the moisture from had hit her
with a vengeance.

She inhaled a horror-filled breath. She couldn’t stay here,
not for long! This would undoubtedly be one of the
caltronian’s
drinking
spots. Possibly their only drinking spot!

She closed her eyes and rubbed a hand over them, gently
massaging. Eyelids opening, she saw nothing more than vague shadows.

“Bloody hell.”

Why hadn’t she asked more questions about the plant?—a plant
she didn’t even have a name for. How long did its effects last? Would her
vision clear gradually or suddenly?

She leaned over, confident Simon wouldn’t move now unless
commanded as she cupped more water in her hands. She lifted her face and
trickled what she could into her eyes. It might help a little, but the damage
being done was all on the inside.

She’d have to wait it out. And pray none of the
caltronian
monsters would wander into her vicinity. Right then she was as helpless as a
blindfolded bird without its wings.

With the heat of the day unabating and no cooling darkness
to give indication of time, she had no idea how long she waited, completely
blind, while Simon blithely continued to chew. He clearly had no conception of
her fear while enjoying the juicy grass and the long rest.

“At least I know you’ll be okay,” she said with a quaver in
her voice.

Simon abruptly stiffened, but Eden knew right away it wasn’t
from her voice or what she’d said. A distant, coarse coughing sound similar to
a seal’s bark broke the stillness and grew ever louder.

Oh, hell.

A
caltronian
.

Shivers slid up and down her spine. Surely nothing else
could make such an eerie sound?

Sorry, sis, looks as if I failed you, after all.

Aline, with her animal skills and natural empathy for
wildlife, would have had a chance to get out of this situation, while she, the
supposed plant authority, was blinded by the very thing she was warned about.

She dragged a hand over her face, sick with grief
.
Genesis, forgive me. I failed you the moment I pretended to be your intended.

Simon trembled, terrified. Eden sucked in a breath, hands
fisting. She wasn’t giving up without a fight! She might deserve this fate but
Simon deserved better than to die with a coward on his back.

She exhaled slowly, relying on her hearing to work out the
whereabouts of the fierce predator.

It was possible she and Simon weren’t visible with the long
grasses giving them cover. It was possible the
caltronian
would pass
them right by. But it was more likely the approaching predator had come looking
for a drink.

She lay flat on Simon, arms around his neck and reassuring
him with whispered words. No reassurance could soften the sudden roar of the
monster who’d obviously spied them.

Fuck.

“Go Simon!” she screamed.

Simon didn’t move. Froze with fear? Or was it that he didn’t
respond to English?

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Surely no flight animal would be this obedient?

“Unct!”
He shot to his feet.
“Merdee.”
She
closed her sightless eyes, incredulous by Simon’s unquestionable subservience.

The next roar was tremendous, an ear-splitting sound she’d
never forget for as long as she lived—probably not long. “Run!” she screamed,
racking her brains for the word her dad had used whenever he’d reverted to the
Carèche
language.
“Polma!”

The word came to her too late. Much too late.

Simon broke into a jerky gallop, seemingly right into the
caltronian’s
path. A blow sent her flying, knocking the wind right out of her. She hit the
ground hard, just as Simon’s high-pitched, agonized cry infiltrated her senses.

Simon, no!

She sat up, trying to breathe even as the world spun before
her eyes, a sharp, red swirl that abruptly righted itself.

She almost wished she’d stayed blind.

Simon was on the ground and struggling to get to his feet,
bloodied strips of flesh hanging from his side.

The
caltronian
beast stood over Simon with a feral
gleam in its eyes. Swinging its head from side to side, it let out another
roar, its open mouth revealing teeth as sharp and big as sabers before it
raised a massive paw, claws extending.

She clambered to her feet, ignoring the pain in her side—a
broken rib?—and the ground’s heat blistering her feet. “Hey!” she croaked,
waving an arm in the air and gasping at the shock wave of pain crowding her
body and making her dizzy. “Over here you big bastard.”

The
caltronian’s
claws sheaved as its paw folded
inward and it lifted its snout to breathe deep, its nostrils flaring pink.
Dropping its paw back to the ground, it lurched over Simon with a chilling
cough-bark and padded toward her.

She backpedalled. She wasn’t afraid of dying, but it was
something she expected later in her life, not now. She had too much to live
for, too many people she’d yet to tell goodbye. Genesis’ face filled her mind.
Too many people she’d yet to tell she loved.

Less than a few yards away now, the crimson-furred giant
abruptly stilled. No sound emitted from its throat as its savage stare roamed left
then right, as though suddenly indecisive.

Two
mallakwats
burst into the clearing with silent
and deadly intent, heading straight for the
caltronian
before they
separated and slowed, approaching the
caltronian
from either side in
what appeared to be attack formation.

Eden didn’t move. She couldn’t think, couldn’t feel. It was
as though all emotion had frozen inside her and the images before her were
happening to someone else.

Her eyes widened as she noticed the long barbs sprouting
from the
mallakwats
muzzles as if the prickly spines of a porcupine,
undoubtedly toxic even as they protected much of their heads. So that was how
the camp guardians could defeat such a deadly predator?

The
caltronian’s
mean eyes narrowed, shrewdly
assessing. Seconds later it swung away with a ferocious roar and took off
running, the
mallakwats
hot on its tail.

Eden stood dazed and disbelieving, then shaking out of her
stupor she ran to Simon, dropping on her knees beside him and ignoring her own
pain. That was the least of her concern. Simon was in a bad way.

He was dying.

“I’m sorry, Simon,” she whispered. He was her
responsibility, she couldn’t let him die. She brushed a hand over his face and
down his neck. His bottom lip didn’t quiver. Her belly dipped, then churned
sickeningly. She wasn’t going to let him give up and die!

Retrieving two of the
xenz
she’d shoved down her
dress, she opened Simon’s lips and squeezed some of the sap from each stem into
his mouth, holding his head up until he’d swallowed. Satisfied he’d had sufficient
amount without poisoning him, she kissed his muzzle affectionately and then
pushed onto her feet.

Balancing on one leg at a time, she thrust the blistered
soles of her feet beneath the cool, trickling waterfall. Ignoring the need to
keep her feet under the cool water and off the baking-hot ground, she retrieved
a chunk of
gratzi
from inside the front of her dress and slapped the
bark under the water until it was soaked right through.

There was no time to let it infuse, not that she had
anything to hold the water in anyway. She’d just have to make do. Peeling the
bark into strips she said to Simon, “Sorry, this might hurt,” before pressing
each piece gently onto his wounds.

His whole body shuddered before he let out a distressed
groan.

She didn’t have time to dwell on his pain. Movement in her
peripheral vision had her jerking around even as Genesis’ strangled shout
pierced her consciousness. The guilt rolling through her body was almost
immediately overtaken by relief, then joy and a whole lot of other emotions
that thickened her throat and stilled her breath.

Genesis had found her!

Chapter Seven

But of course he had. How else would the
mallakwats
have known to be here and take down the
caltronian
?

Shit.
He’d demand to know why she was there, why she’d
left his people.

How was she going to explain her way out of this one?

Genesis galloped to her on his mount then swung to the
ground even before he’d shouted the command to stop. His eyes glittered
fiercely as he swept her into his arms. She winced as pain coursed through her,
but the tears streaming down her face were happy tears, tempered only a little
by shame.

He swore savagely under his breath at seeing her blistered
feet and battered body, but then he was whispering sweet words of reassurance
and pressing kisses on her brow. “I thought I was too late,” he said hoarsely,
his eyes filled with the deepest kind of emotion. Love. Adoration.
Thankfulness.

No, my darling, I’m the one who is too late.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “For everything.”

His gaze darkened, for a moment giving her a glimpse of the
magnitude of her wrongs before utter, stark relief returned in his eyes. “We’ll
deal with the whys later,” he said, “right now my priority is to get you off
this mountain and to the safety of camp.”

She looked away, hiding the dread she was unable to conceal.
The questions would come and soon enough he’d learn the truth. Soon enough he’d
feel anything but love for her. Fighting for neutral territory, she turned back
to him and said huskily, “We can’t leave Simon behind, he kept me alive.”

He frowned. “Simon?”

She nodded toward the
bolishta
lying still, too
still, on the ground. “Yes. Simon.”

Nausea and desperation clutched her belly all at once,
pushing aside her own problems. “We have to save him.”

He nodded agreement. “He saved my intended’s life. I’ll do
everything in my power to save his.”

Trasean and Auron approached in a gallop then commanded
their mounts to stop behind Genesis’
bolishta
.

“Thank the Gods,” Trasean muttered, pulling his long hair
over a shoulder as his gaze roved from Eden to Genesis and back again.

Auron put a hand out in a gesture of relief. “Does this mean
our prince won’t rip everyone’s heads off now?”

A ghost of a smile flitted across Trasean’s face. “Not to
mention the fact we’ll now get to find our intended.” He nodded upward, and
that’s when Eden saw how close she was to saving her sister.

Saving herself.

Her heart sank. The tower was perhaps three hundred yards
above them, an unassuming looking structure that was all-important to her
future. If she’d not been so focused on the life-saving water she would have
craned her neck and seen the very thing she’d risked her life to sabotage.

Four more
bolishta
broke into the clearing with four
of the unattached males riding hard their way. As the men pulled their mounts
to a stop Genesis nodded to two of the men at the front and instructed, “Return
to the gardens, gather anything you need to repair this
bolishta’s
wound.”

The two men ran quick, appraising eyes over Simon before
they wheeled their mounts around to do as they were commanded. Genesis nodded
at the last pair and commanded, “Stay with…Simon. Ensure no more
caltronians
come near.”

One of them, a broad-shouldered alien with a stern face,
lifted his gun-like weapon, his eyes flashing menace. “With our life.”

Genesis nodded, but added, “No heroics, I want all my men to
return, alive and well.” He looked down at her then. “Are you ready?”

“But Simon—”

“Is under the best care we can give him now.” His face
hardened, revealing a strength of purpose that brooked no further argument.
“Let me help you now, okay?”

You won’t be saying that when the men discover Aline
comes from exactly the same place as I did…when all the dots are drawn into
place—if your questions don’t break me first.

She dragged her eyes away from Simon, his fate was in the
hands of the alien males now, before she cast another long look at the tower.
She barely withheld a whimper of denial knowing she’d risked everything and
come so tantalizingly close to success. She swallowed hard. “Okay,” she said
weakly.

His smile as he considered her didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Let’s go home.”

Home? She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

He placed her carefully on the back of his own mount, before
briefly conferring with Trasean and Auron. “I’ll ensure the craft is fitted out
with another chair and reinstated with supplies by the time you’ve secured the
location of your intended.”

The men nodded and said in unison,
“Dakkena
,” then
turned their mounts toward the tower.

Genesis had his
bolishta
kneel before he mounted in
front of Eden. He turned to her and explained, “The descent gets a little
tricky, you’ll be safer behind me.”

Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as she thought about the
rock face Simon had climbed earlier. At the time she hadn’t thought about the
return home. But how the hell did they descend an almost vertical drop?

For the time being though it was easy enough going, with
Genesis’ mount stepping out in an effortless, long-limbed stride.

Eden shut down the pain of her burned feet and aching side
in just the same way she closed off all guilt and thoughts of an uncertain
future. Instead she lost herself in Genesis’ musky scent, in the long, lean
lines of his corded back. Twining her arms loosely around his waist, she spread
her fingers and traced the light ripple of muscles along his abs.

She smiled at his sharp inhalation before she rested one
side of her face against his warm skin and watched the red world go by with
half closed eyes. The loping stride of the
bolishta
was a gentle,
rocking motion that all but induced sleep, a calm before the storm.

Genesis would find out her true identity soon enough. But
not here. Not now.

Not yet.

This time was hers to take and enjoy while she still could.
She’d face his horror and rejection soon enough.

Genesis ordered the
bolishta
to stop before he
twisted to face her, indicating the near-vertical drop off. “This is far
scarier than it looks. I just need you to lean back as far as you can and hold
on tight with your legs.” He nodded at his mount. “My friend here will do the
rest.”

She nodded, heart in her throat. This was the only way down
and the sooner they got it over with, the better. “Okay.”

She leaned back, suppressing a sob at the pain lancing her
side. Genesis reclined against her, his bulk locking her in place as he
commanded his mount forward.

The world tilted abruptly, then the
bolishta
was all
but sitting on its haunches and skating downward, leg muscles bulging and
hooves suctioning sharply along the rock face.

She opened her eyes. Incredible. They were all but flying,
the ground far below and nothing in between but air and glimpses of the cliff
face. The
bolishta
abruptly lurched, then staggered as it got its
footing in the sandy, far less steep incline.

Genesis straightened and turned to her. “Are you okay?”

She straightened slowly, pushing back a tangled lock of hair
and unable to hide a wince as pain rippled through her side. “I’ll survive.”

Lines of concern etched his face, softened his voice. “We
need to get home so I can look you over properly.”

The
bolishta’s
stride ate up the ground, the trees
long since thinning out when she asked, “How was it possible to get down the
incline?”

“Those hooklike claws I told you about—”

“Yes.”

“The
bolishta
can extend them as long as needed and
exactly counterbalance their weight.”

“Wow. Your world and its animals really are amazing.”

“It is.” A smile lightened his next words. “Earth women
usually come around to that way of thinking.”

Yes. Aline will love it here.

Pain lanced through her heart, sharper than any broken rib.
“I bet they do,” she said dully.

Long since leaving behind his weary
bolishta
to the
care of its herd, Genesis slowed his
cercanne
to a stop just outside his
seemingly deserted camp.

Eden’s arms tightened hold around his waist, but he ignored
the possessive tug of desire deep in his belly, his groin. He had other far
more pressing issues to deal with, other than her injuries.

He blew out a taut breath, taking in the deathly quiet
surroundings. He didn’t blame the women and children for choosing to avoid
Eden, not after she’d abandoned them with no way of leaving his
donya
.The hanging shields were dangerous and the
donya
fabric almost
impenetrable.

None had dared speak their accusations, but all knew that if
he’d been killed by the rogue
caltronian
or was unable to return for any
length of time due to injury, the women and children would likely have
perished.

He closed his eyes on a ragged breath. The women and
children of his entire province could all have been wiped out because of the
selfish actions of one Earth woman.

It was only his status as a prince that would see Eden go
unpunished, at least for the time being. A princess she would soon become, but
even royalty had to pay a price for dishonoring their people.

Dishonoring their intended.

He opened his eyes to the hurt tearing through him, sharper
than ever before. It was beyond incomprehensible that she’d not only betrayed
him and his people, but had put her own life at risk too.

He refrained from grinding his teeth together. What had
possessed her to escape to the mountain? When he’d shown her the plants at the
foothill, her offhand questions about climbing the mountain had seemed nothing
more than small talk. Now they took on a whole new meaning.

He dismounted. The only thing of value up on the mountain
aside from its pure drinkable water was the tower’s transmitter. He considered
Eden with narrowed eyes, looking past her disheveled flame-red hair, parted
full lips and delectably flushed face. Was it possible she thought he would
replace her with another Earth woman?

No. Eden might be an innocent, but she was beautiful inside
and out, as smart and as intoxicatingly bright as her exquisite hair. If his
world had a million woman he’d be the biggest fool on the planet to cast her
aside for another.

Yeah, and perhaps I am the fool who has been blind to
everything but her beauty and her supposed precious innocence.

He lifted Eden carefully into his arms, mindful of her
injuries, before carrying her stiff and silent form toward his
donya
.

Had he been wrong about her? Was she as conniving as Sala,
deep down? Eden had deliberately gone against his wishes that she look after
his people, broken his usually hard-won trust that he’d given her freely.

Fuck.
It was unacceptable, unforgivable even.

Except, there’d been something about the maniacal glint in
Sala’s eyes and the worry and guilt in Eden’s when Sala had claimed to have
seen the
caltronian
near camp that continued to plague him.

He didn’t trust Sala, not one bit. But even though the
breeze had obliterated any
caltronian
tracks, there’d been no reason for
the woman to lie. She’d already pushed the boundaries and would be aware any
further incident would warrant serious consequences.

When he’d returned empty-handed from the
caltronian
hunt
with his men to find Eden gone, he’d questioned Sala without mercy. At first
she’d stuck with her story of Eden being attacked by a
caltronian
, but
she’d soon given him a shamefaced version of how Eden had manipulated her into
taking them on the
cercanne
to the mountain, where Sala had then fled
back to camp.

His mouth tightened, his belly clenching with how close he’d
come to losing his intended. If the
mallakwat
guardians hadn’t reached
Eden in time on the mountain, she’d almost certainly not be with him now.

He hadn’t been about to risk it a second time. He’d exiled
Sala, had one of his men take her to a predominately male camp in the outlands.
Sala’s penchant for sex and men would be pushed to the limits and probably
beyond.

A fitting punishment.

He searched Eden’s face. Her beautiful emerald eyes were
shadowed with pain, her mouth pressed into a tight white line as sweat beaded
her brow.

Bloody hell
. The questions burning to be asked would
have to wait. She might not have suffered a
caltronian
bite or the swipe
of its claws, but she’d clearly sustained some kind of internal injury. He also
didn’t need to look at the soles of her feet to know the burns she’d received
from
Carèche’s
hot ground.

He pushed through the hanging shields, his jaw tightening
right along with his heart as his protective instincts came to the fore.

In his bedroom he laid her on his fur. She squeezed her eyes
closed, knuckles whitening at her side as her breath hissed between tightly
clamped lips.

He frowned, quashing a feeling of helplessness rising
within. The sensation wasn’t something he was used to dealing with. “I’ll be
back shortly with some pain relief and
stricmeh
.” Her eyes flicked open,
twin lines creasing her smooth brow. “An antidote,” he clarified, “for your
injuries.”

She didn’t say a word as he spun on his heel and strode back
through the nearest hanging shield, where he kept the p
anka lamoras
.

He rapped on the patchy-red, corrugated surface of one,
whose shell was already partly open to release cool air inside the
donya
.
The shell yawned wide open and he retrieved the two ingredients needed to cure
his intended of her injuries and burns.