Page 17 of 80% Beef 20% Cake (Alien Fated Mates #2)

17

I munched on a warm graneth bun outside the bakery, giving my crew a wide berth. The yeasty treat barely registered on my tastebuds. Racks of baked goods stood behind D’ovey’s counter, where he passed bins to Efred and Saluda, who stacked them onto the hover trailer beside me. A gust of cool spring air spread the bakery’s tangy honey scent every time the door opened.

Mayor Yurst had me so mad I wanted to tear one of his statues from his boastful courtyard and smash it over his head. And Devile was coming. The Rock Dweller who’d erased my existence from every Rock Dweller on Yagras. Devile had severed every tie to anything I’d ever loved. And he would be arriving on Tern in a few rotations. Fear, bright and cold as a fungus-laced dart, shot through my heart, and the graneth puff fell from my shaking hand to the pink puddle at my feet.

In the doorway, D’ovey twisted an apron string so taut it might snap and leaned closer to Hill. “We’ve no idea what’s going on. Just the little snippets we get when you come for supplies.”

Hill’s teeth clacked as if working out a solution to Dovey’s problem.

I rubbed my trembling hand over my face, trying to work out my own mess. My patience had already been frayed before I’d been coerced into attending that useless meeting. The way I’d treated Ginger made my skin itch as if tiny antu bit into me. I scratched the insects I imagined from my arms. The urge to fix something—to take charge—fueled my impatience, and gathering supplies was taking too long. I would make things right with Ginger. I owed her an apology and an explanation.

“That’s enough supplies.” My crew eyeballed the half-loaded trailer, then directed their wary gazes at me. I softened my voice before thanking D’ovey. After testing the tightness of a strap over Makir’s spare parts, I tipped my chin. “Let’s head out, team.”

“We’ll work on something.” Hill placed his hand on the older Boola’s shoulders. Flour dusted the creases around his mouth, highlighting the deep brown lines etched there as he waved us off.

Blant, that should’ve been me taking a moment to listen and lead.

I threw a leg over my saddle and hit the ignition. I’d dishonored myself and Ginger when we’d last mated. My lack of respect for a female disgusted me. On top of that, I wasn’t upholding the position Sisip had given me to protect Yurstille so the colonizers would feel safe. The ancestors would frown at my behavior.

The loud downdraft did nothing to quiet my busy mind as a cloud of choking pink dust swirled around me. I didn’t deserve the privilege of being chosen as the Rock Dweller to assist Ginger in her time of need. To throw that honor away lowered me to the worst of males. My poor treatment of a female warranted removal from my position.

I’d apologize to Ginger and explain everything. When she chose another Rock Dweller, I’d be nothing more than understanding. How had I sunk so low? I hadn’t even stripped her shirt or kissed her as she’d taught me. I could have hurt her, not preparing her like I’d been shown.

She needed a respected Rock Dweller with an untarnished past, one the great spirit guides held in esteem. Representative Devile held a position of power and authority.

No.

I shook my head, forcing that picture away. The imaginary red antu swarmed under my skin now, and I dug into my forearms with blunt nails.

We flew caravan style back to the Starry Volcano. All the while, I muddled over the spiritual guidance my ancestors had provided. My meditation in the rocky outcrop’s hot pools had only confused me more. Not surprised that their convoluted images wove a tangled tale. Images of Rock Dwellers with iridescent skin, banded wrists and mates had sifted through my mind. No matter how I focused my thoughts to seek help defeating the hellsna, their guidance remained singular. But Rock Dwellers didn’t have iridescent skin or banded wrists. Were these images of the past or the future?

My team chattered behind me, loaded with supplies to restock the temporary base. The blue snow had melted, and Tern’s pink soil turned to mud with every step. I knocked the slop off my boots before moving into the lift tube.

Sisip caught my attention as the doors opened. She must have been tracking us on the map. “JayJay, a word, if you please.” Sisip’s tawny Tig ears twitched from the top of her head, and she scowled.

I passed my bin to D’unter, who carried on down the tunnel while the rest of my team dispersed. Enforcers on standby sipped containers of thick javae as they leaned on the rail overlooking the map’s projection.

Sisip pulled me into a quiet alcove. “Mayor Yurst has informed me he will not issue replacement parts for our hoverbikes if you don’t step down from your position.”

I straightened my shoulders, fighting the tension knotted there. Yurst was an even bigger idiot than I’d thought, defying the Heir to Lorne, and I wanted to pluck every whisker from his conniving face. If I pursued it, I knew Bonic would stand by his order to keep me as the advance team lead. But there were too many other demands on my time, and dealing with the mayor had proven to be a painful time suck.

“He’s tied my hands in this matter. Yurst had no desire to hear my opinion and even less patience for learning how your leadership has kept Yurstille safe from hellsna.” Her ears stilled. “Now, who will you have as your replacement?”

The longer I thought about it, the more this maneuver reeked of Devile. A phantom pain roiled in my gut where the blaster beam had grazed me three annums ago. A familiar hole stretched open in my mind, its loose dirt crumbling as the walls caved in. I’d been buried alive in lies before.

I swallowed hard, my composure a short breath away from collapsing. Brittle black volcanic rock crumbled to the ground when my elbow jerked against the wall. After loosening my clenched jaw, I said, “Hill.”

Sisip nodded at my choice, her bitter words full of sympathy. “All this to maintain a political alliance we’ve yet to reap any rewards from.”

At least she had the decency to ask my opinion about my replacement. A political alliance spearheaded by Devile was the last thing Tern needed. That backstabbing, manipulative Rock Dweller went against everything I held true. Swallowing a spiny eru plant would go down easier.

Sisip called Hill over from where he studied the Starry Volcano’s terrain on the projection. “Hill, you are officially promoted. JayJay is stepping down.” She cleared her throat. “He has personal matters requiring his attention.”

Hill’s face paled, highlighting the freckles on his deep brown skin. I hadn’t narrowed down his mix of species besides Boola. “No way. Protector JayJay, I can’t lead,” Hill spluttered, his gaze darted between me and Sisip.

Blant! I’d rather have drunk acid than explain, but my hand had been forced. I respected these people, considered them my friends. I couldn’t let them think I was abandoning them. My hands turned to fists at my sides.

“Hill, go get the rest of the team, and I’ll explain. Send someone to Makir’s hoverbay to get him and Geo.” I turned my attention back to Sisip as Hill rushed away. It would be hard to give up my command. “Please meet us in the alcove off command central in half a sun. I’ll be brief.”

Sisip took a step toward the domed map but turned back. One side of her split-lip mouth lifted as if she’d eaten something spoiled. “JayJay, you aren’t required to divulge your secrets.” Her com pinged, and she rushed back to the rail to stand by her second-in-command, D’irk, as she read incoming messages.

I nodded to Sisip before marching down the tunnel on a mission to find Ginger. Hot, humid air worked its way into my chapped hands, providing the moisture my skin craved. Someone had placed light disks along the tunnel. Why hadn’t I thought of that? Especially after seeing Ginger fumbling in the dark passageway. I didn’t deserve to lead a team.

My room loomed before me, and I inhaled before knocking. This time, I’d be respectful.

When the door rolled open on its rail, her eyes snapped to mine and lit up with…happiness?

Ginger broke eye contact and toed the soft blue moss. She looked beautiful in a matching jacket and top, her shiny hair hanging loose down her back.

“I wanted to apologize,” she blurted.

What?

“No.” Why would she need to apologize? “The blame is mine. I behaved in a manner so shameful you would be right to choose another male.” My knees locked up as I held myself back from embracing her. The last thing I wanted was another male touching her.

She looked tiny and miserable, even though the shadows were gone from under her eyes.

“Do you have time to come to command central? I have an explanation and only want to say it once.” Frustrated by my harsh delivery underscoring the difficulty of the task ahead, I dropped my gaze.

Her body jerked. I would’ve been confused, too. A backward apology followed by an unrelated request with no time to process. But she nodded and slipped on her boots, then sucked in a breath when I placed my hands on her waist to lower her from the raised entrance, ignoring the step Geo had built.

Ginger and I walked through the quiet, well-lit tunnel side by side. Our footsteps echoed off the glossy black volcanic rock. She reached up and flicked an elephant on my bracelet. The heavy air filled with its soft chime.

“You okay?” she asked.

No, I’m not okay. “Yes. I will explain everything.”

“About that apology—” Her soft lips turned up at the corners. “—I really wanted to thank you for volunteering to assist me…I mean, with my treatments. I should’ve thanked you the first day. It’s a huge sacrifice. You may have noticed I’m a little independent, and this disease is forcing me to rely on people. Honestly, relying on people drives me bananas.” She laughed. Her hazel eyes sparkled like my favorite spicy whiskey.

“So, if you’re still game, I think we can work out our kinks by keeping our…transactions…professional.” Her steps slowed a bit and she shook out her hands at her sides. “Do you still want to help me?”

I should’ve been groveling on my knees. Instead, Ginger was giving me a free pass and a second chance. All too soon, the tunnel opened into the large, chilly entry space.

The news had already spread of my demotion, and most of the outraged enforcers I passed raised their fists to show their support for me, even though the reason behind Yurst’s directive remained shrouded in secrecy. I hoped they would still feel the same after they’d heard the truth.

I waved off their questions. Soon enough, the word would be out. I didn’t owe everyone a personal explanation. Just my team, Sisip, Geo, Makir and Ginger. They deserved answers from my own lips.

Curiosity weighed down the air in the small alcove as we passed through. Before long, species other than Rock Dwellers would know my story. I’d locked down my emotions over my wrongful conviction an eternity ago, but unwelcome shame bubbled like a river of hot magma under my skin again.

Devile would twist the tale, planting doubt in my friends’ minds when he arrived. I needed to speak my truth first.

Ginger tugged on my finger, a welcome interruption to my spiraling thoughts. “Go ahead, JayJay, you can tell us.” I leaned into her soft encouragement and started. Once the truth came out, she’d run screaming.

I stared straight ahead. Brittle holes pin-pricked the black volcanic rock. “A little over two annums ago, I was framed for a crime I didn’t commit—luring a hellsna to a lobbyist’s dwelling. That hellsna destroyed her dwelling and ended her life.”

It felt like a hundred eyes crawled down my spine as the people I considered friends took a collective inhale in front of me. “The supreme councillors banned me from Yagras and exiled me to Tern.” Except for the murmured conversation from command central in the background, an eerie silence smothered me.

“Last rotation, Representative Devile, the Rock Dweller who framed me, informed Mayor Yurst of my conviction. He no longer feels I have the right…character to hold this position. That is why I’ve recommended Hill replace me.” My steady gaze fixed on Hill. “He has been steadfast and clever and works hard to balance the many opinions on the team.” Hill’s freckles darkened when I voiced my praise. “I understand you may no longer trust my judgment, but I urge you to take the greatest caution if Devile crosses your path.”

D’irk’s teeth clacked. “That’s the biggest blanting pile of mantu turd ever uttered from Yurst’s fat trap.”

“You’re still Protector JayJay to us.” Hill spoke on behalf of the team. Smoke poured from Saluda and Efred’s noses as they nodded in quick succession. Clacks from D’unter’s teeth echoed alongside D’irk’s.

Makir’s omega pheromones calmed my nerves, and Geo squeezed my elbow. “JayJay, I’m pissed you think we wouldn’t believe you. Mayor Yurst is a tool. Enough said.”

“While that may be true, it changes nothing.” Sisip’s ears flicked. “Hill, you will remain in the leadership role.” She scanned the crowd and raised her voice. “Diligence will be vital in Devile’s presence. And for the record”—Sisip lifted her chin in my direction, eyes softening—“JayJay’s integrity is not in question.”

The drumming of my heart slowed as my friends either bowed their heads toward me, patted my back or muttered condemning words about Yurst. A heavy weight lifted from my shoulders—one I had been carrying for so long that it felt like a part of me was missing. I swallowed hard as relief eased its way through my neck and shoulders.

An alarm rang from command central. New hellsna activity. Sisip glanced at her wristport. “The moon has just risen. What the blant are those little bastards up to already?” With twitchy ears, she stormed out of the alcove. The rest of the enforcers followed, hot on her tail.

Geo held Makir’s hand, but his steady gaze landed on mine. “You’re welcome back to the building crew anytime, even though that’s a waste of your talent.”

Geo and Makir left a moment later to prepare for their trip to the wastelands. Who knew when Yurst would deliver the promised parts?

“C’mon,” Ginger said.

Her cool fingers wrapped around mine and urged me toward the tunnel. Thank the goddess Sola, Ginger didn’t force any more needless apologies on me. My heart still pumped harder than it should have, uneasy at revealing that truth.

Ginger let go of my hand when we reached the doorway to my room, and she stepped on the box to slide the door open, bringing her to my height. She looked directly into my eyes. “Anyone who believes you lured a hellsna anywhere but off a cliff is out of their mind.” Then she climbed into the room as if she hadn’t just shaken my foundation. “If you ever want to talk about it…”

On unsteady legs, I lurched toward the moss mattress and sank into the blankets. Her unwavering faith had ungrounded me, and I anchored the heels of my hands into the soft moss, seeking purchase. A prickling sensation on my lap helped me find my center. The dorat. She curled in my lap, her lit-up coat on full display.

Ginger’s eyes widened, and she crossed the space between us in a couple of springy steps. “What—”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” I interrupted Ginger when she reached out to the dorat. “She’s not a pet. Her aim isn’t to please like Geo’s puppy doggies. She’ll only tolerate touch if she initiates it.”

Ginger took a step back. “How do you know she’s a she?”

“Her markings. A male dorat can still camouflage himself but will be a solid color when relaxed, usually brown.”

“Sometimes I just love being on another planet. It’s so fucking cool.” Ginger bounced on the mossy floor like a youngling. Her face radiated the same joy she’d worn the first time she rode a hoverbike.

“Well then, maybe it won’t be so bad if you can’t return to Earth?” I needed a reminder that this glowing, happy female could leave at any time.

The next moment, she folded into a cross-legged position on the blue moss floor, sucking in one cheek. “You better believe I’m going back to Earth. There’s no way I’m missing out on competing head-to-head with the best designers in the world.” Her brows pinched with conviction. “I’m already so much healthier. I kept up with you on the walk to and from the command center.”

She had kept up with surprising ease, hadn’t she? Why, if her treatment was going as planned, did I want to lock her up in our little cave and never let her out of my sight? Instead, I fingered the hem of her pretty skirt. “The judges will be nothing but impressed with you.”

“After today’s…treatment”—she swallowed, and her eyes shifted toward the domed ceiling—“I’m going back to Geo and Makir’s to sew protective clothing for some enforcers.”

“You think that will be enough? You won’t need me after this?” Of course she wanted to leave. Even though she’d told me I was worthy, I knew it wasn’t true. Why would she want a male who couldn’t control his emotions and turned to her to satisfy the need running through him like a feral animal?

“I feel so good. I can only hope it’s been enough.” She fiddled with the laces on her tall boot.

“I will accompany you…”

“No way! Hill needs you. Did you see his face? Plus, Geo’s already offered to drop me off on the way, so we won’t waste resources. Now”—she leaned forward—“what are we going to name her? You can’t keep calling her dorat.”

“Why not?”

“How about Star, or Sparkly, or…wait a minute, I’ve got it. JayGlow? Get it? Because she glows when she’s around you.”

Those were all ridiculous names and absolutely not happening. I’d pick something fitting. “If you insist she needs a name, it will be Nebula.”

“Nebula.” She rolled the name around on her tongue. “Yes, that’s perfect! Here, little Neby, Neby, Neby.” She made a strange click with her tongue. “Don’t you want to spend some time with your Auntie Ginger?”

Auntie Ginger? Why were humans so weird when it came to pets?

Nebula’s eye opened a crack as if she had to look for herself at Ginger’s outrageous behavior. Not finding anything worth paying attention to, she rolled her body to stretch and then pranced off, blending once more with the volcano’s landscape. But my mind had quieted even with the few moments she’d spent with me.

Ginger’s shoulder slumped. “Well, fine then.” She stuck her tongue out at the spot where Nebula had disappeared. “So…” She lifted her wrist and glanced at the time. “Does now work for you?”

My forehead ridge dipped and I gulped.

“Can you fit in a treatment?” Her fingers tapped an erratic beat on her pants. “I want to head back to Geo and Makir’s at dawn.”

I coughed to clear my throat. “You don’t wish to choose another male?”

She rolled her eyes. “Honestly, what more do I have to say to convince you? I’m trying to speak your language here. I told you yesterday I didn’t see you as an unworthy male. And I wouldn’t believe a word of what that asshole said to convict you if he told me himself wearing a priest’s robes.”

Her forgiveness came too easily. I didn’t trust it. But I would be there for her until she no longer needed me. “I’m willing to continue your treatment.”

“Well, I think you had the right idea last time, keeping things a little more distant. Erm…but maybe if you didn’t leave so abruptly right after”—her voice rose and thinned—“it would be less weird for me.” She raised a pale finger and twirled it through the air. “So. We’ll just keep this professional. In, out and over.”

No blanting way. I’d never treat her that way again.

“We can leave our clothes on. Well, most of them, anyway. Do you need me to, you know…stimulate your penis to get…”

A stiff white collar peeked out beneath her dark-tailored jacket, like a uniform, with a matching tapered skirt. Vivid red paint slashed across her pursed lips, drawing my eye, but everything else about her clothes screamed, ‘Do not enter.’ I narrowed my gaze. Why wouldn’t she look at me? Under her armor, I suspected keeping things professional was as hard for her as it was for me.

I shook my head. “No.” All it took was her nearness, and I was ready. “I can perform.”

As she stepped between my legs, her small hand cupped my bulging coil—I presumed to test my readiness. My heart beat faster than when I hunted the elusive black jungle cats on Yagras.

“I guess no further stimulation is required. You seem…ready.” She gulped.

If she wanted detached, I would do my best. Keeping as much emotional distance between us as possible was in my best interest, too. I removed her hand from my coil and unlaced my pants. “So, you just want my coil and nothing else? You don’t want me to touch you in any other way?”

She nodded, but the way she sucked in her lips and her cheeks flushed red showed how thin the professional barrier was.

After last time, I wanted to avoid making any further mistakes. I’d do whatever she asked, even if it went against every one of my instincts. “Should I prepare you?”

Ginger slipped off her stiff jacket and smooth underclothing from beneath her skirt. From her jacket pocket, she retrieved a small bottle and rubbed the jellied contents between her legs. “This will make things easier for me. Can I put some on you?”

The petroleum scent played havoc on my nose, but it would take a male much stronger than me to refuse her hand on my coil.

“Whatever you need.” I held myself back from touching her as her loose grip greased my coil. With one hundred percent certainty, I preferred preparing her the other way.

Not soon enough, she maneuvered into the same position as yesterday. The fabric rode up her legs, exposing long, firm thighs. This time, I vowed not to drop her like an animal onto my coil. I’d let her do as she pleased.

“Be my guest.” I waved one hand over my shiny coil.

She laughed, but her heart wasn’t in it. Her nipples grew to stiff points where the white fabric stretched at the buttons, and I wanted to suckle them. Her unbearable, enticing linnea scent overwhelmed me. What do I do with my hands?

“Um…” She bit her lip, like I wanted to. “Can you hold it up? You’re so big you keep tipping over.”

My calloused palm squeezed the life out of the base of my overeager coil. She began to rub back and forth over my plump head, concentrating on her little bundle of nerves in a slow circular motion. What had she called it? Her clit. She closed her eyes and, free from inspection, I took in every expression on her face. Eager, content, ravenous, they all loved my coil. My mind chanted, Mate. Mate. Mate … I couldn’t help it when my other hand released the blanket and landed firmly on her waist. Blant professional mating, I wanted all that undiluted emotion in a wide-eyed, ravenous gaze pointed directly at me.

“This okay?” I grunted.

“Oh, God.” She sighed. “It’s more than okay.”

“I meant my hand,” I said through clenched teeth, struggling not to thrust. It felt so good.

She circled her hips once more and slowly sank. Planted deep inside her, my forehead ridge broke out in sweat as I forced myself to remain still—a near-impossible task.

“Your hands… Holy shit, these ridges.” Her chest heaved, and the buttons gaped, exposing the smooth pink fabric covering her breasts. “Do whatever you want with your hands.” Her words broke up as she panted.

Immediately, I smoothed my hands over the straining fabric, clinging to her soft mounds and kneading, drawing out moans. A revelation occurred to me while she milked me. When my coil shuttled inside her like this, she’d agree to almost anything I asked. She liked joining with me. After the ego hit I’d taken earlier today, I’d soak that up.

With permission to touch her granted, my thumb found her clit at the top of her folds and rubbed. The other ducked under her shirt, pushed down the slippery covering, and plucked her nipple.

“Holy shit, JayJay, keep going…so good.” She groaned, increasing her rhythm.

My chest rattled. In Ginger’s presence, my rumba had a mind of its own, a loud one. I tried to quiet myself so I didn’t miss all the different ways she called my name in pleasure. Her back arched, and her head tipped back. My gaze caught on her slender neck, and I reached up with one hand and collared her in a light grip. I tapped my thick finger against her button. My heart raced. Each time she slid down my length, I matched her rhythm with an upward thrust.

Seconds later, her body pulsed, trembled and went limp. Her forehead dipped to my chest, and she melted against me.

So close. My thighs hummed, strung tighter than bow strings.

“Keep going, JayJay,” she gasped, rocking against me. “I need your cum.”

Mate. Mate. Mate. My need to claim lashed just below the surface. Control slipped as I cupped both hands under her plump cheeks and thrust into her. All the way out. All the way in. Her warm, wet grip squeezed every ridge just right. I released into her, my rumba so loud the entire cave would know my claim.

“Yes, that was perfect.” Ginger nuzzled my collarbone.

I wrapped my arms around her back and just held her. Walking away from her again was not an option. The emotional distance I’d tried to maintain evaporated. I could no longer ignore that a part of me had connected to Ginger, and with each joining, it grew stronger. She’d leave me all too soon, and I had no idea how I would cling to my sanity when she did. But she had dreams to fulfill, and they didn’t include me or Tern.

For this moment, I’d appease the part of me that had claimed her as mate and cherish her like my own. My hand ran up and down her spine, my fingers dipped into the silky hair along her nape and my rumba gentled to a slow purr. Her scent flooded my nose as I pressed my lips below her ear.

Is it wrong to hope she still needs me?