Page 17 of Guardian’s Heart (Space Guardian’s Mate #1)
ZAAREK
I had no idea why the thought of Nova on Pandrax infuriated me this much. That was my mission, after all. Confused over the turn of our conversation and my emotions about it, I stomped off into the forest. Talking with her had been, for lack of a better word, nice. I had never been much of a conversationalist, but with her, it was easy. The words flowed automatically. Normally, after sex, I couldn't get away from the female fast enough, again, not with her. I think that was one of the reasons why I stomped off. I needed to put some distance between us. She stirred emotions up in me… emotions I had no words for. It was beyond protectiveness, beyond desire, beyond anything I’d ever felt before—a raw, unyielding need to keep her close, to make her mine, to shield her from the universe and yet show her every beautiful part of it.
At that thought, I stopped, what in the seven suns was wrong with me?
An animal took flight from a branch I got too close to, screeching in protest.
"You shouldn't roost that close to the ground anyway," I yelled uselessly after it. Damn bird.
I walked without direction through the dense, dark forest, kicking a root or rock here and there and sometimes slamming my fist into a root tree to vent some of my frustration. Frustration I didn't even understand in the first place.
I was well on my way to successfully finishing another mission. I should be glad to be rid of that troublesome female. Instead, I was ranting and raving like a lunatic through the forest.
My comm vibrated, distracting me and reminding me that now that I was back to myself, I could even call for a ship to come pick us up. I would have gladly battled a few pirates trying to take Nova from me. Or any criminal, for that matter. Any kind of physical brawl would have done right then.
The problem was I didn't want to cut the time we were about to spend together. I didn't want to take her to Astrionis or Pandrax. I didn't even want to take her to the tavern where the other humans and Nock were waiting for us. I wanted to be alone with her.
The sooner you drop them off, the sooner you can be alone again .
That was just the crux of it, though. I didn't want to be alone again. I wanted to be with her . And I didn't understand why. I had never wanted to spend any amount of time with others. Never. Even sexual encounters I cut as short as possible. Now and then, it was inevitable that I ran into another Space Guardian. We talked about our jobs, got drunk, got in a fight with others, and that pretty much summed up my social life. I had never needed more than that until now. Until suddenly, I craved this human female with an urgency that confused me to the core.
I kicked another root so hard it broke. I had liked my life the way it was. Uncomplicated. Black and white. My minder assigned me a mission, and I completed it and received another one. Now, the very idea of not being with her made my chest ache in the strangest way, as if someone had put a vise around it, tightening it with every step that took me away from her.
Not only that, but my markings also began to burn.
Frygg ! I cursed.
What the frygg was happening to me? My mind? My body?
It didn't matter because my steps slowed, my body betraying me, not wanting to be apart from her, just as my markings hurt more with every step. Not like before, but strong enough to bring the message home that they were very unhappy.
"Fine!" I yelled into the sky. I turned around and immediately increased my pace and noticed the burning ease.
Suddenly, the urge to get back to my spaceship and find answers became as strong as the urge to return to her . I pulled out my comm, hoping it would be pirates picking us up. I had never been more fired up for a good battle than I was now. Screw being alone with her , I cursed, I want answers .
A more superstitious male would have contemplated her being a witch, but I wasn't superstitious. I had seen enough of the worst parts of civilization in the universe to believe in the concept of a Netherworld, whether good or bad. Too many species believed in too many gods; not all of them could be wrong, but not all of them could be right. Anyway, no god, in my opinion, would allow the atrocities committed I had witnessed. Maybe the Shellocks were right in believing that we lived in some sort of hell and had to be better to enter the Netherworld of peace. Or maybe the Fran-Icks were right, and criminals were some sort of demons testing our willpower. Or maybe the Hgh'Das had it right, and the victim would be reborn in the next life to punish the one who had victimized them.
I had no clue and I didn't care to try and figure it out. For me, there had only been darkness until I was born, and there would only be darkness when I died. End of story.
I stopped in midstride… have you always wanted to be a Space Guardian since you were a kid? Or did you do something else before? Her voice echoed inside my head. Kid? Childhood ? I swallowed. Why did I have no memories of being a child? Frygg , my head was hurting again.
The fire was burning low when I returned to camp. I panicked at first when I didn’t see her, but after a moment, I found her slumbering inside a small underground cave. The burning in my marks had lessened with every step that brought me closer to her, and now it stopped completely as I stood right next to her.
"Curses of all dark matter upon her," I grumbled, not meaning a word, because the relief of seeing her there wasn't only in the ease of my burning marks, but my chest loosened as well as the tension in my back. Neither of which I had been aware of until now.
"Get ready. We're going to be picked up soon," I threw in her direction, refusing to look at her.
She made a show of scrambling out of the cave even though we both knew she hadn't been asleep. The way she rubbed her marked arm gave her away. She, too, had felt our separation. Curses on whatever this is , I fumed, staring into the dying flames before I killed them by pouring the water she had treated over them.
"Hey, that was my purified water," she cried.
"You won't need it. We'll be picked up soon, and then you can drink all the water you like," I retorted, too aware of the flames igniting in her eyes.
"What if I'm thirsty now?" she challenged.
"Are you?" I countered.
She glared at me.
"I didn't think so." I couldn't help but smirk.
"You're insufferable. I can't wait to get to Pandrax and be away from you."
"Well, that makes two of us," I yelled exasperatedly, returning her glare. Both of us were aware of and ignored the fact that we hadn't even been able to stand being a few paces away from each other in the same forest, on the same planet.
We took a step toward each other; I imagined she experienced the same pull I did, as if we were magnets drawn to each other. I couldn't stand this another tick. I was my own male. I didn't want to be bound by invisible shackles to this female, no matter how desirable she was or how incredible the sex between us had been. Neither of us moved another step until a small transporter ship arrived, hovering well above the tree line. The pilot sent a carrier box down, and I mock bowed to allow her to get in first.
She returned the gesture with a snarl and a shoulder bump to the arm, waiting in the furthest corner for me to join her.
I positioned myself so I was between her and the opening, facing whoever awaited us in the transporter first. My hands hovered over both my blasters, and I was coiled for a fight.
To my disappointment, I stared into the face of a Nuxta trader. One of the few honest ones. Or as honest as one can get in the slave trade.
The Nuxta held out his comm with his one arm for payment, and I reached for mine, waiting for the two to connect.
"How much?"
"Four thousand credits," the Nuxta replied.
For this short ride, it was an outrageous amount, but considering he was picking us up at night from the middle of nowhere, it was fair.
"Make it five," I grunted. I liked giving large tips on the Ohrurs’ accounts. It was one of the small things that gave me pleasure. I wasn't sure why I felt resentment for my employers, but it was always there when I interacted with a minder.
"Thank you, Space Guardian. Please take a seat. Do you wish for any refreshments?"
I turned to Nova. "Do you?"
She shook her head, her eyes roaming the transporter's inside and trying hard not to stare at the Nuxta, who had to have awoken her human curiosity. Even used to the variety of species in the universe, it was hard for me to keep my eyes off the Nuxta. From an evolutionary standpoint, he shouldn't have been able to exist, or if he did, definitely not in a technically advanced state as his species was. Every Nuxta looked the same as the other: one eye, one arm, one leg. Their bodies were thin without a discernable skeleton; they looked more like an orange stem of grass, hovering above the floor with one foot.
"Suit yourself." I crashed on one of the benches, trying to get comfortable on the too narrow seat.
The Nuxta retreated. "It won't take but a moment. I expect drop off at the spaceport is adequate?"
Again, I only grunted my approval, staring through the still-open doors as the Nuxta took us away from the forest. He had been right; the ride only took a few moments, whereas walking would have been a good two days.
Nova had her back turned to me, holding on to a handle; she stared out, allowing the wind to whip her hair back, giving me an unobstructed view of her. Even covered with my too-wide cloak, she looked fragile, raising the urge to stand next to her, to hold her, and ensure she wouldn't fall out. I resisted, but it took an effort.
She stood erect and proud, her chin jutted out from her profile, reminding me of her stubborn nature.
The ship lowered quickly, and the new gust lifted the hem of the cloak, exposing her long, creamy legs. The memory of them wrapped around me caused my blood to rush into my cock, making me dizzy and harden it so fast it bordered on painful. It took another effort to stay enraged at her and even more to stay where I was—only years of training and honed willpower enabled me not to move.