PrimalHunger
Authors: Dawn Montgomery
Primal Hunger
Azros del Mar hates the Sheon.
Having suffered brutal abuse at their hands, he is left physically scarred and
angry. An escape that nearly cost him his life results in a crash landing on a
remote planet. There, surrounded by danger, he finds a woman who fires his
blood, triggering a mating hunger so intense it sends him to the edge of
sanity.
Kendra is a warrior in hiding. The
last thing she needs is a hot-bodied, feral Valorian upsetting her mission…no
matter how sexy or tempting the broad-shouldered tiger-mix may be. But when her
body begins to show signs of feral heat, she realizes the one man who can
soothe the hunger could easily destroy everything she’s worked for.
With war on the horizon, they must
fight to stay alive. And together.
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Primal Hunger
ISBN 9781419938320
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Primal Hunger Copyright © 2012 Dawn Montgomery
Edited by Grace Bradley
Cover design by Irene Adler
Photography: Romancenovelcovers.com
Electronic book publication February 2012
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Primal Hunger
Dawn Montgomery
Dedication
To Kim Knox, Lexxie Couper and Lacey Savage for inspiring me
to write a novel. To my family and husband (SuperChef)…I couldn’t do it without
your support.
My name is Destiny Lion. According to my worthless
father, with that kind of name I was destined for fighting or stripping. Turns
out he was right on both counts. I don’t hold it against him. This is Destiny’s
Palace, my Kingdom of Kink, and I fight for what’s mine.
My humble establishment lies in the nexus of three
asteroid mining routes. The five-dome facility meets the needs of those who can
afford our prices. What’s your pleasure, stranger? Goods, services? Sex?
Ladies, gents, or all others? Don’t let the weapon-toting security personnel
worry you. They’re here to protect those who partake of our services. My skies
aren’t always friendly. Rest assured, your comfort and protection are our top
priorities.
I take pride in our establishment. We are the best, and
quite possibly the only, game in town.
How did my people come to stay at station Destiny?
Well…each story holds a special place in my heart. Stay a while and I might
just share a few with you.
I don’t shock easily, but every now and then I get one
helluva story to tell. For instance, who knew near-death experiences could send
a Valorian Prime into a mating frenzy with my chief of security? It’s a great
story. You should ask them about it. The start of the fifteen-year Sheon Wars
began as most great stories do…with forbidden lust. After all, isn’t that the
best kind?
Chapter One
The proximity klaxon pierced Kendra’s dreamless sleep,
jerking her awake. In a heartbeat she had her weapon drawn from beneath her
pillow and aimed at the still-closed door. Her pulse leapt with adrenaline and
she could see a tremor in her extended arm. With a frown she checked her chrono
and groaned. Two hours and nine minutes earlier she’d fallen into her cushy bed
after pulling a killer double shift.
Bare feet touched the cold floor and helped to wake her up
further. “David,” she called to the security system’s ever-watchful camera. The
AI reduced the alarm volume and Kendra set the pistol on the mattress to her
left, keeping it aimed toward the door at all times. “Status report?”
“Unidentified craft on impact path with the Miora Flats.”
The AI’s sexy baritone voice held agitation. Someone was playing with his
emotion programming again.
Kendra scrubbed hands over her tired face and moved quickly,
donning a fresh uniform. Information flooded from the AI to her mind via
wireless transmission. Kendra thanked her benefactor’s generosity for
hack-proofing her room in order to minimize the distasteful sensation of direct
information jack. She stomped into her boots and jerked the laces tight. Her
knives would have to stay behind if they were going to the flats. That thought
tightened her gut with apprehension.
“Get me numbers, David.”
“At once.”
Trajectory, elevation, approximate impact coordinates and
location statistics shimmered through her mind. She pulled her long red hair in
a tight braid, flipping the end over her shoulder to hang heavy down her back.
With a twist in her gut, she realized just how close the impact was to the
caves she’d once called home. Kendra stood and shoved her pistol in the
holster, snapping the grip restraint in place. The harness nestled snug against
her thigh with a tug and lock of the straps. She strode across the room, the weight
of her weapon a steady comfort. With impatience, she palmed the door open and
reached the end of the hall by the time a few others straggled from their rooms
in sleep-rumpled clothes.
Kendra reached the security room, satisfied to see her alpha
team suiting up for an outside stroll through the treacherous flats. “Remember
your basics, people. Slimes attack carbonite steel and any carbon life forms.
Our suits will cover our own life signs, but all blades stay behind.” A groan
or two followed, but she knew her people would never endanger the safety of
Destiny’s Palace, out of self-preservation if nothing else. There was no way
off the rock in the event of catastrophe. She dragged on her HAZMAT gear,
grabbed the rescue pack, and re-secured her weapon to her thigh. The helmet
slid into place and locked securely.
She pulled the weatherproof map from the pack and rolled it
out on the table. Her team held down the corners. The low-tech usage would make
most security units in the universe sneer, but when the closest tech
maintenance facility lies at the other end of an asteroid minefield, it becomes
far more cost-effective to limit tech usage. “According to David, the wreckage
hit in this area.”
“We’ll go in three teams. Mase and Reeva, you’re with me.”
The two gave quick nods. “Tango team will be in charge of transportation.” Her
wheelman gave a grunt. He had his team already lined up. Kendra nodded to her
aircrew. “Sierra team will make the angel sweep. Fuel is running low, so don’t
overdo the flying.” Mark, the newest addition to the flight crew, rolled his
eyes. He was a pain in the ass, but one of the best flyers she’d ever seen. “We
don’t have the people to spare for a full-ground sweep, so my team will be in
this area.” She pointed to an area a considerable distance from the safe zone.
A low rumble of disapproval came from her navigator, Mase.
His dark-blue skin flushed violet with agitation. “There isn’t nearly enough
time to get in and out of the area before the slimes come out.”
Kendra nodded. “True. We’ll have to hoof it to the caves.”
The caves referred to a plateau nestled in the middle of the Miora Flats. Years
of windstorms and floods during terraforming had whittled cave-like formations
in the rock face. They couldn’t afford to lose a skiff to the treacherous
ground, so would lose precious time on foot.
“That’s suicide.” Mase was pushing the bounds of
insubordination.
“No. It’s practical. Look, it won’t be comfortable, but the
slimes can’t survive long on the nutrient-deficient stone.” She ran her finger
along the eastern ridge. “There’s a path cutting through vegetation, here.” She
held up a hand to stop Mase from interrupting. “Before you ask, the cave
recesses are protected from the worst of the summer storms. Fresh water is
abundant deeper underground. Almost every animal out there is edible. We can
survive for quite some time.”
“How can you possibly know that?”
Kendra rolled up the map. “The caves used to be my home.”
She ignored the surprised looks on her team’s faces. “A long time ago.”
A
lifetime ago.
The door opened and Kendra turned, unsurprised to see
Destiny. Upon meeting her boss, everyone took the beauty lightly. Born into the
hell of slavery, a sole survivor of a long-dead royal family, Destiny had
carved her path with grit, blood and every tool in her arsenal, including her
body. Most tradesmen and mining representatives walked into her office assuming
she was all body, and no brain. It wasn’t a mistake they made a second time.
She was more than a madam on a rock in the middle of
nowhere. More than a first founder of station Destiny. Many men had tried to
chip through the steel walls that surrounded her heart. All left disappointed.
Stunning though she was, Destiny was all business. Kendra suffered a stab of
fond jealousy. Even in a crisis there was never a perfect black hair out of
place. Despite looking cool and refreshed, Destiny’s expressive dark eyes
flashed with irritation. “This is the third impact in as many weeks. The mining
factions had better not be at war again.”
Kendra shrugged. “It could be another mining standoff.” The
last pod held one survivor, but he was in no condition to speak. “Or it could
be something else brewing.”
“I don’t like it. We’re short-manned. Can you make do
without backup?”
Kendra ran the logistical implications in her mind. “We may
need a medical team on standby.”
“Done.” Destiny gave a sharp nod. “Leave the wreckage if
it’s too far gone.” She didn’t have to tell Kendra to kill any hostiles. Not
all strewn wreckage held survivors.
Kendra nodded and pressurized her suit. “How long until
dawn?”
“Four hours, ten minutes and thirteen seconds.” David’s
reply rang clear in her ears through the suit. “There is a weather pattern
developing over the area. A summer windstorm.”
She looked at her boss, and only true friend. “Piece of
cake. We’ll be back before you know it.” She gave the sign to move out, and
hoped for an uneventful jaunt so she could pass out for another cycle.
* * * * *
Prince Azros drew in a slow breath. His lungs burned from
smoke and fate knew what else. The stench of blood and scorched metal left an
acrid tang on the back of his tongue. He released the safety harness and
dropped to what was left of the deck.
His eyes watered from the combination of heat and smoke. He
put a torn sleeve to his mouth and nose to block the worst of it. A waft of
cool air came toward him and with his free arm forward, he blindly stumbled
toward it. His gloved hand reached something and he squinted. The chassis had
been ripped open. Shock and nausea warred with the need to get out of the
still-burning escape pod. It was a miracle he survived the crash. With a pang
he thought of the others, praying to the fates for a way to set them free.