PrimalHunger (2 page)

He pushed through the gaping hole. Wheezing coughs shook his
chest. The raw taste of rotting vegetation and stagnant water permeated through
the coughs. Breathable, precious air sucked into his abused lungs. He dragged
off his gloves and let them drop to the ground.

Azros moved from the burn path to a crop of vegetation. A
piercing side pain broke through the adrenaline rush and he pressed a palm
against the exposed skin. His fingers touched something warm and sticky.
Blood.

A sudden cold shiver ran down his spine and he clenched his
teeth. A red haze formed over his sight. Not again. Sweat pearled on his
forehead and his pulse hammered. He swiped his face against his forearm. The
episodes were growing worse. On his home planet, his people would have rejoiced
at this…his coming of age. The second rise of a Valorian Prime.
Lousy
fucking timing.
There would be no home to go back to, and no woman who
would understand his needs, the bond. Nothing left but slavery for his people.
He had to get word to home. His vision cleared after a moment.

A smoke-roughened chuckle ended in gut-wrenching coughs.
Through the haze of his escape only one thought had pushed him to endure…the
Sheon heir would never take a Valorian mate. He had escaped a forced mating,
but now he was suffering from an early rise. The burning need to possess would
grow until he became mad with it, and fates help anyone who tried to stop him.

Lucky for his people, his Sheon captor hadn’t known the
significance of his tiger striping to the Valorian race. Only a fool would have
let the blood prince out of her sight.

“We have a survivor!” a strong female voice carried to his
ears.

He clenched his jaw and the corded muscles along his body
responded with instant feline awareness.
A woman to possess.
He grew
hard and ready, inhaling the surrounding scents. Smoke and fire had dampened
his senses.
Mine. Take. Want.
“Don’t come any closer,” he bellowed,
hoping the female would stay back. For both their sakes.

“He’s hurt. Look at his side.” She ignored his warning,
climbing down an embankment to him. “We are rescuers. Your ship showed up on
our sensors.” The voice held a snap of command.

He glared at the approaching female. Two others followed.
The smallest one was curved and purposeful in her stride. Confident. Obviously
female, and a bit too short for his taste. The one who spoke stepped in front
of the little one and caressed the grip of a holstered weapon. He inhaled
again, trying to make out the others’ intentions. Two females. A male. He
growled low in his throat. The third part of the group lagging behind was male.

“Whoa there, tiger. We’re not here to hurt you.” The smaller
female looked up at her companions. “Do you think our translators are working
right?”

“Look at his tattoos. I’ve never seen anything like it.” The
male’s voice triggered territorial anger.
Mine!
He bared his teeth,
shaking with the need to fight.

“Cut the chatter, people. We have plenty of time to
speculate after we get to safety. Too many delays already.” The taller female
tilted her head, as though judging him.

Her voice cut through the rage. Azros glared at the speaker.
She was decked in the same suit as the others, but carried herself with a cloak
of command. A belt held enough firepower to escape the Sheons twice over. Her
hand twitched on the butt of her weapon.

That shouldn’t have turned him on, but it did. He grimaced.
“You’re not safe here. Go.” His voice was raw with smoke and tightly reined
lust.

She shrugged and the field pack she wore slid to a more
solid position. “Look. I’m guessing you’ve got a story, and I’d love to hear
all about it over some kaffe. We, however, have less than twenty minutes to get
to safety before all of us, including your ship, become slime food.”

She again blocked the forward movement of the small female,
and he grinned at the protective gesture. The fates had provided him with a
formidable opponent, one who could possibly survive his aggression. Not one of
his kind, however, so perhaps the mating wouldn’t be permanent. A part of him
didn’t want to take the chance, but in his mind it was a hollow suggestion. He
was reaching the limits of his control…and that was just unacceptable. Heat
blazed down his spine.

He moved, faster than the human eye could follow, and had
the female up against a metal plate before she could cry out. “You need to
leave here. Now.” Her gasp weakened his control. He could make her cry out, beg
in lust, and need. With an iron will Azros reined in his near-overwhelming
reaction. By the widening of her eyes, he could tell she was more than aware of
how hard he was. A slight change in her scent told him she wasn’t opposed to it
either. He blocked an expert kick, and slammed her back against the plate.

“Chief!”

An explosion rocked the site, blasting them with heat and
pressure. Instinct had him taking their impact and rolling her away from the
heat, shielding her from the worst of it. Her face shield had cracked and her
scent was clear and distinct. Fresh soap, sweat and a sweet aroma that reminded
him of the females from home. This close, he could make out soft gray eyes and
red hair. He was always partial to gingers.

Her eyes turned iron-gray in a glare that would have burned
any other man where he stood. Azros grinned. She would be perfect.

A punch to the jaw jerked his head. A second hit to his
already wounded side clenched his gut in agony. Pain clouded his vision and she
was out from under him before he could catch his breath. The hell with perfect.
She was feral!

She grabbed him by the collar and jerked him against her so
that only the cracked shield stood between them. “We don’t have time for this
shit! Now listen to me. I am not going to die out here, and neither are you, so
if we don’t move our asses, you’ll make a liar out of me. And I never lie.”

“Chief!” The rival male’s voice held a note of desperation
that calmed the beast just enough to let her words sink in.

“Get your asses to the north ridge. Now.”

“What about you?”

She tilted her head. “We’ll be there. Move. That’s an
order.”

“Shoot him.”

“I can’t! I’ll hit the chief.”

“Stand down!” His woman was spitting mad.

Azros gripped her arms.

A sharp knee to the gut forced air out of his already
burning lungs. She rolled to a kneeling position in a graceful maneuver. He
glared at her, but the part of his mind that was still Azros was relieved. He
moved carefully, rising to his feet. She stood slowly, a slight grin curving
her lips. She could hold her own. The instinct part of Azros bared his teeth in
a feral grin. She was worthy to mate.
Mine. Mine alone.
His peripheral
vision kept the other two in sight.

“Chief. I have a shot.”

The ginger beauty’s gaze didn’t stray from his, challenging
him on a primal level. “I said stand down, Mase.”

“What do you want us to do?” The petite female’s hands
touched the tall male, restraining him.

The one they called Chief eyed Azros warily, staying out of
reach. They all did.
Smart.
“You can obviously move and talk. Can you
run as though your life depends on it?”

The fierce cry of freedom burned in his chest. “Try me.” It
came out in a half growl.

She caressed the butt of her weapon. “Good. Believe me when
I say it does.” She jerked her chin toward the plateau. “We’re running out of
time. Get to the ridge. Move out, or so help me I will shoot your asses
myself.”

The petite female hesitated. “He’s Valorian, and showing
territorial madness. A mating frenzy. He’ll chase if you run.” The two
outsiders moved from his sight and he shifted to keep them in his peripheral.

“A mating frenzy.” The redhead sighed, drawing his attention
back to her. His mind and body calmed, ready and expectant. As if he’d waited
all his life for this moment. “Fates never make it easy, do they?” She rolled
her shoulders and smiled. “You want to play? Let’s find out just how much power
you have in those incredible muscles of yours.”

She ran.

Chapter Two

Kendra evaded the newcomer as if her life depended on it.
The fact that it actually
did
helped tremendously. He was a powerful
hunter, pacing her, waiting for her to tire.

Reeva called him Valorian, and the communications expert had
yet to be wrong. Even wounded, the Valorian was a formidable opponent. Pressure
change in the air told her morning was coming fast. The reek of rotting
vegetation leaked through the cracks on her face shield. She shifted the pack
to a more secure hold and dug in for the last leg. Too many questions swirled
in her mind.

The first rays of Para Sol tinged the horizon blood red. A
sinking feeling told her they wouldn’t make it in time, not before the slimes
woke up. So how do you tell a testosterone-ridden he-man that he needed to hold
on to his hormones?

Her thoughts raced. This wasn’t the first time she’d faced
the slimes, but the Valorian was green and thinking with other parts of his
obviously spectacular anatomy. She puffed out a breath at the spike of interest
his erection had created. Valorian lore was very sketchy. Her people had begun
trading with the Valorians about the time she was exiled. What the hell did a
mating frenzy consist of?

The universe was full of strange traditions and dangerous
rituals. It would be her luck if Valorian mating consisted of a human
sacrifice.

She couldn’t remember anything solid, even if rumors of
their endurance already proved incredibly accurate. Not many could maintain
this kind of race in thin atmosphere. Even fewer could do so with a side wound.
Her deviant mind went to other areas of endurance.
Head out of the slag, Kendra.

Her internal chrono wound ever closer to wake-up time. Legs
and lungs burned at the loss of oxygen. Too much of her reserves were leaking
out of the facemask.

The first bubble of crimson slime oozed from the thick
morass of swamp grass. Overly sweet and horrifically familiar stench twisted
her gut. Her hand gripped one of the sonic grenades, unlatching it from her
belt, and she prayed they wouldn’t need to use it. “Don’t let it touch you.”
With a strain of her already tapped leg muscles, she cleared the mass in a jump
that brought her too close to the Valorian.

“What is that?” His gaze burned with the same possessive
lust, but he seemed torn. Almost sane.

“Slimes. Deadly. Think flesh-eating toxin.” Kendra’s lungs
burned from the thin atmosphere. She jumped over a bubbling crevice. “Let me be
very clear. Don’t let it touch you. Follow my lead if you want to live long
enough to tell me what the hell a mating frenzy is, and how to stop it.” A
slime spurted at her from a jagged crack. She screamed.

In a blink he had her in his arms and on another rock.
“Thanks, uh—”

“What makes you think I want to stop it?” The smoldering
heat lit a fire deep inside. It had been too long. Way too long since a man had
burned for her.

“I’ve fought too hard for my freedom to let it end on this
rock.”

“Interesting that you think mating and imprisonment are the
same thing.” His grin was fierce and determined. And too damn arrogant.

“We need to move. They trace prey by carbon emission and
you’re reeking of it. Most of them will focus on your ship, but it won’t take
long to digest. This rock won’t stop them.” She pushed away from his hold and
climbed the next rock. They were too far away from the safety of the caves.
“Keep an eye out for the yellow ones. They’re more intelligent than the
others.”

“And far deadlier, I take it.” He followed close behind, but
she could see a shift in focus. “You said the slimes could devour an entire
ship. How long are we talking here?”

“Less time than it would take to brew a pot of kaffe.” Para
Sol peeked over the mountain range, spilling golden light across the swamp.
Morning touched the sluggish slime packs. Her eyes widened.
Shit. Yellow.
Was it yellow, or was it a trick of the light?
Slime bait.
She needed
slime bait.

Light blinded her through the reflective sheen of her
cracked helmet. She twisted the bucket and took it off. Without missing a beat,
she threw it away from their path. The awakened slimes converged on the helmet
and she tapped harder into her reserves, taking the narrow patch of rock. “This
is it.” She had seconds before they would finish off the helmet. With a flick
of her wrist she released the catch and tossed the sonic grenade in the center
of the bubbling red mass. Yellow slime moved slowly around the morass. The
translucent veins webbed throughout each bulbous predator, pulsing with toxins
designed to paralyze the victim while the slime dissolved its prey. A horrible
death. The sonic disruptor triggered on the grenade and she turned. “Run!”

The ground reverberated in a dissonance that set her teeth
on edge. She ducked behind a sludge tree, yanking Azros with her.

She dragged in a breath and the piercing scream of slimes
exploding left a satisfying feeling of temporary victory.

“Are they dead?”

She took out her last grenade and prepped it for use. “No,
just disrupted. Their core consciousness has to regroup and rebuild the neural
network.” She jerked her chin toward the tree. “Don’t touch the sap.”

“I’m afraid to ask.”

With Para Sol shining behind him, the Valorian resembled
hero sculptures from the Atella museum on her now dead home world. Rugged.
Handsome. Too much to handle. Definitely too arrogant. She shook her head.
“That black stuff is a trap, an inescapable invitation to be slime food.” An
oppressive breeze threaded through the swamp, carrying the stench of more
slimes. She brushed a sweat-soaked tendril behind her ear.