Feral Flaw Read online

  Goro's searing stare could have sliced butter. "Perhaps, Darla, our situation is based on your choices. After all, you are the reason Voldon focuses most of his attention on my starship."

  Was pointing the finger at me supposed to shut me up? After all, I was just playing his damned game. And he's the one who approached me on Earth.

  Chapter Three

  Darla's expression never glared so icy in Goro's direction. But she had to realize he didn't need her upsetting the crew any further, he thought. Now was not the time to throw daggers at homeless people.

  "How dare you blame me for this," she snarled.

  Something deeply internal resonated in that reply. Or was her reaction merely her playing along? "Please join us, Darla. Sit. Listen as we form a plan."

  Darla spun her back to the rest of the crew.

  What was the problem? Survival was pivotal here. She had to realize. Any issue that would offset the group's focus was certain to fragment the effort. She could burn either literally or pretend to stew. As long as she kept her comments to herself, I could mold this ragtag crew into a survival force.

  "What now, commander?" the navigator asked assertively.

  Blessed Devros, the man pushed the point that we all needed to work together with a plan. "We'll set up camp. No one is to wander off. Stay close. If we are discovered, we'll need every crew member here to help defend the group."

  Darla took one defiant step toward three massive tree trunks.

  Was she pushing me to react? "The life pods extract water from the air. And, bless Devros, we landed on a planet with breathable air. Air and water. That's two problems solved. Sleeping in our pods takes care of shelter." The escape craft were studded with solar panels. The energy would create lighting and heat. That's not enough energy to refuel the escape pods and lead the crew off Vek. But a warm dry place behind a locked door to sleep was as good as breathable air. The space rations wouldn't last long. It was better to find food here than to eat the rations.

  The crew watched me observe Darla's curious movements with a mixture of eye colors representing the various worlds from which the crew originated.

  Hope wallowed in those glinting wells. Now, they just needed sustenance. "Beyond the rations in each of our crafts, we'll have to rely upon Vek's vegetation and hunting until a starship arrives to pick up those of you who landed in the escape pods. Does anyone have a preference for food acquisition?"

  * * * *

  Cannibalism. After all, it's not like these extraterrestrials were earthlings, Darla thought. Didn't that rank the crew under the meat column of our food checklist? I snaked my arms across my chest as each crew member noted his or her boring idea of chores.

  Were they watching me, the loose cannon? I'm not about to turn and cooperate just because Goro wants me to. Maybe Goro no longer needed me. Maybe I am just another pawn in his game. Good thing we never mated. Talk about a disaster.

  Maybe there was something to Daddy's ramblings? Since Daddy couldn't explain my ability to levitate objects, he and his religious dogma were anything but answers. Truth is apparently out here. Somewhere. Obviously not buried in muscles and tight leather. I just need to find it. And now I'm off ship with a personal spacecraft I can use to rip out of here with any time.

  The refugees' voices began to heighten with excitement.

  Forget Crazy Darla. I'm obviously in this for myself. Although, I might need a surgeon to remove my foot from Goro's ass. I doubt his healer is up to the job. Then again, Goro's shaved head is so far up his ass that I probably won't get my boot in deep enough to require assistance yanking it out. Yeah. Use the stupid Earth chick.

  Like I'm stupid. If it weren't for all I knew from Daddy's forced Bible study, Goro's plan would never have panned out. And after what he did handling the Sevra issue by betraying the trust of his most coveted mercenary Red Trekaar, how could I possibly expect any better treatment? I'm just a naïve earthling. A fool.

  I so dislike being played the fool.

  And my pod fighter is all mine! It runs on my biorhythms. Mine alone. They'll never get it off the ground again unless I call the command. One more crack and I'm out of here. It'll be nighty nite, tucking myself into the cockpit, and blast off.

  Grass whispered as crew members shuffled off on task through the understory.

  Almost all the footsteps.

  Not all of them. Unfortunately. Some black boots claimed a spot next to mine.

  "Darla, tell me what's wrong," Goro whispered.

  An eye roll seemed due. But why bother when nobody would see it? I slid my gaze to meet his stern mask. "I was trying to act the way they expected. You didn't have to blame me for all of this," I hissed through clenched teeth. "You have a lot of balls for pointing the finger at me." Maybe I should add now.

  Goro eyed the others beyond my shoulder. "What else could I do?" he whispered. "It's a different game out here. We are no longer aboard a controlled environment."

  "Thanks for the update. You should have told me before I climbed out of my pod fighter."

  "I'm sorry. Everything happened so quickly. Now, I need you to cool down the act. To lie low as earthlings say. Perhaps appear to fear our situation enough to cooperate."

  Maybe he was telling the truth. Oh, to feel the hunger in an apologetic kiss. Some promise of a future. I stared at his stern smile, those soft lips he'd kissed me with time and time again.

  He didn't flinch.

  Okay, maybe he had an audience. But this planet wasn't resonating Destiny. "So, what then? Are we to a point we can mate and be done with this charade?" And I no longer had to worry about what he truly felt about me.

  Goro seemed to stretch up another inch.

  Not good given the man always stiffened his spine when he was about to pontificate.

  "Not yet." He stepped back toward the bustling refugees.

  Apologetic dismissals weren't going to keep the masses at bay much longer. "Three years is an eternity, Goro," I shouted at his retreating black coat.

  He turned a shoulder and a calm mask her direction. "Be thankful you have an eternity. Without The Cause, your life as you know it would have ceased to exist three years ago."

  Duh. Like I hadn't entered a new existence with him. Pontifications were the last straw.

  Forget love.

  But where in the universe should I go? Goro is really all I have. Maybe I'm just stressed and need to calm down. Maybe I just needed my mate. Completely needed him. Sex had to be the answer. I followed Goro's retreating form away from the escape pods and foraging crew members, skirting a maze of tree trunks, deeper into the secretive cover of the forest.

  He knows I'm here. And he's not arguing with me to stay with the crew. Good. Sex was the answer. I stretched my stride to catch up with him.

  He turned, stopping, scanning me from head to toe.

  The man's mask hinted of hunger.

  Good. I walked right up to him, placed my palms against the soft warm leather of his vest, and slid both hands across his beating heart.

  He studied the way the touch held my hands captive at his chest.

  Would he fight a kiss? Nobody could possibly be watching. "Goro?"

  His gaze slid from my hands to my eyes.

  What question was that dancing in his gaze? And answer was easy enough to get. I rose on my tiptoes toward his mouth.

  He didn't step away.

  I pressed my lips against the soft velvet of his mouth.

  * * * *

  Goro wanted to snake his arms around Darla, to drive himself so deeply inside her-mouth and the promised soothing heat of her soul-that she melded into his own spirit forever. And nobody would ever separate them, he inwardly swore. Those soft lips fed on my mouth.

  Need shot from his heart to his groin.

  One bite from her would send my soul off on a ravenous tirade. I couldn't risk her safety. Not yet. Maybe tomorrow. But not until I worked out a plan for everyone. And touching her skin only elevated my problems. There was
no way to break the contact without painful contact. Sweet delicious touching… I sucked in a deep breath through her lips to brace for the touch, grabbed her bare forearms, shoved her sweet hot mouth away a few inches, and met her confused gaze.

  Or was that anger?

  She had to stop this. At least wait until they were safe. And then she could have him. Yes. I'd end this madness. Later after I saved the crew. "Darla, I need to think. Too many people need me right now. We must be stronger."

  She snorted and jerked her arms from my grasp. "It's always the same old song." She pivoted and walked away.

  Didn't she realize the pain she set off every time she begged for completion? She had to.

  The day plodded onward for me even though I wished I could hold the glowing sun still instead of groveling in survival mode between the toes of a forest like an insignificant insect. The three life pods landed, seven more crew members arrived, and Darla said nothing.

  She was definitely annoyed. Why now after so many years working for The Cause? Working with me? She had to realize how much I sacrificed in my celibacy. Just how many other men could live their lives with the woman they wanted within reach? Always there. Always tempting. But I waited for the most opportune moment to gift Destiny what she awaited through the prize female I'd carefully chosen to fight for free thinking. And here was Darla. Always taunting me with those seductive curves packaged in body hugging leather.

  At least we weren't truly mated. The metaphysical force's blood lust pulling us together after mating would cause me to lunge at her. To satisfy my carnal needs. Time to keep steady and maintain the façade of a commander with a good shave. Give his scalp three months' reprieve from shaving and my hair would hang past my shoulders. I'd truly be anything but a commander. Yes. Time to tend to the debt he owed for existence. A lack of respect for purpose would only get a man into trouble. I strode toward a large thick tree trunk twice my girth.

  Back there, behind the smooth black and gray bark, I'd ensure no one would say I had failed to carry through with my commander duties.

  Life was so accursedly demanding.

  Before I ran the last sharp edge of my favorite blade against the stubby hairs struggling to remain in the universe atop my head, my thoughts wandered to how easy life was when I was a young unruly farming boy dreaming of wielding a warrior's sword instead of the plow I should have helped my father push.

  A glint of pink light flashed in my periphery.

  Metal.

  "Who's there?" I asked with words in case the newcomer was an earthling incapable of mindspeak.

  A presence pushed into my mind.

  "Hinxos, commander," the navigator said in mindspeak, shuffled onto the shadowy scene of tree trunks, and assumed a subservient stance.

  The eerie violet shadows painted the man in a not-so-masculine hue.

  So much for personal time in the wilderness. I wiped my blade clean on the leather covering my thigh and sheathed the glinting six-inch blade in the tall shaft of my boot. Just when had a knife replaced his Xquine warrior's sword? "What then, Hinxos?"

  "I toyed with the communication relay in my escape pod. The -"

  "You altered your transmission beacon? That goes against regulation. You know the likelihood of any two pods sending out survivor reports to all the different quadrants is low. This was a foolish mistake, Hinxos."

  "But, commander, I received word that a starship is en route to this quadrant to pick up survivors."

  A rescue mission? Talk about luck in working for the right side. "This is blessed news. Tell the others."

  "There is more, commander." The pilot shifted his footing.

  Nervously. Why did the point make my gut sink? "What else?"

  "The communication relays speak of Voldon's fighters focusing on this quadrant. He wants to find Darla. He wants to kill you himself. There's a bounty out on both of you. He wants you both alive."

  Was that really any sort of revelation? "I do not fear Voldon. Tell the others."

  "There is more."

  Not more. Not three things. Three had such a bad resonance like the universal theme in a lover's triad. And Hinxos saved the news for last. The information must be horrific. I stared into Hinxos's eyes, two squared windows bluer than earth's oceans from space. "Surprise me."

  "Voldon has sired a child."

  Not many Voldons managed that feat throughout the war over the past millennia. But what then did the monster want with Darla? Why was Hinxos staring at me as if he feared what he must utter next? "Is there anything else I want to know?"

  "It's Darla's child."

  Chapter Four

  Every cell in Goro's body jolted with deep-sinking truth. Yes, truly shocking news, he concluded and nodded at Hinxos while pushing into the man's mind. "Thank you. Please do not disclose the information about Darla to the others until I have spoken with her." But would Hinxos hide the news? Logic dictated the man was a reliable crew member. However, the crew despised Darla. Hinxos was one of them. And if the crew caught wind of a way to profit on handing her over, certainly they'd mutiny.

  Hinxos nodded. "I will inform the rest of the crew of the rescue mission and the bounty hunters to avoid any mishaps before the Mawshwucs arrive. My word, commander." The pilot's white form disappeared among the tree trunks.

  Is a man's word strong enough to stop the fear welling in my gut? No. Chaos threatened to snatch the bit of order I'd struggled to create in this wild forest and turn the game on me again.

  What about Darla? I had tried never to let her out of my sight on earth once I had learned Voldon knew of her friendship with me. Could Voldon have intervened, spent time with her, mated with her, or sent a Mawshwuc to collect a sample of her blood? Or worse? Had Darla been able to conceal Voldon's blood aboard The Seeker as Voldon's mate? Could she be in an even more secret alliance with Voldon where I've been played the fool for three years?

  No. Not Darla. But she played along in the game so well. As well as I do. And I can't read her lesser-evolved mind. Confronting her might set her off. If she were in on a plan with Voldon, how would she react? A wise pawn would lie low. Feign innocence.

  Maybe I should send the crew on food acquisition to speak with her alone. Yes. Wait for privacy. Give her that much to reveal she has a child. I skirted the tree trunk and found Darla leaning on her pod fighter.

  Grimacing or sulking. Definitely disgusted with me.

  What will she do?

  What would I do?

  Curse Voldon and all his manipulation.

  Darla's pinched gaze locked on my determined footsteps as I crossed the grassy distance between us.

  The woman was obviously still perturbed at what she deemed a personal insult earlier in the day. Rather two insults. Her motives seemed so sincere before. Always genuine. Never had she led me to think she ever worked against me. And the way she begged for sexual union.… Every muscle in her body proved she wanted me day after day. She wasn't Voldon's were-mate. The rumor was wrong. Voldon did not have her child. Not her natural child in any case.

  If Voldon had something genetically created from Darla, it was not of her choosing. I halted steps from where she fumed sitting in the grass, scanned the foraging crew members amidst the forest's towering tree trunks. "Let's focus on a meal. Everyone search for food for two earth hours. Stay in pairs. If you don't return in two hours, a search party will be sent to find you."

  The ragtag party slowly teamed up and disappeared into the violet shadows of the forest.

  Now for Darla. I turned back to where she hunkered and glared.

  Her glower didn't offer a moment's reprieve. "So are you and I going hunting?" she snapped.

  Darla's black leather killing attire matched her bitter tone. She needed to work off some anger. Maybe hunting might help her vent that frustration. Yet, after she learned of the child, her attitude would undoubtedly sour. But how does one tell another of the most horrid lie? I knelt at her side and inhaled deeply.

  Her mask
melted from disgust to suspicion then graded into curiosity.

  Curiosity often was the initial inklings of defiance. She'd need a lot of defiance to sabotage Voldon's secret baby stratagem. "Voldon has a bounty out on us. He wants us alive."

  "Tell me something I couldn't have guessed."

  Well, that sarcasm asked for it with her annoying retort, Devros. "He claims he has a child he had with you."

  Darla's caustic gaze mushroomed into full-blown wide-eyed terror. "That's impossible." She wagged her head and shot to her feet. "That bastard never touched me. Never did more than take me out for dinner. Never-" She stomped left and back right. "Never." She turned, hurled herself against her pod fighter, and beat the alien metal like a pissed-off mercenary in her murderous knife studded black leather. "It's a lie."

  The reaction didn't reek traitorous. I focused on using a whisper tone that reverberated authority and commanded respect. "Listen, Darla. Sometimes we think we've got everything covered, but we missed something. He could have gotten your DNA, or some blood, or even put you under-"

  She whirled wearing a seething mask. "Like alien abduction crap? You mean something along the line of what I've already experienced? God, Goro, you think I'm part of Voldon's new kink in his grand scheme against The Cause. Don't you?"

  Not after witnessing her reaction.

  * * * *

  Damn, the man. Darla didn't care for the universe's ultimate ass-wipe's slander. Goro's silence wasn't good either, she fumed. He killed quite a few traitors since I'd joined his crew. There was nothing to prevent him from turning on me.

  My legs twitched to run.

  "No, Darla. I do not think you had any hand in Voldon's madness. There are many ways he could have taken what he needed to produce a child by you. He's probably trying to force a wedge between us. Let's stop it now."

  What a ridiculously calm reaction. Only Goro would stand there stock still,. Waiting for me to screw myself. Nobody was going to stare me down and call me a liar. "I'm a fucking virgin. And no man will ever get to claim he had a child by me until it tore through my body on a one-way trip to breathe, scream, and terrorize the universe, Goro. Voldon may have some knock off stuffed animal. But his gremlin is not mine."