Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

In the morning he was up and about before her, checking out the small living space. He got out two breakfast type meals from the functioning stasis keeper and heated them, handing her one. Raeblin sat up in the bed to take it with murmured thanks. Brent took the chair and sat close to the bed to eat his. "What's outside?" he asked, pointing to the other end of the room where sunlight poured in.

"The Wanderer created his own grove for the Great Mother," Raeblin said. "It's where I saw her the night before last, when she forgave me for doing the blood transfusion and agreed to let you live as a result."

Spork on the way to his mouth loaded with eggs, Brent stared at her for a moment. "Heavy. Guess I won't be going out there. I'm glad you warned me."

Raeblin bit back several comments about how he was entitled to enter the goddess's sacred space now too, since he was a Badari. She didn't think Brent wanted to know the hard fact. "What do you think we ought to do today? Continue heading west?"

"I'd like to take the day and recon the area a bit. See what our possible routes away from here might be. Maybe hunt or fish if the opportunity arises." He lifted his plate. "This stuff kinda creeps me out, eating food that's hundreds of years old, even if it was in stasis."

"Sounds like a plan to me. I think we're safe here from the Khagrish, being inside a cliff, with two sealed doors but I know we shouldn't linger in one spot too long, not even this one." She added, "I think we should explore this place too, see if the Wanderer had any hidden escape routes."

"Good idea. I like the way you think, strategic. We'll make the search here our top priority and then head out after breakfast to see what's what."

Aside from her lingering sadness over Brent's refusal to become her claimed mate, Raeblin decided it was one of the best days of her life. They did find several escape routes from the one room dwelling, then they sallied outside the cliff to explore. There was no trace of any Khagrish pursuit and as she and Brent hiked through the surrounding terrain they found a small lake late in the afternoon.

"I vote we go fishing," Brent said. "I'll make us poles and I have a bit of line in my kit we can use."

"Badari don't need fishing poles," Raeblin answered light heartedly. She stripped off her shirt and pants and dove into the lake in her utilitarian underwear. After all, Brent had seen her naked the night before. Taking a deep breath she dove under the water and swam to the center of the lake, finding it deeper than she'd expected. The water was cold but not freezing and she enjoyed the sensation of freedom she found when immersed. There were schools of fish similar to ones caught and eaten in Sanctuary Valley and she caught several good-sized ones with her talons.

Surfacing she waved to Brent on the shore. "How many have you caught?"

"One but he's huge," he said. "I was worried about you but I figured Badari could hold their breath basically forever. Another minute and I was coming in after you."

Raeblin was warmed by his concern. As she swam lazily to shore, she pondered whether his care would have been for anyone or was it special because he had deeper feelings? There was no way to know unless he agreed to be claimed. My job is to guard my heart while he's unsure and to try to sway him to my view of our situation.

He agreed her catch was awesome and set to work cleaning his fish and hers. Raeblin stayed in the lake, enjoying her swim. Once Brent had finished with the fish and put the filets in a small stasis keeper he'd brought, he stripped completely and dove into the water, stroking to her rapidly. She treaded water, wondering what he had in mind.

"Where'd you learn to fish like that?" he asked when he reached her.

"I've been out in the lake at the valley with the South Seas pack," she said. "They taught me to swim and then to fish. It's so much fun—you should come with us sometime." Raeblin didn't think he was pleased with the idea but selfishly she liked the thought he might harbor a touch of jealousy at her closeness with the other pack. "When the war's over the brothers are going to teach me to surf in the ocean."

Brent frowned but gathered her close, keeping them afloat with his strength. "I know what I want to do right now if we didn't need to maintain situational awareness. I'm not gonna be surprised by the Khagrish when I'm making love to you." He kissed her, taking possession of her mouth in a no holds barred manner and she was enthusiastic in her response.

Being skin to skin with Brent in the water was exhilarating and the fact the cold was having little to no effect on him was emphasized by the way his fully erect cock rubbed against her lower body as they floated together. Seized by a mischievous impulse, she broke away from him, splashed him with a big wave of water and dove under the surface, swimming away as fast as she could. To her delight, he shouted with laughter and followed, chasing her on a sinuous route through the weeds growing in the lake and the few natural rock formations at the bottom. Raeblin had no trouble not breathing but she was concerned about Brent, so eventually she let him catch her and together they floated to the surface. He didn't seem to be in any respiratory distress so she guessed her blood had enhanced his ability to retain air much the way she did.

"Race you to the shore," she said, taking off.

It was a dead heat and then she was in his arms again, kissing and touching, both deeply involved in the moment.

Brent raised his head. "That's it, lady, you tempt me too far. We're heading to the Wanderer's place right now and we're hitting the bed. If the idea's agreeable to you?"

"You won't have any argument from me," she said cheerily, "I'm all in on your plan for the rest of the day. We can resume our westward trek tomorrow."

Once they reached their temporary sanctuary, Brent wasted no time drawing Raeblin to the bed and removing her clothing, while she stripped him efficiently of his. He took her into the bed with him, wishing they had a more comfortable place to share each other's bodies, but the brief regret was rapidly overwhelmed by the scent of her—floral, with vanilla spice notes—and the silken feel of her skin. Her breasts filled his hands and he lavished attention on them, teasing her nipples with his tongue and then suckling first one side and then the other. He used his free hand to good effect at the vee of her legs, swirling his finger around the all-important bud of nerves hidden in the folds until she was panting and squirming under him.

"You taste so good," he said, raising his head to stare into her flushed face, "I need more." Suiting action to words, he changed position so he could use his tongue to caress the silky skin between her legs, lapping at her cream, before inserting the tip between her legs and giving her all the stimulation she needed to rise into a truly epic orgasm. He watched her face as she reveled in the climax, her body clenched as she tried to ride the waves of sensation and hold onto it. She was locked to him so tightly he felt the tips of her talons on his back. He didn't mind at all—the tiny edge of pain was a stimulus and his arousal, already hard enough to pound nails, pulsed insistently. He wanted to be inside her warmth.

"More for you where that came from, lovely lady," he whispered, kissing the inside of her thigh.

"Please," she said, her voice husky and oh so sexy. "I want all of you, right now."

Brent was happy to oblige and adjusted their positions again, placing the tip of his aching cock at the entrance to Raeblin's hot, wet core. She moaned impatiently, clutching his hips and he slid inside, going to the root with one thrust, then pumping in and out so hard he rocked the old bed. She was wild for him, clenching her inner muscles so hard as he moved he had to fight himself not to come too early, before he'd made sure she was satisfied. And Brent was determined Raeblin was going to have her climax. He wanted her to be happy and sated and never to feel any desire for another man as long as she lived.

In the back of his mind, a voice was asking Why exactly do you not want to become her claimed mate if you care so much for her?

He shut the inner dialog down in a hurry, concentrating on pleasing his partner. In some way he couldn't define, making love to Raeblin was like being lifted out of the world he lived in and plunged into another, better plane of existence, where everything was golden, all things were possible and he'd always have a home, which as a formerly rootless wandering soldier he'd never thought he needed. The voice in his head surfaced again but he overrode it as Raeblin tensed and trembled, ready to go over the edge and finish. Brent changed up his rhythm, becoming even more insistent, pumping in and out harder, which she met with loud approval and more scratches on his back and then she screamed his name and came.

Brent let go of his control, unable to hold on an instant longer as her body milked his for all of his seed, and his mind blanked with the sensory overload as the hot zing of extreme pleasure flooded his nerve endings.

He cuddled her against him for a long time afterward, although eventually they did get up, clean up in the stream and cooked dinner. There wasn't much conversation but it wasn't at all a strained silence. Raeblin shared a few more stories she'd heard about the Wanderer who'd created this abode and he told more well-scrubbed tales of the time he and Gabe had spent as Special Forces operators. Eventually he drew her to bed for more leisurely lovemaking.

After Raeblin finally drifted off to sleep, Brent lay quietly, her head pillowed on his shoulder, and tried to think through where he was on the subject of mates. She hadn't raised the topic at all, which he appreciated, and her love making had been unreserved. From time to time he caught a few fleeting moments of sadness from her, which hurt his heart. He'd made it a point to be open with any woman there was no future with him. He didn't do broken hearts and regrets, much less rings and ceremonies. Yet here he was, with a woman who wanted him as her partner for life and afterlife and curiously he wasn't all opposed to the idea.

He caught her floral-and-vanilla scent as he toyed with her hair and his cock pulsed but Brent shut that down. Raeblin needed her sleep. They'd gone at it like there was only this one night in their lives for all the love making to occur and he suspected, despite being a Badari, she was tired and probably sore. Once they were in Sanctuary Valley they could hook up in his cave residence, no problem.

Brent shifted a little, uncomfortable with the memory of the various women he'd dated and slept with in the valley. At least he'd never invited any of them to his private domicile. The space and his bed should only be shared with Raeblin.

Seven hells, you've got it bad, don't you? This Badari magic is working on you and you'd better yank it back before you wake her up and let her sink her fangs into you. He did not do commitment. He did not do happy ever after and long term. He walked away with no hard feelings on either side and he stayed free to go and do whatever he wanted.

But what did he even want any more? The old life cruising the starlanes and taking on complex mercenary jobs with Gabe and Flo was over. Both of them were claimed mates and would remain on Ushandirr no matter what. Did he really want to operate solo? Join another group of soldiers of fortune? He knew a few righteous guys from his days in the service who ran mercenary groups and it'd be easy to get in. He was a top operator with a good reputation.

The idea was totally unappealing. He didn't know if Aydarr would even allow him to leave the planet, now he had Badari blood in his veins. It couldn't be kept a secret—the Badari would know the instant he and Raeblin set foot in the valley.

This is too fast. What if the transfusion doesn't take or reverses itself or fades with time? Will I want Raeblin? Will she still want me?

Would we eventually become a tortured couple like my parents were? Badari don't have a word for divorce and I don't have a clue how to do long term hearts and flowers.

A headache began to pound in his temples. Brent was not used to doing this much introspection, especially not after a night of hot sex.

But this hadn't been his usual physical recreation. This had been a special night, shared with a woman who meant more to him than anyone else ever had. A woman he might…have fallen in love with?

A vision of Raeblin in the lake earlier in the day, happy and laughing, beautiful in all her glory, crossed his mind's eye.

But it was happening too fast, forced by Raeblin's need to save his life in the only way possible.

The thought was ice cold water on the hot aftermath of their day and night. He needed to take his time on this for both their sakes and so he would. With relief Brent closed his eyes and willed sleep to come.

Raeblin clenched her hand on his upper arm and her urgent whisper woke him an indeterminate time later. "They're here, the Badari are here."

He transitioned from a sound sleep to instant alertness and was off the bed, reaching for his clothes. "Where's the extraction point?"

"Mateer is in charge and he sent me these co-ordinates." She rattled off a grid reference and Brent visualized the direction they'd have to go. "Any reason the extraction team can't pick us up closer?"

Raeblin was dressing now too. "Apparently there's been new Khagrish search activity in this area, which is why it's a night exfil. Mateer said there's no good place to land any closer. We've got to hurry or we'll have to wait another day which he thinks is a bad idea."

"I'd agree with his assessment." Brent was kicking himself for being so careless and carefree outdoors at the lake the day before. They could have been recaptured all too easily. "You grab your stuff and I'll do a quick check on the room, make sure we're leaving it in order." He'd tucked his knife into its sheath, hid his weapon of last resort in his boot and now picked up his pulse rifle. He made quick work of dousing all the handlamps and checking the stasis keepers were fully closed. As he went by the patch of moonlight from the hall to the glade outside, he glanced out and saw a woman seated on a rock in the center of the circle of trees. Her face was in the shadows but she raised one hand as if giving a blessing and was gone.

Shaken, hoping he had not just seen the Great Mother, he grabbed his backpack and joined Raeblin at the entrance to one of the Wanderer's escape routes. "I guess my night vision has been Badari-ized," he said. "I can see fine even without all the lamps."

Raeblin turned and let her gaze travel over the entire room. "I'm a little sad to be leaving, to tell the truth. This has been a special refuge these two days. I've been so happy."

Brent didn't know what to say, so he kissed her forehead, took her elbow and led her the first few steps into the tunnel hacked out of the living rock of the cliff where the dwelling had been created. "I'll go first."

They moved at a good speed, since the path they were using had been created by and for a full grown Badari. It might have been cramped for the Wanderer but there was plenty of room for Brent and Raeblin and soon they were at a camouflaged exit, located well away from the primary entrance. Finger to his lips, Brent waited for her silent acknowledgment before he cautiously shifted the brush and debris the Wanderer had piled here to hide the opening and worked his way to the outer world. He took a fast look around, listening hard, and found nothing to make him nervous. Hopefully the damn Khagrish were mired in their almost superstitious reluctance to do night operations.

At his signal, Raeblin joined him, watching their six, and they moved through the forest towards their destination as silently as possible. A flock of night flying insect eaters startled him at one point but he managed not to fire at them, instead crouching and covering Raeblin so none of the nocturnal hunters got tangled in her hair. When the sky was clear, he continued onward, setting a good pace and feeling immense gratitude for his now-enhanced natural night vision.

After about an hour the forest was thinning out and Brent knew they were close. He slowed his pace and moved even more cautiously for the last hundred yards, taking a spot behind a pair of thick trunked trees. Raeblin tucked in next to him.

"Tell Mateer we're here."

She nodded.

While they waited, he mulled over probably a hundred things he should say to her but he felt tongue tied.

There was the sound of a flyer and a dark shape settled in over the meadow in front of them. A ramp extended and a squad of Badari in full gear deployed. One—Mateer by the size—stood at the ramp and beckoned.

His opportunity for telling Raeblin anything now over, he cursed himself for his indecision. "Let's go. Dangerous for them to linger on the ground."

She caught his elbow. "I told them about the transfusion. I had to. I warn you, Mateer may be upset with me."

"He'll have to come through me to get to you. Thanks for the heads up but you did what you had to do, telling him."

"The goddess said I was forgiven," she said as if reminding herself too. "It'll be fine." She winced, hand to her head. "He's getting impatient. We have to go."

For the first time since the mission began, she broke protocol and ran into the clearing ahead of him. With a curse he broke cover too and followed, guarding her six until she reached the flyer and the enforcer grabbed her, to rush her up the ramp. The flyer's engines hummed louder and Brent redoubled his speed. They weren't going to leave him but he hated for her to be alone with Mateer even for a few moments. The Badari soldiers on the ground closed in around him, collapsing their position as he moved, until his boots hit the ramp, the others right behind him. The flyer was lifting off even as the last man leaped aboard and Brent laughed.

"Damn, must be Gabe at the controls."

"How did you guess?" The nearest Badari soldier, which happened to be Faine, clapped him on the shoulder. "He's been beside himself worrying about you and the Daughter. Glad to have you both back."

"Thanks for coming to pick us up." Brent wanted to get to Raeblin and worked his way through the group of soldiers, accepting their jovial welcomes and congratulations on surviving on the run but when he got to the main aisle, he saw Raeblin was enfolded in the arms of Keshara, her own Alpha, and seemed to be crying.

"Not the time, brother," Mateer said, blocking the path. "The women need their privacy right now."

Brent was forced to accept the enforcer's statement and sat with Mateer, going over the mission and how much the Khagrish might have learned about the female Badari during their brief captivity. "At the end, right before I shot them, they did understand what Raeblin was." He paused, getting a grip on his anger as he remembered how the enemy soldiers had planned to violate her in front of him. Thank the Lords of Space for his experimental implant, which had allowed him to throw off the stunner's effects. He'd have gone insane if he'd been forced to lie there, unable to help her. He hoped she'd talked to Keshara about it because she was having nightmares and she needed help, especially since he wouldn't be there to hold her and ease her out of the flashbacks. The thought made him sick and so he concentrated on his report. "The pilot was completely out of the loop, playing some game on his handheld when I snuck up on him in the flyer. So, no, I don't believe word got out to any other Khagrish."

"You did a damn fine job, as always," Mateer said when the ad hoc debrief was finished. "Aydarr'll want to hear all about it too of course."

"I need a word with her," Brent said. "I need to know she's okay right now."

Mateer paused for an instant, doing his telepathic thing, Brent was sure. "Keshara says she's fine. You can talk to her later, once we get to the valley."

If he'd believed he had a chance of persuading the enforcer and Raeblin's Alpha to change their minds, he would have protested, but in the confines of the flyer, trapped in his seat by Mateer's bulk next to him, which he was sure had been intentional, Brent had to accept defeat. For now.