Page 49 of Treasured By the Hunter

I’d never held a chipmunk before. Moose was really cute, and his sleek, glossy fur was as soft as it looked. I felt myself start to calm.

“So this isn’t the infamous Tooth the Book Nibbler then?” Technically, chipmunks were a type of squirrel.

“Nope. Tooth lives in New Franklin. We got Moose from the group in the Rockies. He was born at the wrong time of year.”

“Why can’t they take him in there?” I asked.

“Because they’ve got a cat and a house chicken. This little guy wouldn’t last a day with Reese’s Pieces and Henrietta around. So we took him instead. We’re also on the waitlist for a cat.”

Moose settled on my thigh as I turned my attention back to the never-ending pile of parts.

“You introduced Haax’l as your mate. Sam mentioned that a mate is like a husband, but something tells me it’s not quite the right translation.”

“It isn’t. It’s a little different. You’ve been staying in Harb’k’s shuttle, so everyone here just assumes that you already have or will form a mate bond.”

“And what is that exactly? And how will I know?”

“Well, the original Xarc’n race mated for life. Once they found their mates, that was it. They could be with no one else. Anyway, when the Xarc’n military made the hunters, they turned off their fertility but didn’t remove this trait. They never found anyone compatible until Earth. The motherships have been cloning the hunters. Which I guess works, but it doesn’t work forever.”

“And how do I know if a hunter has formed a bond with me?”

“You mean aside from them telling you and acting like you are the only thing that matters in the entire universe? Well, there’s amoment called the initial bond where they get stuck on you. And I mean stuck, as in they can’t let go of you even if they wanted to. Have you experienced this with Harb’k yet?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Well, I bet my last cherry ChapStick that it’s going to happen. Harb’k has never been like this with anyone else. You know how most of this group used to be a part of New Franklin? Well, there’s a bunch of women there who’ll do anything for a Xarc’n warrior mate. They are going to be so disappointed he’s taken.”

So that was what Pip had meant. And another thing Harb’k had failed to mention? Almost everyone here had come from New Franklin! They’d been there to help bring down the nest. Hell, Sam had controlled the exploratory drone that had led the charge. I was surrounded by legends.

Connor would’ve joined these people in a heartbeat if he’d known what I knew about them. He was always going on about making a difference and being the glue that kept humanity intact.

And then there was Harb’k. The people here had automatically assumed we were a couple, and they’d done it so naturally that everything just fell into place. No one was weird about it.

While I helped out with a myriad of chores around the camp, including going on a supply run for the very electronic components we were currently sorting, Harb’k went out to the new mutated nest site to hunt the scourge there. He came back every day just in time for the evening meal. Then, after spending some time with everyone else, we’d retire to his shuttle, just like all the other couples.

We were essentially playing house, and I was never happier. Everything was so perfect that I was left constantly wondering when the other shoe would drop. Where was the catch?

The alarm on Aanya’s phone rang, and Moose, who I’d totally forgotten about, sprang up and jumped off my lap to attack it. An attack chipmunk? I never knew they had that instinct.

“Shoot! I forgot. It’s my turn to cook today.” Aanya transferred the little rodent to her shoulder.

I recalled the cookie Harb’k had shared with me. It was only a few days ago, but it felt like another lifetime.

“Do you think there are ingredients here to make bacon cookies?” I asked.

“Bacon cookies? Oh! Harb’k requested meat cookies! Someone’s finally going to make them. Bacon cookies actually sound pretty good.”

“They are. But I don’t have the recipe memorized, so they might not come out as good as I remember.”

“I think we might have some bacon in the deep freeze. Let me drop Moose off, and I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

Chapter 24: Zoey

Harb’k returned to the camp late today along with all the hunters and humans who’d been out to the mutant nest. They looked exhausted, and I got the feeling that things were not going as planned.

Was it Sanctuary that was causing the problem? Or the nest itself?

There were some injuries among the humans, but they were minor, cuts and bruises, a sprained ankle, nothing serious. They were all quiet, probably because they were exhausted from their day, and wolfed down Aanya’s Xarc’n food bar and kraut, the bugpocalyptic take on wieners and kraut, like they hadn’t eaten in ages.

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