Page 34 of Guardians

Lexie chuckled at Tara’s melodramatics. “Go take a shower as soon as I leave. If Flynn and Levi offered up their cabin, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.”

“Indoor plumbing and refrigeration units, modern medicine and shampoo. I had no idea how different it is over here,” Tara admitted. “If we tell the others what they’re missing, I know a lot more of them will stop being so damn stubborn.”

“It’s not like they really have a choice,” Lexie sighed, saddened by the reality that they’d been unable to make it on their own. They were scientists, highly educated and ambitious. Why had these challenges been so difficult for them? Even before the wolves raided their camp, the humans had been struggling. Lexie couldn’t speak for the others, but she wasn’t used to failing so utterly. “We’re almost out of protein bars and we’ve all failed at hunting and fishing. They can join the cats or starve to death. If the cold doesn’t get them first.”

“I don’t think you should become a motivational speaker,” Tara teased, though her features were tense. “Brutal honesty is damn depressing.”

“I know, but we’re out of options and we’re out of time. Everyone has to face the truth if they want to survive.”

“I agree with you, but we need a better way of approaching the situation. When Kane carried you from the lodge, you lookedlike your life was over and you were about to pass through the pit of hell. You don’t look traumatized or abused, not even a little singed. So, tell me what actually happened. Was your wedding night everything you always imagined?” Tara waggled her eyebrows dramatically, but compassion warmed her eyes.

Lexie smiled, loving Tara’s sarcastic wit. “It was nothing I had ever imagined and yet it was a lot less horrible than I feared.”

Tara’s playfulness fell away completely. “I know enough about your sex life to understand how hard it must have been for you. Your previous lovers, all three or four of them, were beta all the way. Did the hybrids drop the caveman routine once they got you to their cabin?”

Lexie started to gloss it over, make it sound less harsh than it had been. But Tara would soon be experiencing the claiming for herself. Lying to her now didn’t make sense. “They’re not human, Tara. What you saw in the lodge wasn’t an act. That’s who they are. They’re aggressive, territorial predators. There was incredible pleasure, but there was also pain. They’ll demand your complete surrender. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll give it to them. Don’t expect slow dancing and flowers. That’s not what it will be like.”

After studying her closely for a tense moment, Tara nodded. “Thanks for the warning, but I think we should leave all that out of our recruitment speech. We’ll focus on plentiful food, heated cabins, and running water.”

Lexie smiled. Diplomacy had never been her strong suit. “I’ll just let you do all the talking. We both know you’re better at it than I am.”

CHAPTER 6

Diego paced the darkness, partially to keep warm and partly to burn off the anxious energy building up inside him. Unable to carry the cases in lion form, he’d had no choice but to run through the forest as fast as his human legs would carry him. He was cold, impatient, and unbelievably restless. He couldn’t stop thinking about Lexie. He wanted to taste her pussy and possess every hole in her body. He wanted her dripping with his seed or, better yet, impregnated with his offspring. These urges were raw, demanding, and completely unfamiliar. He’d had plenty of women before his captivity. It wasn’t like fucking Lexie’s mouth had been a new experience. He’d just never craved a woman again moments after spilling his seed down her throat.

“You reek of lust and… female? Why do you smell so strongly of female?” Gabriel stepped out of the darkness. Moonlight revealed the shape of his tall, lean body, but his features were still in shadow.

Diego didn’t need to see him to know what he looked like. He’d known Gabriel nearly as long as he’d known Travis. They’d all been captives in the same lab, had been subjected to the sameexperiments. Gabriel’s features were sharply angular, his eyes an unusual shade of orange. His dark blond hair was now sun streaked and flowed well past his shoulders.

“Thanks for coming,” Diego muttered. “I wasn’t sure you would.”

“Answer the question or I’ll leave.”

Damn it. This was not how he’d intended to broach the issue. He’d planned to ask him about the scanner devices and use them as a segue to the alliance. “My coalition just claimed a mate. She’s the reason I am here, at least indirectly.”

Gabriel moved closer, his gaze gleaming in the muted light. “Explain,” he demanded, his tone brooking no refusal.

It was hard to see Gabriel like this. When they met, Gabriel had been stubbornly optimistic. He frequently cheered up those around him and held on to hope longer than anyone else. Perhaps that’s why he fell so hard. When the bastards at Nuevo finally broke Gabriel’s spirit, it changed him permanently.

Diego paused for a moment and chose his words carefully. “Kane secured an alliance with the humans. We have agreed to provide for and protect any of their males willing to work for us and any female who agrees to being claimed by a coalition.”

Silence stretched between them, tense and electric. When Gabriel finally spoke, his voice was harsh and gravelly. “You took one of those monsters to your bed? They held us against our will, mutated our bodies without our permission. The real question is why are any of them still drawing breath?”

It was easy to understand Gabriel’s reaction because part of Diego felt the same way. He’d voted against the alliance. But that was before he saw Lexie, before her scent awakened hismating instincts. Besides, she had never been directly involved in the Griffin Project. The only thing she was guilty of was not disassociating herself as quickly as she should have.

It was time to point out some simple facts to his disagreeable friend. “Unless something significant changes, we have no way off this planet. You’ve refused to help us repair the shuttle, so we moved on to our next strategy.”

“To claim wives and start popping out hybrid babies?” His voice was cold and scathing now. “Are you going to sit in a rocking chair on your front porch and watch your grandkids play in the yard?” His eyes flashed through the darkness, momentarily revealing his features. He looked menacing and furious. In a word, demonic. “Fuck you,” he growled out. “I’m not growing old on this planet!”

“That’s not our intention either,” Diego insisted. “We haven’t given up. We just intend to make life here more bearable while we keep trying.”

“Bullshit. Mates and babies mean you’re ready to put down roots.”

To be honest, Diego could think of much worse things than settling on this primitive planet. The weather was extreme, but the scenery was stunning. Its majestic mountains and expansive lakes reminded him of Alaska, before the developers ravaged the wilderness. Diego had no desire to return to Earth. Humans had turned their backs, dumped the hybrids here like garbage and left them to rot. Why shouldn’t they tame the wilderness or, better yet, find a way to live in harmony with it?

Gabriel shook his head, eyes narrowed. “I’m not ready to become a farmer. Not even for easy access to pussy.”

“Then help us repair the shuttle,” Diego snapped. “If life here is so intolerable, then let’s leave!”

---