can tear themselves from their mates.”
There would be no tearing away. Lexi and especially Katie were not the stay-at-home type, but I didn’t say anything. He’d learn the truth when they got here. Assuming they came for us.
They had to come.
I used the comm and got Katie. No surprise that Bryn took over the call within seconds, demanding my location. I didn’t tell them about Gage. When Bryn assured me they were on their way, I disconnected. “I figure it’s safer if we don’t say your name over the comm until after they get here.”
He nodded, warmth filling his eyes as he studied me. “You are an interesting female, Danielle. I will trust your friends, but for now, we alert no one else.” He lifted his gaze from me to look out over the horizon, and I saw the Hunter within him for the first time. Hard. Cold. Relentless. “The ascension ceremony is in a few days. Until then, we will need to be careful.”
“And after?”
“After, I will scour this planet with Hunters loyal to me until the traitor is taken care of.”
3
Dani, Bryn’s home, Feris 5
I was in the biggest bath tub I’d ever seen. It could be classified as a hot tub on Earth, but it wasn’t quite as scalding. And this one was in the bathroom, not outside. It was actually in the floor. The water was warm, had some kind of scented oils that smelled like the outdoors and I had the best view.
Gage was in the shower, the thing they called the bathing tube on Everis, and soaping up his torso. He had zero inhibitions, not one ounce of modesty, for he knew I was watching him.
Von and Bryn had responded to our comms immediately. After Gage explained what had happened, they’d readily agreed he needed to remain in hiding. Whoever wanted him dead had to think they’d succeeded, at least for now. Until there was time to unravel who was involved.
Bryn offered his home as a place for us to recover and hide. Since he and Gage had never met, had zero connections other than having mates from Earth, Gage felt comfortable enough with the option. There weren’t many available. As a leader of the Seven, Gage had a very public life. I imagined him to be like a famous person on Earth, where everyone knew the moment he sneezed.
That was why we gave Bryn our coordinates and he showed up, Von, Lexi and Katie in tow, in a shuttle. That was the term he called it. Me? It was like a tiny space ship out of a Star Trek movie. Transporting across the galaxy from Earth was one thing; I hadn’t been conscious. This? I’d been awake and in awe. Sure, I’d just found my Marked Mate, saved him from a certain death, but I was in a space ship. Flying over Everis. It made me realize we definitely weren’t in Kansas anymore.
And when Bryn handed Gage a handheld metal rod that glowed blue and apparently healed injuries when waved back and forth over them, I was in technology overload. But when Gage crouched before me and waved the wand over my ankle and the pain lessened, then eased entirely, I was amazed. And annoyed. He’d been tortured and left for dead and he wanted to heal my ankle? The idiot! I’d convinced him I was fine—it would always swell and ache even after a space wand was waved over it—did he use it on himself. It was hard to tell his cuts and bruises were healed based on the blood and dirt covering him, but he perked up, the tense lines of his body and around his mouth eased.
And now that we were settled into Bryn’s house—his big, huge, amazingly large house—we were alone. Bryn had pointed to where Von and Lexi would stay and Von hoisted his mate over his shoulder and carried her off. I doubted I’d hear from them again, unless it was sounds of them fucking carrying down the long hallways.
Once we were alone in our suite of rooms—it wasn’t just one darn room, but three along with the bathroom with the huge bathtub—I became modest. We weren’t dream sharing. Gage wasn’t in danger. He was healed and whole and right in front of me.
By the look in his eyes, he’d wanted to touch me, kiss me, and a whole lot more. To pick up where we left off in the dream before my stupid ankle had woken me up. But there was no way I was letting him get near me until I showered. I was all for spontaneous, wild monkey sex, but I didn’t want to smell like a monkey when we finally got naked in real life. I didn’t want him to see me with greasy hair and stinky armpits for our first real kiss.
He’d turned on the water for the tub to let it fill while I cleaned myself in the shower first. Then I could relax in the deep water. I wasn’t going to argue with that, and so I’d nodded. He’d walked out and left me alone…until a minute after the shower shut off. Then, he’d knocked and entered. My body was shielded because of the deepness of the tub and when he’d looked at me, standing so darn tall and dark and handsome, my insides did melt a little. And other places, too.
I’d thought he’d want me to turn around, but no. A slow smile spread across his face as he’d shucked off his filthy clothes, exposing inch by glorious inch of his hard body. Perhaps he was a touch leaner than usual since being left for dead, but he still looked incredible. Broad shoulders, tons of olive-colored, toned skin. He had black hair on his chest, a smattering of it that tapered down to his navel—an innie—and then to a thin line that went beneath his pants. And when he’d pushed off those pants, I’d discovered he didn’t wear underwear. He was also very erect and when he saw me ogling, he grew harder. Longer, the bulbous head curved up toward his belly and…whoa, that was going to fit in me? Everywhere? Just because I gave him a BJ in a dream didn’t mean it was going to fit down my throat. Or in my bottom.
My nipples hardened and my inner walls clenched at the thought.
Only when I realized I was staring, wide eyed, mouth open, had I looked away. My cheeks flushed as hot as the water in the tub. He’d turned, went into the bathing tube and started scrubbing. And the view from behind wasn’t half bad either.
Now, watching him lather up those muscular pecs and dense thighs had my ovaries jumping for joy.
“Do you have family worried about you?” I asked.
His hands stilled on his belly and I wished I could climb in and wash him myself, run my palms over every inch of him. I was sure he wouldn’t mind, but I wasn’t quite there yet. I had no clue what I was doing, and I didn’t want to make a fool of myself. At least not until after our first kiss.
“My mother died when I was two. I don’t remember her at all.”
“And your father?”
“He has been gone for nearly a year. The ascension ceremony is scheduled to take place on the anniversary of his death.”
“I’m sorry.” I was. I could practically feel his pain radiating from him. Such a strong body. Strong, warrior spirit. Seeing him hurting was worse than feeling the pain myself. “What was he like?”
“He was strong. Honorable. A member of the Seven. A true prince. I can only hope to live up to his legacy.”
“As a prince?” Did he mean that in the I’m from a royal family way, or was that just a title they gave high level politicians on Everis? I had no idea. But I was no princess. I felt more comfortable in hiking boots than a tiara.
“As a man.” He stood proudly, staring
