Authors: Laurann Dohner
Coto moved faster, driving in and out of her body. He cupped her hips, holding her in place while he hammered her. The sounds of their heavy breathing and his growls filled her ears. He dug his hands under her ass and lifted her hips just slightly. The pleasure increased until she tensed, almost hurting. The second climax slammed her unexpectedly and she yelled his name.
Coto snarled and suddenly pulled his cock out of her. He twisted his hips and his rigid shaft rubbed against the back of her thigh. Warm wetness spread across her skin.
Coto practically collapsed on top of her but recovered fast and lifted up a few inches.
Lynn let her legs relax and slid them from his waist to hug the sides of his hips and thighs as he lifted to kneel on the floor. She opened her eyes, looking at him while she recovered. Their gazes locked.
He looked at her in a way that no other man ever had. There was such depth of emotion revealed, as if she were the most important thing in the world to him. She released his arm and touched his cheek, stroking him. She wished he really felt that way.
“You are so beautiful, Lynn.”
She believed he meant it. “So are you.”
He chuckled. “I think something got lost in the translation but I believe you find me irresistible too.”
“I’ve never just jumped into bed with a guy before so I would say so.”
He sobered, some of the shine in his eyes fading. “You don’t regret it, do you?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“I wanted to take more time with you but my need was too great.”
She could totally understand. That had been the best quickie she’d ever had. Coto was just too hot and sexy to resist. “I have no complaints.”
“I wanted to bound you to me but I pulled out. It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. I’d claim you if you allowed it.”
She remembered what he’d said a bound was. “What does that have to do with you not coming inside me? That’s what we’re talking about, right?”
“It’s how we marry. We give our seed to the woman we wish to have children with. I want you to consider it, Lynn. I believe you’d like Zorn. I would love to tell you all about my planet. Other Earth women have come to call it home and they don’t regret going there.”
She was stunned speechless.
“I know this is happening fast but consider it. I’d make you happy. I’m aware of some of the issues our two races have faced. Let me alleviate some of them for you. You’d be the only woman I’d touch, or allow to touch me. I’d fight to the death to keep you safe. I will take another job that keeps me on Zorn at all times. I’d never leave you on the planet alone while I went into space. There are other women from your planet that you will see often and they’d become your friends. They are bound to the brothers of my heart.”
“What is a brother of the heart?” She felt safer asking that, not willing to address the whole marry-me-and-come-live-on-my-world-with-me subject.
“My parents died when I was young. Hyvin Berrr allowed me to move into his home and raised me with his sons. His first bound refused to allow him to accept me as a full son while I was growing up. I’m of Hyvin Berrr’s heart, and his sons are brothers of my heart. They feel the same toward me.”
“Why wouldn’t she allow him to adopt you?”
He appeared confused. “Adopt?”
“To treat you as if you were a full son, I guess.”
“She felt I wasn’t worthy because we have no blood connection. Bloodlines were important to her. It was an insult for me to even be raised with her sons, to have their standing in our society, but Berrr refused to send me away. He was friends with my father. He wanted to keep me close and give me the best opportunities to become a strong, honorable warrior. He tells me often I have done him proud. That means a lot to me. I respect and admire Berrr.”
Lynn played with his hair. She liked that he could be so open about his life. He might be from another planet, but it seemed to her that his people and hers probably had a lot in common. “Is it scary to leave your world to go to others?”
He smiled. “Sometimes, but right now I’m grateful for visiting Earth.” He shifted his hold on her and used his fingers to spread her hair out on the soft pad of the bedroll, seeming to admire it. “I’d love to take you home with me, Lynn.” He leaned in closer, holding her gaze. “It might be frightening for you, but I’d keep you safe and happy. I’d like you to be my bound. Say yes.”
He wasn’t going to let it go. “We barely know each other.”
“You need more time.”
“Yes.”
“I understand.” He glanced at her mouth and tenderly kissed her. He pulled back. “We should leave here and track my crew. They left at least an hour before we woke.”
She remembered what Holion had said. “Why don’t we forget them and find your Vhon on our own? I know this area really well. They are probably wandering around blind. Didn’t you say you thought you were tracking Vhon when you were attacked?”
“Yes.” Coto slowly pulled away and gripped her arm, helping her to sit up. He stood, removing his leather Speedos all the way. He held out his hand to her again. “Let’s get clean first.”
“The river is too far.”
He smiled. “Zorn technology. Trust me.”
He led her to one of the black packs and reached inside to pull out a packet. “Wash cloth. I think that is the right term you would understand. The human bounds on Zorn work with our programmers to make communications smoother.”
He opened it and handed her a warm, wet piece of material. She studied it. It was really soft.
“Wipe over your skin to get clean.” He bent and removed a second one.
She had to admire the way that he seemed so comfortable with his nudity. It made her feel a little shy as she removed her jacket, doing what he did. He started at his face, moved slowly down his shoulders, then his chest to his stomach. She realized quickly that the cloth remained damp and seemed to absorb everything.
Coto avoided staring at Lynn. She seemed ill at ease with baring her body in front of him. He found it endearing. Earth women were shy about nudity. He’d break Lynn of that in time, until she preferred being undressed in his presence.
Some of his amusement faded. She hadn’t agreed to return to Zorn with him as his bound. They didn’t know each other well but he wanted to keep her. He’d seen Rever make a mistake by bounding to the wrong woman. It had been corrected when he’d met his Brenda, but the lesson was learned. Coto refused to believe Lynn hid a dark, deceitful heart. She was sweet, smart, and everything he could want in a woman he would spend the rest of his life with.
She wanted time to get to know him better. He’d sent a distress signal to Zorn when they’d engaged in battle with the Collis. The ships they used to avoid detection on Earth didn’t have many weapons. He estimated he had two days before help reached them, if the signal had been received. Otherwise, it could be a week before someone was sent to investigate why they hadn’t reported in.
He finished cleaning up and withdrew a shirt from his pack, unfolding it. “Here, Lynn. Wear this.” It bothered him that the other men could see so much of her in just that torn jacket of hers. The crew had been without women since they’d left Zorn and Lynn had a beautiful body. He’d kill anyone who tried to take what was his. That was
her
.
She accepted it. “Thank you.”
He located sleeping shorts and offered her those too. “They will be large on you but will cover more.” He strode over to one of the sleeping blankets and used his
shara
to slice off a long strip. Returning to her and dropping to his knees, he used it to make a belt to hold up the loose shorts. He liked having a reason to touch her and she allowed it.
He glanced at her feet. “We should return to the river to cover your feet.”
“I have a plan.”
He looked up at her, resisting the urge to pull her back into his arms. He’d enjoy nothing better than stripping her bare and taking her back to the sleeping mat. He resisted. He’d shown her they were sexually compatible, but he’d learned enough about Earth women to know they wanted more than sex from a male.
“What?”
“We’re going to Mr. Avery’s. His daughter and I were friends. She keeps clothes and stuff there for when she visits him every Christmas, and we’re about the same size. I’m also going to borrow a gun from him. I don’t want to run into those coyotes again without one.”
“I can protect you.”
She smiled. “I know, but I like to protect myself. Welcome to Earth. I’m your equal here. Deal with that.”
He chuckled. She was tiny but he wouldn’t point that out to her. Berrr’s female was fierce. He wouldn’t underestimate Lynn. She had tracked and found him in the woods when he’d been wounded. It was a skill he admired. “Fine. You said he is blind?”
“Yes. I won’t mention anything about you. Just stay outside while I go in and he won’t know anything. I’m going to tell him I lost my stuff in the river and tell him about the aggressive coyotes on his property. He’ll lend me clothes and a weapon. He’s a nice man.”
“Let’s go.”
She glanced around inside the tent. “Should we take down the camp?”
“No. This is our home base. We might be here for days. It should be safe.”
Coto stood, hating to put distance between them. He dressed in his uniform and geared up on weapons, packing enough food to last them for the day. He offered her a breakfast bar. “Eat while we walk. Do you know where this Mr. Avery is?”
“Yes.”
“Lead and I will follow you.” He glanced down at her feet. “Should I carry you?”
She grinned. “I’m good. The ground is pretty soft but I’ll give a shout out if that changes.”
He wouldn’t force her to leave her planet but he’d do everything in his power to convince her to go home with him. He was determined to keep his Lynn.
Lynn raised her hand and stepped behind a tree. Something was off. The cabin door was closed, the curtains drawn. Nothing looked out of place. She studied it, trying to put her finger on what was wrong. Coto pressed against her back, one of his gloved hands curling around her hip.
“What is it?” He spoke softly.
It hit her. “There’s no smoke coming from the chimney and the porch lights are still on.”
“It’s not a cold morning. Why would he light a fire if it wasn’t for warmth?”
“It’s Mr. Avery. He always has a fire going. He likes the sound and smell of burning wood. He even keeps one going at night when he sleeps. He’s a weird guy. Old school and set in his ways. He’s also cheap. He wouldn’t leave those lights on unless it was nighttime. He’d figure it would run up his electricity bill.”
“Do you believe the dogs attacked him while he was outside?”
She winced. “I hope not. I’m going to go to the door. You stay back. I’ll find out what is going on.”
He tightened his hold. “No. It could be dangerous.”
“The door is closed. Animals can’t get inside. Just hang back. I’m going to check it out.”
“I don’t like this.”
She didn’t either, but she pried his fingers off her hip and stepped out from behind the tree. She approached the front of the cabin and hated the way the porch steps creaked when she put weight on them. The cabin was quiet. She listened before lifting her fist and knocking.
“Mr. Avery? It’s Lynn Reynolds.”
There was no sound and the door didn’t open. She gripped the handle and twisted, not surprised to find it unlocked. It would have surprised her if it
had
been. She eased open the door. The lights in the main living area were on. She left the door open after entering.
“Mr. Avery? It’s Lynn Reynolds,” she called louder. “Are you okay?”
She spotted broken glass near the kitchen table. She guessed it used to be a coffee mug. She crept forward—and froze. Fear hit when she saw a pair of booted feet peeking from around the corner.
“COTO!” She had no qualms about yelling for him.
She rushed forward, staring down at Mr. Avery. She didn’t need to touch him to know he was dead. He was face-up and dried blood had pooled on the hardwood floor next to his throat. She looked away. His eyes were open and his throat had been slashed.
Coto rushed into the house and she looked at him. He had his weapons in hand, looking ferocious. Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back. “He’s been murdered.”
Coto stormed forward and took in the scene. “No dog did that.”
“I know.” She refused to look at Mr. Avery again. It was going to devastate his daughter when she learned of her father’s death. “Would Vhon do this?”
He sheathed one of his blades and quickly approached the hallway that led to the two small bedrooms and bathroom at the back of the cabin. “There’s no honor in killing a harmless blind man. This is the work of the Collis. Some of them did survive.”
He disappeared down the hall. Lynn glanced at the phone on the wall, tempted to call for help. Coto returned. “They aren’t here but all the doors are open, as if they were searching for Vhon.”
“How do you know it was the Collis?” She wanted to believe him but it was possible his friends had murdered the old man.
Coto walked over to the body and cleared his throat. “Look.”
She didn’t want to.
“Lynn? You want proof? Remember what I said about the Collis? Yellow teeth and bad hair? They spit yellow fluid. It stains their teeth. Look what is next to the victim.”
She forced her head to turn, following where his finger pointed. She saw his proof right next to the pool of blood, and was totally grossed out. “Okay.” She averted her gaze, not wanting to look at Mr. Avery again. “I need to call this in.”
“You can’t. It will bring more humans.”
He was right. “Those Collis are murdering people.”
“We must find and stop them. Bringing in more humans would only give them more to kill. They have weapons your law enforcement wouldn’t expect.”
Anger bypassed her sorrow. The police couldn’t help. “Vigilante style. Got it. Hang on.” She hurried down the hallway to Mr. Avery’s daughter’s old room.
The cabinets in the kitchen were all open and she understood why Coto had guessed that the aliens had searched the house. The long cedar chest along the windows had been torn open as well, the lid split as if it had been smashed in anger. She spotted what she was looking for and tried on a few pairs of shoes. They were a little too big but a pair of socks helped some boots fit. She also took a camouflage jacket.
She returned to the main living area, yanked the shotgun off the mantel, and grabbed a box of shells to stuff into the pocket of the borrowed jacket. She turned, facing Coto.
He’d used a throw from the couch to cover Mr. Avery. She appreciated that. He held her gaze, looking grim.
“Let’s go.” She looked down, making sure the shotgun was loaded. It was, just as she suspected.
“What is the meaning of the word you used? I don’t understand.”
She struggled to remember what she’d said and then it came to her. “Vigilante? It means I usually don’t hunt to kill. Today that changes. Follow me. I didn’t see any tracks in the front to indicate they came that way. There’s a back door out of the bathroom. I think they snuck up on him. This happened last night. He probably didn’t even hear them until they were in his kitchen.” She focused on the anger instead of the grief that wanted to rise. She had liked Mr. Avery. “Let’s make sure they don’t kill anyone else.”
“You are so appealing right now.”
She glanced down at the oversized jacket, her borrowed clothes from him, and the chunky boots. She looked up at him, skeptical.
“You are.” He approached her. “You’re the tracker. I have your back. Let’s go, Lynn.”
She spun, leading him through the hallway to the bathroom. Mr. Avery used it as a mud room too. She eased open the door and froze, looking at the three steps leading to the ground. One of them was broken.
“Just as I thought. Heavy bastards, aren’t they? One of them went right through the board.” She kept a tight hold on the shotgun, easing around the hole, and located the tracks on the soft dirt of the ground near the bottom of the steps. “There’re two of them. They left the same way they came.” She moved forward, spotting more signs of the two men. “This way. The good news is they haven’t found your Vhon. At least not these two.”
“How do you know?”
“I’d assume your friend wouldn’t willingly go with one of them. Their footprints would be close together if handcuffs were used and there’s no smudging on the prints to indicate one of them was being forced to walk.”
“You impress me.”
“Tell me that after I find them and they’re dead.”
Coto growled.
She halted and glanced back at him. She recognized the look. “That turns you on?”
“More than you know. You are extraordinary.”
“I’m pissed off, Coto. Mr. Avery didn’t deserve to die like that.”
“You are perfect for me.”
She faced forward and concentrated on locating more footprints to follow. The two men weren’t hiding their tracks. They left a path of destruction by breaking twigs, snapping brush, and upsetting rocks. Coto was correct about their spitting habits too. They did it frequently, the yellow stains on the ground easy to spot. It didn’t take her long to come across where they’d camped. They hadn’t built a fire but the flattened moss showed they had gotten some sleep. She crouched, examining the area. She placed a palm on where one of them had lain.
“They’re close,” she whispered.
Coto lowered next to her, his gaze constantly scanning the area. “How can you tell?”
“The ground is still warm, even though it’s in the shade. They weren’t using sleeping mats like you have. He lay directly here.”
Coto removed his glove and placed his hand next to hers, then on another spot. “I feel the difference in temperature. That’s amazing.”
She captured a few strands of hair from the moss. “This one is a dirty blond.” She brushed them off her fingers. “They’re heading toward the river.”
“Are you certain it is the enemy?”
She jerked her head in the direction of a mass of rocks. “One of them spit near the top. See the yellow stain? They climbed up there and the river is about a mile that way. Can these bastards swim?”
“I’m not certain. Why?”
“The river bottlenecks into a series of shallow streams this way, then opens up where we crossed. They are skirting the deeper parts. That’s my guess. I’d have to backtrack their trail to know for sure but there was a faster path if crossing the river was their intention.”
“I hope dogs attack them.”
“You killed Jimmy’s dogs. There aren’t any more of them and that way will bypass Jimmy’s land, directly to the abandoned property I mentioned. It’s high up and easy to spot in that area. Your friend might have gone there.”
“Let’s go.” Coto stood, replacing his glove. “We must stop them before they find Vhon.”
She rose too and gripped his wrist. He looked down at her. She cleared her throat. “Just to be clear, are you planning on capturing or killing them?”
“They are our enemy. They have no honor.”
She eased her grip and nodded. “I just don’t want you to get angry with me if I shoot them. I’m going to show them the same mercy they gave Mr. Avery. None. I don’t hate aliens. I just hate those ones.”
He smiled. “Use your weapon. They would kill you if given the chance.” His features suddenly darkened, pure rage sparking in his eyes. “They’d hurt you first. Don’t hesitate to kill, Lynn. Do you understand?”
“I do. These guys are rabid animals in my mind. They need to be put down. Let’s go.”
She took the lead up the hill and had to climb with one hand since the shotgun didn’t have a strap. She paused near the top, lifting her head to peer down the valley. Coto did the same, sticking close to her side. She scanned and spotted movement in the distance near the streams.
“There.” She pointed.
“I see them. Stay here. I’ll take them on.” He sounded grim.
“There are two of them.”
He scowled. “I am an excellent fighter.”
“Okay. Go for it. Be careful.” They’d waste time arguing. She wanted those two men to pay for what they’d done.
Coto climbed higher by a few inches and topped the rocks. He remained close to the ground as he moved forward, in a walking crouch. Lynn kept her focus on the two men in the distance. They didn’t glance back or seem to hear Coto. He reached the area just behind the men and sprinted forward. Lynn hesitated, lifted the shotgun, and took aim.
“Damn.” A shotgun was useless at that range. She bit her lip and followed Coto, keeping low in case those Collis did look back and spot her. She reached the flatter ground and ran after Coto, using trees to shield her as much as possible.
A loud roar tore through the woods. She had heard it before. Coto had come across his enemy.
She stopped dodging behind trees and just sprinted toward the streams. It didn’t take her long to spot the three men. They’d reached the first stream and were thigh high in water.
Coto had both his blades out. The two men parted, trying to keep him between them. One attacked him from the front as the other whipped out a blade. She yelled a warning but Coto dodged being stabbed in the back by twisting his body. He shot one foot out, catching the man behind him in the knee. The guy fell over into the water.
Lynn was panting hard by the time she reached them. She lifted the shotgun, shaking a little as Coto fought with one of the Collis. The second one came up out of the water coughing and sputtering. He recovered fast though and lunged forward, planning to bury his blade in Coto again.
Lynn quickly calculated the safety margin for range and pellet spread. The Collis was far enough from Coto to allow her a clean shot.
Hope I’m right.
She squeezed the trigger but missed hitting the attacking alien square in the chest. He had taken some buckshot to the shoulder though. The impact spun him around and he fell back into the water again.
She adjusted her hold on the shotgun, better prepared for the kick if she had to fire it again. The alien found his footing and bellowed, stumbling toward her with his sharp blade fisted in his hand.
Lynn took aim and blasted him again. She hit her mark that time, nailing him square in the chest.
He was thrown back and sank into the water. A moment later he floated up, unmoving and facedown. Red stained the water around him and rocks caught one of his limbs, keeping the current from taking him away. She kept the barrel trained on him in case he wasn’t dead. She didn’t know how tough aliens were and wasn’t willing to risk him playing possum.
Coto trudged out of the water and she saw that the second man was down, not moving on the other side of the flowing stream. Blood stained the front of his body. Coto went to the one she’d shot. He crouched, grabbed the guy by his boot, and dragged him to the bank of the river. He seemed to check for a pulse and then rose, facing her.