Deep, Hard, and Rough (7 page)

 
Mine
.

His feelings for her from the moment he saw her, the
way he wanted to kill for her, protect her, and mate with her the likes as he
had never felt, made him realize she wasn’t just a female he wanted to fuck,
but
his
female, and most likely his
brothers’ also by the way they acted toward her. Once they smelled her blood,
they would know without a doubt she was theirs as well. She was their mate,
that one female that would bear his offspring, and be his other half. Half of
her face was swollen to the point that one of her eyes was closed shut. A large
ugly colored bruise marred one side of her face. Scrapes and cuts littered her
legs and arms, and on her inner forearm was a deep wound that was steadily
seeping blood.

Quickly pushing the drums out of the way to get to
her, Erak reached out and ran his finger along the smooth, uninjured part of
her face. “Luna, can you hear me?” There was no response. “Luna,
Fallina
?”

He scooped her up as gently as he could, knowing he
needed to get her to the infirmary and have Genet examine her. No doubt his
brothers would realize she was their mate as soon as the scent of her blood
called to them. When she was safely in his arms her head lolled to the side.

“It’s okay, love. I’ve got you.” She was so very
tiny compared to his species that he held her tighter, feeling possessiveness
and need claiming him. He needed to protect her, nurse her back to health, and
show her that she was his, and he would never allow anything to hurt her again.
He would break bones, tear flesh, and destroy anything that attempted to take
what was his, and she was his, irrevocably.
 

He lifted his hand and pushed her auburn colored
hair away from her face. Nausea settled heavy within him, and he got an
up-close view of the wounds that marred her face. Raw fury encompassed him as
he thought about the creature that did this to her. He strode quickly out of
the cargo dock and up into the cockpit. Her wounds needed to be tended to
immediately.

“Genet, Raimi. I need your help,” Erak said, his
voice a booming bark that would alert them to the fact he was barely holding on
to his primal instincts. He strode with purposeful strides into the infirmary. The
silver examination table sat in the center of the sterile room, with an
overheard viewing light right above it. There had been too many times to count
when either he or one of his brothers had been upon that table getting one of
their many wounds tended to. Aside from the exam table there were several
storage lockers that held any and all state-of-the-art medical equipment that
they would need. A sanitation room was to his right, and a monitor that would
allow them to see internal injuries to his left.

“Genet, she has injuries all over, but I don’t know
if any of them are life-threatening.” The gash on her arm worried him the most,
but then again the swelling in her face told him she had been hit many times.
Did she have internal injuries? Thank the heavens Genet had been trained for
situations like this. All Erak had
was
some
battlefield medical training, but it was mainly the kind that was “patch it up
and get back out there fighting”. Gently laying her down on table, Erak took a
step back to allow Genet look her over. While his brother examined her, he
looked over his shoulder and saw Raimi staring at her with the same intensity
he felt when he stared at Luna. He could sense the realization that Luna was
all of theirs, but their expressions were stoic, their focus solely on their
mate.

Yes, there was no doubt his brothers, as well as he,
were royally ensnared when it came to their human. And to think they were about
to just leave her on that fucking toxic planet. A shudder worked through him at
that thought.

Genet started murmuring low things, but Erak and
Raimi heard him nonetheless. They were soft words about never letting her get
harmed again, about protecting her, and fighting for her to the death. It was
the same things he had said to her. It was the things a male said to their
female, and that was exactly what she was. Erak wanted her right next to him in
his bed, curled against him so he could make sure she was safe, but that
wouldn’t go over too well with Genet or Raimi. Until she healed, and they could
explain to her what she was to them, he would set up quarters close to theirs.
“Raimi, can you gathering linens for her?”

“Erak, she’s our—”

He stopped Raimi from continuing by lifting his hand
up. “I know, but let’s focus on getting her well. After that we can discuss the
fact we just found our mate, almost left her on that fucking planet, and that
some motherfucker nearly took her from us.” He curled his hands into fists, and
vowing that the bastard better be dead or he’d die at his hands. Raimi’s jaw
clenched, but he nodded and turned to leave the room. He noticed Genet watching
him.

“She really is ours, Erak.” It wasn’t a question,
but there was certainly awe in his brother’s voice. Erak nodded but didn’t
trust his voice. He was still barely leashing in his inner rage at her state.

“What the fuck happened?” Genet turned back around
and started running his fingers over her body. There was no doubt that Genet
was taking account of every single one of her wounds, measuring them, and
deciding how to treat them.

“I don’t know, and we won’t until she is well enough
to tell us.”

Genet gave a sharp nod, but didn’t take his eyes off
of her. In the next second Genet was moving quickly and efficiently. He brought
the x-ray machine over and scanned her whole body. Her clothing was removed so
Genet could really examine her, but it was done with a tenderness that Erak had
never seen from his brother.

“Be calm, brother.” He wasn’t surprised to know
Genet could sense his rising rage. “Letting go will only make matters worse. The
majority of her injuries are only superficial, and once I give her proper
nutrients, suture up the large cuts, and the healing gel works its way through
her system, she should be fully healed within a day or two.”

Erak stayed back and watched as his brother cleaned
her wounds, applied healing gel to them, and the mechanical medical arm sutured
the deeper cuts. After she was bandaged up Genet ran a small ultraviolet wand
across her inner arm, inserting an IV into her arm so hydration and nutrients
could filter right into her veins. Raimi strode into the room with a handful of
clean linens in his arms only moments later.

“The room is ready.”

Erak strode forward, grabbed the linens and draped
them carefully over her body. He then proceeded to lift her, but a strong hand
landed on his forearm, stopping him. “What the fuck are you doing?” He glared
at Genet and the almost accusation in his brother’s voice.

“I was just about to ask you the same thing.” Erak
made a point to look at where Genet had a hold on his arm.

“You can’t move her. She needs to stay stationary
and heal.”

“No fucking way
am
I
leaving her on this piece of metal. She’s going to rest in a bed.” Genet let go
of his arm and sighed heavily.

“Brother.” Genet flicked his gaze to Luna, and then
looked at Erak again. “She’s my mate, too. I’m not trying to make her
uncomfortable. I just want her healed.” Erak gritted his teeth. He knew his
brother meant well, and felt just as intensely for their female as he did, but Erak
wouldn’t budge on this. He wanted her in
his
bed, but until she could acknowledge she was theirs as well, he would concede
to let her sleep in a spare room.

“She’s sleeping in a bed, Genet.” He went to lift
her, and Genet gripped his arm once more.

“Just be gentle.” He stared into his brother’s eyes
and nodded.

“Always.”
He
walked out of the infirmary and into the spare bunk. Raimi had made the quarters
up, and he gently laid her down on it. He sensed his
brothers
right behind him and said to Genet, “Can you get one of the thicker
Thorra
pelts?”

The ship’s temperature adjusted automatically to
each individual’s core temp, but she was now nude, and therefore he wanted to
make sure she didn’t get too cold. Genet handed him the pelt, and he draped it
over the sheets that already covered her. Erak stood above her and stared at
her too pale face. Already some of the swelling in her face had decreased, and
he knew whatever medicinal concoctions Genet had created to aid in her healing
would mend her quickly.

These caring and comforting emotions he had toward
her were foreign, but not unwelcome. Now that he knew she was his mate,
everything changed. Had they been too high on the fact they wanted to bed a
female before finding females to bear their children that they hadn’t realized
the prize that had been right in front of them? Had their arrogant ways almost
led them away from the one female the stars had made sure was theirs? He grew
angry at himself, and at his brothers for all of their blindness. If they had
just opened up their hearts and eyes, pushed away their sexual urges, they
could have taken her away from all of this.

“We didn’t realize she was ours, brother.” Raimi
stepped up beside him and stared at Luna. Raimi could sense others’ emotions. “Our
minds were elsewhere, and I am angry at myself as well that it took her getting
hurt, and smelling her blood, to realize that she was my mate.”

Only two things could alert an Aktulla male of their
mate: sex, or the scent of blood. Erak reached down and brushed a lock of her
away from her cheek. The auburn locks were silky between his fingers, and he
couldn’t stop from touching them. He pushed another lock away from her
shoulder, baring the slender column of her throat. The sight of her creamy
flesh called to his animal urges, ones that wanted to mark her so every male
would know she was his mate. Although he was disgusted at himself for even
thinking of marking her when she was unconscious, the urges were something he
couldn’t control.
 

Once Genet checked her vitals once more and was
satisfied with the findings they left her to rest.

They made their way back into the common room and
had a seat at the circular table. Raimi was the first to speak.

“I cannot believe someone would do this to a
helpless female,
our
female.” They
looked at each other at the last part of what Raimi said. “From the way her
injuries are on her body, I think it is pretty safe to assume they were made by
a
someone
,
and not a
something
. I want blood
from whoever did this to her.” Erak could see the tension start to slowly climb
in his brother.

“Calm down. There isn’t any point in getting worked
up when Luna is lying in there injured, and we can’t do anything about it right
now,” Genet said, but there was no hiding the rage in his voice.

“When Luna is awake and healed I’m sure she will be
able to answer these questions.”

Everyone stayed silent after Erak spoke.

 
“Yes, you are
right.” After a suspended moment Raimi murmured his agreement.

Genet leaned back in his chair, and the
Tukka
leather creaked from his massive weight. “The healing
gel needs to be applied to her wounds every hour. It will increase the recovery
process. I can set up the scanner to do it automatically, but I would prefer if
we were to tend to her.”

“I don’t know about you two, but I need a drink.”
Raimi read both of their minds, and Erak and Genet nodded in agreement. They
had a lot to drink at Tao, but this situation had all of their nerves strung
tight, and if they didn’t drink something to help calm them, one of them was
liable to tear the ship apart.

Chapter Six

The first thing that Luna realized was wonderful warmth
surrounded her. How long had it been since she had felt such heat?
Far, far too long.
The second thing was that her whole body ached.
Even breathing caused unused muscles to protest. Peeling open her eyelids,
which was harder than
it
should be, she waited a
moment for her vision to clear.

After minutes passed and the blurriness didn’t
abate, Luna panicked. Reaching up to rub her eyes, she winced in pain at the
tender area she came in contact with. Some type of wet gelatinous substance
coated not only her eyes, but one side of her face as well. Slowly pulling
herself
up and into a sitting position, the blanket that had
warmed her slipped down her nude body. Fear at how she had gotten to be with no
clothing assaulted her, and her pulse raced. Gripping the blanket tightly, she
covered her breasts and forced herself to calm enough that she could think
rationally and not let her panic take control.

How
long
have I been out? Where am I?
Taking the corner of the blanket she brought
it to her face and gently wiped the gel away. She blinked in rapid succession
and looked around her surroundings. Her mind started to clear, and everything
came slamming back into her mind with enough force it left her breathless.

Maximo’s anger.
The
pain when his hand made contact with her face, and the gash on her arm. The
agony of her scrapes and cuts as she ran through trees and shrubs.
The joy of seeing the ship about to take off, and then hiding
within it.
Each memory was stronger than the next until the last thing
she remembered was passing out from pain and exhaustion behind two large
barrels.