However, until they could deal with said truth, they decided to keep their new mate at ease. The sleeper hold that worked so well on their kind also worked on Mandy, and she remained blissfully unaware of their present danger as they put distance between them and the west.
They ran for hours, crossing the border into the barbarian hold. They didn’t tire, putting their training and strength to the test. But they exercised caution, scouting for the enemy as they passed through unclaimed areas. The Vyctore claimed territory farther inward, and in some sections of jungle, they crossed Nasuhl land.
Though it had been two months since Talzec, his alpha, had defeated the Nasuhl’s leader, the Nasuhl had yet to reappear except in small raiding parties. Lore sensed it wouldn’t be long before the Vyctore had to fight another clan war. Their enemy had no honor, and though their leader had died, their beta was just like him, a brutal rapist and murderer who killed for sport.
Alarmed at the thought of his new mate in possible danger, he and Zehn didn’t settle until midday. They found a Vyctore outpost in neutral territory and fortified their holding. After setting hidden trap lines, they rested, prepared to face an annoyed mate.
When Mandy roused not long after, Lore was ready.Let me take the blame,he told Zehn.You can be the good mate. Get her dependent on you, then we can work her around to trusting me later.
No. It’s both of us or none of us.Zehn was adamant. His refusal to pull away warmed Lore’s heart. Despite years of closeness, in the back of Lore’s mind, he feared that one day Zehn would realize he’d made a mistake and leave Lore behind. Zehn was strong, courageous, and trustworthy. The third most powerful warrior in the village. Their people looked up to him, and their leaders expected him to help maintain order in the clan. Lore belonged as an accessory to Zehn. No matter how Zehn denied the fact, Lore knew it to be true.
His green eye and mental telepathy had separated him from the others at birth. Though he’d worked hard to be taken as a vital member of the clan, he felt disconnected from the others. As if, were it not for Zehn, they would oust him from his home.
Maker, not this again.Zehn sighed.I hate when you get like this.
Lore started. “What?” Had he been projecting?
“Yes, you were.”
Mandy blinked her eyes open. “H-hello? Where am I?” She slowly sat up on the pallet of maffet leaves and turned to them. “Oh, hi.” Her sweet blush had him wishing he’d never need tell her the truth of her new situation. He wanted her happiness in all things, and he had a feeling she wouldn’t take news of her forthcoming pregnancy well.
“Hello, Mandy.” Zehn smiled, at his most lethal when charming. Lore had fallen in love with that smile, first with a brother warrior and later with a man he was proud to call his own. “How do you feel?”
She faced them, curling her knees under her. She wore the thin tunic they’d dressed her in, with the xechelln slippers they’d planned to give her as a courting gift. Zehn had also carried her satchel, minus the nasty processed bars the offworlders considered food. They would provide for her now, real food to make her body strong.
“I feel…” She glanced at the light streaming through the open windows in the camouflaged outpost. Built of bark and leaves, it seamlessly blended into the vast greenery around them. The asymmetrical openings functioning as windows allowed light and a fresh breeze to pass through the small space. The hidden doorway was shielded from outside exposure by a dead tree trunk a few steps outside the opening.
“Where are we?” She looked around. Then she glanced down at herself, looked around, and frowned. “Why am I wearing a sleep shirt? Why is my go-bag here?”
Zehn looked at Lore.Do you want me to explain this?
Lore nodded.
“Mandy of Earth,” Zehn began. “We have much to tell. I can only hope you forgive our arrogance in making the choice for you. But with the humans after you, and the danger of our enemy clan so close, we could do nothing but take you somewhere safe. Back to our village, where you can decide for yourself what you wish your future to be.” Granted, the Nasuhl wouldn’t be an issue inside the resort, but Zehn hadn’t spoken false. They were close, and they were a danger.
Lore couldn’t have said it better.
“I—What?” She stood in a rush and darted to the window, looking outside at a sea of green. Mandy whipped her head around and stared, in shock or anger, Lore couldn’t tell. “We’re not at the resort?”
“No.” Lore waited.
“Did anyone see us leave?”
He shook his head.
She didn’t speak for a moment, a frown her only expression. “We’re going to your village?”
Zehn answered with caution. “Yes.”
“And you brought my bag?” As she said it, she sought her things and looked through what he’d packed. “No food?”
“We will provide for you.” Zehn grimaced. “Those things you packed are not food.”
“Really? The resort gives us nutrition bars all the time. They’re small and decent replacement meals.”
Not for the mate carrying our young, Zehn thought but didn’t say, though he had no problem sharing that with Lore.
“You are not angry?” Lore had to know.
