The puppy whined but backed off, though he still looked ready to go on the offensive again at a moment’s notice.
“I’m sorry. He thinks he's trying to save me.”
Ranek exhaled, forcing himself to calm. Claiming this female would have to wait. And next time, he’d have to make sure the pup was thoroughly distracted first. He released her hair and eased back, his hand brushing over her thigh.
“I understand. He is loyal for such a tiny creature. That’s good. He didn’t do much damage.”
“He still has his baby teeth,” Maya said. “You won’t say that when adult ones come in.”
The pup growled again, then gave a pitiful whine. His belly rumbled loud enough to echo in the room.
Despite the ache in his ankle, Ranek’s lips twitched, lifting at the corners from the universal understanding of an empty stomach. “I’m hungry too, pup.”
For more than one thing. He glanced briefly back at Maya, who was pushing herself to sitting. But perhaps it would be best to take care of all their bellies first.
The voice in his head screamed at him to feed Maya and provide. It was in their instincts to feed, clothe, and otherwise provide for their mates. But Maya wasn’t his mate. She couldn’t be.
But still, that voice wouldn’t let up. What was next? Would it tell him to hunt down wild beasts to clothe her in their furs?
Yes!
He ignored the loud but very incorrect voice in his head and instead offered a hand to help Maya down from the counter.
“Thanks.” She gave Ranek a sheepish smile.
Ranek’s gaze lingered on her flushed face and her swollen lips. He wanted more. Stars, he wanted everything.
“We’ll eat. Then I’m coming back for you.”
A wave of lust poured from her at his words, so strong that for a moment, he considered just fucking her right there and then and just ignoring the hungry baby predator chewing at his ankle.
But she was already moving, putting distance between them. “I guess it’s best I give Faith a call now rather than later and let her know we are okay.”
Chapter 6
Maya
Maya’s shoulders sagged in relief at the sight of her friend through the tiny comm unit screen. Faith looked like she was hiding her exhaustion with one too many cups of joulka, the Reka 5 equivalent of coffee, but she was alive.
“Thank goodness you’re alright!” Faith wrung her hands, clearly distraught after her ordeal. “When we couldn’t detect the pod anywhere in the vicinity where we thought you would land, I was so worried that we lost you in space. I can’t believe you’re all the way over on an abandoned mining planet. And to get rescued before becoming dino chow too! That’s lucky. But I’m so sorry this happened.”
“Not your fault. We couldn’t have known.”
Faith was a real sweetheart. This whole thing had been her crazy idea to begin with. She’d just dragged Maya and Grant, her husband, along for the ride. When Faith finally got that first bit of investment money to start their breeding program last year and could pay Maya a living wage, Maya had quit her other job as a server at the pub and went full-time with them.
It was a perfect match. Maya’s old job back on Earth had been with a pet store, running puppy obedience classes. She wasn’t the puppy-whisperer or anything, but all her clients came out able to sit, stay, lie down, and leave it. All the important things.
The dragus of Reka 5 weren’t much different, especially when they were young. Plus, Maya’s natural affinity for spreadsheets also meant that she helped keep everything in order so that Faith and Grant could focus on their genetics work.
“I’m safe now, and that’s what counts.” Maya did her best not to look over at Ranek, who was sitting across from her, listening in on the conversation.
Commander Chaos had already swallowed the nutrition bar Ranek had given him whole and was now prowling the medical office searching for more edibles.
“Are you going to be okay until we find someone to come and get you? Food? Water? Shelter?” Her voice was full of concern.
Ranek gestured to her, then came to stand behind her so he was in the frame of the video.
“I can bring her where she needs to go. I was on my way off the planet.”
