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2024-10-29 19:42:56The object of her terror turned its black head toward them and waved its antenna, mildly interested.
Andrea yelped and skittered behind Mathin, using him for a shield. “It’s the size of a cocker spaniel! You’ve got the gun; shoot it!”
With a grunt of amusement, he grabbed a small stick from the forest floor and tossed it half-heartedly toward the beetle. It bounced off its back with a dull clunk, sending the creature scurrying.
“There. Now…” He frowned as she backed away, her eyes on the towering forest.
Wild spice scented the air of the alien world around her. The surrounding wo
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Scent of Danger 22
“Keilor!” Relieved at the interruption, Mathin greeted him, clasping forearms with the dark-haired warrior who entered the clearing. He kept a grip on Andrea, knowing she couldn’t be trusted.With high cheekbones reminiscent of a Cherokee warrior, the man radiated energy and command. Several volti followed at his heels like a pack of tamed hunting dogs.The man’s dark eyes settled on Andrea, assessing and reassuring at once. He shook his head. “My wife has shared those exact sentiments; particularly as he dragged her through the swamps and fed her giant snails. Will you come and meet her? She is human, like you.”Keilor’s calculation worked. With a nervo
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The Haunt guard opened the thick wooden door. Mathin strode through, sweeping her along with a hand at her back.The room beyond was sunny, and brimming with familiar knickknacks and gewgaws. Crazy colors covered nearly every surface. Hooked rugs in a riot of clashing colors, Afghans and slipcovers—the very ones she’d packed away—covered the furniture in a rainbow of dizzying shades. It looked like someone had tossed a bag of Skittles all over the place.Bewildered by the display, she simply stared. Why would Mathin have brought all this stuff? Her grandma wouldn’t be happy when she got home and discovered it missing. Wait…he didn’t think she wanted it, did he?
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A pen of sorts had been erected around the perimeter of the living area, leaving the twins with plenty of carpeted area to tumble and play. It also kept them out of the fireplace and their mother’s collection of potted fruit trees.Keilor shrugged and snatched a piece of the vegetable she was chopping for dinner. “Mathin said she didn’t seem picky at the time. Besides, we could hardly take her to Mathin’s room. They’re not mated yet.”Reminded of the source of her ire, the petite terror turned her wrath on Mathin. “And how could you, Mathin? What possessed you to drag the poor girl here when there’s plenty of Haunt women chasing you?”Mathin
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Jasmine laughed. “Sorry, I’m not explaining this too well. The Haunt can fool around all he or she wants, right up until the point of consummation. If they go past that, they’re hooked for life. Adultery usually results in madness, thanks to their unique genetic makeup.” When the confusion didn’t clear from Andrea’s brow she explained gently, “Mathin is a virgin as we define the term, as are all unmated Haunt.” The grin was back as she waggled a piece of fruit at Andrea. “But if you value your life, don’t call him that. The term means a man of no experience here, and he’s definitely not that.”Her brain swimming with details, Andrea muttered, “I see. I think. So you’re saying that he plans to...um, seduce me into marriage. Why? Didn’t you just say there
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The ordinary actions soothed her. She still wasn’t sure what to do about her grandma. Had it not been for her, she’d have planned to escape at the first opportunity. What was she supposed to do with the woman when she wanted to stay, had arranged the whole thing?Now that she was calmer the whole brainwashing thing sounded ridiculous, especially as she recalled her grandmother’s rabid desire to see her settled. She rolled her eyes. Who would have thought she’d have gone this far to do it? The amazing thing was that she’d found someone to help carry out her crazy plan.Well, I don’t have to cooperate, she promised herself as she washed and rinsed her hair. Jasmine’s relaxed attitude and confidences had gone a long way to firming
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“I have a better room for your use this evening,” Mathin said quietly, taking advantage of her grandmother’s distraction. The elder woman’s comments had him on edge, and he was the willing party! One glance at Andrea’s face was enough to see she was close to losing control. “It’s less...white. It also has a kitchen for you to work in. You’ll recognize many of the staples, and I’ll be happy to tell you about the unfamiliar ones.” When she did nothing more than glance at him out of the corner of her eye, he added quietly, “There’s a lock on the door. No one will disturb you.”Still she said nothing, but the set of her shoulders relaxed.It was an exquisite relief to withdraw for the evening. Sh
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He looked down for a moment, his eyes darkening with remembrance. “Jasmine was kidnapped once by someone who wished to exploit her charmer pheromone. We had to take extraordinary measures to get her back.”Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “I didn’t notice anyone drooling over her.”“The production of pheromone decreases in proportion to the level of sexual activity a charmer engages in.” His look was bold and heated. “Keilor keeps her well satisfied, I promise you.”A dimple popped into his cheek as she squirmed. “At the moment your production is so high it’s intoxicating.” Fire leapt in his eyes and his tone lowered to a r
Scent of Danger 29
“Mathin broke your arm?” Andrea gaped at her, turning horrified eyes on Mathin, who’d halted in his play to watch them, an unreadable expression on his face. She was unprepared for Jasmine’s fierce response.“If he hadn’t, I’d never have escaped,” she snapped, almost daring Andrea to contradict her. “Mathin received more criticism over that move than I liked. As far as I’m concerned, my opinion is the only one that matters. I owe him, big time.”Andrea would have apologized, but Jasmine wasn’t done. “You don’t want to know what the place I was kept in was like. Not only did he rescue me while Keilor healed, he gave me the means to have children with Keilor, to grow old with him.”
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Scent of Danger 81
“Wonder what that was all about,” Mathin muttered at her side.“I don’t know, but I’m beginning to feel like the unappreciated fairy godmother,” Andrea complained.His grin sent firecrackers popping clear to her toes. Mathin took her glass and set it down. One quick tug pulled her into his arms, slightly bent at the perfect angle for a kiss. “I think I can do something to change that.”A superb dancer, Mathin twirled her around the dance floor, his grace as beguiling as his dark good looks. The man danced like he made love, and every burning look was enough to set her blood aflame. Schemes and plans for others were lost in the dreamy whirl of pleas
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The next morning, well before the party was to begin, Leo presented Mathin and Andrea with a copy of her notes and sketches. “A gift,” she said simply.Mathin was more excited than Andrea would have dreamed possible. “Do you know how much I’ve wanted something like this?” he demanded of Leo, his eyes glued to the pages. “It’s almost impossible to get any information on the Beasts in the Dark Lands.”Leo and Andrea exchanged pleased looks.“Wait a minute.” His brows furrowed as he stared at the page. “I’ve seen this picture somewhere else, only…”
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“At least there’s that.” More silence. “I never did thank you for all you’ve done for me and my wife.”“It was nothing.”“It was something,” Mathin returned forcefully. “And I won’t forget it. If there is anything, at any time, that I can do for you, you have only to name it.”Scy searched his face. “Be careful what you offer, brother.” He smiled a little. “I might accept.”“Do that.” Mathin left, satisfied that Scy would turn his words over.
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Mathin stilled. Taking her hand, he placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. “He stayed home with his wife, my love.” His tone became sorrowful. “They lost the baby.”The color drained from her face. Her eyes welled. “No,” she whispered, and slumped to the bed. Jasmine had been so happy!He didn’t try to make it better with platitudes, just held her. “I know.” He rubbed his face against her hair. “I know.”She grieved, but even as she cried for her friend’s loss, in her heart Andrea had to wonder. Had the baby been lost because of some unavoidable defect, caused by the mixing of such alien blood? Might the child have been born
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“Can you help her?” Andrea tried to control her shivering. Scy kept one eye on the swordsmen while his symbiont worked on Leo’s head. Still unconscious, she didn’t move.“I’m trying.” He handed a gun to her. “Fire if you get a clean shot. If anything happens to Mathin, you won’t have time for more than one. Got it?”“I...yes.” Determined to control the contractions that squeezed her lower belly, she tried to keep her eyes on the fighters. It wasn’t easy. Not only were they moving in a virtual blur, but the cramps distracted her. They didn’t feel like the false contractions that had squeezed her whole stomach as the pregnancy advanced. No, these were lower, more intense. They felt like t
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Shivering as much from the spookiness of that as from the damp chill, Andrea glanced toward the dim light coming in from the single exit. A brackish puddle had collected in the sunken depression under the stone tiles, and it reflected a bit of the light and the occasional shifting shadow of a guard. Odd how she’d never felt so wary of her Haunt, but then they’d gone out of their way to put her at ease. There was nothing remotely friendly about these dark warriors.Every now and then Leo would stand up to stretch, but her chains didn’t allow her to lift her arms past her hips. The bolts in the floor were very solid; she’d tugged on the chains enough that she’d bled, trying to loosen them.“I’m sorry.”
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The cycle eased out of the gate, gathering speed as it headed up the road through the village. Naked fields flashed by as the woods edged closer.“Hang on!” the Ronin tossed over his shoulder, and suddenly they were flying.Eyes narrowed against the wind and flying insects, Mathin felt the rope bite into his wrists where he’d looped it. He held on as best he could with the toes of his boots against the edge of the platform as the cycle began a series of fast maneuvers around the trees that blurred past. The slight lip on the edges wouldn’t prevent him from flying off on one of the turns if he weren’t careful.As if to prove his point, the platform took a sharp dip,
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“I wasn’t going to ask her any,” Leo protested. “Scy…” When he continued to ignore her, she placed her body right in front of him. “This is very important to me.”A light like golden foxfire hazed his blue eyes. His body began to tremble. “Don’t,” his voice was hoarse and he couldn’t seem to tear his eyes from Leo’s mouth. “Don’t get so close to me, woman, unless you want to get close to me.” His nostrils flared as her eyes widened. “I’ve long run out of herbs, and you’re provoking far more than my temper.” He brushed past her.“I’m not afraid of you!” she yelled at his back.
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Mathin read his wife’s latest letter, and then sat in silence before the fire in the banquet hall.This might be difficult.He took a long drink of his wine, smiling without humor. His wife had a gift for understatement.Thought you needed to know…Had he? Had he really? He crumpled the edge of the letter in his fist and then tossed it aside. For most of his life, he hadn’t known about these strangers spawned of his father’s madness. No doubt they were content to keep it that way as well. What did his wife think, that the three of them could take up friendly relations as easily a
