Hidden Instinct Read online

  To her shock, he picked her up and kissed her, his teeth grazing hers, and she felt the sharp edge graze her. She jerked her head back. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

  He grinned. “You use Terran words when you are turned on.”

  “I am angry.”

  “And yet, your body is wide awake.” He sighed and set her on her feet.

  Her hands were in fists, and she took a deep breath when he pressed a kiss to her forehead and left in a burst of movement before he was out the doors and heading for the guardian shuttle.

  She stared after him and turned to see his grinning parents.

  Her blush went up several levels. “That wasn’t what it looked like.”

  Beryl nodded. “Care to get back to the workout, or do you want to call today a loss and head to the spa. Sorryl, your mother, and your sister are on board for an afternoon of backrubs and facials. I thought that after your trauma yesterday, you needed a little bit of pampering.”

  “But, the synthetic skin...” Yadeel was nervous.

  “This will scrub it off. You will be tender, but it will better than sloughing it off a bit at a time.”

  She grimaced. “Do I have a choice?”

  Beryl linked arms with her. “Absolutely not. If your talent has identified my son, I am going to help it along. Does he still glow for you?”

  Yadeel blushed. “Annoyingly, yes.”

  “Ah, his father is annoying as well, but I have been with him over three decades now, and it is a staying effect. You get used to it.”

  Toyo snickered and grinned. “I will get the skimmer ready. Are we headed to Arbos’s?”

  “Of course. No one else would cancel all other appointments for me.”

  Toyo smirked. “Having a daughter-in-law with a spa is a very handy thing. I will be your driver and cargo handler for the day.”

  Yadeel whispered to Beryl as they started to walk toward the hangar. “So, you planned this?”

  “Hoped, Yadeel. Hoped.”

  Yadeel was ushered to the skimmer, and they headed off toward the city. She was in the company of the two greatest heroes that W’lyn had ever known and heading for a spa day. She didn’t even want to guess what surprises were in store for her.

  The backrub was glorious, and the light scrubbing was done delicately. Her hot pink skin was exposed as the scrubbing went on.

  When she was wrapped in a robe and escorted to the side of the soaking pools, she settled in one of the chairs and was given a glass of citrus water and a bowl of roasted gashki.

  The rest of the ladies were soaking, and Beryl and Ahska talked quietly while the sisters were laughing and exchanging disaster stories.

  Their host came and checked on everyone, and then, she crouched near Yadeel. “How are you holding up?”

  Yadeel covered her mouth with the glass of water. “I feel very brittle.”

  “It is a bit like being caught in a tornado, but don’t worry. They can catch you.” Arbos smiled and squeezed her hand. “It is about time that Toryl finally looked your way. You are what he has been seeking all along.”

  Yadeel paused. “Wait. What?”

  “Those other women were all one-time events. He did not return to any of them. You? He sees you at your worst, acts like a gentleman, comes when you need help, and leaves you in the safest place he can think of. That is a mate, not a lover. I am happy that he is learning the difference.”

  Yadeel laughed slightly. “That is the first thing that someone has said about this that has made me feel a bit better.”

  “Don’t worry. They don’t choose lightly, but they do choose only once.”

  “What happened to my choice?”

  “Your instincts have made it for you. Your ego is standing in the way. We are a predator species. Mating gets complicated.”

  Ahska raised her voice. “What are you two talking about?”

  Arbos turned her head and responded. “Complicated situations, and the healing on those gouges. It is amazing that she didn’t bleed out.”

  Beryl frowned. “Show us.”

  Yadeel was done, so she stood up, slid the robe off her shoulders, and exposed herself to her soon-to-be in-laws and her own family. The hot pink streaks lashed across her in places she hadn’t immediately felt. Her abdomen had taken a lot of injuries, as had her thighs. She turned and showed her striped back and buttocks before she pulled the robe up and sashed it.

  She gingerly sat back down, and the ladies were still staring.

  Sorryl frowned. “Could you feel the injuries happening?”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “But you pushed through anyway.”

  “Yes. The other option was to remain in place and let someone pick me apart. I chose some surface damage over vivisection. Call me provincial.”

  The women had different responses, but they were all positive. Yadeel got back to her water and nibbled at the roasted gashki. It was a surprisingly fun time now that the basic question of what had actually occurred to her was settled.

  After some time and a few cocktails, Ahska asked her, “So, Yaddy, are you going to let him teach you to dance?”

  Sorryl laughed. “She knows how to dance.”

  Yadeel blushed. “I know how to dance.”

  Ahska frowned. “You have told me you don’t know how, and that is why you don’t.”

  “I lied.”

  Sorryl smiled. “She danced at her graduation, and the entire class of males turned to stare at her. They moved in, and she had to escape. I helped.”

  Ahska scowled. “You were on the restrictor already.”

  Yadeel nodded. “I know.” She ate some gashki. The little roasted bugs were rather good today. “I am very good at dancing.”

  They demanded that she dance. Arbos put on music and made sure that an area was completely dry, and Yadeel danced.

  When Sorryl and Tameeth joined her, it became a lot more fun. When Beryl and Ahska came to join, it was hilarious. Definitely, a good bonding day.

  Chapter Six

  She was out on her balcony and watching the night sky when Toryl arrived.

  He came directly toward her and landed a few feet away, closing the distance and lifting her to pin her against the wall. The kiss was soft and gentle; there was nothing between them but his rigid uniform and her thin robe.

  She held his head and kissed him back, brushing her lips against his and feeling the slow flick of his tongue. She let out a soft sigh and held onto him. Her fingers wove through his hair, and Yadeel’s instinct took over.

  She slid her leg up and hooked it around his hip, moving against him. He groaned low and pulled his head away from hers. He was breathing deeply. “That got more serious faster than I intended.”

  She looked at him, and words escaped her. She pulled back and turned her head.

  He leaned in, and his teeth grazed the edge of her neck. “I didn’t mean you; I meant me. I don’t want our first time to be up against the walls of my parents’ home.”

  She whispered, “I would offer my thoughts, but I don’t have any.”

  “What are your instincts telling you?” His teeth dragged along her skin.

  “That the wall might be uncomfortable, but I have the bed ten feet in and to the left.”

  He licked at her neck, and she shivered, her senses in a knot of tension with an ending that she didn’t want to reach alone. He murmured, “Are you sure?”

  She leaned away from him and used her fingers in his hair to pull his head up. “You are right. I should just forget about this and find someone else. Arthuan looks like he might be up for a serious relationship.”

  He growled and muttered, “Hold on.”

  They took off and flew skyward, up the side of the mountain, and into a cave.

  “A cave?”

  He chuckled. “It was our one bit of privacy when we were growing up. We were a loud house, so we took turns adding rooms and features to the cave.”r />
  She went with him on the tour of the living space, the bathing room, and the bedrooms. He pulled her into his room, and he chuckled. “I have never invited a woman up here before.”

  “Not even as a teen?”

  He laughed. “No. Very few women can tolerate being flown around by a man barely more developed than they are.”

  “I see.” She wandered around his room and shrugged. “I guess I always had a different perspective.”

  “And I am very glad that you have waited for me to come to my senses.”

  “I am guessing that you had to wait until I was ready.” She chuckled.

  He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Now, why is your mother so concerned about your dancing? I was at your graduation. You dance exceedingly well.”

  He pressed a hand to her belly and slid his fingers downward. “I seem to recall my sister having to step in and drive off the crowd that was forming.”

  She squeaked. “I didn’t know you were attending.”

  He moved her robe aside, and his long fingers found her slick and waiting. He bit at her shoulder without drawing blood. She went up on her toes.

  His left hand cupped a breast and lifted it before rolling her nipple between his fingers.

  The fingers against her sex slipped inside, and she placed one hand on top of his and reached back to hold his hair with her other hand. Her body was taut, and he thrust his fingers into her. She was so aroused that when his thumb grazed her clit, she gasped and moaned as she twitched, and she slumped in his grip.

  His lips were against her ear, and she heard his whisper, “Do it again.”

  He started to move his fingers inside her, but he lifted his head, and their kiss mimicked the slow drag of his fingers.

  She tasted his blood, and then, she felt the nick on her lower lip. Her blood heated, and pleasure built as her body locked on to the imprint of her mate. She moaned as her body clasped his fingers again, and then, she muttered, “If you aren’t inside me next, I am going to break something.”

  He withdrew his fingers from her and sucked on them before he lifted her and set her on the bed. He had opened her robe, and he was between her thighs when the emergency call sounded in his com.

  He groaned and pressed his forehead on her inner thigh. “I am so sorry. I have to go.”

  She tied the wrap and lifted his head to kiss him. “I will be here when you and the others are done saving the day. Oh, but first put me back where you got me. I can and will climb back down to your parents’ home if you leave me up here.”

  He lifted her in his arms and flew out of the cave and down to the balcony that led to her bedroom. He kissed her again, groaned, and then took off to meet the guardian’s vessel.

  Yadeel headed for the bathroom and set the temperature to cold. She needed to calm down in a hurry.

  When she came out, she was wearing a towel, and Beryl had left a tray with some hot herbal tea, gashki, and some cookies.

  Yadeel looked at the night sky and sat on her bed, nibbling on the cookies. She checked on her tablet, and there was an audio message.

  “Yadeel, after the fire festival, I have five days off. I would like to spend them with you, my mate.” His voice was low and husky, and she felt her heart tripping at the sound of his intense tone.

  She blushed even though no one could see her. She typed in, “I will check my schedule.”

  There were a few minutes that passed, and another audio message popped up, “Yadeel, I have cleared your schedule. See you at the festival.”

  She fanned herself with the tablet and tried to get some sleep. There were only a few days before the fire festival, and she had to get something to wear; she still also needed a job.

  The guardians got a stipend, her parents and family worked with clients, and she had savings that would soon run out in the most expensive city on W’lyn.

  She went to sleep with a smile curving her lips and her blood singing.

  The morning was agony. Her head pounded, her body ached, and her skin was taking on a pearly cast, leaving her in no doubt that her change was underway.

  She talked with her mother and sister before going in search of breakfast. When Beryl saw her, she frowned. “We are going to medical right after you eat. You don’t look well.”

  Toyo nodded. “I will fly you there. What happened last night?”

  Yadeel was honest. “A light blood exchange, and then, he was pulled away on a mission.”

  Beryl scowled. “A light blood exchange?”

  “Just a nip during the kiss. Why?”

  She frowned. “Never mind, we will get you figured out. It isn’t a bad thing to be complicated.”

  Yadeel smiled and ate her breakfast. It didn’t sit well, but she kept it down.

  The flight was direct as hell. Toyo lifted her carefully, and he and Beryl flew her to the med centre that specialized in the Terran crossbreeds, and they landed inside.

  At the entry, Yadeel struggled to be let down. Toyo held her casually but finally set her on her feet.

  “I need Dr. Yanith, please.”

  The admitting clerk frowned at her. “Do you have an appointment?”

  “No, but I have a standing order for admittance. My name is Yadeel Sanderson.”

  The clerk was looking bored until he typed in her name. “Yes, Miss. The fourth floor, please, Miss.”

  Yadeel nodded, and the two retired guardians went with her.

  They stood together in the lift, and she swayed. Beryl caught her. “Damn it.”

  Yadeel patted her hand. “It’s fine. It is not like guardians can just take a night off because they want to have sex.”

  Toyo snorted. “I did. Mind you, I also just brought Beryl to the guardian base. It made things a lot easier.”

  Yadeel stepped with her mate’s mother into the hall where the doctor met them.

  “Hiya, Dr. Yanith.”

  Her sister-in-law looked at her. “Yadeel, what the hell?”

  “I have started the process of mating, he had to leave to attend an emergency, and I think I am suffering some kind of hormonal crash.”

  “I have brought your levels up, and we are ready to start resetting you. Are you ready?”

  Yadeel hung off Beryl. “Yup. Ready. Just a question. How many other crossbreeds have Terran Syndrome?”

  “Two, but they are male, so there isn’t as dramatic an issue.” Yanith chuckled. “You get to be one of a kind for a while more.”

  She was brought into an exam room, and a cocktail of arcane chemistry was injected into her veins, and she began to feel better.

  Yanith sighed as Yadeel’s heartbeat evened out. “Well, that is a relief. Ahska would kill me if anything happened to you.”

  Yadeel gestured to the two older guardians who were watching closely. “They can hear whatever you are going to tell me. There aren’t a lot of secrets at their security clearance level.”

  “Right. Well, when she started the mating process, her pheromone production crashed. Without a full link to redirect the output, the chemicals that her own body makes are starting to build up. What I am doing is resetting her to pre-mating levels because that is easier to deal with. I mean, unless you can get him back here right now.”

  Beryl grimaced. “They are working with disaster relief on the dark continent. If they get back before the fire festival, it will be a miracle.”

  Yadeel nodded. “I figured as much. Right. What kind of doses am I looking at?”

  Yanith gave her a stack of injectors. “Two a day for the next five days and then come back for more. This is a lighter compound than the ones the twits at emergency were giving you. That dosage would have killed you. This one will just sterilize you over six months of usage. Yes, I know that Ahska would kill me for that as well. She’s a scary woman but an excellent litigator.”

  Yadeel nodded, and her breathing evened into the slow pace of sleep.

 
* * * *

  Yanith gestured to the other two to join her in the nearby observation room. She could see that they had questions.

  Beryl frowned. “Has this happened before?”

  “Three times. Well, not exact, but very similar. Each one happened while she and Toryl were in close proximity.”

  Toyo scowled. “Why were we not notified?”

  “She didn’t tell anyone aside from Sorryl until she was on the dark continent. And until she authorized me, I couldn’t tell anyone. She must really feel like hell.” Yanith sighed with worry.

  Toyo asked, “You are her sister-in-law?”

  “Yes, Madigel is my mate. We met when he brought her in just after her graduation. She had a hormone surge, she collapsed, and while getting her history, her brother asked for my contact information, and six months later, we formalized things.”

  Beryl chuckled but kept her focus on the sleeping Yadeel. “Her life hasn’t been easy.”

  Toyo chuckled. “Nor has yours.”

  “But, I was designed to stand out. I never blended in. She was the only oddball in a family, and she is the only one of her kind in the world when genetically, she should have been able to blend in. Imagine if one of our kids had this problem. I would have gone mad trying to make things right for them.”

  Yanith looked at them. “So, Toryl is finally aware of their connection?”

  Toyo nodded. “He is. He is just trying to fish folks out of the path of a hurricane.”

  “I understand, but it would really be best for her if she could be with him until her transformation is complete. If they separate before it’s done, this will happen again.”

  Beryl nodded. “We understand. He has arranged nearly a week off.”

  Yanith made a face. “It might not be enough time.”

  “Well then, we will spend the next few days getting her clearance for the guardian base.”

  “Good. She needs this settled. Her body is fighting the medications, and they are not going to be able to keep her in good shape for long.”

  Beryl nodded. “Fine, they are going to mate if we have to lock them in somewhere.”

  Toyo grinned. “Ah, memories.”