Bay's Mercenary [Unearthly World Book 1] Read online

  Chapter 8

  Bay stayed awake waiting for Zane, listening to both of the brothers talking. She was giggling with Blu’s incredulous, loud, tone she heard through the open bedroom door. It appeared Zane was describing in detail how a human female mates.

  “She did what?” Bay buried her face in the pillow laughing. She heard the undercurrent of Zane’s murmur.

  “How is that even possible?” Blu continued to yell. “On top? But you’re too big. Sideways? Holy hell she couldn’t. You did? She actually…? The bottom of the bed? In your lap?”

  “Will you lower your voice?” Zane demanded.

  “More than once, and you’re saying a female can climax? It feels like what? Huh? Really? No way.”

  Bay felt her face color.

  “She put it in her mouth? But her teeth…wait, her dull teeth would feel—well shit. Shit, it would feel incredible now that I think about it.”

  “Keep it down, damn it, Blu.”

  “Well shit, can I have her back? Just thinking of that makes me feel…”

  Bay cringed when she heard the sound of a fist landing a solid punch—though she wasn’t surprised. Shortly after, the front door slammed shut and before long, Bay lay in Zane’s arms; he crept into bed growling low in his throat. Possessively, he yanked her to his side making her squeal.

  “So does your brother now know all about Earth females?” Bay stroked his hard skin, trying to calm him down.

  “Yes, and before long there will be many Zargonnii wanting their own.”

  “If they steal them from the Castians, there will be war.”

  “We won’t steal Earth females. From what Blu has told me, many of your Earth shuttles never made it to Ulsy, some crashed. The Castian warriors are looking high and low for them; their own females died out hundreds of years ago. But Earth females don’t belong to just them. If we find them first, they are ours.”

  “We are people with intelligence, we won’t be owned.”

  “Not owned—coveted, cared for, loved. Now that Zargonnii males will find out they don’t need our females to mate, they will be very relieved.”

  “But what if the females of your species get angry?”

  “The female of my species is always angry it seems.” Zane’s words were thoughtful and he seemed to be pondering an idea. “What if the females don’t want to mate? What if they only come here every other year to satisfy our needs? They have a love-hate relationship with us.”

  “Have male Zargonnii never felt the need to just sit and talk with the females here?”

  “Of course—kinda hard to do flat on your back feeling crushed.”

  “Well, if I’m going to go talk to that Castian tomorrow, I better get some sleep.” Bay cuddled into Zane’s side. Lying naked beside him, she felt Zane’s hand trail up and down her back.

  “We should tell Draven you want to stay; he was asleep after I talked to Blu. He was so upset.”

  “He feels another mother is leaving him. Maybe we should wake him up and tell him.”

  “Let him sleep. Morning will be here soon enough. If we wake him and tell him now, he’ll be too excited to go back to sleep.”

  “I suppose.”

  Bay reached up and kissed Zane good night. His lips were warm even though they were a light blue. She let the fur on his chest slip through her fingers.

  “What was that?” Zane asked in the dark.

  Bay stiffened. “What?”

  “Did you just taste me?”

  She laughed in relief. “I kissed you.”

  Zane pulled her higher. “Do it again.”

  Bay traced his full lips in the dark and kissed him. He remained motionless, and Bay deepened the kiss. She trailed her tongue across his partially opened mouth. Her nose nuzzled against his rough cheek.

  “Bay, I don’t understand how I can be aroused down there, when you’re up here touching me.”

  “Foreplay is a wonderful thing.”

  Bay lifted her knee and nudged at his erection, Zane groaned. He was stiff as steel and just as hard. Bay had an idea. She took Zane by the hand and they both stood up.

  “You like to be dominant—I understand it’s your nature, dominate or submit. Let’s see how strong you are,” Bay said.

  Before Zane knew what was happening, Bay jumped up on him, into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and hung on tight. She could feel his cock pressing against her opening. Zane caught onto her idea, and holding her bottom, he slid her down onto him. Bay cried out as she was suddenly impaled. From this position, she had to take all of him. Zane wrapped a large arm around her waist and pulled her up before thumping her down.

  Zane’s entire body tensed as he developed his rhythm and Bay clung for dear life. He was a powerhouse of motion. Bay had had sex once like this before, but the man she was with kept losing his grip and finally gave up. There was no stopping Zane. It was easy enough to feel he was enjoying this new position.

  A crooning sound reached Bay’s ears, and as it had the last time, it made her feel strangely quiet and accepting. The tone was melodic, the pitch deep and lulling. The sound made her feel safe, like nothing in the world could hurt her because Zane had her. It made her feel there was nothing stronger than him. The melody consumed her thoughts, rolled within her mind; and Bay felt herself pressed back onto the bed.

  The weight Zane placed on her was substantial but not crushing. His movement matched his crooning tone and Bay wrapped her arms around him, wanting to stay joined forever. Her insides closed around and caressed his hard shaft. Bay loved burying her feet into the thick coarse hair on his legs. When the red of his eyes glowed, it outlined his strong facial features.

  Bay groaned her release; Zane’s crooning grew louder, calming her. “Harder, Zane. I want you harder.”

  Zane pulled back and thumped into her, pushing her higher onto the bed. He wrapped an arm around her body, holding her in place and sunk his shaft in fast, making her gasp. Bay struggled beneath him and he chuckled.

  “Little one, if you’re trying to mimic sex between a female and male Zargonnii, it won’t work. I appreciate you trying, but after making love with you, my body knows how strong you are not.”

  “Being a little rough won’t kill me.”

  “Then I’ll be a little rough.”

  Zane’s idea of a little rough soon had her screaming at his power as he thundered between her thighs. Bay’s breath caught and held. He was so insanely powerful, more of his generous weight pinned her to the bed; and Bay struggled to gasp in tiny amounts of air. It was exhilarating, frightening and so damned satisfying, Bay shuddered with each orgasm as she climaxed repeatedly.

  She heard Zane growl low in his throat, his hands tightened onto her and for a moment, Bay thought he had lost control. A tiny whimper escaped her lips and Zane began crooning louder than before. He was wild and rough, but the noise he made had her relax under him. The tone invaded her thoughts, and her legs, that had held him in a death grip, loosened. Her arms slipped to her sides. For a few more moments, Zane continued his brutal pace until she heard him bellow. His breathing was fast as she lay quietly under him.

  “Damn,” he muttered.

  “What?”

  “I ripped the sheets to hell. This is why we mate outside. Are you alright?”

  “I’m with you, of course I’m alright. I love you, Zane.”

  “I would die for you.”

  Bay smiled in the dark. Zane told that to Draven each night before going to bed. Explaining making love was difficult enough to Zane. His warrior mind put things into perspective—you loved what you would die for. It was Zane’s way of telling her he loved her, too.

  * * * *

  Zane was frantic; Bay could almost feel his fear as he paced back and forth. When they had awoken, Draven was gone. Bay had an awful notion he went to search for his mother. Zane had expressed the same thought.

  Blu came running through the open front door. “This is not good. The Castian wants to see
Bay now, but we have to find Draven.”

  “I won’t let Bay near that damned Castian unless she’s with me.” Zane roared in anger.

  “Go find Draven,” Bay pleaded.

  “I don’t want to leave you here all alone; a few Zargonnii females have made it to our territory,” Zane said.

  “You said nothing could penetrate your home. I’ll be fine,” Bay insisted.

  Zane gripped her shoulders. “Nothing of my world can penetrate my home; it’s never been tested by a Castian warship. Blu says they will battle for a single female; Earth females are that important to the warriors.”

  Bay shuddered, but with resolve, took his hands from her shoulders. “Find Draven.”

  “The females won’t hurt Draven; he’s a child and not near any of their female offspring. He’s no threat whatsoever, also nowhere near his cycle,” Blu said. “But Zane is in his cycle; if he is out, the females will automatically assume he is looking to mate. I’ll go look for Draven.”

  “I can’t just sit here,” Zane shouted. “Blu, stay with Bay. I need to find my son.” Before Bay could say anything, Zane stormed out. Blu went after him leaving Bay standing there alone.

  It took all of two seconds before Bay decided she couldn’t just sit and wait; she loved Draven too. If the female Zargonnii wouldn’t hurt Draven, she doubted they would hurt her. Bay was no physical threat, and she certainly couldn’t mate with one of them. Zane said the females liked strong partners, and Bay was a little lacking in that department. What Bay did know was that a Castian warrior wanted her, and he more than likely could find out where she was. Bay wasn’t certain of the Castian ship’s ability, but “Beam me up, Scotty” wasn’t working for her. She wasn’t going to sit and wait for the house to be stormed.

  Bay peeked out the front door into the dark tunnel that led to the outer unearthly world. The backyard was the only place she had been since coming here with Blu. After creeping a few short feet, Bay strode on determinedly—both feet forward, do or die. Outside was still dripping with all the torrential rain they’d had. It was overcast and the foliage dark in areas, misty with fog in others. Creepy, it was creepy. Bay could hear loud noises coming from behind her that hurried her step. The Zargonnii females made their presence known by calling to the males; they weren’t there to fool around—get in—get out.

  At a strange noise, Bay stopped dead in her tracks; a female Zargonnii was staring at her. The female looked as startled as Bay felt. Bay looked way up at the nine-foot-tall creature and sucked in her breath. She was massive. Having grown used to the Zargonnii looks, Bay also thought she looked very majestic, and though primitive, she was nevertheless beautiful.

  “Oh, you’re stunning,” Bay whispered. “Simply gorgeous. No wonder your males are drawn to you.”

  The female was hairy all over, but the fur seemed finer than the males, she was wearing no clothing. Her teeth were larger and there was no facial hair, not even the single eyebrow. Her long mane of white hair came alive in the breeze, fluttering below her waist. Red eyes were glowing but not piercing with intensity, just curiosity. Perhaps because of the rain, the Zargonnii female smelled as fresh as a clean wash on a line. Though the female was void of breasts, her figure was nevertheless shapely with rounded hips and a broad almost bulbous chest giving the illusion she was big-breasted with an hourglass figure.

  Bay was in absolute awe. Breathtaking was such a shallow word to describe the female’s magnificence. Both females studied one another. Finally, the female Zargonnii snorted out what could possibly be a laugh and walked away. Bay breathed a sigh of relief—one question solved. No, Zargonnii females wouldn’t kill her, there was no reason to.

  More growls and grunts could be heard to her left and Bay screamed in terror when a Zargonnii male and female came crashing through the vegetation. The female was over eight feet tall; the male was almost the same height. Bay jumped behind gnarled branches and roaming roots and vines, watching as both beings fought for dominance. The pair seemed evenly matched and if neither could win, Bay knew they would separate to find another to mate with.

  The battle was beyond brutal. Bay had thought Zane had been a bit rough the night before—she was sadly mistaken. Male and female growled and bit and swung at one another in a fight that looked like life and death. No wonder Zane was so amazed with her. The female was relentless; her arms and claws a whirlwind of action. She knocked the male to the ground and pummeled him until the male lay still and changed into his smaller self, losing battle mode. The female was on top of him and both began grunting and groaning. Bay couldn’t watch any longer.

  The entire jungle seemed alive and wild. Zane told her it was because the female Zargonnii normally kept the cyron away. But while they mated, the massive beasts slipped through their defenses, as well as others the females would battle on their way back to their domain—like the bangore.

  Bay heard the small cry of a frightened child and fled in that direction. She found Draven curled in a ball, with a beast the likes she couldn’t imagine in her wildest nightmares standing way too close to the child. The twelve-foot-high monster dripped green saliva like a faucet from a mouth full of three sets of jagged teeth that were pulled back from a long, wrinkled, dark snout. Long, black hair from its body swayed as it moved.

  Bay stood in front of Draven, hoping he could get away before the thing killed her. Smoke snorted from the cyron’s mouth, Zane had described the creature in great detail yet hadn’t given its ferocious look justice. Bay could see its white eyes through all the hair, glowing like deep corruptive tunnels with no end. Three long horns, each larger than the one before it, stuck out in a horizontal pattern from forehead to snout, each point shiny and sinister. The pointed three claws on its feet and hands burned as though embers lit them into a fiery red blue. When the creature touched a gnarled tree, the trunk sizzled and burned like a brand, leaving the wood smoldering as though a victim of a heinous crime. Draven called to her, but Bay was concentrating on not fainting. She was staring death in the face, trying not to be a coward, but she would allow nothing to harm the child she considered her own.

  When the cyron dropped to all fours, ready to attack, Draven howled. Bay grabbed a stick from the jungle floor; it wiggled in her hands, and as her grip tightened, it stiffened. More fire shot from all three horns as though small volcanoes lit the sky, a red substance oozed across a bald snout. The creature bellowed a deep rumbling sound that moved the ground beneath Bay’s feet. It struck. Bay swung her weapon with all her might; she knew it would be the only shot she’d have and she aimed for its eyes.

  “Draven, run,” she screamed.

  Her hard-flung swing connected; the pain of the blow reverberated up her arms, rattling her teeth. The attack was swift, and Bay fell to the ground from the breeze it created. Bay’s mouth widened in stunned surprise. A female Zargonnii ripped into the cyron with a vengeance. Bay sat plopped on her behind with her mouth hanging open. The stick she had held was shattered; its tiny shards wiggling like a mass of worms. The fight was brutal. The Zargonnii female was over nine feet, her claws were four inches in length, her fanged teeth were so large she wouldn’t have been able to close her mouth over them.

  The cyron screamed in rage. Bay had managed to gouge out an eye; its mouth spewed a foul smelling stream of liquid lava. The substance bounced harmlessly off the female Zargonnii. She, in return, gripped a horn, yanked it off and attacked the other two horns. All three sprouted a yellow substance that oozed down the sides of the creature when pulled from its head. The cyron sent a massive clawed paw into the Zargonnii’s chest but only scooped a fistful of hair. The female sunk her jagged teeth into the being’s snout and bit half of it off. The cyron smashed her into a tree, but she bounced back and shredded the creature. Bay had never seen such fury.

  When the cyron lay dead in a bloody pulp of oozing flesh, the female turned to confront Bay. Bay sat motionless, still in awe. Draven ran into Bay’s arms and tried to hide. The female Zargonnii shoo
k herself from head to toe and slowly shrank to her normal massive size. She sniffed the air and cocked her head to the side.

  “You should be home, my little one,” the Zargonnii female said to Draven. “Both you and your pet.”

  Bay was astounded. She understood the deep guttural words. Draven hadn’t been teaching her a drivel language; he had been teaching her his mother’s language.

  Draven looked up at the female. “I was looking for you.”

  Again Bay was amazed; this female was Draven’s mother. The species had an uncanny sense of family awareness even though they stayed separate.

  “There are times when a male will come looking for his mother,” she replied. “But it must be to say goodbye. You must never come out in the jungle again when it’s mating season until you reach your cycle—which won’t be for many years, my youngest love.”

  “Then I lose you all over again, and now I’m losing Bay.”

  “What’s a Bay?”

  “Um, that would be me,” Bay said, creeping to her feet.

  “Your pet speaks,” now it was the Zargonnii who looked amazed.

  “I’m not a pet; I’m a human female.”

  “Your human males must be piddly little weaklings,” she replied summing Bay up; her face was a cross between incredulous and pity.

  Bay understood what she meant, she must automatically assume human males were smaller than Bay. She wasn’t going to correct her. Instead, she turned to Draven.

  “I won’t leave you,” Bay promised. “Your father and I were going to tell you that this morning. You are my family, Draven. I love you. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

  “You mean it?” Draven’s look was skeptical.

  “I won’t ever lie to you; I didn’t from the first day we met.”

  Draven whooped in delight then sobered. “But the Castian wants you.”

  “And I want you,” Bay said.

  “And I want you both to leave the jungle.” The Zargonnii female sounded annoyed.

  “Is my father out here?” Draven asked.