Page 4 of Guardians
Another shiver dropped down Lexie’s spine. Did feline hybrids have a barbed penis while in their lion form? She’d never seen one of the hybrids shapeshift, but too many of the scientists insisted that they could shift for her not to believe it. How much had their human anatomy been altered by the insertion of cat DNA?
A blast of frigid wind shook the tents, threatening to topple the structures. Lexie sank deeper into her coat and pulled her hat down to completely cover her ears. The fire sputtered and danced, fighting to stay alive. All of their efforts to stay warm were failing. There was no escaping this unforgiving weather. Not in this camp at least.
Two days after Kane’s visit, three of the lab techs approached Lexie. She didn’t know them well, but they seemed pleasant enough. Emma, their apparent leader, came right to the point. “We have a proposal for the cats.”
Lexie scrunched up her forehead. “Why bring it to me?”
“Because Kane looked like he wanted to devour you. Everyone noticed it.”
“I’m not sure I agree, but go on.”
“We met in college.” Emma indicated her two companions. “Anyone who knows us, knows that. What very few people know is that we didn’t meet at the university. All three of us paid for our education by working as escorts.Thatis how we met. If we’re willing to set up a brothel inside the village, will the cats provide us with a house, access to food, and whatever else we need to live comfortably?”
“Verycomfortably,” the brunette on Emma’s right stressed. “If they’re going to turn us all into whores anyway, we’d rather do it on our terms.”
Lexie nodded, trying hard not to look as shocked as she felt. “I’m not sure when I’ll see Kane again, but I’ll tell him about your offer.”
“We’re serious about this,” Emma told her. “And we might not be the only ones to make this choice.”
At the time, Lexie thought the three were crazy. But the more she thought about it, the more she understood their rationale. It wasn’t a choice that appealed to her personally. The need for a family, even an unconventional one, was too engrained in her psyche. But the hybrids were domineering and aggressive. Joining the brothel might well be the only way for a human female on Rydaria to maintain anything resembling independence.
It had now been six days since Kane’s visit, six bitterly cold, hunger-filled days. Lexie didn’t know if Tara had changed her mind, but Lexie was starting to wonder if being claimed by acoalition of feline hybrids might be worth escaping this misery. Anything that gave her access to warmth and food couldn’t be all bad. Everything about this planet was harsh and unforgiving. Why should this be any different?
“I’m going to bed,” Lexie said after a long pause. It was marginally warmer in her sleeping bag. At least she’d be out of the wind.
Bianca followed Lexie into the tent. A few seconds later Tara ducked inside as well. Their other three tent mates were already in bed, though none of them were asleep.
“We have to do something or we’re all going to die,” Kelly whispered after Lexie and the others settled into their sleeping bags. “I know we’re all trying to stay positive, but we need to be realistic. We’re not equipped to tame a wilderness. Most of us have never been camping, much less grown our own food.”
“Tara and I are going to the feline village tomorrow,” Lexie told her. “Bianca needs medicine, and we all need food. Maybe if a couple of us agree to… mate with them, they’ll take pity on the rest.” Tingles zipped along her nerve endings as the now familiar fantasy surged to the surface of her mind. Kane was fucking her from behind this time. He held her arms at the small of her back and slammed into her fast and hard. An unseen male fucked her mouth just as brutally. Each time she pictured them together the sex was almost violent, and she was always being shared. Kane emanated aggression and she’d belong to a coalition, so the images seemed to fit.
“Is this just about sex?” Dawn whispered. She had burrowed down into her sleeping bag and wrapped a thick scarf around her head so only her eyes and nose were visible in the moonlight. “Or do you think they want children?”
“They’re no longer human,” Claire objected. She was a biologist with a background in reproductive issues. Of the females in this tent, she was the most highly educated. “It’s unlikely that they would be able to produce offspring with any of us. We are two different species.”
“I’m going to barter with them, not get on my knees,” Tara insisted. “We have knowledge and skills. We’re willing to work and provide them with things they can’t get on their own. There is more to us than what’s between our legs. We need to help them see that.”
“I agree with you,” Claire said, but her tone revealed her uncertainty. “We can analyze plants and formulate medications, but only if we recover our instruments. I don’t think the cats have our stuff. I think the wolves are responsible for the raid.”
“I do too,” Lexie admitted. “Which is why I’m going to the feline village. I don’t trust the wolves.”
“And you trust the cats?” Dawn cried, propping herself up on her elbows.
Lexie shook her head. “I don’t trust any of the hybrids, but I think our chances are better with the cats than the wolves. We have to start somewhere.”
Dawn’s only response was a heavy sigh as she plopped back down on her cot, then she muttered, “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”
Kane sat in the cavernous meeting room of the lodge staring into the central fire. Flames crackled and popped, emanatinglight as well as heat. The feline village was arranged in cabin clusters. Each cluster consisted of fourteen identical cabins and a grassy common area. The common areas had fire pits and many of the feline hybrids preferred to gather with the males from their cluster rather than trekking up the hill to the lodge. Kane was one of Zion’s six advisors—known as the guardians—so he spent more time here than most. Zion was the undisputed leader of the pride, but he depended on his guardians for in-depth information and varying perspectives. They also served as bodyguards anytime Zion left the village.
Tonight’s meeting had lasted longer than anticipated so they’d combined it with the evening meal and kept right on debating the issues. There were only two: a possible alliance with the human scientists and war with the wolves. The consensus was that an alliance, if strictly controlled, would be good for the pride. War, on the other hand, seemed unavoidable.
Elias and his pack of lupine hybrids had been unruly since the day they arrived on Rydaria. Many of the wolves preferred to stay in animal form, creating havoc and victimizing the other hybrids. Zion’s first task as pride leader had been driving the wolves out of the area and forcing them to create their own village. Elias resented the move and retaliated with endless raids, abductions, and attacks. The latest incident had been the worst.
Kane sighed. There were only sixteen hybrid females and all of them were feline. Lupine hybrids couldn’t mate with feline hybrids, so the wolves were destined for extinction. The disparity drove Elias crazy, and he lashed out in progressively more violent ways. Hybrid females became frequent targets for wolf attacks, so Zion decreed that no female be allowed to leave the village without an armed escort.
The rule hadn’t protected Akari. Her small party had been ambushed and her guards murdered. One of Akari’s mates was the village teacher. His coalition had recently claimed her and the group was deeply in love. Kane wasn’t sure if she had been targeted because of their happiness or if it was a crime of opportunity. The details didn’t matter. Either way what the wolves had done was inexcusable. She’d been held captive for six hellish days and subjected to abuse and torture that would have broken many. When the wolves tired of their games, they dumped her battered body in the forest, expecting her to die.
A routine patrol party found Akari and rushed her back to the feline village. Malik, Kane’s best friend and the closest thing the cats had to a doctor, worked tirelessly to save her life. She was physically stable now, but her emotional recovery would be long and complicated.
