Grace Goodwin - The Virgins - Complete Boxed Set

Fear made my heart lurch, my palms dampen. Neron was going to kill my mate. My mark pulsed as I thought of him. I’d just found him and could not let him die. I had to warn him, convince him to summon his friends and wait until they could help him. He should not have gone alone.

I looked at the communication wall. He’d been gone less than an hour. Perhaps I could reach him. Change his mind.

There were more buttons, more things to press and touch and the sight was overwhelming. I was just learning about the buttons for the lights at the entry to the rooms. I was just learning about hot water coming from a wall when a hand was waved. A commode that flushed—a term Maddox used for the water that swirled down a drain.

He’d said he could communicate with the other men, with his commander, Thorn. Perhaps I could speak with Maddox, but how?

I pushed at buttons, talked at the wall. “Hello? Maddox? Can you hear me?”

Lights changed color. Blue ones, red ones. Green ones. I should have been intrigued, but nothing I did made Maddox’s voice come from the wall.

I startled when the same beep-beep-beep sound echoed that I’d heard earlier.

“Maddox!” I cried, putting my hands on the sleek black communications panel. “Maddox!”

Nothing.

The beeps came again. I then remembered that Maddox had pushed a button—this one—to be able to speak back and forth.

“Maddox?” I repeated.

“This is Thorn.”

While it wasn’t Maddox, I sighed in relief that the name was familiar. I was speaking with someone who knew the ship, knew Maddox and knew how I could help.

“This is Cassie.”

“Are you alone? Has Maddox resumed his hunt?”

I nodded at the wall, then realized he could not see me. “Yes.”

“All right. Thank you, Cassie. I will contact him directly.”

“No! Wait,” I replied, trying to keep calm. All of the space things were confusing and I was becoming overwhelmed. I just wanted Maddox, not to have to talk to a wall. “I need to talk to him.”

“Are you unwell?”

I heard the genuine concern in Thorn’s voice, but I had no patience for it. “No. I need to talk to Maddox. He’s walking into a trap.”

“Explain,” Thorn said.

“Neron… communicated with the ship. Through this wall, just like you are. He has a woman hostage and he’s hurting her. He used the woman to force Maddox to come to him.”

I heard a low streak of swearing.

“Has Maddox claimed you?”

I pushed off the wall and stared at it. “I beg your pardon?”

“Has Maddox claimed you?” he repeated.

“It’s none of your concern,” I sniffed.

He laughed then. “I will send Jace and Flynn to the ship, but they can’t come within your area of proximity if you are not properly mated.”

I frowned, looked down at my palm.

“Why not?”

“While Maddox is your marked mate, unmated Everian males can sense a marked woman. Here on Earth, they will be eager to discover one, for we are far from home. While they would not claim you if you belong to Maddox, it will be difficult for them to resist you and Maddox would surely kill them.”

My eyes widened. I knew the connection was powerful, that Maddox was very possessive, but not like this.

“This was how Neron found me?”

“Probably. He must have sensed a marked female and been curious. Even though he’s a cruel bastard, his interest in you would have overruled any plans he had for Maddox.”

“He knows I’m Maddox’s mate,” I replied, biting my lip. “Neron said as much when he spoke through the wall.”

“Jace and Flynn will return to the ship to be with you. I will go and assist Maddox. My location is appearing on your monitor now. You will be able to track my movements. I will instruct Jace and Flynn to log into the ship’s tracking system as well.” I watched, fascinated, as a small blue dot appeared on the map with Thorn’s name beside it, along with some numbers I didn’t understand. I wondered why Maddox had not done the same.

Even as I thought the question, I knew the answer. I would have been obsessed, watching his small blue dot travel the map, worrying with his every step.

I took a deep breath. Help was on the way— “You’re on the wrong side of the mountain range. There’s no way you can get to him in time.”

“Send the location to my comm unit.”

I looked at the map, looked at all the buttons. “I do not know how.”

Thorn gave me instructions and I followed them to the letter. A few moments of silence followed once I’d sent him the map and then I heard Thorn cursing.

“When is Maddox meeting Neron?”

“Neron gave him two hours. Then he was going to kill the woman.”

“You’re right, Cassie. I can’t get there in time. And neither can Jace or Flynn. But Maddox is an excellent hunter, one of our best. He’ll be all right.”

“No. I can’t let him do this alone. I will go. I know where Neron is, know the land.”

“Absolutely not. I forbid it.”

He forbid it? “I don’t follow your orders, Thorn. Maddox is walking into a trap! He needs help and I’m the only one here.”

“You do not have the skills to defeat Neron. You have no weapons and don’t know how to use ours.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Exhilaration shot through me as I remembered the rifle I’d brought with me. Instead of saying goodbye, I swiped my hand over the screen as Maddox had done.

Thorn was cursing as I ended the communication. I ran down the central corridor and veered toward Maddox’s bedroom. There, on the floor, was my rifle. In the deep pocket of the saddlebag leaning against the wall were bullets. I grabbed them both, pushed the button I’d seen Maddox use to open the door and marched off the ship to saddle my horse.

Maddox

I climbed out of the saddle in my final move toward the rustic structure. I activated my retinal monitor as I prepared to hunt in earnest, searching for heat signatures, electrical signals, anything that might clue me in to Neron’s location. If he had a Hunter’s Cloak, he would be able to hide himself, but not his hostage.

“Thank you, boy.” I patted my horse on the neck but did not tie his reins to the dry, gnarled branch of a dead tree. There was no grass to eat, no water. Should I fail to return, I did not want the animal stranded here to suffer.

And if I survived, the walk back to the ship would be long, but nothing I couldn’t handle, especially knowing Cassie waited for me. I was not unprepared.

Cassie. Simply thinking her name was enough to make my mark flare with heat. She’d been so soft and responsive, her tight pussy so hot and wet and perfect wrapped around my cock. After the initial claiming, I’d taken her over and over. She rode me just like she did her mare, seated so well on my hips, my cock filling her completely. I’d cupped her breasts as she lifted and lowered herself, taking her pleasure. I’d even fucked her up against the wall, from behind and then again with her legs wrapped around my waist as I kissed away her screams. The table for meals was not neglected either, or the bathing tub. She was as insatiable as I.

Even though we were as close as two could be, the threat still lingered. Neron taunted our minds, our spirits. I knew she was scared. Hell, I was too. But I knew with her here on the Aurora she was safe, that the bastard couldn’t touch her. That was all that mattered to me. I couldn’t believe I’d found her, and now that I had, I walked into the coming fight a changed man. I wasn’t capturing Neron and returning him to Incar. I was ending his life, ending him once and for all. He’d no longer have a hold on me, on my family. I’d avenge Maddie’s death, add closure to my past. Then I’d ensure he could not affect my future. Cassie .