Primal Pursuit Excerpt

Chapter One

Gatehouse on Simion, 864 Neshan Calendar

Achan Zaden Felinian waited in the line formed on the platform in front of the glossy black oval of the travel gate. Only a few days travel away from Cordares, he was anxious to return home. Two groups had a place in front of him. At the front of the line, a group of people in long brown robes gathered together directly in front of the gate. Judging by their stature and concealing dress, they were either women or young boys. From the fact that they carried staffs and not swords, he thought they were probably women. The next group, a rough bunch of men, trying to push the front group forward, jostled and grumbled as their impatience built.

He looked to his right and saw Ranal, one of his Terchal—literally assistant, but in battle, commander—watching those within the Gatehouse. Zaden turned his attention to Varon. The dark haired man’s hand rested just above the hilt of his sword. Alert to the possibility of an attack in this crowded building, Varon didn’t drop his guard.

Zaden walked across the platform to give the Gatekeeper their destination. He strode past the women just as the gray, hazy mist formed in the oval gate. A sweet feminine scent wrapped around him, stopping him midstep.

The Zarain within him raised its head as recognition struck. Mate. Exhileration rose. He’d found her, finally. A heavy ache throbbed to life in his groin. He turned just in time to see the last of the women enter the gate. His eyes narrowed and a growl rolled through him. His mate was gone. She wasn’t escaping from him.

He turned and strode to the Gatekeeper. The thin, slightly balding man busily moved crystals about on the device. It took him a few moments that someone was waiting for his attention. He looked up when Zaden’s shadow fell across the large pedestal which housed the crystals.

“Where did you just send those five people?” He watched the man’s face, impatient for the answer.

“To Deral.” The man’s eyebrows raised in an inquiry which Zaden ignored. “They wanted to go to a very lightly populated world.

Zaden cursed silently. Acine Caidi had been very specific when she’d explained about traveling through the worlds accessible from the gates along this path. Going to Deral wasn’t a good idea at any time. The gate didn’t work for part of the year.

Even with this knowledge, there wasn’t a choice. He’d be going after her. He wouldn’t walk away from his mate. Most of all, he wouldn’t leave her in possible danger.

We’re going to Deral. One of those women is my mate. He relayed the new plans silently using one of the psychic paths connecting Shadatai Zarain. He turned his attention to the gatekeeper. “Send us to Deral.”

He stalked back to the center of the platform and stood with Varon and Ranal. The gate on Deral could stop working

at any time. He wanted only to get to his mate and get her off of the planet. All of the details—who she was, what she was doing there—would wait until he was certain they were safe.

He waited as the men in front of them walked into the gray mist. The mist faded and the Gatekeeper began switching the stones around on the pedestal. The gate formed. The hazy fog swirled within the black ring. Zaden led the way into the tunnels.

He stepped out of the dense cloud, taking several steps forward, even as his eyes swept the deserted gatehouse, looking for the women. He saw the rough, weathered gray planks of the door lying on the floor in front of the rectangular opening. Light streamed into the large room from holes in the roof. This gatehouse had been badly neglected.

He took a deep breath, finding his woman’s scent among those of the other four females. Following the lingering traces to the doorway, he walked out onto the grassy field just outside of the building. In a bare patch of ground just beyond the doorway, he found prints leading away from the gatehouse, but none reentering it. They hadn’t left the planet.

Varon and Ranal stepped up beside him. They looked at the prints on the ground and then back to him.

“We’re going to find those women and get off of this planet.” Zaden looked toward the line of trees on the other side of the field. The women had gone in that direction.

* * * * *

Tara Sedai looked around the area without enthusiasm. She’d seen too many worlds in the last few weeks to get too excited about a place at first glance. This one didn’t garner enthusiasm even at second glance. She doubted that this place would suit their purposes at all.

The gatehouse had been in horrible condition. After leaving the building, they’d started walking down a winding, cobbled path into the forest. Just from the grass growing between the stones, she knew that this path wasn’t traveled very often.

A strand of red hair blew across her face as a soft wind danced around her. She turned and saw Ava grinning as she spun in a circle, looking up at the branches of the tall, leafy trees growing along the path. Only a few dim beams of sunlight broke through the thick canopy.

“There doesn’t seem to be anyone around here.” Ava’s bright cheerful tone brimmed with enthusiasm.

Tara frowned. The petite brunette had a different idea about what they were searching for than she did. In her opinion, this place wouldn’t even be on the list of possible worlds. This world didn’t meet some of the basic requirements for a new colony.

“I doubt if anyone’s been here in years.” Dani lifted her hand and flipped the long rope of her golden braid behind her shoulder. Her mouth twisted and she shook her head. “There’s not even a gatekeeper and the gatehouse is falling apart.”

The slight scuff of a heel at her side caught Tara’s attention. Jesi stood beside her for a moment, eyeing the area. The petite dark haired woman cocked a hand on her hip. Her brows drew together over her dark brown eyes.

“The question is—why is no-one here? The area isn’t a desert or a frozen ice land.” Jesi pursed her lips.

Tara had to admit that that was a good question. The land was fertile. She’d seen plenty of sign of game animals. Admittedly, the world was isolated. She’d never been this far along the gate path, but the other worlds here were populated. Why was there no village outside of this gatehouse? On almost every other world they’d visited, a village or a large permanent marketplace had been built near the gate. Just traffic from travelers usually made having one nearby worth bringing wares to it.

Scouting for a place to set up an Indiri colony, they’d traveled along this gate path for ronas. They’d found a few acceptable worlds along their journey. Lightly populated, far from Aldon, the home world of the Indir and easily accessible, the areas they had explored had been fertile with mild climates.

Before they’d heard of this world, they had been talking about returning home to report their findings to the council. They’d decided to visit one last world. This world wasn’t easily accessible and as for the yearly climate, she could only guess. The lack of other people was also a small mark against it. The Indir traded services for goods sometimes. That wouldn’t be possible here.

“It’s not that strange for a world to be unpopulated.” Fara walked around a bush and then stepped back onto the cobbled path. She pushed a strand of blond hair away from her face. “There are all sorts of strange superstitions. It could be that people in this area believe this place is cursed.”

“It could be.” Ava shrugged her slim shoulders, disturbing her dark brown hair. “I’ve had people refuse to let me heal them because they believe Indiri are either witches or possessed.”

“I…I don’t think so.” Jesi tilted her head and took a deep breath.

Tara smiled. Normally very quiet and shy, the ebony skinned woman would step forward when she felt strongly about something.

“You think there’s another reason?” Ava raised a challenging brow and smiled.

“This place is too deserted.” Jesi swept her hand out to indicate the sheer lack of civilization. “Even the worlds where there are supposed to be curses or spells have those settlers who ignore the talk.”

Ava grimaced and slowly nodded her head. “You have a point. There are those willing to risk facing monsters and death to claim a home.”

“Maybe we’ll find a few people if we look around some more.” Fara turned and gestured down the path.

“Why would they hide from five women? We’re not exactly an army of huge warriors.” Tara glanced down the path.

When the others began strolling down the stone road, she followed, glancing back along the path to the gate. Unease tingled low in her gut. Although she’d like to head back to the gate, they should do a thorough search since they were here. Only to herself did she admit that this absence of any other people made her nervous. Something just didn’t seem right.

“Don’t you think this is just a bit too remote?” Dani paused at a fork in the path. “The colony’s meant to establish a place other than Aldon where people can find an Indiri healer. We need to be on a very busy part of the gate path.”

Tara agreed with that. No-one would be able to find them here. Few had probably ever even heard of the world of Deral, much less know how to find it. Their abilities would be of more use in an area where there were more people.

After a few moments, the group split. Fara and Ava volunteered to take the right trail and Jesi, Dani and Tara took the left. They agreed to meet back at the divergence before sunset. Tara kept an eye on the forest around her. She didn’t think that someone would jump out at them. There’d been no sign that anyone lived on this planet. Predatory animals ranked much higher in her concerns.

Zaden stopped where the path split into two roads. Studying the tracks on the ground, he saw that the group of women had separated. Inhaling, he separated each lingering scent until he found that of his mate. Two women had taken the right path. His woman had gone with two others on the trail to the left.

“Ranal, go after the women who went to the right. We’ll meet back here and return to the gatehouse. Tell them that we have the others. They should come with you without too much arguing.” He turned in time to see the brown haired man nod.

While it wasn’t true at the moment, it would be by the time they met again. Even if he had to toss his woman, screaming and clawing over his shoulder, she’d be coming with them. If he had her, the other two with her would probably follow.

Pacing down the path, he moved silently. He knew he was getting closer to her. The scent grew stronger with every step he took. There was something unusual about that fragrance—something not quite human.

Before he saw the women, he heard the murmur of their voices. The three women were still together. He couldn’t quite understand what they were saying, but he did pick out three distinct female tones.

He followed the scent trail around a bend in the path. As he saw the women just standing on the stone road talking, he stopped and watched them. They were looking up the road and their backs were to him. They hadn’t noticed him yet. Their hoods had been thrown back and they were deeply immersed in their discussion.

A tall blond woman pointed down the path to a crumbling stone column. A redhead of average height shook her head and said something so quietly that he didn’t catch it. They both looked to the petite dark skinned, brunette standing between them as if waiting for her opinion.

“Tara’s right. No-one’s been here for a long time.” The brunette pushed her hair back.

“There’s a reason for that.” Zaden smiled, enjoying the way they tensed and drew in sharp breaths.

All three women whirled around to face him. Their astonishment and fear was quickly replaced with determination as the women stepped away from each other. They all moved their staffs in front of their bodies. Their grips assured him that they knew how to use the weapon.

“Why’s that?” The tiny dark haired woman barked the question.

“The gate on this planet doesn’t work for long periods of time. We’re going back to the gate now.” Zaden folded his arms across his chest and waited.

The redhead tilted her head. Her braid fell forward, the end dangling above her waist. She just watched him for a moment. Brown eyes narrowed and her lips curled into a sneer. “Well, go. We’re not keeping you here.”

Zaden held back a growl and reminded himself that the women weren’t shifters. A shifter female would recognize an alpha male and wouldn’t waste time arguing with him. She’d know there was no use in a situation like this. He focused his attention on the bold woman. He didn’t doubt that in the past men had always done exactly what she wanted. This would definitely be a different experience for her.

“You’re coming with us.” He took a step forward and two of the staffs lowered as if to keep him from approaching any closer.

“No, take your orders and your cautions and get off the planet if being here scares you so much.” Full pink lips curved up into a smile as the redhead allowed the bottom of her staff to rest on the ground.

He lunged forward, knocking aside one staff and dancing around the blunt end of the other. Before any of the women could react, he wrapped his hand around the redhead’s upper arm and tugged her close. He took her staff and threw it into the bushes. A red tinge climbed her pale creamy cheeks as she struggled to pull free.

Her scent rose around him with her exertions. His cock hardened and his teeth lengthened. Mate! The need to claim her, to change her slammed through him. He wouldn’t be able to hold off the urge very long. When he saw the frightened look on her face, he resisted the need to pull her into his arms and reassure her. She wouldn’t believe him and would probably drive her knee into his balls for his efforts.

“Your only choice is over my shoulder or at my side. I’m not leaving you here. The gate could stop working at any time.” He leaned down, locking his eyes with hers.

He heard a whoosh and then felt a staff slam across his upper back. Turning, he glared at the black haired woman raising the rod for another blow. He stared at her. He saw her gulp as she lost her nerve. She dropped her weapon. At that moment, a solid kick landed on his ankle then a fist collided with his jaw. The woman in his arms went wild trying to get free of his hold.

He cursed, turned, dipped down and lifted her over his shoulder. As she squirmed and promised to gut him, he turned to the other two women. They stood there gaping at him. He wasn’t in the mood to offer them any comfort.

“If you want to make sure she’s safe, follow me.” He spun on his heel and strode down the cobbled path, back toward the gatehouse.

The woman on his shoulder wriggled and swung her fist. Her blow slammed into his thigh. Zaden lifted his palm from her well rounded rear end. He smacked her buttocks just once.

“Settle down. You’re not going anywhere.” He smiled as he heard a low growl. He liked her spirit even if this wasn’t the best time for her to turn stubborn. “My name is Zaden Felinian.

“Doesn’t matter. You’re going to be dead soon.” The woman slid her hands under his black leather vest and sank her nails into his stomach.

He lifted his hand pushed her feet up just enough to give her the feeling that she was slipping off his shoulder. She gasped and clung to him until his hand once again settled over her buttocks. He could practically here her gritting her teeth in frustration and anger. She had no idea that hurting her was the last thing he would ever do. He was more than willing to use her ignorance to get her to the gate house without an extended battle.

“It’s good manners to respond in kind when someone gives you their name.” He looked over his shoulder when he heard a slight noise. The other two women were following and Varon trailed after them, carrying the redhead’s bag.

He frowned. According to everything he’d been told, she should be relaxed now. Her only thought should be getting closer to him. His scent should have her thinking of sex and more sex. Either someone had exaggerated the effectiveness on humans or his mate was a special case. He could smell her arousal, but in no way was she relaxed. Anger burned through the woman, sharpening her scent and blunting the sweet scent of her desire.

“And it’s such excellent manners to toss a woman over your shoulder and cart her away without her permission.” She took in a deep breath and her muscles loosened just a little. “I’m getting dizzy.”

“In some cultures, it’s the ultimate compliment.” He kept walking until they’d reached the fork in the path. “Now, tell me your name. What will my knowing your name matter if you kill me?”

“My name is Tara.” She placed her hand in the middle of his back and pushed herself up. “Please, let me down.” Each word sounded as if it had been pulled from her. From her reluctance, he knew she didn’t like having to ask.

“You didn’t want to walk earlier.” He lifted her off his shoulder and put her on her feet.

Slowly lowering her to her feet, he dropped a quick kiss on her lips. When she tried to move away from him, he slipped his fingers around her wrist and shook his head. “You have this one opportunity to walk on your own, but try to run or fight me and you’ll go back over my shoulder.”

She bit her lip. Her white teeth worried at the full red lower lip for a moment before she lowered her head just once. When he released her wrist, she stayed where she was. Clearly, she didn’t like being told what to do, but she had submitted—at least for now. He didn’t know if she’d finally realized that this was a battle she couldn’t win or if she was just waiting for an opportunity to make a move.

“If we go with you to the gate and off this world, you’ll leave us to our journey?” The petite black haired woman drew his attention.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to answer her. The answer would have sent them all of the women into an immediate panic. Ranal arrived. He followed a very slim blond woman and blue eyed brunette down the cobbled path.

When Ranal neared the fork, Zaden turned and began walking toward the gatehouse. He felt Tara’s slight hesitation, but a moment later she fell into step beside him. He smiled. This wouldn’t be their last battle. She’d only accepted that he was strong enough to enforce his orders. His woman had no idea of just how much had changed in her life.

The gatehouse came into sight as the sun began setting. He quickened his step. He didn’t want to stay on this planet a moment longer than was necessary.