Catching Alicka Page 7

  The stand came into view, and after they were inside it, Alicka whispered, “Did you smell any gorrcans? I caught the musky scent of something for a bit, but it was covered by the smell of flowers when a good breeze blew by.”

  “It sounds like you caught their scent. As heavy as it was, there had to be several in that area last night.”

  Xander set his sword down and took a drink of the water he’d brought.

  Slanon offered his mate a drink and she smiled prettily as she took the bottle from him. “So, gorrcans have a musky scent. Tell me more about them.”

  Tor and Xander took up posts in the stand and searched the woods around them.

  They were in a slightly clear spot and up off the ground a good fifty feet. He pulled up a picture of one of the massive, one-eyed gorrcans on his wrist device and showed it to her.

  Blue eyes scanned the picture and then a few more before she nodded. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

  Xander chuckled. “That’s quite a mate you have there, Slanon.” He winked at Alicka. “You’re going to be a fierce little mama.” Alicka blushed and Xander laughed.

  “You’ll get used to them one day. Now, let’s get back to discussing our prey. Gorrcans can be up to fifteen feet fall. As you saw in the pictures, they walk around on their back legs most of the time. This keeps their slightly shorter front legs free to swipe at their prey with their sharp claws.

  “Right now, their fur is a silver color and easily detected in the evening. That’s why we’re here at this hour. Once a moons’ cycle, their fur changes because of a chemical they produce. That chemical makes their meat a delicacy, but it also makes them crave meat over their normal diet of fruit and plants.” Slanon gestured at them all. “We are meat to them. That’s why I need you to stay in here when we go out hunting them. You’d be a tasty little snack for a gorrcans.” He couldn’t stop the thought of how good she tasted from going through his mind. Catching Tor’s knowing look, he quickly got back to the task at hand. “Promise me you’ll stay here where it’s safe.”

  “Because I’ve never seen one up close, I’ll stay here and be lookout. Do you guys have a quiet way of talking to each other when you’re on the ground?”

  “We just use our wrist-comms set on vibrate. Since the room is almost soundproof, all your comm needs is for the tone to be lowered.”

  Slanon had given her the comm device two months ago when she’d started working with him so she knew it well. Pushing a few buttons, she quickly lowered the alert tone. He was proud of his mate for catching on to everything so fast. She was a joy to work with and it looked like she was going to be a good hunting partner as well.

  A frown wrinkled her brow. “The pictures showed gorrcans to be all kinds of colors. Why is that?”

  “They are chameleons. The only time they aren’t is when they are producing the chemical, yoryal, which makes them taste so good and changes their fur into a silvery color.”

  “What do you do with the fur?” she asked as her gaze darted around the woods.

  “We remove it and put it in a processer that cleanses, cures, and softens it. Once it’s ready, we either use it to make many things or we sell it at the market,” Xander answered, never stopping his gaze from scanning the woods around them.

  “I see one,” Tor called out in a hushed tone.

  Alicka tugged on Slanon’s arm. “You never told me how well they see, hear, and smell.”

  “They don’t see very well, but they have an excellent sense of smell. Their hearing is medium.” He moved to the only cabinet in the space and pulled out a can.

  In quick movements, he sprayed himself and then handed the can to Xander. As each brother covered their scent, the other two watched their prey and looked for more.

  Alicka gasped when she finally spotted the gorrcans Tor had pointed out. The thing was eating an animal it had obviously just killed. “What’s it eating?”

  The animal the gorrcans was feasting on was so mutilated and half-gone that Slanon could see how she’d be wondering about its prey. “That’s a newhain. They are abundant in this area. Newhains are similar to deer on Earth. Only the meat is too tough for us to eat. Their fur is yellow and orange. Some of our visitors love newhain and will hire a guide to take them out to hunt them.”

  “Let’s go while he’s busy.” Tor headed for the door and Xander followed.

  Slanon turned to Alicka and quickly bent to kiss her. Once she was thoroughly kissed, he pulled back. “Stay here, sweetling. I’m the only one allowed to eat you.”

  Her eyes widened before a sexy grin curled her full lips. “I confess I appreciate your method. Now go, before your brothers leave without you. Be careful.”

  “I will, sweetling. Give me a call if you see one we aren’t already visibly after.”

  “What if one comes up the stairs and tries to get in here?”

  “They won’t, because the metal we use on all of our stairways shocks them. We’ll be back soon.” As he went to meet his brothers, they gave him the signal to circle right.

  * * * *

  Alicka watched Slanon go right while Tor and Xander went left. At one point, Xander and Slanon stopped and Tor went on a bit further and then stopped as well. The brothers had formed a triangle around the feasting gorrcans. Blood was running down the beast’s mouth and hairy chin as it devoured its catch. She couldn’t stop staring at the blood-coated claws on the massive animal.

  Fear for her new family slithered up her spine and circled her neck. The pressure choked her. This is not their first hunting trip, she repeatedly reminded herself to calm her nerves. Getting herself together, Alicka started scanning the woods around all three men.

  A silent scream caught in her throat when she saw one sneaking up on Xander. With shaky hands, she pushed Slanon’s button on her wrist-comm. Watching him from the building, she saw him raise the device on his wrist to his ear. “One’s coming up on Xander.”

  Slanon pushed a button on his wrist-comm and tapped it a few times. Xander glanced at his comm and then looked around and started in the direction of the gorrcans.

  A roar sounded through her communicator. In a whirl of action, Tor charged the first gorrcans and shot it as it jumped up and lunged at him.

  Xander was close to engaging his gorrcans. Silver moved and she saw one closing in on Slanon.

  She quickly alerted him, but as she watched him, she knew he’d seen it at around the same time she had. Movement had her looking at Xander. She could see him dodging a rock thrown at him. He lunged forward and stabbed his gorrcans in the chest. The beast roared and swiped at Xander. Blood ran down his shoulder. With incredible speed, Xander stabbed his prey two more times and watched it slump forward. Tor charged in a second later and checked on his brother.

  Her gaze darted back to the movement Slanon had just made. He was circling his prey with his weapon ready. She held her breath as he closed in on the gorrcans. The beast must have sensed Slanon, because it suddenly turned and roared. It jumped off a large boulder and right in front of Slanon. The scream that was lodged in her throat came out when, in a lightning-quick move, the gorrcans swiped at Slanon. He leapt back and shot the creature twice in the chest. It toppled over and almost landed on him.

  On wobbly legs, Alicka went to a chair and dropped down into it. She watched the brothers gather around Slanon’s kill. They yelled and in seconds laughed and head-butted each other.

  They didn’t savor their victory for long, though. Tor took a look at Xander’s shoulder and gave it a few licks to help it heal. Slanon took off through the woods. Several minutes later, he appeared with the hovercraft. He parked it as close to the center of their three kills as he could and then ran up to her.

  “Do you have the stomach to hang out with us as we prepare the gorrcans hide and meat?”

  “Yes. I’ve done it many times with my dad. This is the price of eating meat.” His smile lightened her heart. She’d do anything for him.

  “You did a grea
t job as lookout, sweetling.”

  “It was a little shocking to see how quick gorrcans are. I don’t think my dad would ever hunt anything that big and fast.”

  “That would be smart of him. Humans aren’t as strong and fast as we are. Let’s go.” He led her to where his brothers were already skinning one of the gorrcans.

  A flash of yellow and orange entered her peripheral vision. A newhain stepped out and Tor tossed it a meaty bone. The animal made a chirping sound and then started eating in quick, large bites. She was surprised the thing didn’t choke at the pace it was eating.

  Life truly was a vicious circle. Gorrcans ate newhains all the time, but today the tables had been turned.

  The blood on Xander’s shirt was a reminder of how dangerous hunting was.

  Tor followed her gaze and grunted. “He wouldn’t have been hurt if he’d used a gun like we did.”

  Xander gave a long-suffering sigh. “I like my sword. It ties me to the old way of hunting.”

  Alicka knew several hunters on Earth that felt the same way. Her father wasn’t one of them. He believed in bringing food home as safely as possible. She was glad Slanon felt the same way.

  They quieted as they got serious about processing the animals. Alicka helped Slanon take the meat to the hovercraft. Once it was all done and they were heading home, exhaustion started settling into her bones.

  Slanon leaned over and kissed her gently. “You did good today, sweetling.”

  His praise filled her heart and made her love her mate even more.

  Chapter Eight

  Slanon had just greeted his brothers and was watching Alicka greet them. Her little growl always turned his heart into a warm, gooey blob that was eager to be shaped by her delicate hands.

  “You guys ready to feast on gorrcans?” It had been two weeks since their hunting trip and the meat was ready to be devoured.

  “I’m always ready for a gorrcans steak.” Xander headed for the kitchen as if the aroma coming from there was a siren calling him in.

  “We’ve got the table set up at the gazebo. Grab a pan and let’s go out and eat.” Slanon picked up the platter with meat and headed for the door.

  Mr. Tickles quickly tickled and then climbed up Xander. Alicka’s pet perched on Xander’s shoulder and wrapped a front leg around Xander’s head. His brother chuckled as he picked up a pan of food and headed outside with a pink fur-ball holding on to him excitedly.

  Within minutes, they were settled at the table and tearing into the food. It was a pretty evening and the moons were already climbing the dark sky. Their beams lit the table perfectly.

  Alicka “mmmed” in appreciation of her steak. “You guys were right. This is the best steak I’ve ever had. I can see why you take a chance on being clawed or killed to get it.” She took a bite of her other dishes and smiled. With her fork, she pointed at the roldoc. “These taste like buttery potatoes.” The forked moved to her portor. “This tastes like a mixture of noodles, cheese and bacon. Simply delicious. I’m going to have to order it more often.”

  Mr. Tickles came by and tickled Alicka’s arm and then begged for food with his big yellow eyes. His mate grinned and fed the lukpas a bite of her steak. “You can get almost anything with that look.”

  He loved watching her. She was a breath of fresh air. Wanting to absorb every moment, he watched her eat, talk with his brothers, and play with her pink pet. That smile of hers warmed his heart and heated his blood.

  When Tor raised a brow at him, he knew he’d let his love and lust for her affect his bodily scent. To lessen his growing arousal, he stood. “I’ll go get dessert.”

  Mr. Tickles got close to him and then raised his chin as he sniffed the air around Slanon. His yellow eyes narrowed and he stood on his back leg and put his tiny paws on his hips. The lukpas still didn’t like him being with Alicka.

  At Tor’s grunt, Slanon gathered a few of the dishes and Alicka followed suit.

  “I’ll help you.” She stood and took a plate Xander handed her.

  Slanon sighed silently in relief when Xander tickled Mr. Fuzzy. The little pink fur-ball was making a funny choked chirping sound.

  Escaping while he could, Slanon started over the bridge and Alicka followed him closely. Her scent floated up to him. With her increased arousal, he guessed she was watching his ass. A peek over his shoulder proved he was right.

  “What? You’ve got a fine ass. If my hands weren’t full I’d touch that tight butt right now.”

  Those words coming from her luscious lips had his rod swelling.

  In the house, he was caught by surprise when she set her dishes on the counter and slapped his ass before he could put his dishes in the dishwasher.

  He growled as desire flared in his balls and fired his erection. Turning, Slanon grabbed her and pushed her up against the fridge.

  She yelped in surprise and then moaned when his lips slanted across her in a deep kiss. He slid his hands up her sides and around to her heavy breasts. The large globes were soft and always enticed his mouth and hands to explore them.

  A grunt from the doorway had him looking that way. Tor stood there with a narrow-eyed Mr. Tickles.

  “The little guy acted like he needed to come over here and do his business. I brought him here to let him in.” Tor eyed Mr. Tickles. “Now I wonder if he was just checking up on you two.”

  Alicka pushed at his chest and Slanon moved back. She went to her pet and soothed his ruffed-up fur by petting him in gentle stokes. “He hasn’t gotten used to the idea of Slanon being a part of our family yet. I have faith that he will one day. Isn’t that right, little guy?”

  He practically purred under her touch and then glared at Slanon.

  Tor grunted. “Looks like that may take a miracle or a catastrophe.”

  That’s just what Slanon feared. Mr. Tickles pointed an accusing paw at him and then climbed down Tor and hopped over to the litter box they’d put in the bottom of the storage closet off of the living room. The pet door allowed him easy entrance and the window in the ceiling made it so the pink fur-ball could see at any time of the day or night.

  Alicka walked over to him and kissed him lightly on the mouth before leaning back and looking up at him with big blue eyes. “Give him some more time. He’ll come around.”

  His pink nemesis came out of the closet and hopped over to Alicka. She bent and picked him up. A fluffy tail snuck around behind her head and tickled her shoulder. Her sweet laugh encouraged him to give the lukpas as many chances as necessary.

  They took the fruit pie and ice cream outside and enjoyed it as a gentle breeze swirled the perfume of flowers around them. Mr. Tickles went around tapping his tail on everyone’s arm until everybody including Slanon had given him some pie and ice cream. The poor thing was looking miserably full by the time they were all finished.

  Xander looked up at the triangular moons. The three moons were high in the night sky. “Things should be heating up at the club. You guys ready to go?”

  “Yes, I can’t wait to see your club.” Alicka’s eyes were bright with excitement.

  “Dinner was excellent,” Tor said as he stood and grabbed his and Alicka’s plates. Xander agreed and grabbed his own dishes.

  “Thanks. We’re glad you two could come over.” She was bubbling with happiness.

  It made her skin glow. You can’t breed her right now, Slanon sternly reminded himself. Picking up his own dishes, he followed the others over the bridge and into the house.

  Alicka put her pet down on his favorite cushion. He farted and then snuggled deeper into the soft, cozy spot. Within seconds, he turned into a lightly snoring pink fur-ball. His long, fluffy tail was wrapped around him. Slanon had to admit the thing was cute.

  Alicka pulled his attention away from her pet by kissing his chest. “You ready to go?”

  “Yes, sweetling.” The brightness of her eyes increased his own excitement. She was going to be a joy to watch at the club. His little mate was about to be exposed to a who
le new side of VisOrrenta. He hoped she could handle it, since his brother owned the club.

  * * * *

  They stepped into the club and Alicka’s jaw dropped. Her eyes scanned the entire room several times. Slanon took her hand and followed Xander and Tor to one of the roped-off private tables.

  After they were settled, a waiter came over and took their drink orders. Alicka had picked one with a little bite, and he hoped she could handle it. Not wanting his mate so messed up she couldn’t have fun, Slanon leaned in toward Xander. “Tell your bartender to cut the alcohol in Alicka’s drinks in half.”

  Xander nodded and sent a message to his bartender. That made Slanon feel a lot better. He slid over until his body was fully touching his mate’s from shoulder to thigh. The softness of her warm, small frame made his blood sing through his body. Her presence in the club made it more thrilling. Just like she made every other facet of his life. Alicka is a perfect mate.

  * * * *

  Alicka couldn’t stop looking at all of the people in the club. Never had she seen so many different aliens in one place. There were all types, shapes, and sizes of beings ordering drinks at the bar that ran the length of the left side of the club. The variety of aliens sitting at tables and dancing was endless.

  There were a lot of VisOrrentians walking around with some sort of guns holstered at their sides. She nudged Slanon. “What kind of guns are those?” She pointed at one of the men who had one.

  “Stun guns, but they can kill some species. That’s why all of Xander’s men are trained to know how to approach and stun a large variety of species. They are also trained to watch out for anyone Xander has in his personal space.”

  That Xander was having his friends looked out for endeared him to her. With all of the staff, he also took care of his patrons. That was admirable. The waiter came back with their drinks. Slanon handed hers to her. One sip of the white, shaved-ice drink and she was hooked. It had a flavor that reminded her of chocolate.