Barbarian’s Mate(2)

I look down, and there’s something gleaming in the firelight on the tip of my shoe. I pick it up, frowning. It fell out of my leggings. What on earth? It looks like a plastic little Y of sorts, which is weird. There shouldn’t be any plastic here in the sa-khui caves. Did it get stuck in my boot from when we were at the elders’ space ship? But if so, how…

I gasp as I realize what I’m looking at. It’s not from the elders’ ship.

It’s my IUD.

Somehow, my body has forced it out. My khui must have been silently working on pushing it out of my system. I clutch it in my hand, my heart hammering with excitement.

This changes everything!

Now, I can get pregnant. Now, I can resonate. I can have a mate!

I can have a family, a happy ever after. I can have everything I always dreamed of. I don’t have to wait for Harlow to fix the surgery machine back at the elders’ ship, because my cootie decided to be awesome after all. Thank you, khui! Thank you! You’re the best! I take back all the awful things I said about you.

I look around eagerly at the people in the main cave. Who’s going to be my mate? There’s several males in the tribe that are attractive and all of them are nice…except Haeden.

I’m not picky. I’ll let my cootie choose someone for me. It knows best, after all. It’s going to pick the perfect male for me so we can make sweet little babies together and I can live a life of joy and happiness. My mood has totally changed and I’m so happy I could shout with pure joy.

Nearby, Vaza catches my eye and gives me a speculative look. To my relief, my khui remains silent. Good. It’s not desperate. Vaza’s older and he’s tried hitting on everything with tits. He’s seated next to Bek, and I’m glad that my khui isn’t making a sound for him, either. Cootie, you are one smart cookie.

Hassen is probably my number one draft pick at the moment, because he’s sexy and all alpha, and I’d be down with that. At the moment, he’s nowhere to be found. Taushen either. Both of them are probably still moping after losing Tiffany. Well, hello, I’m perfectly willing to be a consolation prize. Time to find my guy and make his day.

There’s two elders talking off to one side but I’m pretty sure one had a mate back in the day and the other could be my grandpa. Just to make sure, though, I stroll past them. Nothing happens. Whew. No problem, cootie. We still have lots of man-meat in this cavern before we run out. “Anyone seen Hassen?” I ask.

“He’s in his cave, packing,” Vaza says.

“Super.” I jump to my feet and head in that direction before Vaza can decide if he wants to hit on me or not. Come on, Hassen. Be my mate! Of course, even if I don’t resonate to Hassen, there’s always the guys back in the other cave. I immediately think of Rokan. He’s hot, and he’s nice. I’d be down with that.

I head for the cave that many of the single hunters live in, and the privacy screen isn’t up. “Yoohoo,” I call out, my voice sweet. I’m excited, and I push away thoughts of Rokan. The other cave seems so far away right now. It’s going to happen tonight, I can feel it. Rokan’s going to lose out, because he’s not here. I feel like my mate is here. My chance.

I’m going to get my happy ever after. Tonight, my life starts. Tonight, I get my family. Tonight, I’m no longer a reject.

Hassen pops out of his cave, a confused look on his face. His gaze settles on me. “Yes? What is it?”

I smile at him, but…nothing happens. Rats. Hassen was hottie number one on my list. “Just…thought I’d say hi? Have you seen Taushen?”

He narrows his eyes at me, as if trying to figure me out. “He is here.”

“Can I say hi to him too?” Might as well kill two birds with one stone.

“Is this a human custom?”

I keep smiling, because even his puzzled look is not going to get me down. Not tonight. “Yes, yes it is.”

He grunts and heads back into the cave. I admire his ass for a moment, because, darn, it is a rather nice ass. Not my ass, though. Oh well. I’m sure mine will be awesome. Taushen’s got a tight little bod himself, and—

--And he pops out of the cave a moment later, giving me an eager look. “Ho, Jo-see. What is it you need?”

My chest is just as quiet as before. No resonance, no nothing. Dammit.

I make my excuses to him, citing a sudden need to find a potty, and hurry away. Who’s left? There’s Vadren talking to Harrec, and while both are middle aged, I could learn to love me some May-December relationship action. I sidle up to them, pretending to listen to their conversation. Nothing.

Is…my cootie on vacation? Is it tired because it worked so hard to get rid of the IUD? I put a hand to my heart, worried. I’ve approached every guy in the cave that’s single. Maybe my mate’s back at the other tribal cave? That’s disappointing, but I guess I can wait another day or so. Rokan might be the one for me after all. I picture him and start to imagine what our kids would look like.

As I walk toward the fire, my chest feels funny.

I look down and my small boobs are vibrating. My entire chest is, actually.

Holy crap. Resonance.

Yes. I knew it would be tonight! I gasp, clutching my leather tunic tighter to my body so no one sees my boobs jiggling except my mate. My chest continues to vibrate, and as it does, the noise grows louder. I’m resonating.

I’m motherfucking resonating!

I want to scream with joy. I look around with excitement, trying to see who it is that set my cootie off. Who did I forget? Who did I walk past that made my cootie pay attention? Did someone trigger me on a second chance? Or—

I turn around and Haeden’s standing right behind me, frozen in place.

My eyes widen and I clutch my vibrating boobs.

No.

Hell to the no.

“It’s not you,” I whisper.

He looks down at his chest, and then at me.

Then, I hear it. A matching thrum, a low purr.

He’s resonating. I’m resonating.

For a moment, I hope that he’s somehow decided to resonate to someone else. That there’s another woman somewhere nearby and she’s going to spring from the shadows and yell ‘surprise’! That this is all just a bad joke.

But then Haeden takes a step toward me.

My cootie gets even louder. My chest is vibrating so hard with the force of the resonance that it’s making my nipples ache. I hold my breasts down and look up to see Haeden’s reaction.

He’s staring at me. There’s a look of such anger and agony on his face. He doesn’t want this.

I don’t either. I’m devastated. This is my worst nightmare. All I’ve ever wanted is a family. Someone that loves me. A happy ever after.

Resonating to Haeden?

My dream is completely destroyed.





2





JOSIE


It’s happening.

Oh God.

I never thought it would be like this. This intense. This immediate.

And I never thought it would be to him.

I…don’t know what to do. I stare blankly at him, holding my boobs like if I can get them to stop, I’ll somehow stop resonating to him.

I wanted resonance. I wanted it so badly. I want a mate and babies. I should have been more specific. Anyone but him, cootie. Let’s take it back. I’ll go with anyone else but him. Please.

But the stupid cootie in my chest only purrs even louder.

Haeden’s eyes narrow at me and he takes another step forward. His fist presses to his chest as if he’s trying the same bargaining tactic with his own.

“This isn’t happening,” I blurt out. “This isn’t us.”

He scowls and grabs my hand. “We need to talk.” He drags me toward his cave, the one he shares with Salukh and Taushen.

I try to pull my hand out of his grip, mostly because his touch is…okay, it’s making my hormones go wild. I’m freaking out. Touching Haeden’s hand - no matter how warm or strong or callused it is - should not make my non-existent leather panties go damp, but that’s exactly what’s happening. “I’m not going anywhere with you!” I hiss at him.

He stops and turns to look back at me like I’m the crazy one. “You want to do this out here?”

“I don’t want to do anything with you!”

“You don’t have a choice. This,” he says, and thumps his chest hard with his free hand, “has made our choices for us.”

He’s not wrong about that.

Haeden moves in closer to me. “So unless you want to resonate in public and all the things that entails, come with me so we can talk.”

He’s so close to me that I can feel the heat of his big body. How did I never notice that Haeden’s enormous? That he towers over me, all brawny blue muscle and smoky scented skin? Dammit, cootie, your timing is shit. Your taste is shit, too. “Fine,” I say faintly. “I’m coming.”

Because if I don’t go with him, I worry that I’m going to, you know, come if he steps any closer. And the thought makes me blush.

To my relief, he doesn’t grab my hand again, but puts his on my back, guiding me toward his cave. If anyone notices us departing together, no one says anything or stops us. I’m guessing everyone’s either drunk or not paying attention. It’s a small cave and sometimes there’s nothing to do but gossip. If someone sees me going to Haeden’s bunk with him? It’ll be all over the caves in the morning.