CAPTURED: 9 Alpha Bad-Boys(194)

Vox ran his hands through his hair and groaned as he bent over. The pain  he was feeling was not just mental anymore but had manifested in the  physical as well. His cat needed his mate as much as he needed his. The  fact they were one and the same didn't matter. His cat was clawing at  his insides until he felt raw. The one night that he had with Riley  would never be enough. He couldn't sleep, couldn't eat; he could barely  function. He knew Creon and Ha'ven were having fun at his expense. He  would have done the same thing to them if given half a chance. The  problem is they didn't understand how devastating it was for a Sarafin  male to be separated from his mate, especially during the  transformation. Riley would have begun feeling the changes almost from  the very first. The problem was that the symptoms she was experiencing  would gradually get worse. It could become dangerous to them both if he  was not there to support her.

Go get mate, his cat roared furiously, slashing at him again. You should have kept her with you.

Vox grimaced at the fury in his cat. How in Guall's balls was I to know she would get a hair up her butt and hide from us?

Need mate. Can feel her, his cat hissed back, pacing inside him.

Gods, he probably should have told her about the transformation. In all  honesty, he hadn't thought about it since he didn't think it was going  to be an issue. Now, he wasn't so sure that had been a good thing to  keep from her. With his luck, she would finish shredding him to pieces  once she found out what he had done.

That's what you get for thinking, his cat angrily snarled back.

Will you just go lie down? Vox snapped back. And for the sake of all the  gods, quit using my insides as a scratching post! It is not helping me.

Vox breathed a sigh of relief when his cat finally settled down in a  sullen heap inside him. He tiredly ran his hands over his face. He  straightened up when the door sounded to let him know someone was there.  His heart jumped for a moment, wondering hopefully if maybe Riley had  finally come to her senses and returned to him before he remembered that  this was Riley. She never did anything that he expected-or wanted, for  that matter. He gave the command for the door to open and let out his  breath when he saw Cree standing outside of it alone.

"She's not coming, is she?" Vox said more than asked.

Cree's lips turned up in a slight tilt at the corners before he replied.  "No, my lord. I have to admit I've never heard so many colorful and  descriptive ways for body parts to be placed. She said to inform you she  will join you when she feels like it. I would not expect her anytime  soon."

"Thank you, Cree," Vox said wearily. "I would just like to know how in the gods she is able to avoid me."

Cree's eyes lit up with amusement. "I couldn't say, my lord. Though I  believe the tiny device she carries around that Lord Ha'ven gave her  might have something to do with that," he offered.

Vox's eyes narrowed. "Thank you again, my friend. If you ever get tired  of hanging with the Valdier, you could always come to Sarafin. Who  knows, you might find your mate among our females."

Cree's face smoothed into a blank mask, but Vox saw the slight  tightening around his mouth before he replied, "I appreciate the offer,  my lord. I may take it under consideration."

Cree nodded to Vox before he turned and strode down the corridor. Vox  stood at the door, watching. So, Creon and Ha'ven were behind Riley's  successful escape. He needed to find out what Ha'ven gave her. That damn  Curizan was a wizard when it came to creating useful and annoying  devices. It was about time he took some of his aggravation out on a  couple of royal pains in the asses.

"Computer, what is the location of Ha'ven and Creon?" Vox called out.

"Lords Ha'ven and Creon are currently in the training area," the automated voice replied.

"Perfect." Vox grinned as he headed out the door.



An hour later, all three men sat on the padding covering the floor. They  were drenched in sweat and a small amount of blood. Creon lay back,  staring up at the ceiling, drawing in deep breaths while Ha'ven checked  out a new wound he had on the back of his arm. Vox sat with his arms  draped over his knees, panting.

"That was interesting," Ha'ven said dryly. "Could you keep the claws in next time, Vox? This stings like a Sargum's piss."

Vox looked up with a nasty grin. "You help Riley again and it won't be your arm that feels my claws."

Creon chuckled from where he lay on the mat, exhausted. "So that was why  you felt the need to kick our asses. I haven't had to fight so hard  since the wars."

Vox glared at Creon. "Don't think I didn't figure out that you were the  one to help my mate relocate," Vox grunted out. "You two owe me. You  have to help me capture her."

"What the hell fun is that?" Ha'ven grumbled.

"I need her," Vox replied quietly. "She will be going through the transformation."

Creon sat up and stared at Vox. "I thought all your females could already transform into cats."

Vox looked at Creon before he turned his gaze down to the floor in front  of him. "Sarafin females, yes. As you know, Riley is human. If a female  is of a different species and is our mate, a warrior and his cat can  share his essence, giving a part of himself to her." He looked up at his  two friends who were now focused on what he was saying. "This leaves us  vulnerable. Because we have given a part of who we are away, we must be  near them, or we suffer great distress."

Creon stared intently at his huge, spotted friend. "Define distress."

Vox grimaced as a wave of pain swept through him. "It is much like you  and your dragon," he said. "We feel intense pain, need, and anxiety.  Riley will have already begun the transformation. I did not tell her  about it. I was afraid if I did she would not be very happy," he grinned  briefly. "Riley can be very difficult when she is not happy."

Ha'ven threaded his fingers through his hair and looked at his friend in  sympathy. "Gods, Vox, if I had known it would be this difficult for you  I would never have given her that damn locator. I was just playing  around."         

     



 

"I know. That is why I didn't beat your ass into the ground," Vox  replied. "But, I will if you ever help her to get away from me again.  You know, she is pretty good at that on her own. She put me on the  ground twice already."

"If you tell us how she did it, we'll help you catch her," Creon  laughed. "I would pay good credits to hear how she was able to put the  mighty king of the Sarafin down on the ground. You know, she is not the  most coordinated female I have ever met."



Carmen came to see Riley later that evening. She explained Vox's  warship, the Shifter, had arrived. If anything, that made Riley want to  stay locked in the living quarters even more. All she wanted to do was  sit and cry. In fact, that was all she had been wanting to do since she  moved into the stupid room. She had thought being away from Vox would  have helped her put things in perspective. She was human and returning  to Earth; he was an alien and would go off and kill other aliens.  Instead, she was suffering from PMS, menopause, and newly discovered  sexual frustration on top of feeling like she was about ready to pop out  of her own skin when anything brushed against her. Hell, even her  clothes were driving her crazy. This morning when she had gotten dressed  she had actually hissed when she put on her bra! Who the hell hissed  about a bra?

"Are you okay?" Carmen asked as she took in Riley's flushed face. "You look like you might be running a fever."

Riley's eyes teared up. "Ever since Vox made love to me I've felt funny.  I don't know what is going on. I'm having hot flashes, my skin is so  sensitive I want to scream, and it … it … " Her voice hiccuped as she tried  to talk over the lump in her throat. "I feel like something is crawling  around inside me," she wailed.

Carmen's eyes grew round as she listened to Riley's choked explanation.  Her mouth tightened as she remembered Creon forgetting to tell her about  a vital piece of information when he had claimed her. She suspected  what Riley was going through was very similar. Carmen put her arm around  Riley and guided her over to a chair. Pushing her friend down, she sat  across from her.

"I didn't understand what it would mean when Creon claimed me," Carmen  began. "I don't know what it is like for the Sarafin species. I can only  tell you what happened to me. When a Valdier warrior and his dragon  claim a female they release something known as the dragon's fire into  the female. It changes her. I didn't understand at first. It felt like  there was something moving under my skin." Carmen smiled in  understanding when Riley brushed her damp cheeks and nodded. "Then, I  heard another voice inside me. It turned out to be my dragon. I suddenly  remembered seeing scales rippling across my skin when Creon and I were  making love. When I heard the voice, everything fell into place. Creon  had changed me somehow. I was now able to transform into a dragon as  well. I was his true mate," Carmen said before she looked over to stare  out into the darkness of space. "It is still unbelievable to me how much  my life has changed." Carmen looked back at Riley with sad eyes. "I was  waiting to die. My only focus was to return to Earth to do it."