Prime Obsession(53)

“You do realize, Huw, that there could be problems with non-Prime women conceiving with Prime males?” Melina said. “The research is important. The Prime will not survive without that.”

Huw stared at his hands before glancing at the Nadia as she laughed at something Nowicki said. “I understand that.”

“As does the majority of the Prime population,” Wulf said. “Both governing councils are concerned that whoever is behind the fanatics would attack these scientists. We can’t afford to allow terrorists and their backers to halt the research needed into hominid branch differences that need to be overcome in order for non-Prime females to bear Prime males’ children.”



“So, will the Alliance send the military to protect these researchers?” Huw asked.

“Yes. In fact, our first mission will be to escort the top Alliance geneticist, Dr.

Brianna Martin, to the labs on Cejuru Prime,” Melina said. “She is an expert on genetic drift and was the one who isolated the gene that kept Volusians from interbreeding with Terrans. Her gene-splicing technique solved that issue.”

“Once the scientists are on Cejuru, our part of the job will be done,” Wulf said. “The Prime military and planet law enforcement will protect them.”

“But if we can stop the power and money behind the fanatics now,” Melina said, “we could be a long way to solving the whole purist problem and eliminating the main danger to the scientists.”

“So, how will we take the battle to the terrorists?” Huw asked, taking a sip of his whiskey and tearing his gaze away from the foursome across the room.

“We’re going to show ourselves on Cejuru Prime,” Wulf said. “Make ourselves targets—lure them to attack, then allow some of them to escape our net to lead us back to their leaders.”

Iolyn fisted his hand around his drink. “What if we go to all this trouble and just find a bunch of crazy people?”

“That won’t happen,” Melina assured him.

“The theory is to cut off the primary funders and planners. Without organized leadership, the fanatics will become toothless.” Wulf pulled Melina closer against his side. His voice was grim. “There is more than Prime nationalism and pride in pure bloodlines behind these attacks. Someone with a lot of cunning and intelligence has another agenda. And our line of the family is the target—someone in our family is funding and directing the attacks.”

“You still suspect someone in the family,” Huw said, his brow raised. “Why now?

Why incite the fanatics now? There has always been some crazy purist faction skulking around the edges of Prime politics.”

“Because before I found my gemate, the power would’ve died with me. Melina’s existence means there will be a next generation of Prime leaders,” Wulf said, a muscle clenching in his jaw as he refused to let go of the anger that bubbled under his calm facade.

It was hard to keep the anger at bay. The day Melina was found to be his bond mate was the day she came under an ever-present, ever-increasing danger.

He took a breath to calm himself and continued, “While we are no longer hailed as Kings and Princes, we have a great amount of power and the wealth that goes with it. But the lesser Caradocs, what Melina calls the shirt-tail relatives, don’t. Someone amongst those relatives wants us dead and out of power. After all most of the attacks so far, with the true crazies like Solar and Prolow being the exception, have been—”

“—assorted cousins like Donte, Regin, and Uly,” finished Iolyn, a grim expression on his face.

“Ansu bhau,” Huw muttered, then gulped his liquor down in one swallow. “Does Father know?”

“He reached the same conclusions we just presented,” Wulf said. “Mother and Father plan to have all the Caradocs to a reception at the house the day after tomorrow. Melina and I will leave for the family residence later tonight, arriving under the cover of darkness. I want Melina to get the lay of the land before we engage the enemy.”



“We’ll come with you,” Huw said.

Iolyn nodded. “You’ll need us to cover your backs.”

“We—all four of us—will cover each other’s backs,” Melina said.

“That’s my little warrior.” Wulf pulled her into his side and kissed her cheek. She shivered. But he knew it was not from excitement or anticipation of later lovemaking, but apprehension of the battle to come. He shared her fears, but he didn’t plan on losing. He had too much to live for.





Chapter Nineteen


Next morning, Caradoc family home, Cejuru Prime

Mel stood on the balcony off Wulf’s and her apartment in the Caradoc primary residence, gazing at the ethereal scenery surrounding the ancestral property. The late night arrival had not allowed her a view of her new home planet before now.

Located twenty kilometers outside of the capital city, the ancestral home was built into the summit of a high mountain, in a range that was made up of many more high peaks that seemed to go on forever. Lush greenery covered the sides of the peaks, and waterfalls gushed everywhere she looked. The waterfalls flowed into a river that eventually meandered through the mountain valleys and into the capital city where it divided the city into two before flowing to the world ocean that covered half the planet.

Just as on Earth, the Prime species evolved from creatures that had crawled from the ocean.

Besides having an abundance of life-giving water, the planet was extremely temperate, being in the middle of the habitable zone in the Cejuru system. With no tilt to its axis, only the poles froze. Adding to the ideal conditions was the planet’s heated core; even when night settled over the part of the planet rotated away from the sun, the air and water temperatures remained mild.

Later, Mel decided she would dress and visit the expansive gardens that stepped down the mountainside of the Caradoc property. She loved flowers, but had never had the opportunity to have a garden. She would ask Wulf’s mother to teach her so that she could establish some gardens on the property Wulf owned and where he planned to build them a home for when they were dirtside.

Wulf. A smile crossed her lips at the thought of her gemat. A delicate shiver slid down her spine as she recalled his lovemaking on their first night on the planet. As always, the sex had been spectacular. Wulf had taken her to the peak again and again. But somehow, here on this planet, their union   had transcended the mere physical and taken them to a place where their minds and souls had become one.

When she’d asked him why their lovemaking seemed more profound than before, he’d replied, “The souls of all the bonded pairs that have gone before have given their approval to our bonding. Their combined spiritual energy permeates the planet and amplifies the true bond.”

For the first time in her life, she believed there might be something more beyond the mortal world. The thought gave her peace. Wulf and she were bonded now and forever—

she would never be alone again.

Melina turned her head slightly and looked over her shoulder through the glass doors leading to their bedroom. A naked Wulf lay sprawled across the huge bed that seemed to take up about a third of the bedroom. His large muscled frame looked scrumptious, delineated as it was by the sunlight filtering into the room.

She grinned as she turned to head back inside. Wake-up sex sounded good. She found herself quite hungry all of a sudden.

In the periphery of her vision a light flashed. She didn’t know what warned her first, the light or the sense of hatred that flowed from beyond the house grounds. Whichever it was, she dove to the tiled terrace floor. Milliseconds later a laser blast blew out the glass in the door where her head would’ve been.

“Melina!” Wulf’s angry roar came to her from the bedroom.

“I’m all right!” she yelled back. “Stay there. I’ll come to you.” She belly-crawled along the stone floor then opened the unbroken door and shimmied across the threshold into the relative safety of the bedroom. Wulf was there; he pulled her away from the opening and behind the safety of the thick stone walls.

Urgent hands stroked every inch of her body searching for any laser wounds.

“I’m fine. Not hit at all,” she reassured him.

Two more laser blasts shattered a mirror across the room from the opening to the terrace and then strafed the bed, setting the bedding on fire.

“You’re bleeding, Melina lubha,” he rasped as a gentle finger swept over her forehead. He traced a path down her face then onto her body, from cut to cut. His angrier-than-hell-gonna-kill-someone growl, the one that set her nerves on edge, increased with each cut visited.

“Probably from the glass door,” she said as she grabbed his hand, stopping its bloody game of connect the dots. She brought his hand to her lips, kissing it. “Sssh, gemat. I’m fine. The laser never touched me.”

She paused, then grinned. “Guess the bad guys know we’re home, huh?” Wulf glared at her. “It’s not funny. You could’ve been killed!” At least he stopped growling. Her headache was thankful for the respite.

“Well, I wasn’t.” She shuddered and he pulled her closer as if he could absorb her into his body to protect her. “Guess that means no walking through the gardens with your mother later.” And, dammit, she wanted to walk through the gardens. Had been looking forward to it. “This is getting ridiculous. I refuse to let these bastards imprison me in your home.”