The Pridelands 1: Darren’s Surprise Read online

  His cousin Mike had come up immediately when he’d called him, dropping everything to be here. He’d lasted exactly a week to help out with the search before he’d gotten tired of the quiet and returned to Fort Nelson. He’d made the trip back to the cabin two weeks later, bringing Darren food and catching up on any news.

  Not that there’d been any news. Hell, he’d been here without a single visitor except for Mike. He was due to come back soon. The second two week period was almost up. Darren had been here for a solid month by himself. He just wanted to know where Aaron was.

  Hell, if Aaron had gone off with some boy toy while Darren was pacing the floors of this rustic cabin, he’d kill his brother. But he was seriously afraid that there was something wrong.

  Anything could have happened to his brother. He could have gone hiking and lost his footing somewhere. He could even now be lying at the foot of some gully, screaming for help, but unable to move. If he’d travelled farther than the SAR team had gone, they may have missed some sign of him when they’d conducted the search. Maybe Aaron had been mistaken for a moose and shot out in the forest. Okay, maybe not a moose. Hell, a Sasquatch could have gotten him for all Darren knew. Aaron could even now be the sex slave of some giant hairy beast.

  It wasn’t like Aaron to leave without letting them know he was okay. He’d never done this before. And if something had happened to him, it didn’t explain why the RCMP search team hadn’t found a single shred of evidence that he was in the area.

  They may not have that twin radar, seeing as they’d been born years apart, but sometimes Darren and Aaron just knew things. Like the time Darren had gone to get his ear pierced and Aaron had felt anxious right around the time Darren was waiting for the needle to be pushed in. The earring hadn’t lasted long before Darren had removed it, but the bond he and Aaron shared wouldn’t end that simply. They had a connection, maybe it wasn’t as strong as a twin thing, but they were closer than every one of his friends were with their siblings. He didn’t know what he’d do without his brother.

  Darren sighed, his soup forgotten. He lowered his head, bringing up his hands to rub his face. Aaron was okay, wherever he was, Darren just knew it.

  So, where was his brother?

  Chapter Two

  Durai Steinsson stood quietly on the bridge of his ship, the Azarnaz. He was aware of the movement of his pride around him, but they left him alone for the moment.

  He studied the small planet in front of him. It looked innocuous enough, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. It was different from his own planet Felid. The Leos made their home on Felid, glorying in the tall grasslands and sparse mountain ranges. They didn’t have as much vegetation as some of the other planets, but he was accustomed to his surroundings. He liked the grasslands, he felt at home there.

  He found it strange that this section of the planet was so forested. They had come in close, rounding to the north side of the globe. He’d been speechless as they made their way around the planet Aaron had called Earth. There were so many different habitats. It looked as if someone had taken all the Felidae planets and thrown them together into a single globe, with a few very different places added in. This particular area was apparently where Aaron made his home and it was also where he was taken from.

  “Durai, I have the records you asked for.”

  Durai turned at the interruption, spying his sister to his right. Zula was a large female among the Felidae, her tawny fur covered sleek muscles. Beige cloth wrapped around her chest and hips, her ever-present knife strapped to her right thigh. Zula’s tail was currently swishing back and forth, a clear sign of her nervousness. They were all a little keyed up about this. No one liked landing on an unfamiliar planet.

  Only two other Felidae ships had come to this place, as far as he was aware. The first belonged to the heir to the Felidae leadership, Laithe Gatti. He’d arrived on Earth to rescue his mate, a human. She’d been tortured by barbaric means and Laithe had only her protection in mind when he landed.

  The other was a lone Tigris who had captured Aaron. He was the reason they were returning now. If it wasn’t for the small human, Durai wouldn’t set foot near this place.

  “What did you discover, Zula?”

  “They will not be able to detect us if we come in low. This area of land is not currently being watched, although we must be careful to keep north of this point. The humans have a defence system in place, and we do not want to trigger it.” Her voice was lyrical, completely at odds with her tough appearance. She’d always hated her voice, although he didn’t know why. It was pleasant to his ears.

  He flicked his ears now, studying the schematic she held in front of her, working and reworking plans in his mind. They couldn’t afford for anything to go wrong.

  “Okay. We will do it that way. Be prepared for any situation when we land.”

  “We are almost there, Durai,” sounded a deep, resonating voice to his left.

  His brother, Rais, manned the controls, peering intently at the planet ahead of them. Rais was powerfully built, similar in lines to Durai’s own figure. The two men were tall, possessing the sleek tawny pelt of their Leo parents. A golden mane framed Rais’ face, the tips of his ears poking out. It was the only difference between the two men. Durai possessed a mane made up of golden brown fur, with some strands darkening to a lush dark chocolate color.

  Actually, that wasn’t the only difference between them. Without thought, Durai brought his hand up to his right cheek. Disgusted with himself, he lowered his arm, hoping none of his pride had noticed his betraying movement. If they had, they were smart enough to pretend otherwise.

  Durai nodded. “Achan, alert the others.”

  His youngest brother immediately jumped up from his chair, stumbling over the legs before he righted himself. Durai shook his head, chuckling. Achan was barely old enough to join them. This would be his first mission. Durai wasn’t entirely sure if Achan was ready for it, but the younger man had to start somewhere.

  Achan thundered down the stairs. Rais winced, waiting until he was out of earshot before commenting. “Seriously, that boy needs to learn how to walk quieter or he’ll never learn how to hunt.”

  “He’ll learn in time. As I recall, you didn’t take too well to hunting the first time. Or was that not you who startled an entire herd of dher into running in the opposite direction?”

  Zula snickered, ignoring the threatening glare Rais sent her.

  “I don’t believe we ever have to mention that again, Durai.”

  “Fine, keep quiet about the skills of our brother, and I’ll never speak of it again. Maybe.” Durai smiled, completely taking advantage of the rights of the eldest sibling. It was his pleasure to tease them all. He loved having his family around him, and the other members of his pride fit right in with his brothers and sister. It was his duty as pride leader to watch out for them, to guide them, to listen when they had something to add.

  It wasn’t easy being pride leader, but Durai had been chosen from birth to join the ranks of the fiercest and most diplomatic of Leos. It wasn’t always about might, and who was the strongest. The current Appaliunas, the father lion, valued diplomacy more so than any ruler before him. He had brought up his son, Laithe, to follow in his footsteps.

  Durai had known since he was a cub that his closest friend would be the next Appaliunas. The two men had grown up together, had fought together, had taken their test to become pride leaders at the same time. If there was one man outside his family that Durai respected and cherished the most, it was Laithe.

  It just went to show how small this universe really was. Laithe had found his mate here on Earth. A little human named Rowan. Durai had met her, and she suited Laithe. She was exactly the type of woman he had always imagined his friend would bond with. Well… except for the fact that she had no fur. She was completely unprotected from the elements. Her skin was tender and fragile. Durai shuddered at the thought of being born so helpless. She didn’t even have claws. Inst
ead her nails were small and brittle. Terrifying thought.

  “We’re almost home?” A small man barrelled onto the bridge, followed closely by two Felidae. The man was hairless, a tiny wrap his only clothing. The fur on the top of his head was red, and the bottom half of his face was covered with a bushy beard.

  “This isn’t your home anymore,” a spotted man growled. Morgan was one of the Pardus, similar to the Leo, but possessing tawny fur covered in crescent shaped black spots and lacking the mane that set the Leo apart from the others. They normally resided on Seren, their home world, but Morgan was one of the rare Pardus who chose to live on Felid with the Leos.

  “Take it easy, Morgan. It was a slip of the tongue.”

  “Mmmm, speaking of slip of the tongue…”

  Aaron laughed, darting out of Morgan’s reach. Durai turned away from them, uncomfortable despite himself. He didn’t know what it was about the small human, but Durai could hardly take his gaze off him whenever he was in his presence.

  It wasn’t right. One didn’t lust after someone else’s mate. It just wasn’t done. He needed to get over this or he’d be challenged for daring to break up a mate bond.

  “So, that’s it? Aaron’s home world. I don’t really remember much about it the last time we were here. Laithe had us all so frantic we couldn’t think of anything except rescuing Rowan.”

  Durai turned his head to see Lev Gatti standing at the window. Durai wasn’t as close to Lev as he was to his older brother, but he’d learned quite a lot about the other man recently. Lev was the newest pride leader among the Leo, taking after his big brother. He was also the mate of both Aaron and Morgan.

  Durai shrugged, uncomfortably aware that he’d been watching Lev’s mate. The other Leo would challenge him for sure if he knew Durai had been dreaming of Aaron lately. It wasn’t anything he was proud of, and it couldn’t mean what he wanted it to mean.

  Aaron already had a mate. He wasn’t Durai’s to claim. If Lev didn’t kill him for dreaming about his mate, Morgan would more than likely finish the job.

  “Yes, that’s the place. We are aiming for the large body of water front and center. The details Aaron gave us show that his former abode is north of the lake. If we can enter undetected, it should give us enough time to get Aaron to his family before we encounter any other beings.”

  “Thank you, Durai. I don’t think I said the words, but I really appreciate what you’re doing for us. I know it wasn’t easy, but we just couldn’t ask Laithe to bring the Shahnaz here with the pride.”

  “I admit I was surprised when you asked. I would have assumed Rowan would want to visit her planet again.”

  Lev jerked his tail, the Leo equivalent of a careless shrug. “She said she wasn’t ready to come back yet. That there was no need for her to return. She wasn’t as close to her family as Aaron is. Plus, Laithe wasn’t ready to leave Felid again after being away for so long. Our mother was threatening to go berserk if she didn’t get some time to spend with her cubs again. She doesn’t like all the things that have been happening lately.”

  “True, I can understand her need to spend time with her new daughter.”

  “Speaking of family, how are things with Achan coming?”

  Both men snorted, turning to view Achan coming up the stairs. He was being pushed up by the hard, clamping hand around his neck. Achan’s shoulders were hunched, attempting to ease the pressure.

  “I swear, I didn’t mean to, Khalid. It was an accident.”

  Khalid rumbled, his only response. He let go of Achan once they reached the bridge. Durai sighed, studying his two brothers side by side. Khalid looked angry but he wasn’t furious. Okay, so not bad… it could definitely be worse. Durai paced over to study both men.

  “What happened now?”

  “Your brother was in my room again. Uninvited.” Khalid’s voice rasped out, a harsh and grating sound. He didn’t use it much, but then again, he didn’t need to. His size was normally enough to cow anyone in his path.

  “He’s your brother too.”

  “Not when he comes into my room uninvited.”

  Achan struggled to be free. Beside his brother, he looked tiny, although he was only a smidgen smaller than Durai and Rais were. And they weren’t undersized men by any means. Khalid was just simply massive.

  Khalid was the one Steinsson sibling who was easy to distinguish from the rest. He was the perfect compliment of his mother and father. Khalid’s fur was a tawny gold, highlighted with a hint of orange. Golden markings, a shade darker than his fur, covered his body from head to foot. They set him apart from everyone else on the ship. The sparse mane around his head was what set him apart from his Tigris family. Although he didn’t have much to do with them.

  Of course, Khalid’s mother was Tigris, one of the fierce and intimidating Felidae who inhabit Himalay. They were larger and more dominating than all the other Felidae but their isolationist policies ensured they would never challenge the Leos for rule over the other clans.

  Khalid shared the same father as the rest of them, but he hadn’t always lived with them. His time apart was only remembered when he did something like this. The rest of them were used to being interrupted and constantly having others around. Khalid liked to be alone.

  Khalid never admitted what happened to him on Himalay, but Durai was sure he was affected by something. At times, the strangest expression would cross his face, as if he were remembering something both great and painful at the same time.

  “We don’t have time for this. We’ll be landing in minutes. Settle down somewhere.” He turned away, pausing. “Achan, find a place on the opposite end of the ship from Khalid.”

  He ignored the grumblings behind him. His shoulders were tense. He didn’t know why, but icy fingers ran up his spine. Something was going to happen soon. He just didn’t know what.

  Ignoring it and his pride for the moment, Durai set about preparing to land. Keeping one eye on the large body of water, he instructed Rais to set down just north of it. There was a clearing up ahead, not large, but it was enough room for them to land the Azarnaz.

  They set down without a hitch, his pride immediately moving around.

  “Are we late to the party?” Two voices rang out at the same time. If you didn’t know them, you’d think it was one person speaking.

  Durai huffed out a breath, shaking his head at his two errant pride mates. Griffin and Mazin Bolen strode onto the bridge, in perfect unison. They were identical in every way, right down to the spots covering every inch of their bodies. With one exception. Griffin possessed eyes of the darkest amber, deep and penetrating, while Mazin’s were the color of the night skies, an unfathomable indigo.

  “Please explain to me why the two of you were not on the bridge when I expressly asked for all pride members to be here for every landing?” Durai growled, low in his throat.

  Griffin had the grace to appear humble, bowing his head in respect, but Mazin merely grinned. It was he who spoke. “Sorry, Durai, my fault. I didn’t want to get out of bed, and you know how Griff likes to keep the peace. The poor guy was only trying to help.”

  “One of these days, the two of you will meet your matches, and you’ll regret every bit of trouble you’ve caused me over the years.”

  Mazin snorted. “There won’t be any match unless she chooses Griff and I both. We come as a team, isn’t that right?”

  Griffin nodded, keeping silent. It was probably easier for him to let Mazin talk. It was hard to get a word in edgewise when he got started.

  “All right, everyone knows the drill. We have three new men with us today, but that isn’t an excuse for not following orders.” He nodded to Aaron, Lev and Morgan while he spoke. “We work as a pride, we stay together. You will be vigilant for any and all humans, animals and anything out of the ordinary. Is that --”

  “How will we know what’s out of the ordinary?”

  Durai glared at Mazin. “If you don’t know, follow Aaron’s lead.”

  “You
really expect us to follow the lead of a human runt who is weaker than all of us?”

  Lev and Morgan both snarled, stepping forward. Mazin laughed, holding his hands up. “Kidding! Just wanted to see what it would take to get a rise out of the two of you. You know, Lev, you used to be a lot more easygoing. Way more fun to hang out with before you got all serious and became a pride leader. Now you’re starting to act like old stick in the mud here.” He smirked, pointing at Durai.

  Durai raised his hand, rubbing along his forehead. “Mazin, enough, before I give you a new opening in a very uncomfortable place.”

  “Sorry, Durai, you know I’m not into men.” He danced out of the way of several swiping arms. That remark had hit close enough for several of the pride members to find it offensive.

  “Move out, before I leave you on the ship.”

  As one, the pride left the Azarnaz behind, stepping carefully into the vegetation.

  “The only thing I can compare it to is Kanad. This is the strangest place. I can’t even detect any animals around us, human or otherwise.” Lev sniffed the air beside Durai, ignoring the look his -- very human -- mate sent him. “It wasn’t like this when we came for Rowan.”

  Aaron sniffed. “Of course it wasn’t. You found Rowan in a city, Vincent, and this,” he gestured wildly, “is nowhere near the city.”

  “Aaron, do you have any idea how far away from your abode we are?”

  Durai paused, surveying the land around him. They had left the clearing behind, entering a treed area. Leafy green vegetation littered the ground at their feet, clinging to the trees around them and shooting up into the sky. The air smelled off, like it wasn’t entirely clean. Whatever it was, it was almost enough to singe his sensitive nostrils.

  “Uh, I’m not all that familiar with this area, even though we’ve been coming here for years. I think I know where we are, though. If we continue in a northwest direction, we should be able to find it. There will be marked paths getting closer to the cabin. Like I said, we’ve been coming here every summer for more years than I can remember, and I have family that lives close by. They come here all the time to hunt and trap.”