Justice (Moon Hunters Inc. Book 1) (6 page)

Chapter 8

Running

Envy couldn’t catch her breath as her body was overwhelmed with pleasure. What was this man doing to her? He’d just taken her to wilder places than she’d ever dreamed existed and now he rolled them over and wrapped his body around her as if he’d never let her go. She felt so safe and warm, but it was an illusion. Men like him didn’t settle down, she’s heard about others like him. Maybe her father had even been one, not that she would ever know for sure. The master traded in lies so much, she wasn’t sure he’d even known the truth of her origins anymore.

It was time to make plans and see to her future because no one else would. She would be in a strange new world and all alone. Taking what Justice offered her for now, she would disappear when the time was right and save him the embarrassment of having to deal with her. Envy would have a couple weeks of heaven before all hell would break loose in her life, but she was strong. Nothing would ever get the best of her again.

Life fell into a routine of sorts. Envy went to the ship library to use the computer to plan out a new life for herself. Opportunities were rich among the Mazlans and the extensive education the master had given her so she would be an interesting companion, would pay off. Envy applied to teach at the college that was just being established. It would give her a decent salary and housing was provided. She had enough money to get things started and she would hold back her jewelry as her emergency fund.

“Hey, Envy. What are you up to?” The guard, his name was Amaz, asked.

“Just looking at opportunities to better myself.”

“I think your male might object to that.”

“We’re halfway to Oison and he hasn’t made a commitment. He’s got a lot of human in him.”

“That’s not what I see when you two are together. He growls at other males just like a Mazlan would. Looks to me like there’s a lot of something else in him, too.”

“Amaz, you don’t even like him. Why are you worried about his feelings?”

“I don’t dislike him. He’s a worthy opponent. It’s not him I’m worried about, anyway. Your heart will break, little one. It’s clear to see for any who watch you.”

“A girl has to do what a girl has to do.”

“What does that even mean except you refuse to listen? You humans have so many odd sayings.”

“No odder than Mazlans who have many secrets.” She sensed they had a hidden side that she probably would prefer not to see.

“Touché.”

“Looks like you enjoy using some of our sayings, too.”

“They grow on you.” He said with a smile as he waved goodbye.

Envy was lost in thought after the guard left. She felt a bond to Justice and it had been there almost the moment they had met. That didn’t mean he felt it, too. There was no desire in her to be a clinging fool having to be told plainly how things were going to be before she realized she was unwanted. It was best to follow her own plan and claim her future. Her teaching job would allow her the free time to follow other pursuits. There was so much to do on Oison that she would have to flip a coin to decide where to start.

Her com rang and she answered it. “Where are you, Baby? I’m in the gym.” Justice explained.

She looked at the time and saw she had let it get away from her. This was their midmorning workout session. Envy was not dressed properly and already late. She hurried to the room to change before proceeding to the gym. They had not stood around waiting and were all busy so she warmed up. Her turn would come once the other fighters had done their thing.

Right now, Justice was showing them some moves using an assistant. Usually, that was her, but he’d found another easily. Envy had no doubt he always would. An ache hit her in the chest, why had she fallen for a man like him? She was the worst kind of fool. At least she would walk away with him none the wiser that he held her heart in his big powerful hands. He was done and everyone watching clapped.

When she looked at him, her heart sang. It was a shame lust was all he felt and that wasn’t enough to keep her at his side. She’d seen most of his display of skills and the man would make an excellent coach for young fighters. Not that she had any say in his life or ever would.

“Ready to spar with me?” Justice asked.

“Sure.” She stepped across the paint that formed the circle.

They slowly built up speed and force as they punched, blocked, kicked, blocked, and began to battle each other more seriously. Envy always held back and she sensed Justice did too. A crowd formed as it always did for sparring matches, and she forced herself to focus on the fight. Justice seemed to have no trouble focusing. She dodged a kick to deliver a sharp jab to his belly. Maybe he wasn’t focusing so well after all.

A hit to her shoulder brought her back to the matter at hand. The battle was over when she did a leg sweep that caught him off guard. “You’re very good,” Justice said looking at her thoughtfully.

“You were holding back.”

“So were you.”

Envy shrugged. “I’m hungry. Let’s go get something to eat.”

He led her to the main cafeteria. He’d told her Zebir had offered use of the private dining room to them, but they both preferred this. Not because they were outgoing, but it was less pretentious, faster, and in her case, she needed to adjust to this kind of atmosphere.

A few more days passed and the sense of excitement was growing. Her excitement had hit the highest level when she’d been accepted as a teacher at the college. The first year would be a temporary appointment. If things worked out, she would receive a permanent position with potential to eventually become a professor and an upgrade of pay and a benefits package. They sent her a picture of the house she would eventually get that was on the list to be built.

For now, she would be in a dorm in charge of the female’s side. They had big plans for the college they were creating and she liked the idea of being part of building something substantial like that. She felt no guilt for not telling Justice since he had kept their relationship casual. This way he would continue to have respect for her because he’d never see her tears.

Two more days and Envy was restless. It seemed like everything was done, decided, and all she had to do was wait. Justice showed no signs of looking forward to or regretting their imminent arrival at the space station. If anything, he was less communicative than usual.

Envy had hoped to meet Zebir and his mate, but at first she’d been injured so they couldn’t meet. Later, they had just kept to themselves, newly mated Justice guessed. Her male had distracted her and riding his cock had made her forget everything, but him.

Days passed and now arrival would be in the morning. Tonight would be the last time they would be together. Envy wanted a perfect memory to keep and hide deep in her heart. She ordered a dinner brought to their room and set up a table with candles and flowers. Dressing in a nightgown she’d gotten from the ships supply, she thought it would be perfect. All she had to do was wait for Justice who should be there any moment.

Tired of pacing, she laid down on the bed and fell asleep waiting for him. She startled awake as the door opened. Justice walked in and his eyes looked around the room then fell on her. “I’m sorry, Envy. I had no idea.” He truly looked apologetic, but it didn’t matter. Her lovely evening of beautiful memories had been ruined and it was only a few hours before they would land. “I’ll make it up to you.”

In a perfect world, he could. This was the real world and dreams didn’t come true. She was lucky to be alive and free, that would have to be enough. “It’s okay. Poor planning on my part.” Envy got up and took a drink off the table. Her stomach ached with hunger, so she ate a couple now cold rolls.

Justice came over and lifted the lid in his plate. “Damn, this looks good.”

“Don’t eat it. You’ll get food poisoning. It’s sat out for hours. You can eat the rolls and dessert. The rest has to be thrown away.”

Justice grinned at her and began to eat anyway. Envy was certain he wasn’t fully human, maybe it wouldn’t hurt him. She just shook her head and rolled her eyes. Picking up her piece of pie, she ate it to satisfy her own hunger. Once he was done, he gave her a look that made her burn.

“You want to get something started? You go shower and brush your teeth.”

“What? You really mean that?”

“Absolutely.”

He stood and stripped out of his clothing leaving her staring after his tight ass as he passed her. “Fine.”

She could hear the water running and she hoped he’d hurry. Envy wanted nothing more than one last taste of Justice before she left. Some might say she was running, but she knew she was just leaving with her head held high and her pride intact.

Justice came out with water still dripping off him naked as the day he was born. The man’s body was a work of art and he was hard everywhere. “Do I pass inspection now?” He asked with a naughty grin. She was going to miss that grin and everything else about him.

“You certainly do.” He stepped closer and pulled her into his arms. “Damn woman you smell so sweet.” He growled.

He’d become her personal slice of heaven and tonight would be the last time she enjoyed him. “Less talk and more action.”

“You’ve got it.” He said as he tore her nightgown from her body

Chapter 9

She’s Gone

Now, he finally had her standing naked before him. It sent shivers all over his body as he looked at her perfect body. Envy was everything he’d ever dreamed of and in his mind, all his. He picked her up, carrying her to the bed, thinking of all the delightful things he wanted to do to her. It made him glad that he would have a lifetime to show her all the pleasures a male and female could share. For now, he would just ravish her and add to the bond that was growing day by day.

Justice dropped on top of her on the bed. “Gods, Envy. You are so beautiful and your scent is driving me crazy!”

He kissed her, a gentle sweet kiss that gave no hint of the fiery passion he was about to unleash on her. It was his way of telling her what was between them was so much more than just incredible sex. Justice had developed deep feelings and an attachment he could not ignore. His female was feisty, loving, intelligent, and could even fight. This was someone that could stand at his side and help him make a home that would keep their children safe and happy.

Pulling back, he looked straight in her eyes hoping she could see the strength of what he felt for her. Once he felt like he’d sent her the love he felt and that she at least might understand, he gave her a kiss that told her who she belonged to. From that, he kissed his way down to her rosy nipples and proceeded to make them rosier as he sucked, nipped, and licked them to a level of sensitivity she hadn’t yet experienced. His female mewled and moaned, it was music to his ears.

Moving his way down, he stroked and teased her until she squirmed in his hold, with her need out of control. He pulled her legs up over his shoulders and dived in head first. His tongue speared her pussy, enjoying the succulent taste on his tongue before it worked up to her clit and his fingers took possession of her channel. Her muscles clamped down on his fingers so hard, for a moment he couldn’t move them. Those fingers continued to finger fuck her aggressively, but he thought it was what his mouth was doing to her clit that finally made her explode like a volcano.

Justice didn’t wait. Keeping her legs over his shoulder, he slid up and drove his cock into her bucking pussy. She felt magnificent. Her throes of ecstasy pulled him along with her and he had the most amazing climax of his life. His female just made it better every time he touched her. He fell asleep wrapped around her with dreams of a home waiting for him and little girls who looked just like their mother. His dreams were pleasant, the reality once he woke was not.

She was gone. He got up and looked in the bathroom, but she wasn’t there. The ship had docked about an hour ago, but surely she wouldn’t have left without him? After searching everywhere. He approached the head guard, Azam.

“Have you seen Envy?”

The look of pity crossed his face then disappeared. “She left.”

“Left where? When is she coming back?”

“She left on a shuttle and I don’t believe she intends to come back.”

Justice was crushed by that news but he rallied. There was nothing he could do right now, but once he reported in to Cash and filed his paperwork, he would be on her trail. He didn’t know why she would leave or even how she could fight their bond like that, but he would find out. She was his and he was hers, he would prove that to her.

Right now he had a shuttle to catch, tomorrow he had a mate to retrieve. Back at his room, he packed everything that was left. Leaving, he cast one backward glance to take in everything they had shared for almost two weeks. It made no sense to him how she could turn her back on all they were to each other. Weren’t females supposed to be the clingy ones?

Riding the shuttle to the moon, Cash waited for him at the transport station. “Looks like you’re a little light.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was expecting two.”

Justice wracked his brain. Had he told Cash about her or did he just know? “Yeah, me too. She bolted.”

“I know.”

“You know where she is?”

“What will you do with the information if I give it to you?

“She’s mine, Cash. I don’t know why she left, but I planned to claim her once we were settled in here.”

“Looks like you waited too long. Let’s clear this job and then we’ll get personal.”

“Alright.” Justice had no choice. If Cash gave the information up, it would save him possibly weeks of searching.

They got to the office. Even though Justice only owned one percent of the business. Looking at the building filled him with pride. The outside fit in with the terrain using local rocks and colors that blended into the landscape except for the glass. There were huge floor to ceiling windows but they weren’t the usual glass. Local sand was used when making them and they were tough and would stand the test of time.

They entered and they were surrounded by luxury. It was a male’s space with metal and leather, except for a few female touches like plants and a water feature. Cash led them straight to his office where he would record Justice’s description of what happened. It would be mostly accurate, up to the point where he’d discovered the old man’s already dead corpse. Yeah well, no one was stupid enough to include the assassination itself in a report and if they were, they would probably be taken out themselves. The old man was dead, but Justice wasn't going to admit to killing him. Instead, he said he found him dead already. All parties involved would understand that he couldn't admit on paper to killing someone.

A couple hours later, Justice was worn out in a most unusual way. “Go, rest up and we’ll talk later.” Cash said as he urged him to go upstairs. Justice had a small one bedroom apartment up there. As soon as he got to his bed, he kicked off his boots, stripped, and crashed.

As soon as he fell into his bed he was asleep, but at first it was a tormented rest. He fought his pillows and his sheets as he dreamed of the one that got away. She would not be gone long. The thought calmed him and his rest was deeper and truer as his psyche was eased.

Pounding on his door woke him. It was Cash, of course. “I thought you’d be back downstairs after a couple of hours.”

“How long did I sleep?” Justice asked wearing a pair of boxers he’d pulled on so he could answer the door.

“Eight hours. Either that girl fucked you up or you’ve been sleep deprived, hell, maybe both.”

“You come here to tell me something? Justice asked pointedly.

“I know where she is and I have a job nearby. Take the job, finish it first, then you can check on her.”

“How long will the job take?”

“As long as it does. How would I know? When you get the answers? My best guess, a week.”

“Can I keep an eye on her too as long as my target comes first?”

“What the hell, sure. Just assure your work gets done.”

“You’ve got a deal.”

Cash went over the job. It wasn’t exactly routine. It was more sabotage on Oison. The place was becoming known for it. Envy had taken a job as a teacher. It wasn’t what he expected, although he saw how it would be challenging.

Packing his bag, in two hours he was at the house he would stay in on Oison and ready to check out the farm that was getting destroyed one piece at a time. Razar had gotten him appointments and credentials as a farm equipment salesman. As such, he could ask lots of questions and get a tour of the whole property.

Once that was done, Justice felt he would have results in less than a week, much less. His next goal was to keep an eye on his female. He wanted to be careful so she wouldn’t see him. The school year hadn’t started yet here since the college was newly built or at least partly built. From a distance, he did manage to watch her when she was outside. At night, she seemed to stay in her room from the information he’d managed to get from the few students that had met her.

That worked fine since the sabotage was taking place at night. If they turned up tonight, he intended to have them.

Justice leaned against the wall of the big barn he was in. The door was slightly open to let in some air but in a way that gave the impression someone had left in a hurry and was careless about locking up. He hoped it would lure in the culprits because he had personal business he needed to get on with. Voices sounded just out of sight and if this wasn’t them, his night was a waste.

The sounds came closer and he could hear what they were saying. “Are you sure we’ll get paid, Silas? I heard the old man died.”

“Yeah, he did. But the old man hasn’t been in charge for a while. We’ve been getting orders and pay from someone else.” Silas said.

Justice checked to see his com was recording and hoped the voices were clear enough and loud enough to be heard on the recording. They came right into the barn with no idea they could reach out and touch him. His com had visual too and he saw they were pouring gas all over everything. One guy pulled out a lighter, it was time to put a stop to this.

“Don’t do that. You’re surrounded and if you start a fire, you will be shot.” Justice said his voice deep and loud.

The man dropped his lighter and they both tried to run. He threw a special weapon at their feet that tangled them up and they fell to the ground. The ropes had balls on attached to each end and when they hit something, they wrapped around it. They were Benishan ball ropes and Justice was an expert at using them. With the offenders in hand, he placed a call to his Oison contact who was not thrilled at being woken up at this hour.

“Why did Razar give you this number?” The male growled.

“I just caught your saboteurs and I need you to pick them up and deal with them.”

“Why didn’t you say so?”

“I thought Razar had filled you in.”

“Ha, he only gave you my number because I’m newly mated and he finds it funny.” The male hung up and Justice hoped he was on his way. He need not have worried, the male was there in ten minutes.

“Did they give you any information?” He asked. Justice played him the recording. “Can I get a copy?”

“I already sent it to your com and Razar’s.”

“You people from the Moon Hunters are very efficient.” The male said approvingly. “I’ll handle these two and I look forward to your report.”

Justice wasn’t worried about his report. His concern was the female who had run from him and he wasn’t about to let her get away. That was where he was headed now. It wasn’t far and he made it in less than an hour.

He stood at her door trying to decide what to say. Finally, he just knocked and hoped the right words would come to him. Sounds of someone moving around came to him and in a few moments. She opened the door.

“I expected a drunken college kid at the wrong room.” Envy said as she turned to walk into her suite leaving him to follow or not.

“That happen much?’

“Not yet, but these are young ones away from home for the first time.”

“You’re not much older than these so called young ones.”

“I’m much older in the ways that count. I don’t think I’ve ever been truly innocent about evil. What brings you here, Justice?”

“You. Why did you leave me?”

“I wanted to save you the embarrassment of a tear filled parting. Don’t you men hate women who cling?”

“I was waiting to tell you how I felt until we settled in and you were more comfortable. Imagine my surprise when I woke alone.”

“What do you mean? Remember I have no experience with relationships and just put it out there plainly.”

“I love you. I’ve loved you from the first moment I saw you, it just took me a while to realize it. I want a home and a family with you. You are all that I need to survive. You’re my one, my mate, my love, and my everything. Is that plain enough?”

“Not bad for a warrior.” Envy said as she threw herself into his arms. “What do we do now? You’re committed to Moon Hunters and I’m committed to Mazlan University.”

“Is that what they’re going to call it?”

“It’s the top choice right now. Stop changing the subject. How can this possibly work?”