Rebel Pax (Shifters of the Primus Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

just that. With a sinking heart, I realize that I am once again going to be using Pax as a tool to reach my goals. I am going to bring him with me and take advantage of the protection he provides until I find out who wanted me dead.
    What other choice do I have? And why in the name of the ancestors would humans work with the Toltek to have me killed? Unless. . . No. There was no one so power-hungry, even among the humans. I push the thought that nearly bubbled to the surface back before it can burst. I refuse to think one of my own would be so selfish.

8
    Pax
    I watch Mira as she looks down at the missile casing. Her small body looks so fragile amongst the monstrous Loris trees. In my world of violence and hard edges, she is a strange but beautiful creature that has wandered too far from its home. I know how quickly she would perish if I did not protect her. And yet. . . She possesses a strength of mind that moved beyond her small frame. A strength of attraction that bends even my will to hers. I look at her soft hair and the fullness of her lips. I feel the beast within me taking the reins of my thoughts, vowing to crush anything that dares to harm this woman. Tempting me to claim her and take her as my own, bring her to climax after climax until she cannot even think of any other man for the rest of her life.
    But it must not be. When I have brought her to the end of this and broken all those responsible for trying to harm her, I will return to the jungles and find my end.
    We reach the Umani outer limits shortly before dusk after a long afternoon spent climbing while Mira clutched to my back. We stopped several times so her arms could rest. The village we enter is relatively isolated, so it is carved into a tree rather than set atop the open branches. Wild beasts will be less likely to notice or explore such a place.
    We enter the cave-like structure where several levels of homes are cut into the walls around us. Vines dangle for easy climbing up and down. Warm yellow lights wash the town center, which bustles with activity despite the hour. There is some sort of market where Primus males and a handful of other species mingle. I look to Mira and see her eyes wide with astonishment.
    “Is this your first time seeing aliens other than Primus or Kolari?”
    She shakes her head, “I’ve seen a few Kolari women, but. . . What is that? ”
    She points to a Grabbakt male, at least I think he is male. I am never quite sure when it comes to their species. I imagine what she must think seeing one of the creatures for the first time and surprise myself by laughing. It looks like a fat worm with arms coming out of its head. “That,” I say. “Is a Grabbakt. Useless in a battle but they have long provided us with valuable weaponry.”
    “In exchange for what?” asks Mira.
    I shrug. “The Primus may not develop technology of our own, but we know how to use it. There is always a use for our species as bodyguards, assassins, and soldiers. The organs, furs, horns, skins, and venoms of Markul’s beasts are also sought. And when that fails, some just resort to intimidation and blackmail.”
    Her eyes light up. “What’s that smell?” She clasps her small hands to her breasts and sniffs deeply, closing her eyes and lifting her chin.
    My eyes trace the smooth line of her starkissed skin down to the soft, white skin of her chest. I can see the hint of her breasts before her torn shirt covers them. The memory of her skin and the taste filling my mouth floods my mind.
    “That is Klasan meat,” I say, nodding to a thin Kolari male beneath a green sign. He flips long sticks that skewer several fist-sized lumps of meat. They burn red and black across the coals. The smell rouses my hunger, as I have eaten nothing but raw meat and scavenged vegetation for years. I remember from the years before my exile that Klasan meat is rich and was tender, absorbing whatever seasonings the cook chose for the day but maintaining a savory and slightly