Miners of Djaromir Toren - Leora Gonzales Page 0,24

hadn’t improved from earlier and was in fact feeling worse than it had before. The churning ache was maddening, considering he didn’t know how to get rid of it. He’d tried nibbling on the bread he’d stowed in his tunic and it had only made him feel worse. For a second, he debated heading into the mines in an effort to distract himself but quickly nixed that idea.

Swinging his pickaxe right now would probably not be the smartest idea at the moment, considering how shaky he felt.

Toren squeezed his hands into fists in an effort to relieve the ache that had settled into them. The emptiness of his hands and arms filled him with a confusing fury he struggled to understand when he heard the familiar sound of a mining pod’s engine.

“What now?” he muttered, searching the dark sky for the craft he heard on the wind. There was no reason for another miner to be shuttling over to his camp unless there was a problem, and although he’d never turn away someone in need, he was feeling less than hospitable at the moment.

As the pod came into view where they’d landed, Toren wondered if he was hallucinating what his eyes were seeing through the large, rounded window that framed the one-person cockpit.

“What—” he breathed, completely stunned at the sight of Shuddre climbing out of the pod with Jessie in his arms. The mining pod steamed and hissed behind his friend as he approached with the female.

He had too many questions that were fighting to be asked as his brain processed the sight. Everything about it confused him, but his greatest concern was the unconscious human held against his friend’s chest. Her limp form was covered by a thin, hooded fur that, in his opinion, didn’t look nearly thick enough to keep her warm here.

“What happened?” he asked, his eyes scanning her from head to toe.

“Here,” Shuddre said, walking right up to Toren where he stood still in shock. “This is yours.”

Toren hadn’t even realized he was reaching to take Jessie until she’d been transferred into his arms. He had no choice, and the moment they touched, he understood why.

Shuddre spoke true. Jessie was his.

“How?” he mumbled half to himself, half to his friend. The gnawing ache he’d felt since their separation now made sense. The urge he had to go back to the city was because that’s where she’d been, waiting for him. The iron-hard arousal he hadn’t been able to sate had been stirred by the tempting female in his arms, calling for him to come and claim her. Every bit of the yearning in his body made sense now that his salvation was in front of him. “How did I not know? I mean, I guess I did know but also…didn’t? I thought it was supposed to be different.”

Jessie snuffled in his arms, her nose burrowing into the crook of his neck. Toren closed his eyes as contentment spread through his chest. The emotions he had towards his mate were new but strong. He was enthralled with her.

“Each mating is unique,” Shuddre answered quietly, patting him on the back before he moved to where Toren’s pod was tethered. “Plus, Lady Veruca pointed out that you smelled like shit during your original meeting. According to her, ‘aint no amount of pheromones strong enough to make someone wanna cuddle a turd.’”

Toren couldn’t help but let out a snort at the indelicate truth of what Gunninng’s new lady had said.

“Why did you bring her all the way here?” he asked. “One message and I would have come back to the city.”

“No time,” Shuddre answered with a shake of his head. “She’s been sick all afternoon. Matrix couldn’t risk her getting worse if something happened to prevent you from returning. We also didn’t know what condition I’d find you in, considering she lost consciousness before we left the city. Part of me worried that I’d find you out of it as well, spinning in space on the way here.”

“Good point,” he agreed. His own condition wasn’t something he’d considered, but they were right. Considering how he felt when he landed just a bit ago, he was surprised he’d made it himself.

“I’m taking your pod,” Shuddre announced after poking around Toren’s pod.

“Wait,” he protested, his attention still locked on the warm female asleep in his arms. He hadn’t been paying any attention to what the other Djaromir had been doing while they’d been talking. “What do you mean you’re taking my pod?”

Shuddre