Cravr (The Mating Games Book 8) (3 page)

“Annie? It’s me. I wanted to know how your first day went. Did you enjoy it? Did anything exciting happen?”

Annie thought about saying it almost ended with a bang when your brother in law stuck his tongue down my mouth. Of course she didn’t say that. “It was nice. We worked in the office then went in the field to investigate a case.”

“I’m jealous. It sounds like you got to play detective.”

More like office slut. “Yeah, it was great. Cravr took us to the restaurant for lunch.”

“I’ve heard about it, but Jorgr hasn’t taken me yet.”

“Give him time. This is only our second day here. That male will spoil you rotten once he has a chance.”

“You’re right. I just wish…. Have you met many people?”

By people, Georgie meant males. She knew Georgie just wished she could find a good male and be happy. ”Not many, we just got here, Sis. Give us some time to settle in.”

“I’m sorry. You know I love you, right?”

“Yes, I know. It’s alright, you’ve never had any patience, and I don’t expect it to start now.”

After saying goodbye, the line went dead. Annie went into the kitchen to grab another glass full of wine. Hers must have spilled or something since it was empty. Once she finished it off, she made sure her girls had supper, cleaned up the kitchen, and fell into bed forgetting to set the alarm. When she woke, it was obviously morning and the achy feel was the result of imbibing a bit too much last night. When she looked at the clock, it was clear she was running late. The girls were already awake, dressed, and ready to go. She was such a horrible mom! Or maybe not since she was raising such independent capable daughters. That was a better way to look at things.

Rushing to get them to the daycare center, she dropped them off quickly before rushing away. Second day at work and already late. She checked the time as she pulled into the parking area. All she could do was shake her head at herself as she arrived at Cravr’s office fifteen minutes after starting time. It was a relief that he wasn’t there. At least it was at first, before she began to worry. What if he’d come and already left to do field work?

Her com buzzed. It was Georgie. “What’s up, Sis?”

“I’m sorry to call you at work, but Mimi didn’t answer and I have to talk to someone.”

Annie understood, she tried Mimi first because she didn’t have a job yet. “What’s going on? You and Mr. Sexy have a fight?”

“No, the private investigator found Jenny.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I know you got attached to the little minxes.”

“They aren’t going anywhere. Jenny doesn’t want them back.”

Now it was clear that Jenny had dumped the girls, Bonnie and Lizzie, with no intention of ever going back. Annie could never do that, but if she thought about it fairly, Jenny had given her girls a better future by letting them go. “She’s doing it for them?”

“And for herself. She’s pregnant again and she didn’t tell him about her girls. He’s letting her live with him until the baby is born. If it’s a girl, she’ll be out on the street again. I hope she knows what she’s doing.”

“If that happens, will she want the girls back?”

“She filled out all the paperwork, they are completely ours.”

“It’s a sad way to grow a family, but they are better off with you and Jorgr. You aren’t responsible for the decisions Jenny made. You shouldn’t feel bad about it.”

“It’s not that, I feel bad for the girls. Someday they will ask, they’ll want to know if they have siblings and why their mom left them.”

“All you can say is she did it for them, so they would have a life away from Earth. As far as siblings, have the investigator check on her yearly so you’ll be able to answer that question. Those girls already love you two, nothing will change that.”

Annie could hear sniffles. Georgie was not the sensitive one. It seemed having a family of her own changed everything. “I hope you’re right.”

“I know I’m right.” They said their goodbyes and hung up seconds before Cravr came in.

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long?”

“No, I was just talking to Georgie while I waited.”

“You’ve heard then? It’s a mixed blessing, the girls will have a much better life now.”

“That’s what I told Georgie. I don’t know what to think of Jenny now. I felt sorry for her before.”

“The girls were well taken care off. I’ve no doubt she loved them, but was overwhelmed. Don’t judge her too harshly, life on your planet for the females is generally harsh.”

Annie knew he was right. It was just a part of her was horrified, that any mother was in a position that they felt they had no other choice, but to give up their children. She knew she’d been lucky that their mother had left them a farm and that Georgie had given her and Mimi support. What would she have done otherwise? It was good she would never know. Nodding, she looked away embarrassed that she had judged harshly.

“We have all the coordinates of ships and blips that showed on radar to go chase down.”

“Blips?” Annie asked.

“Even the best shielded ship will usually show up as an anomaly once or twice when they land. They pulled all the tracking for two weeks before the sabotage began. It is my hope we will find them and take them out.” Cravr explained. “Are you ready?”

Excitement rushed through her. She was being invited on a bust. The criminals would go down and while she might not be much help, she would be able to watch. It surprised her as protective as Mazlans were of females that he was letting her come along. That just cemented her suspicion that he had no interest in mating her. It made her wonder what the storeroom incident was all about. Annie supposed it was just adrenaline looking for a way to be used up.

The days were counting down to the day Cravr would be mated and if she was smart, she would keep things professional. No more closets, and no more kissing the hot male.

Chapter 4

Trespassers

Mazlans had many words that described those on their planet illegally, but trespassers was the term used most commonly. These particular trespassers were here for nefarious and destructive reasons. Cravr needed to catch them and then it was completely at his discretion how they were punished. He was the police, the judge, and if need be, the executioner. He would admit that he was glad it hadn’t been needed to date. Killing was something he took seriously, because life was precious.

Cravr was late to work and had kept Annie waiting, because he’d stopped at his parent’s house to discuss the situation with Annie, the saboteurs, and some other smaller issues. His father had been displeased, that was no surprise.

“Can none of my sons, but the eldest, follow proper customs?” Davar, his dad, had growled.

“Do we not want our sons to be happy? It’s a long life if they live it in misery.” Gildra, his mom, added mildly. He could always count on her to see his side.

“Yes, but can’t they be happy with the mates the gods choose for them?” Davar asked.

“They were brought together for a reason.” Gildra observed.

“Yes, because Jorgr couldn’t follow customs either.” Davar pointed out.

“Times have changed, we must change with them. Are you so sure this woman isn’t meant for him? What if he goes to the hunt and comes back empty handed?” Gildra wondered.

“That would be a first.” Davar pounced verbally, to make his point.

“We have seen many firsts since we’ve been freed.” Gildra offered. It was true too. Cravr had seen many changes, most of them positive.

“Convince her to go with you to the Temple. Get your union blessed, otherwise, in less than two weeks, you hunt.” Davar said and it was clear his opinion was final.

Lista had a saying that Cravr should have followed. Something about forgiveness rather than permission. Now that it was too late, he fully understood what she meant. There was still hope, but only if he could convince Annie to accompany him to the Temple. Earth females were different, which made him unsure if she burned like he did when they were together.

“Did you hear from Jorg yet?” His mother asked.

“You mean about the girls and Jenny? Yes, Jorg told me.”

“Our family is growing now that girls are now theirs permanently.” She observed with satisfaction.

“It is a hard thing, to give up your offspring.”

“I can’t understand that she never intended to reclaim them because of a new mate that doesn’t know about them and would not accept them if he did.” His mom sounded puzzled.

“Don’t try to figure them out, Mom. Earth males are odd and without honor, for the most part.”

“I know you are right. The girls are better off here, with us.”

His mind came back to his current situation as he and Annie walked out the door, to the special armored vehicle deployed under these kinds of situations. The male was taking no chances with his mate. Those adorable little girls, Sally and Molly, needed their mother as much as Cravr needed his mate. Not only was the vehicle made of the toughest materials known, it had a protective field that would stop anything that they knew of.

“Wow! I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Annie exclaimed.

“It’s a one of a kind prototype. More are being built, but today we will test this one out. It has everything we should need to monitor and search out our prey.” Cravr smiled at her, but it seemed to make her nervous. “Is everything alright?”

“You have a bloodthirsty look on your face.”

“Sorry, the males and even some of the females of our kind love to hunt.” It was true, his beast was humming with excitement. “I will protect you with my life, Annie.”

“I believe you.”

“Let’s get this party started.”

“Where did you hear that saying?”

“Razar’s mate, Lista, loves old colorful Earth sayings. She uses them so much, the rest of the family has picked them up too.”

“I’m familiar with that one. You used it perfectly.”

Cravr was glad his female approved. His intention for this mission was to bond with his mate while locating the perpetrators and sending in a team to subdue them while him and Annie observed. Piece of cake which was another quaint Earth saying. Starting the engine, he put in the list of coordinates they were checking. The vehicle was self-piloting with the computer assisting with location services. It would pick which target to go to first and follow them in order based on most likely and distance, in a logical fashion.

“The vehicle is automated so all we need to do now is look for clues.”

“That is so cool.” Annie observed.

Cravr agreed. He couldn’t wait to get a dozen of these out into stations all over the planet. There only real problems so far had been the sabotage. But he knew, as populations in communities all over the planet increased, trouble was sure to follow. For now, he looked at his Annie and wanted nothing more than to kiss her until she was breathless.

A beep sounded. “That means we are close to the first location.” Cravr explained as he pulled up a screen and manipulated it to look three hundred and sixty degrees around their location. It was important to look closely because if they missed them, they would have to start all over again. “See anything? If you do, just let me know.”

“It looks deserted out here.”

“That’s why it’s the perfect place to hide.”

Annie nodded, but said nothing as she continued to stare out the window. Cravr pressed a button and now the screen showed heat signatures. “What’s that?” Annie asked.

“That’s an animal. It’s either the one Razar has as a guard dog or there are more of them.”

“Razar has a guard dog that big?”

“He’s not really a dog, that’s what Lista compares him to.”

“Okay.” Annie said, but it was clear she didn’t understand.

“We’ll visit Razar soon and you can see his pet.”

They stayed at the location nearly an hour, checking out everything that moved, or had a heat signature, just to be sure they didn’t miss anything. It was time to move on since he felt like they’d been thorough. The next location didn’t seem all that far, even though it was out of sight of the last location. This one was at the foot of the mountains where it made a good location to hide. There were dangers here that made most people avoid the area. Demons were an exception because they were the worst predator on the planet in their beast form.

Cravr reached in the fridge and got two bottles of water, handing one to Annie. “Maybe I should have mentioned we’ll be in here all day. Food and drinks have been stocked in here and there is a small bathroom.”

“I’ll be fine. Which door is the bathroom?” Annie asked. Cravr pointed to it and Annie went inside. That was one of the many things that made this van perfect for surveillance.

Annie came out and took her seat. “This reminds me of those old movies where the cops sit and watch a house.”

“I have started watching some of those old movies. They are very funny, but did the guy always get the girl in real life?”

“No, I’ve read that they often didn’t and sometimes they did only to get divorced later.”

“What is divorced?”

“It where they married or mated, and then they split up and find new mates.”

Cravr felt horrified. “Your people do this?”

“Not so much anymore. These days most men don’t marry at all. They just live with a female and throw her out, when they find one they want more.”

“That is barbaric. What about love? What happens to the children?”

“Modern Earth men don’t believe in love. Daughters go with the mother. If they have a son, the man usually stays with the mother, but if he does kick her out, the boy stays with his dad.”

“Children need stability and love. That is sad.”

Annie went and poured herself a cup of coffee. She took a sip. “Holy cow! What is that shit?”

Cravr chuckled, he couldn’t help it. “That’s crue, it’s local coffee. I think we have some instant coffee more to your liking in the cupboard.”

“That wasn’t funny.” Annie glared at him as she pulled the instant coffee down. “You should have warned me. That stuff is nasty and I think it turned my mouth inside out.”