Viper's Hope (Anguis Defenders Book 1) Read online

  Well of course the praying mantis species is female dominated. On Earth the female insect bites off the heads of the males while mating. Good for them. At the moment Hope could sympathize and nodded at the mantis' compliment.

  "So it's Anguis Minor then." Viper stated to the group. "My Imperators will work out the arrangements with you. Thank you but as you know there is a lot I need to discuss with Hope." Viper stood and helped her up.

  Viper

  Hope was angry. She had every right to be. But it still surprised him when she vehemently demanded to know what was going on.

  At every turn he expected her to have a melt down like most refugees did, but Hope was bold and outspoken rather than quiet. And although she was more delicate physically than Anguis females, that certainly didn't equate to meek.

  Viper held a protective hand at her shoulder as they exited the council room and Hope stiffened up. How was he going to explain what happened between them when he hadn't even gotten round to the whole 'your people are dying' issue?

  "I want to see the others." Hope demanded.

  "Yes."

  Viper started to head towards the hibernation dorms, but Hope stopped again at the dome that showed her planet. Her hand rose and pressed against the window.

  "I never thought I'd see Earth this way." She said with more than a little melancholy in her voice. "Tell me about this virus."

  "The Morbo are an evolved virus. They travel to a planet and use the predominant species like you or I to replicate. They decimate the species, then decimate the planet and ride the resulting meteors to a new planet where they do it all over again."

  "How do they replicate?" Hope quietly inquired.

  "They stab their victim and inject a bit of themselves. The original Morbo dies but the host incubates anywhere from two to five more creatures before the host dies a few days later."

  "Is there any cure or way to fight them?"

  "We are studying a few on my home planet. But it seems that only extreme heat or UV kills the creature. They spread so fast and in such vast numbers the devastation is astronomical."

  Hope turned back to the view of her blue planet. The way her palm moved over the clear glass it seemed as if she were caressing her home.

  Viper watched as water began falling from Hope's eyes. She smelled of rain. It was so strange and shocking. How was such a thing possible?

  Viper reached up and wiped away a drop as it cascaded down her pink cheek. The single drop sunk into his skin and Viper was instantly overwhelmed by Hope's intense emotions. It was pure unadulterated sadness. Hope's sorrow ripped at Viper's gut, tearing at his hearts.

  His beautiful subeo was in anguish over the loss of her world, so much so it overflowed in her eyes. His mate had been strong and defiant with everything that had happened to her up to this point. But the sight and knowledge that her home world was lost to her, had leveled her.

  Viper wanted desperately to assuage her pain, but there was nothing he could do now, but pick up the pieces and help the humans move on. He had failed his mate, in so many ways. All he could do was give her this moment.

  They stood quietly as Hope said goodbye to her home world. Finally she turned away from the sight.

  "Come I will show you the others." Viper rubbed her back. This time she didn't pull away.

  They continued heading to the hibernation dorms. As Viper stepped off the lift, he stopped Hope.

  "Do not be frightened. They are all asleep. It is not a perfect situation, but we find it's easier to transport so many people and give them the language implant this way."

  "Is that what you did to me?" She growled.

  Viper noticed her cheeks redden as he scented her anger.

  "I wanted you to understand me, but I do not like how you were treated, by any of us." Viper bristled.

  "We can discuss it after I see my people." Hope replied pulling away and walking several steps ahead of him.

  Viper understood her emotions. If any of the things that happened to Hope happened to him he wouldn't have handled it nearly as well. But still he found himself frustrated that his subeo pulled away from him. He wanted to tug her to him.

  Viper took a deep breath to calm the urge to touch Hope and hold her close. She wasn't Anguis, he had to be patient.

  Viper opened the door to reveal rows and rows of sleeping humans. The automated message played in their various languages as well as Anguis. 'You are safe. Everything will be fine.'

  Hope looked at Viper questioningly.

  "It helps to reduce panic once we awaken everyone." He stated, and she nodded. "Like I said it's not ideal, but neither is what happened to your planet."

  Hope walked to a bed holding a woman with a tiny male child. The little male was snuggled next to his mother both fast asleep.

  "How do you know they belong together?"

  "Most likely she held him when we tranquilized this group. Sometimes we recognize pairs by their smell." Viper pointed to an adult couple that were clearly mated.

  "Why didn't you do this to me?" Hope asked with inquisitive eyes.

  "You saw me before I could." How did he explain his mating instinct without frightening her? He hadn't even understood himself at the time. "I was unable to put you here."

  "I think I've seen enough." Hope said with one last concerned look at the hundreds of beds. "Viper I have family and friends in Saint Louis. Is there any way to get them?" She looked so hopeful as Viper led her out.

  "Anything you ask I will try to accommodate."

  Viper led Hope to the control room instead of going back to his suite. Viper was desperate to assuage Hope's fears. If he could rescue her family, he would do anything in his power to make it happen. It wasn't just that he wanted to get back in Hope's good graces because he feared her rejection and wanted to right the wrongs he'd committed. Viper genuinely wanted to help the humans. But there was also a part of him that physically hurt when he scented Hope's pain.

  "Boaz, this is Hope, my subeo. We need you to bring up a map of the area we collected from."

  "Yes Prognatus" Boaz replied.

  The male, like everyone else seemed surprised that Viper's subeo turned out to be human. Viper was too, but fate was what it was. She was lovely, so he couldn't complain. Viper turned to Hope.

  "Your planet's communication satellites were damaged by the meteors. So we can't easily tap into any of your networks. But if you can narrow down your family's location we might be able to do a mass rescue."

  The map of the west coast of her continent was pulled up on the screen.

  "How do I manipulate this?" Hope asked.

  Boaz swiped his fingers across the smaller screen to move the image left or right. Hope watched. Boaz arose giving her the seat. Hope backed the image out to view the entire continent. She narrowed in on a place somewhere in the middle by a large long river. She got close up on a major city with a massive silver arch.

  "It is highly likely this area is still okay since it is in the middle of the continent." Viper reassured her.

  One by one Hope pointed out where her loved ones lived and the coordinates were recorded.

  "They will be home at night." She said as she pointed out her sister's house. Her sister was mated with young. "This is where I worked. Oh my god there's Tara and John Paul my friends." The people's image were captured.

  "Boaz, send a small skid to collect those two since we have their current location." Viper instructed the male, and he got busy. "It shouldn't take long since we have a visual confirmation of your friends." He told Hope, and she looked relieved nodding with a slight smile. It wasn't a big change in her demeanor but it Viper latched onto her lovely expression. "Come now we should talk. Someone will notify us when they are safe." Hope's face turned serious again and Viper wanted to kick himself. He dreaded the discussion he was about to have with Hope, but it couldn't be avoided.

  Viper and Hope reached his quarters just as Acris was leaving.

  "Prognatus I have left your m
eals and some additional clothing for your subeo. Is there anything else you wish?"

  "No thank you Acris" Viper replied to the female.

  Acris bowed and was about to leave.

  "Hello my name is Hope" Hope said with an outstretched hand before he had a chance to introduce her.

  Acris looked shocked to be directly addressed. It was not Anguis custom for someone of Acris' station to address Hope, given the position she now held. Viper realized he needed to remind his people that human customs were different, so they didn't appear rude.

  Viper could see Acris was uncomfortable and unsure what to do with Hope's overly familiar gesture. The female was already on edge assisting Viper in his private quarters. Because Acris was mated to his assistant, he had requested her service. Viper had been too uncomfortable with his new mate to permit any males in his quarters just yet. It had been bad enough escorting Hope around the ship with so many males. The thought of another male's scent in their quarters was just too much, too soon.

  Acris stared at Hope's hand, till Hope pulled it back in embarrassment.

  "Acris would you mind being my subeo's first assistant. You have been doing the task anyway."

  Acris bowed her head now feeling comfortable enough to look directly at Hope.

  "It would be my honor Uxorem." Acris replied sounding honored.

  Hope bowed back not realizing it wasn't how a person of her station behaved. Viper wanted to grin but repressed it. He recalled Hope doing the same thing a few times to the males in the ship. Viper had a feeling Hope might have a hard time adjusting to her new status. But he liked the fact she didn't fear his people.

  Acris left happy but confused.

  "Okay, I am lost." Hope said. "Why wouldn't she look at me?"

  "Our customs are different than yours. You will find most of my people won't look directly at you out of respect."

  "That's different!" She said. "What's this subeo thing you keep calling me, and what is an Uxorem?" Hope stumbled over the word.

  Viper inwardly winced. Hope jumped straight to the heart of the matter.

  "A subeo is a mate, and the Uxorem is the second highest-ranking female among our people." Hope's mouth sat agape as Viper carefully explained how mating heat overcame him.

  Hope

  Hope sat down at the table before falling down as Viper explained his family and Anguis culture.

  "My sire is Adder Rex and the female who bore me, his subeo, my mother, is Hyla Regina. I am Viper Prognatus, and you will be referred to as Hope Uxorem." Viper continued. "And at some point when my father is well into his years that will change and I will become Viper Rex and you will be Hope Regina." Viper listed off his family's titles, and her's apparently.

  "Are you telling me you're some sort of royalty?" Hope exclaimed. "Never mind back up."

  Hope almost laughed when Viper actually took a step back.

  "Sorry that's a figure of speech, it means slow down." Hope repressed her grin. "We can discuss your family later. You're telling me that because you got all hot and horny for me, it made you loose your mind, and now we're considered married or something."

  Viper looked hesitant as he nodded yes.

  "I guess that is the best way to describe it. But we don't usually loose our minds, as you put it, unless we scent our life mate and are separated from them. It came as a surprise to me after we met since we are not of the same species, but you are my subeo and I am your virum." Viper stated it as if it was indisputable fact.

  Hope stood up. She had to do something with the extra energy and emotions that were brimming to the surface.

  In the last twenty-four hours Hope's reality had been twisted by a series of crazy surreal events. One minute she feels like some abducted sex slave needing to escape, and the next she finds out she's been rescued from some planet wide plague and is desperate for her friends to join her.

  In the midst of all this Hope discovers that her freaky benevolent captor treated her differently because she triggered some mating instinct that apparently only happens with 'that someone special'.

  On top of that Viper's apparently the second highest ranking man, making her the second highest ranking woman in their society because he now thinks she's like his wife or something.

  "Holy Fuck! I want off this roller coaster." Hope silently reeled.

  As much as she appreciated being rescued, Hope refused to have the free will to decide her own fate stripped away. She didn't care how attractive Viper was.

  "Well among my kind a woman isn't tied down and forced to have sex." Hope informed Viper angrily. "And if she is the man goes to jail. We get to choose who we marry or mate!" Hope yelled at him ignoring her food. She really didn't have an appetite at the moment anyway.

  Hope started pacing the room clenching her fists.

  She'd worked with rape victims at the clinic before. The way she'd been treated verged on that. It didn't matter that Viper rocked her world it was the way it all went down that was inexcusable.

  "My captains worried I'd accidentally kill you in my state of distress." Viper said looking ashamed and disgusted. "I can never apologize enough. Our females understand and experience a similar reaction so they don't fight their mates. I..." Viper stopped seeing that his excuses were frustrating at best. The muscles in his jaw flexed as he gritted his teeth.

  Hope was attempting to be understanding, really she was, but it was hard considering what had transpired. Viper was trying so hard to explain and Hope could see he didn't like exactly how things happened either. His coloring shifted rapidly, which Hope was learning, indicated his unsettled emotions. Viper seemed angry though not at her and truly remorseful, which mollified her to some extent.

  "I guess I can understand some of his people's reasoning." Hope silently conceded.

  She'd been there. Viper had been crazed. If she hadn't been chained, she would've run from that monster cock and probably enraged him further. As the situation was he had bit her neck rather viciously.

  Regardless this was still absurd!

  Hope ran a hand through her hair tugging at the light tresses in frustration.

  Viper stepped towards her moving in that compelling, hypnotic, lithe way that reminded her of a predator. His green eyes trained on her. Hope hated how she instantly responded to his nearness, it frustrated her even further. He reached out his hand to touch her arm and Hope put her hands up.

  "Don't!" Hope was pissed and conflicted. She didn't want to be cajoled or soothed.

  Viper dropped his hand and backed up, some of the brightness in his eyes going dim.

  "The women of my people have fought long and hard to have a choice and to feel safe from men and their hormones." Hope railed at him.

  Just the way Viper described how their woman just accepted this mating thing, rankled. Hope was not the kind of girl who silently took whatever a man dished out. She positively refused to just bend over and take it, literally!

  "I will not touch you again." Viper stated as he stared at his hands in distaste.

  Hope grunted in agreement as she crossed her arms over her chest.

  "That's right you won't, not unless I say so. I don't care if you are one dark sexy alien." Hope thought to herself as she nodded.

  She needed to cool down and get a handle on this situation. Things were turning out to be very different than she'd first assumed.

  6 Reunion

  Viper

  "It was just as I feared Hope rejects our mating."

  The devastation of it crushed Viper's hearts. He was beyond disgusted with himself and the way he treated her, but there was nothing he could do to turn back time.

  Viper watched Hope sashay into the bath and groaned. How was he going to keep his hands to himself? Just being near Hope set him on fire.

  "I have to fix this."

  Hopefully if they found her family that would help. Viper didn't quite know what else to do, to woo his subeo.

  "What do human females like? Dammit, I'm screwed."
<
br />   Viper roamed the room wondering what could be done. He tapped onto the comm-unit.

  "Basilisk, I need your mate Acris to acquire all the things a female requires for our quarters." Viper requested.

  "Yes Prognatus, but I do not know what is available on the ship." The male stated.

  Viper groaned. The ship had been outfitted for males and rescue, not courting females, and certainly not human females.

  "Do whatever you can." He entreated.

  At that moment another signal beeped on the comm.

  "Yes."

  "The Uxorem's male and female friends have been acquired, and will arrive within the hour." Ophidian reported.

  "Keep them sedated till Hope can be there to revive them." Viper instructed his friend.

  "As you wish. How is your female?"

  "I don't want to discuss it."

  "She is not Anguis, give it time Viper."

  "Well what you all did hasn't helped!" Viper growled at Ophidian.

  Viper heard Hope open the door and immediately calmed. She got uncomfortable when he was angry. He tapped the comm off, then turned to her. She was dressed in a blue short skirt and top. It looked good with her eyes and pale hair.

  "Your two friends will be here soon."

  "Oh thank god!" Hope clapped her hands together looking relieved.

  "I want you to be there when they are awakened." Viper said.

  She looked so happy that he couldn't help but be happy as well. This was good.

  Viper stood back as the human male and female were laid on the bed in quarters nearby his. The dark-skinned male didn't smell like the other sleeping female. They obviously weren't mated. The medic administered the antidote to the tranquilizer then backed up. Hope sat by her friends. It wasn't long before their eyes fluttered open.

  "Girl how'd you get here?" The dark-skinned male said groggily as he focused on Hope.

  The dark haired female just blinked in shock.

  Hope wrapped her arms around the dark human male and Viper almost came unglued. Hope refused his touch, her virum, but she embraced this other male. The growl in his chest rumbled threatening to break past his lips.