Free Barbarian's Taming: A SciFi Alien Romance (Ice Planet Barbarians Book 9) by Ruby Dixon Page B

for Josie, who’s just pregnant and baby-crazy) so I feel like an outsider, even though I know they’re doing their best to include me. I don’t belong with the Baby Bunch, and after a few hours of talk about milk production and the best way to keep a baby’s tail clean, I’m starting to wonder if I should go hide in the cave with Asha.
    I’m bummed that I didn’t get to go on hunting lessons with Hassen. Did I fuck everything up by having sex with him?
    The next day, I decide to get one of the spears from the storage cave and go out and find him. If he won’t bring the lessons to me, I’ll go to him.
    I sneak out—like the terrible person that I am—shortly after breakfast, when the fire pit is empty and the girls are putting their babies down for mid-morning naps. Hemalo and one of the elders are working in the main cave on a large leather hide, but they aren’t looking in my direction, their backs to me. I grab the spear I hid near the door and race out, hauling my cloak and snowshoes along with me as I go. I’ll dress properly for the elements once I’m out of sight of the cave itself.
    Of course, once I’m out of sight of the cave, I’m greeted with nothing but endless snow. The area that the main tribal cave is in is relatively flat, and behind me there’s nothing but steep cliff walls. Ahead of me, it’s rolling hills of white dotted with some pink trees that flutter here and there. In the distance, I can see cliffs, and even farther away than that, the hint of mountains. The day is clear and cold, and the two weak suns are doing their best to give off some decent sunlight, but it’s still not enough to warm the place up. I trudge over a nearby rise, slogging through the snow, and when I’m far enough away that I don’t think anyone’s going to race after me and drag me back to the cave, I stop to put on my snowshoes and wrap an over-cloak around my body.
    And then I walk. The last time I went out to try and hunt, Hassen bitched at me about following footprints, so I’m going to do as I’m told. I find fresh tracks leading away from the home caves and figure they have to belong to one of the hunters. Using my spear as a ski-pole, I trudge along, looking for Hassen.
    Or another hunter.
    Or animals, I guess, since I’m out hunting.
    Of course, the farther I get away from the cave, the more open and vulnerable I feel. Last time I ventured out, it wasn’t like this. Last time when I set out, I hadn’t been attacked by a metlak and one of those ugly, skinny cat-things, though. I remember them and the fear and anger on Hassen’s face when he realized I was out. That’s when I figured I was in danger. Now, I watch the snow, worrying that there are hidden dangers I’m not seeing behind every fluffy white hill.
    I’ve been gone for maybe an hour when a large figure appears in the distance and starts stalking toward me, distinctive black hair fluttering over blue shoulders. Twin spears are crossed over his back. Yeah, I know that guy. It’s Hassen, and he looks pissed.
    Okay, he also looks pretty badass at the moment and it’s making me go sploosh in my non-existent panties. Because seeing that arrogant swagger? That angry stalking thing he’s doing? It makes me think of our intense little round in the storage room, and my body is screaming for round two.
    I’ve never thought of myself as a particularly man-hungry sort of girl, but Hassen? He does it for me. Which is why I fooled around with him despite knowing it was a bad idea and knowing that he was the douche that stole my sister.
    Plus, out of this entire happy tribe of do-gooders and mommies, he’s an outcast. And boy, can I relate to that. He’s the one that doesn’t fit in, that doesn’t belong when couples are gathered around the fire and being cozy. He’s the one that never gets what he wants, and he sure isn’t the hero.
    That kind of makes him my people, though, because I know how all of that feels.
    So it hurts that he’s