“Why did you bring it here?” Whit scowled.
He sighed again. “Because I could not leave it there to starve.”
“You’d better not let Cinna see it –” Whit started, but it was too late.
Cinna came skipping down the hallway towards them, then came to a halt when she saw the cub in his arms. Her mouth opened wide as he hastily tried to tuck the cub back in his suit so that it wouldn’t scare her. Too late, he realized that Whit had not been concerned about his sister being afraid. The little girl came rushing over, reaching eagerly for the cub.
“Oh, you have a puppy. Is he yours? Can I hold him?” She reached up and gently brushed the cub’s soft fur with the coo of delight.
“Puppy?” he asked Whit over her head.
“It’s from a book our mother used to read to her before she...” The boy’s face shut down, then he shook his head. “She’s wanted one ever since.”
“Did this ‘puppy’ look like this?”
“It was furry, but that’s about all. Cinna, it’s not a puppy.”
“Yes it is.” Big blue eyes filled with tears and her lip trembled. “It is a puppy. Krampus brought him for me, didn’t you?”
Double skef. How could he destroy the child’s faith in him?
“Only for a little while, I’m afraid. Just until he gets big enough to take care of himself,” he said gently, but he had a feeling he might as well have saved his breath.
Cinna’s eyes lit up and she held up both hands. “Please let me hold him.”
“Not until after he’s had a bath.” Which gave him an idea. Only the bathing facility in his quarters had a tub. Perhaps Jaelle would know how to respond to the child better than he had. “Is Jaelle asleep?”
“I don’t think so. She was still awake when we heard you come back.”
“Then let’s show her the… puppy.”
The three of them headed for his cabin, Cinna watching anxiously to make sure that he was carrying the cub carefully. Jaelle was still in her chair, and he realized he should have returned her to the bed before he left, but someone had placed a pillow on the table in front of her, and she had her foot elevated. She smiled when he entered, then her eyes widened as she realized what he was holding.
“Is that a dire wolf cub?”
“I am afraid so.”
“He’s my puppy,” Cinna said cheerfully and Jaelle shot her a horrified glance.
“I told her it was just until he was old enough to take care of himself,” he said firmly but he saw Jaelle study the little girl’s face before giving him a skeptical look. He sighed as he handed Whit the bag with Jaelle’s belongings. “Right now he needs a bath.”
“Is that what smells?” she asked, her nose wrinkling.
“He urinated on me.”
All three of them looked at him, then Whit burst into laughter, Cinna giggled, and Jaelle ducked her head but not before he saw her grin as well.
“I’m glad you all find it amusing,” he said as he stalked to the bathing room, but as more laughter emerged from behind him, a smile crossed his own face.
By the time he emerged with a clean, damp, unhappy cub, Jaelle had directed Whit to prepare a bowl of food which the cub descended on in a flurry of eager grunts and tiny growls.
“What are you feeding him?” he asked.
“It’s supposed to be a combination of cereals and chopped protein and broth,” she said doubtfully. “Whit didn’t seem entirely sure about the workings of your kitchen.”
“Whatever he prepared seems to be a success. He is a very intelligent child.”
“Yes, he is. It’s a pity not everyone sees that,” she said thoughtfully, and he looked over to find her watching him. “Why did you take him?” she added softly.
“We can discuss that after the children are in bed,” he promised.
“I suppose that after finding the cub, you didn’t get a chance to look for Robin, did you?”
“Oh, I forgot. Hold on.” He had removed the unpleasant smelling thermal suit while he bathed the cub. The only replacement that had been available was a pair of lounge pants that left his chest bare. He had seen Jaelle cast a quick, appreciative glance at him before they discussed the cub. At least, he hoped it was appreciative. Tandroki were not that different from the native males, although much larger and with a better developed musculature.
When he returned from retrieving the small drone, her eyes flicked across his chest again and this time he was sure that they were appreciative. She was quickly distracted by the small limp figure in his hand.
“Oh no. He was so brave.”
At the sound of her voice, the drone’s head tilted towards her and she gasped. “He’s all right?”
“He needs repairing but I believe he is fundamentally undamaged.” Now she had him referring to the drone as if it had a personality.
“Repaired? Don’t you mean healed?”
He hesitated, all of the prohibitions about revealing advanced technology to primitive races echoing through his mind, but in the end, he couldn’t bear to disappoint her.
“He’s not exactly alive.” Before she could ask any further questions he retrieved a small toolkit from the storage unit and bent over the drone. She gasped when the drone’s chest opened to reveal its biomechanical circuitry, but he ignored her and concentrated on repairing the disrupted circuits. The damage was less than he had assumed and within a few minutes he was able to close the chest. As soon as he did, the drone whirred softly and hopped up in his palm.
“He looks as good as new,” she said wonderingly.
At the sound of her voice, the drone’s head turned in her direction, then it hopped out of his hand to flutter over to her. She stroked his head with a delicate finger.
“He seems so real.”
“I programmed them to assume the characteristics of this form.” But even though he spoke the truth, he too wondered at the drone’s actions. It almost seemed as if it had bonded with her. But before he could consider it further, Whit yelled.
“I think he’s going to pee again.”
With a muffled curse, Krampasarian raced for the cub and carried it into the bathing room. He didn’t quite make it but only a trickle reached him this time. With a sigh, he washed and changed again as the cub urinated happily into a pile of discarded towels. He really should have known better than to rescue it. But when he carried the cub back out into the bedroom and the three of them smiled at him, he couldn’t regret saving the little creature.
Jaelle watched approvingly as Krampasarian was drawn into a game with the children and the dire wolf cub, now known as Puppy. He was quite a contradiction. One moment he behaved with a formal reserve, and the next he was crawling around on the floor with Cinna on his back. His behavior was just as mercurial towards her, flipping from dictatorial to distant to hungry with dizzying speed. And she couldn’t forget the way he had come to her rescue. As fierce, as primitive, as that battle had been, some primal part of her responded to the way he had fought for her and won.
Although, she did feel guilty about the cub. Perhaps the mother wolf had only been trying to defend it? But then again, she remembered the way it had sprung at her and she had no doubt it would have killed her if Krampasarian hadn’t prevented it.
Puppy had tired of the game and settled down in Cinna’s lap. She was stroking his fur and whispering to him, but Jaelle could see her eyelids were drooping also.
“I think it’s time for bed.”
As she spoke, Krampasarian lifted his head and their eyes met. There was that fire again. A fire to which some part of her instinctively responded. She had felt an occasional mild flash of attraction before, but only in passing. Why was she reacting now? And why to him? For all she knew, he could be part of an advance party sent to capture the human invaders on their world. But as she watched him bend over and gently lift Cinna and Puppy in his arms, she couldn’t believe it.
“Come along, Whit. It’s been a long day for all of us.”
The boy scuffed his feet but he didn’t protest overmuch. She suspected that an early bedtime and a warm, safe bed were unexpected luxuries for him.
But where did that leave her, she wondered as Krampasarian and the children departed. She had no doubt that she was in his bedroom and she gave the large bed a suspicious look. Did he expect them to sleep together? Or perhaps he was giving her this room and he was sleeping elsewhere?
Thanks to the medicine he had retrieved for her, her head no longer throbbed, and her ankle didn’t bother her as long as she didn’t put any weight on it. If she only had a stick, perhaps she could hobble out of the room and find another place to sleep. Nothing she could use as a crutch was immediately obvious, but perhaps she could make her way over to the storage unit and see what was there. Placing her good foot on the ground, she tried to maneuver herself into a standing position. Robin chirped scoldingly in her ear, but it was all too obvious that she was not capable of walking and she slumped back with a sigh. As much as she hated to admit it, she would have to wait until Krampasarian returned.
He was gone longer than she had expected and she was just beginning to wonder if he had deserted her when the door slid open. Oh my. No longer obscured by children or animals, every inch of his upper torso was visible. Smooth alabaster skin covered a broad chest and a heavily muscled abdomen leading down to the low-slung waistband of the casual pants he was wearing. Once again, her gaze was drawn to the massive bulge beneath the thin fabric. Not that she had any experience in these matters, but surely human men were not so well endowed. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she hastily looked away.
“You were gone a long time,” she said, wishing her voice didn’t sound quite so breathless.
“I apologize for the delay. Cinna insisted on Puppy sleeping with them so I took him out for another opportunity to relieve himself.”
“You went out in the snow? Dressed like that?” For the first time she noticed that his hair was damp and curling around his shoulders, no longer confined. Were those silvery locks as soft as they looked?
He shrugged. “It seemed better than the alternative. But I am running through my clothes at an alarming rate. I must cleanse them tomorrow.” His eyes swept over her, leaving a trail of heat behind. “Would you prefer something else to wear for sleeping?”
“You just said you were running out of clothes.” She tried to keep her voice light but it still sounded disturbingly husky.
“You are welcome to anything that I have.” The words dropped into the quiet room with unexpected intensity.
“I must admit it would be nice to get out of this dress,” she conceded.
He immediately walked over to his storage unit and returned with a selection of tunic length tops. Or at least they would be tunic length on him. She suspected they would come down to her knees. She reached for one in a deep shade of blue, then realized the problem.
“I, um, need some help getting out of this dress.”
“Of course. What would you like me to do?”
“Could you find me something to act as a crutch? To support my bad leg?”
“I will support you.”
Before she could protest, he lifted her easily to her feet, keeping an arm around her waist so that only the tip of her good foot touched the ground. When she fumbled at her buttons, he took over, supporting her against his chest as he opened each one.
Mmm. His skin felt warm and silky beneath her cheek as she leaned against him and he smelled so good. She had the oddest desire to lick him. His fingers traced lightly down the open back of her dress.
“You have another layer of clothing.”
“Yes, my shift. But it only ties –”
She might as well have saved her breath. He had it unfastened before she finished speaking and started to slide both her dress and her petticoat down over her shoulders.
“Wait a minute. I’m not going to get undressed in front of you.” She looked up in time to see that tinge of pink on his cheekbones again. Did the idea of her naked body make him uncomfortable?
“You cannot stand long enough to remove your clothing,” he pointed out, his voice stiff.
He was right but she wasn’t prepared to completely abandon her modesty. “What if I free my arms and you put the tunic over my head? Then I can just let the dress drop to the ground.”
It was an awkward maneuver and she had the uneasy suspicion that he had seen more of her body than she had intended, but he made no comment. He also was successful in preventing her from putting any weight on her injured ankle, and she smiled up at him once she was safely dressed in his shirt.
“Mission accomplished. Do you mind helping me to your bathroom?”
Instead of responding, he simply lifted her into his arms and carried her into the bathroom. It was larger than she had expected with both a shower and an enormous tub, as well as a sink and a toilet that looked fortunately familiar. After a brief argument, he deposited her on it and left the room, muttering unhappily. She took care of business and then managed to hobble over to the sink to wash before she called him back. As much as she would have liked to return on her own, even that brief period on her feet had tired her out.
He came as soon as she called, frowning disapprovingly when he found her on her feet and leaning against the sink.
“I would have attended to you.”
“I managed just fine.”
He snorted as he lifted her into his arms and carried her back into the bedroom, starting to place her back in the big bed.
“I don’t have to sleep here,” she said quickly. “I’ll be just fine in another room.”
“There is no other bedroom except the one the children are in. And you are not sleeping there,” he added firmly.
“What about you? Where are you going to sleep?”
“If you do not object, I will sleep in the chair.” He nodded at the chair she had been sitting in earlier. “If you do object, I will spend the night in the command chair, but I think it would be better if I stayed closer in case you needed me.”
She bit her lip, then nodded. Perhaps it was foolish to trust him but nothing about him aroused her suspicions. Despite his foreign appearance, he had treated her better than she suspected many of the men in the village would have done. But then her attention was distracted by his choice of words.
“Command chair? What are you commanding?”
Chapter Ten
Krampasarian froze at the question but he knew it had been inevitable. She was too intelligent not to pursue her questions.
“You said we would talk later,” she reminded him. “It’s later.”
“Very well.”
He started to put her down again but she shook her head. “I think I would prefer to be sitting upright for this conversation.”
Picking up a blanket, he carried her back to the chair, then hesitated. He didn’t want to let her out of his arms. Instead he took her to the padded bench beneath the window. It was large enough for two people - barely - but she didn’t protest when he arranged her at one end with the blanket around her shoulders. Despite the fact that it violated all rules of social protocol, he then sat next to her. He placed her injured ankle gently across his lap and did his best to ignore the fact that she was soft and warm and completely naked beneath his tunic.
“I told you that I am Commander Krampasarian D’Marchandar, of the Tandroki Fleet,” he said carefully, forcing himself to concentrate.
“You did. You did not, however, tell me where Tandroki-”
“Tandrok.”
“-Tandrok is located or what type of fleet you command.”
He hesitated, considering the best way to frame the answer. “If I told you I came from the stars, would you believe me?”
She gave him a considering look, then nodded. “Yes.”
He should have known she would surprise him.
“I do not think that most of your people would believe me.”
“They have forgotten - they have cho
sen to forget. But a woman in my family flew a ship amongst those stars.” Her eyes turned sad and distant. “The ship went off course and crashed on this planet. It was carrying a load of settlers, making their way to a new world. They were… sleeping during the flight. Do you understand that?”
Some type of stasis? Yes, he understood the concept.
At his nod, she continued. “She was the only member of the crew to survive the crash. When she realized that the ship was beyond repair, she made the decision to wake the settlers. They had expected to wake up somewhere else, somewhere more prepared for their arrival, and they were… angry. They blamed her and banished her from their settlement.”
She pulled the blanket tighter, staring out at whirling snow. “But it was more than that. She blamed herself and agreed to the banishment as her way of atonement.”
“You live your life in isolation because your ancestor may have made a mistake?”
“Not just for that reason. She wanted to preserve the knowledge we once had. Keeping a distance helped, especially after…”
“After what?” he prompted.
“The settlers did their best to destroy what was left of the ship. Within two generations they had convinced themselves that they had always lived here.”
“Why? Why would anyone choose ignorance?”
“Maybe it’s easier to put your faith in the things you can see and touch.” She absently stroked the blanket and he had a sudden vision of those soft fingers caressing him the same way. “And the knowledge would have disappeared - is disappearing - anyway. Most of the technology she preserved no longer works. We - I - have to rely on what my ancestors have written down. At this point it’s little more than some healing skills and a few historical records.”
“Are there other survivors?” he asked. “Besides your village?”
“Oh yes. Groups broke off several times. There is a settlement down by the great sea, another on the central plains. Twice a year a merchant caravan comes through.” She shook her head. “The villagers don’t really trust the merchants either, but they trade with them, just as they trade with me.”
Krampus and the Crone: A SciFi Alien Warrior Holiday Romance Page 6
