by M. K. Eidem
“How many were there?” she asked, gesturing to the bag that held the bars.
“Six.”
Kim looked into the bag and counted five remaining bars. “You said we have been here two days.”
“That is correct.”
“You haven’t eaten since we arrived?”
“You were going to need the nutrition when you woke.”
“But so do you.”
Wray gave her a confused look. “You are female, you come first.”
“But…”
“Have another.” he ordered.
“Only if you do.” Kim argued back.
“No.” he shook his head. “You need it more.”
“How much longer will we be here?”
Wray looked towards the cave’s entrance and while he couldn’t see the storm, he could hear it and frowned. “Storms this large have been known to last up to a week.”
“But someone will come?”
“Yes.” He nodded confidently. “My people will come for us.”
Kim looked to the bars and thought about what he said. In another lifetime, she would have eaten her fill and not worried about the future, or him, but that was before she lost her family, before the Ganglians.
They could be here for another five days and there were only five bars left. Her gaze traveled to Wray; he would let her eat them all if she wanted, taking none for himself. Why? He was just as important as she was. Actually, he was more important because she had no idea how to survive here.
“I can wait.”
“Kim….”
“You said you would tell me what you knew.”
Wray saw the stubbornness return to her eyes and sighed heavily, somehow knowing she wouldn’t budge.
“We were just leaving the Kaliszian space when we intercepted a Ganglian ship leaving Tornian space. When we boarded the ship, they resisted.” He saw her confusion. “Ganglians never resist. They are cowards with no honor. They thrive on the pain of others.”
“Yeah, I figured that out.” Kim said quietly, remembering how stinky bastard seemed to hiss happily whenever she would scream. Shivering at the memory, she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
“Are you well?” Wray asked, not missing her shiver.
“Just… please just keep talking.”
Wray nodded. “They weren’t always like that, the Ganglians.” He saw her look at him in surprise. “They were once a proud and honorable race, committed to protecting those weaker than themselves. They were good friends of the Tornians.”
“What changed them?” Kim couldn’t stop herself from asking.
“The great infection affected their minds, warping them to the point that everything they once despised became what they most desired. They began to prey on the weaker species in the universes, capturing them so they could enjoy the pain they inflicted until they sold them. It is why their ships are banned from the Tornian Empire.”
“They were going to sell me? Make me a slave?”
“Yes. It is how they survive now. They sell the males they capture to the mines and the females to pleasure houses.”
“Pleasure houses...” she whispered.
“Yes. They knew it would be an automatic death sentence if we found you. It is why they hid you away.”
“Why me?” Kim asked, her eyes filling with the remembered horror of what she had survived as she looked at Wray. “Why did they take me?”
“Because you are beautiful.” Wray said before he could stop himself.
“Beautiful?” Kim shook her head in denial; maybe once she had been vain enough to think she was pretty but beautiful… never. Jen was the beauty of the family. She’d received her father’s height, her mother’s white blond hair and stunning blue eyes. Kim had received her father’s unruly red hair, his green eyes and her mother’s compact frame. No, she would never be considered beautiful, especially not after the damage the Ganglians had caused.
“Yes,” Wray told her firmly, “beautiful and rare, to have hair the color of fire….” His voice trailed off as his eyes ran over the amazing locks.
“It’s just red.” Kim whispered in denial.
“It is alive with fire. Your skin is as pale and soft as the Moonflower and your eyes….” Wray looked deep into them seeing her shock at his words. “Your eyes are the color of the rarest gaspeite. You would have brought a great deal at a slave auction.”
“I wouldn’t have lived that long.” She whispered.
Kim’s barely uttered words brought Wray up short. No, she wouldn’t have, she would have died on that stinking Ganglian ship and he never would have known such an exquisite creature existed. He surged to his feet, growling.
Kim screamed, falling off the rock as Wray surged to his feet, growling fiercely and knew she was about to die. There was no way she could defend herself against him.
Wray froze when Kim screamed and watched her fall off the rock, her eyes full of terror. Oh, Goddess, what had he done? Where was his legendary control? He never revealed his emotions, never allowed others to know when he was upset, but with this female… from the moment he discovered her crammed in that compartment, he was unable to control his emotions. Sucking in a deep breath, he tried to reassure her.
“I am sorry, Kim,” unfortunately his voice came out rough and still full of rage, “please do not be afraid of me. I would release my own life before I would ever harm you.”
“You… you…" she stuttered, trying to sink into the wall, ignoring the rocks jabbing her in the back.
“I was angry. Not at you,” he quickly injected, “at the Ganglians, for what they did to you. It should never have been allowed.” Wray forced himself to take a step back, giving her the room she needed when all he wanted to do was bring her close.
“Can they find us here?” Kim asked finding she could breathe easier once he stepped back. “Before your people do?”
“Who? The Ganglians?” Wray frowned and saw her nod. “Kim…” his voice finally gentled as his rage left him, replaced by disgust, at himself, for not explaining things better to her. “The Ganglians that captured you are dead. They will never harm you again.”
“D… Dead?”
“Yes. I should have explained this better to you.”
“But we crashed... you said we were attacked.”
“We were, I don’t know by whom yet, but it wasn’t the Ganglians who took you, you have my vow. You have nothing to fear from them. I will protect you.”
“But…” Kim winced when a rock poked her in the back again.
“Are you hurt?” Wray stepped towards her. “Have my actions harmed you?”
“No, I did this.”
“Because of me. Please Kim, let me help you. I do not have a portable repair unit here, but perhaps there is something I can do.”
“It’s just a bruise, I have lots of them.” Looking at the hands she knew were damaged fending off the Ganglian, she was shocked to discover them healed, the bruises and cuts barely visible. “What?” she looked at Wray confused.
“The portable repair unit was able to heal the worst of your injuries.” Wray told her again.
“Portable repair unit… you told me that before, I just didn’t realize…” she looked at her hands then silently took inventory of her body. The terrible pain that had been with her since the first attack was gone. She hadn’t realized it when she’d been trying to escape or when she’d been eating, she almost felt… normal. Was that really possible?
Rising to her knees she slowly pulled up the hem of the shirt she was wearing, bracing herself for the damage she would find on her thighs; instead, she found pale skin with just the faintest network of scars revealing the trauma she had sustained.
“That's amazing…” she trailed off, frowning at the black material in her hand, then looked at Wray, who was dressed only in pants and boots and realized she was wearing his shirt. He literally had given her the shirt off his back. He saved her from the Ganglians
. Saved her from running into the storm. He had healed her injuries shared his food and what had she done in return? She ran from him, attacked him, screamed at him. “I’m sorry…” she whispered, tears filling her eyes.
“For what?” Wray choked out. He had barely been able to stop his groan at the sight of her lush pale thighs, but the sight of her tears had his throat tightening. “You have nothing to be sorry for, little one. I am the one that caused this.”
“You gave me your shirt.”
“You had no coverings when I found you, you were chilled.” He watched another shiver run through her small frame and cautiously stepped closer. “You are again. Please, Kim,” he held out a hand and prayed to the Goddess that she would take it. “I do not want you to become ill.”
Kim looked up into Wray’s gray eyes that reminded her so much of Warrior's. They were pleading with her to trust him, to take his hand. Could she?
Was this what Warrior had felt like when she held out her hand? Was that why it had taken him so long to come to her? To trust her? She hadn’t understood how much courage it had taken him to reach out to her, to trust her not to hurt him. Could she be that brave?
“Please, Kim.” Wray whispered so softly that she had to strain to hear him, but she did and in those quiet words she heard his concern, his worry, and his desperation… he thought she was beautiful… reaching out she slipped a small hand into his.
Wray had never been as relieved as when she took his hand. Slowly he held out his other one and waited. When she gave him the other hand too, he carefully pulled her up. “Did you injure yourself? When you fell?” he asked quietly.
“No. It was just hard.” Her eyes never left his.
“And you are soft.”
“Thank you for the shirt.” She whispered.
“I would give you everything I have, Kim.” Wray vowed and saw her eyes widen. “But first, I need to get you warm. Will you let me hold you again?” he asked and held his breath, unsure how far her trust would extend.
Kim frowned slightly as a foggy memory surfaced from the dark. She had felt so safe when she was there, had known nothing could harm her. Now she realized it was because Wray had been holding her, keeping her warm and safe while she slept. “I’d like that very much.” She said softly and stepped closer to his warmth.
Slowly Wray moved backwards, keeping her hands in his as he sat. Kim moved to his side and then hesitated. “Kim?” he asked
“I….” Her pale skin started to turn rosy. “I’ve never sat in a man’s lap before, I’m not sure how….” Her voice trailed off.
Wray closed his eyes, relieved to hear her say she didn’t know what to do. He refused to allow himself to dwell on how comfortable she had seemed in his arms, as if she were used to being held by a male. The thought of another male holding her had troubled him deeply for some reason, but to know he was the only one… slowly, making sure not to frighten her, he slipped his hands around her waist and settled her across his thighs as his arms enfolded her.
Kim immediately felt like she was home as his arms surrounded her in warmth and she burrowed deeper into his chest. “Will you tell me more?”
“What would you like to know?” he asked softly, looking down at her.
“I don’t know.” Yawning, she discovered she was suddenly exhausted and laid her head on his chest, listening to the strong beat of his heart, for some reason it comforted her. “How can you understand all those hissing and clicking sounds the Ganglians make?”
“I know the language of every species in the known Universes. You will also, now that I have placed the educator on you.”
“You did what?” Kim asked, raising tired eyes to his.
“While the repair unit worked I placed what we call an educator over your eyes. It causes no harm.” He quickly reassured her. “It only teaches you so you can understand and speak to other species.”
“Speak to them?”
“Yes, right now you are speaking Tornian, but if you were speaking to a Ganglian you would speak Ganglian.”
“I…” Kim’s voice trailed off as she realized what was coming out of her mouth were growls, not words.
“It is commonly done throughout the Universes and allows different species to communicate.”
“But you said you learned the languages.”
“I have learned many of them, but there are still some that I needed the educator for.” Wray didn’t tell her he’d only used it once, for educators could be corrupted, making the person who used them do things they never would otherwise. It was against Tornian law, but that didn’t mean there weren’t those who would attempt it. It was why Wray trusted only Grim to program his when it was needed. He knew Grim would never harm him.
“But… “ before she could ask her next question, another yawn caught her off guard.
“Rest, Kim.” Wray told her gently. “We will talk more once you are rested."
Nodding sleepily, Kim closed her eyes.
Chapter Three
Wray let his eyes brush over Kim’s delicate features while she slept. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen and yet she seemed surprised when he'd told her so. He thought Adana was beautiful and she had been, in the Tornian way. She had been tall, coming to his shoulder and had kept her long black hair pulled away from her face, revealing the strength of her features and breadth of her frame. It was something Tornian males appreciated for it meant the female was able to withstand a Joining with the larger male.
Kim was not large, she was more the size of a young male just before he started his warrior training and yet she survived a Ganglian attack, something few could do, including Tornian females. How long had the Ganglians held her? His mind claimed that it couldn’t have been more than a day, but in his heart… she had been so severely bruised, so damaged… The closest planet to where they found the Ganglian ship was two days from Pontus and this planet she called Earth, he had never heard of it, which meant it wasn't in a known galaxy.
She had been concerned with his well-being, a male, when her only concern should have been for her own. She shared her food. Refused to take more unless he did. Why would she do this? Did she not realize females were more important than males? Was it not so on Earth?
Kim… such an unusual name, such an unusual female. His word had been enough for her when he told her the Ganglians were dead, Wray’s word, not the Emperor's. Wray shook his head; he did not understand her… she was just so different from any female he had known and not only in size and color but in spirit. She fought him when she had first woken, defending herself. Had she done the same against the Ganglians? Was that why her injuries had been so severe? She wouldn’t have been able to stop a Ganglian, a Tornian either, for both were stronger and larger than she was, but he could picture her trying to, could see her refusing to submit. It would have caused the Ganglians to attack even more brutally, just to see how much pain they could inflict before she cried out.
Carefully, so he wouldn’t disturb her, he sank his fingers into the soft curls that framed her face, enjoying the way they clung to him. They did this when he’d removed the excess water from them after he cleansed her. They wrapped sensually around his fingers as if they enjoyed his touch.
Following one long tendril down, he found her delicate hand, resting trustingly on his chest and lifted it to his cheek. She willingly touched him with this very hand, caressing his cheek when she was at her weakest as if the contact had soothed her. Tilting his head slightly, he closed his eyes, letting her touch soothe him.
He’d never had someone willingly touch him like this before. A touch that meant he mattered, not as an Emperor, but as a male. Adana had never touched him like that. She only touched him during Joinings and only when it benefited her release. When they were done, she would return to her chambers. She would never have allowed him to hold her like this.
Wray’s thoughts were pulled from memories of Adana when Kim’s thumb moved slightly, caressing his cheek, opening his eye
s, he found drowsy green ones staring up into his.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Kim had been pulled from sleep when Wray picked up her hand. She watched in stunned silence when he'd held it against his cheek. His eyes had been filled with such longing and need before they closed as if no one had ever touched him that way before which made no sense. He was gorgeous, alien or not, and she couldn't think of any woman that wouldn't want to touch him. Wouldn't want to be touched by him.
Gently she runs her thumb along his cheek, wanting to ease whatever bothered him. When his eyes had slowly opened, instead of longing she saw… regret.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
“I did not mean to wake you.” Wray told her, his voice thick with emotion. He just needed her touch. When her thumb moved to caress his bottom lip, his body instantly remembered what it had felt like when he had cleansed her. He knew that if she continued his body’s reaction would cause her to fear him again and that he couldn’t stand. Carefully, he pulled her hand away. “I am sorry.”
Kim stared at him in confusion for several seconds. She thought he enjoyed her touch, after all, he was the one who put her hand on his cheek. Why had he suddenly pulled it away? Her eyes widened as the truth suddenly hit her. Oh God! Of course! Quickly she looked away from him, desperately blinking away the tears that filled her eyes.
Stinky bastard… he knew what stinky bastard had done to her... knew that he had… no, she wouldn't go there. He had told her he’d been enraged when he’d found her that they had killed the Ganglians because of what they'd done to her and promised it wouldn’t happen again, but that didn’t mean he longed for her touch. Why would he? Why would anyone after what had happened to her. What she saw was his longing for it to never have happened. He was a good man… male and he deserved someone better than her.
“No," she said, her voice thick with unshed tears. "It’s my fault.” Carefully, she slid out of his arms and moved towards the entrance between the caves. She wanted to leave, wanted to run away, just as she always did but she couldn't. She wouldn't. She'd told Jen in that phone call that she had grown up that she had changed and it was time to prove it. Wray had been nothing but caring and understanding since she had woken. He saved her from the Ganglians. He had saved her when they crashed. She couldn’t repay that kindness by expecting him to see her as something more than what she was. A victim. She couldn't change what had happened to her, but she’d be damned if she let it break her. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to Wray.
