The Scientist's Price (Warriors Book 1)

by L P Peace

  ‘I do not like this shade on you,’ he said. ‘You are pale and drawn. Eat. It will do you good.’

  ‘I am eating,’ she grumbled, not wanting to give an inch. She stabbed the meat and closed her lips around it. Ignoring the rich flavours, she glared at him. ‘Look. Eating!’

  Kadian’s lips twitched, humour in his eyes.

  God! This male is infuriating!

  Olivia’s eyes wandered to the table; the delivery box was closed.

  ‘There are more meals in there,’ Kadian said. ‘There is plenty of food, Olivia. There is no need to be anxious.’

  How had he known?

  ‘I understand hunger.’

  Olivia took another bite, wondering why he understood hunger. What had happened to him?

  Olivia barely touched the food before, satiated, her eyelids began to droop and her head seemed to become too heavy for her.

  Kadian took the food from her and placed it on the nightstand. Turning back, he saw her head lolling against the headboard. He smiled, watching her for a moment before, taking her in his arms, he laid her down.

  The fact that her stomach had shrunk from lack of food enraged him. Even now, the food caused her stomach to make strange noises. Her body was struggling with rich food, having suffered chronic malnutrition. Kadian cursed himself for not getting something simple and plain. Of course her body would struggle after the strains placed upon it for the last cycle.

  Despite his bad mood, caused by his own thoughtlessness, Kadian revelled in the feel of Olivia’s presence. She was lying close to him on the bed. So close he could feel her radiant heat. When he had laid her down, Olivia had moved away from him. She was angry with him, angry with his demands. He understood and respected that. But as she slept, she moved closer to him. Now, after almost an hacri, she was mere inith away.

  When she moved once again, Kadian couldn’t stop the smirk on his lips. Her constant movement towards him sparked a deep satisfaction. Olivia may resent him for his demands. She may be angry with him at this moment, but deep inside, she trusted him to keep her safe.

  That thought alone was everything to Kadian.

  Someone outside walked by the door. Kadian’s eyes flitted from the small human at his side to the door. He listened to the footsteps, slightly unsteady, as they went by.

  Kadian had no weapons other than his sword, which he’d brought because it was made from a special polymer that was almost entirely undetectable by scanners. Especially by the scanner at port authorities, who never seemed to have the latest means of weapons detection. But he was good with the sword. Better than good, as the Inadiine had discovered.

  While on this planet, Kadian had no intention of sleeping. No intention of letting his guard down. Olivia was too precious to risk even for a sicri. He felt safe enough to allow her to shower, to eat, to sleep, things she desperately needed to get healthy. But Kadian didn’t trust the Igasin. He didn’t trust they were safe, but for now, he had no choice. His female needed strength, and she would only get that by eating and sleeping.

  Olivia moaned by his side. Kadian closed his eyes and stifled the groan that wanted to emerge from him and the sudden arousal that flared. Whatever had elicited that moan, he couldn’t afford to indulge in the feelings the sound of it provoked.

  Her body began to twitch. Her fingers spasming, muscles in her shoulders and legs twitching. Her eyes, under her lids, moved in a strange, rapid jerking pattern. The next moan didn’t evoke desire in Kadian but concern. His Olivia was having a nightmare.

  Kadian pushed himself down the bed to her side. ‘Shhh! Shhh, my Olivia.’ He gripped her shoulder and her movements began to ease. Hand still on her shoulder, he reached out with his thumb and stroked her cheek. She was so small and Kadian’s hand so big that he could reach her soft human cheek without issue.

  ‘Shhh. I have you,’ he whispered.

  The movements came to a stop. Olivia opened her hazel eyes. Kadian gazed into them, fascinated by the mix of clear, light green and dark brown. Her eyes were like two fused crystals—a spectacular jewel, priceless and perfect.

  Her eyes moved back and forth. Kadian wondered what she saw. What she thought.

  A shuddering breath left her. Olivia’s face crumpled, and she reached for him.

  Kadian crossed the space between them and drew her into his arms. ‘I’ve got you, my Olivia,’ he said as she cried. ‘And I’m never letting you go.’

  There was no going back to sleep after that dream. After the auction, the alien who’d bought her had placed her under sedation for the journey to Myardahl. Not that he’d bothered to tell her that as he did it or that he was a broker and not her final owner.

  Instead, she discovered that upon waking in a coffin-like pod with her new Myardahl owner standing directly over her. She’d screamed when she saw him, his teeth bared, a rictus expression on his face. He was smiling, she’d realised later, because he was pleased with his new acquisition.

  Her.

  He led her to the room upstairs. She thought she was being led somewhere he would hurt her, and she was right. When he opened that door, panic and horror had gripped her so hard, it’d taken the threat of a beating until she was able to get a grip on herself.

  Every night since then, she’d dreamed he hadn’t taken her to that party. That she’d never been rescued. She didn’t dream of the things he did to her—just the fear and pain. The fact was, her mind couldn’t comprehend the things Falmon had planned for her, just that there would be pain, just that he would use her however he liked and she was powerless to stop him.

  ‘I’ve got you, my Olivia,’ Kadian said, ‘And I’m never letting you go.’

  Despite Kadian’s earlier words of the price she would have to pay for his rescue, his words were comforting.

  He’d come for her. He’d crossed the galaxy to save her from Falmon. Olivia moved closer to him, pushing one leg through his and hooking it. She didn’t want him to let go.

  His hands moved over her back, stroking it. Slowly, Olivia felt all of her muscles relax under his caress.

  Before she knew what was happening, her eyes drifted closed and Olivia sank into oblivion.

  When they opened, morning light shone through the windows and Olivia was on the bed, alone.

  ‘Kadian?’

  There was no answer.

  Panic took hold of her, and she sat up. ‘Kadian!’ she called louder. ‘KADIAN!’

  The door to the suite opened, and he walked in. There was a bundle of something in his arms. He ran to her side, his face full of concern.

  ‘Olivia, what’s wrong?’

  ‘I woke up and you were gone.’ Olivia could hear the accusatory tone of her voice, edged with a hint of whine. She couldn’t help it. Kadian was gone! Beyond that, she’d been unable to think.

  A pleased look replaced concern. Kadian smiled and leaned his forehead against hers. ‘I had to find you clothing,’ he said. ‘I have been through some of our neighbours’ rooms and was able to find a selection of things.’

  Kadian dumped a pile of clothing on the bed. There were several tops, three pairs of pants, a skirt that looked more like a belt, and a couple of actual belts.

  ‘The pants will be too large. You should be able to secure it with one of these. I will cut the excess off. You can eat while I adjust it.’

  ‘You stole these from our neighbours?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Had they all gone out to breakfast together?’ Wasn’t this a ‘by the hour’ kind of hotel?

  ‘No. They were in the rooms. They did not wake. I am very quiet when I wish to be.’ Kadian grinned at her, and Olivia couldn’t help the smile that came to her face. After a moment, it faded.

  ‘I never really knew you, did I?’

  The grin faded from Kadian’s lips. Olivia watched it, and it felt like the sun going down.

  ‘No, Olivia. But that is because of me and the restrictions I am under. Much of what I have done was classified by my government.’
<
br />   ‘I thought you were just a radiant scientist. Like me.’ The words came out quieter than she’d intended.

  Kadian crouched on his haunches in front of her. He placed the clothes on the bed by her side. ‘I am. I am also trained as a soldier, recruited for my skills to help our government find those who would illegally create and refine radiant. They needed someone who could properly handle radiant. But just because I was a scientist didn’t mean my commanding officer took it easy on me. He expected me to be a fully operational team member.’ Kadian smiled once again. ‘I am a soldier—a specialist. I am also Kadian, the radiant scientist and engineer who taught you how to design and build a radiant engine.’

  ‘What happened to your thigh, Kadian?’

  Kadian’s smile died. He rubbed his hands up her thighs. His cool hands smoothing over her bare skin left tingles behind.

  ‘Another time, my Olivia.’

  The tingles travelled up her thighs and sparked a fire in her core. Olivia took a sharp breath.

  In front of her, Kadian’s eyes closed and he groaned. He leaned forward and took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring as he smelt the air between them. He let out another groan, this one long and louder. It was strained and almost animalistic.

  ‘Olivia,’ he leaned his forehead against hers, ‘that scent is everything! I want to taste it. I know how to please you, Olivia. I watched films so I could learn. I know every way I want to touch you. Every way I want to kiss you. I can’t wait to see you cum, Olivia. But as aroused as you are, we must get ready to leave.’

  ‘You can smell me?’ Olivia didn’t know if she was horrified or more aroused.

  ‘Todaal noses are exquisitely sensitive,’ he whispered. He moved, his lips closer to one ear. Olivia could feel the hard bone of his ridged forehead through his thick skin. ‘Our noses are more sensitive than those of your canines.’

  Olivia felt her face heat from embarrassment. She’d never be able to hide how he made her feel, she realised. Had never been able to hide it. Had he known then? In the lab, all the times she’d turned to watch him, imagining them throwing things aside and fucking on the table like animals.

  ‘I…’

  ‘Shhh. Just try the clothes. Let me know which. We will go from there.’

  Go where from there? What are we talking about here, Kadian?

  Olivia’s eyes turned to his lips. She remembered the kiss. The one she’d become lost in when they were in the lab and she was sitting on the very table she’d fantasised fucking him on.

  Kadian’s lips were a little fuller than thin. They were wide, and his bottom lip was fuller than the top. She remembered the feel of them. The way he kissed her, with an expertise that surprised her. She thought, him being an alien, that she’d have to teach him. Instead, he’d taken command of the kiss from the start and overwhelmed her with sensuality. There was a teasing, dominant edge to Kadian’s kisses. The memory of them made her want, and she’d brought herself to climax thinking about that kiss on multiple occasions.

  ‘Olivia, your arousal is growing. If you don’t go now, I will have to throw you down on this bed to taste you!’

  His words strummed her clit like a finger. Olivia bit her lip, stopping herself from moaning. She stood and, grabbing the clothes, ran to the bathroom.

  Kadian watched the door close. He closed his eyes and let out another groan.

  Vrok!

  All he wanted to do now was bury his face between her legs until she was screaming his name!

  His cock was harder than amot and straining against his pants. It had started when he smelt her arousal. He’d leaned in, wanting to capture as much of the scent as he could, even though smelling it was sublime torture.

  Kadian forced himself to stand and crossed the room to the container of food he’d ordered the previous night. He pressed the button on the side, and it set to heating the food.

  A few metri later, Olivia emerged from the facilities. She was still wearing his tunic, along with a black pair of pants. She held the legs, one in each hand, and there was a bemused expression on her face. She looked up at him, waited until she had his full attention, then dropped them.

  They pooled around her feet, at least a fenth of material. Kadian laughed. ‘Stay there. I’ll cut them down.’

  ‘Where am I gonna go? If I try and take a step, I’ll fall on my ass!’

  Kadian laughed again, but not just because what Olivia said struck him as funny, but because under her consternation, he saw the old Olivia. The pre-kiss Olivia.

  Feeling a little thrill of familiarity, Kadian unsheathed his sword and set to work.

  Olivia was dressed and eating when Kadian heard the sound of vehicles pulling up outside. It was still early. The sun had been up for less than an hacri, and the streets outside were abandoned.

  Walking over to the window, Kadian saw three zaki—flying vehicles that could also be driven on roads—had pulled up. They sat around the entrance of the hotel haphazardly, and the doors were open. One Myardahl stood outside, watching the fire escape.

  ‘Trouble?’

  Kadian walked back to Olivia. ‘We have to go.’

  Grabbing his sheath and the coat he’d peeled from the Inadiine, Kadian stretched out his hand as Olivia abandoned the food. She grabbed her shoes. Kadian listened at the door for a moment but couldn’t hear anything.

  He opened the door, then drew his sword. Holding the scabbard in the other, he quickly surveyed the hall.

  The agents hadn’t bothered being quiet. So they were relying on speed to capture Kadian and Olivia. It was also apparent that the Igasin had sold them out.

  The agents—Kadian estimated four to a vehicle with one left behind—would be eleven strong. They would all be Myardahl. Myardahl didn’t hire outsiders to positions of law, military, or power. That meant they would all have the advantages and deficits of sightless vision.

  Without stopping, Kadian led Olivia down the hall. She’d slipped on her shoes and tugged the coat off his shoulder where he’d placed it when he drew his sword.

  The agents would come with projectile weapons. Kadian only had a sword. But if he could disarm one of them, he could get at least one projectile weapon. That would be for Olivia, so she could defend herself.

  The agents would take both the lift and the stairs. They had sicri before they began to emerge.

  Kadian led Olivia around the corner towards the lifts. Moving past them and down the hall, he put distance between them and the room where they’d spent the night. He listened at the door to one room but couldn’t hear anyone on the other side.

  Quickly, Kadian took out the small device he’d used to pick so many locks earlier while searching for clothes for Olivia. He placed it on the lock and watched the red light flash twice, then turn to green.

  Opening the door, he guided Olivia inside as the lift doors began to open.

  Slipping inside, Kadian shut the door soundlessly. He quickly surveyed the room. It was empty, the bed made.

  Footsteps hurrying away resounded in the hall beyond the door.

  Looking at Olivia, he could see the fear on her face.

  ‘I will never let you return to that male,’ he promised. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. ‘Stay here,’ he whispered.

  Opening the door a crack, Kadian looked into the hall before dodging back. The whole thing took less than a sicri.

  There was a Myardahl standing in front of the lift.

  If he moved out of the door, even an inith, the Myardahl would sense him and call out to his comrades. That left Kadian with only one choice.

  Silently, he handed Olivia the sheath of his sword. Taking a deep breath, he held his sword so that his index finger and thumb were cradling the hilt and his palm and fingers holding the blade. He stepped into the hall and threw the blade like a spear.

  His aim true, the sword hit the Myardahl in the throat. Kadian ran, favouring his injured leg, and grabbed the Myardahl before he could fall to the floor. He lowered
him gently, retrieving his sword.

  Olivia came up behind him.

  Slipping the agent’s gun from his holster, Kadian checked it was locked, then tucked it in his pants.

  He pressed the call button to the lift and, as the doors opened, dragged the body inside, beckoning Olivia to join him.

  She stared at the body, her eyes wide, and stepped inside.

  Kadian pressed the button for the ground floor.

  ‘Do you know how to fire a gun?’

  ‘I had to do some training in the academy,’ she said.

  Kadian pulled the weapon free. ‘This locks the weapon. Makes it unable to fire. Press here to release the lock.’ Kadian thumbed the weapon to its highest charge. ‘It’s shoot to kill, Olivia. Are you okay with that?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ she admitted.

  Her eyes were so wide, her pupils dilated. Kadian placed his hand on her cheek. ‘Stay behind me and hopefully, you won’t have to. But Olivia, if you are in danger. I insist you defend yourself.’

  Her body trembled beneath his touch as she nodded her understanding.

  The lift stopped. Kadian handed her the gun and stepped in front of the door, his sword poised.

  The doors opened.

  The lobby was abandoned.

  ‘Place the agent’s hand in the door, Olivia, so the others can’t call the lift.’

  Olivia did as she was told and Kadian led the way out.

  He knew there was at least one Myardahl at the car. There would probably be one here too. The guards upstairs must have heard the lift when it left, which meant they were on their way down. They had to hurry.

  ‘Stay at my back, Olivia. When I move, you move. Understand?’

  ‘Yes.’

  He felt her move closer. She tucked her body against his as he walked across the lobby. The desk was abandoned. His eyes scanning the room, he looked through the doors and saw it, a movement. Green skin—a Myardahl hiding.