Conflict

by Viola Grace

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Taken from battle and certain death, a woman who craves a fight wakes up trapped on an alien world with dark elves all around.

  Kaia has lived to fight, to protect those who could not protect themselves. After a disastrous battle that left her nearly dead, she wakes to find herself on Ikanni with dark elves all around. Kaia is given an energy being to boost her acceptance into local society and the elf lord who says they are linked at a basic level will not let her out of his sight.

  Thaxis has been dreaming of the woman with chalky skin and blue and green hair. The moment he feels that she is in deadly danger, he risks his life to rescue her from certain destruction. How can a man reap the rewards of rescuing a damsel in distress when she is too wounded to see him?

  Self-control is all Thaxis knows, but why is it that it goes out the window when he deals with the moon-bright Terran?

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Conflict

  Copyright © 2013 Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-77111-414-1

  Cover art by Martine Jardin

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books

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  Conflict

  A Terran Times Tale

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  Kaia was having the worst day possible, and she really had basis for comparison. Hissing, she limped into the tiny infirmary and stripped to the waist.

  “Dammit!” She looked at the scorch marks and hissed again. The first wave of Raiders was dead, but she was going to have to face the rest of them when the other ships arrived. Four ships were on her scans, and she had managed to keep the first two from taking over the Ikanni orbital station.

  She put on a salve before pulling her suit back on. It was the worse for wear, the armoured panels scorched and burned. Her spare suit was on the other side of the tiny station and with the hole the Raider ship created there was no way she could get to it until the repair bots finished sealing it.

  Kaia bit her lip as she settled her damaged survival suit against her skin. She hobbled to the data station and checked for the latest stream from the listening post. It was up, so she used the station to boost the signal and sent it on to the relays.

  It might be the last signal that she could enhance, but she was going to do what she was able to do on the Ikanni orbital station.

  She checked the view screen and sighed at the twelve hours she had until four Raider ships came and shot her tiny station to hell. It was time to return to her tank. She might even get some healing in before the second proximity alarm went off.

  * * * *

  Bael Thaxis Norwen sat up with his hand pressed to his chest. He could feel the burn on his skin as if it had not been just a dream.

  His hair tumbled around him, and he flicked it restlessly out of his way. He got to his feet and paced, staring up at the sky through the window of his home. The woman he had been seeing in his dreams was not real, could not be real. No Terran on record had hair that colour, nor did they have eyes without colour at all.

  Thaxis cursed the lack of sleep that he had been undergoing for the last four weeks. It seemed that the moment Bael Lerock’s woman settled in, his dreams had caught fire. At first, it was simple images--the inside of an unmarked cylinder--but then it changed to the bright mind of a woman from Earth. It was not every night, but when he was in her mind, he invariably woke with a pounding headache and a throbbing erection. He wasn’t sure which disturbed him more.

  He glared up at the stars and focussed on the brightest spot in the night sky. If she was truly up there, he wanted to know, and if she was in trouble…

  He groaned and rubbed the back of his neck before he headed for a shower. He was meeting with Bael Lerock in the morning, and since he couldn’t sleep, he had better get an early start to the day.

  “So, how are the crops this year, Thaxis?”

  Bael Norwen looked over at his friend for the last century. “Good, Orriko, green and energetic. How is life with your mate?”

  Orriko gave him a grin that spoke volumes. The lazy satisfaction sent a spurring of envy through Thaxis but only because he had met Bael Hislar, and the woman was truly a creature worth winning.

  “Another question then. Do any Terrans have blue and green hair?”

  Orriko frowned. “Not that I am aware. I can ask Lillibeth if you like.”

  Thaxis hesitated before he found himself saying, “Yes, the sooner the better.”

  Orriko got to his feet and popped out of his office for a moment. When he returned, he was frowning. “Lillibeth wants to know if there was something strange about the eyes.”

  Thaxis nodded. “Yes. No colour at all.”

  Bael Lerock disappeared again. He returned and sat back at his desk. “The woman you describe is on the orbital station. She was put in place as an alternate to this listening station when it was unsure as to whether I would allow this post to remain open. Apparently, we are a strategic centre.”

  “So, she really is that colour?”

  Orriko shrugged. “Apparently. Now, how do you know about her?”

  Thaxis sat back and sighed. “I have been seeing her in my dreams for weeks. Last night, I saw her attacked, and when I woke, there was the feeling of her wounds on my chest.”

  Orriko looked at him, and there was astonishment on his face. “Do you think you are dream locking with her?”

  “If she is real, I know I am dreaming with her. Now, what do I do about it? There is no way for me to contact her.” Thaxis was younger than Orriko by half a century, but right now, he felt very old indeed.

  How could he protect a woman he had never met, thousands of miles away in a station he had never seen?

  “How much of the station have you seen in your dreams?” Orriko was taking the practical approach.

  Thaxis groaned. “Not enough. I don’t have enough of a grasp on her location or the rooms surrounding her tank.”

  Bael Hislar appeared as he spoke the last. “Tank?”

  She was wearing Ikanni clothing but only barely. Her breasts were wrapped with a wide swath of silk and a flowing skirt was paneled to show her legs with every motion. Her long, dark hair was arranged in waves, and despite her odd colouration by Ikanni standards, her body was truly striking.

  “Yes, she is suspended in a liquid if the computer does not call for defence.” He answered her question.

  Bael Hislar put her hand on her mate’s shoulder. The cuffs of her station gleamed on her wrists and biceps. “That so
unds like a station guard. They are used on unmanned stations as a defence of last resort. Is there one on the orbital station?”

  Thaxis ran his hands through his hair. “Yes, but she doesn’t look at all like you, or the species specs for Terrans.”

  Bael Hislar inclined her head. “I can check the records. Describe her.”

  Thaxis described the woman of his dreams, and Orriko’s mate narrowed her eyes, her lids showing the darting of her pupils.

  “Kaia Whynot is the officer on duty at Ikanni orbital station. There was one attack on the station in the last two days. She has sent out a call for backup, but it will not arrive before the incoming Raiders will.”

  Orriko sat up straight. “We are under attack?”

  She shook her head. “No. The station is. They boost and project the signals that the array here on the ground catches. If I don’t have a clear shot, they take the signal and bounce it off the relays until it reaches the Sector Guard.”

  “Damn.” Orriko was disappointed. It showed on his face.

  Thaxis watched Bael Hislar pat her mate on the shoulder. “There, there, Orriko. I am sure that there is a fight in it somewhere.”

  He reached up and took her hand, pressing a kiss to the interior of her wrist while Thaxis watched.

  Bael Hislar inclined her head toward Thaxis. “Good to see you again, Bael Norwen.”

  She disappeared, and Orriko sighed at the loss of her presence.

  Thaxis cocked his head. “You seem to be settling in well with your new mate.”

  “She is a handful, but she is a capable leader that the women and younger members of our clan look to for guidance.” Orriko’s voice was low, and Thaxis definitely felt a pang of jealousy for the happiness at the expression on the other male’s face.

  “Right. Well, based on the treaties that we have with your clan, you will provide us with half a dozen men, and we will trade it for…Ah!” Pain seared through the centre of his chest.

  “Thaxis? What is it?”

  His ears roared as an image came to him of a room full of Raiders pointing weapons at him and one firing repeatedly into the body of the woman in his dreams. He felt each impact as if it were burning his own flesh. “I have to go.”

  Orriko was on his feet, but Thaxis waved him off.

  Drawing on the power of his Heshi, Thaxis used the peculiar talent of his inner being to transport himself to the room he saw in his mind.

  He appeared behind the Raiders gathered around and kicking the body of his woman. That was about to stop. He grabbed two and transported them into the wall. Their bodies did not mix well with the metal.

  The next two received the same treatment. Fury boiled his blood, and he dispatched the next half dozen by reaching into their chests and ripping their hearts out via transportation. When his laboured breathing was the only sound on the station, he looked down at the woman with the white eyes and riot of blue and green hair.

  Three of the men were dead on the ground near the body, her guns were next to each hand. She must have come out with guns blazing and been hopelessly outgunned.

  Thaxis lifted her in his arms and felt her shudder. “Still alive!”

  He gathered the last of his energy and transported them back to his clan, outside the home of their healer. He raised his fist and pounded once on the door before he fell to the ground.

  “Bael Norwen!” Gathika looked down at him in shock.

  “Help her.” His expenditure of energy caught up with him, and he sat helplessly while Gathika and her mate brought his woman in and began to heal her.

  Once Gathika was working, Torrimak helped him up and into their tidy home. “What can you tell us about the injuries?”

  “Energy weapons that burned their way into her skin through her armour.”

  Gathika nodded. “That is what it looks like. Tor, help me get this burned suit off so I can see the damage. She is stable for now.”

  Thaxis looked at them, “Keep her alive, Gathika. That is an order.”

  The healer nodded, her white hair tumbling over her shoulders, “It will be done, Bael. You may count on me. Rest now.”

  Chapter Two

  Kaia woke in a bed that bore no resemblance to her home tube. She looked around, and her motion brought a female figure to her feet.

  “You are awake.” The woman had snow-white hair, black skin that had a velvety texture and red eyes that should have been frightening but were, in fact, very kind.

  “Where am I?” She struggled to sit up and found herself incredibly weak.

  “You are on Ikanni. Our Bael brought you in with severe damage three days ago.”

  “Bael?”

  “Leader of our clan.” The woman reached out and touched her forehead before running a palm up her abdomen. “Your healing is coming along, but I am concerned by your lack of pigment.”

  Kaia smiled. “That I can answer. It is not that I have a lack of pigment but that my body produces a white colouration. It was an adjustment that went horribly wrong. I can’t even remember what my original colouring was.”

  The woman smiled and got to her feet. “I am Gathika, but you can call me Gathy.”

  “Kaia.” She coughed weakly.

  Gathy turned with a wooden cup full of water and helped her sit up with an arm around her shoulders.

  Kaia sipped, coughed and sipped again until the entire cup of water and herbs was swallowed.

  “What was in the water?”

  Gathy smiled and set the cup aside. “Just some herbs to help your digestion resume. We were not able to wake you, so water was all that we could get past your lips.”

  Kaia licked her lips. The taste of mint and citrus seemed to grow as she sat and waited.

  “How did I get down here?” She looked around at the smooth white wood walls and the bright furnishings. There were a few small hints of tech in the corners and on the desk, but mostly, it was a low-tech house that any world could offer.

  Gathy sat at the edge of the bed and put her hand on Kaia’s sternum. Warmth flowed from her hand into Kaia’s skin, and she concentrated on keeping her breathing even.

  The moment that Gathy finished her contact, Kaia asked again. “You didn’t explain. How did I get down here?”

  “It is not really for me to explain. I am strictly here to keep you alive. Now, please excuse me. I have to get my husband to run the message to the Bael.”

  Gathy walked to the door, and when she opened it, a male turned with a smile. She leaned up and he leaned down.

  Kaia watched their kiss with fascination. Only their lips touched, but they were more in tune with each other than many couples actually having sex.

  “Tor, you can tell Bael Norwen that she is awake.”

  The pointed ears of the male were far more obvious than on Gathy, but it was no doubt, Kaia was in the company of the elves of Admar.

  As they parted, the male simply disappeared without walking away. Gathy turned and smiled. “There, that is all taken care of.”

  “What is taken care of?”

  “Bael Norwen has been checking in every three hours. Yesterday, I finally got him to agree to wait until I sent for him. He will be here shortly.”

  “Who is Bael Norwen?” She frowned.

  A man with huge shoulders, midnight skin and blazing red eyes came through the door, and without a word, he scooped her up into his arms, sheets and all.

  They moved from the cozy room to one much larger with a definite masculine stamp. He placed her gently on the bed and smoothed her hair from her face. “I am Bael Norwen.”

  He kissed her, a slow and lingering kiss that would have sent her to the floor if she had been standing. When he backed away, he stroked her hair from her face, and he smiled.

  Recognition flickered through her. “You!”

  He grinned and kissed her again. “Me. You recognize me then?”

  “You have been sneaking into my dreams for the last month.”

  “Hardly. I have been pulled into
your dreams for the last month. I want to make sure you are aware of the distinction.” He smiled. “I am glad to see you awake and breathing.”

  Kaia pressed her hand to her chest. “I was shot. A lot.”

  He placed his hand over hers. “I thought you were dead.”

  She blinked. “I am not sure that I wasn’t.”

  “If you had been, Gathika could not have revived you.”

  “The station was under attack. How did you get there?”

  “Ah, the same way I took you from Gathika’s to here. I transported you. It is an Ikanni skill.” His hand on hers was warming her skin, bones and getting into her soul.

  “Interesting. So, why did you bring me here instead of leaving me with the healer?”

  He smiled and brushed her hair away from her face. “Torrimak was eager to have his wife back, and I wouldn’t allow him in his house as long as you were there.”

  She blinked. “Why not?”

  “Your clothing was destroyed. No male gets to see you naked but me.”

  She blinked and leaned back as far as she could with him inches from her face. “Bael Norwen, I don’t know what you are thinking, but I am not the kind of Terran who jumps into bed with just anyone.”

  He chuckled and leaned back to give her space. “That may be, but I have never shared dreams with another woman, and if you think I am going to let you out of my sight, let alone my bed, you have another thing coming.”

  He vanished in an instant, and when he returned a minute later, he carried a tray with a pitcher, two glasses and a bowl with something steaming in it.

  “Gathika told me you were to be confined to soup for a day and work your way up to toasted bread tomorrow.” He set the tray on the bed next to her.

  She scooted to sit up and carefully kept the fabric of the sheet tucked under her arms. Her hands trembled as she tried to take the bowl, and he pushed her quivering fingers aside. “Let me do it.”

  She scowled as he raised a spoon to her lips. “This is stupid.”

  “You will be back to yourself soon, and this will become a distant and somewhat embarrassing memory.”

  He was completely matter of fact about feeding her and that took the sting out of indignity of being spoon-fed.