by Olivia March
Gwen focused on her child the whole time, taking in the cap of bright red curls covering her dainty little skull, and her bright blue eyes that peered up at the healer when he laid her on the table. One tiny little hand rose and was immediately stuffed in her little rosebud mouth. That made her smile and, surprisingly, Nathal as well. Then he gently laid his large hand on Evie’s stomach and Gwen held her breath.
“You have a beautiful child, my lady, and a perfectly healthy one,” he said after a moment. “She needs to feed but I sense no physical ailments.”
Gwen smiled with relief and stepped forward to reclaim her baby but once again Helion halted her with that damned iron grip on her elbow.
“You’re sure of that, Nathal? The girl child seems very small.”
The dubious way Helion was eyeing her daughter pissed Gwen off, as did the restraining hold he still had on her arm. She’d done the best she could to keep Evelyn healthy. And though she knew she hadn’t done well enough, hearing Evie was healthy was such a relief Helion’s doubts rubbed her nerves raw.
“I’m positive, Commander. Her small physique must just be something typical for human offspring. From what I can see, the mother is quite small herself fully grown. Full-grown humans are nowhere near as robust as Keepers, so it stands to reason their offspring would also be more fragile than Keeper get. This child, though, is tiny, weighing no more than ten pounds, and the pale skin covering her bones is delicate and petal soft. She just needs some good rest and plenty of milk and I’m sure she will gain weight.”
Helion nodded, his eyes frankly assessing Gwen. Being the subject of such intense scrutiny was a new and uncomfortable feeling. She supposed she was small by their standards. Helion was head and shoulders above her and she imagined a Keeper female would be several inches taller than her too. That didn’t stop her face from reddening at being assessed in such a way, however.
“Yes…very well. You may hand me the child and inspect Lady Gwen now,” he finally replied, releasing Gwen to stride forward and claim her child. Gwen gasped in dismay but he had Evie in his hands before she could attempt to stop him. She grabbed his arm but didn’t pull on it, fearing his reaction. He was holding Evie’s tiny head in one hand and supporting her bottom with the other, and judging by Evie’s bright eyes, she seemed fine with this.
“Stop fretting, woman, and get on the table,” Helion said coldly, never taking his eyes off Evelyn. The way her tiny arms waved and her little feet kicked out seemed to fascinate him. He definitely wasn’t smiling but Gwen thought she detected a little softening of his expression when he looked at Evie.
Still, she resisted the urge to pound on the arrogant Keeper by dint of pure will only. She knew it wouldn’t harm the beast but she also knew she’d get a lot of satisfaction from it. Instead she allowed the healer Nathal to assist her onto the table and to lie down on her back. She knew what to expect now but when Nathal’s hand came down to rest lightly on her stomach, she felt her pulse hammer in anxiety.
Nathal frowned, something that caught Helion’s attention immediately. Gwen could see his gaze immediately leave Evie and focus in on Nathal.
“Commander, this woman is in bad shape. She’s starving, her body crying out for food and drink. And rest, lots of rest. My senses are telling me she’s on the verge of a complete physical collapse.”
Gwen was surprised to see Nathal appeared genuinely distressed she was in such condition. She couldn’t imagine why he cared, though, when he hardly knew her. The same applied to Helion as well. Why he’d made the effort to bring her and Evie to his camp, when he could have just left them to fend for themselves, was a mystery. She was even further shocked when the news of her condition made Helion’s eyes light with green fire again, but he didn’t seem surprised. And why should he? Gwen knew she looked like half-starved gutter trash. Once upon a time her hair had been a glossy auburn, her skin glowing with health, and her eyes a bright blue like Evie’s. Now she looked like a half-starved, filthy gutter rat.
“Food, drink and rest she will have, Nathal, I will be seeing to it personally. Come, Lady Gwen, you may have your child back now,” he drawled.
Gwen saw him smirk as she jumped as quickly off the table as if she’d been scalded, to reclaim her daughter. But clearly her little girl approved, as she smiled and cooed in that happy way she had. Gwen didn’t have time to enjoy that smile, though, because Helion grabbed their meager belongings and claimed her arm once again to steer them from the tent.
“Where are you taking us now?” she asked wearily, holding her girl close to her chest once again. Her anxiety levels spiked as she and Evie were dragged through the camp, closely scrutinized by Keepers relaxing in front of their tents.
“You heard the healer, woman. You need food and rest. We’re going to my tent where I can make sure you receive both,” he replied in a cool voice, cutting through his soldiers efficiently, not stopping but nodding to return their bows.
Gwen gasped in dismay, which he of course completely ignored. They were going to his tent? That’s where he expected them to stay? No way. That just wouldn’t work—it couldn’t! She couldn’t share a living space with this huge, frosty, obnoxious Keeper. Not only was he pushy and cold but he was also…just too damn sexy. He stood head and shoulders over her, had serious bedroom eyes, and underneath that armor she had no doubt there was a body made for sin. Her temperature would never get back to normal if she had to actually live with him. That escape plan she’d started formulating in the back of her mind was now her number-one priority.
Helion strode into his tent, pulling the reluctant woman through with him. If he were a lesser Keeper, he’d be annoyed by her obvious desperation to avoid his company. But as a warrior Keeper and a crown prince of the Light Keepers of the Deep Forest, he was confident in his personal appeal to females. Human females might not find him appealing but that was hardly a negative. His manservant, the ever-efficient Verdun, stood at attention waiting for him, as he did whenever Helion was present in the camp. As eager as Helion was for a good scrub down, first things first.
“Ah, Verdun, good. This human is Lady Gwen and the female child is her daughter Evelyn. They will be staying with me for the time being. We will need food and baths right away and a bed for her with extra blankets—she’s frozen half to death.”
Helion enjoyed the look on Verdun’s face for a moment. The poor Keeper wasn’t easily shocked but Helion had accomplished it in spades this time. The normally stoic Keeper had a wide-open mouth as he scurried from the tent. Helion couldn’t blame him. He was more than a little surprised himself by his own actions this day. Taking a little human and her child under his wing? His single-minded purpose in coming to this planet, the total destruction of the Scourge, was now muddled by his unexpected guests. What he was going to do about that, though, he didn’t yet know.
“Welcome to your new home for the time being, little mother. Verdun will make sure you are comfortable here. It’s a special talent he has. You may make yourself at home, but never touch my weapons. You’re more likely to harm yourself than be able to use them to escape. Understood?”
Helion had been walking to his armor chest while he talked but when he got no answer to his query, he turned back. The woman still stood where he’d left her at the front of the tent. Her mouth was agape as she stared around as if she’d never seen the inside of a tent before. Helion looked as well, taking in the soothing amethyst color, his custom bed in the corner, the large table where his officers sat to eat and confer about the next move in their campaign. It was all fairly standard and he couldn’t imagine what was so shocking to her.
Helion shrugged and strode over to his armor chest. His armor needed to be cleaned and he was more than eager to cleanse the taint of Scourge from his body. He methodically removed each piece of armor, laying it down on the chest for Verdun to pick up for cleaning. He had just removed his chest piece when he heard the woman gasp behind him. He spun around to face her and saw she was still gaping…b
ut this time at him.
Helion quirked a brow at this. Beneath his plate he wore a skintight body suit that further protected his skin from Scourge blades. He hadn’t yet removed that, so why she was staring at him like he’d grown two heads eluded him. Perhaps it wasn’t just shock though… Helion’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully as his senses finally honed past the smell of Scourge death and in on the girl’s scent. She wasn’t scared of him. She was shocked, yes, but shocked…and aroused.
Helion was intrigued by this. When he caught her eye, the female turned red again, clearly embarrassed to be caught looking at his body. Had the woman never seen a man’s body before? Since she had a child, he doubted she was that innocent. But her full mouth was agape and her face was as red as her titian hair, so he had to wonder whether prudishness was a human thing or just a personal quirk of hers. He was about to peel off his body suit to embarrass her further when Verdun reentered the tent, a score of Keepers behind him carrying food, the tub and buckets of water.
“You may choose how you want to do this, Lady. There is only one tub. You may eat first and bathe second, or I will eat while you bathe.”
Helion watched her closely, noticing the telltale signs of increased nerves: the convulsing throat, the erratic breathing, the increased heart rate. As amazing as it seemed, it appeared the little human really was responding to him. Even knowing how uncomfortable he made her, he couldn’t resist adding, “Or we could bathe together. I could use some help with my hair.”
More embarrassment, but this time…another flicker of desire? Now he felt lust rush through his own body. He’d figured all she felt toward him was fear and resentment, but desire, that she might be attracted to him, that was a strange concept. Strange, but not displeasing. He was a male, after all, and it had been a long time since he’d had a woman beneath him. If the little human wanted to play, he’d certainly oblige her.
“I need to feed Evelyn before I do anything else,” she replied, breaking his eye contact with her to look down at her wide-eyed little girl.
Helion could tell the child was getting restless and starting to root on Gwen’s chest for milk. The woman wasn’t looking at him, so she missed the wicked glint that entered his eyes.
“By all means, my lady. Please proceed. The sooner you feed the young one, the sooner you too can eat. I can hear your stomach protesting its neglect clear across the room.”
“I need a little privacy for that,” his captive stammered back, her gaze jumping up to meet his, clearly uncomfortable with the speculative look in every male pair of eyes, including Helion’s.
He grinned a little then, enjoying her discomfort. But once his bath was full, he dismissed everyone, including Nathal. He had no intention of leaving himself, which put the woman in a rather difficult situation. Clearly she didn’t want Helion in the room while she did this but there was no way he was giving up a hot bath for the sake of her misplaced modesty. The stale stench of Scourge blood offended his strong sense of smell. He wanted, no needed, to be clean again as soon as possible.
“There you are, little mother. The room is clear now for you to feed your young. Don’t worry. They won’t come back until I call for them.”
As he spoke, he began removing his secondary body armor, his body suit. He’d gotten it peeled down to his waist, holding Gwen’s gaze the whole time, before her nerve finally broke and she turned away from him, showing her profile. Smart girl, turning one’s back on Helion was never wise. It was lucky for her that she did turn, otherwise she’d have seen the predatory smile that crept over his face. Knowing his body affected her, aroused her, was a powerful aphrodisiac for Helion. Now that he knew she wanted him, he didn’t have to hide that he wanted her too. And he fully intended to have her.
“Surely there’s some place I can do this in private, Commander. You’re bathing, and to feed her I have to…expose myself,” she stammered, bouncing the child to keep her calm. Helion followed the movement but didn’t see the child. He saw only Gwen’s breasts. They looked like a tasty handful but he wouldn’t peek at her bared form until he had her agreement. He wasn’t a cad.
“I won’t peek if you don’t, human. You are under my protection and will reside in my tent until I release you. I would think your daughter’s needs would come before any misplaced modesty.” Helion’s voice held more steel this time, not willing to let Gwen’s modesty interfere with caring for herself and the child. They both needed food, baths and rest, Nathal had been quite specific. As her protector now, Helion was determined to bring the little mother and her child back up to full health as soon as possible.
“I can sense the child getting more frantic, little mother. My attendants are gone, feed the young one.” Helion’s voice sounded languid, but he infused it with a bite of command as well. When the girl eyed a chair and turned to face away from him, he nodded, satisfied. Then he quickly stripped off the rest of his garments and climbed into the heavenly water. He cleaned himself leisurely, thinking about the girl while he did. How much nicer would it be to have her hands on him instead of his own? Washing him, touching him with those delicate fingers…mmm.
Chapter Four
Gwen could feel the heat in her face reach the level of inferno—no doubt she could fry an egg on it at this point. The damn Keeper was mocking her again. He knew she didn’t want to do this in front of him. Gwen cursed her red hair in that moment. And her complexion. Both of them were the bane of her life. She cursed her childish inability to look over a naked man without burning crimson in embarrassment. She’d lasted all of a minute, just enough time to see him bare his strong arms and muscled chest, the latter tapering down to some serious washboard abs. Then she’d lost her nerve and turned away. If she’d managed a little longer, she could have compared Keeper equipment to human men’s equipment, but she hadn’t dared.
Truth be told, her knowledge of the male anatomy was mostly academic anyway. Her ex, Steven, had been a strictly-to-the point sort. Barely any foreplay and he’d never been much concerned with her pleasure. Mostly he’d just climbed on top of her and thrust inside a few times before he was done and snoring. It’d hurt the first time, since she’d been a virgin, but after that the experience had just been somewhat boring.
Something told her sex with Helion would be a whole different animal, assuming sex between their two species was even possible. And damn she didn’t even need to be thinking about this but the sound of his clothes hitting the floor and the small splash as he got into the tub made it hard to think about anything else. All those muscles…soaking wet… Gah, she couldn’t think about that. The Keeper creature was ordering her around like a child, forcing her to do what he wanted over and over. She had no business being attracted to him.
Gwen’s shoulders stiffened as she waged an internal battle between her instinct for self-preservation that warned her to be wary of him and her temper that wanted to lash out at him. Self-preservation won finally and she walked over to the table to seat herself in a chair. Helion did not seem the type to tolerate defiance and she’d already attempted to defy him a half a dozen times since they met. No matter how much he angered her, she needed to keep her cool.
“Don’t slap the offensive Keeper, don’t slap the offensive Keeper,” Gwen chanted under her breath, sitting on the plush chair with her back to him. How dare he criticize her as a mother. For the last three months she’d put her life on the line over and over again to protect her daughter, to keep her warm, fed and alive. She’d done her best, even knowing her best really wasn’t that great. Then this Keeper swooped in, saved the day, kidnapped them and then had the gall to judge her.
God, he scared her so much. She feared his strength, his coldness, his ruthlessness. It wasn’t wise to defy him, even though she wanted to every time he opened his mouth. And now here she sat, listening with a bit too much focus to him bathe while she pulled down her top and let Evelyn eagerly latch on for her meal. She was in a room with a naked Keeper, with her breasts exposed. And despite her fear, sh
e found it oddly…arousing. She feared him but perversely also lusted after him. All that masculine perfection bared just feet away from her—it took everything she had not to peep.
As foolish as it was, he was arousing her interest as a woman, despite her fear. It shocked her and dismayed her but she had felt her body responding to the sight of Helion disrobing. Her temperature was still rising and her skin felt a little tight. Her brain went fuzzy even as her throat dried up, so hopefully no one expected a coherent thought from her any time soon. Clearly she’d been neglecting her physical needs for too long when the sight of a nearly naked alien was getting her hot…so freaking hot. Wow.
If she were being honest with herself, Gwen had to admit the situation could have been much worse. The Scourge would have killed her and Evelyn earlier but they had been saved. Now they were in a warm tent where there was a table full of delicious-smelling food waiting for her and the promise of a warm bed to sleep in. So far the Keepers hadn’t harmed them. The cold Commander had forced her to bend to his will but not with any violence. He’d saved their lives and didn’t seem inclined to harm them and Gwen had to be grateful for that.
So she remained seated until Evelyn had gotten her fill, burping her a couple times, until Evie cuddled drowsily against her chest, content. Every little puff of her baby’s breath on her neck was a sweet treasure to Gwen. Her baby was alive and warm and happy. That was all Gwen had craved for her for the past three months on the run and she owed that to the Keeper lounging in the tub behind her.
Gwen had become so preoccupied with listening to her daughter’s sweet breathing she didn’t even notice when the splashing stopped until her white-haired rescuer was suddenly standing in front of her, draped in a deep-green robe. The robe covered all of his body save a large triangle of chest, and no, that wasn’t disappointment she felt, dammit.
