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Brenawyn has lived life with one goal, survival. When Tracker of the Sector Guard lands on her planet she tries to buy herself some time at his expense and ends up with him and travelling to the Citadel.
Training and teaching for four years, no one is more surprised than Bren when Tracker comes in, his body desperately needing her attention.
After the healing he gives her another option, instead of languishing at the Citadel she can join him at Teklan base.
She keeps him in suspense for the entire nine seconds that it takes her to make up her mind, and then they simply have to negotiate for her freedom. Easy.
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A Healing Caress
Copyright © 2012 Viola Grace
ISBN: 978-1-77111-126-3
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 Devine Destinies
An imprint of eXtasy Books
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A Healing Caress
Tales of the Citadel - Book 3
By
Viola Grace
Chapter One
Bren tried to make herself as small as possible while she eyed her mark. “I think I can get it.”
Therin looked at her speculatively. “Are you sure you want to try it? We can find something else for you to do.”
His hand caressed her shoulder and she quickly shook it off. “I can do this. Don’t worry about it.”
The mark in question was one of the new Sector Guardsmen and he had a pouch that had to contain something of value. Bren just needed to get his attention and remove that pouch.
Therin had been threatening to sell her to a brothel and if she wasn’t able to maintain her keep, she wouldn’t be able to stop him from breaking her in. With her family long gone, Therin was the only caretaker she had and despite her past triumphs, her maturing body was becoming more of a hindrance than a help. She could work well as a distraction for others, but the local constables knew her face by now and it was no longer easy for her to work in the shadows.
If she managed to score, she might be able to buy herself a little more time before the family kicked her out. Life after that would depend on her ability to survive on her own.
She fluffed out her hair and walked past the Guardsman’s table. She smiled at him and he inclined his head politely. She got a cup of tea from the server and walked back across the room just in time for Therin to bump her into the Guardsman and she ended up in his lap. His arm was around her waist and he looked as surprised as she was.
“Oh dear. I am so sorry about that. Did I spill any tea on you?” She tried to struggle to her feet, but he held her.
“No. Are you all right?” His concern was touching.
“I am fine. Just a little jostled. Where did that guy go anyway?” She looked around for Therin, but he was long gone.
“He left and is two blocks away. He was moving at a pretty good clip.”
Her hand on his pouch tightened. “How could you possibly know that?”
“All Guardsmen have talents, sweetling. Tracking is mine.”
She swallowed and smiled. “Good to know. Have a good afternoon, sir.”
He helped her to his feet and returned to his tea and the information he was reading on his data pad.
She walked slowly out of the shop and the moment she was clear, she ran for it. If he could track her, she had to get somewhere neutral where she could examine his pouch before she continued her flight.
The animal pens near the spaceport were just the place she needed to be. If he was tracking her by scent, the smell might throw him off and if it were by aura, the amount of bodies there would also add cover.
Sitting in a corner surrounded by small marsupials, she opened the pouch. A small communicator fell out and as she shook the pouch again to see if there was anything that she was missing. “Damn it!”
Her life with the family had just come to a screeching halt.
Tears welled in her eyes and to her surprise one of the creatures brought her its child. The baby was small and weak and despite Bren’s depression, she couldn’t help but reach out to take the little one.
She stroked the small body slowly and let her energy run along its fur. As she began to synchronize her strokes to the tiny heartbeat, the beat increased. She healed the small body and the creature immediately turned and screamed for its mother.
Smiling at the return to the living for the little one, Bren handed her back to her mother. The marsupial chattered and hugged its little one as it scampered off to feed.
“You are good with animals.”
She stifled her scream as the Guardsman stood at the edge of the animal pen. He had a smile on his grey features, the expression giving him a more fearsome countenance.
“How did you find me?”
“I told you, I am a tracker. In fact, Tracker is my call sign. What were you looking for when you stole that pouch?” His words were soft and controlled. There was no anger, merely curiosity.
It took her a while, but she eventually blurted out, “Something worth money. I need it to stay in the family and out of the brothels.”
He blinked at her and tilted his head. His black hair slithered over his shoulder and across the chest whose width was enhanced by the pattern embossed in the bodysuit. His boots were Masuo, she could tell by the faithful fit. That alone showed that he had money, as well as the tailored suit.
“Could you give me enough money to pay off the family?”
He tilted his head the other way. “That is only a temporary solution. I can offer you a more permanent fix.”
She was immediately wary. “What kind of situation do you have in mind?”
His chuckle was rich and she found herself watching him to see if the column of his throat would contract in that fascinating way again.
“I can offer you a position in the Citadel. They will train you to use that healing talent you just used and they will keep you away from those who will try and use you in ways that make you uncomfortable.”
Hope flared in her. “I can’t pay you anything.”
“There is no pay needed. The Citadel will clothe, feed and shelter you and your talent will earn the money back after you have been trained. You will work for your keep but never have to do anything that you don’t wish to. Your body will be your own.”
She slowly got to her feet. “When can we go?”
He grinned. “I am on leave and I have a shuttle. We can leave right now.”
She walked around the animals and climbed out the same way she had gotten in. “Good, I think that Therin will be looking for me soon.”
She walked up to Tracker and handed him the communicator and his pouch. “I am sorry that I took it.”
“I understand your motivation, better than you can imagine. Now, let’s get you somewhere where you won’t have to wo
rry about brothels or Therin.” He smiled and returned the pouch to his waist, slipping the communicator inside.
He walked with her at his side through the animal pens and toward the shuttle pads. Tracker nodded to the constables that they passed and while the men glared at Bren, they gave him the respect due his station.
A male stepped in front of him and the badges on his uniform denoted an emigration officer.
“I am sorry, Guardsman, but you can’t take one of our citizens off world without documentation.” The emigration official was on the final approach to the ships and he looked less than impressed with Tracker.
“I have authorization to arrest any person for any crime I see fit. It is within my purview. This young woman attempted to pick my pocket and in the process, she was privy to certain confidential details that will have to be dealt with by a minder.” He caught Bren with one hand on her arm and it was not a friendly hand.
The emigration official looked at his posture and read something in his face that Bren could not see. “On your way then, sir. The less of this street trash left here the better.”
Bren wanted to retort, but Tracker hauled her along past the official and he let them go.
Tracker continued his determined stride until they were actually inside the shuttle and he sealed it before he released her. “I apologize, but he wasn’t going to let you pass. Therin was on his way.”
She froze in surprise. “How do you know that?”
“I am a Tracker. Once I attach to a target, I keep it on my sensory web.” He gestured to the navigator station. “Please have a seat. We will get under way as soon as we can get clearance.”
Bren quickly strapped in and waited, facing the most technology she had ever seen. Everything was so shiny and bright. The ship was as new as the section of the Alliance that had spawned it.
The Sector Guard had been in operation less than two years, but already, they had saved lives that numbered in the billions. Entire planets had benefited from their existence and a few species even had collector items based around their own Guardsman.
Bren had seen the figures and holograms in the local markets as well as with younger travellers who were passing through. “Where is your partner?”
Tracker’s voice was a little surprised. “I don’t have one. Why?”
“I thought all of the Guardsmen were in teams.”
“No. Not yet. We all find our partners when the time is right.” Tracker’s voice was amused. He slid into the pilot’s seat and arranged for clearance.
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry. It is a common question.”
The magnetic lifts gripped the shuttle and moved them into the launch area. Bren couldn’t believe it. She was actually going to fly through space.
Her entire life she had been grounded on Gwellen and now, she was going to join an organization respected throughout the Alliance. It was either that or Tracker was lying to her, but she wasn’t sure that he was. He seemed genuinely impressed with her talent with animals and she was eager to escape the future that loomed ahead of her. Anything was better than Therin and the brothels.
Chapter Two
Four years later…
Healer Brenawyn worked with her patient, stroking the soft skin until the body’s harmonies took on an even pulse. She looked up at the worried face next to her and smiled. “She will be fine. A healthy girl.”
“Thank you, Healer Bren. I wasn’t sure who to call at this time of night. The other healers don’t like to come out here before dawn.”
“It is my pleasure, Heva. Every farmer deserves a little peace of mind.” Bren got to her feet and wiped her hands on a towel that the farmer held out. “She is a fine calf. Her mother did a wonderful job.”
“She’s a good cow, but we may have lost them both if you hadn’t come when I called.”
Bren grinned and then yawned. “I enjoy it. I really do.”
Heva chuckled. “Let’s get you washed up, a cup of tea in you and then back to the Citadel with you.”
Bren sleepily followed along after one last look at her patient and her newborn. The soft smile stayed on her lips through morning tea and the trip back to the Citadel. As she yawned again, she checked her chronometer. If she were quick, she would be able to take a shower and get into her instructor robes instead of her current clothing choice. The leathers were functional when she was dealing with animals, but they were not appropriate clothing for an instructor.
No one was stirring yet, but the nocturnal staff was looking a little worse for wear. Bren waved at the kitchen staff as she swung through for a bit of breakfast or dinner, depending on your point of view. Munching on the sandwich she had slapped together, she returned to her rooms and peeled off her blood-smeared clothing.
As she luxuriated under the hot water pouring out of her fixtures, she thought back to her early beginnings. It seemed every time she delivered a new life, it made her more introspective about her own.
She remembered her parents. They had been Trinial settlers who had tried to start a new life on Gwellen. Eight years after Brenawyn entered the world, her parents left it during a fever outbreak. She had been alone in an empty house when Therin found her.
He had been scavenging during the plague and when she tried to defend her property against invasion, he had been amused. He hauled her struggling and screaming to the family and they had taken her in.
Training had been hard, but eventually, she had become one of the best pickpockets in the family. If only her face had not been so memorable, she might have been able to remain in the family and to have eventually married. As it was though, Therin had applied to be her husband. They had refused. She was not suitable to breed for the family. They wanted the physically unremarkable to continue in their illegal traditions.
If Tracker had not found her, she had no doubt that she would be dead by now. The brothels were not fond of whores who believed in death before dishonour.
Bren’s life at the Citadel was calm, serene and well ordered. The only thing that disrupted her schedule was the night calls from local farmers.
Other healers were fixated on saving sentient lives, but Bren wasn’t picky. Any life was worth her talent and the fact that it showed was why she was constantly called for assistance with animals that simply could not get back on their feet without help.
Bren’s class was all about healing anything that came one’s way. Her students usually came in with a smug sense that animals were beneath them, but after a few days, most of them came around to the fact that you never ignored the possibility that you may need the same creature that you refused to treat.
With a reluctant sigh, she left her shower and towelled her pale white gold hair. It got in the way when she went out on calls, so she braided it. It was a luxury to be up early enough for it to dry completely, so today, she enjoyed the heavy curtain against the small of her back as she wandered around her rooms.
The com beeped and Bren sighed. With a quick tightening of her towel, she went to answer the call. It was Doctor Tinneer.
“Good morning, Doctor. What can I do for you today?”
He twisted his lips slightly. “We need you in medical. We have an emergency on the way.”
“There are a dozen healers in residence. What can a vet do for you?” His disdain of her talent still rankled.
“I said I was sorry that I called you that.”
She waved away his comment. “What do you need?”
“The patient is refusing to be seen by anyone but you, so we need you here.”
She blinked. “Who is the patient?”
“A member of the Sector Guard. He was injured on assignment and we are closer than his base. Will you come?”
“I am on my way.” She sighed, apparently her hair wasn’t going to have amnesty today either. She shrugged into her gown and robes, stomped into her boots and braided her hair as she walked, fastening it just before she entered medical.
“Doctor Tinneer. When does t
he patient arrive?”
The doctor jerked as if struck. “His ship isn’t answering, but it is on our monitors.”
Bren didn’t need to hear anymore. She took off for the shuttle pad at a full run.
The robes didn’t lend themselves to easy manoeuvring, but she managed to get to the landing pad just as the shuttle touched down. The seal on the door opened and she vaulted inside before the stairs descended.
She didn’t panic at the sight of all the blood, merely moved toward the pilot area where her patient was waiting. “Tracker. What the hell happened to you?”
Bren caressed his neck, learning his rhythm and the moment that she synched with him, she increased his body’s speed for tissue healing and blood production.
Her talent wasn’t to force her will on the bodies of her patients but rather to bring their bodies back online and use their own energy to heal themselves. It was why she liked healing animals—they didn’t fight her caress the same way that sentients did.
Tracker’s dark eyes fluttered open, his naturally grey skin gaining colour as his body worked to repair its damage.
“Take it easy, Tracker. You lost most of your blood through the punctures on your chest and thigh. Just relax and breathe.” She kept her tone low and he focussed on her, the intensity in his gaze made her his lifeline.
With her left hand stroking his neck, her right moved to his thigh and sped the tissue healing from the inside out.
He licked his lips and smiled. “Bren, you seem to be thriving.”
She laughed. “And you look like hell.”
Bren desperately wanted to check her hair and the fit of her robes as his gaze wandered over her. She had been in the final stages of her adolescence as a twenty-year-old Trinial and in the last four years, she had filled out, her hips had curved and breasts had grown to the point that she didn’t look like a young Tival boy anymore. With the thick, concealing fabric, she was hidden from him, but she wasn’t sure that it was a desirable situation.
