Hunters

by Michelle Marquis; Lindsey Bayer

  He groaned.

  “Come on.” She dragged him to his feet by the arm. “I have to get you to a doctor and I can’t lift you up by myself. You’re going to have to help me as best you can.”

  “What for?” He was slurring his speech like a drunk. “I’m fine. Just a little nauseous, that’s all.”

  “I can’t do anything else. You need a doctor.” Harmony leaned him against the hyperia, who surprised her by lowering itself to the ground so Tanner could mount up. I guess these things really are intelligent. Who would have thought? She was so grateful she stroked the creature’s neck until Tanner managed to climb into the saddle. “Move back,” she said.

  Tanner scooted back to make room for her. Harmony climbed on in front of him.

  “Well, well, I never thought I’d see the day you’d willingly mount up on one of these things.”

  Harmony nudged the animal with her ankles to let it know they were ready. The mount got to its feet much like a camel, then trotted a few yards before breaking into an easy canter.

  Tanner wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. “Wait a minute,” he said, twisting to look behind them. “Where’s Prime?”

  “I cut him loose,” Harmony said. “He doesn’t matter anymore. He’s dead.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  It was late morning by the time they made it back. Harmony rushed Tanner to the Imperial Medical Clinic on the edge of the city.

  She burst in the doors, half carrying, half dragging the semi-conscious hunter, and yelled orders at the confused staff. Frantically she told them what happened as they helped her get him into a room.

  As soon as Tanner hit the bed, the doctor promptly ejected her from the room. She wandered back down the white stone hallway until she found the waiting room. She plopped onto a bench and leaned back, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her forehead on them.

  About an hour had passed when General Gavin Theron arrived through the sliding glass doors. He looked even more colossal in the cramped waiting room. He was dressed in a handsome black uniform with gold piping along the cuffs and high collar. He came over and sat next to her on the bench seat.

  “How is your…” He paused. “I’m not quite sure what to call him.”

  “He’s my lover,” Harmony replied.

  Gavin nodded and stretched out his long legs, propping them up on the short table in front of them, his spurs gouging a deep furrow into the wood. “How is he then?”

  “I don’t know. I was kicked out so I’m still waiting to hear something.”

  “My wife is the Chief Physician and is also human. He couldn’t be in better hands. She’s pulled me back from the brink of death on more than one occasion.”

  Harmony nodded grimly and rubbed at a patch of dirt on her palm.

  Gavin twisted in his seat and glanced out the glass doors at her mount. “I didn’t notice Prime with you.”

  She stared at him, trying to read his mood. Is he angry I showed up here without my bounty? She took out her portable data console and showed him a holographic image taken right after Prime’s death. “He’s dead. We were forced to kill him. I tried to haul him back but I had to cut him loose. Tanner was very ill and I was afraid if I didn’t get him back here, he might—”

  “I understand.”

  A second of tense silence passed between them. Harmony slipped the console back into her pocket. She didn’t get the impression the general was angry, just that he wasn’t used to comforting people. She understood. She wasn’t exactly used to being comforted.

  Gavin pulled a long cigar from his tunic and examined it briefly before placing it in his teeth. “Forgive me for saying this but I never thought you would fall in love with anyone, let alone another hunter.”

  Harmony grinned sadly. “Is it that obvious? Well, I was completely caught off guard by this one. I sure hope your wife is as good as you say because I’m just now getting used to the idea of being in love. I’d hate to lose it this quick.”

  “She’s the best. I assure you, if your lover can be saved he will be. On a separate note, I’ll send some men out to see if we can locate the hydrocore. Perhaps we can transport it back for you.”

  Harmony shook her head. “We were being shadowed by a few predators. I’m sure they’ve scavenged it by now.”

  Gavin stood up. “It won’t hurt to look. I’ve got plenty of men with lots of time on their hands.”

  Harmony shrugged, defeated. She could care less if they found Prime or not. All that mattered was Tanner. “I guess not.”

  “No matter what we find, Harmony,” Gavin said, “I’ll see to it that you get your bounty.”

  “I appreciate that, General,” she said, trying to be polite. She just wanted the conversation to end. “Thanks.”

  An attractive human woman with rich black hair walked toward them wearing jeans, a red knit top and a lab coat. She smiled warmly at the general then turned her attention to Harmony. “Don’t worry about your boyfriend. You got him here just in time. He’s going to be all right.”

  “What about his leg?” Harmony asked, expecting the worst.

  “I was able to save it without too much permanent damage. You were a great nurse. Those hydrocore bites don’t often end up this well. He’ll have a lot to be thankful for when he wakes up.”

  “Yeah,” Harmony said, smiling. “I will too.”

  Chapter Forty

  Tanner woke to find Harmony asleep in the chair next to his bed. Her thick mane of brown hair rested messily over her neck and cheek as if she’d just tossed her head to the side and fallen asleep where she sat. She looked prettier than an angel and in that moment, all he wanted was to touch her.

  Sitting up, he took inventory of his aches and pains. He had a mild headache and his leg throbbed painfully but other than that, he felt good. Great even. The room was bathed in a soft darkness that suggested it would be dawn soon.

  Reaching out, he took Harmony’s limp hand in his. Her long lashes fluttered like a butterfly alighting on a flower and her copper eyes met his. A rush of pure joy filled him.

  Harmony stretched and squeezed his hand. “Hello.”

  “Hello.”

  “How are you feeling?” she asked, rising to stand beside his bed.

  “A hell of a lot better than before I went to sleep. How long have I been here?” Tanner placed her hand over his lips and kissed the palm.

  Harmony smiled. “About two days. The doc says you can travel as soon as you feel up to it.”

  “What about Prime?”

  Harmony shrugged. It was a casual lifting of the shoulders that might have meant nothing at all. “The general sent some soldiers back to collect the corpse but it was gone. All they got was a few limbs and some exoskeleton. He insisted on checking but I figured as much.”

  “I’m sorry you had to leave him, babe.”

  “I’m not. I had to make a choice between you and him. I think I made the right one.”

  Doctor Theron came into the room, her bright green eyes sparkling with warmth and intelligence. “Back among the living, I see.”

  “Yeah, but my leg still hurts like a bitch,” he said, trying to move it. A few sparks of sharp misery shot up his thigh so he stopped. “Am I going to have to walk with a cane?”

  Dr. Theron laughed. “No, Mr. Tanner, but you might have a permanent limp. You’re lucky Harmony was such a good nurse or you could have lost that leg, not to mention your life.”

  Tanner squeezed her hand and watched Harmony’s cheeks turn a pleasing light pink.

  “Well, he did help out with the hydrocore,” Harmony said. “I was just paying him back.”

  “When can I leave?” Tanner asked.

  “Whenever you like,” Dr. Theron said. “I’ll give you an antibiotic travel kit, just to be safe.” She stopped at the door and turned back. “Oh, and he won’t tell you this, but my husband sent a message to someone named Edna explaining what happened. For what it’s worth, he recommended you both get paid
even though you don’t have the carcass. If she doesn’t pay you, the emperor will. It’s more than worth it to be rid of that dreadful killer. I can tell you it’s no fun doing postmortem exams on the bits and pieces of his victims.”

  Tanner let go of Harmony’s hand and struggled to swing his legs off the bed. “We’ll have to thank the general for that.”

  “Don’t bother.” The doctor smirked. “He’ll only deny he did anything nice. A warlord can’t look too soft, you know. People might get funny ideas.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  “What an old bucket this thing is,” Tanner said as Harmony settled him onto her ship. She swabbed his arm and gave him an antibiotic injection. Tanner had assured her he was in good health but she’d brought along the antibiotics anyway. She wanted to be sure he’d be protected until they got back to Galaxy Recovery. You could never be too careful with a hydrocore bite.

  “You can always float home. Maybe a trash barge will pick you up,” she replied.

  “I’m not a cripple. I could pilot myself. You don’t need to tow my ship.”

  Harmony grinned and fired up the engines. “You could pilot your own ship but then it would take an hour to remove the tow line from my ship. I know how patient you are. I would think after your harrowing near-death experience you would crave a little companionship for the flight home.”

  She touched the NAV screen, inputting their course home. They blasted off the planet and she felt a renewed sense of freedom. I may not have been able to bring back Prime but at least I have something else I never planned on—a partner. True, she’d have to share her bounty with Tanner, but he deserved it. He could be useful at times.

  Once they were in open space, she set the autopilot and went back to check on him. Tanner pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Harmony melted into him and let her barriers fall away. She kissed him back passionately, her heart filled with pure happiness.

  “If I hadn’t ended up caught in my own trap, I would have been pissed at you for showing up on my hunt,” she said. “But I’m forever grateful you did.”

  His gaze swept her face as if he was trying to memorize her. “I love you, baby. When I saw you in that net, I was terrified you were dead. Thank God the bug decided to postpone eating you.”

  “You’re a pain in the ass, but I love you too. So what made you come after me anyway?”

  “Edna spooked me. She had a hunch you might need backup.”

  Harmony nodded, making a mental note to thank the old woman when they got back.

  Tanner nuzzled her neck. “You really mean all that stuff about loving me?”

  Harmony kissed the side of his mouth. She’d never said those words to anyone else before. It felt good. “Yes. I guess I fell in love with you from the beginning. I just couldn’t cope with feeling that way. You know that whole vulnerability issue.”

  He scooted back to make room for her on the bunk. “Come here and cuddle.”

  “You are so incredibly needy.” Harmony climbed up next to him, taking care not to bump his leg.

  He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck. They snuggled for a long time and she couldn’t remember ever feeling this content.

  “I was definitely a little worried about being eaten,” she whispered.

  “Bullshit. You were scared shitless.”

  “Hardly. I was a little too anesthetized to be as scared as I should have been.”

  “The problem with you is you just can’t admit when you’re in over your head.” Tanner was mumbling, just on the verge of sleep.

  “Who’s the one who’s wounded?”

  “I took one for the team.”

  “If I hadn’t been there,” Harmony said, “that thing would have chopped your leg off and then eaten the rest of you. You owe me big, Tanner.”

  “It wouldn’t have just gotten my leg. It almost took your favorite plaything.”

  Harmony giggled. “It’s more like your favorite plaything.”

  “If I’d lost it, I could always go in for a Dexagen total body regeneration. As it stands I’ll probably have to have one anyway to keep up with your weird lifespan.” He slid his hand down her body until it was sandwiched between her thighs. “When I’m feeling better I’m going to fuck the life out of you.”

  She ran her hands up his powerful arm. “I sure hope so. Hopefully your injury won’t compromise your performance or I may have to look elsewhere.”

  “You’re such a bad liar. I would often lie awake at night wondering why you didn’t have a boyfriend, but then you say things like that and it all becomes clear.”

  “Well, you don’t have to lie awake wondering anymore because now you’re stuck with me.”

  Epilogue

  Six months later

  “Keep your eyes closed,” Tanner said as he escorted Harmony into one of the docking bays of Galactic Recovery.

  Harmony did has he asked but was sorely tempted to cheat. “Okay, but I want you to know I hate surprises.”

  “This is a good surprise.” Tanner stopped her abruptly, stood behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “You can open your eyes now.”

  Harmony blinked, unable to believe what she was seeing. There before her was a top-of-the-line Crysus 9000 with onboard tracking and lock capability and fore and aft subspace blasters. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. She and Tanner had agreed to use only one ship to hunt together but they had yet to agree on which one, his or hers.

  “It’s beautiful but I don’t understand,” she said, not taking her eyes off the small glossy frigate. She took a few steps forward and grinned. It even smelled new. “I just assumed we were going to take your ship on our assignments. Whose ship is this?”

  “It’s ours,” he said. “It’s a bigger ship than my last one with better equipment. With the money you gave me from Prime, and my ship as a trade, I bought it for us. I even had the builder add a top-of-the-line tracker just for you.”

  Harmony was suspicious. “Who gets to sit in the pilot seat?”

  “Either of the two main seats can function as the pilot’s seat with just a few computer commands. The ship even switches to autopilot after a few minutes of inactivity.”

  “Wow.”

  “Wow? What does wow mean? Does that mean you’re happy?”

  She smiled. “Wow, as in I can’t believe how thoughtful this was. But I’ll bet you did it just to get on my good side.”

  Tanner wrapped his arms around her and rubbed his nose against hers in an Eskimo kiss. “You always could see right through me. Happy six month anniversary, baby.”

  Harmony placed a warm, gentle kiss on his lips. “Same to you. Now what does a girl have to do to get a hunky guy like you in the sack?”

  He gave her a devilish grin. “All you have to do is ask.”

  About the Authors

  Michelle Marquis is the pen name for author Michelle O’Neill who uses a pseudonym so she doesn’t have to be responsible for herself. Michelle has authored many novels and short stories over the years. She is a huge fan of science fiction, erotic romance and horror, and most of her stories reflect those themes. For more about her and her books please visit her website at www.michelle-oneill.com.

  Lindsey Bayer is Michelle’s best friend and sometimes writes books with her. She was invaluable in fleshing out the character of Harmony Knox and her many quirks. Lindsey lives in sunny Florida with her family.

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  ISBN: 978-1-4268-9022-2

  Copyright © 2010 by Michelle O’Neill & Lindsey Bayer

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