by Bethany Aan
The painkiller was no longer working that well on the pain, but it was still making her a bit loopy. She didn’t want to ask for more until she absolutely couldn’t take the discomfort any longer, though. When the pain was at a manageable level once more, she looked at Hunter and continued as though she had not been interrupted. “I mean, it’s clear we’re not anywhere near Earth. You aren’t human, but you are obviously humanoid. And how do your translators know my language?”
“These are just temporary translators. They know our language and assimilate yours as we go, based on the impulses in your brain. The one you wear is much more advanced than the standard-issue that the rest of the women were implanted with,” he reminded her, tapping the temple unit on that was identical to hers. “When we found your group, most of you were unconscious. We immediately inserted the subcutaneous translators that we use in the military when dealing with alien species. They should be coming online any… why are you giggling?”
He arched a brow at her, trying to look stern at the interruption, but she was so cute, with her nose wrinkled up and the rosy blush touching her cheeks. The lingering medication was making her rather silly, and he found it highly entertaining. Perhaps it was the fact that he hadn’t been in a woman’s company in so very long, but she was appealing to him on a visceral and emotional level that surprised him.
Arianna giggled again, barely managing to suppress a snort at her wayward thoughts. Thoughts that had Hunter recalling the feel of her heavy breasts in his grasp, which had the predictable effect of tightening his body. He hoped she didn’t notice when he squirmed a bit against the sudden swelling.
Thankfully, Arianna was too caught up in her own silliness to notice his reaction to her thoughts.
“What is so funny?” he asked, though he already knew.
“You said ‘inserted’,” she told him anyway, giggling up at him. Oh lord, where had that come from? She could hear herself being an idiot, but couldn’t seem to stop it. She hadn’t been this silly and flirtatious in years. Then again, she hadn’t had a half-naked, muscular, huge warrior this close to her in… well, never. She wanted to pet his back, feel his comforting, soft fur against her palms. Press that back closer to her with her arms around him, taking him into her… That only led her mind back to the reason for her amusement.
“And this is funny to you?” he growled indignantly, though he couldn’t keep the joking tone out of his voice. She giggled harder and nodded. “Why?”
“Because you’re so hot,” she told him unabashedly. “And… ‘inserted’? You being so sexy? It was naughty.”
His eyes went from amused to smoldering in an instant.
“You find me sexy?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.
She nodded then blinked in surprise. When had he moved closer? She held her breath as his hand came up to trace a light fingertip over her cheek. “I find you attractive as well, little warrior. Much more so than the young ones accompanying you.”
“You do?” she breathed. He nodded and leaned closer. For a very long moment, he simply looked into her eyes and she got the feeling that he was searching her very soul.
“You have a beautiful life-force.
“You do, too,” she admitted shyly, cocking her head at him a little. “It’s… sweet and strong, so bright and… addictive. Wow. That was kind of intense, huh?”
“Yes,” he agreed, smiling at her. “But I understand. I find myself craving your energy, as well.”
“It sounds like that isn’t normal,” she murmured. He shook his head.
“I have never encountered anything like it,” he admitted ruefully. “I do not know what it means, but I would like to explore it, in depth, once you are feeling better.”
She blushed very prettily at the ‘in depth’ part of that, but he let it go, his lips twitching.
“Hunter,” she said after a moment, “Don’t let Jace…er, the doctor… give me any more of those pain-killers for awhile, please.”
“Why would you wish to be in pain?” he asked, truly bewildered. She shook her head.
“I don’t,” she assured him. “But if you are bent on my being the girls’ leader and translator, I need to be awake as much as possible, not constantly passed out. What good does that do any of us?”
“Aye,” Hunter allowed, running a hand over his face. He was concerned, though, that the level of pain would become overwhelming if she didn’t have at least a little something to take the edge off. “I am sure that Jace can give you something that will dull the pain but leave you functional.”
“Thank you,” she breathed, sagging wearily back against her pillows and giving him a tired smile. “I would much rather be incoherent for the next few days, but if I’m the only one that can translate, that’s not an option.”
“You take a lot on yourself,” Hunter observed. She shrugged.
“I’m their Reader,” she reminded him. “Even if you give the translator to someone else, will they be able to sense what the real problems are, should any arise?”
“Most likely not,” Hunter agreed, sighing. “Young women are… very much like young men: emotional, high-strung, and almost incapable of expressing their true feelings, instead lashing out and becoming distraught over issues that have nothing to do with what they truly need.”
“Exactly,” Ri breathed, chuckling. “I’m glad you understand that.”
“How could I not?” he asked, grinning in return. “Before we came here, I trained young soldiers for many years. Part of my job as Commander and Reader is to guide them through that confusing time, help them understand their emotions and express them in healthy and helpful ways.”
“So you’re kind of a counselor, as well?” she asked, truly curious. A solid wall of black pain hit her square in the chest when she said ‘counselor’, but only for a moment, then Hunter hid it behind his own shields. She was stunned at the level of grief she felt from that one word, and had the most incredible urge to follow the thought back to whatever dark corner to which he had relegated it, to soothe it and heal him.
“Not a true counselor, as far as title,” Hunter said after a moment, clearing his throat. “But yes…. Part of a Commander’s job, any commander, is to provide emotional support and guidance. It is why we are given the gift of Reading, and the responsibility. We would not have been given the task if we were not meant to use it.”
“That’s such a refreshing attitude!” she breathed, laughing shortly. “On my world, we have had to hide psychic abilities for many hundreds of years. But that’s a long story, for another time.” She smiled at him, resisting the urge to stroke his hand where it rested on his knee, so close to her hip. He sensed her desire, though, and looked down at his long fingers. Tentatively at first, he moved his hand so that it covered hers. When her palm turned up at his caress, they met gazes and lost themselves in the wonder of finding another with their particular talents.
“I should be checking on the girls,” she said after a long moment of enjoying his touch.
“They are fine,” he assured her, stroking his thumb along the side of hers, loving the little shiver that moved over her when he did so. “I stopped in the great hall just before I came up here. Your women have been given bedding, pillows, and were shown to the bathing facilities near the training field. Most have washed up, are now wearing borrowed tunics or medical gowns, and are clustered in quiet groups down there.”
“That’s good,” Ri sighed, thankful. Her head was starting to throb again. “I know we have a lot to talk about, much to figure out for both of our people. I worry about them. They’re so young.”
“The young are often very adaptable,” Hunter reminded her gently. “They will be fine for now, but I will take you down there to check on them, if you wish.”
Ri looked at the IVs leading into her arms, then arched a brow at him. He grinned.
“Let me check with Jace,” he amended, “Then I’ll carry you down to the hall.”
She nodded. Within mo
ments, Jace had hurried to her side, scanned her with his hand-held device, then smiled and nodded at Hunter.
“Just for a few minutes, though,” Jace warned. “I don’t want her over-tired too quickly, and we do have to hold an officer’s meeting in a bit.” He smiled down at Ri, grasping the big toe of her good foot and wiggling it a bit in affection. “When you return, I’ll have some dinner brought up for you, and give you something for pain that won’t knock you out.”
“Thank you,” she said, her eyes sparkling up at him. “I would much rather be unconscious, but that can wait until we have a few things taken care of. I can’t let the girls worry for too long. They might get into trouble or something. I wouldn’t want to leave you big, strong guys to have to deal with that.”
Hunter chuckled, rising from his place beside her as Jace quickly removed the IVs from her arms and wrapped her in the soft, fluffy blankets that had been covering her. Before she could ask about a wheelchair or crutches, Hunter had scooped her into his arms and was striding with her out of the medical unit, through the courtyard, and back into the lower level of what she had already figured was the command center. Instead of going right, which led to the computer room he’d taken her to earlier, he turned left just inside the building. Within moments, they emerged into a large room that was almost medieval in feel.
Long tables had been hastily moved to one end of the chamber, making room for the many pallets that had been arranged on the floor at the other end. When Hunter showed up with Ri in his arms, many of the girls stood, murmuring. A few even stepped forward, their eyes holding concern for Arianna. She was heartened at the show of interest. Hunter carried her directly to the women, settling her in a chair that one of his men brought without being asked. Ri gave the warrior quiet thanks, then looked at the girls.
“I guess you’re wondering why I’ve called you all here,” she quipped, grinning. A few of the girls grinned back, two giggled, and three rolled their eyes but couldn’t stop their smiles.
“So, who are you, where are we, who are they, and are they going to eat us, ravish us, use us as sex slaves… what?” Ri blinked at the candid barrage of questions from a lovely African American woman.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“I’m Chelsea.”
“Chelsea, I’ll answer all I can, briefly for now.” At the perturbed muttering from some of the women, Ri smiled. “I’ll know more later. There is to be an officer’s meeting, of sorts, where I will talk with Hunter and his men, and we’ll figure out where we want to go from here.
“In the meantime...” she went on, “I’m Arianna. Ri, for short. I have no idea where we are or how we got here, other than we were apparently on a space ship, which I’m sure you’ve figured out by now.”
She let that sink in, then went on. “These men are… well, I don’t know yet.” She looked up at Hunter questioningly. He stepped forward, talking to her but looking at the women as she quickly translated. “He is Hunter, Commander of the battalion ship that crash-landed here many years ago. They are a race known as the Thorsani, and they’re refugees from a war.”
A few of the girls let out distraught murmurs at that, and Hunter was warmed by the sympathy they exhibited. Ri nodded, as though she’d expected nothing less, then went on. “We are on the only hospitable planet for light years, but we are safe here, for now. The men will not bother us, if we don’t want to be bothered, and no, they don’t intend to use us as sex slaves… unless we want them to.” She blinked up at Hunter, who was grinning wickedly. ““Really? That kind of joking, now?”
His eyes went hot as he sent her a mental image of his hands holding her breasts. She smacked him lightly in retaliation, then realized her mistake when several of his warriors surged forward, laser pistols or knives in hand. Some of the girls gasped or cried out, and Chelsea and one other immediately moved to stand before Ri, their stances protective. For a long moment, Ri stared at them all, the big, brawny warriors facing off with her smaller, much more delicate women, then Hunter chuckled. His men immediately settled down, stepping back and putting their weapons away. Chelsea and the other girl glared at the warriors, then at Hunter.
“Tell your girls that they have no need to protect you, little warrior,” Hunter murmured, stroking her hair, almost as though he couldn’t help but touch her. “None of you will come to harm as long as you are here.”
She did so, then furrowed her brow when Chelsea’s companion, who introduced herself at Kim, asked how long that would be.
“You may stay as long as you wish,” Hunter assured them, through Ri. “If you feel it necessary to create your own settlement, we will understand and help you as much as we are able. But I think I can safely speak for all of my people when I say that you are welcome to stay here indefinitely. We would not be upset were you to choose to settle here, integrate with us.”
Arianna looked up at him in surprise. He shrugged.
“It has been more than ten years since we had anyone but ourselves for company,” he admitted sheepishly. Then his expression sobered. “And we have not heard from any of our other people in all that time. We have no way of returning you to your own planet, but we already have a colony started here. It would please us all greatly were you and your ladies to decide to stay with us and build a new world.”
Ri gaped at him, even as she absently translated. He held her gaze, his eyes promising much more than his words had, as her girls chattered excitedly about what she’d told them. After a long moment lost in his eyes, Ri shook herself and looked back at her ladies.
“Think about that,” she said, her hand going up to rub at her throbbing temples. “I’m afraid I need to rest a bit, but the Commander wanted to let me talk to you guys, make sure you’re all okay, and answer the most pressing of your questions. I’ll know more, I promise, after the meeting in an hour or two. If you have any other questions or concerns, please let me know as soon as you can, so we can deal with it. Now,” she said, smiling gently at them. “Anyone need medical attention? Food? Anything?”
“I think we’re good,” Chelsea said, then brightened when Bev walked into the hall, a tall warrior behind her. “Bev has been kind of keeping us in line.”
Ri turned as Bev approached, and the women hugged briefly. Once assured that Ri was okay, Bev returned the favor, making Ri feel much better about not having been here for the girls until now.
Hunter watched Arianna as she talked with Bev and the others, as she unconsciously touched each of their minds, making sure that all questions were answered that could be at the moment, as she sought to reassure everyone at once. He sensed when her strength was about to give out, though, and laid a strong hand on her shoulder, bolstering her energy at the same time he murmured that he needed to get her back to the med center. She smiled up at him gratefully.
“I’ll be back,” she told the girls, sending a burst of assurance to the group before Hunter gathered her into his arms again. “If anything comes up, let Bev know, or just ask one of the warriors for me or Hunter. While he can understand you, he can’t talk to you yet. But he can get you to me.”
The girls fell to talking amongst themselves, moving back to their little groups as Hunter carried Ri out of the hall.
“You handled that well,” he observed a few minutes later, as he tucked her back into her bed. He signaled to Jace, who brought over a syringe and injected her with a pain-killer. She settled back against the pillows, completely drained from the brief outing.
“Lots of years of experience,” she told him, smiling. “But that took a lot out of me.”
“I can imagine,” he chuckled. For a long moment, he simply watched her, his mind probing hers. “You really do have a beautiful life-force,” he murmured softly. “Yours is a mother-soul.”
She froze, her smile slipping.
“What is it, little one?” he asked gently, smoothing her hair away from her face.
“I’m no one’s mother,” she told him, all amusement suddenly gone.
“You could be,” he responded, heat in his eyes. Having already offered to allow the women to stay, Hunter decided to lay it all out for her before the meeting. “We have no women here. Ours was a warriors’ transport. We were stranded here and no one has found us in a number of years. We would not be… troubled… if your women were to wish to stay with us and mate. Eventually. Not immediately, of course.” He hastened to add that last part, in case he’d just scared her off.
She gaped at him, tears welling in her eyes. What in the world was wrong with her? She was not normally a watering pot! His brows knit in concern at her sudden distress, though he sensed her frustration at her inability to control the reaction. He had a feeling that she usually managed to hide her emotions much more effectively than she currently was. The thought of her having to develop that skill made him unaccountably sad. Her desire to appear strong in his eyes only made him ache for her even more.
“You do not wish to consider the possibility?” he asked, more deeply disappointed than he was comfortable with. She shook her head, swiping angrily at her tears.
“It’s not that,” she said quietly. “I’m sure that, in time, once they become used to your men and this place, the others will adapt and eventually want to have families.” He waited, sensing that there was more. She sighed, her heart in her gaze as she met his. There was a finality in her eyes that stole his breath, as though their flirtation was ending before it truly began.
“Hunter, I can’t have children.”
CHAPTER SIX
Their leader could not have children?
The tiny woman with the heart of a warrior and the will to stand, broken and in agony, against alien predators and help protect the young of her species until help came? The same one whom he sensed would die defending any of those girls she didn’t even know? He had the feeling that though she might not be able to have children, she would ‘mother’ anyone close to her who wished it, young or old. Her protective, nurturing instinct had called to him, though he hadn’t realized it at the time. Now he did. He should have recognized a like soul.
