Hearts of Ishira (Hearts of Ishira Saga)

by Bethany Aan

  Bev and Ri looked at each other, then nodded.

  “Yes, I believe they will,” Ri said aloud, for the benefit of those who couldn’t read her mind. “Given time to get used to your… alieness, to adapt to our new situation. But I’d suggest that the men be ready, in case some of the more forward-thinking girls decide to adapt early. Your guys are rather well-built and handsome. That tends to go a long way with young women on our world.”

  She grinned ruefully, sending Hunter a wistful thought about them getting together. He sensed that she was not going to let such a thing happen, for some reason that she was hiding from him. Something had changed in her mind since their chat this afternoon, and she was closing more of herself off from him, though he sensed that he wasn’t the reason. He was determined, though, to bring her back to him. Hopefully very soon.

  “I would like to say something, too,” Chelsea said shyly, then almost shook when Hunter’s direct gaze lit on her. She cleared her throat. “I um… well, Bev and I aren’t too badly hurt, and most of the girls down in the hall aren’t, either. I don’t think that any of us are up for moving mountains in the next few days, but we were all in college back home. None of us are used to just sitting around. Is there any way we can help out? Take some of the burden of our being here from your guys?”

  Hunter nodded thoughtfully, his eyes showing his appreciation of her offer. He spoke to his men, who all agreed quickly.

  “I do not see why not,” he finally said, smiling at Chelsea. He nodded his head toward his security officer. “Mors is in charge of the duty roster. Perhaps Chelsea can make a list of the ladies’ talents and skills, and the girls can be introduced to the teams that specialize in those areas.” He smiled warmly at Chelsea, then nodded to Ri. “That kind of interaction will also help, quite a bit, with bringing the neuro-trans online more quickly.””

  Ri translated all of it for Chelsea and Bev as Hunter spoke, and Chelsea sent a shy glance at the warrior Hunter had indicated. The man could not seem to take his eyes off of the dark-skinned young woman, as though he’d never seen such a color and was deeply fascinated by it. Ri held back a chuckle, sensing that Chelsea wasn’t exactly unaffected by the brawny warrior’s interest. Or physique. She grinned at her new friend, winking encouragement.

  When she turned her head back to ask Hunter a question, Ri suddenly felt incredibly lightheaded. She felt herself slipping to the side, and the throbbing in her head returned in a nauseating rush. Hunter’s gaze locked on her face, his concern showing as Bev and Chelsea shored her up between them and Jace immediately moved to check on her.

  “If there aren’t any other questions for now,” Hunter said quickly, “I think we should adjourn. We all need some rest. The men will need to get an early start on the dorm tomorrow, and I have a feeling the ladies have had enough excitement for one day. I would take it as a personal favor, however, if we could all try to save any more crises for tomorrow, please.”

  Everyone laughed when that was translated.

  Though the meeting was officially over, the men and women lingered, asking Ri to translate for them as they made plans for meeting the next day, for getting the women together with teams of like interest. But Hunter broke them up and sent them on their way, realizing that Ri would try to help them communicate for as long as she possibly could. Though she fought it with everything she had in her, Ri became overly tired quickly, and her pain level was starting to affect Hunter’s thought processes.

  Trey and Mors escorted Bev and Chelsea back to the main hall so that they could discuss the meeting with the other women. Hunter spoke with Jace for a moment, then left to check with a few team leaders about situating and guarding the women for the night. He threw one last, lingering look toward the little commander as he left, smiling gently at her when he caught her eye. She smiled wearily back at him. He silently promised to return before she went to sleep.

  Jace hurried to Arianna’s side as soon as the med center quieted once more, to check on her. Once he was assured that her vital signs were fine, he gave her another pain-killer, checked her leg then sat on her bed, at her hip.

  “You are doing fine,” he said, giving her an encouraging smile. “But it has been a long day for you and your girls. I’d like for you to stay as still as you can at least until tomorrow. Do you need to relieve yourself?”

  Ri blushed and nodded. He quickly disconnected the IVs then swept her blankets off and picked her up, carefully, to carry her over to the small bathroom near the computer station. He stood her on her good foot then stepped out to give her privacy. When she was done, he carried her back to her bed. He was so matter-of-fact and professional about it that she had little time to be embarrassed. When he got her back to her bed, he sat her on the edge and stood in front of her.

  “I need to check your ribs,” he told her earnestly. “I will have to unwrap your bindings. I know it has only been a few hours, but I want to be sure that all the additional movement in the shower didn’t do any more damage.”

  “The scanner?” she asked weakly, wondering if she could take another bout of embarrassment after the day she’d had. Jace shook his head.

  “We’ve used it so much today already, the solar energy cells are depleted. I won’t be able to use it again until this storm passes and the energy stores are at capacity once more.”

  That sounded plausible. She guessed. She nodded, feeling her cheeks heat. She may be in pain, but he was an incredibly handsome man and she was still remembering the ‘movement earlier’ in the shower, and how his hands had wreaked such havoc on her body. The shame she felt at being attracted to both him and Hunter was almost overwhelming. What kind of person was she, to find two strangers, alien beings, so sexy? He distracted her when he started undressing her.

  He eased the medical gown from her shoulders to lie around her waist. He started unwrapping her chest, leaning fairly close to gently remove the binding cloth from around her back. At his sudden nearness, Ri took a surprised breath and was surrounded by his unique scent. It was just as nice as Hunter’s, but different. And it affected her much the same way. Excitement and attraction for him hit her like a ton of bricks. She sucked in a breath at the realization. What the hell was wrong with her, that she was finding these men so stimulating? She was hurt, Jace was her doctor. That should be the end of it. But when his knuckle accidentally brushed over her nipple as he unwrapped her, she barely restrained herself from crying out at the feeling.

  He stilled, staring at her nipple, then sent a shocked look at her.

  “Arianna,” he said softly, questioningly. She wouldn’t meet his eyes.

  “What?” she grumbled.

  “Did that hurt?”

  “I… no,” she mumbled, shaking her head. “No, it didn’t.”

  “Then why is it swelling? Did you perhaps get stung by one of the forest insects? Did we miss a mite earlier?”

  She did look up at him then, surprise in her eyes.

  “I don’t think so,” she said absently. His brow was furrowed as he looked at her nipple intently. As he watched, it tightened a bit more and her chest became as red as her face. Jace’s eyes snapped to hers.

  “Is it arousal?” he asked, stunned. She groaned and hid her face again. His body hardened in a painful rush.

  Jace felt a bubble of mirth and masculine pride swelling in him. Earlier, in the shower, he had discounted her reaction to Hunter’s touch, knowing from a biological standpoint that the right touch could stimulate anyone, whether they were attracted to the person or not. He had figured that Hunter’s grasp had been hard enough to cause the reaction, trying to keep hold of her breasts. And the adrenaline boost in her system at the time would have heightened her arousal. It was perfectly normal, and he had tried not to take it personally when her body reacted to him, as well. But now… the adrenaline had had time to wear off, and he had barely grazed her flesh. He could tell that she was attracted to his brother, but now he had to wonder… was she, indeed, attracted to him and Hun
ter? How interesting…

  He was still staring at her breast.

  “Your women don’t have nipples?” she finally snapped, glaring at him.

  “Of course they do,” Jace said with a shrug and a grin. “But they are not as sensitive as yours seem to be.”

  With a great force of will, Jace continued unwrapping her breasts, trying very hard to regain a professional mien. What he really wanted to do, though, was drop the bindings and see just how sensitive those pretty dusky nipples were. He wanted to explore them, see if they were as velvety soft as they looked. Thorsani women had tougher skin there, out of necessity. Oh, they were still erogenous areas, but not as… delicate as Arianna’s were proving to be.

  Arianna moaned again, her chest and face coloring even more. Jace was growing rather fond of that particular shade of pink. He was also growing rather hard. Well, that was uncomfortable. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d become aroused when dealing with a patient, even when he’d had female patients. It unsettled him and intrigued him at the same time.

  “What is it?” he asked, purposely leaning forward more than necessary to bring the bindings from around her back. Her breath huffed out against his neck surprising him with his own immediate physical reaction. His warrior’s training held him in good stead. He betrayed nothing of his feelings, but what he wanted to do was lay her back across her bed and very gently, and thoroughly, explore every part of her, see if she was as sensitive and aroused now as she had been in the shower. If she was too sensitive to the touch of his hands, he would be happy to use his lips and tongue to do the exploring. He heard the tiny groan she emitted, and worried that he’d hurt her somehow. When he backed up enough to see her face, she was looking at him with a bit of embarrassment and quite a bit of wry amusement. He gave her a questioning look.

  “You know I’m a Reader, right?” she asked ruefully. He straightened, looking at her with dawning chagrin. She nodded when his face went up in flames. “Yeah, so, um… I saw that mental image. I didn’t mean to, but you’re kind of broadcasting.”

  “I apologize if my interest in you has embarrassed you,” Jace said sincerely, though with a somewhat wicked grin. “I was just startled, and my physician’s brain wants to know more about your physiology.”

  “Oh,” she sighed, seeming almost disappointed in his answer.

  “Not your species,” he said, shrugging with candor, “But you in particular.”

  She stared at him, stunned. He reached up to trail a knuckle gently over her cheek, down to her jaw. “You are a beautiful woman, even when injured. If you are this responsive when hurt and still in a bit of shock, I can only imagine how you will react when healthy. It makes me hard, hot, and more than a little eager to get you healed, so I can court you, if you will allow it.”

  She blinked. He was so open about it! He finally got all of the bindings off and carefully inspected the ribs on her left side.

  “Well, the bruising is extensive, but nothing alarming, as far as I can tell. You need to let me or one of the other medics know if your pain level increases or there is new pain,” he told her sternly. She nodded, dropping her eyes once more as he started wrapping her torso again.

  “The women are settled and secure,” Hunter’s voice sounded from behind her, and Arianna’s head snapped up. Oh no. No, no, no. Not both of them! “I think that once Arianna is able to… ahhh…Master Jace, do you need help with that?”

  “I think I can manage this time, Commander,” Jace bit out, glaring up at Hunter.

  Ri felt a definite frustration from the doctor towards Hunter, but it wasn’t anger or anything, more like… possessiveness. She sensed Hunter coming closer, felt the heat from his body as he leaned over the bed and slowly, gently, took her breasts in his hands again, holding them up for Jace to secure to her body with the binding cloth. Sandwiched between the two men, she knew she should feel overwhelmed or trapped, but she didn’t. It seemed right, somehow. She thought about some of the books she’d read over and over again back home, where things like this happened to women, and her breathing hitched.

  And dammit, there went her nipples again!

  Jace noticed them tightening and sucked in a harsh breath while Hunter caught her mental image and the air left his body in a whoosh by her ear.

  “Arianna?” Jace asked, staring down at her breasts, cradled in Hunter’s hands.

  “Oh, shut up and get this over with,” she groaned. “I’m dying, here.”

  “You are hurt, little one?” Hunter asked, instantly solicitous of her. She shook her head. She felt his moment of surprise, then his arousal as he realized what his touch, their attention, was doing to her. Shameful as it felt, it also felt amazing. And he must not have found her lascivious thoughts too disturbing, because she could swear that he nuzzled the back of her neck. “Do not worry. We will take care of you.”

  “I’m not worried,” she bit out, whipping her head around to glare at him, then at Jace. “I’m mortified. What did you put in those shots you gave me, aphrodisiacs?”

  Hunter snorted with amusement. Jace gaped at her, then threw his head back and laughed. Rather smugly, in her opinion. His grin, when he looked at her again, was anything but professional. There was nothing but amused, stimulated, sexy male in the smile he bestowed upon her. Oh, lord. She was in trouble.

  “There was nothing in those injections that would cause you to be more aroused than you normally would be,” he assured her, chuckling. He quickly finished wrapping her, and she would have sworn under oath that the light brushes of his hands against her breasts were not accidents this time. With his job done, Hunter’s hands rested on her hips. She sensed that he didn’t want to stop touching her. The thought warmed her. Jace secured the end of the binding, then sat back and grinned devilishly at her. “If you are finding yourself attracted to me, perhaps it is because I am just that enticing?”

  “It is not you she is attracted to,” Hunter snorted, his hands flexing on her hips once before he reluctantly let her go. They got her back into her gown, ignoring her exasperated protest that she could dress herself, then helped her get settled and comfortable against her pillows. Once she was situated and medicated, the warriors sat on either side of her, watching her intently. She blushed as Hunter said, “If she is attracted to anyone, it is me.”

  “Why would she want you,” Jace snorted back, “When she could have me?”

  “And why would she desire you,” Hunter asked with playful derision, winking at her, “When she saw me first?”

  “Both of you, stop!” Arianna bit out, trying not to laugh. They stilled and looked at her eagerly. Her face grew darker with their combined attentions. She groaned, then laughed, unable to help herself. “I’m not… I don’t… Oh, just go! Both of you! Let that shot knock me out, and get away from me before you embarrass me to the point of spontaneous combustion.”

  They chuckled, but both of them stood.

  “We have teased you enough for today,” Hunter said, his voice and smile tender. “But you have much more color to your face than you had earlier.”

  She imagined so.

  “It’s this new situation,” she hurried to inform him, inform them both, her brain already going fuzzy. “I’m still in a bit of shock, I’m sure, and you two have helped me a great deal. I must be forming an attachment based solely on those things.”

  “So you don’t find my muscles and my eyes pleasant?” Hunter asked, sending her pulse racing as he flexed said muscles and raised an eyebrow over those beautiful eyes. He knew how much she liked both. It wasn’t fair!

  “And I suppose that it wasn’t my touch that caused your nipples to harden so sweetly? Any touch would have done the same?” Jace asked conversationally, squeezing her hand affectionately as his eyes burned into hers. “My scent that made you catch your breath?”

  “Well, no,” she admitted to Jace, not sure which question to answer first. “I mean, yes. You smell wonderful and…”

  The painkiller kicked
in, relaxing her back into the pillows. She blinked up at Hunter, who was grinning hugely. She glared at him, then ruined the effect by giggling. “And you already know what I think about your muscles and your eyes and your scent and your touch.”

  “Is that all?” he asked, a hand over his heart as though mortally wounded. She gave him a loopy grin. He leaned forward, kissing the tip of her nose as though he’d done it a thousand times and would do so a thousand times more. “What do you like best about me, then?”

  “Your heart,” she murmured sleepily, each blink of her eyes taking longer. “You have the prettiest soul I’ve ever seen.”

  Hunter and Jace stared at her, no longer laughing, as she fell asleep, a sweet smile on her face.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Sometime in the middle of the night, alarms began sounding from the medical unit. Jace and Hunter were both summoned from their warm beds to the med center. Before they got to the unit, they heard Amy’s screeching, angry voice, crying out to be released, that she was the leader, she was in charge, not Arianna. Jace and Hunter looked at one another wearily and entered the unit. Apparently, she hadn’t got the message about no more excitement before morning.

  Hunter got the full blast of her animosity and growing hatred for Arianna the moment he stepped into the room. Damn, but Amy could broadcast! Which was strange, since he got absolutely no sense of her being a Reader. How could she send out such powerful energy and yet have no trace of psychic ability? That disturbed him greatly. It troubled him even more that he was not unaffected by her thoughts, that she had the unconscious ability to instill hostility and negative energy into the atmosphere and alter the behavior of her companions. He was a strong Reader, had trained very early in life to build walls against psychic attack, but he had never come up against anything like Amy. Steeling himself by reinforcing his mental walls, he strode into the ward and took stock of the situation in one quick glance.