by Maggie Shayne, MaryJanice Davidson, Angela Knight, Jacey Ford
Her eyes rolled. "Galar. Where's Galar?"
"What?" He remembered his files. Galar was Rajin's ten-year-old son. Why was she asking about him? But before he could question her, her head dropped against his shoulder.
Maybe Rajin had her working as the boy's bodyguard when she wasn't using her for… other tasks.
The rising wail of a medunit's siren drew his eyes skyward. The big vehicle came in fast and low, riding on its intricate arrangement of gravlev fields. As it set down, Baird walked to meet it, cradling Alina gently in his arms.
A woman in the blue uniform of a medtech towed a gleaming transparent tube from the back of the unit. "Put her in here," she said as the tube's lid slid back.
Baird placed Alina in the tube and stepped back, watching anxiously as the curving lid sealed and a pink gas pumped to fill it.
A trid of Alina's body appeared over the tube, her injuries outlined in red. The tech studied them and murmured a few soft commands before turning toward him. Her skin was a metallic silver that contrasted vividly with the pale blue of her hair. She was as human as Baird was, which meant her coloring was either a product of genetic tinkering or cosmetics—it was tough to say which. Faint lines around her eyes suggested she was well into her eighties. "How about you? You've got some bruises, too," she said, stepping over to aim a handheld scanner at him. "What the hell happened, anyway? Did you do that to her?"
Outraged, he glared at the tech. "What, beat her like that? Don't be ridiculous. We're both Vardonese warriors."
The woman's gaze lifted, belatedly taking in his braids and command beads. "Oh, yeah, I've heard of you." Cynicism gleamed in her eyes. "You guys take some kind of vow. Vardon is one of those matriarchal planets, right? You've got that female aristocracy, the Femays or something."
"The Femmats."
Two hundred years before, a group of idealistic scientists had colonized Vardon, intent on creating a Utopia. Since most violence was committed by young men, they decided to tinker with their own genetic code to eliminate male aggression. But they'd also realized they needed protection from all the aggressive colonies around them, so they created a defense force of super warriors—the Warlords and their female equivalent, Warfems.
Raised in Warlord Creches to learn loyalty and obedience, the Warriors were indentured to the companies that created them, then sent into military service. They all took a vow to protect those weaker than themselves, male or female, adult or child.
Now guilt pricked Baird's outrage. Alina had been his partner, his lover and his best friend for five years. For him, that had been a very strong bond, even if Alina had turned her back on it in the end.
Yet his actions today had put her in that regenerator.
Still, if what they suspected was true, her bond with him wasn't the only one Alina had violated. That was why Baird had volunteered for this mission. He had to find out if she was guilty, prove her innocence if she wasn't, and stop her if she was.
It was a matter of honor.
"So if you didn't do it to her, who did?" the tech asked.
"A Tevan cyborg."
Pale blue eyebrows flew upward. "A Tevan? Who did you two piss off, anyway?"
"I have no idea. The Tevan was beating her, so I stepped in." Which was the truth—more or less.
The tech snorted. "Good thing you did. The lizard probably would have killed her."
"It certainly looked that way." And when he got his hands on the bastard, Baird was going to kick his ass.
Alina woke as the regenator's pink mist drained away. Disoriented, she watched the transparent lid slide back, blinking hazily at the stars overhead.
"Alina? Are you all right?" The deep voice cut through her mental fog, snapping her instantly to attention.
"Baird?" Her heart leaped. He stood beside the tube, looking grim as a medtech trained a scanner on her. Alina started to roll off the tube stretcher. The world reeled around her, almost dumping her on her face.
Baird caught her. "Take it slow, Alina. You always get the spins after a session in regen."
She gave him a look as she steadied herself against his strong chest. "I'm touched you remember." She was surprised he'd even care, particularly after that last row they'd had over Rajin's ultimatum.
Twenty years ago.
A long time. No wonder he's changed.
Baird had been barely twenty the last time she'd seen him. He was taller now, harder, more muscular than the boy she'd fought beside for five years.
That was only to be expected, she supposed. They'd been half-starved little animals then, fighting the Xeran invaders with all the savagery of wolf-cats. Now the Xer were gone, and the great Femmat Houses of Vardon were richer and more powerful than ever. Which wasn't exactly a blessing, at least in Alina's case.
Baird frowned down at her, visibly worried. "How are you feeling?"
She straightened away from him, though she wanted nothing more than to rest against his strength.
Unfortunately, it was a luxury Alina couldn't afford. In all the ways that mattered, nothing had changed where she and Baird were concerned. "I'm fine." And she was, she realized, probing her face with cautious fingers.
"You weren't half an hour ago," the medtech told her. "Concussion, fractured cheekbone, cracked ribs. Stay out of fights with Tevans, okay?"
"I'll take that under advisement." Alina inhaled, pleased to note the lack of pain. Everything felt solid and sturdy again. The regenator had done its job with its usual efficiency.
"Good." Nodding, the tech turned to shepherd her machine back into the emergency unit.
As it lifted off, Alina couldn't resist another look at Baird. Examining the beads braided into his hair, she spotted a ruby that signified a captaincy in the Vardon Stellar Command, along with twenty years' worth of service and combat decorations. They made a glittering display against his sable mane.
He was wearing the uniform, too, a blue unisuit piped with command red, a captain's scarlet insignia decorating his high collar. The dark colors drew attention to his face, with its strong, angular bone structure that was, if anything, more handsome than she remembered.
Yet there was something in those golden eyes that was much older than she knew him to be. Warlords didn't live as long as Femmat aristocrats, but forty was still quite young.
So why did those eyes look so weary, so hard and disillusioned? What had happened to him on the way to all those combat decorations?
Still, Alina felt a twinge of envy for his military splendor. All she wore were the beads she'd won in the invasion. Rajin Kasi had refused to let her serve after that. "Kasi House spent a great deal of money on your genetic engineering, your cybernetics, and your education," 'the Femmat aristocrat had told her. "We mean to get a return on our investment."
As a gesture of gratitude, most Houses had emancipated the genetically engineered warriors who'd fought to free Vardon from the Xer. The reasoning went that no matter what each company had spent creating their Warlords and Warfem, the fighters had more than paid it back during that five-year guerrilla war.
Rajin, as Kasi House president, hadn't agreed. At least not when it came to Alina. But when she'd forbidden further contact with Baird, Alina had seriously considered suing for her freedom. Unfortunately she knew what price Rajin would exact.
She hadn't even dared tell Baird why she hadn't, which had resulted in that last bitter fight. He hadn't spoken to her since.
Until tonight.
"The Tevan hurt you," Baird said, jolting her out of her painful preoccupation. His golden eyes were fixed so hungrily on her face, she'd have thought he was still in the aftermath of riaat if her computer hadn't told her otherwise. Lifting a big hand, he brushed his knuckles across her healed cheekbone in a tender gesture at odds with his curled lip. "He's lucky he got away. I'd have killed him for that."
Alina inhaled sharply at his warm, callused touch. She tried to cover her reaction with a smile. "You always were protective."
"I've
missed you." His deep voice sounded a little hoarse.
"You're not… still angry?"
Those beautiful eyes flickered, and she knew he lied. "No. You were only doing your duty to your House."
Which wasn't what he'd said at the time. He'd called her a coward then, too gutless to stand up to Rajin's blatant abuse. And she hadn't been able to explain.
For ten years, Alina had wondered if he was right about her cowardice. Then Galar was born, and she'd known her sacrifice was worth it.
Too bad she still couldn't explain to Baird. She'd love to damn the consequences and spill the whole story, but she wouldn't be the only one to face Rajin's rage. She couldn't take the chance.
Instead she changed the subject, gently tugging one of the braids that swung by his temple. "Judging by the beads, you've done well for yourself."
His smile flashed white. "Judging by the murder attempt, you're still pissing people off. What was that all about, anyway?"
She stiffened with the automatic wariness of twenty years as a courier for Rajin Kasi. Then she forced a shrug and a grin. "As you said, I must have pissed someone off."
"Need a bodyguard?"
Goddess, yes. Data thieves might dare an attempt on her, but they'd steer well clear of a Warlord. And if they didn't, they'd regret it. But… Reluctantly, she shook her head. "Rajin would throw a rod. You know how she is about us."
He lifted a dark brow. "Is Rajin here?"
"Waiting for me on Calista."
"Calista is twenty-four light years away. She doesn't have to know." Baird frowned. "Besides, hasn't Kasi House emancipated you by now? Even if you weren't a Xeran Invasion veteran, most Houses demand no more than ten years' service."
"Rajin says soon." She'd been saying "soon" for the past ten years. Alina knew "soon" would never arrive unless she found a way to force it.
"You could take Kasi to court, sue for emancipation."
Not a day went by that she didn't dream of doing just that. "It's complicated."
Perceptive golden eyes studied her face. "Why don't we go someplace a little more secure, and you can explain it to me?"
She wavered, tempted despite the risk. Goddess, she'd love to tell him the whole story, face his rage, and get it over with. Maybe he'd listen and forgive.
Maybe he'd even help her get Galar away from Rajin. She'd sacrifice anything for the boy's safety. Hell, she had already sacrificed her heart, her happiness and her honor. Nothing else was left.
Except the boy's life.
No, she couldn't risk that. But she could be with Baird, if only for tonight. Feed her hunger for him. Make love to him again. Store up memories. Surely she deserved that much? "Yes," Alina said, her voice hoarse with need. "I'd like to… catch up."
She wanted to do a great deal more than catch up. And judging from the bulge in those snug uniform trousers, so did Baird.
* * *
CH@%!*R 3
Baird's smile flashed white against his darkly tanned face. He took Alina's hand. "My hotel?"
His hotel. His bed. "Sounds good." He probably rated better accommodations than she did. Kasi House always booked cheap lodgings for her, which usually meant a spacer's hostel in the worst section of whatever port city she landed in. The theory was that she could look out for herself. Which she could, but she'd frankly gotten very tired of sleeping in vermin-infested sackracks.
As Alina watched, Baird turned his gaze skyward, his handsome profile outlined against the stars, and sent out a call for a zipcab through his communications implant. Automatically, she looked up, too.
"Alina," he said suddenly.
She half-turned, and he stepped against her, all dark male strength, his hands big and warm as they came to rest on her waist. Then his mouth lowered to hers, and she forgot all her worry and bitterness. Hot, wet, flavored with some delicious alien spice, his lips moved over hers. They were much more skillful than they'd been when he was a pretty young warrior just coming to his power. This was the kiss of a man who knew exactly what he was doing and the best way to go about doing it. She found herself sinking against him with a low moan of need.
God, she wanted him. On her, in her, however she could get him. Now. She wasn't even all that sure she could wait for a bed.
A burst of musical notes played, jerking them from each other's arms as the zipcab descended. It came to a hovering halt, announcing its rates in a purring female voice. Shaped roughly like a curving wedge, it wore a brilliant paint-job advertising some local bar. Its forward passenger door slid open in invitation.
Baird looked down at Alina, a warm gleam of anticipation in his eyes. "Shall we?"
"Goddess, yes."
They scooted inside to sink into deep blue upholstery. Alina sat back with a sigh, her tired body enjoying the luxury. The seats adjusted as they settled in, cupping around backs and butts. In the event of a crash, they'd also surround the cab's occupants with soft, protective cocoons.
The cab had no driver, though it did have a triangular yoke that thrust from its dash—part of its manual emergency controls in case the navigation computer went down. Baird murmured the address of his hotel, and the cab took off, soaring straight up to merge with the traffic overhead.
Alina barely had time to glimpse the lights of the city receding below before he pulled her out of her seat and into his lap. His mouth claimed hers, demanding and hot. She moaned and kissed him back.
For long, sweet moments, she simply forgot herself in the kiss, in the heat of his mouth, so familiar and yet so different. She wrapped one arm around his shoulder and the other in his long hair as he cuddled her in his lap. It was a pose they'd assumed a thousand times all those years before, but it felt very different now. He was hard and strong and broad in a way he hadn't been then, making her feel almost delicate. She found the differences deliciously arousing.
And so were his big, clever hands.
He found his way beneath the hem of her tunic to the skin that lay beneath, stroking gently across her waist and belly, then up to the curves of her breasts. "You're bigger than you used to be," he said softly, cupping her in long, warm fingers.
Alina smiled against his mouth. "So are you."
"You have that effect on me." He rolled his hips against her backside. The bulge of his erection was thick and long, making her shudder in longing greed.
She drew back to bite tenderly at his lower lip. "Taller. I meant you've grown taller."
He looked into her eyes. There was regret in his. "I was a boy then."
"Well, you're definitely not anymore." Alina wrapped her fingers in the thick black silk of his hair. Lowering her head, she took his mouth in a slow, sliding kiss.
He groaned, the sound vibrating deep and rough, and kissed her back.
Fear and bitterness spun away.
Despite Baird's suspicions, despite everything he knew about her, the taste of Alina was magic. In her arms, he felt a boy again, trembling with need and hunger for his first lover. Finally he had to draw back, gasping, to look into her face. The regenator's mist had cleaned the blood away, and the bruises and swelling were gone. He could see her now.
Alina looked even lovelier than she had twenty years ago. She'd lost the haunted look of partial starvation, flesh filling in the stark hollows under her high cheekbones. Her body felt solid with healthy muscle, and her breasts filled his hands with their soft weight.
But her pretty mouth had the same sweet curve, and those eyes were just as big and violet as they'd always been. Even the beads in her blond hair were the same. That probably galled her; she should have a collection of promotion and campaign honors as impressive as his. That bitch Rajin had refused to let her serve.
She'd evidently had other plans for Alina.
Hate stirred in his heart, chill and bitter. If his lover had violated her oath, it was because of the Femmat.
Yet Alina could have walked away at any time. The girl he'd known would have, rather than be involved in Rajin's crimes. Why hadn't she
? What hold did the Femmat have on her?
"Baird?" Alina lifted her head, frowning. "Is something wrong?"
He forced a smile and raked his thumb over a tight nipple. "Nothing, sweet. Nothing at all."
They were still caressing each other when the cab chimed, announcing their arrival at their destination. With a groan of frustrated reluctance, Alina drew back from Baird's deliciously tempting mouth.
Resting his forehead against hers, he said huskily, "Patience, love. I want to take you in a bed, not a zipcab." He drew back and rested his palm on the cab's payment screen, authorizing it to charge his credit account. The fare paid, the cab popped its door and let them out on the pedwalk.
Straightening the hem of her tunic with a jerk, Alina looked up at the hotel towering over their heads. She'd been right—this was no sackrack, though not an aristocrat's lodgings either. It was the sort of inexpensive, decent place that catered to travelers of Baird's rank and class. She should be able to get a good night's sleep here, uninterrupted by sexual groans penetrating inadequate soundproofing.
Though she strongly suspected she'd be too busy making pleasure noises of her own to notice anyone else's. She really didn't anticipate getting all that much sleep, not judging from the hot male hunger in Baird's eyes.
Though there'd been a moment when she'd seen something else, something that looked a lot like rage. Something fresher than two-decade-old anger over their breakup.
But when he reached for her hand, she gave it, threading her fingers gratefully between his long, strong ones. Even that chaste contact made her body hum.
They walked into the building together, past the trids advertising exotic liquors, restaurants, clothing, and sex entertainers. The lobby itself was bright and well lit, decorated in bright colors, with a soaring, transparent ceiling. A massive central mobile constructed of flowing shapes dominated the vast space, chiming softly.
