by Rachel Clark
“Why her?” Ben asked.
“I don’t know,” Trey said quietly. “We’ve been attracted to non-G’trobian females before.”
“Attracted, yes, but this is more and you know it.”
* * * *
Trey nodded in agreement, but couldn’t offer any plausible explanation. Ben sat on his own bed and turned back to his brother.
“Maybe we just think it’s more. Maybe we just need to sleep with her. Get it out of our system.”
Trey laughed out loud at the same time that his heart contracted painfully. He wanted Tee-ani more than any other female he’d ever met and the thought of mating with her had his libido—and certain parts of his body—standing to attention. The problem was that he couldn’t imagine letting her go once he had her. His mind was full of images of loving her over and over and eventually watching her swell with their child, and it didn’t really fit in with the suggestion Ben put forward.
“Maybe we should just hitch a ride home,” Trey suggested. “We haven’t contacted our Fathers since we left three cycles ago.”
“I doubt that’s long enough for them to forget,” Ben said distantly. It seemed obvious that Ben was hooked on the love-her-and-leave-her idea.
“Maybe it’s not,” he said carefully, “but how will we ever know if they forgive us for leaving unless we go back.”
“Am I the only one who remembers the mate they picked out for us?” Ben asked, his natural humor leaking back into his voice.
“No, I remember. I just can’t imagine that she would still be waiting for us.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure, brother,” Ben said, laughing openly now. “The female was a wallflower without an opinion or a personality of her own. Her family raised her to be our mate from the moment she was born. I doubt any other G’trobian family would accept her.”
Trey nodded slightly as the familiar guilt crept through. In reality, G’baena had been the perfect mate for them both. Submissive, shy, demure, and sexy, all rolled into one perfect package. She’d been the epitome of G’trobian royalty, but three cycles ago, the brothers had wanted so much more than a woman who couldn’t think for herself. They’d wanted something they couldn’t define, couldn’t even understand with their limited experience. They’d just known that what they did have, they didn’t want.
Trey flopped back onto his own bed. Goddess, they were a couple of spoiled brats. They’d had everything they could ever have asked for and they’d traded it all for life on this pirate ship. Ben sat up to study his face.
“Oh, not the guilt again! Stop it. We weren’t responsible for the way the female was raised. We had no choice in our mate, same as her, but we chose to leave our home rather than enter a union that would have made us all miserable.”
“Oh, hell, I know that,” Trey said, rubbing his forehead tiredly, “but I can guarantee she had no way to escape the life chosen for her. We, at least, had a means to change our situation.”
“So what do you want to do little brother?”
Trey ground his teeth together. Ben always pointed out that he was the older of the twins whenever he didn’t like what Trey was saying. If only Trey had known that in the womb, he would’ve fought harder to be first out.
“Maybe we should return home and check that she is okay. It’ll also give us a chance to check on Mother and our Fathers.”
“We are their only sons and we left rather than take the mate chosen for us. We’ll be lucky if they don’t have us arrested.”
“Nonsense. They are our Fathers and despite everything else, I know they care for us. We should go home, make peace with them.”
“I’ll think about it,” Ben grumbled as he lay back down. He turned away from Trey, effectively ending the conversation.
Trey lay back on his bunk and studied the bulk head above him. Going home seemed the right move to make at this point in their lives, but even though he’d made that decision in his head, his heart screamed at him to stay close to Tee-ani.
Trey rolled over and tried to sleep without dreaming about the beautiful doctor.
It didn’t work.
Chapter Two
Tee-ani woke with a start. Panic squeezed her chest as she tried to get her bearings. Her eyes darted around the semi-dark room, her breathing difficult, her heart pounding erratically, until her gaze finally landed on the familiar equipment of the medical bay.
Trying to shake her momentary confusion, Tee-ani levered herself off the medical bed. She needed to hold on to the edge for a moment as her legs shook with remnants of her dream. God, she hated this, hated everything about this weakness. As a doctor, she knew that the dreams and their lingering effects were from the trauma she’d suffered at the hands of the slave traders who’d abducted her almost two Earth years ago, but as a woman, as a human, she was fast learning that knowing why one reacted to something had no bearing on how one could control it.
Shakily, she moved away from the support of the bed and took a step toward her desk.
“Tee-ani,” G’ntriel’s musical voice called as she entered the room. “Can I be of assistance?”
“Nah, just the same ol’ same ol’,” she said, trying not to wince as the dismissive words escaped her mouth. G’ntriel was the one person on the ship who knew exactly what was going on in her head. It seemed downright impossible to hide anything from her. She was the most skilled empath that Tee-ani had ever met, and she’d met plenty on her travels. G’ntriel seemed to be able to guess what went on in Tee-ani’s head just by reading her emotions.
Despite Tee-ani's off-handed manner, G'ntriel seemed to accept her explanation. It was, after all, the same problem she’d been dealing with since joining the crew. Strange how she’d lived months of terror at the hands of her abductors, yet it was now, surrounded by people willing to protect her, that she would fall apart.
G’ntriel walked farther into the room and settled her lean frame against one of the benches.
“We have located the medications for the Kelorians. It is stored by the local government in a warehouse not far from the capital city on the southern continent. Jordan is organizing a team to retrieve the supply, but he wants to know if you are able to assist with the distribution. The Kelorian people have very little medical knowledge and we need to be sure they understand the symptoms of the disease and how best to treat it.”
Tee-ani began nodding even before G’ntriel finished speaking.
“Of course. How long before we leave?”
“Sixteen Earth hours. Until then, I recommend that you try to get more sleep. You will be able to function more effectively if you are well rested.”
“And see, I thought I was the ship’s doctor,” Tee-ani said as she smiled at G’ntriel and then moved back to the medical bed she’d recently vacated. “But you don’t have to tell me twice.”
* * * *
“Shit, shit, shit.” Sarah wrestled the controls as the small ship seemed to lurch. “Inertial dampeners are offline!” she shouted. “This is going to hurt.”
Tee-ani tightened the restraint that she’d worn the entire trip. She’d never liked traveling in small crafts and she hated landings even more. This was exactly what she tried to avoid.
The ship lurched sickeningly and the front view screen flashed images of greenery so quickly that Tee-ani closed her eyes against the onslaught. How the hell did Sarah even manage to figure out where they were?
“Got it,” Sarah yelled triumphantly as all movement within the cabin ceased. “Inertial dampeners are back online.” She turned and winked at Tee-ani. Tee-ani tried really hard to appear unaffected, but considering that her lunch had lodged at the back of her throat, she was pretty sure she failed.
“Okay, time to disembark,” Sarah announced cheerfully as if they hadn’t just nearly crash landed on this overgrown planet. Jordan rose from the seat beside her, glanced at Tee-ani briefly, and then followed his wife out of the ship.
Tee-ani couldn’t quite seem to unhook the seat belt with her
shaking hands and almost cried in relief when strong arms wrapped her from behind and undid the buckle.
“Thanks, Ben,” she said, trying to hide the warmth that always coursed through her whenever he or his brother were near. She was still trying to shake off the fear of the last few minutes and now she needed to cope with her own unruly hormones.
Just great. How many times did she have to remind herself that G’trobian brothers wouldn’t be interested in a human female? And, even if they did find her mildly interesting, there was no way she would ever be the submissive, pliant, meek, dependent-on-them partner expected of a G’trobian female.
Just the thought of a romantic involvement with two arrogant, overbearing G’trobian brothers gave her the shudders. They’d both dominate her life, make her decisions, overrule her choices. The whole thing had disaster written all over it and, quite frankly, she couldn’t think of anything she would enjoy less.
Of course, none of that explained why more often than not, the brothers were her last thought at night and her first in the morning, or why her skin seemed to tingle whenever she saw them. She hadn’t even tried to explain why, when the nightmares woke her, it was their strong arms she imagined soothing her, caressing her, loving her.
She shook her head sharply, trying to clear her muddled thoughts. She was attracted to them for the very same qualities that repelled her. How was that possible?
She turned to grab her medical bag, only to find Trey standing behind her, a big smile on his face and the bag slung over his shoulder.
“I’ve got this,” he said confidently. “You save your strength for your patients, doc. We’ll look after the equipment.”
“Thanks, Trey,” she said, trying to avert her eyes from the smooth plains of his chest and stomach outlined under the stretched material of his jumpsuit. All of her sensible thoughts flew out of her head as she imagined those strong arms holding her safe, holding her close. Damn. She really was screwed up.
She blushed when she saw his breathing quicken at the same time that he noticed her noticing him. Bloody hell, she felt like she was back in high school. Get a grip, woman, she thought savagely as she tried to will her blood pressure back under control.
She ducked her head and went to follow Sarah out of the air lock. A large hand grabbed her arm before she could take a single step.
“Tee-ani, we go first. You follow,” Trey said with all the arrogance of his species. She rounded on him, ready to explain, very loudly, about the inappropriateness of speaking to her in such a manner. She was a full grown, confident, human female and a doctor. No way would she ever walk one step behind him, G’trobian or not. She was just about to open her mouth when he laughed quietly and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.
“We are armed and expected to protect you, Tee. You only stay behind so that we can keep you safe.”
Well, didn’t that make a whole heap of sense? Darn it. She was looking for a good reason to yell at both of them and here they were being calm and reasonable. Tee-ani took a deep breath and, not trusting her voice, nodded once in understanding and then stood back to let them past. Ben smiled way too widely as he passed her and dropped a quick kiss on her lips, as well. He stepped out the airlock.
Trey held out his hand and she grabbed it gratefully. Why she would even want to yell at them was still a mystery to her.
She’d always been a non-confrontational type of person. Even on the slave traders’ ship, she had usually managed to avoid major conflict and still provide medical assistance to the women who’d needed her, but something about these two males raised all sorts of unfamiliar emotions.
Okay, so she wasn’t comfortable with the way their species treated women, but she’d lived on many different planets and she had always made an effort to respect—if not understand—the local customs. Why did she find Ben and Trey’s cultural traditions so threatening? She’d met other G’trobian males. Why hadn’t she felt this same conflict with them?
Had being a slave changed her so much that she felt the need to seek protection from a big, strong man? She almost laughed aloud at the thought. No, being a slave had done the opposite—she would control her own destiny, no matter what the cost.
On this mission, it was Ben and Trey’s job to protect her while she worked with her patients, so why did she feel that this time it was her heart that needed protecting? Could she really be falling for them both despite everything else?
Trey rubbed a thumb over the back of her hand as he pulled her through the airlock. She tried not to react to his simple caress but found it impossible to hide her shiver, even in the overpowering humidity of this swampy planet. She thought she heard another quiet chuckle and she would’ve said something, but the hand enfolding hers tightened and led her into the dense foliage.
They seemed to wander in circles for hours. How anyone found their way in this swampy, foul-smelling, waterlogged planet was simply beyond her. With so much decay and humidity, it was a perfect breeding ground for some very virulent illnesses. No wonder they were crying out for medical assistance.
“Damn,” Trey whispered. “Get down, stay low.” Her eyes widened at his words, but she did as he said. It also helped that he practically threw himself over her, so she had little choice in the matter. She tried to take a deep breath but almost choked on the cloying thickness of the putrid air this close to the ground. Desperately trying to control her gag reflex, Tee-ani squirmed against the hard body surrounding her.
“Shh. It’s going to be okay,” he said close to her ear. She wanted to tell him that she wasn’t panicking. She wanted to explain that she was gagging on the foul air. She wanted to push his warm arms away and make him listen to her, but as his grip tightened and she found herself surrounded by hard male muscles, she melted into his warmth instead. Every muscle in her body betrayed her righteous tirade and relaxed against Trey’s tight body.
She had no idea how long he held her like that, and she would’ve happily spent the next couple of years pressed hard against him, but too soon he straightened.
“Sarah has things under control,” he said as his body relaxed. Tee-ani could’ve sworn she heard respect in that sentence, but shook it off as absurd. Trey was G’trobian. No way would he appreciate a woman as complex and fearless as Sarah. Sarah was kick-ass attitude and sassy irreverence rolled into a five-foot-five bundle of energy and the exact opposite of what G’trobians expected of females.
Trey kept his arm around her waist, tightly pinning her to his side as they traversed the last of the swamp. Finally, daylight peeked through the thick curtain of foliage, and they stepped into a small, dry clearing.
The village that appeared in front of them looked appalling. The few natives who stood talking to Sarah looked gaunt, ill, and horrendously underweight. Tears welled in her eyes when she spotted a group of children lying listlessly in the shade of a crude mud building. Forcing people to live in such horrific conditions was despicable, but to deny them the medical aid they so desperately needed seemed beyond unthinkable. The government of this planet had a lot to answer for. Tee-ani thanked her ancestors that humanity had long since learned its lessons on that score as she moved toward the children, desperate now to offer as much assistance as she could.
A strong arm held her back.
“Tee, you don’t go anywhere on this planet without me or Ben. Is that understood?”
Again, she was going to round on him and very loudly put her foot down at his chauvinistic behavior, but she caught his eye a moment before he could hide the concern etched into his features.
She nodded carefully. “Okay,” she said as her hand reached to smooth the lines from his brow. “I will stay close to you and Ben.”
He exhaled heavily, almost like he’d been holding his breath in anticipation of her denying him the chance to protect her. She grabbed him in a brief hug and then turned toward the children once again, confident that he would follow her with the medical equipment.
As she approached the childr
en, one of the adults who’d been talking to Sarah broke away from the group and stalked toward them. He yelled something in his native tongue and made threatening gestures. Trey pushed her behind him and raised his weapon.
The irate male planted himself between them and the children and continued to scream what sounded like abuse. Sarah hurried across the soft ground toward them and began yelling back at the irate man. It took several minutes and a number of seemingly vulgar hand gestures before Sarah stepped back and spoke to her and Trey.
“He says they are not to be helped. That they are…” She hesitated, obviously trying to find an accurate translation for the word. “He says that they are lost. That their gods have chosen them and that we are not to interfere.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Tee-ani sputtered. “How can I help anyone in the village if being sick means you were chosen by the gods?”
“Apparently that criterion doesn’t apply to adults,” Sarah said in disgust as she turned back to the man and began arguing again. Sarah was obviously fluent in their language, but it was one that Tee-ani had never heard before. The conversation sounded gruff and angry, so she was surprised when Sarah turned back to her with a smile.
“We can treat the children, as well.”
“How did you manage that?” Tee-ani asked bewildered. The entire scene had looked very aggressive and to have such an outcome had seemed just about impossible.
“I explained to them that their gods led us here with medicines to help the ill and that if the children were truly chosen, then nothing you did would change that.”
Tee-ani stepped forward and hugged Sarah quickly.
“Thank you,” she whispered, a wealth of emotion leaking into two words.
* * * *
Ben watched as Tee-ani worked tirelessly to treat the children, and then the adults of the village. With Sarah’s help, she’d even managed to pass on enough information for a few of the villagers to be able to continue the treatments after they left.
