The Shifter’s Nanny

by T. S. Ryder

  Vanessa was surprised as a surge of jealousy took her. Mutely she nodded for him to continue, not about to break the moment with her petty thoughts.

  "I met her many years ago. I loved her, and I thought that she loved me. We traveled the galaxy together, stealing what we needed to move from place to place, and I had never been happier… until she stabbed me in the back." He touched a long, thin scar just above his heart. "I still don't know exactly why she did it. The best I can figure is that she didn't want to share our earnings with me anymore. She left me for dead. And I would have died, too, except… Well, Kulog found me. He knew my reputation and decided to take a chance on me. He healed me and I was thus upgraded from petty thief to full-on mercenary. I suppose that's why I stopped myself from killing him for so long."

  Taliga's voice sagged with bitterness. Vanessa put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You can't be angry at yourself for not killing your partner."

  "I should have. I knew what he was, I saw what he did. I should have killed him long ago. But I didn't have the strength. Not until I met you."

  Vanessa shifted closer. Taliga cupped her face and they leaned towards each other. Before they could kiss, however, the door was flung open. The priest stood in the doorway, the black blade in his hand. Vanessa's heart dropped and every happy thought she had had turned to ice.

  "We arrived."

  Chapter Ten – Taliga

  The stories of Earth Taliga had heard in his childhood made it sound like a perfect paradise. Lush jungles, deep, sparkling oceans. He had always been taught that humans were a blessed species to live in such a paradise where they were the dominant predator. Of course, that was always followed by stern warnings that they were expelled from that world because of vague sins and that the world had been cursed for it.

  Looking at what the planet had become, Taliga believed it. The ground was hard as a rock. The sun beat down from the sky and an equal amount of heat rose from the solid dirt beneath his feet.

  The Wytsian priests ringed him, looking as cool as space in their heavy robes. They must have some sort of cooling system in there. Vanessa was held at one side, bands of energy holding her arms across her chest. The High priest faced him, naked but for white trousers.

  "To win the right to take your wife's sins on your own head and save her from being sacrificed as she deserves, you must win in a fight against me," the high priest said. He was glaring, not at Taliga, but at Vanessa. "To win you must land a mortal wound, but not kill me. I, however, am free to kill you."

  "How can a wound be mortal and not kill?" Taliga demanded.

  The priest grinned. He raised his stolen black blade, and it was only then that the T'shav realized that he wasn't going to be given a weapon of his own. He cursed as the priest charged towards him, broadsword pointed directly at Taliga's heart. He was swift, his footsteps steady, but it was easy enough to dodge him.

  The priest whirled as Taliga sidestepped him, the blade coming at his head. Taliga dropped, kicking out. The priest jumped, avoiding him. He brought the sword down towards his prey. With a roll, Taliga narrowly missed the sword and rammed instead into the priest's legs. The priest's arms flew out to either side, his grip on the sword loosening, as he lurched backward. He kept his balance in the end, though.

  Taliga jumped back to his feet and immediately stumbled. Though he longed to drive forward and take advantage of the priest's slip, he made himself back away, regaining his own composure. Being held captive in that far-too-hot room with no food or water was catching up to him. He hadn't eaten since before he and Kulog had met with the priests in the first place. His throat was parched and sweat ran down his temple.

  The priest was more cautious with his approach now. He circled the T'shav, inching his way closer. Taliga rested his hands on his knees, panting, trying to make himself look more vulnerable than he actually was. His only hope was to get the sword away from the priest.

  Vanessa made a noise from the sidelines. Taliga couldn't help it; he turned to look at her. She was being dragged to an altar built from stones. Her normally golden tones were pale, eyes wide. One of the priests beside her had a hand over her mouth. The one on her other side had a knife in his hands, turning it over and over in his hands.

  They were so certain he was going to lose that they were already preparing her for the sacrifice.

  Rage boiled through his blood. Taliga turned on the high priest, striking aside the sword that drove at him. The sharp edge bit deep into his arm but he didn't care, punching hard at the Aphrosian's ribs. His knuckles cracked as they made contact. He punched again. Another crack, this time from the ribs. The priest gasped. He brought the sword up, but Taliga rammed his fist into first one shoulder and then the other.

  This animal was not going to harm Vanessa. And Taliga would ensure he never harmed anyone ever again.

  When the sword fell to the ground, Taliga grabbed the priest by the throat. With a roar, he tossed him back. The priest rolled, the jumped to his feet. Taliga picked up his sword and grinned at the man. Despite all of the odds that the Wytsians had stacked against him, there was no way he could lose now. Not when he had his own sword in his hand.

  A smudge of red streaked the sky. Another ship? Were the priests expecting others to join them?

  Taliga ignored the new ship; he'd deal with the newcomers soon enough. He faced the priest. The man backed away from him, eyes widening. Fear and hatred both played across his features. He knew what was coming as well as Taliga did, but to his credit, he didn't flinch as the T'shav stalked towards him. His chin came up and he glared at Taliga as he came closer.

  When Taliga stabbed at him, he tried to dodge but was too slow. A rush of adrenaline and relief washed over the T'shav as he felt the sword pierce flesh and bone. The priest's mouth opened but nothing came out. Blood oozed out from around the blade.

  "Mortal wound, but not immediately fatal," Taliga whispered. "That means I win."

  The priest grabbed his shoulder in and effort to remain upright. A ghostly red glow turned his blue skin purple as his golden eyes narrowed.

  "No. Kill him!" the priest shouted. "Kill the T'shav and sacrifice the false human!"

  "I beat you!" Taliga shouted. "You have no right to harm her!"

  The priest yanked himself off the sword and thrust himself back onto the blade. Taliga felt it cut through the bone; the priest went limp. Taliga whirled. Vanessa was bound to the altar, blue ropes of energy holding her in place. One of the priests held a book over her and began reading while the others headed towards Taliga.

  Blood poured from the wound in his arm, and the heat made his head swim. Against the high priest, he could not have lost, but there were half a dozen men coming at him now, and another half dozen around the priest that was chanting the rituals to sacrifice Vanessa. There was no way that he could defeat them all, certainly not in time to save Vanessa's life.

  But he had to try.

  The whistle of a ship lowering itself over their heads drowned out his roar as he charged forward. And there were these new Wytsians to deal with. The priests ran at him, all of them drawing small weapons that they brandished towards him.

  Just before they met each other, a blue blur dropped from the ship hovering over them. An Aphrosian, twice as broad as any he had seen before, landed in the midst of the priests. Twin blades flashed, reflecting the blood-red light of the engines above them. The Aphrosian easily cut through the bodies of the nearest priests.

  Taliga didn't question the sudden help, and threw himself into the fray, cutting down first one priest and then another. Two more figures dropped from the ship, one right where the altar was. Screams rose in the air. A T'shav chopped his way through the priests, moving to join the Aphrosian. They stood back to back, fluidly shielding and attacking together like they had done it a thousand times.

  "Bet I can take out more than you, Ronan," the Aphrosian shouted in a high, feminine voice.

  "You're on," the T'shav laughed.

&nbs
p; Taliga used his sword to deflect twin daggers that one of the priests threw at him, then leaped forward and decapitated the man. He stumbled, head spinning. His stomach lurched. The wound in his arm had deepened, pumping his life's blood out in an arterial spray. His whole side of his body was slick with it, but stumbled forward, slashing through the hordes that were now more interested in the new arrivals than in him.

  Somewhere he stabbed a priest and couldn't retrieve his sword. He left it there, making his way through to where Vanessa was. Another T'shav stood over her, fighting off the priests that were trying to slice at him and Vanessa both. Taliga punched a priest in the face and threw him into his fellows. The T'shav glanced back; Taliga saw his face. With the heat of battle and blood loss, Taliga forgot for a moment where they were and just stared.

  It was Zon's son, standing protectively over Vanessa. The Sanctuary did send someone after her after all.

  Another priest came at Taliga, and he was just able to punch the man in the face and steal his weapon. The T'shav shook his head–he couldn't afford to let himself be distracted here. Only a few more steps, and he was right by the altar. He dropped to his knees, searching with blurred vision for the anchors that kept the energy field in place. He found one and stabbed it, then another and another.

  He wasn't aware that he had freed Vanessa until she was by his side, pulling him into her arms. Taliga smiled, touching her lips. The sounds of the battle around them reminded him of where they were. He couldn’t fight his way out again, so he tucked Vanessa into a ball and draped himself over her, trying to protect any vulnerable spots.

  Hours or minutes passed. Taliga didn't know. He didn't know anything other than Vanessa was in his arms, and he had to protect her at any cost. And at the moment the only way he could protect her was to shield her with his body.

  Hands grasped his arms, pulling him back. Taliga held on as tightly as he could, but more hands latched on. Slowly they pried him back. He struck out weakly, but couldn’t get enough strength to land a decent blow. He heard Vanessa's voice, high-pitched and frightened. He growled.

  "Leave her alone."

  "Relax, big guy," a male voice said in his ear. "We're here to rescue the human, not harm her."

  His vision settled. The two T'shav and Aphrosian stared into his face. He blinked, searching for Vanessa. She pushed the other three aside and bent over him. Her lips pressed to his.

  "You're safe now," he mumbled. "You're safe."

  "Ironic, really," the Aphrosian said as his vision slid out of focus again. "We're sent to kill him for kidnapping a human and now we have to take him back with us."

  One of the T'shav bent over him. "If he survives."

  Everything went black.

  Chapter Eleven – Vanessa

  Being back at the Sanctuary felt like home for the first time. Vanessa hadn't realized how much she missed sleeping in her own bed until she spent a night in the little apartment she had been assigned to when she woke up. It also helped that by the time they got back to the Sanctuary, she knew for certain that Taliga was going to be fine. He was malnourished, dehydrated and suffered severe blood loss, but he was fine.

  The day after they arrived back at the Sanctuary, Taliga was in meeting with Zon and other leaders of the Sanctuary from dawn to dusk. After night had fallen, Vanessa was finally allowed to see him. The room they had given him was comfortable, with a narrow bed and a small kitchenette, but locked from the outside. He smiled at her when she came in.

  "So, what's the prognosis?" she asked, sitting on the bed beside him. "Are they arresting you?"

  "They're giving it a trial period, but apparently Zon is impressed by my actions in protecting you, despite the fact that I kidnapped you. I've been offered a place to stay here if I want. Me, living here. It's not at all what I was expecting."

  "But it's still a good thing isn't it?" Vanessa grabbed his hand and squeezed. After all they had been through, she couldn't imagine him just leaving her. But her life wasn't in danger anymore What if he decided that this life wasn't for him? "I mean, they're not going to arrest you or worse."

  "No. They're not."

  Vanessa bit her lip hesitantly. A pale splash of fleshseal clung to his arm, but other than that there was no indication that he had been wounded at all. And he still wore her necklace around his neck. That had to mean that he was going to stay, didn't it?

  Taliga cupped her face. "What are you looking so worried for?"

  "I'm not really…" Vanessa shook her head. "Okay, I'm a little worried you won't stay. I mean, we were thrown together by chance, and after everything that happened… It's just a really strange situation, isn't it? Maybe I'm not sure that I'm enough of a draw to keep you away from your life of crime."

  Taliga grinned at her.

  "Don't look at me like that." She smacked his shoulder lightly. "So what if I'm being insecure. You're staying, aren't you? Please tell me you are. I don't know what I would do if you weren't. I would want to go with you, but I don't know if I ever want to leave the Sanctuary again. It's a dangerous world out there."

  "It is. But I'd die to keep you safe."

  Vanessa shook her head. "I know that. But I don't want you to die to keep me safe. I want to live a long, happy life with you."

  "And I want the same. We're married."

  "Most T'shav don't marry, they just take mates."

  "That doesn't mean that I don't understand the importance of the vows we took. Especially to you." His lips brushed lightly against hers. "I'm not going anywhere. Not while you want me to stay, at least. Which reminds me."

  He stood and crossed the room. Atop a shelf was his black broadsword. He picked it up and offered the hilt to her. Vanessa took it hesitantly. It was insanely heavy, and she couldn't actually hold it without Taliga bracing up the other end.

  "I gave this to you as part of our wedding vows. It's yours."

  "Thank you." It was an amazing sword. Beautiful. Even if she couldn't actually wield it. "So will you want to keep using it, or will you get another one?"

  "This one is yours. I'll make a new one to represent this new stage in my life." Taliga returned the sword to the shelf.

  Vanessa admired the contours of his muscles for a moment. "You know, I didn't marry you because I thought that your plan would save us. I mean, I believed you when you said that they wouldn’t kill us straight off, but I didn't think it would work in the long run."

  "You didn't?"

  "No. But I didn't really care. I could only think that all I wanted was to be with you. To be bound to your forever. I thought, if we were going to die, I wanted to die as your wife." She shrugged. "And because I thought there was no way that we weren't going to die, I didn't see any reason to let you kidnapping me in the first place stop me from getting what I wanted. Marriage and a wedding night."

  Taliga's smile slipped off his face. "Do you regret it?"

  "No."

  "No, I meant… when we made love. We only did it because we thought we were going to die. Now, knowing that we weren't going to… it seems like…" Taliga sat beside her and dragged his hand through his hair. "It's just that you wanted your first time to be special. And it wasn't. It was desperate and not at all the way it should have been."

  Vanessa felt a bubble of warmth fill her chest. She smiled, turning him to face her, and brushed her lips on his. "I wouldn't change it for the world, Taliga. No, it wasn't what I imagined it would be like, but that hardly matters. I needed you, and you were there. I didn't regret it then, and I don't regret it now. For one thing, if we hadn't made love when we did, I wouldn’t be pregnant."

  Taliga's head jerked up. He stared at her for a long time before a grin burst out over his face. "You are?"

  "Yes. We're going to have a baby."

  Her husband laughed out loud. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against his chest. He kissed her hotly, making fires flare throughout her body. Their eyes met, and there was no need to ask.

  Taliga tugg
ed at the dress she was wearing, breaking the kiss to pull it over her head. She leaned forward to resume the kissing, but he put his hand on her shoulder and stood.

  "You're beautiful."

  She felt the heat rising in her cheeks and then pool low in her belly at the look of desire in Taliga's eyes. He slowly unhooked her bra, sliding it off her arms. She shivered, then let out a soft moan as his hands caught her breasts, caressing them gently. Vanessa arched her back to push them more firmly against his hands as she reached for his belt. His var'ki dropped to the floor, letting her see him for the first time. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at him from head to toe.

  He was the most stunning thing she had ever seen before in her life.

  "We should slow down," Taliga said, kneeling on the floor between her thighs. "We should still be kissing right now. Working our way to this point. The build up is half the fun."

  "Next time," Vanessa promised, hooking her thumbs into her underwear.

  Taliga caught her hands and pushed them firmly into the mattress before he took their spot. He slowly pulled her underwear off, leaving her exposed to his view. Vanessa grinned and watched as his eyes trailed down her body. They heated, and he leaned forward, catching her mouth with his. His kisses were fevered, building the heat ever higher in her own core.

  His hand slid between her thighs, his mouth trailing down her neck to focus on her breasts. The combination was more than Vanessa could take. Her whole body arched to him, sharp tingles shooting like electricity from her skin to his. Like their first time, his actions were slow, deliberate, but unlike the first time, she found herself reveling in every action, wanting every kiss and touch to prolong forever.

  Her fingers wove into his hair as he trailed kisses from her breast down her stomach to the place where his fingers danced. With the first touch, she thrust her hips forward, falling back on the bed, crying out. Taliga jumped as though startled, then laughed and repeated his action. Something tightened inside Vanessa, her body feeling like it was about to burst into flame. She was soon breathless, clawing at the bed beneath her. How could he evoke such sensations in her?