Invasion Earth

by Loribelle Hunt

  Barak was eying her suspiciously. He still hadn’t decided if he could trust her or not, and he must have noted her distraction, realized she was communicating telepathically. Cilia had explained to her it was a skill that developed to some extent in all mated pairs. “A signal?”

  She grinned. “For Alrik.” Then she sobered, all trace of humor gone from her. Trust went two ways. Testing the spymaster now, she spoke, “I let him know you’re here. He’s expecting us now.”

  “Good.” He nodded. She stepped away having decided she’d take the right side of the mesa. “One thing, Sergeant Major.”

  Ah. So he hadn’t decided he accepted her yet. She turned back around to face him. “Yes?”

  “You spoke of a Torfa heir,” he said hesitantly and she understood.

  He knew that pregnancy would put her firmly in his camp.

  “I did. A boy or girl, do you think? I imagine there will be a betting pool soon enough.”

  She grinned. She understood fighting men well enough. Where a birth was due, there was always wagering as to sex. Days ago, hours ago, she would have prayed to every god and goddess of Earth to not bear a girl. Now she was less sure. The men of Delroi obviously needed shaking up and who better to do that than she and her daughter?

  Barak shook his head and muttered. “May the Gods help us all if it’s a girl.”

  She laughed. “Y’all could use the shaking up.”

  “I think we’ll get enough of that with you, my lady,” he answered tartly.

  “Maybe,” she answered, but she was smiling, the excitement of battle beginning to rush through her veins and not thinking about how difficult the men of Delroi might consider their coming transition. She turned her back to him, tracing the curve of the mesa with a practiced eye. “Let’s get this over with, Trace. There’s a shower waiting for me at home.”

  And when had that space ship become home? No matter. No time to think about it. Now there were men, the enemy, who needed to be eliminated. She moved along the edge, searching them out below her and snorted quietly. Eliminated. Soldier speak for killed. Civilian speak for murdered. Semantics. What did it matter really? She could kill them or they could kill her.

  She saw the first of her prey directly below her and pointed her weapon. Her finger still on the trigger as she contacted Alrik, let him know in that weird way of theirs that she needed covering sound. Within seconds there was a spattering of fire from the floor of the gulley and one single shot from above. She didn’t hear anything from the direction Barak had gone in and had to assume he had a silencer, or was killing on a more up close and personal basis than she. Neither would surprise her. They’d agreed one of the attackers must be kept alive to question, but outside of that, all bets were off.

  She moved on.

  She killed three more along her way to the edge of the mesa and began her climb down, mentally warning Alrik of her approach. She’d hate to get shot by accident. She laughed at herself. Hell, she’d hate to get shot on purpose. The climb was tricky and she lost her grip a couple of times, slipped with dangerous swiftness before clinging fast again. When her feet finally touched solid ground, she sank to her knees and acknowledged her fear, if only to herself. She looked up the almost-sheer face of the cliff. She should have doubled back to an easier place to climb down. Next time she would.

  “The hell with that,” Alrik growled and pulled her up into his arms. She hadn’t realized she’d shared the thought. “There will be no next time.”

  She laughed weakly and accepted his embrace. His warmth. His strength. She was shaking from the climb. And maybe from the killing. The aftermath was always hard to deal with. She lifted her head from where it rested against his chest. He captured her lips before she could speak. Before she could ask, beg for his kiss. There was something desperate in it, in her, a clinging to life. She wanted to be alone, wanted there to be no clothes between them, but knowing that wouldn’t happen for quite some time to come, she broke away. The memory of his lips would have to be enough to assuage the need in her. For just a little longer. Panting, she took a step away, forcing her mind back to the game at hand.

  “Barak?”

  Alrik stared her, silent, and she wasn’t sure if he was going to answer. She felt the heat in him, both angry and erotic, and knew he too struggled for control. Finally, he took her hand and after a brief hesitation responded to her question.

  “On his way down.”

  “Did he take a prisoner?”

  Experiencing her first doubt in the plan, she bit her bottom lip as she waited for Alrik’s answer. They’d agreed he would. She was willing to accept the limitations of strength her size and sex imposed on her, but someone to question was vital. That didn’t guarantee Barak would be any more successful in the task than she would have been.

  “He did. Unconscious. We’ll question him back on the ship.”

  He slid his hand up to her elbow and she sucked in a breath. So much promise in that slow smooth caress. He smirked, knowing the knots were again tied in her belly, the need riding her hard, and led her back to the others, into the clearing and out of the shelter of the shuttle where she was forced again to ignore the lust and concentrate on the danger.

  His warriors had gathered the dead who’d fallen and were examining them. Daggar stood with a hand shielding his eyes against the sun and watched as Barak descended the slope with one of the attackers slung over his shoulder. He turned to face them as they approached and bowed deeply at the waist.

  “Sister.” She blinked in surprise at the naming. “On Delroi, there are old stories, legends really, of warrior women graced by the gods. You do them, and us, great honor in your skill and service to the Torfa Clan.”

  She shook her head sharply once. “I do what is necessary. It is important you understand that about me, Daggar.”

  He smiled. “Even when it is at your peril and against the wishes of your mate?”

  She sucked in a harsh breath, aware of many implications, many tricky holes here. “Even so.”

  “Such honor in an enemy.”

  His smile took the insult from his words and she understood he meant them to be evidence of his growing respect. That wasn’t where she chose to go with them however. She shrugged.

  “As long as I am the mother of Alrik’s child, I will not be your enemy.” Her smile was fierce. “And God help the man who tries to separate me from my child.”

  She stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. Forced her smile to gentle. “And there is more at stake here. More at issue. In a generation or two, maybe as much as three or four, women will have a different role on Delroi. I will be that beginning. My daughters will follow me. You should all accustom yourselves very quickly to the idea of women warriors because you might live to see it in your lifetime. I’d hazard to guess there are already women on Delroi who would wish such a role.”

  She took a deep breath and watched Alrik and Daggar both struggle with the idea. “Your world must change, as must mine. I think I’m really beginning to understand that. It will speed things up if you do too.”

  “I believe you are asking too much, Laney,” Daggar said, but she noticed Jaxon had stopped a short distance away and was listening. Remembered he had a daughter.

  “You spoke of your legends. Your gods. I’m sure you can imagine it would go against my nature not to keep in fighting shape. Not to make sure my daughters can defend themselves.”

  He nodded, but it was obviously reluctantly. “I suppose.”

  “These are simple enough changes, Daggar. Things that are going to happen whether you approve or not.”

  “We wouldn’t order you not to do these things,” he said formally, stiffly. She smiled.

  “Of course not. But when someone outside the family asks me to train their daughter, how will you respond? I have been there before. It will happen.”

  Daggar scowled. “Not on Delroi.”

  Jaxon cleared his throat and stepped forward. “Excuse me, my lord. Bu
t I believe the Lady Torfa is correct. If it became known she was teaching her own daughter to fight, others would ask if they could be included.” He hesitated. “I would ask this for my own daughter. As you know, my liege, my family lives in the Borderlands.”

  Daggar and Alrik both looked at Jaxon and their struggle was clear on their faces.

  “Nothing need be decided here,” Alrik eventually answered.

  She sighed. At least it wasn’t a flat out no. She would wait to pursue the issue. Barak reached the ground and approached them, dropping the man slung over his shoulder to the ground. His head thumped the packed dirt and she repressed a wince. The enemy soldier was here to kill them; concern for the goose egg he’d be sporting was hardly necessary. That thought was banished when she looked at him, though. Like Barak, intricate tattoos covered one side of his face and neck.

  “Well, I guess that answers that question, doesn’t it?”

  Alrik squatted down in the dirt next to him and examined the markings. He looked up to meet Barak’s gaze.

  “I don’t recognize him. Do you?”

  The spymaster shook his head once and scowled at the unconscious man. “His tattoos look like a mixture of several tribes. I’ll have to do some research back onboard.”

  Nodding, Alrik stood and turned to Jaxon. “Let’s load up and get back topside.”

  The warrior Captain left to follow his orders.

  “Alrik? Since we’re down here and not far from my base I’d like to get a few things.”

  He shook his head. “Bad idea.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Why? The attack was by your people and it’s over. Plus they’re unlikely to try again so soon, especially in the middle of one of our bases.”

  Barak interrupted. “I’m not so sure of that, my lady. Haven’t you wondered how it is I came to be here?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You weren’t on your way to meet us anyway?”

  “I was, but I had to meet an informant first. One of yours actually.”

  “One of mine. Kendall.”

  It was a logical leap. Kendall’s base was closest to this valley, and Britt had semi-retired and relocated to the southern continent. There were others near by Laney had utilized to leak information to the Delroi, but none shared the bonds of friendship with her that Kendall did. If he was surprised she knew exactly who he’d seen, he didn’t betray it by even one flick of an eyelash. She admired his self-control.

  “What did she say?”

  “Only that she’d overheard a conversation about the demonstration and had a bad feeling about it.”

  “Who?”

  “Colonel Eldridge and a Commander Earth-side.”

  She looked at Alrik who was scowling. “Did Eldridge know about the demonstration before he got here?”

  “He wasn’t supposed to. And he shouldn’t have access to any kind of communication device.”

  “Someone’s working together,” she murmured, wondering who among her people were so dissatisfied with the treaty that they’d go with the enemy of my enemy is my frend. Other than Eldridge of course.

  “Exactly,” Barak echoed and his gaze seemed to mirror her own thoughts.

  “What happened on the other side of the valley with the delegation? Do we have comm yet?”

  “Yes. All the attackers are dead over there. Their position was more defensible than ours.”

  “But there’s no one left to question. Convenient … for someone.”

  “Indeed,” Barak responded.

  They fell silent as Jaxon approached. He saluted Daggar. The fist-over-heart thump was beginning to seem natural to her.

  “Everything is ready, my lord.”

  The warriors and Daggar boarded, but she held back waiting for Barak and Alrik. They stood a few feet away and spoke too softly for her to overhear. Not for lack of trying on her part. More secrets, and she was getting damned sick of them. She gave up pretense and just walked over. Barak glanced at her but continued talking to Alrik.

  “Take the hover craft. I’ll have a shuttle rendezvous with you later.”

  “A hover craft? Great. My base is only a couple of hours from here by craft.”

  Alrik frowned. “You’re going topside. You can get your things later.”

  “Later?” She made her eyes big and innocent. “Like when it’s safer, my lord General? How many years do you suppose that will take?”

  His expression grew glacial and she wondered if she’d finally gone too far. But what the hell? It seemed to be a day for pushing her luck. He reached out and took her hand, pulled her up against his chest and whispered in her ear.

  “I wonder if you will call me that tonight while I fuck you? I think I would like that. It might make up for some of the aggravation you have put me through today.”

  She wanted to pretend it was outrage that forced the gasping breath from her body, but it was nothing less than pure lust and they both knew it. Damn. And she’d been doing so well. With one look, one crude suggestion she was fighting her body again. Focus on something other than getting laid, Laney.

  That concentration wouldn’t come as she stood next to Alrik and met his gaze. He wasn’t fighting the connection between them either and she found it impossible to deliberate on anything but the memory of his big body blanketing hers, of his cock thrusting into her and the best sex of her life.

  Barak cleared his throat. A timely interruption as she was once again close to jumping Alrik, and not to hurt him. Alrik broke his gaze away and turned to his spymaster. Barak tossed him a thin key card and moved to the ship’s ramp. Alrik smoothly snatched it out of the air.

  “It’s about two kilometers east. Do you want a lift?”

  Alrik scowled. “We’ll walk.”

  The spymaster boarded and the door closed behind him. She released a pent-up sigh of relief and expectation. Alrik didn’t speak, just turned, walked to the rocky incline, and climbed. She followed as quietly as she could, trying to not bring any notice upon herself. He was pissed, but he didn’t seem to know why any more than she did.

  Keeping her mouth shut was definitely the safest course.

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  Chapter Ten

  Alrik reached the top and turned to help Laney up. She didn’t need his assistance; he’d seen her climb easily, gracefully, earlier in the day. So he was amazed when she took his hand and let him pull her up, then she stood before him with an almost docile expression on her face. Who was he angrier with? Her for forcing him to see her as the soldier today? Or himself for his inability to say no to her?

  This was dangerous, foolhardy, going into her camp, but even as he’d argued against it he’d known he was going to allow it. There could be a trap for him or her waiting there. Hell, it could be a trap for him set up by her. He didn’t believe that. It wasn’t smart to trust her yet and he couldn’t say why he did, but there it was.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  His voice was gruffer than he’d intended and her eyes widened slightly for a brief second with anger and surprise. She was a woman who didn’t like being ordered around. Tough. She’d have to take direction on Delroi whether she liked it or not. Not because he wished her subservient but because she didn’t know the people, the dangerous politics that reached out to swirl around them even here. He didn’t try to explain any of that now, though, and she didn’t press him to talk, thank the gods. He set off in the direction Barak had indicated and she fell into step beside him.

  After a moment they paused together and watched as the shuttle lifted from the valley floor. When it was no more than a speck in the sky, Laney sighed and started walking again. Her hand hovered over her belly for a moment before she shoved it in her pocket.

  He smiled, thinking of what lay there, safe and protected in his mother’s womb. It would be weeks before they knew the sex, but he didn’t need the test to know he would have a son. And after what she’d done today, he had no doubt that Laney would stop at nothing to protect the boy. Sh
e’d made a choice out there that put her squarely on Alrik’s side. He frowned. No. That wasn’t exactly true. She was with him because of the child. No other reason. Yet.

  “You’re getting all dour and sulky again,” she said.

  He looked down to meet her gaze. She cocked one eyebrow and gave him a grin that could only be called saucy. He wanted those lips wrapped around his cock. He’d been trying so hard to temper his dominance that he felt a little bad for the thought, but it was impossible to ignore his need for her, impossible to ignore the hard core of him that wished she’d willingly submit to his will. He struggled to reign in the primitive need, knew if he did have her submission in all things he’d only wish to have the fire of her spirit back.

  “I don’t sulk,” he managed to answer mildly, even though his heart started to thud wildly, as if he was in the heat of battle.

  “Ahh, so your silence isn’t some kind of punishment because I did things today you didn’t want me to? Or for going back to my base? Or, you know, just my defiance in general?”

  He didn’t answer and she shook her head. “It may have escaped your notice, but I took a side today. Made a choice to go along with your treaty and your plans.”

  They rounded a curve in the path and the hovercraft came into view. It was sheltered behind a half ring of large boulders. He looked around. Plenty of privacy for what he had in mind. She walked forward, but he grabbed her hand before she could get in.

  “I had a different sort of punishment in mind than silence.”

  Keeping her face blank, she turned to face him, arching her eyebrow again, but he felt her surge of interest. “Here?”