“Have a care.” Kimi put his arm around her shoulder. “I won’t be able to lift you if you fall.”
Peta came over to his other side and grabbed his waist. “It’s very uncomfortable on the floor.”
The three of them made their way to the bedroom. Once Niail felt the side of the bed, he relaxed his weight against it and fell onto its soft surface.
“There.” Kimi pulled the covers over him. “I’ll let you get your pants off on your own.”
Niail heaved a sigh. “That blow to my head has left me weaker than I thought.”
“Do you still have a headache?” Kimi walked to the night table and reached for a medicine bottle. “It might be best if you took a couple of these.”
Niail held out his hand. He would take anything if it meant the room would stop spinning and the cotton wool in his head would disperse. He didn’t know how long this was going to last, but as long as it did, he wouldn’t be able to contact the other Hunters.
Kimi and Peta left, but Wil stayed behind. He sat on the chair next to Niail, his eyes wide with concern. Niail was too weary to do more than smile and then close his eyes. Sleep was the only thing that did not take any effort. There would be time to leave when he woke up.
The soft patter of rain against the roof soothed his head. He was weary with exhaustion and pain. Sleep was a welcome relief. A shuffling noise and the whisper of a door closing were the only things that disturbed him before he fell into utter oblivion.
The first thing he noticed when he awoke was that it was daylight. The second thing was the silence. Nothing stirred either inside or out. He glanced at the chair beside the bed. It was empty. Wil had probably spent the night in his own bed.
He focused his mind connection and reached out to Partlan, his team leader. A shimmer of blue and red lights danced near his eyes and then a searing pain knifed through his head. He clenched his jaw and forced himself to push through the agony, but it was useless.
There was no answer.
He was alone.
Somehow he must find his way back to his fellow Hunters. Reaching them was his only chance of survival. Niail threw back his covers and sat up. He needed an alternative way to contact his brothers.
Chapter 4
Kimi looked up from the lesson plans she had been preparing for her classes. Niail stood in the doorway, shirtless. His short black hair was ruffled and there was two days’ worth of stubble on his chin. His abdomen muscles tensed as he raised a hand to his head.
“Where are the facilities?”
Kimi grinned and pointed to the open door on the left. “It rained last night so there’s no problem with water supply.”
Niail nodded. “Thanks.”
Kimi pushed away from the table. “A quick shower might help you feel better.”
“I don’t want to impose.”
“The sun is shining so there’s plenty of hot water.” Kimi opened a closet and started pulling things out. “Here are some clean towels, a razor, and a fresh shirt.”
Niail frowned. It looked like he was going to say something and then stopped. He followed her directions and the door closed. Kimi went back to her work and tried to concentrate, but the image of her guest kept intruding.
He was gorgeous.
She’d seen great looking men before. None of them had affected her like Niail. There was almost an invisible connection with him. She sensed him all the time. That was crazy, though. He was an ordinary man.
Extraordinary was a better description of Niail. She shivered when she remembered how he had manhandled Jake the previous night. Her brother never lost a fight. Even before he had joined the Navy Seals, he had been unbeatable. He had finally met his match with Niail, though.
The sound of the shower filtered through to the kitchen. Kimi glanced back at the lesson plan and sighed. Now that he was awake she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on school. She gathered the papers together and threw them in her briefcase. Niail would be hungry when he had finished showering.
She had whipped up pancake batter by the time Niail came out of the bathroom. His face was clean of stubble and he looked years younger. The shirt she had given him was small and stretched over his chest. Every muscle was defined when he lifted the damp towel toward her.
“Where can I put this?”
“You can hang it on the line outside, or leave it in the utility room at the side door.”
“I’ll take it outside.” Niail turned to the door and then stopped. “Where are my boots?”
“They’re in the utility room.” Kimi pulled a frying pan off the pot rack over the stove. “Are you hungry?”
“Very.”
She smiled and turned back to the stove. She lit the propane burner and within minutes she had a stack of pancakes on the table. Syrup and some fresh fruit completed the meal. She was pouring hot water onto ground coffee when he came back into the house.
“Sit.” Kimi put the coffee carafe on the table. “You can eat first and then I’ll call the kids in.”
“Where are they?”
“They’re building a small fort at the top of the hill behind the house.” Kimi sat and pushed the pancakes at Niail. “After a fresh rain they like to make certain it’s still standing.”
Niail filled his plate and started to eat. Kimi poured him coffee and then took a couple of pancakes for herself. They ate for several minutes in silence. It wasn’t until Niail had pushed his plate away and was sipping his coffee that he looked up at her.
“I need to contact my team. Do you have a computer I could borrow?”
“We’re off the grid here.”
Niail frowned. “What does that mean?”
“I have no electricity, telephone, or internet.” Kimi put some milk in her coffee. “I’m trying to raise my children as close to a traditional life as possible.”
“What tradition is that?”
“I’m Blackfeet.” When Niail still looked at her with a blank stare she sighed and put her coffee down. “Native American?”
“I do not understand these terms.”
“You don’t know what a Native American is?”
Niail shook his head. “No. I have not been here long.”
“The Blackfeet existed long before the Europeans settled in North American. We lived here when the Buffalo were plentiful and roamed the plains.”
A surge of pride filled Kimi. Her heritage was important. Unlike Jake, she had immersed herself in the ways of her people, keeping the language and traditions alive for those who had forgotten. It was why she lived without most of the modern world’s trappings.
“This has been a long time?”
“Since Na’pi, Old Man, created the world. Old Man gave the Blackfeet this land and the buffalo.” Kimi lowered her voice. “Many have forgotten the old ways, but I won’t let that happen to my children.”
Niail nodded. “It is important to remember. Your people must have been here when the Ancients visited.”
“Who are the Ancients?”
“They have been on Cygnus since the beginning of time.” Niail cleared his throat. “They travel the universe, sometimes helping, sometimes taking what they need. I believe they are what you refer to as Star People.”
Was Niail saying what she thought? Did he come from the stars, or was he making fun of her traditions? Her eyes narrowed as she continued to gaze at him. His expression was open and there was no sign that he was lying.
“Are you one of the Star People?”
“No.” Niail glanced down at the table before looking back at her. “I am not an Ancient.”
“Are you from earth?”
“No.”
Her mind swirled with the implications. If he wasn’t from Earth, then he was an alien. A shiver went through her. The stories her people told of being visited by people from other planets were true. Those visits were long ago, though. Why was Niail here now? Did this mean the Ancients planned to harm Earth?
“Perhaps if you gave me some info
rmation about your life and how you came to be here, I would be less confused.”
Niail leaned back in his chair. “I was bred and trained as a warrior.”
“By bred, I assume you mean when you were created.” Kimi leaned her elbows on the table.
“Yes.” Niail’s voice was devoid of emotion. “We have been genetically modified since the beginning of time. We are not born of women. We are bred in a laboratory and then taught to fight.”
“You had no childhood?” Kimi’s stomach tightened. “You weren’t raised by a family?”
“We had each other.”
“That’s inhumane.”
“That is how it has been for eons. We begin our lessons as soon as we can walk.”
“How was that possible?” Kimi put her hands around her coffee mug. “You would have been too young to do much.”
“We had enhancers and implants to help us.” Niail’s jaw tightened. “I have been altered to be the best warrior possible. I am clan Giath, which means my genes were improved to perfect my precision and reaction time. I have perfect aim.”
“So you’re a marksman?” Kimi’s voice held a note of doubt. “I didn’t think a skill could be genetically coded.”
“Many things are possible on Cygnus. It is more advanced than Earth.”
“Are other things programed into you?”
Niail nodded. “We were also bred to obey. We were the elite warriors for the Kaladin, who ruled Cygnus since time began.”
Kimi took a sip of coffee. There was something in Niail’s eyes that flickered when he mentioned the Kaladin. Some hidden hurt or memory that was unpleasant.
“What happened?”
“You perceive too much.” Niail frowned.
“I can see it in your eyes.” Kimi’s voice was dry. “There is something that you are hiding.”
“There was a civil war on Cygnus and the Holman defeated the Kaladin. They destroyed or imprisoned all Kaladin except the High Council, and then they ordered the execution of all Hunters.”
“But you’re alive.” Kimi put down her mug and leaned closer to Niail.
“Our leader, Ardal, disobeyed the execution order.” Niail’s voice held pride. “He chose to let us die fighting so we would have honor in our death.”
“You didn’t die, though.”
“No.” Niail grinned. “The Holman ship was filled with inferior soldiers. We defeated them and took over the vessel. Unfortunately it crashed on earth.”
“So how long have you been here?”
“It has been almost a year.” Niail raised an eyebrow. “We have adapted well to our new home. We also found that there were other Hunters on this planet. They have been here for over thirty years.”
Kimi frowned. “They must be old men.”
“This planet has advantages for us.” Niail shrugged. “We heal faster, we move quicker, we age slower, and with our implants deactivated we can be as normal men.”
Normal men? Kimi took another sip of coffee. Niail’s eyes had not left hers and somehow she knew his meaning was important. She put her cup down.
“How were you different before?”
“We were not allowed to mate.”
“Never?”
“It was forbidden.” Niail rubbed a small scar on his right forearm. “Our implants made certain we would not have the desire.”
“But surely that has changed since you’ve landed on earth.” Kimi tried to keep the surprise from her voice. “You must have been with women?”
“Only our leader, Ardal, has found his mate.”
Kimi’s mind drew a blank. She couldn’t conceive of a man of Niail’s age, and obvious masculinity, never having slept with a woman before.
“If your implants are out, then you can feel attraction for women.” Kimi’s words were hesitant. “You must have found some that you wanted to mate with.”
“No.” A flicker of emotion burned deep within Niail’s gaze. “The genetic modifications that were done to make us better warriors also intensified our bonding. We desire only one mate.”
“What does that mean?”
“We bond to one woman. There will be no others. Hunters will go to any lengths to protect them, including disobeying orders.”
“So when you have a mate you become unreliable soldiers?” Kimi shook her head. “That makes no sense. Plenty of men and women fight for their countries and still have families.”
“They are not Hunters.” Niail’s voice was low. “A Hunter forms a pair bond with the woman who is destined to be his one and only mate. They connect not only physically, but mentally, and spiritually. They become one with each other.”
“That sounds pretty intense.” Kimi forced her voice to remain steady. “I’m not sure that’s any different than what humans feel when they’re in love.”
“A Hunter always knows what his pair bond feels and needs, even if they are not mated.”
Silence followed Niail’s words. The air crackled with tension and Kimi shifted in her seat. The breath caught in her throat and she had to force herself to look away from the truth in Niail’s eyes.
“Why are you telling me this?” Her voice stumbled over the words.
“I am certain you are my pair bond. Until I found you I had no desire to be with another woman.”
“That’s not possible.” Kimi shook her head. “We just met. You’re confused because I helped you. Patients transfer their affection to their caregivers all the time.”
Niail continued to stare at her for a few seconds and then looked away. “As you say.”
Kimi exhaled the breath she had been holding. “Now you’re trying to humor me.”
Niail pushed back from the table. “I know that in over ten months of having my implants deactivated, no woman has interested me. You are the first.”
Kimi gave a crooked smile. “That’s a wonderful compliment, but I’m not looking for a partner or a mate.”
“This not something we can choose.” Niail picked up the empty plates from the table and brought them to the sink. “If my head was not so foggy, there would be no doubt about whether I am bonding with you.”
She went to the stove and lit the burner. She still had pancake batter to cook, and kids to feed. She was attracted to Niail, but she wasn’t prepared to be his chosen mate. She was an independent woman raising children. She had worked hard. She wasn’t throwing it all away because a man appealed to her.
Niail cleared his throat. “I need to contact my fellow Hunters. Do you have any means of contacting the outside world?”
“My one and only concession to modern technology is a cell phone. I have children.” Kimi smiled. “That means I have to be ready for any kind of emergency.”
“It works in this area?”
“There are cell towers everywhere.” Kimi flipped a couple of pancakes onto a plate. “The phone is in my truck. Ask Wil to get the phone on his way into breakfast.”
Niail went outside and called for the kids. The children were completely taken with Niail and she heard them answer him immediately. They would be disappointed when he left.
Niail returned to the kitchen and leaned against the counter. “Wil’s getting the phone.”
Peta walked in at that moment. “Who are you going to call?”
“I must report to my brothers. They will be worried.”
“Are they warriors too?”
“Don’t be so nosy.” Kimi chided. “Take this to the table.”
Peta grabbed the plate of pancakes and banged it on the table before pulling out a chair. She sat with her arms crossed. “I just want to know if they are like Niail.”
“Yes.” Niail’s voice was even. “They are my brothers. I have fought many battles with them.”
Peta’s eyes widened. “Will they come and help you?”
“It is possible.”
“Cool.” Peta grinned. “Then we can meet them.”
Niail opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped by a shout from Wil. He was ou
t the door before Kimi could turn around. She pushed the frying pan off the burner and followed Niail.
Chapter 5
The boy was bent over a large puddle beside the vehicle. Niail picked him up and held him in a protective hug as his eyes scanned the horizon. There were sparse groupings of ponderosa pine and aspen as far as he could see and mountains in the distance. The roadway was clear. There was no sign of movement anywhere.
“What happened?” Kimi’s words came out in gasps as she struggled to catch her breath.
“I dropped the phone.” Wil pointed down at the puddle.
Niail eased his hold on Wil. “There was no danger?”
Wil shook his head. “Just to the phone.”
Niail put him down. “It is good you are safe.”
“You scared me half to death.” Kimi’s voice held a note of reproach. “I thought someone had hurt you.”
“Sorry Mom.” Wil bent and picked the phone out of the puddle. “I don’t think you can use this.”
Kimi took the dripping instrument from Wil. She flipped the back open and pulled out a battery. “I’ll try putting it in rice. I might be able to dry it out.”
Niail’s chest tightened. He had hoped to contact Partlan, but that was not to be. He eased his breathing and started to the house. No point dwelling on something he could not change. He would have to devise another plan for contacting the others. The alternative was not worth considering.
Never had he been left without backup before. Always his brothers were with him, whether it was in battle or in his thoughts. Even when technology failed, there was the mind connection. The injury to his head had changed that.
Niail was truly alone.
Peta was at the door waiting for them. “Is Wil okay?”
“He dropped the phone.” Niail picked her up in his arms and moved with her to the kitchen. “He was upset.”
“Boy, I bet Mom is too.” Peta looked over Niail’s shoulder. “You sure can run fast.”
Niail grunted and put Peta back in her chair. “I have trained since I was younger than you.”
Kimi and Wil followed them into the kitchen. “We’ll try and dry the cellphone out. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll drive you into Browning. You can probably find a way to contact your friends there.”
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