Protected

  Not that I wanted him too. I loved running my hands over his gray-blue hide, feeling his skin so warm and his muscles so hard under my fingers. It seemed like I couldn’t stop touching him either.

  And so we wound up cuddled in bed and talking, for all the world as if we were some kind of lovers, instead of people who had decided they could never be together.

  That thought made me sad and I tried to push it away.

  “What’s next?” I asked him again, rubbing my cheek against his hard chest.

  “Now I’ll be setting a course for Chndra—that moon orbiting Hallux Two that Haenah talked about,” he rumbled, his deep voice vibrating through my body.

  “So we’re going to go down there and look for Teeny?” I asked.

  Grav frowned. “No, darlin’—you’re not going anywhere. You’re staying right on the ship where it’s safe. In fact, I shouldn’t even take you to Hallux Two at all. Better to stop and leave you someplace safe on the way.”

  “Leave me somewhere?” I demanded. “What are you talking about?”

  “The Safe Haven Bar is located on the far side of the Lavara system where Hallux Two is,” he said. “I was gonna stop there and hire some mercs to come with me anyway—this isn’t a one male job.”

  “Which is why I’m going with you,” I said but he shook his head.

  “The Haven has guaranteed safe rooms that can be rented for however long you want and interstellar boosting signals so I can contact Sarden and Zoe and let them know where you are. That way if I don’t make it out, they can come and pick you up.”

  “What? No!” I protested angrily. “I’m not going to stay cooped up in some ‘safe room’ while you go into danger without me!”

  “Darlin’, I’m a trained warrior and Protector. You’re not.” I could tell he was trying to make his voice as gentle as he could but I didn’t care.

  “I don’t care if you have more training than me,” I said, sitting up. “I need to go with you.”

  As I said the words, they solidified into a certainty. I don’t know why I felt that way but I did—it was a conviction somewhere in my gut I couldn’t dislodge. I needed to be with him on this mission—no matter how dangerous it was.

  “No.” He was still frowning. “I’m sorry, Leah, but you can’t come with me.”

  I had been half leaning against his chest and looking up at him as we talked. Now I sat up and turned all the way around to face him head on.

  “Now listen to me!” I began, putting my hand on his muscular forearm for emphasis. “You…oh!” I stared down at his skin as a realization suddenly hit me.

  “What? What is it?” Grav looked worried.

  “Your…your arm. Isn’t this the one that got burned by the warden’s spear?”

  I ran my hand up and down the length of his blue skin—which was now perfectly clear, as though he’d never been injured at all.

  “Yeah…” His frown deepened as he examined his unmarked arm. “Yeah, it is.”

  “And where are the spots where the acid got you?” I looked at the other arm. “This one is clear too and it’s only been a couple of hours. Do Braxians really heal that fast?”

  “No. Generally it would take at least a few solar days to heal from injuries like those. But my skin—it looks like nothing ever touched it. There aren’t even any scars.” He shook his head, examining both arms with increasing perplexity. “How did this…wait.” He looked up at me, understanding flaring in his white-on-black eyes.

  “What?” It was my turn to be worried. “Why are you looking at me like that, Grav?”

  “You did this darlin’.” He nodded down at his arms, a look of awe on his face. “You healed me.”

  “What? No—that’s crazy!” I protested. “I couldn’t have.”

  “Yes, you did,” he insisted. “And I know exactly when. The first time you came, I remember thinking you had a kind of glow around you and then I felt this tingling that went through my entire body. That must have been it!”

  “Are…are you sure?” I shook my head. “But how is that possible? Do you think it’s tied to me, you know…having an orgasm for the first time?”

  My cheeks went hot as I said it. I couldn’t help myself—even after everything we’d done, I still felt shy discussing it.

  “I think it’s possible.” Grav sounded thoughtful and not embarrassed at all. “Maybe all this buildup of tension you said you’ve been feelin’ these last few days was just your La-ti-zal powers tryin’ to get out. Maybe when you finally came, it sorta…I don’t know, broke the cage and set that part of yourself free.”

  “I don’t feel any different,” I objected. “And I don’t think I look any different—do I?”

  “Well, other than lookin’ happier and a helluva lot more relaxed…”

  “Grav!” I swatted at his shoulder and he rumbled laughter.

  “Sorry, darlin’, but it’s true. You have that kind of glow—the look of a female who’s been really and truly satisfied.” His eyes went half-lidded and he stroked my cheek. “It’s beautiful. Makes me want to satisfy you all over again.”

  “Grav…” I protested but my voice sounded breathless rather than annoyed. “We…we shouldn’t.”

  “Yeah, I know.” He sighed. “Anyway—let’s put it to the test.”

  Before I could ask what he meant, he hopped out of bed and reached for a long, curving knife he apparently kept in his bedside table.

  “Grav,” I said, eyeing the gleaming silver blade nervously. “What are you going to—”

  I didn’t get to finish my question. He was already flicking away the staples to make a long, shallow slice along the side of his hip bone, right where he had implanted the image generator earlier.

  “Grav!” I gasped as crimson droplets of blood began to well from his blue skin. “Oh my God! What are you doing?”

  He shrugged, as though slicing himself open was no big deal.

  “I need to take this damn thing out anyway.” He extracted the long, silver cylinder, smeared red with his blood, and tossed it casually away. “And it’s as good a way as any to see if you can heal me, darlin’.”

  “Heal you? Of course I can’t heal you! You’re going to need stitches for that, and I don’t even know how to sew on a button, let alone somebody’s skin!”

  God, I wished my friend Charlotte was here! She’d learned how to do stitches and all kinds of emergency medical procedures as part of her training. She was the most competent person I knew and always calm in a crisis. Unlike me.

  “Just try it. Here.” Grav nodded down at his hip and looked at me like I was supposed to know what to do.

  “You’re crazy,” I said, shaking my head. “I told you—I can’t. Even if I did heal you before—which I really doubt—I don’t know how I did it.”

  “Just try,” he urged again. “C’mon darlin’—what could it hurt?”

  “Well…” Reluctantly I cupped my hand over his wounded hipbone. The blood was beginning to drip by now and I was afraid it would stain the bedspread—which was a kind of quilt sewed from lots of squares of different kinds of fur that I really liked.

  “Close your eyes,” Grav urged me. “Concentrate.”

  Taking a deep breath, I did as he said. After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

  I pictured Grav’s skin in my mind—the gray-blue hide I was beginning to love so well. And then I imagined the bleeding cut he’d made.

  Close, I thought, willing it with all my might. Close up…heal…disappear…

  My hands began to feel hot for some reason and then I heard Grav make a small noise in the back of his throat.

  I opened my eyes to see that the wound was still there—but not completely unchanged. It looked a little shorter somehow and it had at least stopped bleeding.

  Had I done that? If so, I wasn’t doing a good enough job. A half hour ago, if Grav was right, I’d healed him of acid pits and a nasty burn. This cut
wasn’t nearly as bad as either of those injuries so why wasn’t I able to make more headway on it?

  “I don’t know,” I said, frowning. “It’s not working—or at least, not very well.”

  “Hmm…” Grav stared intently at his hip and then looked at me. “Do you mind if I try something, darlin’?”

  “What? Like cutting yourself again?” I said. “No—please don’t!”

  “No, no—nothin’ like that. Just this.”

  He leaned forward and captured my mouth in a kiss that left me breathless.

  Oh God! I could taste my own secret flavor on his lips and it made me crazy. Instinctively, I reached for him, twining one arm around his neck and standing on my tiptoes to deepen the kiss. Even after the multiple orgasms he’d given me to take the edge off my need, I couldn’t help myself—I just wanted him so much.

  My other hand was resting on his wounded hip but of course, I wasn’t paying any attention to it. Even when I felt a warm glow heating my fingertips it didn’t register—I was too into the kiss.

  So you can imagine how disappointed I was when Grav pulled away.

  “What?” I whispered breathlessly, when he pulled back. “Why…why did you stop?”

  “Look.” He nodded down at his hip.

  For a moment I couldn’t focus on it—I had really been into that kiss! But when I finally looked, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

  “You’re healed!” I looked at the place where the cut had been.

  It was gone—not just scabbed over or even healed with a scar. No, it was completely healed without so much as a white line to show where it had been.

  I looked up at Grav. “Did I do that?”

  He grinned at me. “Told you your La-ti-zal powers would come in. You must be a Healer, darlin’.”

  “I guess…maybe,” I said cautiously. “But what good does it do if I can only heal someone when you, uh, touch me?”

  I felt my cheeks getting hot again and yet I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Why did I feel so drawn to him? Why did I want to keep touching him all the time?

  “This is just the beginning,” Grav assured me. “I’m sure you won’t always need my help to heal. It’s just that your powers are still emerging.”

  Suddenly I saw a new way to win our earlier, interrupted argument.

  “Which is why I need to come with you when you go to the place they’re keeping Teeny,” I said. “I’ve got powers now, Grav—your skills aren’t the only ones that count.”

  He frowned, looking unhappy.

  “Look, just because your powers are startin’ to come in doesn’t mean I want to take you into danger.”

  “Please…” I looked at him earnestly. “Please, I can’t explain why but I feel…I know that I’m supposed to come with you.”

  He sighed. “I don’t know, darlin’…”

  “I’m supposed to come with you,” I repeated. “Please, Grav.”

  Slowly, he nodded. “All right. If you feel it that deeply, I respect your feeling. But you have to do what I say when I say it—I need to keep you safe.”

  “All right.” I nodded eagerly. “I can do that.”

  “And there’s something else.” Suddenly, he dropped to one knee.

  “Grav?” I looked at him, alarmed. He looked like a man about to propose but I knew he wasn’t going to do that—was he?

  “I’m not lettin’ you go into danger with me again until I give you my oath,” he said grimly.

  “But…but I thought you said your oath was a life-long thing,” I said. “And you don’t think we can be together that long because you said you can’t, uh, bond me. And because…because of your past.” My voice dropped to a whisper on the last words. “I wish you’d tell me what happened, Grav.”

  “I can’t,” he said shortly. “What I can do is swear my oath to you for as long as we’re together—until I see you safely home to Earth—or safely to Eloim where your friend, Lady Zoe is.”

  “Well…all right,” I said. “If it will make you feel better.”

  “About taking you into danger? Hell yes, it will. Here—give me your hands.”

  I did and he took both my hands in his and looked up at me. Of course, he didn’t have to look very far—even on his knees he was so tall we were almost eye-to-eye.

  “Leah,” he said, his deep voice slightly hoarse. “Your blood is more precious to me than my own—I will spill all of mine willingly before a drop of yours is shed. Your flesh is my flesh—may I be pierced a thousand times before the blade shall even scratch your skin.”

  He looked into my eyes and his voice dropped even lower.

  “If you are fearful, I will protect you. In danger, I will shield your body with my own. I will stay by your side and never leave you. This oath I swear by the Goddess of Mercy and by all that is in me.”

  “Oh, Grav…” I shook my head, hardly able to take it in. “That…that’s beautiful.”

  “I mean it, darlin’. Every word.” He brought my hands to his face and kissed both my palms with a tenderness that made my heart race. What had I done to deserve such devotion?

  “Grav…” I whispered again. “I don’t…don’t know what to say.”

  “Say you’ll accept me as your Protector.” He gave me a slightly crooked grin. “Even though the oath is a little late in coming.”

  “I accept. Of course, I accept.” I put my hands on his broad shoulders and stepped closer to him, smiling back. “It’s funny—I feel sort of like I just accepted a marriage proposal.” Then I realized what I had said and how needy it sounded. “I mean, not that I expect…I mean, I would never think…”

  “It’s more serious than a marriage or a joining,” Grav rumbled, apparently unperturbed by my foolish words. “This is life and death, darlin’—as in, I’ll give my life for yours if the need arises.”

  “Well, let’s hope it doesn’t arise,” I said as lightly as I could.

  Grav looked grim. “We can hope not but I’m not so sure. We’re goin’ into the Spider’s Web and the Widow is there…waiting for prey. We just want to make sure we don’t become her next victims.”

  Grav

  If I had thought I could scare Leah off of the current mission by mentioning the Spider’s Web and the Widow, I was wrong. My curvy little Earth girl was brave as hell. Her face got a little pale but she didn’t back down. Instead she started asking questions.

  “What is the Spider’s Web exactly?” she said. “And where is it?”

  “It’s an energy net stretched around an entire solar system,” I told her. “The Lavara system. It’s got several ringed planets that people used to mine—the rings are rich in precious metals and rare elements.”

  “That people used to mine?” Leah asked.

  “Uh-huh. That was before the Widow came. She put an energy net around the entire system and claimed it as her own. Now nobody gets in or out—unless she lets them.”

  “Who is she anyway? I mean, what kind of name is ‘the Widow’?”

  “Some people say she’s a hybrid. But not a cross between two of the Twelve Peoples like me,” I said. “The Widow is supposedly a genetic mix of one of the Twelve Peoples and another sentient species that evolved without the help of the Ancient Ones. Some kind of insect-based life form.” I shook my head. “It shouldn’t be possible but those who have seen her swear it’s true.”

  “Have you seen her?” Leah’s eyes were wide.

  I shook my head. “Nope. And I don’t fuckin’ want to either. If things go right, we won’t.”

  “If things go right? What do you mean? How are we going to get Teeny back?”

  I sighed and tugged at one of my horns.

  “I’ve heard there’s a hole in the Web—the Widow’s energy net. Not big but big enough for a really small craft like a shuttle to get through. We slip in when her control station is on the far side of its orbit, get down to Chndra, grab Teeny, and get back out before the Widow knows anythin
g happened.”

  “But…Teeny’s being guarded by a bunch of pirates,” Leah protested. “Are you going to kill or incapacitate them all?”

  “If I have to,” I said grimly. I didn’t want to tell her about my berserker tendencies. That when the red curtain of rage drops over my eyes I can’t stop killing until every last enemy is dead. In fact, the mercs I wanted to hire were going to have one job and one job only—to stay with Leah and protect her while I got the job done. Afterwards, when every last pirate was dead or completely incapacitated and I was all cleaned up, then Leah could come out and meet Teeny.

  If she was still alive and viable, that was.

  It hurt my heart to think that way—to imagine that Teeny might be dead or gone beyond my ability to help her. But her guard, Haenah, had said that some of the mercs who captured her had wanted to give her the Biter’s Curse. If she had already been bitten before we got to her, well…there’s no cure once a Biter infects you. It turns you into an undead eating machine and gives you a wicked craving for the flesh of other sentient beings.

  Especially their brains.

  It didn’t matter though—I was going to find Teeny anyway. I had sworn to protect her in life and in death and I would follow through with that promise no matter what.

  She’ll be okay, I told myself uneasily. She’s worth more alive than dead—they won’t let the Biters infect her.

  I hoped not anyway. Or my former ward could be as good as dead already, even if she was still drawing breath.

  Chapter Twenty

  Leah

  The Safe Haven bar didn’t look all that safe to me. Or at least, no safer than any biker bar you might walk into back on Earth. Everywhere I looked there were big, burly aliens in all shapes and colors. I would say all shapes and sizes but the only size they appeared to come in were extra, extra large, like Grav.

  Why was it that all the other Twelve Peoples were so much larger than people from Earth? It made me wonder if the people from my home planet had stunted growth or something. Trailing along behind Grav, I felt like a little kid at an adult party.