Protected

  “You’re not asking—I’m offering,” I said firmly. “If this place you’re going to is an all-female planet, well, I can come with you and do the talking.”

  “Would you do that?” The old man leaned forward, looking at me anxiously from the silver surface of the viewer. “Would you help recover my precious granddaughter? I promise you, I’ll give you mountains of shimmering geblex if you’ll only return her safely!”

  “I’m not doing it for the, uh, geblex,” I said, having no idea what in the world geblex was anyway. “I’m doing it because it’s the right thing to do.”

  “You’re not doin’ it at all,” Grav growled, frowning. “This is a damn dangerous mission, Leah. And I’m not just talking about infiltrating Gemina, though they will kill us if they catch us profaning their sacred laws. I’m talking about after—when we go after the Biters who have Teeny.”

  “What about them—the Biters?” I asked, frowning.

  Grav blew out a breath in frustration.

  “What about them? They’re fuckin’ cannibals—that’s what about them! They’ll skin you and eat your flesh while you’re still alive! I’m tellin’ you, Leah—it’s too damn dangerous.”

  I swallowed hard but refused to back down.

  “All the more reason for me to come,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “This little girl is in trouble and you have no way to find out where she is or how to get to her unless you have a woman—a female—to help you make your way on the planet and question her guard, right?”

  “Well…” Grav frowned. “I can hire a mercenary to come with me.”

  “And waste more time?” I demanded. “She’s being held by cannibals! You said so yourself! We need to get going now.”

  “What about your friends and family? What about not wanting to leave Earth because they didn’t know where you were?” he challenged me.

  “If we can just get a message to my friend Charlotte, she can tell the rest of my family that I’m fine,” I said calmly. “If not, well, I’ll come back when I can. Zoe left us without any word and we survived. I hate to do the same to Charlotte and my family but this little girl’s life takes precedence over my feelings.”

  “Thank you, thank you! May the Goddess of Mercy rain down blessings on your head, my dear!” Kiv’orop beamed at me and then looked at Grav. “You have a female of rare courage and beauty there, Gravex.”

  “Yeah, well…she’s a La-ti-zal.” Grav shifted uncomfortably, still frowning. I could tell he still didn’t like the idea of taking me on his dangerous mission but I intended not to give him a choice.

  Kiv’orop’s purple eyes widened.

  “A La-ti-zal? No wonder!” He looked more closely at me. “Tell me, my dear—what kind of La-ti-zal are you? A Finder? A Healer? A Seer? Or something else? It may be that your special powers are useful in locating and rescuing my Teeny.”

  I cleared my throat. “I…uh…”

  “That’s not important,” Grav growled, saving me from answering a question I had no answer for. “The main thing is if we agree to try, you have to promise to put Teeny in a safe place of my choosing when this is over.”

  “Of your choosing?” Kiv’orop bristled. “She is the future Principae-ah of all Thonolax! It’s not up to you to say where she should be housed and educated.”

  “It will be if I take this mission,” Grav snapped. “I want to make sure she’s happy, damn it! She was scared to death to go to that damn Finishing Academy where she didn’t know anybody but you forced her to anyway. I want her someplace where she’ll be safe and happy.”

  Kiv’orop frowned. “What do you care about her happiness? You were hired to protect her body—not care for her emotional well being.”

  Grav crossed his thick arms over his chest. “You don’t get it, do you Principae? You may have dissolved the contract between Teeny and me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about her anymore. Otherwise I’d tell you to go fuck yourself.”

  “Why…you…” Clearly Principae Kiv’orop wasn’t used to being talked to this way.

  “It’s my final offer,” Grav rumbled. “Take it or leave it.”

  The older man frowned and grumbled but at last nodded his balding head.

  “All right. Anything—just go find her.”

  “More like it.” Grav nodded. “I have to make a short stop at Sincon Delta and then I’ll be on my way to Gemina to interview that fuckin’ guard.”

  “Thank you, yes! Please hurry and I will pay all expenses.” The Principae—which I was beginning to think was some kind of royal title—nodded again.

  “I’ll be in touch,” Grav told him. “In the mean time, you let the priestesses at the Temple of the Goddess where the guard is being held know that some emissaries are coming to question her.”

  “Yes, yes—I can do that.” The Principae nodded eagerly again and again until finally Grav turned off the viewer after promising he would keep the man updated on any progress.

  “Sincon Delta? What’s that?” I asked as Kiv’orop’s image finally faded from the viewscreen.

  Grav shot me a frown. “Only the most notorious black-market tech district in the whole fuckin’ galaxy, darlin’.”

  “And we’re going there…why?” I asked, still not understanding.

  Grav gave me a grim smile. “To hide my ugly mug. It’s the only place close enough I can buy an image generator. But it’s damn dangerous. You sure you’re up for it?”

  I lifted my chin. “I’m up for anything.”

  Grav studied me a moment, then gave me a nod of approval.

  “All right, darlin’. I believe you. And I want you to know, we’ll split the reward on this, fifty-fifty.”

  “I’m not doing this for any reward and I don’t believe you are, either,” I said softly. “This Teeny—she means a lot to you, doesn’t she?”

  He sighed and rubbed his temples again.

  “Yeah, she does. Look, I need to set a new course for the hopper and then we’ll call the Commercians and see if they can get a message to your friend, okay?”

  “Okay.” I nodded. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Just sit tight.” Grav shook his head grimly. “It’s gonna be a wild ride, darlin’. Just hope you’re up for it.”

  Chapter Eight

  Grav

  “Negative. It is forbidden for us to use the AMI to contact or communicate with a female.” Char’noth crossed several of his long, skinny arms over his blue, wormy chest and frowned at us.

  “Forbidden why?” I demanded, gritting my teeth with frustration.

  “It is against regulations.”

  “Whose regulations?” Leah asked, leaning forward. We had called the Commercians station on the viewer, hoping to get a message to her friend, but now we were having trouble. The little blue bastards were stonewalling us for some reason.

  “Well, my regulations, as I am the director of this station and the Alien Mate Index project.” Char’noth shifted defensively. “I cannot break my own rules. Besides, contacting a female would be warning her that she might be picked and taken by a male who bought her contract. That might incite her to run.”

  “But this particular female’s contract has already been paid for,” I pointed out. “It’s the other La-ti-zal you showed me—the one whose contract Sarden bought when he bought Leah’s, that we need to contact.” I motioned at Leah.

  “Well…” Char’noth made an expression which I thought might be a thoughtful frown. It’s hard to say with Commercians.

  “What if we sweetened the pot?” Leah asked suddenly.

  “What?” Char’noth and I asked, looking at her at the same time.

  “What if we paid you,” Leah said, clarifying. “To get a message to my friend, Charlotte?”

  “Um, I don’t think the Commercians are gonna be interested in Earth currency, darlin’,” I murmured to her, under my breath.

  “I’m not talking about paying
in Earth money,” she said, frowning. “Princepae Kiv’orop promised me mountains of shining geblex if we complete this mission.”

  “Geblex you say?” Char’noth leaned forward, rubbing his multiple hands together greedily. “Mountains of them?”

  “Only if we go rescue his granddaughter,” Leah said sternly, pointing a finger at the viewscreen where the little blue bastard was displayed. “And I can’t go rescue her until I know that my friends and family are certain I’m safe. Now will you send a message to my friend Charlotte or not?”

  “Oh…very well.” Char’noth threw up his hands. “I will do as you ask but a price must be agreed upon first. Shall we say…one thousand geblex?”

  “One hundred geblex,” I growled. “And that’s a bargain when all you have to do is contact her friend through some shiny surface and tell her Leah’s all right and ask her to tell Leah’s family the same.”

  “Very well, very well,” Char’noth grumbled. “A hundred it is. But I must have surety of payment.”

  “I’ll stand surety for her,” I told him. “Even if Leah can’t pay for some reason, I will.”

  “But you are going on the same dangerous mission she is,” the head Commercian objected. “What if something happens to you? I must have surety!”

  Greedy little bastard! I wanted to reach through the viewscreen and wring his skinny blue neck but since that was impossible I offered the only other thing I could think.

  “Sarden will stand surety for me,” I promised. “The welfare of Lady Zoe’s friends is of utmost importance to him. He’ll pay you if Leah and I fail to.”

  “Very well.” Char’noth nodded. “I will agree to those terms. Now, Lady Leah, if you would tell me exactly what you wish your friend to know…”

  I left him and Leah to hash out the details and went into the control area of the ship to set a new course into the hopper. I’d meant to do it earlier but I thought I probably shouldn’t leave Leah to negotiate on her own with the slippery Commercians.

  Actually, though, she hadn’t done too badly.

  I shook my head as I set the new course. I still couldn’t believe she was coming with me. Especially after what had happened between us when I was healing her.

  Come to think of it, what had happened?

  I’d been licking her lip, trying to do it gently so as not to hurt her or take advantage. And then suddenly, her scent had ramped up out of control. My senses had filled with the sweet heat of female desire and then she had been all over me, kissing me like she was dying of thirst and I was the water she so desperately needed.

  I’d been shocked at first but it didn’t take long for my surprise to turn to desire—a lust so deep it raged through me like a hungry flame. Gods, the way she’d been pressed against me, every inch of her sweet body molded to mine…the taste of her mouth…the way she’d been rubbing my horns…

  That last was the reason I’d broken the kiss between us. For males with Vorn DNA, the horns are an erogenous zone. It wasn’t exactly like Leah had been rubbing my shaft…but it wasn’t far from it either. At any rate, having her so warm and willing in my arms, pressed against me while she was wearing nothing but that tiny little outfit had driven me nearly crazy.

  What I’m trying to say is I wanted to stop while I still could.

  I’m half Vorn—my horns prove it. But I’m half Braxian too. And Braxian males are berserkers—which means we have a point of no return. In battle and in love.

  I’ve reached that point in battle before. It’s like a red curtain of rage drops over my eyes and I’m not in control of my actions anymore. The first time it happened was the worst—I blacked out and woke up red to the elbows in blood that wasn’t mine.

  I paid for that little encounter with ten years of my life in a triple max lockdown. After that, I tried not to let myself be pushed past my breaking point, although I admit it’s happened from time to time—mostly when I see a female in danger.

  I didn’t want to ever reach that point in love—especially not with the little Earth female. I didn’t really believe Leah knew what she was doing or how hard she’d been pushing me. Of course, I wouldn’t tear her apart or hurt her but I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from taking her either. Once you push a Braxian male too far, the urge to mate—to claim the female of his choice—takes over and he literally can’t stop.

  I was determined that wasn’t going to happen with Leah. She’d had enough pain and betrayal to last her a lifetime already. I wasn’t going to add to it.

  Just ignore it, I told myself sternly. Pretend it never happened. Don’t talk about it. Just let it go—forget it.

  But even as I set my course and locked it in, I couldn’t forget the soft press of her body against mine or the scent of her desire when she kissed me back, kissed me like she was drowning and I was the only one who could save her.

  Leah

  I finally finished giving my message for Charlotte to the head blue wormy guy Grav had called Char’noth. He promised to deliver it to my friend and ask her to make excuses to my friends, family, and employers as well. My official story was that Gerald and I were splitting up and I needed to go someplace private to get my head together.

  Only Charlotte would know the truth—that the someplace private I was going was on a spaceship headed halfway across the galaxy.

  I just hoped my eminently practical friend, who refused to believe in anything she couldn’t see with her own eyes or prove through scientific data, could handle it. But she was the only one I trusted to spread the message to everyone without fail and make the right kind of excuses. She wouldn’t let me down—I was sure of it.

  After I had made Char’noth repeat my message twice, he said he had no more time to waste with Earth female foolishness and the viewscreen went blank.

  Then I had a moment to think about what I’d just done and freak out about it.

  It’s what my friend Zoe calls “a holy shit minute” which is a pretty apt description, I have to admit. It’s that moment after you make a huge, possibly life changing decision that could backfire horribly in your face if you’re not careful. It’s when you do something you can’t back out of and the only choice is to go forward and hope you haven’t screwed yourself too badly. That’s when you ask yourself—“what the hell am I doing and why did I do it?”

  Which is exactly what I was asking myself now.

  Why did you decide to go with Grav? To go with an alien you barely know on a dangerous mission to rescue a girl he used to guard from space cannibals? I asked myself. Why, Leah? What’s wrong with you?

  Well, it was the right thing to do, just like I’d told Grav. That poor little girl was in danger and Grav needed a female to help him get down to the all-girl’s planet and find out what had happened to her.

  Yeah, sure, like that’s the only reason you decided to go, sneered the little voice in my head. Just because it’s the right thing to do and you’re so noble and courageous. Riiiiight. And of course it had nothing to do with the kiss you two shared, or all those feelings you had for the first time when he touched you.

  “Stop it!” I muttered to myself in a low voice. “Of course that’s not it. I just wanted to help.”

  Which was a total lie, of course, but I wasn’t willing to admit it. Wasn’t willing to admit that I couldn’t let Grav go and never see him again. Wasn’t willing to admit that I wanted to chase the feeling I’d found when he kissed me—to chase it as far and as fast as I could.

  The feeling of desire—of passion—was an addictive one. I could still feel his big arms around me, could still taste the sweet, delicious minty flavor of his hot mouth and feel his big body pressed tight to mine. I wanted more of that, whether I admitted it to myself of not. More of that heady rush of need, that tingling that told me my body was alive and awake for the first time.

  I wanted it like a drug—craved it like a junkie craves a fix. And if I had to go into the lion’s mouth to get it, well, I would go,
damn it. Anything to feel that rush again. Anything to feel alive and whole and not broken anymore.

  Because that was how I had felt every time Gerald made love to me and I couldn’t feel a thing—broken.

  But as I said, I didn’t admit any of this to myself. I pushed the nagging little voice that said I was doing something crazy and wrong away and told myself I was being good and noble and self-sacrificing. We would save the little girl and then I would go home, back to Earth, and get my life in order. Right?

  Right.

  That was the story I told myself and I intended to stick to it.

  Grav

  “So that’s Sincon Delta?” Leah asked, looking over my shoulder at the viewscreen.

  We’d been traveling together about two and a half solar days at that point. The hopper is a hell of a lot faster than traveling in a straight line but it takes time to create and destroy the worm holes it uses. In that time, it seemed like Leah and I had never stopped talking.

  She told me about Earth, her life there, the way it felt to think you were isolated in the universe. I tried to give her an idea of the rest of the galaxy and answer as many questions as I could. She had a lot of ‘em—it was clear she was smart as a whip which I personally find very fuckin’ attractive. But then, I found everything about Leah attractive, even though I was trying my best not to act on it.

  We talked about everything—everything except the kiss we’d shared. That we were pretty much pretending had never happened. I think we both knew it was a dangerous subject so we skirted around it—tried to sweep it under the rug. But it was always there—the unspoken event like a wound that won’t heal.

  We ate together too—laughing as I got her to try different cuisines. I don’t have a food-sim on my little hopper but I introduced her to some Vorn and Braxian cuisine, re-hydrated from my vita-stores. She didn’t want to eat anything that was alive, which left out most of the Braxian stuff since we like our food as fresh as possible. But she liked some of the Vorn dishes, especially the ones that were light on meat and heavy on produce.