aHunter4Trust (11 page)

“True.” Darrogh only had to remember how
hard he had fought the attraction to know that it was not his decision. “It is
time I had a talk with Tamsin to see how she feels.”

“That is best.”

“I will tell the team once I know for
certain.”

Darrogh’s chest tightened as he considered
having to reveal any of this to Tamsin, or the rest of his team. He had scoffed
at Ardal, their leader, when he had announced that he had mated. Now, it was
his turn to admit that pair bonding was a reality for Hunters on Earth.

Just then, the van door opened and Peter
and Kerm jumped in.

“Everything is set.” Kerm started the
engine and pulled away from the curb. “I will drive around to be certain that
we have a signal from a distance.”

When they were positive that the camera was
transmitting, Darrogh went back to Tamsin’s house. The men at the house needed
rest if they were going to be doing surveillance on the mailbox tomorrow. Peter
stayed with Kerm and Savis in the van. They intended to park down the street
from the drop box, and wait for the client to appear.

When he opened the house door, Tamsin was
waiting for him. It was as if she had known he was close. He had barely closed
the door behind him, when she grabbed his arm. A shock of intense awareness
passed through him.

Tamsin’s eyes widened.

She had felt it too.

“We need to talk.”

“What was that?” Tamsin rubbed her hands
together.

Darrogh’s body still tingled from touching
Tamsin. “I can explain.”

“I hope so.” Tamsin led him up the stairs
to the second floor lounge attached to her bedroom. She sat on the settee and
motioned for him to take a seat in the wingback chair across from her. “Did you
find what you wanted at Peter’s house?”

Darrogh looked at the chair and then walked
to the window. He needed to distance himself. He and his team had failed to
properly monitor the people around Tamsin. The consequences of such an
oversight could have been death. Despite finding Peter, disaster still might happen.
Until they located the person that the photos had been given to, and retrieved
the evidence, Tamsin was not safe.

“Peter had been following you long before
we took over your security. His photos were very revealing.”

“It sounds bad.” Tamsin curled her legs
under her body and leaned back.

Darrogh looked at her. “I did not protect
you properly. I fear it may have been because I am unfamiliar with the ways of
women.”

“I’m tired of hearing things that don’t
make any sense to me.” Tamsin’s voice was filled with exasperation. “You talk
about humans and Earth as if you don’t belong. What does being a member of a
security team called Hunters have to do with whether you can be near women?”

“We are not just security people.” Darrogh
struggled to find the right words to explain. “We are warriors.”

“So you were soldiers and now you’re
civilians. Even soldiers are allowed to be with women.”

“Not Hunters.” Darrogh’s gaze did not waver
from her.

He sensed her confusion and frustration.

It was time he told Tamsin who he was.

Tamsin sighed. “It’s like we’re speaking
two different languages.”

Darrogh cleared his throat. “Before I came
to Earth, I had only been on battlefields and combat frontlines. I was
transferred into the unit that guarded the High Council of Cygnus, one week
before execution orders were issued. I do not know how to speak to women.”

“You are only making it more confusing.”
Tamsin held up her hands. “One thing at a time. What do you mean before you
came to Earth?”

“I was born and bred on Cygnus. It is a planet
in the Barnard Galaxy.”

“You’re from another planet?” Tamsin’s
voice was filled with doubt. “Does my Father know this?”

“He did not ask.” Most people did not want
to know where Hunters were from. Tamsin was different. He could not fight his
connection with her. She needed to understand everything.

“So it’s a don’t ask, don’t tell, policy.”
Tamsin’s voice was filled with sarcasm.

“We live in secret.”

“I’m not stupid.” Tamsin rolled her eyes.
“You’re taller than most men and very muscular, but you’re still human. Your
hair is dark and your eyes black. You have two arms, two legs, and one head.
You look like every other man on this planet.”

“We share the same genes as humans.”

“But you don’t come from Earth.” Tamsin’s
tone was dry. “This is a fascinating fantasy as far-fetched as it is fantastic.
You believe you’re an alien from outer space who shares the same genes as
humans.”

“It is the truth.” Darrogh struggled to
keep his voice steady.

Tamsin shut her eyes for a second. “How
long have you been on Earth?”

“We crash landed here a year ago.” Darrogh
walked toward Tamsin.

“Why didn’t you go home?” Tamsin tapped her
fingers on the back of the settee. “If you’re able to travel through space and
come to Earth, you must have the technology to leave.”

He sat on the chair across from her.

“There was a civil war on our planet.”

“Let me guess, you were on the losing
side.” Tamsin rubbed her forehead.

“We were ordered executed because the
Kaladin were defeated.” Darrogh clenched his hands into fists as he remembered
the devastation the war had caused. “The Holman took over the planet and
decreed that all Hunters, and our genes, be destroyed. We were being
transported to our deaths when we crashed.”

Tamsin frowned. “Genocide is pretty
extreme. Why would they do that?”

“Hunters were bred to protect and obey the
Kaladin.”

“So these Holman thought that you would
continue fighting against them?” Tamsin brushed a strand of hair off her face.
“Why not banish you?”

“We are too dangerous to ignore.” Darrogh’s
voice was low. “We have been bred to defend. We excel at it.”

“You could be trained to do other work.”

“There is no other task for us. We are an
ancient warrior race that has been genetically modified.” Darrogh lifted his
chin. “We are the best soldiers in the universe.”

Tamsin shook her head. “That’s like saying
you’re the prettiest woman in the galaxy because you won Miss Universe.”

“I have fought on many worlds and defeated
numerous enemies. I know that Hunters are feared and respected by all.”

“If you’re from another planet then there
is no way you could have human genes.” Tamsin looked pleased with her logic.

“We came from Earth originally.” He
clenched his jaw in an effort to remain calm. He had to convince Tamsin about
Hunters, otherwise she would never believe him about the Albireons.

“So you were humans that were abducted by
the Kaladin?”

“Eons ago.” Darrogh kept his voice steady.
“It was so long ago that all knowledge of Earth had been stripped from our
collective memories. We did not know about this planet or our connection to
it.”

“Do you understand how difficult this is to
believe?” Tamsin stopped fidgeting with her hair. “You’re bigger than most men,
but you still look human.”

 “We were modified and altered to be
warriors. Fighting is all we are used for. We do not have children or mates
like other men.”

“Never?”

“It is forbidden. We guard women and fight
their wars, but we have no other contact with them.”

“You’ve never been with a woman?” Tamsin
sat on the edge of the settee. “I find that hard to believe. Men are not known
for their celibacy, especially when women would be eager to spend time with
you.”

“Hunters are not like other men.” Darrogh
sensed Tamsin’s beginning acceptance of who he was. “That is why it is
difficult for us to be around women.”

“Why agree to protect me then?” Tamsin
frowned. “I’ve given you more than enough reasons to refuse the job.”

“You needed help,” Darrogh said. “That is
what we do.”

“But now you have doubts.”

“When I accepted the assignment, I had no
connection with you. I did not believe that bonding was possible.” Darrogh
leaned closer to Tamsin. “I understand fighting and war. Since crashing on
Earth, we have found that things are different here. I do not trust the changes
that this planet has made to us.”

“How is it different?”

Darrogh’s stomach tightened at the thought
of revealing the secrets of his abilities. Silence was what had given his race
the advantage in battle and it had kept them alive on this planet. If the
connection between him and Tamsin was strengthening then it would not be long
before she realized everything about him. He had to trust Tamsin with the
truth.

“This planet affects our metabolism. We
have quicker reflexes and keener senses, and we live longer.”

Tamsin put up her hand. “You only crashed
here a year ago. You can’t possibly know that.”

“There are other Hunters who have been on
this planet for thirty years. They were stranded here when they were children.
Kerm is one of them.”

“Kerm doesn’t look thirty.”

“He is older than me.” Darrogh clasped his
hands in front of him. “He has had to hide from humans in order to survive.
That has given him many talents that have made our transition to this Earth
easier.”

“How old are you?” Tamsin’s voice was
quiet.

“I have seen thirty-two summers. Seventeen
of those years have been on the battlefield.”

“That means you started fighting at
fifteen.” Tamsin shook her head. “Why would your parents allow that?”

“Hunters are bred in birthing chambers. We do
not have parents.”

“This is insane.” Tamsin’s voice cracked.
“So you work as mercenaries now.”

“We right wrongs on this planet.” He sensed
Tamsin’s disbelief.

“I’m surprised you don’t hire yourself out
to governments if your skills are as good as you say.”

“The older Hunters did that in the past.”
Darrogh grimaced as he remembered what the others had done to survive. “Now
they fight with honor and for justice.”

“Because that is better than fighting for a
country?” Tamsin’s voice was scornful. “None of this makes sense.”

Darrogh leaned back in his chair. “It is
important that you understand and believe what I am telling you if we are going
to continue to protect you.”

“You were protecting me before. What has
changed?” Tamsin’s voice held a hint of suspicion.

Darrogh clenched his jaw. “There is one
thing I have not told you about Hunters.”

Tamsin tilted her head. “From the tone of
your voice, I assume this is the reason we’re having this discussion.”

“One of the reasons.” Darrogh nodded. “I
told you that our genes had been manipulated and modified to make us the best
warriors possible. Along with strength, we were also bred to be focused and
dedicated.”

“That makes sense.”

“These abilities affected how we react to
women. That is why it is forbidden for a Hunter to mate.”

Tamsin’s eyes widened. “Are you telling me
that you’re abusive?”

Darrogh considered letting her believe the
worse of him. It would ensure that she kept her distance and decrease the
likelihood of their bonding. Honor and truth would not allow a falsehood to
stand between them.

“Any harm against a woman or child is
punishable by death. That is the first law of the Sacred Code which I have
defended my whole life.”

Tamsin’s shoulders sagged. “For a second,
you had me worried. So you’re protective of women. That’s not a cause for
concern.”

“We protect and obey women.” Darrogh
hesitated as he struggled to find the right words. “Even though we were
forbidden to mate, we have legends from ancient times when it was allowed.”

“There must have been a reason to prohibit
it.”

“A Hunter forms a pair bond with one
woman.” Darrogh’s voice was filled with sincerity. “We have found that this
connection is absolute and complete.”

Tamsin raised her eyebrows. “You said that
Hunters don’t mate.”

“Things have changed since we came to
Earth.” Darrogh pulled up the sleeve on his left arm and exposed a small scar.
“Our implants were removed so that we could not be pursued.

Tamsin nodded. “They were tracking
devices.”

“They boosted our skills and inhibited us
from mating.”

“They made you impotent.” Tamsin’s voice
held acceptance. “Without the implant, you are attracted to women. That doesn’t
seem to be a problem.”

“You do not fully understand about pair
bonding.” Darrogh tried to keep his voice calm. “Hunters are not casually
available to women like most men on your planet. There is only one pair bond
for a Hunter. Not even death can break the link. His mate is the most important
thing in his life. He will disobey orders if it means protecting her, and he
will never bond or mate with another woman.”

Tamsin’s eyes widened. “That’s why it was
forbidden for you to mate.”

“Nothing is more powerful than the
connection between mates. They think as one and they communicate on a level
that is unique.”

“It sounds intense.” Tamsin’s eyes never
left his face. “Why does this concern me?”

“I am bonding with you.”