Alien Paladin's Woman: SciFi Alien-Human Military Suspense Romance (6 page)

“Who?” Audrey demanded.

He slicked his tongue over his teeth, feeling his cheeks tense. A power like the one the lifestone possessed…. There would not be a being in the galaxy that did not wish to possess it. There was only one that truly concerned him, though.

“Fine, so don’t answer me. I thought no one but the Palians knew about it. If there are others, then… The way you describe it, it's practically a magical source of, well, everything. The destruction that could be wreaked with it…"

Audrey trailed off, her beautiful features twisting.

Tieran frowned.

"That is why I am here. That is why we have the scanner. But we considered it a minor threat, considering we thought no one would come here, no one would know of this."

"So what went wrong?"

Tieran was silent for a moment. Now that he was putting things together in his head, the answer seemed obvious from the start.

"The Jorcossi must have had help," he said. “Someone guided them here. It’s possible that they’ve been waiting on all the worlds where we’re searching for the lifestone. Perhaps they simply got… lucky.”

The thought was entirely distasteful and Tieran knew there was no such thing as luck when it came to tactics. Someone in the ranks of the Palians must have been feeding information out on what was going on during the search for the lifestone. The thought of having a traitor like that in the midst of his own race…

Tieran exhaled sharply. He couldn't say anything more as Pelar ran into the room. She seemed momentarily caught off guard by seeing both of her superiors in one place, but then the words came pouring out of her mouth.

"Commander, the stone is gone," she said.

By his side, Audrey sat up so quickly she groaned. As for himself, Tieran pushed down every emotion that announcement brought forth in him. Rage, disappointment, disbelief. None of them had a place inside him right then. All that mattered was moving forward.

"How?" he demanded. "When?"

Pelar was a good assistant. She knew he didn't like dancing around any topic.

"The host never left the mines," she said quickly. "You left the fallen, since they weren't as urgent as the living, but it only played dead. Aznim, he... he was very badly wounded, but the Jorcossi apparently kept him alive until you were gone. Then it grew, split and... you can imagine the rest, commander.

“He broke out. The station was in lockdown, everyone in their rooms, so no one even saw the Jorcossi come out of the mines until a ship took off. It was outside, but the Jorcossi took one of the roamers from the equipment bays and made it on. We checked the vids. The
Evela
couldn't catch it in time. It happened only minutes ago, but we have no idea where it went."

The day that had started so well had now officially become disastrous.

"I do," Tieran said.

Both the women stared at him.

"To the Fearless," he said, watching their faces drop, knowing that they would react just this way.

Anyone would.

It was the only logical choice. The Fearless would not let its presence be known around the region if it wasn’t expecting something. And now they knew what it was.

Pelar gasped audibly.

Audrey looked ready to bombard him with questions, but there was a much bigger problem and she focused on that. Just the mention of the monster of the depths of the galaxy chilled her to the bone. Tieran saw her shudder.

The curious urge to grab her and hold her until that feeling went away was almost impossible to ignore.

"A Fearless," she repeated. "If the stone does what you think it does... if he holds it..."

"I don't think he's going to hold it," Tieran said and his voice was so morbid the women winced. "I think he's going to swallow it and become a nightmare this galaxy has never seen. And once he's got the taste–"

"He'll be coming for more," Audrey finished.

A
udrey was no tactician
, but the situation seemed to be pretty clear-cut.

As much as she could understand from Commander Tieran's reaction, they were thoroughly fucked.

And not just them. The whole galaxy was going to be in danger very soon.

On top of that, her mind seemed to be fixed on trying to mess her up even more. Thoughts like
not fair
and
why now
were as useless as curling into a ball and crying in some corner.

Audrey refused to let herself be taken down by those. She hadn’t given up the last time things seemed hopeless and she wasn’t about to do it now either.

Her body was being unhelpful.

The fact that the paladin was the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen was definitely not aiding anyone. She kept sneaking glances at him. She had never drooled over hunks before, most assuredly not right in front of them, but Tieran was something else. He really looked the part of his position, like he was a guard of the entire galaxy, powerful and invincible.

Audrey found herself aching for a chance to simply look at him to her heart's content, but that was neither the time nor the place.

Still, those impossibly dark eyes were quickly becoming the void she wanted to get lost in.

Look at hot paladins later. Fix the universe now.

"We need to go get it back," she said, shaking her thoughts clear. "Prepare a ship. We're going to chase those snakes and get the stone back before they can give it to the Fearless."

Pelar and Tieran exchanged a look.

"Governor Price," Pelar began. "I'm sure the commander can handle that. You have just nearly died. We need you here, to oversee the–"

"Stop right there," Audrey said, seeing a glint of amusement in the commander's eyes. "The day hasn't gone exactly like I hoped it would, but this is still my station. If I want to leave it, I'm free to do so. Don't tell me I'm needed here like anyone aboard Verien needs me to hold their hand. I know exactly how self-sufficient this place can be."

"I don't think..." Pelar began, but Tieran cut in.

The man looked her straight in the eye and Audrey knew without a shadow of a doubt she wasn't going to like what he had to say.

"I agree with Pelar," he said, his deep voice sending a shiver down her spine. "The paladins will bring the stone back to Verien. In the meantime, someone needs to stay here and make sure this doesn't happen again."

"Don't patronize me," Audrey shot back seriously. "That doesn't have to be me. I will go with you and that's an order."

The Palian regarded her with his dark eyes. Being the object of that look made Audrey feel as though she was naked down to her very soul.

"You are very brave," Tieran said then. "I admire that, I really do. But your place is here."

"I am the governor of this world. My place is where I say it is. I gave you an order, commander."

Out of the corner of her eye, Audrey saw Pelar take a step back as the commander smiled ever so slightly.

"Forgive me, Miss Price, but I am not under your jurisdiction. Far from it. I will spare us both some time and say right now that you will not be joining us on that chase. It's for your own safety."

So fucking hot
, Audrey thought.
And so infuriating.

"You listen to me–" she began, sitting up.

"I wasn't asking, Miss Price," Tieran said, already walking away from her. "I was telling you."

From the door, he called back: "We will leave the second I'm assured the station is clean. I wish you a swift healing."

Then he was gone and Audrey was left wondering how she could even hear him through the rushing in her ears.

That fucking guy...

Pelar sneaked closer again, an apologetic look on her face.

"I'm sorry," she said. "The commander is a very straightforward man."

"Yeah," Audrey agreed, laying back and trying to ignore the way her body was reacting to the paladin, which was the very opposite of being annoyed. "I can see now that it was so much better when we never saw each other."

With Pelar nodding sympathetically, Audrey thought to herself how weird it was she'd enjoyed every second spent with him, even when she was mad.

Maybe especially when she was mad.

* * *

I
t began a few hours later
.

At first, Audrey had had sunspots in her eyes and they had slowly dissipated. When she held it, the glow of the stone had felt like it was coming from inside her, trying to burn its way outside right through her eyes.

After she came to, for a while she hadn't been able to see anything but Tieran. And even he had been painted with the same light.

Then, the glow had started reducing and she thought it would be fine.

It took her a while to understand it wasn't actually going away entirely. That happened around the time she started feeling weird, like there was something missing that she simply couldn't put her finger on. It was like hunger, a craving she couldn't deny. It called to her, until Audrey began to realize what it was.

The lifestone, or whatever Tieran had called it, was pulling her towards it. She knew now that there were endless lifestone stores thirty floors below her, but Audrey could visualize them clear as day, pulsing like the planet had a heart. She ached to be back there, to hold the cool stones in her hands again.

By that point, Audrey called a healer and had them alert the commander too.

When Tieran arrived, concern written all over his stern features, she had begun to hear the call of the stolen stone too. So far, it was like trying to see the flame of a candle while simultaneously staring into the sun, but she knew it was out there. It was growing stronger with every moment, like the fact that it was moving away from her was somehow strengthening the bond.

Like it didn’t want to be apart from her.

She felt it so distinctly that the stores of the lifestone on the planet seemed distant in return. She had not touched those stones, but she had the one that was missing now, and
that
was what was calling to her, loud as a siren’s song.

The mountain was blinding her, searing in its intensity.

Verien was a cruel planet, forcing her to wear the light green lenses, but whenever she went outside and the light got to be too much, she could close her eyes and simply not look. Nothing like that helped with this new pain, threatening to make her head burst.

The healers were explaining something very urgently to Tieran by her bedside. Even through the pain – she could hear herself scream – Audrey saw the look in his eyes. He was worried, clearly afraid for her.

She didn't hear the words they were saying, too lost in the call of the lifestone. It was a horrible paradox. Her body ached to go back to the bottom of the mine, but Audrey knew it would kill her one way or another. Yet she couldn't not go either, the call growing louder every minute.

"She needs to get off this planet," Pelar's voice cut through the haze.

Yes. No. I can't. I must.

Audrey no longer knew what was going on with her. She tried to keep a clear head, to focus and figure out how she could fight it, but the lifestone had her. Just like Tieran had said, she was outmatched by the power of the stone.

"Are the scans complete?" she heard him ask.

His deep voice served to ease the pain a little. Like a caress, it swept over her, dulling her to the call of the lifestone for a moment until he stopped speaking.

Audrey could feel him moving around in the med bay, discussing something with the others. Every time he came closer to her, the call became clearer and less painful. When the commander was right beside her, almost touching her, Audrey could practically see the stolen stone moving away from them. She could even pinpoint the direction it was going.

She must have said some of it out loud, because she heard Tieran mention it a few moments later.

Or maybe he can just read my mind,
she thought in a daze.

It certainly felt like it.

The worse it got, the more Audrey wondered if she was going to die. Just like that, from desire of a thing she knew nothing about.

It seemed like a shitty way to go.

Then she felt strong arms around her and the world came back to her. Tieran had lifted her into his arms as easily as though she weighed nothing. Audrey could feel Pelar covering her with a new fur coat, but in that moment she hardly cared about the cold.

Shamelessly, she rested her head against Tieran's shoulder, basking in the peace he offered.

She thought she heard a sudden intake of breath from him, but then the commander marched out of the bay with her held tightly against him.

The armor he wore was dark gray, unyielding and cold under her, but Audrey snuggled against him anyway. He smelled good too, strong and masculine and undeniably fierce.

In her drowsy state, she could only hope she wasn't doing anything embarrassing like actually trying to kiss him, although it crossed her mind.

With every step he took towards the landing bay, being in his arms became easier for her. Guiltily, Audrey kept that to herself, not wanting him to put her down.

Undignified? Sure. Fucking nice? Oh yes.

She barely registered the moment they entered a small shuttle and Tieran's voice informed her that there were other paladins aboard too. Audrey was too tired to worry about how she looked, tucked into his arms like a blushing bride.

It felt too good to care about silly things like that. She would get her authority back when her body was no longer aching for a damn piece of a mystical glowing rock.

At least, she desperately hoped there was a cure to whatever the fuck was wrong with her.

The shuttle lifted off and Audrey left Verien for the first time in a year. Still in Tieran's arms, she didn't even feel the turbulence. Palian ships flew smoothly anyway, but Audrey almost drifted off again, only to be awoken by the paladin.

His dark hazel eyes were staring down at her. Curious, concerned and determined.

"Hold on," he said. "We will get you out of here. You get to come along after all."

Audrey smiled at him sleepily.

"I always get what I want," she joked, hoping she didn't add anything to that.

Don't say "you"
, Audrey pleaded her mind, fearing what her treacherous tongue might blurt out if she wasn't careful.
Whatever you do, don't say "you".

The shuttle landed in one of
Evela
's docking bays. Audrey thought that Tieran would finally put her down for sure, but he stood without question, carrying her out to the supply ship.

She couldn't tell if they were getting looks, but the call of the stone was growing stronger again as well. Audrey wasn't entirely sure she could stand if she tried.

Tieran headed straight for the med bay, which was better equipped than anything they had on the surface. Instead of them giving her some painkillers, the commander asked for technicians. He stayed by her side, strong and sure, towering over her like a guardian throughout the next hour.

Audrey was fitted with an odd device that the technicians built right on the table next to her. At first she thought it was a cuff, but they went out of the way to make it as thin and comfortable to wear around her hand as they could.

As soon as they finally slipped it around her wrist, the call of the lifestone faded to the backdrop. It didn't go away entirely and Audrey lost the stolen stone from her sight, but it merely muted it. She looked at Tieran in disbelief.

"What did this do to me?" she asked, glancing between the paladin and the delicate bracelet on her wrist. "It feels like... I'm myself again."

"Good," Tieran said and the relief was audible in his voice. "This was not meant for a living being, but I'm glad it works. This is the prototype of the device we built to harness the stone. It is a regulator, you could say. The one you're wearing is meant to keep the effects of the stone at a minimum."

Audrey thought to ask further, but she honestly didn't believe she'd understand a single word of that explanation, so she simply accepted the mental break her new bracelet offered.

"Thank you," she said to the technicians. "This is great."

They gave her small bows and left.

Audrey always liked dealing with Palians. They were complicated, but not where it concerned someone's well-being. The opportunity to help was truly a reward of its own to them.

Tieran was still looking at her, sighing heavily as they were left alone.

"I should take you back to Verien," he said.

Audrey felt her pulse start racing. That was the last thing she wanted.

Only that very morning, she had thought of how much she'd come to love her planet and she really did. But now, with only that bracelet standing between her and the pain, Audrey didn't want to leave Tieran’s side. For some reason, he seemed to have a calming effect on her.

I’m being ridiculous. The planet needs me.

She realized he was waiting for a response from her.

"But you're not?" Audrey asked hopefully.