Blake, Abby - Hot Inspiration [A Bride for Eight Brothers 5] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) (6 page)

She straddled his lap, grabbed his head in her hands, and kissed him like he was going to be away for months, not overnight like the doctor predicted. “Oh, but we have to be quick,” she said, glancing at the chronometer on the wall. “I promised Brock that I would be tied to a spanking chair before you and Lachlan leave.”

She smiled. Bryce’s relaxed laugh was well worth the sore ass she’d have in the morning.

* * * *

Lachlan might have looked relaxed, but he was well aware of everything that was going on around him. Bryce had just been brought to his room after a successful surgery that should give him back full use of his leg. He was still coming out of the anesthesia, but of course the first word on his lips had been “Mikayla.” Lachlan didn’t doubt for a second that she would be the first thought in his head also.

Lachlan had reassured his sleepy brother and now stood guard as he rested. It was probably overkill on this planet. They used the same laws and judicial system as Earth, and the police force was quite well funded, but if Lachlan had learned anything in the last ten years, it was never to let his guard down. Awful things happened to people who weren’t prepared.

The conversation he’d had with Bryce on the trip into town had proven just how similar they were in both personality
and
personal experience. Lachlan had also noticed that polygamy on this planet seemed restricted to men having multiple wives. There simply weren’t any women with more than one husband. Add it to the fact that they hadn’t seen any same sex couples, and it was a fairly safe bet that there were other influences at work than just the law. Polygamy was legal for both sexes, but that didn’t seem to be the case in practice.

It certainly suggested they should keep a low profile on this planet. He really didn’t look forward to explaining that to Mikayla.

A raised voice and a pain-filled grunt in the corridor drew his attention, and he moved to the doorway to see what was happening. Not more than five paces away, a woman struggled to get back onto her feet. Blood poured from her mouth, and she shook violently as she tried to rise.

But it was the man standing over her that caused Lachlan’s anger to flare white-hot. The guy was twice the woman’s height and outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds, yet he yelled at her until she managed to get up, and then he swung at her again.

Lachlan reacted, unable to stand by and watch such abuse. He caught the man’s arm mid-swing and held tight. Surprised by the sudden interruption, the man turned to glare at Lachlan.

“Stay out of this,” he growled as he tried to shake his arm free. “I can punish my wife any way I see fit.”

“There is a difference between punishment and abuse,” Lachlan said, still trying to control the urge to punch this lowlife in the face. The woman managed to stay upright even though she wobbled on unsteady legs. Lachlan wanted her to run for help, but if anything, she seemed more frightened now that he’d gotten involved.

“Zedahla,” the man said to the injured woman in an angry voice, “explain to this Earthling”—the term was said in a derogatory manner despite the fact both the man and his wife were obviously human—”why you are being punished.”

“I disobeyed my husband.” Lachlan had seen many abusive relationships in his time as a Dom. Some women truly enjoyed the degradation and so-called punishment their partners dished out, but most were simply being abused under the guise of a Dom-sub relationship.

But it was a minefield to negotiate. If the woman willingly accepted her husband’s abuse, there really was no way for Lachlan to help her. He tried one last time. Still holding on to her husband’s arm, Lachlan stepped in front of the woman and said, “Look at me.”

She glanced nervously in her husband’s direction then raised her gaze to Lachlan’s.

“Do you need assistance?” Again the woman glanced at her husband. “Don’t look at him. Look at me. Do you need assistance?”

“N–No,” she managed to force past her swollen lips.

Lachlan nodded once. “Then I apologize for interfering.” The words were raw in his throat. He didn’t like walking away, yet if she refused his help, he could do nothing else. But as Lachlan turned his back, he knew if her husband hit her again that he wouldn’t be able to control his reaction.

Too bad her husband was a stupid man.

It took a single punch for the man to hit the ground with a solid thump. Lachlan stepped over the unconscious asshole and lifted the severely injured woman into his arms. This time her husband had hit her hard enough to break several of her teeth. One of her eyes was already swollen shut, and she moaned in pain as Lachlan tried not to jostle her ribs. By the time Lachlan got help for her at the emergency department of the hospital, the local police had arrived.

So much for keeping a low profile.

* * * *

Bryce woke to far less pain than he expected. In fact, now that the pain was lessened, he realized just how much he’d been living with on a daily basis. Hell, at this rate he’d be back to work in a few days.

“How do you feel?” a soft feminine voice asked. Bryce grinned. Last time he’d woken to a beautiful nurse, he’d spent the next three days flirting. Of course, that was before he’d met Mikayla, and well, it had ended with bullets flying and the woman screaming, so it probably wasn’t something he needed to think about right now.

“I feel great,” he answered.

“Excellent,” the pretty nurse said with a husky voice and a seductive smile. “The doctor will be in soon. Just press the buzzer if you need anything.”

Bryce watched the nurse walk out the door and wondered if she walked like that all the time or if the extra sway was for his benefit. Maybe he shouldn’t have listed himself as single, but with his concern over the polygamy issue, it had seemed like a good idea at the time.

“Finished?” Lachlan asked with a laugh in his voice. Lachlan gave him a knowing smile, but Bryce just grinned like a loon. It felt so good to finally be out of pain that he didn’t really give a rat’s ass what his brother was thinking.

But then Lachlan’s expression turned serious, and Bryce felt dread pour into his veins.

“What happened? Is Mikayla all right?”

“Yes,” Lachlan was quick to reassure, “but
I
might not be when she finds out what happened.”

“What happened?” Bryce had no clue what his brother might be talking about. He knew with absolute certainty that Lachlan would never hurt Mikayla, so he had no idea what he might have done to warrant such a reaction. Even after he started to explain, Bryce knew Mikayla wouldn’t be angry with Lachlan for stepping in when a woman needed his protection. It wasn’t until he got to the last sentence of his story that Bryce understood. But hell, what choice did they have?

“Maybe you should call Mikayla and explain this before we get home.” Lachlan nodded but seemed reluctant to make the call. “What is it?”

“She’s only just started acting like herself again. I’m just worried this will affect her on a deeper level than it should.”

Bryce nodded. Convincing Mikayla that she was irreplaceable had taken extreme measures. Bringing home another woman may just undo everything they’d achieved in the last few weeks. Bryce closed his eyes and silently prayed the woman they loved was strong enough to understand their reasons why.

* * * *

Mikayla waited anxiously for Bryce and Lachlan to arrive. She knew they had an extra passenger, but every time doubts began to niggle in her mind, she thrust them aside ruthlessly. Her husbands were good men. She couldn’t expect Lachlan to walk away from a woman in need of his protection when he was only doing what Matt had done when he’d rescued her on the ice planet.

But her first glimpse of the woman, Zedahla, put every fear out of Mikayla’s head. The girl was barely old enough to be married—legally at least—and she was so badly bruised she looked like she’d been run over by a flying pod with no safeties.

Mikayla watched Lachlan offer to carry her, but Zedahla seemed to insist on walking. A few stumbled steps had Mikayla’s breath catching in fear for the young woman’s health. Hell, the bruises were horrendous, but she also had an unhealthy pallor and looked painfully thin.

“It’s okay,” Mikayla said as she stepped closer. “Let Lachlan carry you.” Zedahla didn’t make eye contact, but it was obvious she was listening. “I’ve set up a room so all you have to do is lie down and recover. We’ll take care of the rest.”

This time when Lachlan offered, the young woman let him lift her in his arms. Bryce stepped out of the transport pod with his crutches, and for a moment, Mikayla was carried back to the day she’d had her first miscarriage. Bryce must’ve been in severe pain, but he’d stayed by her side and she’d never felt alone. Back then he’d officially been her brother-in-law and a virtual stranger, but just knowing she had someone close who cared had made all the difference. Hopefully, Zedahla would feel the same.

* * * *

Mikayla didn’t notice Bryce transfer his crutches into one hand until he wrapped an arm around her middle and pulled her close. “Not exactly the homecoming we were expecting.” He kissed her neck and then simply held her as they watched Lachlan move to the main building. Mikayla had managed to convert one of the offices into a bedroom. Peter had willingly handed over the small space, and it was a relief to be able to offer a certain amount of privacy to Zedahla.

“No, I’m pretty sure bringing home an injured woman wasn’t in the original plan.” Mikayla felt Bryce stiffen slightly and quickly added the rest. “But you did the right thing. And you don’t need to worry about me. I understand why she’s here.”

“Careful, honey,” Bryce said with a smile on his face. “Keep talking like that and we might start believing you finally understand that you’re irreplaceable.”

She giggled but held him tighter.

“That’s very true,” she said, trying to keep a straight face. “I am very good at…cooking.”

He laughed like she’d hoped he would. “Whose bed did you sleep in last night?” he asked as he nibbled on her earlobe.

“Well, that was rather interesting,” she said as she tried to find words to explain her husbands’ bizarre behavior. “Technically, I slept in Brock’s bed, but Matt, John, Peter, Ryan, and Ty all managed to be there at some point or other. It was like they spent the night playing musical beds.” She had a pretty good idea what had prompted their strange behavior, and it warmed her heart at the same time that it pissed her off. She wasn’t a timid mouse by nature, but she’d spent so much time acting like one recently that her husbands’ behavior was probably warranted.

“So that must mean we’re back to my turn,” Bryce said with a wicked smile on his face.

“Absolutely,” Mikayla said with a laugh. She’d had every intention of sleeping next to Bryce tonight. “But you may find Lachlan on the other side.” No doubt he’d feel the need to reassure her as well.

“Too true,” Bryce said, sounding more relaxed than he had in a long while. “As long as he doesn’t snore, he can stay.”

“No worries,” Mikayla said with a smile. “I doubt I’ll hear his snoring over yours.”

“Brat.” Bryce laughed as he pulled her closer.

Chapter Six

“Where is Zedahla now?” Rick asked as the dinner discussion turned to their new house guest.

“Sleeping,” Lachlan said in a rough voice. Now that the swelling was starting to go down, it was obvious that Zedahla was barely more than a child. If she was actually old enough to be married, it was only by a handful of weeks at the most.

“Has she said anything about her husband?”

“Only that he will probably divorce her. Apparently, in Zedahla’s culture, that will make her an outcast. As far as I can tell, she was at the hospital to visit her mother, but with the supposed shame of divorce, even her own parents will reject her.”

All day Lachlan had replayed the horrifying scene over and over in his head. If he’d stayed out of it, would the outcome have been different? Did he make matters worse by interfering? But then he’d close his eyes and see the young woman as he’d first seen her—injured, bleeding, and struggling to stand as her husband yelled abuse and then tried to hit her again—and all Lachlan’s doubts would melt away. Outcast or not, Zedahla’s chances of a happy life were far improved now.

“What happens when we leave this planet?” Ryan asked.

“We take her with us,” Mikayla said easily. Far from being upset, their beautiful wife had been appalled by the young woman’s injuries and had quickly become fiercely protective.

“We’ll figure it out when the time comes,” Lachlan said quietly. Like it or not—and regardless of the accepted norms of her culture—the laws on this planet allowed for Zedahla to make her own decisions. If she chose to stay here and live the life of an outcast, Mikayla, Lachlan, and the rest of his brothers really had no say in the matter.