Crusader (Battle Born Book 1) (23 page)

Wrapping both arms snugly around her, he lay back down. Then he pivoted and swung his legs up onto the bed. He gave her a moment to extend her legs then rolled them to their sides and drew her top leg high on his hip. Through it all, he managed to maintain their joining.

“Does pain arouse you?” He waited until they were settled to return to the subject she’d introduced.

“It was a joke.”

His hand swept up and down her thigh, his long fingers easily reaching her butt at the end of each stroke. “I’m not sure it was. Is it something you’ve been curious about?”

“I’m curious about all sorts of things, but my pain tolerance is too low for pain to ever be pleasurable. I stub my toe and I about blackout.”

“What about a nice firm spanking?”

The gleam in his eyes made her laugh. “I don’t think that’s my fantasy. I think it’s yours.”

He reached low and squeezed her rear end. “With an ass like this waiting for me, how could I resist?”

“Well, you’ll have to wait until I give you a reason and I’m almost always a very good girl.”

“Too bad.” He kissed her with poignant affection, his touch incredibly tender.

She was almost afraid to ask the next question, but she had to understand. “I could feel you so clearly in my mind while we made love. Does this mean we’re bonded?”

He shook his head, gaze suddenly unreadable. “A soul bond is meant to be permanent. It’s painful, even damaging to break such a link.”

“Then what was I feeling?”

“The comlink my nanites created has been expanded, allowing us to share emotions. If this isn’t something you want, I can command them to dismantle the new layers.”

“No. I like it. I was just wondering what it meant.”

“It means I’m ready to share more of myself with you, but I don’t want to pressure you for more than you’re ready to give.” He paused for a soft, tender kiss. “I know this is all happening incredibly fast.”

She grinned, but her eyelids were starting to droop. “Apparently, fast is what we do best.”

His fingers splayed over her hips, dragging her pelvis flush with his. “Can we sleep like this? I’m not sure I can make myself pull out.”

She snuggled closer, finding a comfortable angle for her leg. “I say we try. I’m not ready to be without you.”

“And I hope that day never comes,” he whispered into her hair.

With her head pillowed on his arm and the side of her face pressed against his chest, Ashley closed her eyes and allowed herself to completely relax for the first time in years. She was safe within his embrace, cherished as she’d never been before, and she was in no hurry for reality to return.

* * * * *

Akim opened the door to Chandar’s cabin with a voice command. Erkott tried to push past him, but Akim held his ground. “Do you have information for me or does my brother get to spend the night?”

“I had a vision, but I’m not sure what it means.” Chandar stood on the other side of the room with her back pressed into a corner. It was unlikely she realized how much her position revealed. Her features might be serene, but his little harbinger was terrified. It wasn’t surprising. The last time he’d let Erkott amuse himself with Chandar, she’d required regeneration. That was why the threat was so effective now.

“Tell me what you saw. Perhaps it will mean something to me.”

“I saw the blonde woman again, the one you call Ashley. She was operating some sort of vehicle. It was like a small ship, but it skimmed along the ground, following a long black pathway.”

He nodded. Nothing useful yet, but at least she was trying. “Go on.”

“Bandar was with her.” Panic flashed through her gaze as she looked beyond him and then back.

He glanced over his shoulder and found Erkott sucking his finger in a vulgar parody of oral sex. “Enough,” he snapped and shoved Erkott out of her line of vision. “What else did you see?” He shifted so his body blocked the entire doorway.

“I saw a sign with lettering on it. I drew it for you.” She motioned toward the wall, where she’d recreated the image in great detail. Two stone pillars supported a stripped log frame. Inside the frame hung the actual sign, which read
1882, Flagstaff, Arizona
.

Not willing to praise her yet, he asked, “How did you mark up the wall?”

She swallowed hard, her silver
phitons
shimmering in the defused light. “You won’t allow me a datapad or even a paper and pen, so I improvised.” With a defiant flourish, she motioned toward a pile of burnt sticks. The sticks were uneven and splintered as if they’d been peeled off a larger piece of wood.

Where in hells rings had she gotten the wood and how had she ignited it? He quickly looked around the cabin, but there was nothing remotely flammable. His eyes suddenly widened as realization struck. There was only one place on board that she could have gotten the wood, his antique treasure chest, a prize with both literal and sentimental value.

“Erkott, go look at my chest.”

“Your what?”

“At the foot of my bunk, you idiot. See if she harmed my chest.” He activated the door to his cabin without turning around, allowing Erkott to do his bidding. “You shouldn’t provoke me. Haven’t we been together long enough for you to understand the futility of such acts?”

She just stared at him with obvious hatred.

“How did you ignite the sticks?” And how had she gotten into his cabin. The door was tuned to his voice print.

Again, she offered no reply.

Erkott returned a short time later. “She carved it up pretty good, but the damage is all on the back. No one will notice unless you pull it away from the bunk.”

Crafty little bitch always knew how far to push. He’d still punish her, of course, but she’d spared herself the worst of it by not defacing his prized possession. Besides, he couldn’t afford to have her incapacitated right now. Her vision was his only lead and she likely knew it. “Do you know what time they’ll arrive or their purpose for going to this destination? Were there any other clues?”

“Not yet. I can delve deeper, garner more details, but it will take time.” She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. “I work better without threats hanging over my head. Have I not proven that I’ll cooperate?”

He laughed and allowed Erkott to move back into view. “I’ve found just the opposite to be true. Without continual motivation, you become belligerent. You’ve earned an additional two hours to acquire more details. Use them wisely.”

“Are you ready to pull your hair out yet?”

Ashley’s vague question drew Bandar back to the present. He’d been lost in sensual memories of the night before. They’d gotten very little sleep as they indulged their passions again and again. No sooner would one relax enough to sleep then desire would spark in the other. They’d tumbled out of bed shortly after dawn and prepared for their road trip physically fatigued yet emotionally satisfied.

“I’m planning all the things we’re going to do as soon as this ‘awesome’ road trip is over.” He softened the complaint with a playful smile.

Her only response was a guilty blush.

Knowing they’d be interacting with humans, Bandar reluctantly covered his eyes with a fresh pair of contacts and they both dressed casually in non-military garb. There were four vehicles to choose from, a car, two trucks and a panel van. Ashley chose the gray sedan and now they were traveling east on Interstate 40. The three guards followed in the van, Pator at the controls. Ashley had been driving for over two hours and they had another two to go. How did humans tolerate this tedious process?

The first hour had passed quickly thanks to Ashley’s lively conversation with her customers. He activated each call then rested the datapad on his knee as she spoke with the person or persons on the other end of the connection. She was professional yet friendly, quickly putting everyone at ease. He still wasn’t sure he understood her occupation, but her customers certainly sounded enthusiastic. She’d rescheduled all of her appointments for the next three days and warned several others that she might not be available later in the week. She’d also spoken with her mother and confirmed that they were on their way.

Ashley’s last call had been to Raina Solano, her best friend. As they chatted away, Bandar casually ran an information search on Raina. When the young woman’s three-dimensional image arose from the datapad, Ashley forgot what she’d been saying.

“Raina, Mrs. Turner is on the other line and she gets hysterical if I don’t pick up for her. Can I call you back?”

“Sure, but make it tonight. My schedule is crazy all day.”

“Sounds good. I’ll talk to you then.” Ashley waited until Bandar terminated the connection before laying into him. “What the hell is this?” She motioned toward the holo-image and the information scrolling across the surface of the datapad. “Raina has nothing to do with any of this. Leave her out of it.”

“She’s very pretty,” he teased and it was no exaggeration. With a hint of red in her shoulder-length hair and wide amber eyes, Raina was lovely. Simple curiosity had inspired his search. He wanted to know more about the people in Ashley’s life. But Ashley’s vehemence fueled his interest rather than backing him off. “How does one have ‘fellowship’ with a university?”

Despite her obvious annoyance, Ashley smiled. “A fellowship is a research project or area of study sponsored by a university. In this case Georgetown allows Raina to use their facilities, but she’s required to find her own funding. Fellows are generally former students.”

“She’s researching innovations in agriculture?”

Ashley nodded. “She’s developing a hybrid grain that matures much faster than wheat or rice and provides twice the nutrition. Available farmland is shrinking as populations all over the world expand. It’s becoming harder and harder to feed everyone.”

It wasn’t surprising. Every developing world eventually faced these sorts of challenges. “Raina has quite a list of interests, biotechnology, microbe fertilization, genetically modified crops, alternate and high capacity agriculture, and hydroponics. Is she actively researching all of these subjects?”

“Of course not. Her research has evolved over the years. She’s focused on the super grain and hydroponics right now. In fact, if she doesn’t find grant money or corporate sponsors for the super grain, she might be down to just hydroponics.”

“She sounds very ambitious.”

“To put it mildly.” Her smile hinted at the deep affection she felt for Raina.

He deactivated the datapad and looked out the window. He wanted to know more about Raina, but his interest was making Ashley uncomfortable. They both had enough to deal with right now. He’d ask her about her friend once some of these stresses had been resolved.

Music filled the next hour along with his imagination. Gods knew there wasn’t much to look at, except for Ashley. Scrub-covered fields swept toward the blue horizon, the monotony broken only by an occasional butte or grouping of livestock. There were mountains in the distance but they marched along parallel to the road, never drawing nearer.

After a long pause, Ashley asked, “What happens if Dr. Irron makes it work?”

“If Irron makes what work?” he asked, giving himself a mental shake. She had to mean the genetic transfer. Nothing else made sense.

“You said the ultimate goal is to restore magic to the battle born. Correct?”

He shifted in his seat so he could look at her without turning his head so far to the side. “That’s the best possible outcome, but there are several other approaches we consider acceptable.”

“Well, let’s stick with the best-case scenario for now. Dr. Irron expounds upon my father’s work and develops a way to unlock the latent magic inside each battle born male.”

“I try not to jump that far ahead.”

She conveyed her impatience with a scrunched-up expression. “Indulge me. What happens to human females when all those battle born soldiers learn that the answer to their problems is waiting for them on Earth?”

He’d played this game with Garin several times already and the outcome was always the same. “We don’t have enough information to create probable outcomes. That’s why I’m here.”

“How many battle born males are there?” Tenacious as ever, it was obvious she had no intention of letting the subject drop.

“There are over a million,” he admitted, “but half are still too young to mate.”

She didn’t seem surprised by the number. “Five hundred thousand warriors could soon be coming to Earth ready to hunt down compatible females? And you honestly expect human males to just hand over their women without a fight?”

“
If
Irron can make it work and
if
mating is still necessary for the transformation. There are also the descendants to think about. Multiple Rodyte ancestors might be necessary to trigger the mutation, which slows things down considerably. There are simply too many variables to allow for accurate predictions.”

“You’re avoiding the issue.” Tension crept into her tone and her fingers tightened around the navigational ring. “Regardless of the specifics of the transformation, if females are required to—”

“We don’t even know that much,” he stressed. “Irron could devise a protocol that has nothing to do with the mating bond.” It was highly unlikely. The scientists on Rodymia had been using the mutation triggered by the mating bond as a delivery mechanism for the past forty years for a very good reason. It was easier to make alterations to the genome when the DNA was already changing. Knowing the fact would only worry her, so he kept it to himself. “We don’t know what will be involved and until we do, all of these what ifs are a waste of time.”

She sighed and slid her sunglasses farther up on her nose. “I suppose you’re right. I just can’t help feeling like I’m paving the way for an alien invasion.”

He smiled, hoping to lighten her mood, but her gaze remained on the road. “It’s doubtful that a mass invasion will result from any of this. But even if it did, when you consider the population of Earth, five hundred thousand is a drop in the bucket.”

“Sounds more like a flash flood to me.”

They lapsed into silence for nearly an hour. Ashley turned the music back on, but he could see the tension in her features. He wasn’t sure what to say to soothe her. She was worried about her people and he couldn’t blame her. Ensuring the wellbeing of his people was his primary motivation, so how could he fault her for a similar concern?

Wide-open spaces gave way to gently rolling hills and trees replaced the prickly looking bushes that had dotted the roadside for the past hundred miles. The more he saw of Earth, the more it reminded him of Rodymia. The cities were relatively primitive, of course, but many of the landscapes were similar to his homeworld, harsh and unforgiving.

“It’s not far now,” she said with a tentative smile.

“I’m no stranger to dealing with inactivity, but at least on a spaceship I can get up and move around. This vehicle is torture.”

They arrived twenty minutes later. She pulled onto a sloped concrete slab that led to a moderate-sized dwelling. The structure was isolated from other similar dwellings by a small stretch of land. The boundaries of each plot were designated by wooden barriers that clearly served no strategic purpose. There were three vehicle bays, but he could only see one automobile through the small, narrow widows inset in the roll-up doors. “Does your mother live alone?” This was a large dwelling for only one person.

“Most of the time. She’s between relationships at the moment.”

He directed the guards to park across the street and to remain in the van. Pator sounded annoyed by the order, but he obeyed.

They walked to the front entrance and Ashley knocked on the door. The barrier wasn’t locked, so she pushed it inward and called out, “Hello. We’re here, Mom. Is it okay if we come in?” She looked at him, concern shadowing her gaze. “She must be out back.”

Trepidation dropped like a stone into the pit of his stomach. He caught her arm half a second before she crossed the threshold. “Let me check it out.”

“I’m sure she’s just in the backyard.”

“I insist.”

Thankfully, she didn’t argue. She moved aside and motioned him onward.

Pator, check the perimeter but try not to make a scene.
He glanced across the street and saw the guards pile out of the van before he pulled a compact pulse pistol from inside his boot. “Stay here.”

“You’re being paranoid.”

“I mean it.”

“Fine.” She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the brick wall.

The house was eerily quiet, but nothing was disturbed, nothing out of place. He crept through the front room and headed toward the back of the house, scanning ahead as he neared each corner and doorway.

The backyard is clear. No sign of a struggle. Do you want us inside?
Pator asked.

Bandar still had to clear the bedrooms and he’d been given backup for a reason.
Yes. Come in.
He unlocked the large glass door and Pator slid it open.

“What’s the situation?” Pator whispered as he moved into the eating area. The other two guards were close behind.

“I’m not sure yet. Hanton and Tarn, see if there’s a sublevel or a crawl space. Pator, you’re with me.”

The bedrooms were situated off a narrow hallway. Bandar approached the first door. It was half open and there didn’t appear to be any activity inside the room. He paused to scan then cautiously stood to one side as he inched the door inward so he could see the entire room. It appeared to be empty, but they checked in the closet and under the bed before they declared the area clear.

Bandar?
Ashley’s signal was faint, yet he easily recognized the rhythm of her energy.

We’re almost finished. Give use two more minutes.

She’s not there?

Rather than confirm her fear, he quickly cleared the last two rooms.

“There’s no one here,” Pator concluded.

Bandar nodded. “Go see what the others found.” He returned to the front room and motioned Ashley into the house. “It’s empty, no sign of a struggle.”

“But her car’s still in the garage.” Her face was pale, lips thinned. She was trying not to panic.

“Is there somewhere she might have walked? A neighbor or nearby park?”

She shook her head, eyes wide with concern. “She knew we were on our way.” Her eyes slowly filled with unshed tears. “This is bad. I can feel it.”

He didn’t want to compound her fear, but he was thinking the same thing. He’d rerouted her cell phone signals to his datapad. If Abigail had tried to call, they would have known about it.

“You don’t think Akim could have…”

He pulled her into his arms and pressed her face against his chest. That was his fear. However, he wasn’t willing to add to her distress until he knew for certain. “He had no way of knowing we were coming here and no reason to target your mother.”

“Wait. What about the files?” She pushed out of his arms and headed down the central hallway.

She found nothing in the first bedroom, but two file boxes had been stacked in the back of the closet in the second bedroom. Ashley opened the lid on the top box and found twelve document binders. She pulled one of the binders from the box and flipped it open.

“These are Dad’s notes.” She sounded relieved. “Maybe the two aren’t related.”

Bandar didn’t believe in coincidence.

“Commander Nox!” The shout was both verbal and telepathic.

Recognizing the urgency in Pator’s cry, Bandar ran back to the kitchen. The three guards were huddled around—was that a body? “Report!”