Crusader (Battle Born Book 1) (8 page)

“I can’t do that.” He smiled, resisting the urge to turn his head and kiss her palm. “I happen to be an alien and you are not crazy.”

She blew out a shaky sigh and dried her cheeks with the back of her hand. “This entire day has been surreal. I felt like I was sleepwalking or lost in a daydream. Then I looked into your eyes, your real eyes, and everything just sort of crashed in on me.”

“That’s understandable. You’ve gone through a lot today. I’m sorry it overwhelmed you.”

She lingered on his lap either unaware of their intimate position or needing the comfort enough to contradict her earlier objections. She dragged her gaze away from his face and lowered her hand. “Dad never defended me.” Even whispered, the words were brittle and harsh. “He knew it was all true and yet he let my mother drag me from one therapist to another. Mom thought she was moving heaven and earth to find a cure for her ‘crazy’ daughter, but Dad knew there was nothing wrong with me.” A harsh sob tore through her and then she whispered, “She had me institutionalized for eight months when I was seventeen and Dad did
nothing
.” Her chin quivered and a fresh rush of tears escaped her eyes. “I was too ashamed to admit that to any of her friends. I’m not sure why I told you.”

He was starting to think he knew why she felt comfortable with him, but she was certainly not ready to hear it. He shrugged instead, minimizing the significance. “Sometimes it’s easier to talk to a stranger. Go on. I’m a good listener.”

“Mom pulled me out of school and hired private tutors. The shrinks told her stress could trigger another ‘episode’, so she treated me like a damaged child who might flip out at any moment.” A harsh sob shook her shoulders. “I wasn’t damaged. I’d just seen something I wasn’t supposed to see.”

He tightened his embrace, guiding her head back to his shoulder. “It’s over now. You know the truth and that’s all that matters.” He didn’t rush her. She obviously needed the release, so he just rocked her and stroked her hair.

When she finally lifted her head and looked back into his eyes, she appeared calmer, more composed. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. None of this was your fault and all of it was traumatic.” He brushed her hair back from her face, his fingers reluctant to leave the softness of her skin. “You’re also exhausted.”

She nodded and crawled off his lap, sitting on the bed beside him. “Will you behave if I let you share the bed with me?”

“This is
my
cabin. You better hope I’m willing to share my bed with you.” He smiled, trying to lighten her mood.

“Oh, it’s going to be like that, is it?” She pulled off her shoes and then her socks. “Will you please let me share the bed? I’d rather not sleep on the floor and we’re both too tall for the loveseat.”

“You have an open invitation to share my bed.” He punctuated the statement with another playful smile, but heat spiraled through his body.

They pulled down the bedding together and he deactivated the lights before stripping off his jeans. Much to his surprise, she shed her pants as well then climbed into bed beside him. He lay on his back and stared up at the ceiling, trying to ignore her scent. She lay on her side, facing away from him. Her breathing seemed shallow and erratic, so he rolled up onto his side. It took him a few minutes to realize she was crying again. She stubbornly fought each sob in an effort to remain silent.

He slipped his arm under her neck and pulled her back into the curve of his body. She tensed for a second, then released a shuddering sob and rolled toward him. Her face pressed against his chest and their legs entwined. One of her arms wrapped around him, her hand clutching his back. He didn’t bother with words, had no idea what to say. He just held her securely until she cried herself to sleep.

* * * * *

A telepathic ping echoed through Bandar’s brain, drawing him back to reality. Judging from the intensity of the sensation, it wasn’t Nazerel’s first attempt to awaken him.
Go ahead. I’m more or less awake.
He carefully lifted Ashley’s arm from across his waist and disentangled their legs, determined not to think about how nice it felt to wake up with her pressed against him. She was his assignment. He should have eased away as soon as she fell asleep.

I let you sleep as long as I could. Dr. Irron is desperate to speak with you.

Did he tell you why?

Nope. Just said he needs you back on the
Crusader
as soon as possible.

Bandar looked at Ashley and hesitated. He didn’t want her to wake up alone in a strange place.

She won’t even know you left if you hurry
, Nazerel pointed out, apparently guessing the reason for the pause.

Monitor the room. If she gets restless, let her know I’ll be back as soon as I can.

Nazerel chuckled.
Careful, Bandar. As I found out the hard way, human females are addictive. Go see Irron. I’ll watch over your reluctant guest.

Bandar took a lightning-fast shower and donned a fresh uniform, then jogged to the departure deck and contacted the ship. He was streamed to the infirmary a few seconds later.

“What’s so urgent?” he asked as Dr. Irron turned to face him. “Disappearing without explanation isn’t helping me earn her trust.”

“I was reviewing the summery reports from the unit that regenerated her stab wounds and found some damn strange readings. I was curious about the anomalies, so I ran some other tests.”

“What sort of anomalies?”

“Genetic. Someone made significant changes to her DNA.”

“For what purpose?” Bandar crossed his arms over his chest, dreading the conversation awaiting him when he returned to Ashley. Had Daniel Kane been ruthless enough to experiment on his own daughter? Was Ashley aware of the changes or had she been deceived in some way?

“I’m not certain yet. If I knew the specifics of Kane’s protocols, it would be much easier to figure out exactly what was done to Ashley.”

“How do you even know Kane was involved?”

Irron rolled his eyes. “These aren’t simple changes. There had to have been multiple procedures over a period of years. Who else would she have trusted enough to subject herself to something like that?”

“So what do you want from me? We haven’t found the backups yet.”

“The commander said you’d likely return her to her loft once the backups were found.” Irron squared his shoulders and looked into Bandar’s eyes. “I think that would be a mistake. I know you’re trying to minimize her exposure, but she could be as valuable to our research as her father’s notes.”

“You want me to bring her here, so you can experiment on her? That’s
never
going to happen.”

“Nazerel and the humans found Sevrin’s lab during the final raid. It’s well-equipped and self-contained. Most of the damage has been repaired and the humans have agreed to let us use it. A team of Garin’s scientists are on their way. They should arrive within the week.”

“And if we don’t find the backups?” Bandar’s shoulders were starting to twitch, so he unfolded his arms and relaxed the tense muscles. His hands remained clenched.

Irron’s words were calm and concise, as if he chose each one in an effort to remain non-confrontational. “Without her father’s notes, it’s even more important that we have access to Ashley. She’s living, breathing documentation of his progress.”

“Again, that’s only true if her father was the one who screwed with her DNA. We have no proof of that.”

“Even if Kane wasn’t the one who engineered the changes, we need to understand what was accomplished and why she tolerated the treatment so well.”

“I’ll think about it.” Bandar turned to go, but Irron grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“Bring her to the Farm, that’s what the humans call the complex. Nazerel knows where it is.”

Without actually agreeing, Bandar twisted his arm free of Irron’s light grasp and left the infirmary.

* * * * *

Ashley woke up alone, in a strange bed, surrounded by Bandar’s scent. She had no idea when he’d left or where he’d gone. She sat up and looked around, momentarily confused by the setting. The lights were dim, but she could make out the basic layout of the apartment. The Bunker. He’d brought her to this secret complex late last night and they’d been greeted by his fierce-looking cousin, Nazerel. Then Bandar told her about the plight of the battle born and he’d showed her his gold-ringed eyes.
Phitons
, the rings in a Rodytes eyes were called
phitons
. That was when she started blubbering like a twelve-year-old who was terrified of what she’d sworn she wanted. For sixteen years, she’d searched for proof that aliens were real. Finally, she stood face-to-face with one of the elusive beings and she fell apart. How humiliating.

Well, it wasn’t going to happen again. She’d been exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Now she was fully awake and ready to face the day. She threw back the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Apparently sensing her movements, the lights gradually brightened. Hopefully the bathroom would be as user friendly. She grabbed her overnight bag off the floor where Bandar had dropped it the night before and approached one of two doors in the room. She knew the other one led to the corridor, so it stood to reason that this one was the bathroom.

Her logic was sound and she wasted no time in making herself more presentable. If she hadn’t missed breakfast already, she wanted to appear a little more composed when Bandar returned. After using the facilities, she took a quick shower and put on clean clothes. Her outfit was still casual, jeans and a short-sleeved sweater, but at least she was wearing a bra this time.

She had just put on her shoes and was working her damp hair into a loose braid when Bandar returned.

He held up a steaming mug with a distracted smile. “I thought you might enjoy a cup of coffee while you were getting ready. Looks like I’m too late.”

“I’ll never say no to coffee.” She took the mug from his hand and returned his smile.

His gaze quickly swept her from head to toe before settling on her face. “You look refreshed. Did you sleep well?” He was wearing contacts again, concealing the golden rings in his dark eyes.

She nodded as she took a sip. It was strong and hot, but not bitter. She preferred it with cream and just a touch of sugar, but there was no way she was going to complain. He’d been amazing last night, patient and comforting, the perfect gentlemen, even as she wrapped herself around him and wouldn’t let go. She’d been so distracted by her surging emotions when their cuddlefest started that she hadn’t cared that their bare legs were tangled or that her entire body was pressed against his. But the emotions gradually eased and she became painfully aware of how intimately he held her. She should have pulled away, disentangled their limbs and put some space between them. He was being gallant, compassionate, and she was taking advantage of his kindness. And still she stayed. She rested her head on his shoulder and lightly caressed his chest, unable to still the restless motion of her hand. She didn’t remember falling asleep. All she knew was she felt safe and protected for the first time in her life, so she’d savored the sensations.

Shaking away the pleasant memory, she focused on the present. He’d obviously showered and shaved, and borrowed an outfit from Nazerel. Bandar’s cargo pants were olive green rather than camo, but the black T-shirt looked identical to the one his cousin had been wearing the night before. Bandar’s smooth skin accented the strength of his jaw and the jutting angle of his cheekbones. He’d also combed his thick hair straight back from his face. Without the messy waves to soften his appearance, he looked even more dangerous.

“If you’re ready, they’re waiting in Morgan’s office.”

“Is that where you’ve been?” Rather than risk walking around an unfamiliar environment with hot coffee in her hand, she set the half-full mug aside and followed him from the room. “Did you sleep at all? You were looking pretty ragged last night too.”

“I’ve been up about an hour. There were some things I needed to do before we head off into the mountains.”

As usual, he hadn’t really answered her question. The details of his obligations weren’t her concern, so she allowed the evasion. “Are we driving to the cabin or can you bio-stream us there without an address?” She had no idea how the as yet unseen machine worked, but she was anxious to learn more about it.

“Nazerel will have to get us started, but we’ll make it work.”

That caught her attention. She knew even less about Nazerel than she did about Bandar. “Isn’t Nazerel battle born? What can he do that you can’t?”

“Nazerel is unique. Suffice it to say, he can do many things I can’t.”

They lapsed into silence when he offered no other information. Figures. Bandar was frustratingly closed mouthed about everything. Besides, Ashley didn’t even know enough about Nazerel to decide what else she wanted to know so she just walked along at his side. It was one long, boring corridor after another until they came to a cafeteria bustling with people. She only caught a glimpse of the large room before his hand pressed against the small of her back, urging her onward.

“How many people does Morgan command? I had no idea this place was that big.”