Hearts of Ishira (Hearts of Ishira Saga) (11 page)

Amy blinked, trying to remember, then smiled when she decided that it had to be that way. Arianna had tried to get them to attack the men, but Amy had known that they needed to take care of the animals first. That was it. Wasn’t it?

Clenching her fists in frustration, Amy bit down against the pain in her skull and her body. Of course, the bitch had fallen asleep before Amy could get her to ask for more pain meds. Frustration ate at her, and she laid the pain at Arianna’s feet. Amy wasn’t currently in any condition to prove she was the more worthy leader, but as soon as she was, she’d take control of her girls and show the men what a real woman was like when
she
was in control. The handsome leader, Hunter, and the sexy doctor wouldn’t stand a chance, once she was hale and hearty again. And she was sure that the demure little fatty, Arianna, would back down as soon as Amy asserted her authority. Satisfied now that she had a plan in place, Amy peremptorily summoned a medic over and made it clear that she needed more medicine. He complied quickly, though he frowned at her rudeness. She didn’t notice. She fell asleep with vengeance in mind.

“What in the name of the gods are we going to do with thirty-two women?” Hunter growled, sagging into his chair in the command center several hours later. “They aren’t Thorsani, they don’t know our rules, and most of them have obviously not been trained in how to react in a crisis situation. Gods, but their screeches were ear-shattering! You would think they had never seen an intelligent alien species before.”

Beside him, Trey nodded wearily, eyes narrowed on the computer screen before him.

“Perhaps they have not?” the younger officer suggested with a shrug. “And aye… my skull nearly split in two when you touched foreheads with their leader. Those girls squealed like suckling rider beasts.”

“Maybe they are simply very young, and Arianna is their mother figure? She does not appear to be old enough to have given birth to any of them, but maybe a caretaker?” Hunter mused as he brought up his computer screen and tapped out commands for the data he needed. “Then again, we do not know how they age. The younger-looking ones could easily be older, for all we know. Though I do not believe so. I sensed that their leader had much more experience and maturity than the majority of the others.” Hunter sighed.

“She is a Reader, but beyond that, she was aware from the start that she was not on her home world. She seemed highly adaptable to the changed environment, was able to adjust her fighting to accommodate her injuries, and managed to get those squealing youngsters under control in very short order. Highly intelligent, from what I could Read of her. Accepting of our differences, which bodes well, but I sense that most of the others are not so open-minded.”

“Most of the others are still in various stages of shock,” Jace put in, entering the command center and taking a chair near his brother. “They will adjust, as well, but it might take more time. Still, I hold out hope that if the leader is adaptable, the rest will be, too.”

“And they do seem to be very young,” Trey added thoughtfully. “If so, they are less likely to deal well with either the unknown or a crisis. They
have
to be the young of their species. Most of them have not yet acquired the mature curves that their leader and the little blond possess.”

“Do not be looking at Arianna’s curves,” Hunter growled, glaring at his friend. Trey’s mouth kicked up into a delighted grin.

“Are you staking claim, Commander?” he asked, his eyebrows arching in surprise. Hunter grunted in annoyance.

“She is their leader, and deserves respect,” Hunter reminded the younger man, then ran an exasperated hand through his hair. “And no, I am not staking claim. I cannot claim her yet. None of us can claim any of them, until they understand what our mating rituals entail and we understand theirs. But pay Arianna the respect due a Reader, as well as a leader, and do not comment on her ‘curves’.”

“Aye, sir. I was actually more impressed with the little blond, myself,” Trey admitted, remembering with a smile. “She is bright, accepting, and she attempted to communicate with me from the first. I saw her trying to help Arianna when we came upon them. Perhaps the Reader’s second-in-command? Or a good candidate for that position?”

“Perhaps,” Hunter allowed. “Ri did mention to the other girls that they should go to Bev if she’s not available. That’s a good point, Trey. Remind me to make certain that she is in the meeting this evening, to support their leader. Perhaps you would like to fetch her for that duty?”

Trey chuckled to himself and nodded as he, Jace, and the commander began compiling data for the officers’ meeting that must take place shortly. They had to come up with a plan for the women, for their own good… and the women’s.

Hunter was sitting at her bedside when Arianna awoke several hours later. His face was the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes, and the sleepy smile she greeted him with was sweet and welcoming. Hunter’s breath caught at the trust that had already developed between them. She was already forming an attachment, which should probably have scared him… but didn’t. Instead, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. Something on a soul-deep level told him that she was his, and he was hers. Never mind that they’d known each other a handful of hours, most of which she’d been asleep. It didn’t make sense. It simply was.

She was open and vulnerable at the moment, still in the grip of the lingering pain meds. Hunter knew that he shouldn’t be Reading her when she couldn’t hide her thoughts, but sensing her unhidden interest in him, he sat forward a bit, reaching to stroke her curling hair from her eyes and tuck it behind her ear. Arianna’s breath hitched as his fingers stroked the shell of her ear before retreating, sending a delightful little shiver down her spine. Hunter felt it, saw the goose bumps that rose on her skin, and sensed the instant reaction of her body to his touch. He hardened in a rush that threatened to steal his sanity. Never had he felt such impact from a woman before, much less a tiny, alien woman.

It was a little disconcerting, but he was willing to carry the interest as far as she would allow. His was a naturally curious mind, eager for any bit of new information or knowledge, and here was a woman from a world and culture that his people knew nothing about. Aside from the possibilities of exchanged information, she was a lovely little thing, with bright eyes that had seemed green in the forest but were now almost blue. Perhaps it was the lighting in the med center? Or maybe her people had eyes that changed colors? He would have to explore that with her later.

Arianna watched him for a bit, enjoying his frank interest. Because his mind was open, she allowed hers to remain so, enjoying the feeling of his energy probing hers, his mind within hers. For a long while, they studied one another wordlessly. Hunter was strange-looking, but not in a bad way. Compelling, really. His skin was darker than hers, olive, with almost a burnished patina to it. She wondered if that was from the sun. There were darker markings, almost like a cat’s, but not furry, along the edges of his face, neck, and shoulders, where smooth flesh turned into downy fuzz, then changed again into sleek fur. There wasn’t any hair on his chest, but the hair on his head was pulled back into a very long queue and secured at intervals with leather thongs to hang down his back. He had a narrow, beautiful tattoo in shades of black, teal, and purple that circled his left biceps.

When he turned for a moment to listen to one of the medics give a quick report on the other girls, she saw that he was beautifully marked, just like his men. She knew from touching him earlier that he was sleek and supple, but now she also knew that he had the markings of a gray tabby cat. That made sense to her. She had long adored gray tabbies because they seemed to be the most empathic of the cats. She’d always had an affinity for the lovely stripes and the soft gray and black fur. Hunter’’s markings were amazing. She wanted to explore them, memorize the pattern, to stroke him and feel that soft, warm fur between her fingers. He was beautiful, front and back.

He replied to the warrior then turned back to face her, the muscles of his chest, ribs, and back rippling in a way that made her mouth go dry. He saw the warmth in her eyes, felt her attraction, though she tried to tamp it down and hide it from him. It was hard to keep her thoughts from another empath, though, especially when she and Hunter had already established a remarkably strong connection. And the lingering drugs were impacting her ability to control those wayward thoughts.

His eyes heated as he caught the images in her head. He watched her intently, as though taking in her strangeness, studying her as carefully as she had him. His lips curled up at the edges, a wicked little smile that promised further investigation when she was feeling better. Her cheeks colored prettily at his obvious interest and the memory of him holding her breasts earlier. He was the first man that had been able to hold them without them spilling all over the place, his hands were so large. The mental image of those hands doing just that set her heart racing a little more than she was comfortable with, considering she’d only met him a few hours ago. A handful of hours, but an entire lifetime, a whole other world away. It was surreal, but she had been in his mind. She couldn’t speak his language, but she knew his heart and perhaps part of his soul already. She truly felt that she knew him better than she’d known her fiancee back home. Ex-fiancee.

“You are… very lovely,” he told her, breaking the silence.

“No,” she demurred softly. “I’m really not. Not among my people, at least.”

“You are no longer among your people,” he reminded her. She wasn’t comfortable with complements, so she tried changing the subject, struggling to sit up a bit more in the bed.

“So where am I?” she asked. He grinned, letting her get away with changing the subject. He was amused and delighted with her eager curiosity and helped her to arrange herself more comfortably so they could talk.

“Will you believe me if I told you?” he asked. She laughed ruefully and shrugged.

“Why wouldn’t I?” she asked. “It’s obvious we’re not on Earth anymore.”

“Your women seem to be having trouble believing that, so I must wonder.”

“My
women
aren’t
my
women, and they’re not me. I know I’m not on Earth, though I don’t know how we came to be on that ship. I can’t for the life of me remember being abducted.”

She tried to sit up a little bit more, but stopped as soon as painful throbbing started on several different fronts. She sucked in a deep breath and fought to overcome the pain. Apparently, the painkiller Jace had given her was wearing off.

Hunter sensed what she wanted and quickly moved to help her situate the pillows more comfortably behind her, then rearranged the blanket so that it covered what it should. He even tucked the blankets around her feet in a tight, warm cocoon, just as she would have, if she’d been able. She decided she could really get used to having a man around who could read her mind.

The painkiller was no longer working that well on the pain, but it was still making her a bit loopy. She didn’t want to ask for more until she absolutely couldn’t take the discomfort any longer, though. When the pain was at a manageable level once more, she looked at Hunter and continued as though she had not been interrupted. “I mean, it’s clear we’re not anywhere near Earth. You aren’t human, but you are obviously humanoid. And how do your translators know my language?”

“These are just temporary translators. They know our language and assimilate yours as we go, based on the impulses in your brain. The one you wear is much more advanced than the standard-issue that the rest of the women were implanted with,” he reminded her, tapping the temple unit on that was identical to hers. “When we found your group, most of you were unconscious. We immediately inserted the subcutaneous translators that we use in the military when dealing with alien species. They should be coming online any… why are you giggling?”

He arched a brow at her, trying to look stern at the interruption, but she was so cute, with her nose wrinkled up and the rosy blush touching her cheeks. The lingering medication was making her rather silly, and he found it highly entertaining. Perhaps it was the fact that he hadn’t been in a woman’s company in so very long, but she was appealing to him on a visceral and emotional level that surprised him.

Arianna giggled again, barely managing to suppress a snort at her wayward thoughts. Thoughts that had Hunter recalling the feel of her heavy breasts in his grasp, which had the predictable effect of tightening his body. He hoped she didn’t notice when he squirmed a bit against the sudden swelling.

Thankfully, Arianna was too caught up in her own silliness to notice his reaction to her thoughts.

“What is so funny?” he asked, though he already knew.

“You said ‘inserted’,” she told him anyway, giggling up at him. Oh lord, where had that come from? She could hear herself being an idiot, but couldn’t seem to stop it. She hadn’t been this silly and flirtatious in years. Then again, she hadn’t had a half-naked, muscular, huge warrior this close to her in… well, never. She wanted to pet his back, feel his comforting, soft fur against her palms. Press that back closer to her with her arms around him, taking him into her… That only led her mind back to the reason for her amusement.

“And this is funny to you?” he growled indignantly, though he couldn’t keep the joking tone out of his voice. She giggled harder and nodded. “Why?”