Hearts of Ishira (Hearts of Ishira Saga) (34 page)

She didn’t have long to think about it, though. One of the creatures she vaguely recalled from the burger joint had entered the room and was pressing buttons on the units in which the women were trapped. She saw it tap buttons on her unit, felt the strange gel that had been surrounding her start to drain. She was bombarded with nasty, horrid sensations as the tubes were withdrawn from her various orifices and veins. She fought the urge to vomit as what she suspected was a feeding tube was practically yanked from her nose. Her body was shaking with fear and revulsion at what had been done to her, but she barely had time to think about that, as the ship they were on suddenly shuddered.

Lights began flashing all around the room and the creature that had been pushing buttons whirled and exited the cramped space. Arianna was still trapped in the tube, but now she could move a bit. Her muscles felt weak, as though she hadn’t used them in a long time, and her eyes were gritty and sensitive. Bringing her shaking arms up to wipe her eyes and nose, feeling horribly dirty and violated, she began banging on the clear front of her tube, crying out for help. The other girls were doing the same, she saw, though she suspected that none of them could be heard through the ‘glass’ that held them.

The ship jolted again, and a terrifying whine sounded, even through the protective glass. Scared, unsure of anything, Arianna slid to the floor, curling in on herself as the ship seemed to go out of control, tossing around. She watched as some of the tubes went crashing to the floor, their glass breaking, the girls inside finally free. She began banging on the glass again, hoping one of the freed girls would figure out how to help the others. One young lady seemed to have more sense than the rest, and began slapping at buttons on her friends’ tubes. About half of the women were free by the time the ship was torn in two.

She felt a tremendous wrenching sensation, then suction as the glass of her tube exploded outward. She spilled onto the floor in front of the tube, staring at the gaping hole where the other part of the room had been. The ship had been torn into pieces, but she clung to the edges of her tube as she felt the vessel falling, falling. Realizing that they would die if they stayed here, Ri looked out the back of the ship. The ground wasn’t that far away. She shouted for the other women to follow her.

Able to stand for just a moment at the jagged edge of the room’s flooring, Arianna sucked in a breath, taking in the alien landscape, smelling the foliage of a world very different from Earth, and almost chickened out. Instead, the girl who’d had the presence of mind to free the others, a chubby blonde girl, made her way to Ri’s side.

“If we stay here, we die!” Ri shouted over the whine of engines and the rushing wind.

“We have to jump!” Bev agreed. They looked over their shoulders and saw that all the tubes were now empty. The other girls must have been freeing their friends as Ri and Bev had been assessing the situation. Ri looked down at the blonde girl as Bev said, “We could die from the fall, though.”

“It’s better than definitely dying here in this wreck!” Ri shouted back. She reached down, taking the hand of an unconscious young woman nearby, signaling Bev to do the same. Then, taking Bev’s hand, she took a deep breath and tugged, pulling them all out of the ship.

Once in the air, Arianna had little time to make a plan, as the ground raced to slam into her. With what was left of her brain power, she sent a mighty cry into the cosmos, hoping that God was close enough to hear her and save them all from dying. Then she hit the muddy ground and knew no more.

Arianna shivered and shook, curled on the balcony, tears streaming down her cheeks as she relived the horrible moments of her captivity and the crash. She suspected that there was more that she was not remembering, but if the visions she’d just had were the ones her mind
could
bear to recall, she fervently hoped she never remembered the rest. Taking a few deep, steadying breaths, she managed to get herself almost under control by the time the front door crashed against the wall and Hunter bellowed her name. His appearance, though, seemed to set her off again.

He found her in the corner of the balcony, hunched up between the railing and the wall, shaking and struggling to control her tears. Dropping to one knee in front of her, he carefully gathered her to his warm body, concerned at how cold she was.

“Damn!” he muttered, feeling the icy clamminess of her hands and arms as they gratefully wrapped around his neck. He stood and carried her into the living room, sank with her onto the couch, and wrapped them both with one of the thick, soft blankets. She shivered and shook against him for a time, trying to get control of herself. Her breathing was too fast, though, too labored. Concerned that she was about to hyperventilate, Hunter quickly threw up her gown and with a few expert tugs, had the bindings released from around her torso. Before she could react to that, he ripped the material from under the gown and threw it to the side, then covered her once more and held her close. At least she could breathe now.

His wonderful body heat started seeping into her and she managed to stop shivering after awhile. Finally, with a deep, shuddering breath, she seemed to relax. He held her close the entire time, murmuring to her as he stroked her long hair. Arianna was just like the other women. They were all terrified. Hunter hadn’t known why at first, but when the women’s shared memories hit him, he was stunned at what had happened to them. And once he saw that all of the women in the dormitory were affected, heard the screams even from the two bitchy ones, he knew that Arianna would likely suffer whatever was happening to the others.

Unlike the others, she was alone. He had seen her on the balcony and all he could think was that if the memories that had hit the others also overcame her, she could fall. From that height, it might kill her or break her neck. Either way, he had to get to her before she became insensate, as well. He had sprinted up to his quarters, his heart thundering with fear for her.

He didn’t know if she’d screamed, but she definitely suffered the same fate as her companions. He knew that his Arianna was a strong, capable woman, but he also sensed the terror she’d felt. He could almost see the things she saw, and when she was calmer, she opened her mind enough that he could feel her emotions from the ordeal. In minutes, he had a much better understanding of what had led up to her arrival on his planet. The horror of being violated as she had, the life-support tubes and lines… he could only imagine how that had felt, but he wanted to kill the beings that had done that to her and the other girls, a number of whom he was already growing fond of.

Arianna sighed against his chest, curling into his warmth and allowing herself to relax a bit, now that the shock was wearing off. For a long time, neither of them spoke. When she did, it was in fits and starts, but she told him everything she remembered, even though she didn’t have to, and they both knew it. Hunter fought disgust as she related her treatment and the feelings of violation. All he could do was hold her and grow angrier as she related the tale. Finally, she said she couldn’’t remember any more. He considered that a blessing.

“When we found you,” he told her after a time, “There were cylindrical structures, or the remains of them, at the site. Stasis chambers, I believe. They’re crude and usually only used for prisoner or slave transport. I think we can say that you and your women were definitely stolen from your planet, but intended for what, we don’t know. It was a slave ship, but I think that it might have just been the best choice of transport for whoever had you abducted.””

“I think so, too,” she said softly. Her breath hitched and she turned frantic eyes up to his, tears overflowing them. “Oh, god, Hunter! What if…”

“Shhhh,” he soothed, stroking her hair and bending to place a gentle kiss on her lips. “They didn’t get you. The ship crashed, but you and Bev led your women to jump, and they would have been killed horribly if you had not. I’ve seen the wreckage of that section of the ship, and none of you would have survived the impact. You and Bev saved their lives, and now that they remember that, they will accept you both as the courageous and quick-thinking leaders you’ve already shown yourselves to be.

“But what is more important is that you are here and you’re safe. So are your ladies. You’re going to be fine. No one will ever do that to you again.”

“Promise?” she whispered. His look was intense when he met her gaze.

“Little warrior, life will leave my body before anyone harms you again. This I swear. I will protect you and yours with my strength, my intelligence, and my warrior’s skills. I would kill or die for you.”

She swallowed at that pronouncement.

“That’s… beautiful,” she said, reaching up a trembling hand to touch his lips. He kissed her fingertips then rested his forehead against hers.

“I meant every word,” he whispered.

“But… you barely know me, Hunter. How can you make such a promise as that, when you’ve known me less than an Earth week?”

“Because our people just know,” he told her huskily. “When we meet someone, we know that she is either to be ours or not, and we will fight to hold her. And I am a Reader. I have seen your very soul. I
know
that you are meant for me.”

“Is she okay?” Jace asked, skidding to the front door, almost missing it in his speed to get to her.

“She is fine. Same as the others, when I found her.”

“How are the women?” Arianna asked, sitting up a bit and looking at Jace. He was studying her as he came forward, and she knew she must look awful. She was still chilled and shaking, but not nearly as bad as when Hunter had found her. Jace knelt in front of her and checked her vital signs. She managed a smile at his worry. “I’m fine, Jace. How are the others?”

“They will be fine, as well. It seems that the creatures that took you managed to give you a memory block that was meant to wear off after a certain amount of time, and that you all remembered at about the same time. It was probably to keep you from panicking when you first woke up.” He spat the information with a great deal of revulsion. “You all seem to be in various stages of shock, but the men have your women well in hand. Each girl is being tended to by a team. One man to warm her, one to reassure her, and their medic to monitor her life signs, in case there is an emergency.”

“Shouldn’t you be down there?” Arianna gasped. Jace squeezed her hand in reassurance. “What if one of the others needs you?”

“Then their team will call for me.” He smiled tenderly at her and tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. “My medics are also on the scene, but I had to be sure you were well, first.
You
are my priority.”

Hunter cleared his throat. Jace rolled his eyes comically.

“Well, among the women. Hunter, of course, being
the
Commander, is the first priority in almost all other circumstances.”

Arianna managed a watery laugh at that. Convinced that she would be okay, Jace stood and gave Hunter a brief set of instructions, then reluctantly left them with the assurance that he’d be back as soon as he’d checked on her companions.

For a very long while, Ri simply let Hunter hold her, let him be strong for her, as she thought about what she had seen and experienced during her abduction and escape. She had almost died. That thought alone sent a tremor through her. She shuddered, then looked up at Hunter, fighting back tears.

“I feel so… dirty,” Arianna admitted with a sniffle. The memory of the bodily invasion of all those tubes was enough to make her stomach turn. “Is there any way I can have a bath? A real, honest-to-god bath? I don’t know if I can get my leg wet…”

“Of course, little one,” he murmured. “You had only to ask.”

He stood with her in his arms and, cradling her like a cherished babe, headed into his bedroom and the bathroom that lay beyond.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Arianna felt a twinge of excitement when Hunter set her on the sink’s counter. She was very much aware of the fact that she was sitting, bare-assed, in nothing but a medical gown. Dressed as she was, being in such a small space with him, watching as he bent and twisted and moved… he was so well formed, his hard muscles moving sleekly beneath his skin. It all combined into a heady mix that stole her breath and her resolve to keep him at a distance.

He turned on the water in the huge bath tub, testing it for warmth, and placed a stopper in the drain. He then poured a generous amount of something that smelled rather nice into the water. Once he’d replaced the bottle of scent, he turned on his heels and looked up at her. The intensity of his expression showed that he’d been very much aware of her admiration. She held her breath at the heat in his eyes. Steam billowed between them for a moment then wafted away in curling tendrils. He rose slowly and came to stand in front of her, his eyes burning into hers.

“I can… I think I can handle it from here,” she murmured, her heart racing. It was what she felt was the proper thing to say. Not what she wanted, but what was considered appropriate. Hunter shook his head slowly, holding her gaze.

“My brother would have my head if I allowed anything to happen to you, little one.”

His words were altruistic; the intent behind them was anything but. She stared at him for another long moment, her heart pounding.

He stared right back. The desire in her eyes, the blush on her cheeks and chest, and the hitch in her breathing all told him, without his having to look into her mind, that she wanted him. He could smell her arousal, and it had him hard and hungry in an instant.