Invasion Earth (11 page)

The curious and fascinating bomb was that she
expected to accept defeat without ever truly surrendering. She’d
mentioned their first night—when she’d claimed she’d never spend
her life with a barbarian. But she’d acknowledged the physical
connection between them. It was a start, wasn’t it? His anger was
gone. His suspicion of her was gone. She took a deep breath, but
before she could go on he pulled her closer and laid a finger over
her lips.

“I know. All I ask is that you let the rest
come with time,” he whispered.

Shock widened her eyes, and he realized he
hadn’t treated her with anything like tenderness before, outside of
bed. It wasn’t the side of a warrior anyone ever saw, but he
couldn’t deny he was feeling it. It made him uncomfortable. Soft
feelings had no place in a warrior’s heart. Did they?

Her question came back to him. Was that what
he really wanted of her? A warm and willing body and nothing else?
She clearly thought so. He’d thought so not too long ago.

For the first time in years, he struggled to
remember his parents. He’d been four when they died. His mind
retained only images after more than thirty years. A proud,
stern-faced father. A soft, gentle mother. But they were like
stills, a frozen moment in time. Surely there had been more to
them, more to their bond than just physical lust and shared
children. What had his father felt? What could a warrior allow
himself to feel for his
der’lan
without weakening
himself?

“Now what?”

She was scowling up at him, and standing next
to her, he was reminded of how small she was, how fragile she
appeared.

“I was just thinking of my parents.”

The lift stopped and he led her down the
corridor. He was surprised when she spoke. Hesitating, but it was a
personal question all the same.

“Are they back on your planet?”

“Dead. Many years now.”

And finally,
she
reached out to
him
. She gripped his forearm and dug in her heels until he
stopped along side her.

“I didn’t know. I thought your mother at
least...”

He shook his head, swallowing past the
unwelcome lump of emotion in his throat, and started walking again.
She couldn’t keep pace and he slowed for her to catch up.

“So I should add your parents to the off
limits column?”

He stopped. Scowled down at her. “What?”

She shrugged, but met his gaze with a hard
one of her own. He felt a spike of pride. She wasn’t intimidated by
him at all.

“You aren’t much of a talker. And never about
anything important, right? Your parents. My role here. You know,
outside of your bed?”

He heaved a sigh. What else could he do? Try
to explain? Before he knew he was doing it, the words tumbled from
his mouth. “I’m a Delroi warrior. Younger brother of the Overchief
and Commander of all our Armies. People don’t ask me questions
unless it is to clarify an order and I only share personal
information with my brother.”

She resumed walking and stayed silent for
several moments, obviously thinking it over.

“And you expect me to be like everyone else?
Shut out of your life like one of your subordinates? Some kind of
concubine or mistress?”

He didn’t answer. He didn’t know how to
respond, still wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted.

She sighed then murmured as she kept pace at
his side. “I don’t think I can live like that.”

They reached the end of the corridor and he
turned right. She moved alongside him without hesitation as if
she’d known all along they were headed towards the shuttle bay.

One of the ships was waiting for them. Daggar
and some of the household guard were standing around, joking and
laughing, probably at some human’s expense. Laney’s face stayed
expressionless but he saw her eyes flash, saw the question flash
over her face. She wondered what was going on. Before she could
approach the small vessel, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into
the shadows. Everyone knew they’d arrived. They’d been seen, but it
afforded a small measure of privacy at least. Not that he cared. It
was a small courtesy for her. He cornered her against the wall.
Shielded her with his body.

“Just. Give it some time, Sergeant
Major.”

No longer able to resist, he kissed her.
Slowly, carefully. Trying to inject the fragile hope he felt, the
emotion he was afraid to feel. He kept it as gentle as he could,
but he was undone. She moaned, that low sweet sound she made deep
in her throat, and ground her pelvis against him. It was impossible
not to give into the irresistible temptation that was Laney
Bradford. Claim what was his. The Earth Sergeant Major. The Butcher
of Roses. His
der’lan
.

Chapter Nine

Barak’s contact was late. Not unusual in and
of itself. Except his gut was churning and his instinct was
screaming. Trouble was coming and he was in no way prepared. He
didn’t even know what it was.

The human had requested this meeting through
a very complex set of arrangements. He’d used her before. He had no
idea what her name was or what she looked like—she always met him
hidden under a heavy hood. He knew she was a trap though. A woman
the enemy forces had put into play to leak false information. Of
course, sometimes the information was correct. It wasn’t like he’d
trust a traitor who was always wrong, would he?

But she was late and he knew something was
very, very wrong. Maybe it was her. Maybe she was late because
she’d crossed the wrong person on her side of the fence. But he
didn’t think so. He thought the uneasy feeling he had stemmed from
the fact Daggar and Alrik were both planet-side and practically
undefended. Both were with another woman, another human soldier
who’d earned a very dangerous reputation for herself and whose
allegiance was still uncertain.

From where he was hidden in a desert rock
outcropping, he observed the storm of dust that heralded the
approach of a small dune buggy. The vehicle pulled right up, a few
feet away, and stopped. The engine turned off. The woman didn’t
step out. She was cloaked and hooded as always, and he came out of
the shadows. Then she surprised him. These Earth women were always
full of surprises, weren’t they?

“I’m Kendall, and Laney Bradford is my
friend.”

She lifted her head and threw the hood back
from her face. He couldn’t say why it was that he couldn’t pull his
gaze away. She was striking. Challenging and alluring. But not
necessarily pretty. It was irritating this pull the women of Earth
seemed to have gained over him. This one was not his any more than
the woman she claimed was her friend, but he found himself
fascinated by both.

He stepped out into the sand. “Is she? And
what of it?”

The woman, Kendall, cocked her head to one
side and gave him a cold smile. “I was told you are a patriot. That
you could be trusted to protect your leaders. At any cost. And
right now Laney is somehow involved with them, right? Is this
true?”

“I’m sworn to the house of Torfa. I’ll
protect them with all I can.” He avoided the question of Sergeant
Major Laney Bradford.

She blinked, but that was the only reaction
that she showed. “Fair enough. I guess that will have to do.”

She stepped out of her vehicle and the robe
billowed around her in the heavy desert wind. She was wearing the
standard military uniform under it but he caught a glimpse of their
medical symbol on her collar. What the fuck? Their spy was a
healer? She tugged the edges together before he could get anything
more than a glimpse. She walked forward and stopped before him. He
wanted to call her smile sly or devious, but it wasn’t. It was
sweet and curious and several things a man like him had no right to
wish for.

“My people vilify yours, you know. But I’m
betting we aren’t very different. I’m a doctor.” She shrugged.
“Human nature is what it is. It doesn’t change much from man to
man.”

He didn’t answer. How could he? If she was
going to break them down to the basest elements, the basest
desires, he was inclined to agree with her. She arched an eyebrow
when he didn’t answer.

“That being the case, I’m betting you have as
many people opposed to this peace as we do. Yes?”

Reluctantly, he nodded his agreement.

“I’m not a spy, you understand? I think we
can finally be all out in the open here.” This time her smile was
friendly and open. “You and I both know what role I used to, um,
occasionally serve for the Sergeant Major.”

She turned serious. “Anyway. I don’t really
know what’s going on. I can’t reach her. If I could, I would never
have contacted you. I do know she’s one of the hostages and I heard
a rumor she’s a target. I’m not sure from who.”

She paused, her frustration clear on her
face. “This isn’t what I do. I don’t know how to find the
information we need, but I know my Sergeant Major, my friend, is in
trouble.”

He couldn’t say why he believed her, but he
did. “What have you heard?”

Kendall sighed, but it was clearly a sound of
exasperation. “I wish I knew. I know, you’re thinking that’s crazy
and I don’t blame you. I’m not sure what I heard. Or when. But it
was recently and it was something I either blew off or it didn’t
register. Except now, whatever it was, it’s started to nag at my
unconscious, ya know? It’s like I know I know something, but I have
no idea what it is.”

He nodded. He knew exactly how she felt. The
same nagging feeling had been with him for days.

“Can you get in touch with her?”

How did he answer that without inviting a
whole lot more questions?
No, but I might be able to reach her
der’lan?
They hadn’t exactly been forthcoming with the real
reason for their coming to Earth so that was not an option.

“I might be able to get in touch with the
people she’s with.”

She narrowed her eyes and studied him. He
suddenly understood exactly how the bug under the microscope
felt.

“Is she at the demonstration?”

It was Barak’s turn to narrow his eyes, and
he stood taller, felt the veneer of civilization he tried to wear
slip a little. Because in reality he was a cold man. A man driven
to duty and honor who had to force himself to blend in, to
sometimes portray a general easiness that was very far from his
reality. She shrank back from the change in him.

“How do you know about that?”

His tone snapped some of the pride back into
her spine. He couldn’t help but admire that and hoped if she did
have a
der’lan
among his people it was a warrior worthy of
her.

“I stood outside my post commander’s door
today and eavesdropped on a conference call with Colonel
Eldridge.”

He scowled and almost took her to task over
such a foolish risk, before reminding himself she wasn’t his to
worry about it and wasn’t under the protection of anyone who was.
Even if he’d been so inclined, he had bigger concerns. None of the
hostages were supposed to have contact with Earth, other than the
daily conferences on board ship. Plus Eldridge shouldn’t have been
able to participate in any kind of call since there was no meeting
on board today.

His suspicious mind immediately turned to
other possibilities. There weren’t many. The Earth soldier could
have smuggled the technology on board to communicate with his
people or bribed someone on their ship. Or much worse, not had to
bribe anyone. Kendall was right when she suggested not all of the
Delroi were happy with the way events were unfolding. Some
preferred a less civilized approach.

He spun around and started through the rocks,
calculating how long it would take him to reach the demonstration
site with his hovercraft. It was faster than the wheeled Earth
vehicles over this rough terrain, but it would still take four,
maybe three hours if he pushed.

“Hey! Where are you going?”

He turned to see the doctor following him and
held up a hand to stop her.

“To see my Lord. I’ll carry your
message.”

“Laney’s in trouble, isn’t she? I’m coming
with you.”

“No.” Hell no. Kendall opened her mouth and
he just knew it was to argue. These Earth women. Fascinating and
infuriating at the same time. “You said yourself, you’re not a spy.
You’re a healer. I don’t know what I’m going into but I won’t take
a woman along.”

She arched an eyebrow, then shook her head
with a half smile on her lips. “You Delroi have a lot to learn
about women. At least the women here.”

Before he could answer that the last thing he
wanted was to learn more about one of these oddly fierce, very
independent Earth women, she turned away. He couldn’t seem to stop
himself from following her to her vehicle. She climbed inside and
started the engine.

“You’ll tell her to get in touch with me?
Immediately? There are ... other avenues I can pursue if you don’t
come through. Other people I can contact.”

He admired her loyalty and determination. It
was obvious she cared deeply for her friend. He felt his first real
smile for months.

“I will.”

Barak watched until she was out of sight
before returning to his own craft and making his way to the
demonstration site, where he hoped he’d find his Commander and
Overchief fine and his imagination nothing but overactive.

Chapter Ten

Laney was silent for the shuttle ride down to
the planet. There were things she knew should ask. Like, what the
hell are we doing
?
But her brain was too addled from that
kiss. Her breasts were uncomfortably swollen. Her pussy was too wet
and hot. And her heart. She didn’t even want to ponder what was
happening to her heart.

She’d been just fine. Resigned to maybe
having a satisfying political career as a diplomat and a hot sex
life. Determined to keep any emotion out of it that surely would
never be returned. Then he had to go act all vulnerable and
shit.