Karac: Kaldar Warriors #1 (8 page)

“I don’t know.”  I looked at Nathan and gave a weak smile.  “Not that I’m not flattered you think marrying me is a good option, but I’m not ready for something like that.”  I wasn’t marrying a guy just to be safe; I had to be in love too.  I was a romantic at heart.  Nathan walked over to me and pulled me into a hug.

“That’s fine.  I understand.  Just know that it’s on the table and we can talk about it anytime.” 

“Sure.”  I smiled up at him.  I pulled back and sat down at the couch again.  I looked at Jesse who was watching us. 

“Anything else we should know?”

“Yeah, you’re parents said he took one of your shirts with you.”

“My shirt?”  I forgot that some of my older things were left at my parents place. 
What would he need with my shirt?
 

“Yeah, they said he was acting all weird with it and kept inhaling a lot.”

“Shit.”  I muttered.  I fell into the couch as I remembered traits about different species I read in my fiction books.  Ones about aliens with extra sensory abilities. 

“What?”  Nathan sat beside me and faced my direction.

“Well, some of the old sci-fi books I read about, with weres and aliens and stuff, said they had enhanced senses.  Like smell.”

“You read books about aliens?”  Jesse asked incredulously. 

“Don’t judge.”  I shot him a look.  “Besides, it was fiction.  It wasn’t supposed to happen in real life.”  I commented.

“So, you saying he picked up your scent on your shirt?”  Nathan asked, back on track. 

“It’s possible right?  We don’t really know anything about their physiology besides they look like humans.  They don’t exactly hang out with any of us for us to know what they are really capable of.”

“Shit, that’s a scary thought.”  Nathan muttered.  I had to agree with him.

“How does this change things?”  Jesse asked.

“If they can track by scent, then any time they come around here I run the chance of them picking up my scent.  If I’m outside it could carry for miles.”  Thinking back to when they drove by earlier and how close that scenario was.  Nathan was thinking along the same lines.

“You were out before when they drove past.  They didn’t stop.”

“No, but he didn’t have my scent then either.”

“And there was no wind.”  Jesse pointed out.

“Right,” I sighed.

“You can’t seclude yourself indoors all the time.  You already go stir crazy as it is.”  Nathan said. 

“I know.  I’m just going to have to be more careful.  Maybe try to mask my natural scent?”  I looked at both of them for their thoughts. 

“I’m sure my mom’s got some perfume you could wear.”  Nathan said thoughtfully.

“Dude, you really want her walking around here smelling like Mom?”  Jesse asked incredulously.  Nathan grimaced.  I wasn’t sure why that would matter but maybe he just didn’t want to think of his mom when he looked at me. 

“True, I guess I’ll have to pick something up.”  He didn’t look to happy about that.

“You could have Mom get some.”  Jesse pointed out. 

“Yeah, but she might get something bad.  If I have to smell perfume all the time it better be something I like.”

“True.”  Jesse said.  They both looked at me.  I held up my hands in surrender.

“Don’t look at me.  I don’t have much of a say in the matter.  It’s not like I can go to the store and get something.  I only ask that it not be vanilla.  I hate vanilla.”  I shuddered at the thought.  Both men laughed. 

“Okay, no vanilla.”  Nathan grinned. 

Karac

“What do you have for me?”  Karac asked the warriors around the table in Command.  They were back aboard the ship orbiting Earth.  It had been a week since they first went to Ashley’s parents’ house.  And what had they found so far?  Nothing.  Not a trace.  Karac held in his growl of frustration…barely. 

“We’ve searched every family member and close friend – of those that we could find after they themselves have disappeared.”  Darrok growled.  Apparently one of Ashley’s close friends also went into hiding.  By her connection to Karac’s mate, her picture and information was brought to attention.  Darrok was none too happy to find out his mate was the missing friend. 

“Patience, warrior.”  Karac intoned to his friend.  “I understand your hurry but my mate must be found as quickly as possible so that we may return to our home as soon as the bond is made.  After Ashley is found and in my possession, you have my permission to use every resource to find your mate.” 

“Thank you, Karac.”  Darrok nodded in acknowledgement.  He shifted in his seat before muttering.  “At this point, we might have to search door to door to find her.”

“That is not acceptable.”  Karac growled.  “What about friends or family of the close friends?  Do you think there would be any leads there?”

“Give me a second and I’ll pull up a map of all known relatives of the friends.”  Darrok started punching buttons on his screen.  Karac turned to the other warriors and focused on Calzen two seats down from him.  “How are the newly mated getting along?”

“Good.  The ones that have been mated to registered females are having a better time than the ones who found their mates by unconventional methods.”  Calzen was in charge of monitoring the mated couples’ progress.  Another warrior spoke up and Karac turned to him. Amendable

“The ones who mated unregistered females are met with significant resistance.  Some females are more compliant now after months on board, but the newly acquired ones are less…amenable.”  Three other warriors around the table scoffed at that.  Karac frowned and was about to respond when Darrok spoke up. 

“Sir, I think I’ve found something.” Karac turned his attention back to Darrok.  The warrior swept his hand across the screen and threw the image up in the air for all to see.  “This is a map of the area surrounding Ashley’s parents’ home.  All the places we’ve searched are marked in red.”  Karac noted that there was a significant number in the surrounding countryside.  Who knew his mate had that many connections?  “The blue signals the newly found connections where relatives of the friends’ houses we searched are.”  Karac noted there were probably another thirty in blue.  Squinting, he pointed to one blue space in particular. 

“Who lives there?” 

Darrok typed a few things into his screen then pulled up a file so everyone could see.  A picture of a young male came up.  Mid-twenties, profession was a mechanic and farmer.  He looked harmless enough but there was something about the male that put Karac’s nerves on edge.  “What’s his relation?”

“He finished from the same primary educational institution that Ashley did two years ahead of her.  We did search his parents’ house but since nothing connected him and Ashley, he wasn’t a viable option.”

“Nothing connected them?”  Karac frowned.  They were neighbors after all. 

“For all intent and purposes, it appears they only saw each other in passing.  They never communicated on the human phone, went out places together, or were connected in any way through human means of social media communication.”  Karac studied the blue dot, trying to figure out if there was a connection they weren’t seeing. 

“You think she’s living with him?”  Calzen asked.  Karac’s eyes widened at the possibility then scowled at the male on the screen.  If he found out his mate was only a short distance from her parents’ place this entire time, he was seriously going to injure someone.  Preferably that male if he went anywhere near his mate. 

“For his sake,” Karac nodded at the male on the screen.  “She better not be.”  He stood up and addressed the group of warriors.  “Same team as before.  I want to visit this male’s house and see if he knows anything.  We leave in two hours.”  Karac stood studying the file in front of him as the warriors filtered out.  Darrok and Calzen stayed behind, waiting on him.  Karac pushed a button on the side of the table which turned off the image above the table.  Turning to his long-time friends, he noticed they were watching him closely.

“What?”  Karac demanded.

“Are you ready for this?”  Calzen asked quietly.  At Karac’s raised eyebrow, Calzen continued.  “We all know time is of the essence but if she is down there, she hid for a reason.  Pushing her to do what you want is not going to go in your favor.”

“We’ve seen that enough with the other males and their truemates.”  Darrok added.  “The males that took their females by force to the ship have had a far greater problem getting their females to understand and cooperate.”

“Well, I don’t have much choice.  Our union must be quick.  I am needed at home.”

“We understand that, Karac,” Calzen replied.  “But she won’t.  You might have to compromise with her.”

“Compromise?”  Karac asked as if the word was foreign to him.

“Yes,” Calzen chuckled.  “If she doesn’t want to go, give her some type of promise or reason for going with you.  She might trust you more then.”

“Like what kind of promise?”  Karac was mentally in the shuttle to Earth.  He didn’t have time to ponder the workings of the female mind. 

“I don’t know.  That’s your job to figure out what she wants most in the world and give it to her.”

“Thanks for the advice.”  Karac answered sarcastically. 

“You’re welcome.”  Calzen laughed.  “Just remember to keep calm and don’t do anything rash.”

“Are you implying I act impulsively?”  Karac asked heatedly. 

“Really Karac?”  Darrok added dryly.  “We’ve known you for years and this is going to be a highly charged encounter.  Don’t screw it up.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”  Karac grunted.  He headed out the door towards the shuttle bay with Calzen and Darrok on his heels. 

“Oh we know you will bring her home.”  Darrok commented.  “We are just betting on how long it will take her to come around to you.”

“Yeah,” Calzen added lightly, “500 denzies that she won’t break for a month.”

“Nah, 500 for two months.  Have you read her file?”  Darrok added with a chuckle.

“You two are impossible.”  Karac chuckled and sighed loudly, hoping they weren’t right.  He wasn’t sure he could last a month or two.  “Get out of here and round up the other warriors.  I have a mate to find.”

Two and a half hours later they landed in the middle of nowhere.  Karac decided he was doing this one without the local law enforcement.  It was dark out, past 11 o’ clock local time.  They still used the black SUVs to drive the three miles to get close to the male’s house.  They parked down the road and hiked in.  Karac had a feeling that his mate was there and knew it was going to be interesting when they finally met.  After all the trouble she went through to disappear, he didn’t think she would come willingly. 

Karac led the group of seven warriors, Darrok and Calzen among them, as they approached the house.  They stuck to the shadows to remain unseen.  He motioned three of his warriors to circle the house so they would have it surrounded.  There weren’t any lights on, but at this time of night they could be asleep. 
It better be in different beds.
  They closed in on the house, almost to the edge of the darkness when a noise up ahead caught his attention. 

He motioned for his warriors to stop as he listened.  A faint breeze past him and he inhaled deeply, absorbing the scent of his mate.  Out of the darkness on the other side of the house, walked his mate.  She was beautiful.  His breath caught as he finally saw her in person for the first time.  Her hair was even more golden brown than the picture he had of her showed and his fingers itched to run through it.  She was dressed in shorts, which showed off her sexy long legs.  She wore some type of sandal on her feet that would prevent her from running very far, and he had to smile.  His mate wouldn’t be able to outrun him even with good footwear on.  She had a green, lightweight t-shirt that outlined her curves and made his throat dry.  He couldn’t wait to fold her into his arms and hold her close.   

She looked behind her and said something, and that’s when Karac noticed she wasn’t alone.  Every hackle raised as the young male from the file came into view.  His mate smiled and reached up to put her arms around the male as he wrapped his arms around her and leaned in.  Karac saw red and charged. 

************************************

Ashley

It was late by the time we left Nathan’s shop.  It became a nightly occurrence a week ago when the Kaldarhns showed up at my parents’ house.  I had stayed inside during the day, slowly going crazy.  When Nathan got home from work, he tried to keep me company until dark then I’d sigh with relief and we’d go outside.  At that point, I didn’t care if it was pouring down cats and dogs, I’d go outside.  I liked the fresh air and needed to be outdoors. 

I kept Nathan company while he worked on restoring a car in his shop.  I didn’t know much about cars, but I could be his go-to person.  Tools I knew.  After helping dad around the farm for years, repairing this and that, I knew pretty much any tool out there.  It was also a good thing both Nathan and I liked country music, because we always had that playing in the background.  If he was into heavy metal, I might have had to try my negotiation skills. 

We stepped outside into the semi-darkness since the yard light didn’t quite reach us.  The last week had been interesting to say the least.  Nathan was more open with his feelings towards me.  And while I was really starting to open up to him more and feel comfortable around him, I wasn’t sure we connected on a deeper level.  The one where you commit to someone for years. 
Well, I did have 12.5 years to see if our relationship went anywhere.
  I looked back at him as we made our way to the house. 

“So you don’t have to work tomorrow?”  I asked. 

“Nope, so we can watch another movie if you want.”

“What, just so I can fall asleep on you again?”  I laughed as he closed in on me.  He caught me around the waist and pulled me close.  I reached up to put my arms around his neck, smiling.

“I didn’t complain last time.”  He leaned down and my eyes widened a fraction. 
Was he going to kiss me?
  But I didn’t get the chance to find out.  It felt like a freight train slammed into the side of Nathan, ripping him from my grasp.  I saw a blur of movement then Nathan was on the ground in front of me, unmoving.

“Nathan!”  I yelled and went to kneel down beside him.  A steel band wrapped around my mid-section, preventing me from getting any closer to him. 
Who grabbed me?
  Twisting, I tried to get out of whoever had a strong hold on me to get to Nathan but the hard body behind me was unmovable.  I kicked and cursed him to kingdom come but whoever he was, and I was sure it was a he, no woman was that strong, didn’t budge. 

Finally, movement from the shadows had me looking up.  I froze, not wanting to believe my eyes.  Seven men, no,
warriors,
stepped out of the shadows in a semi-circle around us.  Dressed in black, laced with weapons, swords strapped to their backs. 
No, no, nonono!
  I shook my head, trying to make the image go away.  Was this my nightmare?  I had them often, but Nathan always knew when to wake me up.  I wasn’t waking up this time. 

I glanced down to Nathan who was still sprawled out on his back.  I think he was breathing, but he definitely wasn’t moving.  I finally realized I was having a hard time breathing myself, and noticed my feet weren’t touching the ground.  The man behind me was crushing me with his steel arm around my middle.

“Put me down.”  I demanded a little breathless.

“Are you going to kick me?”  Came the gruff reply. 

“Maybe.”  I don’t like to give in easily.  Chuckles came from the warriors around us. 

“Is that supposed to reassure me?”  The man behind me growled. 

“Well in a few seconds I’m going to pass out from lack of oxygen so I suppose you’ll be safe then.”  I wheezed.  The man dropped me to my feet, which loosened the pressure around my diaphragm.  However, I was still firmly in his grasp.  I took a few deep breaths as I pushed at his arm.

“Let me go!”  I yelled.

“No,” was the short reply. 

“No?!  What do you mean no?  I have to check on Nathan!”  That statement was met with a growl from the chest behind me.
Growling?  Really?

“Warrior, check to make sure he isn’t fatally wounded.”  The man behind me instructed. 

“You piece of shit!  Stop manhandling me and let me go to Nathan!”  I screamed for good measure.  One of the warriors stepped forward and took out a device to run it over Nathan’s body. 

“Oh I haven’t even begun to manhandle you.”  The man behind me breathed into my ear in a whisper.  I shuddered as, I hate to admit it, pleasant shivers raced down my back.  How could he have that effect on me?  The warrior examining Nathan stood up.