Rykhan (Book 1 of Mate Search Series) (36 page)

Wyst swung his head to look at the now fuming
human female. “Doctor Jyrl has asked for your ovum as
well?”

“Every time I take food up to Leah, that guy
finds a way to corner me,” she grumbled. “The ass-hat doesn’t seem
to understand that my no actually means no!”

“I don’t like the conclusions my mind is
suggesting,” Tyshar growled low and slow.

Arbrynt shook his head. “They can’t be any
worse than my own.”

“You mean the ones that are telling
you that a
Rysling
was the plan all along and we were never supposed to find our
mates?” The tremor in Wyst’s voice reflected the group’s attitude
at the thought of being simple pawns in some kind of political
plot.

“It would explain the large med-bay and our
small sleeping quarters,” Gyard agreed. “They never intended us to
return back to our system with human mates.”

“That commander of yours doesn’t like women,”
Pam advised with a rueful sigh. “Or at least those of the human
variety.”

Bronsyn lifted shocked eyes to hers, his mind
racing. Even when they had been younger, Gwynt never disclosed his
personal life easily. Bronsyn had seen him in the company of other
males but had never considered his friend had not been attracted to
females in the least. In fact, now that he thought about it, the
times that Maryll had been in Gwynt’s presence he had acted haughty
as if Bronsyn’s mate lacked any form of intelligence and could not
understand Gwynt’s condescending remarks. “You could be right.
Although I do not know if he is part of a male/male pair
bond.”

“But wouldn’t that be a part of it? Is it
possible that Stege is arranging it so that those who are paired
with another male can have younglings?” Laxon’s question caught
them off-guard.

Oh
Tsiran
! Bronsyn hated to agree, but
Laxon was probably right. Which meant one of his oldest friends
fooled everyone with his high and mighty talk about repopulating
their planets. Stege had his own agenda, one that had nothing to do
with the inclusion of females except to further his narrow-minded
and iconoclastic views of a male-only populace!

“I for one cannot participate in such a plan,”
Gyard growled. “I like females. I’m attracted to them and only
submitted my name for quest because I had a chance to secure a
mate.”

“Here, here,” Tyshar agreed.

“But to not fulfill a direct order is…treason.”
Laxon spoke in a hesitant whisper.

Pam clapped her hands to gain the attention of
everyone at the table. “Hey, that Stege guy hasn’t given you a
direct command yet has he? So I say we all put our heads together
and come up with our own little plan.”

“Such as?” Bronsyn could not believe it was the
feisty female at the table who cut through their worries and gave
them something else to consider.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said with a
small devious grin. “I think the first order of business is to get
my girl off of that damn
Searcher
. I don’t want to leave her
hanging if somehow, someway that freaking writ of yours is made
into law.”

Everyone nodded and even a couple of the
warriors smiled. The idea they could actually be doing something
instead of simply waiting around appealed to them all. They were
men of action and seemed to hate political posturing as much as
Bronsyn did.

“If you guys will take care of the dishes, I’ll
go on up and talk with Leah,” Pam announced, pushing back her
chair.

Bronsyn was quick to stop her. She
needed more information before proceeding. “Every room on
the
Searcher
is
monitored for sound and a recording is made and sent back to the
Committee.”

Pam’s eyes narrowed and she drummed her fingers
on the back of her chair as she thought. “That’s okay. I know how
to bring Leah up to speed without anyone the wiser.”

“I want to give Rykhan an update as well,”
Bronsyn continued. “Ask him to return at the soonest
opportunity.”

Then the female made the most amazing gesture.
With a wide, bright smile, she placed a fist over her heart while
her voice rang out. “As you wish.” A move that shocked all the
Picari warriors since it was the exact gesture of a Protectorate
warrior as he responded to a direct order. For a female to perform
the move was stunning and Bronsyn found himself laughing heartily
at both it and the saucy wink she delivered at the end.

*.*.*.*.*

“I like the whole, ‘lady lounging around’ look
you’ve got going,” Pam muttered, her eyes roaming over the linen
tunic and leggings that Leah been given by Captain Pryntal after
being released from the med bay.

“You’re just jealous because I’m comfortable
while your ass is bitching about the tight jeans you poured
yourself into,” Leah shot back as she emptied the cooler Pam had
brought with her. Turning to the thermal bag and reaching for its
zipper, she let her gaze rest on her friend. “I can’t fit into my
regular clothes anymore.”

Pam’s expression appeared shocked. “Seriously?
I mean I know I’m bringing you good eats and that you can’t really
work out in this place…”

Pulling the tunic tight over her stomach, Leah
showed off her baby bump. A sight so startling that it left Pam
speechless for more than a few seconds.

“But…but,” Pam took a deep breath, her eyebrows
pinched together as she stared. “It’s only been a couple of weeks!
So how come you look like you’re already four months
along?”

Leah shrugged and turned back to the
containers. Every afternoon, Pam brought up both a cooler and
thermal case full of what Rykhan called ‘Earth food’. Leah knew he
was only teasing since he’d witnessed the many times she tried to
consume the food onboard but was unable to stomach it.

Plus having Pam bring it meant that she got to
visit with her friend daily. The hour or so they spent together
also gave them the opportunity to add to their documentation
regarding the warrior’s continuing efforts in their quest to find a
mate. Not to mention to engage in the gossip they would never allow
the men in the group to overhear.

However, on that visit, her friend seemed
nervous, fidgety. “What’s going on Pam?”

Pam took out a spiral notebook and started
writing. “Nothing much. The guys are all on-track and a couple of
them have even gone on second dates. I don’t know why but I think
Ty has a little something-something brewing. At least that’s the
impression I get from the teasing the other warriors are piling on
him. But he won’t tell me much.”

Turning the notebook around to Leah’s side of
the table, the taller woman sat down and began to read her bestie’s
familiar scrawl. “The walls have ears so we’ve got to keep chatting
about light stuff while I write the serious shit, k?”

Leah nodded and turned the pad of paper back to
her friend with a small frown. “I know, right?” She tried to keep
her voice light and within normal range but she found herself
sputtering as her heart rate increased. Why all the cloak and
dagger for a routine visit?

“It’s like we’re trying to pry out state
secrets! The more I press, the more closed mouthed they get. Does
Rykhan talk to you much?” Leah had to give it to Pam; the woman was
able to keep up a stream of babble as her hand whipped over the
page.

After turning it her way again, Leah took a
moment to skim the words before answering. “Sure he does. But we
mostly talk about the baby or what our life on Nutrol will be like
when we get there.”

“The boys and I agree we need to get you off
this bucket of bolts and back on terra firma. They think there’s a
plot in place and none of them wants to be a part of it. But they
may not have any choice if it comes down as an order.”

“Sounds better than my conversations with the
others,” Pam mumbled, taking the pad back and continuing. “I swear
if Laxon doesn’t grow a pair soon, he’ll never get a second
date.”

“I wonder why he’s so insecure? I mean, he’s
just as attractive as the other men.” Leah took back the pad to
read the next words.

“Bronsyn is filling Rykhan in on all that’s
going down even as we speak. But I think it might be smarter for
you and me to be the ones to come up with a plan and get you gone.
That way, the boys can’t be blamed.”

“He is kind of shy though, don’t you think?”
Pam paused and then Leah saw the next batch of words scratched were
in a hand that shook.

“And from what I understand, he’s younger too.
Maybe that accounts for it. Not enough life experience yet.” Leah
felt herself beginning to tremble just watching as Pam turned the
paper back her way.

“The way I see it, we just have to come up with
a valid reason that you need to return to Earth and race our sweet
asses to the TIPS room.”

“Do you know what his job was before he joined
the academy?” Leah wondered what was going on that had everyone up
in arms. Rykhan had been very cryptic when he’d told her to stay as
far away from Dr. Jyrl unless Rykhan was around to oversee the
daily visit.

“I’m thinking we could concoct some story about
needing a notary to witness your signature or something. Maybe to
close out your bank accounts?”

To Leah’s confused mind, one excuse was as good
as another but at least that one seemed plausible. She just wished
she knew the whole of what was brewing. Just as she was about to
nod her agreement the door chimed. Making her way to the portal,
she hit the button to open the door. “Hello, doc.” Did he hear the
quaver in her voice? His arrival was somehow suspect since he’d
already visited her once that morning. “What’s going
on?”

“I was passing by and thought I heard the
lovely voice of Wyst’s female,” the Picari doctor replied smoothly
looking beyond Leah to where Pam sat glowering.

“For the fiftieth time, I’m not his or anyone
else’s, okay?” There was no missing the anger in Pam’s face.
“What’s it going to take to keep you away from me anyway? A garlic
necklace? Holy water? A weapon?”

The doctor stepped through the door so
forcefully, Leah took a step back. It was a case of move or be run
over. He took the same chair at the table Leah had just vacated.
Although the doctor’s face was smiling, she saw his eyes drop to
the pad of paper covered in Pam’s writing. “Ah, you are teasing me
with your Earth humor, are you not? What is that?”

Yep, he was more than interested in what Pam
had written but Leah didn’t think he’d be able to read it. First
because it was in English and secondly due to Pam’s severe lack of
penmanship.

“Just some notes,” Leah mumbled.

Pam was more forthcoming. “Yeah, we were just
coming up with ideas for curing cancer, solving the world food
crisis and finalizing our plans for world domination. What’s it to
you?”

He tilted his head and studied Leah’s friend.
“You seem angry, even more than any of the other times we’ve met.
Perhaps you’ll allow me to examine you to determine if there are
any underlying medical issues that are causing you to be
uncomfortable.”

“Who said I wasn’t comfortable?”

“Your heartbeat is erratic and you are
breathing heavily,” he replied calmly taking out his hand-held
med-scan. “And I believe your behavior is beginning to distress
Rykhan’s mate.”

“I’m not distressed,” Leah affirmed quickly but
willed herself to still her movements, especially the trembling of
her arms and legs.

Pam stood her ground though and narrowing her
gaze, she directed all her attention at the medical alien. “You
come near me with that thing and you’ll lose an arm. Or at least a
finger. Is that what you want?”

He instantly pulled back at Pam’s threat and
Leah thought the shocked expression looked good on him. Although
she wished she’d been the one to put it there. “I think you need to
go, doctor.”

His gaze came to hers and she felt like he was
measuring her in some way, looking for some kind of weakness he
could use to his advantage. Fortunately, the man seemed to realize
he wouldn’t be getting his way in that particular meeting and soon
left.

Pam’s look when she gazed at Leah seemed to
emphasize her earlier words about getting Leah off the
star-ship.

Even without knowing the full story, Leah
whole-heartedly agreed.

Chapter
Twenty-Six

Rykhan had not been down on the surface in days
and he found that he had missed being there. Not just because of
the sheer space in the house but he had also missed being with his
warrior-brothers.

Even if they all now carried the mantle of
worry and as they told him of their conclusions, he realized his
fears were no longer his alone. The other males were putting the
different pieces together and all believed the committee hid the
full truth. As in Rykhan’s case, held in the dark regarding Stege’s
real plans for their quest.

“Dr. Jyrl advised Leah must be kept onboard for
her and our youngling’s safety. I believed him.” Rykhan sighed and
rubbed his forehead. “But I think it was more to keep her under his
control.”