Worlds Apart 2: Hunter's Revenge (12 page)

Hunter ran his hand down his mate’s back in soothing strokes. “Then I can do no less than what you’ve done. She’ll be under my protection and that of my family until she decides what she wants to do with her life.”

Hunter hung his head as shame filled him.
Since taking Amy to the medical bay upon arriving on the ship, all his thoughts, his entire focus, centered on her.
And since she woke, he hadn’t even thought about the other women they’d rescued. What kind of man did that make him? What kind of leader?

As though she sensed his thoughts, and perhaps she did, Amy reached out and lightly ran her hand down his arm. Goose bumps rose atop his flesh and his body tightened once again in need. Goddess, he’d never get enough of her.

“Yes, Maryann first, then Chrissie.”
She hesitated, then after quickly licking her lips spoke again. “Afterward, would you mind if we spent some time alone getting to know each other better?” Amy worried her bottom lip and his cock twitched. He had to focus him attention back on what his mate was saying before he completely lost control of his wayward body and jumped her here and now. “I’d like to learn about the man I’ve taken to mate.”

“Of course.”
How could he refuse such a simple request of him when he wanted exactly the same thing?

You can’t,
moyo
.

His gaze snapped to her mouth where an impish smile tilted up the corners of her lips. His heart clenched as he realized she’d purposely used their new mate-bond to speak to him.

You honor me—honor us—by using our bond to speak your thoughts and to learn mine. I hope you feel you can trust me once you learn all that you do.

“What do you mean, Hunter?”

Hunter shook his head. “I will not influence you or what you’ll see when you look into my memories. All I will say was the decisions I made as High King of
Chantrea
were made to benefit
Chantrea
and our people. I only wish I could have foreseen the consequences my decisions would bring”—and he knew they hadn’t seen all of them…yet.

After slowly stroking Amy’s back one more time, he slowly stepped away, tucking the
compu
-pad inside the inner pocket of his uniform jacket. “Now how about we track down your friend Maryann and see how she’s faring?”

Amy nodded then cleared her throat.
“Sounds good.
I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Computer?”

“Yes, Prince Shi’Lan?”

“Where would we find the rescued female called Maryann?”

“Maryann Wilson is in the botanical gardens on deck eighteen.”

“Thank you, Computer. If anyone is looking for us, please direct them to that location.”

“Understood, Prince Shi’Lan.”

After giving his mate a short bow, Hunter held out his elbow, inviting her to take it. Instead, Amy blushed prettily and reached for his hand, twining their fingers together. “Together, let’s talk to her together.”

Giddier than he could ever remember feeling, Hunter squeezed Amy’s hand and led her out of the
Chantrean
Mating Garden, praying the rest of his courtship with his mate continued to go this smoothly.

* * * *

As they walked down the corridor hand-in-hand Amy couldn’t help but wonder just how Hunter managed to become so important to her. When she took the time to think about it, there should be no way that she’d allow his touch, welcome it in fact. But after the bonding ceremony, she couldn’t help but crave his touch, desire his closeness.

She felt like two different people. The frail tortured women Hunter rescued, and now the semi-confident woman that is Hunter’s mate. She could actually feel his confidence in her, feel his belief in her strength and courage and it empowered her. His belief in her made her want to prove him right, and gave her the strength to fight her insecurities. She’d need all her courage and strength in the coming days if they were to rescue her people and defeat the Black Rose.

As they rounded the corner, Amy pulled Hunter to a stop. “What is that?” she asked, pointing toward the tiny creature cowering in one of the doorways.

Hunter shook his head and chuckled. “It seems that one of my niece’s pets has gotten loose. That’s a
Durling
. It’s a cross between a cat and a fluff bunny. It’s as round and fluffy as an Earth bunny without the long ears but purrs and pounces like a kitten though it has just a tiny nub for a tail.”

“I assume
it’s
harmless then?”

Chuckling, Hunter dropped to his knees and slowly crawled toward the frightened creature.
You can say that. The only harm he will do is to your clothes when he’s upset. He tends to lose control of his bladder when stressed.

Amy snorted but kept her gaze focused on Hunter’s ass as he continued to crawl down the length of the corridor. His uniform pants pulled tight across his bottom outlining his tight buttocks to perfection. She had to bite her lip to keep from saying something crude. She couldn’t believe the change that had come over her in just one day. Could Hunter have put some sort of spell on her, or drugged her compliance in some way?
It must have something to do with the mate bonds. Perhaps the mate bonds made her feel that way.

She shook her head. No. No, he couldn’t have. Besides, the mate bonds worked both ways. He knew what she was thinking, feeling, just as she knew what he was. She’d feel his duplicity, his sense of guilt, through the bond, and she sensed none of that. All she felt from him was his need for revenge on her behalf and his overwhelming feelings of love and compassion for her. How could she continue to hold herself back from him, knowing how he felt about her? She couldn’t.

With that realization, something inside her eased. Instead of waiting for something bad to happen, she’d be proactive. She’d dive into her own psyche. She’d build herself up both mentally and physically by speaking with the healers and working out in the exercise room. She wanted to come to Hunter, to her mate, as whole as she could.

With her decision made, Amy once again focused on Hunter and his determination to capture the runaway
Durling
. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched him babbling to the black ball of fluff. After what seemed forever, the tiny creature slowly approached Hunter. She couldn’t make out any of the
Durling’s
features except for its bright orange eyes and tiny, white-tipped, pointed ears. As soon as Hunter cuddled it to his chest and rubbed its ears, it let out a rumbling purr. It sounded like a very contented feline.

Amy smiled then cleared her throat. “Should we drop Delilah’s pet off at her cabin? I’m sure your niece must be frantic looking for it.”

Hunter grinned then slowly stood. “That might be wise. You’ve not seen Delilah when she’s upset about something.” Hunter shuddered. “She has a roar that does the
Lionese
proud.”

Within minutes they’d reached Eve and
Taliff’s
quarters and dropped off the
Durling
to the precocious toddler who’d misplaced it. Eve and Taliff were seated on the sofa, amusement plastered across their faces.

“But Uncle Hunter, I only let Jazzy out of her cage for a minute so I could get her some water. I don’t know how she got out of the cabin.”

“Any why didn’t you wait until your father could help you, little one?”

With hips cocked to the side, Delilah stuck out her chin and crossed her arms. “I’m a big girl. I don’t need Daddy to do everything for me.”

Hunter shook his head. “Well, be more careful next time. You wouldn’t want
your
pet to get lost and hurt aboard ship, would you?”

The little blonde bit her bottom lip and shook her head.
“No, Uncle Hunter.
I promise that I’ll be more careful.”

Hunter shook his head again. “The better promise would be to make sure your parents are around when you let her out again.”

Delilah pursed her lips and let out a gusty sigh.
“All right.
I won’t let Jazzy out of the cage unless momma or daddy is there with me.”

“Good.” After nodding once toward Eve and Taliff, Hunter turned toward Amy. “Now, are you ready to speak with Maryann?”

“Yes. I want to make sure she’s okay. She probably suffered much more than any of the others the Black Rose captured. Being Human, her body would take longer to heal, the damage inflicted on her nearly impossible to survive. The fact that she’s still alive proves that her will to survive must have been tremendous.”

Eve patted
Taliff’s
knee then stood and approached them. “If you’d like, I could accompany you.”

Even though Amy would like nothing more than to fall back on Eve’s strength, she couldn’t do it. Amy shook her head, but reached out and squeezed Eve’s hand. “That’s okay, Eve. I can handle this. Maryann knows me, but she might not be willing to speak in front of strangers.”

Eve swallowed then nodded.
“Of course.
But if you need anything, you know where to find me.”

Amy stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Eve, embracing the woman for the first time since her rescue. “I know you’ll be there,” she whispered. Her voice cracked as she continued to speak. “Even in the frozen hell where I was imprisoned, I knew you wouldn’t give up looking for me. It’s probably the only thing that kept me going all those months.”

As they each wiped tears from their eyes, Hunter cleared his throat and turned to face his brother. “We will bring the image of the planet to Chrissie after our visit with Maryann.”

“Sounds good.
If you need help interrogating the prisoner, call me. I haven’t forgotten what the Black Rose has done to our own family. I’d like a chance to learn exactly where that treacherous bitch calls home.”

“Taliff,” Eve scolded. “Watch your language in front of your daughter.”

“Yes, dear.”
It was said with some humility and contriteness, Amy couldn’t help but laugh. If felt good to laugh, to be a part of something good and healthy, something happy for a change.

“Well, on that note, I better get out of here. I’ve still got to see our prisoner and confirm the Black Rose’s home base. Only then, will I feel like I can relax. At least for a time,” she murmured.

As Amy stepped toward the door, Hunter walked up behind her and placed his hand against her lower back. “Are you alright?” he asked, his voice just above a whisper so the others couldn’t overhear. She could love him for that alone.

She stopped. Her heart stuttered. Love him? Could she love him? After only a few days and those spent most unconscious? She just didn’t know.

“What is it,
moya
?”

Amy shook her head.
“Nothing.
It’s nothing.” Pushing thoughts of love to the back of her mind, Amy left Eve’s family quarters, Hunter right behind her.
“Computer?”

“Yes, Amy Shi’Lan?”
The computer’s answer gave her pause. Amy Shi’Lan. It was her name now that she was mated. She supposed she should get used to it. She took a deep breath and shook off the strangeness of it.

“What are the current whereabouts of Maryann Wilson?”

“Maryann Wilson is still in the Botanical Gardens.”

“Thank you, Computer.”

Amy glanced over at Hunter and found him staring at her. “What? What are you staring at?”

“You,
moya
.
I’m staring at you. In the last few days, the rate of healing, both mental and physical, that has taken place within you is phenomenal.”

“I just want to be what I should have been all along, strong and secure in my own abilities.”

“Then I will do all that I can to help you.”

Amy turned toward her mate, reached up and lightly ran her hand down his cheek. “I believe you. I believe you’ll do whatever you need to, to make me both happy and healthy. That’s not something I could have even imagined a week ago.”

Reaching up, Hunter grasped her hand and held it against his cheek. “Well, perhaps after we talk with Maryann and Chrissie, we can spend more time getting to know each other.”

Chuckling, Amy pulled her hand away and started walking toward the nearest transport tube. “Perhaps we can. If you think you can sweet talk me into it.”

“I’ll do my best to convince you.”

“You do that.” Inside, Amy felt light and carefree for the first time in ages. That in itself was a miracle. Once they stepped inside the transport tube, Hunter punched a few buttons into the control panel.

What did you just do?

Input our destination.

“Oh, I always just tell the computer aloud where I want to go and it takes me there.”

Hunter shrugged. “Well, this way, if there are others around, they can’t overhear where you’re going. It’s safer this way.”

 
“Will you show me how to use the interface?”

“Sure. We’ll practice tomorrow while we tour the ship.”

Before she could thank him, the transport tube stopped and the doors silently slid open, directly inside the botanical gardens. Hanging plants and climbing vines were everywhere. There were beautiful flowers of every hue everywhere you looked. One plant, a cross between a tulip and a long stemmed rose was a vibrant shade of orange. “What is this one?” she asked Hunter, pointing toward the beautiful orange bloom.