Meridan shrugged. “Don’t think you’re eating my avocado rolls. I know you steal them when I’m not looking.”
“But they’re so green and squishy on the inside.”
“Get your own, mooch.” She doubled her order, knowing Vox would snatch pieces off her plate. He behaved just like a brother, at least what she imagined a food-mooching teenage brother would be like.
“I have some news I wanted to tell you in person,” Vox said.
Meridan grew cold. Vox was matched. He’d whisk his new bride away for their happily-ever-after and she’d never see her friend again. Not that she was jealous. Daisy was right when she said Vox was practically family. He was their older, purple brother.
“I’m transferring.”
Relief flooded her body, warmth returning.
“What? Why? Where?” Single word questions poured out of Daisy.
“The new warlord has a need for a pilot of my caliber.” Vox brushed imaginary dust off his shoulder. “The advancement in rank was too good to pass up.”
“But we need you,” Daisy said.
“I’m going to save so many credits by not having to feed you anymore,” Meridan said.
“You’re going to miss me,” he said, confidence shining through.
“Of course,” Daisy said, pausing while the waitress brought their meal to the table. Plates properly positioned, she picked up a pair of bamboo chopsticks. “When do you leave?”
“Three days.”
“So you’ll be here for the Harvest Festival Ball?”
“Yes,” Vox said, slow to answer. “What are you planning, female?”
“Nothing,” Daisy said sweetly, popping a piece of tuna in her mouth.
“Your announcement didn’t have to be so dramatic,” Meridan said, frowning. Three days was nothing. The SCLB had a lot of traffic. She’d see Vox again but three days was not enough time.
“Too much drama today?” His smile was lopsided, the point of one fang sticking out over his bottom lip. “Something to do with your grumpy doctor?”
Meridan narrowed her eyes. “What did you do to Kalen?”
“Depends. What did he do? What did you want him to do?”
She took a sip of the hot tea, stalling. As hard as Vox tried, he would not make her blush. Daisy, meanwhile, was enthralled and clapped her hands. “Oh my stars, tell me everything.”
“There’s nothing to tell,” Meridan said.
Vox cocked his head to one side. “You know we can tell when you’re lying? You have a bad fire poker face.”
“Just poker face. No fire.” Daisy patted his arm affectionately.
“You have anything to do with Kalen’s broken nose?” she asked.
“Oh yes. I hurt my head doing that.”
“What is wrong with you!”
“He came at me,” Vox said. “He was all ‘stay away from Meridan’ and doing that possessive mate display.”
“Mate,” Meridan and Daisy said at the same time. One was a question, the other a squeal of delight. She wasn’t anyone’s mate, would never be, but her heart raced at the idea. Kalen was jealous of Vox, of another male. Because of her. It was barbaric and deplorable, but she didn’t hate it.
“He’s just young and confused is all.” Vox reached across the table and grabbed a sweet potato roll with his chopsticks. “So, what did he do?”
“He kissed me.” Meridan struggled to keep her voice neutral, disinterested, as if she was kissed everyday by alien doctors who beat up her friend in a fit of misdirected jealousy. Totally normal.
Vox huffed and Daisy clapped her hands, eyes dreamy.
“It wasn’t like that,” Meridan said. “He didn’t say anything, he just grabbed me and then…” She trailed off. And then they were making out and she didn’t want it to stop but he stormed off, leaving her confused and frustrated. So frustrated.
She looked at her comm link. “Movie starts in ten minutes. We should go.”
The Recreation Dome had a cinema which played new releases from Earth only three months late and classic movies. The selection was nothing special. She could get most films and shows off the network in her own apartment but it was good to socialize. Plus, popcorn. The cinema’s popcorn tasted exactly like the hot and buttery stuff on Earth.
Daisy speculated wildly about Kalen until they were in their seats and the lights dimmed. Is it going to be a love match? Does he just want to hook up? What’s his skill level as a kisser, on a scale of one to yes yes yes?
Meridan gave the minimum required answers to make her sister happy and stop asking questions. She wasn’t a prude. (Nothing made you seem more prudish than protesting your prudishness.) She didn’t want to talk about her love life with her sister and adopted alien brother. Plus, she wasn’t interested in a fling, no matter how hot and bothered Kalen made her. And with a Mahdfel, it could only be a fling.
The Mahdfel wanted children. That was the main purpose of the alliance with Earth. Statistically, there had to be the occasional love match, the Mahdfel who fell madly for a human woman and did not care about the genetic compatibility or the potential for children. Of course, those couples could still have children though. All their bits and bobs worked. Pregnancy was just high risk. The greater the genetic match, the less risk for the mother. That’s why only matches of ninety-eight point five percent or greater were enforced.
Meridan couldn’t recall ever meeting a love matched couple, but they must exist. It was her secret hope to have her own love match. As much as she teased Daisy for her obvious alien warrior infatuation, she yearned for the same.
She’d yet to meet the Mahdfel warrior who wanted her more than a theoretical child—who wanted her despite being barren. That narrowed the dating pool down to human. There just weren’t a lot of single men at the SCLB.
When she first arrived at the base, she’d dated a pilot named Matthew. A year into the relationship things started getting serious. That’s when he knocked up a cute little botanist and left Meridan for his brand new family. There hadn’t been anyone since. She just didn’t have the strength to have her heart broken again.
One day she’d find the man who wanted her even though she couldn’t give him children.
Meridan fidgeted in her seat, knocking over the bag of popcorn. Vox rolled his eyes and brushed the kernels off his lap.
She had too much energy. She needed to get laid, that’s what was wrong. She hadn’t had sex since… Well, since Matthew. Maybe a good one-night stand would clear her head. One and done. No strings. Just sex. But who? She didn’t exactly have any experience when it came to picking up guys for a hook up.
Her eyes wandered over the crowd. She recognized some of the profiles. No one seemed a likely candidate. She turned to her left, studying Vox’s face. He was nice enough, she guessed. Familiar. Attractive. All the Mahdfel were attractive.
Sensing her gaze, he turned his head and waggled his eyebrows at her.
Gross. No. Not Vox. He was her friend, like a brother. Not friend with benefits material.
Kalen, however…
Arrogant, controlling, always barking orders but undeniably handsome. Unexpectedly sweet. And he’d be leaving soon, so no chance for things to get too emotional. He might be just the one to scratch her itch.
Chapter Seven
Meridan
Meridan’s boots crunched through the fallen leaves. The deciduous forest was her favorite biome at SCLB. It reminded her of growing up in the Poconos Mountains—if oak trees were purple and orange that is. The environment was alien, from a Mahdfel planet, but trees were trees wherever they came from.
The biomes generate oxygen and also provided green recreational spaces. Some biomes were dedicated to agriculture and grew fruits and vegetables. She favored the ones that served no purpose other than to be peaceful and generate crisp, clean air.
Daisy jogged up beside her. She wore a light jacket and gloves. The biome was completely climate controlled. Filters on the glass domes controlled the am
ount of light and temperature of the biome. Actually, she had no idea how it worked. She was a nurse, not an engineer. The end effect was the forest experienced seasons and it was currently autumn, the best season.
“So, how’d it go with the new hot doctor?” Daisy asked.
Meridan rolled her eyes. “Are you thirteen? What’s with the obsession?”
“The more you don’t want to talk about it, the more I do.”
“He’s an acquired taste, I think.”
She huffed. “What about the kiss? Did you see him the next day and was there more kissing?”
Her sister was a giggly child. No question about it.
“Nothing happened,” Meridan said with a sigh.
“Nothing? Or nothing you can talk about with your younger, innocent sister?”
“Nothing.” Much to her frustration, Kalen had acted cool and controlled during their next shift. No mention of the way he’d pushed her up against the wall and kissed her like he was staking his claim. Certainly no mention of her itch being scratched.
“Do you have a date for the Harvest Festival Ball?”
“Oh no. I’m not doing that again.” Absolutely no way. The balls were fussy affairs that let the Earth military parade their dress uniforms and medals. The aliens were worse. They wore elaborate costumes, ritualized the event, took offense when the humans got the smallest detail wrong and then the ball devolved into a drunken mess.
“Come on! It’ll be fun.” Daisy ate up these events like candy.
“What’s the festival for? There are so many. I can’t keep them straight.”
“The Mahdfel do have a lot of holidays.” The Mahdfel culture encompassed so many planets, so many diverse species, that it was a little mind boggling. “Anyway, I have an escort but I want to make it a double date. Will you go if I get you a date?”
“Nope.”
“Oh come on. You didn’t even find out who I’m going to set you up with.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Meridan said. “Whenever I agree to these double dates, you always set me up with Vox.”
“But it’s his last night in town!”
“Then you be his date.”
“Don’t make me go alone.”
“You won’t be alone. You already have a date.”
“Well I don’t want to go without you. How about I do all the work? I’ll find you a non-Vox date and even pick out your dress.” The last dress Daisy had picked for Meridan had been bubblegum pink and barely covered her substantial booty.
“I can get my own dress.” Meridan realized the error of her word choice too late.
A smile broke across Daisy’s face. She squeezed Meridan and danced around in excitement. Meridan couldn’t take it back now. It was too late to say she’d changed her mind.
“Thank you so much! We’re going to have so much fun!”
Sure. Fun. That’s what they’d be having.
***
Clothes shopping wasn’t the problem. A holographic image projected over her body, allowing for custom alterations and the perfect fit. Final measurements were sent to the matter replicator and the machine produced the garment. Easy.
The problem wasn’t doing her hair and make-up. Normally Meridan didn’t bother with any cosmetics beyond simple moisturizer, but she could gussy herself up when needed.
The problem wasn’t getting time off from work. The clinic had regular hours and her shift was steady. Daisy had to switch around shifts and call in a favor to get the evening free.
The problem was Daisy’s birthday. Tomorrow she would be twenty-six and would be tested for the genetic match in accordance with the Mahdfel Protection Treaty. That happened tomorrow.
Tonight she was giddy with possibility. Tomorrow she could be matched. She’d have a warrior of her very own. Her easy laugh filled every room she entered. She vibrated with excitement.
Tomorrow when she failed to be matched once again, her spirits would come crashing down. She’d be inconsolable. Meridan would comfort her sister with ice cream, while watching films and painting their toenails. It was a birthday tradition.
Tomorrow Vox shipped out. She’d miss her friend but her thoughts did not circle back to him. They returned to Kalen. The next day the medic returned to his warlord and his clan. As much as the arrogant male got under her skin and made her lose control of her temper, she’d miss him.
Huh.
She didn’t expect that. It seemed that despite being under her skin, she still liked him.
It didn’t matter. Kalen left in a matter of hours. They finished their last shift that afternoon, neither mentioned the kiss. Not a word to proclaim it a bad idea. Not to encourage further investigation. Nothing. Like it had never happened.
Fine. If that’s how Kalen wanted to play it, she could ignore him and the aching burn of desire he inspired. They’d left the clinic as colleagues, nothing more, and if she didn’t see his stupid handsome face again, that was fine by her. It’d hurt less when he left SCLB and she’d never have to think about him again.
Meridan agreed to meet Daisy and her mystery date at the Recreation Dome. If Daisy planned to stick her with Vox again, she’s just turn around and head back to her apartment. She had no doubt she’d be able to spy her sister in the crowd. Daisy was unmistakable in that regard.
The Recreation Dome was in the center of SCLB. It housed several gymnasiums—rooms filled with exercise equipment and sports gear, lounges for socializing, games both sedentary and physical, rooms for dancing, rooms for artists, a stage for live performances and even a small cinema. A tavern, cafe and a dance club took up the entirety of the third level. Almost any leisure activity could be found or closely approximated, all designed to alleviate the crushing claustrophobia of living on the moon.
The constant enclosure got to Meridan more than most. She’d grown up roaming the forest. No matter how many miles she ran in the exercise room, she was still breathing recycled air. No matter how many hours she spent in the biomes with real trees and plants, it was never a hike in the woods. She needed more than a few game rooms to help her forget that she was always indoors.
Meridan entered the top level of the Recreation Dome. Used for large social functions, the open space offered an unobstructed view of Earth and the lunar landscape. A riot of color overflowed in the space. Music and conversation permeated the air. People, both human and Mahdfel, filled the room in a dizzying crush. The room was a touch too warm. She searched the crowd for Daisy. Above it all, through the deceptively sturdy glass dome, hung Earth in the inky blackness of space.
“There you are!” Daisy skipped up, moving with such youthful enthusiasm you wouldn’t think tomorrow was her twenty-sixth birthday or she was the most skilled combat nurse on the base. Meridan had a hard time believing it, too, but she’d seen her sister in action, blood up to her elbows with nerves as steady as a rock.
Daisy wore a sleeveless gown with a plunging V-neck. A deep aubergine color, the tight fitting bodice blended as a gradient into the vivid pink of the full skirt, before the color faded to a light pink at the hem. It was stunning and completely suited Daisy. Her blonde curls were pulled up in a respectable bun and her makeup level was tasteful. Her little sister was growing up.
Vox, dressed in formal black military uniform, followed Daisy. The black washed out his complexion, making the pale scar tissue on his brow all the more prominent.
“Nope.” Meridan already backed up, ready to leave. “You promised me it’d be different this time.”
“Relax,” Daisy said. “Vox is my date.”
Daisy was serious about giving him a last-hurrah before he shipped out. “Was he a last minute switch?”
Daisy had enough grace to blush. “You have all these rules and I already had tickets, so…”
“So who is my date, then?”
“Don’t be mad.”
Oh no.
“I had a deadline! The pickings were slim.”
Oh hell no.
Kalen
> Meridan was a vision.
She wore a dark blue, one shoulder gown. The full skirt drifted into a lighter, brighter blue, like northern lights shimmering in the night sky. Crystals decorated the strap and the side of the bodice, exploding out in a starburst pattern cloaked in the night sky. She was breathtaking.
From her aggressive posture and the way her hands fluttered when she spoke with her sister, she was not happy. Daisy’s hands moved at an equally rapid pace. Not all Terran females gestured when they spoke, but Meridan and Daisy more than made up for their silent counterparts. His translator chip did not detect the Earth hand language, so the movements conveyed some other, less formal meaning.
The heated argument gave a delightful rose blush to her caramel skin. Kalen found himself intrigued by the color change.
“What were you thinking,” Meridan demanded.
“I was thinking —”
“I required an escort,” Kalen interrupted. “Nurse Vargas assisted me.”
Meridan narrowed her eyes, glaring at her sister. Daisy shrugged.
“Your appearance is pleasing,” Kalen said. He circled around Meridan, taking in the full effect. Her dark hair hung straight down her back. She wore a modest amount of facial paint that most Terran females insisted on, lending a sleepy, smoky look to her eyes and a gloss to her full, rosy lips. The fit of her gown emphasized her generous breasts and the curve of her hips. He had noticed her form under the shapeless scrubs she wore while working, but he’d never appreciated the magnificence of the entire package. The back of the dress had a complex network of straps, revealing tantalizing glimpses of her caramel skin. He wanted to see more, to touch all of her and kiss her curves.
Curious. Kalen had never had the time or the inclination to bother with females before, but Meridan compelled him. He couldn’t begin to explain why.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.
“Because you are beautiful.”
Kalen: Warlord Brides (Warriors of Sangrin Book 2) Page 4