Intergalactic Loyalties

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  He reached down and gripped her arm, hauling her to her feet. Picking her shoes up from the ground, he began dragging her back toward the house. Meghan stumbled, trying to keep up with his long strides. She hadn’t meant to anger him, but she was just so lost in this world. She didn’t want to be a broodmare, but it seemed as if she’d had little option to do anything else. Now he was going to give her a chance to have a job, but she had to admit she was terrified.

  They reached the house and he shoved her toward the door. “Go inside. I’ll return within the hour to collect you. Make sure you have your possessions gathered and ready to go.”

  “I-I’m leaving today?”

  “Yes. You throw our hospitality in our faces. It’s time for you to learn what Tarnan is like for an unattached female who wishes to claim no warrior as her own. There will be some who might still try to convince you to choose them, but many will see you as an outcast.”

  “Then return me to my world,” she pleaded. “If I’m no good to you, ransom me.”

  “I’ll discuss it with the Prime.”

  Not giving her a chance to respond, he turned on his heel and stormed off.

  * * *

  Zayne approached the Prime’s office, anger surging through him. He’d never met such a rude, ungrateful woman in all his life. Not that he’d met many, but so far most had been sweet. This one though, she was every warrior’s nightmare. He supposed someone might wish to tame her, but he couldn’t imagine wanting to mate a woman who would constantly challenge him.

  The Prime’s assistant motioned for him to enter the office. He paused in the doorway, waiting to be acknowledged. The Prime looked up and smiled.

  “Zayne, what are you doing here?”

  “I need to discuss the new Earth woman. She refuses to choose a mate, to even consider one. I told her to prepare to leave the boarding house, as she would be relocated and would have to work for what she receives.”

  The Prime’s eyebrows both lifted. “Wasn’t that a little harsh?”

  “She whines, constantly, about returning to her world. Every day she’s demanded to see you about seeking a ransom for her, claiming her brother will purchase her freedom and safe return.”

  “If she’s that unhappy, maybe we should see about returning her to her world. So far, the women we’ve brought here seem happy with their lot in life. I believe the ones who are mated truly love their warriors, but perhaps this life isn’t for everyone. I know she annoys you, but I’m going to assign her to you until we figure this mess out.”

  Zayne shook his head. “I don’t need help.”

  “Zayne, you do wonderful work, designing our weapons, but I’ve seen your office. She can straighten the mess and make sure you have what you need. Surely she can manage that without getting into trouble.”

  “I have my doubts,” he mumbled.

  “I don’t have a home right now that she could move into. If she won’t be taking up a spot at the boarding house, she’ll have to stay in your guest quarters. Makes sense with her working for you, don’t you think?”

  No, he didn’t think that, but he wasn’t about to argue with the Prime. The man was being good-natured, but he could make Zayne’s life miserable if he so wished. You just didn’t piss off the leader of your world without paying a price. And Zayne was certain the price would be too high.

  “Very well, Prime. I will escort her to my residence and tell her of her fate. You will be contacting the Earth government though? To return her?”

  The Prime shook his head. “First, I will discover how she came to be with the pirates and who this brother of hers is. I have a few contacts familiar with Earth and their space program. Maybe someone has heard of him. Get me the name of her brother and find out how the pirates got their hands on her. After that, I’ll investigate and see where we go from there.” He sighed. “I can’t imagine anyone wanting to return to such a barbaric world.”

  “Neither can I.”

  The Prime dismissed him and he returned to the boarding house, hoping the woman was ready. He only hoped she didn’t make his life miserable during her stay. Zayne wasn’t sure the woman knew what gratitude was.

  When he reached the boarding house, she was sitting on the steps with a bundle of clothing in her lap. She looked scared, but that didn’t stop her from lifting her stubborn chin and giving him a defiant look as he approached. Everything about her said she was more trouble that she was worth. He didn’t care if women were scarce on Tarnan. If someone mated this Earth female, he would pity him.

  “Come.”

  She rose to her feet. “Where am I going?”

  “The Prime has decreed that you will work alongside me, and live in my home. Whether or not he decides to ransom you to your planet remains to be seen.”

  Zayne turned and began walking, assuming she would follow. If she didn’t, she could sit outside until he had a chance to come back for her. There was no way he was going to cater to this female. He had much better things to do to occupy his time. For one, he could be getting to know the others, see if one would make a good mate for him. He was tired of being alone. With a snort, he realized he wouldn’t be alone for a while. The woman occupying his home just wouldn’t be in his bed. He wasn’t sure he’d trust her during an intimate moment. With his luck, she’d stick a knife in him. She seemed to have no love for his kind.

  His home wasn’t far and they reached it within a matter of minutes. It was one of the larger homes on Tarnan and he was proud of his residence. What would the Earth woman think of it? He’d seen pictures of their homes, such a variety! Had she lived in a grand place? Or someplace small? He gave himself a mental shake. What did he care where she’d lived? She was an unwanted houseguest and nothing more. The sooner the Prime did his research, the sooner Zayne could get her out of his home.

  He entered the code and pushed the door open. Stepping across the threshold, he waited for her to enter before closing the door. He watched her, as she looked around, taking everything in. Zayne saw the wonder in her eyes, before she shuttered her expression. So she didn’t want him to know she found his home impressive? Something told him working with her would be a pain in the ass, an Earth phrase he’d found to be handy on more than one occasion.

  “I’ll show you to your room,” he said moving toward the stairs. He heard her soft tread behind him as he climbed to the second floor. Walking down the long hallway, he stopped at the last door on the right.

  “This will be your quarters while you’re here,” he said, pushing the door open.

  The woman entered the rather large bedroom, looking around. She set her bundle of clothing down on the bed before turning to face him.

  “Where’s your room?” she asked.

  “At the other end of the hall.”

  He’d made sure there was as much distance between them as possible. He saw the moment she realized it. Her eyes cooled and her jaw tightened, her lips thinned. Why she would want to be near him he didn’t understand. She’d shown nothing but disdain for any male since arriving on his planet. Zayne would have thought she’d appreciate being so far from his quarters.

  “I have work to do. I’ll leave you to get settled.”

  “You’re leaving me here?”

  Was that a flash of fear in her eyes? No, he must be mistaken. This female feared nothing. “My office is in my home. I’ll be downstairs if you need anything. Until then, make yourself at home.”

  * * *

  After the warrior left, Meghan looked around the room once more. He had yet to tell her his name. Of course, she hadn’t given him hers either. As much as he rubbed her the wrong way, she’d have to give him a name to call her. He was probably referring to her as “that woman” in his head, much as she kept referring to him as “that warrior.”

  The room was spacious, bigger than any she’d ever had before. The floor was soft, but it wasn’t exactly carpeting. The boarding house had a stone floor, so this was a pleasant surprise. She imagined it would feel nic
e against her bare feet in the morning, or as she was climbing into bed at night. She’d been surprised that he’d put her so far from his room. If their roles were reversed, she’d want him close, not knowing what to expect of him.

  Maybe it was a good thing he stayed away. She still had nightmares about the pirates capturing her and killing the crew that had flown her shuttle. She’d terrified the other women the first night at the boarding house. After that, they’d avoided her. Thankfully, on board the ship, no one had paid her any attention. She’d wondered if the room had been soundproofed.

  There was something resembling a dresser on one wall and she opened the drawers, putting her clothes away. She only had the one pair of shoes so she didn’t have to worry about storing extras. Something told her she should be happy she had one pair. It wouldn’t surprise her to find out these aliens liked their women barefoot and keeping their homes clean.

  Although, she supposed the males had to be rather self-sufficient, since there were only a few other women on the planet. They had lost mothers, sisters, and daughters. It was sad really, and her heart ached for them; it really did, but she couldn’t allow their problems to become her problems. If she allowed herself, she could probably fall in love with a warrior easily enough. She’d watched them as they courted the other women in the boarding house. The males had been courteous, all smiles, and had often asked after the women’s well-being. As she’d silently observed them, part of her had yearned to be a part of it all, but she’d held back, knowing her place wasn’t on Tarnan but on Earth. She had to get home at all costs. Her brother was probably frantic by now!

  The warrior had said to make herself at home, so Meghan decided to do a little exploring. Leaving her room, she checked out the other closed doors along the hallway, stopping when she reached what had to be his room. The bed was even larger than hers; the décor was done in shades of gray and blue. It was a somber room, but tastefully done. She could easily see herself spending time in a room like this one.

  Closing the door, she went downstairs to check out the rest of the house. She found the kitchen easily enough, not that she really knew how anything worked. The other women had done the cooking at the boarding house. She’d never quite mastered the contraption that cooked their food. Meghan had tried, but she hadn’t been able to remember the correct sequence of buttons to push to get what she wanted. Maybe the warrior would take time to show her one again. If not, she supposed she would starve. Would he even notice she was gone if she rotted away up in her room?

  A bit more exploration and she discovered his office. The warrior sat behind a large desk, which was a complete and total wreck. There were papers stacked everywhere, on every available surface, even on the floor. He tapped away at a machine that she figured was similar to her laptop at home. After a moment, he noticed her presence and looked up.

  “Did you need something?” he asked.

  “I was just exploring. Your home is rather large.”

  “It has to be in order to house my laboratory downstairs. I not only design the weapons for my planet, I create the prototypes. The Prime suggested that you assist with my work while you’re here.”

  Her eyebrows went up. “Me? I don’t know anything about weapons. Especially Tarnan weapons.”

  “He thought maybe you could do something with this,” he said, gesturing toward the papers. “He thinks I need to be organized.”

  “He may have a point.”

  “The papers need to be scanned. The machine will read them, store them so that I can access them from anywhere anytime, and then it will hold them in a storage container within for me.”

  She looked around the office. “Where?”

  He pointed to something shiny on the wall with lots of colorful buttons.

  Meghan moved closer to check it out. She’d never seen anything like it and wasn’t convinced she could figure out how to use it. No matter how hard it was though, she’d have to try. Otherwise, she’d die of boredom. She’d found a library while she was wandering around, but all of the books were in a language she couldn’t read.

  “When do you want me to start?” she asked, turning to face him once more.

  “Tomorrow will be soon enough.”

  “What am I supposed to do until then?”

  “Do?”

  She folded her arms over her chest. “Yes, you know, to occupy my time. You’re the only one here and you obviously don’t want to talk. What else is there for me to do? I can only sleep so much.”

  He frowned. “I’m not prepared to entertain you.”

  “I didn’t say you had to. Just show me how this machine works and I’ll get started on all this paperwork. It will keep me occupied until dinner.”

  With a sigh, he rose from the chair and came around the desk. Picking up a piece of paper along the way, he showed her which buttons to push before inserting the page into the slit. He explained that when the light by the slit flashed orange, it meant the document was finished and she could insert another. After watching her do the first few, he moved away.

  “What’s your name?” she asked.

  “Zayne.”

  “I’m Meghan.”

  His look clearly said he didn’t care what she was called. It was just her luck that, out of all the warriors on Tarnan, she got the surly one. The next few days would prove interesting. Surely it wouldn’t take longer than that to contact her brother and get her out of here.

  Meghan wasn’t sure how long she’d worked, but after a while, Zayne informed her it was time for the evening meal. She followed him into the kitchen and watched carefully as he used an appliance that was the equivalent of an alien microwave, best she could tell. It looked different from what the women had used at the boarding house. You didn’t place the food inside; it seemed to create it from nothing. He handed her a full plate of… she had no idea. At the boarding house, the women had been kind enough to ask the machine to make her an Earth meal. Clearly, this warrior didn’t care if she enjoyed her meal or not.

  Sitting at the table, she took small bites of everything. It was good, except for the green stuff. It reminded her of brussel sprouts, something she hated. Zayne didn’t say anything as he ate, just concentrated on his food. At least at the boarding house, the women had talked. Maybe not to her, but she had something to listen to while she ate. Here, there was just dead silence, and it was starting to get to her. After a few more minutes, Meghan decided she wasn’t that hungry and rose with her plate.

  “You haven’t finished,” Zayne said.

  “I’m full.” She carried her plate to the kitchen and slipped it into the alien version of a dishwasher. She’d learned it cleaned the plates and cycled them back to the machine that made their meals.

  Ignoring Zayne as she walked past him, she went upstairs to her room. It was still early, but she’d rather go to bed than face him anymore today. He hadn’t exactly been unpleasant, but he hadn’t been pleasant either. Just… neutral. Other than annoyance, she wasn’t sure he was capable of expressing emotions. With her luck, he was a sociopath and would kill her in her sleep one of these days.

  Not having a nightgown or pajamas to wear, she undressed and slipped into bed nude. Something told her these aliens didn’t wear clothes to bed. Well, maybe the warriors went to bed fully dressed, so they could react quickly if the situation called for it. Since she hadn’t shared a bed with one, she didn’t have a clue. It wasn’t like she’d be sharing a bed with one anytime soon either. Whether she liked it or not, her life was going to be rather lonely until she returned to Earth. All the more reason to push Zayne to stay on top of the issue.

  Chapter Three

  Several nights later, Zayne was startled awake as a scream rent the air. He jumped out of bed, not bothering to grab pants, and hurried down the hall. As he pushed open Meghan’s door, she screamed again, the sound filled with terror. He entered the room and saw that she was still sleeping. He knew of nightmares, even if he’d never had one himself. Tarnans weren’t pron
e to them, but he’d studied the customs and lives of several alien races and knew others were plagued by them.

  He gently shook her. “Meghan, wake up!”

  She whimpered and curled into a ball before crying out again.

  Not knowing what else to do, he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into his arms. The sheet separated their bodies, but he felt her pressed against his chest and had an instant reaction to the soft female in his arms. He silently cursed himself and willed his cock into submission as he crooned soft words in Meghan’s ear, hoping to calm her.

  She blinked, slowly coming awake. Her gaze was unfocused at first and she looked confused. Zayne wasn’t sure if she’d be scared of him being in her room, or thankful to have another person around.

  “What happened?” she asked, looking up at him.

  “You had a nightmare. Do you remember it?”

  She shuddered in his arms. “I always dream about it.”

  “It?”

  “The day I was taken by the pirates. They attacked my space shuttle, killed the others on board, and kidnapped me. I wouldn’t have even been on that shuttle, but my brother had arranged for me to take a trip to the moon. The trips are coveted as they only make three per year.”

  Zayne frowned. “Was this something you’d wanted to do before?”

  “No, but he seemed so excited about it; I couldn’t tell him I didn’t want to go. Exploring space was his thing, not something that had ever interested me. Don’t get me wrong, the view from the shuttle was breathtaking, but I would have preferred to look at a picture on Earth.”

  Her words troubled him. Why had her brother pushed her to take the trip if she hadn’t shown the slightest interest in it before? Something didn’t seem right. He hoped the Prime’s investigation ended soon. Zayne was expecting a call any day but, so far, there had been no word.

  Zayne set her away from him, but her hands gripped his arms.

  “Please, don’t leave me. I’m scared to go to sleep again.”