NO WORDS ALONE

by Autumn Dawn

  “It’s dangerous being your friend,” Rysing said. She was already strapped into a chair and staring tensely out the windshield.

  Xera grunted. Her throat was too bruised for idle conversation. Ignoring the blood on her hand, she grabbed the control yoke.

  The shuttle rose seamlessly and she eased out of the bay. When people saw what was happening, they started to shout and point, but there was nothing they could do; the machine on the ramp blocked the door.

  Xera cleared the machine and rose above the plateau, then punched it. The shuttle hurtled away from the desert as if shot from a cannon, and Xera and Rysing’s bodies were shoved back in their seats by the g-forces. In minutes they broke out of the atmosphere and saw the blackness of space.

  Rysing gave a little shriek of glee. “We did it!”

  “Don’t rejoice yet,” Xera said grimly. “I have to figure out how to get us home.”

  Rysing stared at her. “But…you can fly! Can’t you?”

  Xera took a breath. “I never got to plotting coordinates, not for this model of ship. Oh, I can do it in other shuttles, but I have to play with these controls first.”

  “This is not a game! Play at nothing—get us home.” Rysing’s voice had risen an uncomfortable octave. She was out of her comfort zone again.

  “Working on it,” Xera snapped. Her fingers flew over the controls, trying to find the flight record. If she could find it, she could use that to get the ship back where it came from. Easy enough…in theory.

  “There are ships coming from the planet. Your people must have seen the dead captain.” Rysing started to shake.

  Fighters. Xera could see them. She swore and tried to keep her mind on the task at hand. She didn’t think she could outrun their pursuers in the shuttle. Their only hope was to jump to hyper-space, but it was tantamount to suicide without proper coordinates.

  “We’re going to die.” Rysing rocked back and forth in her chair. The hunters had barely arrived, and the prey was nearly catatonic with fear. Whatever her trigger was, the GE must have tripped it. She must have forgotten all the fun she’d had on the human ship. Maybe being pursued by fighters could do that to a girl.

  So much for being everyone’s buddy.

  Xera had no time for pity. If Rysing couldn’t help, the least she could do was shut up. She was shredding Xera’s nerves. Without looking she hissed, “Come on, girl, get a grip! We can get out of this. Stop wilting on me.”

  Rysing took a shuddering breath. She stilled.

  With a shout of victory, Xera found the ship log and the coordinates of home. “About freaking time,” she snarled as she started punching codes. They were going back.

  Suddenly another alarm sounded. “Warning! Enemy ship approaching. Aura quadrant three-oh-seven.”

  Xera looked at the readout and paled. It was a Khun’tat ship, and it was headed their way. Feverishly she input the commands to jump the shuttle into hyperspace, only to hear, “Please prepare while the hyperdrive warms up. You have seven minutes until this jump.”

  Seven minutes. Her heart stopped. They’d be dead in four.

  Xera had a bad moment. For several seconds she was tempted just to give up. There was a deep, dark place in her mind that would gladly leap free and scream if she would just let it. But Xera wasn’t that person. The Khun’tat and GE hadn’t won yet.

  Xera turned to say as much, only to find Rysing slicing open her wrist with a knife from the tool kit.

  “What are you doing?” Xera yelled, and launched herself at the girl before she could do the other. She grabbed Rysing’s wrist, but the girl’s knife raked her free arm. She hissed in pain and pinned the Leo’s knife hand, then elbowed Rysing in the jaw. That stunned the girl long enough for Xera to flip her on her stomach and put her in an armlock. The Leo-Ahni was surprisingly strong for such a slight thing.

  “Hold still!” Xera put a knee in Rysing’s back and grunted as she struggled to reach the toolbox without losing her captive. There was tape there. She snatched it and wrenched Rysing to her feet, using the armlock to control her. It was harder getting the girl into a seat, and Rysing nearly got away. Fed up, Xera muttered, “This is for your own good,” and she smashed her fist into Rysing’s face. That staggered the girl long enough for Xera tape her to the chair. A glance at the screen showed the Khun’tat ship was much closer.

  Swearing at the lost time, Xera grabbed the med kit and slapped some clotting agent and a patch over the wound before taping Rysing’s arm down.

  “You’ve doomed me,” the girl cried. “I won’t let them have me again!”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll slit your throat if it comes to it,” Xera promised, her mind already scheming. Not that she wanted to think about it; the sight of the girl’s blood already made her nauseous. She sat down and stared at the controls. What could she do with very little time and no weapons? Would it come down to suicide? Did she know how to blow up this ship?

  The Khun’tat neared. Much more and their ship would swallow the shuttle whole. Just as Xera was thinking of ramming them out of spite, she was hailed.

  “Ryven?” she gasped. “Is that you?” She flipped on the communications screen and could have cried. There was her husband’s face, just as she’d imagined it. How had he arrived in time? Never mind, she could ask him later. “Thank God! Get us out of here!”

  Ryven’s expression was controlled. There was no room for relief yet. “Easy. We will.” His gaze took in Rysing’s condition.

  “She tried to slit her wrists when she saw the Khun’tat coming. I had to knock her down to save her life.”

  He actually choked back a laugh. “Woman…! No, don’t lose composure now. You did well,” he added, when it seemed she might wilt. “Don’t panic—you’re going to feel our tractor beam lock on in a moment.”

  Xera felt a little bump and relaxed a fraction. Ryven’s ship had them, but the Khun’tat were so close! They were launching ships to board them.

  But so were the Scorpio! She’d never been so grateful to see warships in all her life. Even as Ryven’s craft’s launch bay opened to receive them, she saw glimpses of explosive battle.

  Suddenly, the shuttle rocked as the blasted remains of a Khun’tat fighter slammed into it. The tractor beam was no protection, and alarms suddenly flared.

  “Xera!” Ryven shouted. Her screen grew fuzzy.

  “Busy!” Xera shouted over the alarms. Her hands flew across the controls as she assessed the damage. Life support was failing. The hull was heavily damaged and threatening to buckle. The toilet…She actually laughed. “Hey, Rysing! Our toilet is off-line. Man, but that would be a problem if we planned to live very long.” She shook her head, amazed at the detail and insignificance. Who designed these systems, anyway?

  Luckily for them, they were swept inside Ryven’s ship. Medics were waiting to escort Rysing to sick bay. Xera was sped to her husband’s side. Uncaring of proprieties, she threw herself against him in a hug, which he returned with crushing force.

  After a long moment, she drew back and told him solemnly, “I’m having a bad day.”

  He laughed, but it was strained. “We will make it better now. Will you stay with me?” He gestured to an empty chair.

  “Absolutely.” She parked her tail in the seat, grateful for the chance. She still felt very unsettled. “What about the GE? You do know they’re here, right?”

  Her husband nodded. “They are running as fast as they can in the opposite direction. We will deal with them later.”

  She opened her mouth to defend at least two of them, but decided now was not the time. They could discuss it all later.

  Ryven began to issue commands, and she knew better than to distract him. Her husband would get them home.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Since theirs had been intended to be a rescue mission, Ryven and Toosun didn’t stick around to finish off attacking the Khun’tat. They were too deep in the alien race’s territory to risk it, since recent developments had ceded the a
rea to their foes; enemy reinforcements could arrive at any time. The moment they retrieved the women, they fought their way clear and jumped into hyperspace.

  Xera was relieved to arrive home, though it was late before she finally crawled into her bed. Ryven joined her, leaving his brother to relay the news to their family of the mission’s success and of the continued interloping of the Khun’tat. He wrapped his arms around her and held tight.

  “I don’t want anyone to build a moon base there,” Xera said into his shoulder. “I don’t want anyone to go through what I just did.” She didn’t want her sisters, if they visited, to be so close to jeopardy. Such a situation wasn’t likely anyway, what with the GE breaking the treaty at will. They’d be lucky if the Scorpio didn’t annihilate them on sight.

  He kissed her hair. “I know. Be at peace.”

  She sighed. “Thank you for rescuing me.”

  “Always—though if you don’t mind, I’d rather avoid more incidents in the future. I think I lose a year of my life every time I see you in danger.”

  She smiled slightly. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Beloved,” he began with mock sternness.

  She looked at him in surprise. “You called me beloved!”

  “Yes,” he said simply. “I meant it.”

  She still looked amazed. “You love me?”

  Now he was annoyed. What had she thought this was about? “I said so, didn’t I?”

  “Not in so many words.”

  His noisy exhalation was all the answer he gave.

  But then she grinned, and it was like the sun peeking out of a fog bank. “You love me!”

  He was ready to give a flip response when he noticed the tears still standing in her eyes. His annoyance softened. He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. “Almost from the first. Haven’t I shown you?”

  “I’m a human, dummy! I need words.” She tried to glower at him, but her smile kept glimmering through, as though her chest were filled with sunlight. “You love me,” she said in wonder.

  He was going to blush if she kept saying it, so he offered a distraction. “I’ve been thinking…you’ve really proved yourself. Not just with the last situation with GE, but with the way you handled Rysing. If you still wish to be an ambassador, I will permit it. It will no longer be an empty role.”

  She sat up and stared. “You mean it?”

  His smile was self-mocking. “You’ve made many sacrifices for me. I think I can give up my idea of a ‘perfect family’ for this. You do want it, don’t you?”

  She grinned and threw herself at him to deliver a jubilant kiss. “Yes! You are such a sweetie.”

  That did it. He blushed. To take his mind off the embarrassment, he took his wife in his arms and soon caused her cheeks to glow, too.

  At least they had one less worry. Tovark’s body had turned up at a hospital with a knife wound in his back. He’d been pronounced dead on arrival. A search was being made for the culprit, whom authorities assumed was his accomplice.

  Whoever he was, Tovark’s killer had done them all a favor. Xera was glad he was dead, and Ryven was almost inclined to let the man go. Almost.

  Rysing was inclined to hold a grudge over Xera’s rough handling, but reluctantly admitted it had saved her life. Xera thought the moodiness was lingering fright over the near disaster and decided to give the girl time to get over it. Rysing soon began to resume some of her former ease.

  The experience changed Xera. She sent off a carefully edited message to her sister of her adventures, then decided it was time for a rest. She and Ryven moved out to the country house and met the neighbors, commuting back to the palace whenever needed. The more time she spent at the estate, the happier she was. In the privacy of the country, Ryven relaxed. It was easier to demonstrate her love when she was allowed to touch him.

  Spring had come, and she enjoyed walking in the gardens. She’d had her fill of adventure for now, and was able to enjoy simple pleasures like strolls in the sunshine. She no longer felt so restless.

  It was also fun to plan her child’s future, though she tried not to map it much past the fifth year—the kid needed some room for spontaneity.

  The child arrived in due time, and Xera was surprised to find out he was a she. “You didn’t tell me,” she chided her husband after she’d caught her breath.

  He smiled at her. “You were so sure it would be a boy, I didn’t want to ruin the surprise.” The nurse handed him the child. Swathed in a towel, the tiny bundle looked absurdly small in her husband’s arms, but the look of tenderness in Ryven’s eyes…

  Xera had to swallow tears. She didn’t even mind her sisters’ absence now, not with this kind of love here for her child. She had no doubt the baby girl would earn similar looks from her grandfather and uncle. Toosun had a special soft spot for children, and his brother’s child would be especially dear to him: he’d want to vet all her suitors. The poor child was going to have a terrible time dating.

  “Time to meet you mother, little love,” Ryven said, gently placing the baby in her arms.

  Xera gasped. “She has your eyes!”

  “The next one will have yours,” he soothed.

  She frowned at him. “I like her eyes. I like your eyes. They’re very pretty. Don’t get any ideas on starting another one anytime soon, though.”

  He ignored the last part of her statement. “You never told me you liked my eyes.”

  “You’re arrogant enough as it is.”

  He smiled wolfishly. “We’ll continue this when you’ve regained your strength. Rest. Let me show her to her family. I think Aunt Tessla and Toosun will storm the room if they have to wait much longer.”

  “Perhaps a wash and a clean diaper, first, my lord?” the nurse suggested. She practically had to wrestle the child away from her frowning father. Ryven gave way, but stood nearby and waited impatiently for the nurse to finish, carefully watching her every move.

  “Fathers,” the nurse tending Xera murmured wryly. “They’re all alike.”

  Xera smiled. She was tired, but more content than she’d been in a very long while. With him by her side, she was comfortable with what ever the future had in store for them. Let him hover—her child would know the full measure of her father’s love.

  With Ryven, she’d learned, no words alone could ever demonstrate the depth of his heart, but his actions were all in the language of love. They required no translation.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I’d like to take a moment to appreciate the following people:

  First, thank you, God. When I prayed for my book to be well received, I had no idea how fast you’d work!

  To my editor, Chris Keeslar, who looked past the absentmindedness (Lord of XXX!) and saw potential.

  To Alissa Davis, who placed the first call. What a morning!

  To my agent, Ms. Wheeler, who took the call from a giddy author with a bad connection with gracious calm.

  To S. Grant, for the timely advice. I owe you one.

  To John, my husband of fifteen years. You are the fantasy, love.

  Copyright

  A LOVE SPELL BOOK®

  December 2008

  Published by

  Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.

  200 Madison Avenue

  New York, NY 10016

  Copyright © 2008 by Autumn Dawn

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  E-ISBN: 978-1-4285-0585-8

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