Commanded to Dream

by Jennifer Leeland

  He blinked. Okay. She’d surprised him. First of all, she apologized. Second, she acknowledged the debt. No excuses, nothing. He took a closer look at her. Dark circles, like the ones he’d noted on her sister’s face, were black smudges under her eyes, and she seemed tense. He shook his head. “You paid your debt. The mating of your sister to Terek Majii fulfills the treaty.”

  Kinley Pasquel said nothing to that. They both knew that the mating wasn’t enough. She frowned. “You say my sister dug around in your head. Well, I’ll tell you that, if she did, it wasn’t intentional.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She’s never done anything like that before,” Kinley explained. “I mean, my parents can communicate telepathically, but that’s because they’re mated.”

  “She doesn’t talk to you with her mind?” Had he misjudged her?

  Kinley shook her head. “No. Our DNA is the only gift we’ve ever had.”

  His gaze narrowed. “Are you trying to say I’m lying?”

  “No. Are you trying to be an asshole?” she snapped.

  His lips twitched. “No. But I’ve been told I don’t have to try.”

  She snorted. “Well, don’t take it out on Shasta. She’s been overdoing it lately.”

  “Really?” Okay, his tone was probably filled with doubt. But he couldn’t picture Shasta Pasquel as a ministering angel who was “overdoing it”.

  Kinley caught his tone and glared at him. “You know, you don’t have to try hard. She gives too much of her blood, her DNA. We’re only supposed to supply a fresh sample once a day. She goes way beyond that. The synthetic blood is okay, but direct transfer is better.” She waved her hand to Tylan. “As you can see.”

  He felt like a piece of shit. Shasta had seemed weak and unsteady, but he attributed that to the fact that she witnessed all that death. She certainly hadn’t hesitated to stick that needle in her arm and give the injection to Tylan. He groaned.

  “Where is she?”

  Kinley’s eyebrows shot up. “Shasta? Well, if she was smart, she headed to the infirmary down the hall for a vitamin shot. But she’s probably back down in the shuttle bay receiving more wounded.”

  He strode toward the door and stopped when Kinley gripped one of his arms. “Watch out for her right hook.”

  Her what? He blinked and Kinley sighed. “You’ll find out,” she muttered and let him go.

  Andev retraced his steps to go back to the shuttle bay. He would apologize, thank her, and then get the hell off this colony.

  He should have known she was trouble. When he arrived at the shuttle bay, she stood alone surrounded by a group of Dormrelian fighters. Her voice rose, filled with authority. “I don’t care if he’s the crown prince of fuck all. Get out of my way so I can give the man treatment.”

  Ah, the Crown Prince Devad Tama. He was the last of the ruling family that once reigned on Dormrela. They were still a powerful family, and Shasta was wrangling with the bodyguards.

  Fucking Tamas. They thought no one but the highest caste should touch them.

  When Shasta shouldered her way past the crowd of warriors, one of the bodyguards grabbed her arm. She reacted so fast, Andev almost didn’t have time to stop her. Her right fist shot out, and Andev just managed to step between her and the guard before the blow landed. Even with the cysuit that protected his face, her strike made his teeth rattle.

  She gasped and winced in pain. “Motherfucker,” she cursed.

  “Hitting a guard of the Crown Prince Tama would create an interstellar incident,” he said.

  She glared at him. “What do you care?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t. But I thought you might. And since you saved my friend—”

  “Forget it. Just tell these goons to leave me the fuck alone so I can save their precious prince.”

  “Where’s your MI? That would help.”

  She sighed. “I forgot it this morning.”

  He shook his head and turned to the guards. “Why did you stop her? She is trying to help.”

  One of them threw out his hands. “She’s human.”

  “All the colonists are human, you Grack sucker. Let her help him.”

  The guards moved aside, and Shasta knelt beside the dying Dormrelian prince. Before he could stop her, she shoved a needle into her arm and injected the prince with another shot of her blood.

  “Damn it,” he burst out and caught her just before she collapsed.

  “What happened?” the guard asked.

  “She gave him her DNA. She’s one of the Pasquel women.”

  “He looks better,” one of the other men announced.

  But at what price? Andev stared down at the white, still face of the woman in his arms. This woman wasn’t what he thought she’d be. Andev didn’t like being wrong.

  When he lifted her up, she didn’t stir. But her body brushed the opening at his ribs and the connection sprang to life again.

  Her body was unconscious, but her mind was still spinning.

  “I can’t save them all. Why was I born with this DNA anyway? I didn’t ask for it. Didn’t want it. What am I supposed to do? Stand by while another one disintegrates in front of me? I’m so tired. So fucking tired. I want to stay asleep and dream. That’s the only time shit makes sense. Sooooo tired.”

  “Shasta, let go. Stop thinking so much.”

  Her shock reverberated through her brain and then, she lashed out. “Get the fuck out of my head!”

  He snapped his mind away from hers, but her body relaxed a little more and curled in his arms. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He strode out of the bay, a limp human in his arms, and found the nearest whitecoat. “Where’s the infirmary? This med tech has passed out.”

  The man sighed. “Is it Shasta? Yes, of course. Down the hall and to the right. I wish she’d take care of herself.”

  Andev found the infirmary, and a human female fluttered around him as he laid Shasta on one of the beds. One of the doctors arrived and gave her a vitamin shot, but no one seemed surprised to see the woman had collapsed.

  When Shasta’s eyes blinked open, a tight coil released inside Andev’s chest. “What happened?”

  “You gave the crown prince your blood and then passed out. Apparently, a regular thing for you so I understand.”

  She tried to sit up, and Andev pressed on her shoulder to keep her down. “No. My people need you alive, and you’re determined to kill yourself.”

  Her blue eyes blazed with fire. “Fuck you. You don’t know me.”

  I know you. The thought drifted through his mind, and he wondered if she could hear it. He’d been in her head. She’d been in his dreams. He knew her.

  He had to get the fuck off this planet.

  Her gaze focused on his hand still touching her shoulder. Heat emanated from their connection, and Andev couldn’t seem to make his arm move. But when she reached out to touch him, to slide her fingers over his wounded side, he jerked away.

  This woman had been his dream, his fantasy for so long, and all he wanted to do was stroke the curves he knew so well. But did he know her? Shasta Pasquel was famous, her exploits common fodder for gossip all over the system.

  “I know what I’ve seen on the vid streams,” he snapped. Distance. He needed distance from her.

  She winced and glanced away. “I see.”

  Why hadn’t he noticed the similarities before? He’d seen vids of Shasta Pasquel and her sister. Yet, he’d never once connected her to the woman he dreamt of so many nights. “I believe your exact words were ‘The Dormrela can’t help being barbaric. The Ang enslaved them and bred them for centuries’,” he sneered, mimicking her nonchalant tone.

  To his surprise, Shasta shot to her feet, fists clenched and color in her cheeks. “Those words were taken out of context. Which you’d know if you’d bother to find out.” Before he could stop her, she ripped out the I.V. from her arm and flung away from him.

  “Perhaps they were. But you don’t disagree with the sentiment, d
o you? After all, most of us heard what you said when your father proposed one of you should mate a Dormrela.” He was as angry as she was, but used ice instead of fire to cut.

  She tipped her chin, blood running down her arm and her white face stark against her golden blonde hair. “No better than your crown prince’s guards who wouldn’t let me touch him because I was human. Don’t judge me, asshole.”

  Even barely able to stand and pale as a ghost, she was beautiful. “One of these days you’ll have to explain to me what asshole means. I can see it’s a derogatory name but—” He stopped when color flooded Shasta’s face, and her gaze dropped to the floor.

  Sweet. She was embarrassed. He knew what an asshole was. He even knew what a dick was. In fact, right now, his was giving him a lot of trouble. Without thinking, he cupped her chin and tipped her face toward him. Her eyes widened, and she froze. All his resentment was gone when he got a glimpse of her expression. Shame and fear.

  “I—” She stopped and licked her lips, which almost brought Andev to his knees. “I may have once had a negative opinion about your people.” She blinked. “But I have my reasons. I realize it’s wrong.”

  Again, these Pasquel women surprised him with their straightforward honesty. He stared at her, struggling with himself, knowing he should drop his hand and walk away.

  “What is your name?” she asked him.

  He swallowed, every cell in his body screaming at him to take her, devour her. “You know my name,” he said harshly.

  “Andev.” She said it like a sigh.

  His name on her lips set him on a path of insanity, and he cupped her face with both his upper hands, yanking her closer. His mouth met hers in a collision of need and desire he couldn’t have stopped if he’d wanted to.

  Her hand brushed his skin beneath the tear in his cysuit, and their minds crashed together like opposing waves in a brutal storm.

  “Oh my God.” Her thoughts were jumbled, foggy. Confusion reigned, and he ruthlessly took advantage of it to possess her if just for that moment.

  “You’re beautiful.” He loved the strength of her muscles, the lean length of her body against his. Her mind spun, and his spun with her. He had to be careful. She couldn’t know who he was, what he was.

  He broke the kiss and caught her when she collapsed to the floor. Twice in one day. That had to be a record.

  “What exactly are you doing?” A cold, male voice startled Andev, but he kept a hold of Shasta’s body against him.

  Without turning, Andev laid Shasta on her cot and said, “Catching her before she hit the floor.”

  “From what I saw, you kissed her until she passed out.” The man sounded amused.

  Andev whipped his head around and glared at the newcomer. Tall, muscular but slim, dark eyes and dark hair. The man seemed familiar, but Andev couldn’t place him. “And you are?”

  The man’s eyebrows shot up. “Human. You?”

  There was an edge to that question, and Andev realized who the stranger was. Michael Tarune. Son of General Jake Tarune. He had to be very careful. “Ms. Pasquel saved my friend. I was…thanking her.”

  “Is that what that was?” Shasta mumbled from the bed.

  “I see,” Michael said.

  “Shut up, Michael,” Shasta said weakly.

  “I don’t think so, little bud.” Michael strode into the room and crossed his arms. “I come back on a quick leave and find Kinley fretting over you. What the hell are you thinking?”

  “Leave her alone,” Andev snarled before he could stop himself.

  Both the colonists stared at him. Michael shot a glance at Shasta, then he stepped closer to Andev. “One kiss and you’re ordering other men to leave her alone? Is that a Dormrela thing?”

  Andev tightened his lips. “She’s tired, worn out. And she saved my friend.”

  “What ship are you on?”

  “I was on The Antwak, but the ship is gone.” Andev straightened and stood at attention. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the expression in this Michael Tarune’s eyes, a worn, dangerous look.

  The man nodded. “I was there. I was on The Faith of Asberek.”

  Andev stared. This colonist had taken out five Earth Central battleships, sustained severe damage, and still managed to board the EC flagship. Unfortunately, the fucking Earthlings had flooded the corridors with their deadly weapon. Andev had thought there were no survivors.

  Michael spoke as if he could read Andev’s thoughts. “Those of us who were born on Asberek seem to have a resistance to their weapons. We don’t know why.” The bleak expression tore through Andev.

  “It doesn’t help, does it?” Andev knew what the man had to be feeling. The only survivor of a boarding party of only a hundred would fuck any warrior up.

  “The only thing that will help me is seeing Earth Central blown out of the fucking sky.” Michael stepped closer to Shasta. “I have to go back. Are you going to take care of yourself, or do I need to send Kinley over here to babysit.”

  “No way. Don’t tell her anything. She’ll yell at me.”

  “Maybe she should yell at you,” Andev said sharply.

  She lifted one eyebrow. “What’s it to you?”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”

  “Oh that’s a load of bullshit,” she said, sitting up, her blue eyes sparkling. “Are you going to take care of me, big boy?”

  “Shasta,” Michael said in a low tone.

  “Are you challenging me?” He stepped closer to the bed, looming over her, trying to intimidate her.

  It didn’t work. “Yes. I believe I am.”

  A flurry of activity cut through the muted noise of the medunit.

  “Where is she? Shasta?” a male voice shouted.

  “Shit.” Shasta flopped back against her pillow. “It’s Ben. Michael?”

  The dark man lifted his shoulders. “Your lookout, little bud. All that flirting has a price you know.”

  A blond man burst into the room and grabbed Shasta’s hand. Andev stiffened, but noted that Shasta didn’t resist the touch. “Are you hurt? What happened?” He shot a glance at Michael and then stared at Andev. “Did he hurt you?”

  “No!” Shasta shouted.

  “Stand down, sergeant,” Michael snapped.

  Andev recognized a man who felt he had lover’s rights. Stiffly, he bowed to Shasta. “Miss Pasquel. I should return to my unit.”

  “Wait,” she said, but he turned his back. If the woman made a habit of collecting men in real life, he didn’t want anything to do with her. It seemed his dream was flawed.

  “Who was that lizard?” the man Ben asked in a loud voice.

  “Oh, shut your mouth, Ben,” Shasta snapped.

  Andev shook his head and slammed out of the med unit. It was just as well. Shasta Pasquel was dangerous.

  Chapter Two

  A month later

  Nerves. That had to be the reason Shasta paced her state room on The Star of Asberek. It hadn’t been all that difficult to convince her mother to let her join the small diplomatic party going to Dormrela. It hadn’t been difficult to avoid Ben and his questions.

  What had been difficult was dealing with her anxiety.

  Andev Juno. How could she explain to her mother that she had to know more about a Dormrelian warrior? It was bad enough she’d had to discuss the odd telepathic connection she had to Andev with her father.

  It was one of the most embarrassing moments of Shasta’s life. Her father had been surprised. He informed her that telepathic communication between Dormrelians or the Ang occurred during mating, that couples were able to connect but only after a physically powerful “experience”. Yep. That was the word he’d used. Experience. Even now, she wanted brain bleach to forget it.

  Now that the war was over, she was impatient, impulsive, wanting to find resolution to her questions.

  It had all made sense at the time, to follow this Andev Juno, to chase him across the system to his home planet. But now? What if he
laughed at her? What if he got angry with her?

  She shook her head. Stupid. More than likely, he’d ignore her. The discs on her beside table were scattered and disorganized. All of them were on the Dormrelian culture, and she was more confused now than before. She should have learned more about the Dormrela from her mother. After all, ostensibly, she was going to see her sister and make sure the required mating was going well.

  There was no way she could sit there and think. She strode into the corridor and headed for the small mess. Maybe some of the other soldiers would be hanging out.

  When she reached the doorway of the mess hall, she froze. They were hanging out alright, watching a video. Of her.

  It was one from before the war with Earth Central. She didn’t sit around and view vids of herself, but the words stopped her dead.

  “Fucking Dormrela. I wonder if they have four penises. Or is it penii?” Raucous laughter followed and then Shasta stumbled. “Still, they’re better than the Ang.”

  “Do you think she’s more interested in their equipment or their minds?” one of the men joked. Shasta’s stomach churned, and she didn’t, couldn’t, look at the man who’d said it.

  “I think she’d fuck anything that moved,” another soldier said, and the others laughed. Well, why wouldn’t they think that? She stared at the screen and realized how completely she’d failed her family. Her mother had already seen this one probably. Hopefully her father hadn’t.

  “Now come on, boys. She did a lot during the war.” The man with the remote control broke into the laughter.

  “From what I hear, she did more for morale before the war,” the first man quipped.

  The vid went on for another twenty minutes, with Shasta completely inebriated and eventually naked. It was one of the many nights at the Asberek Moon that she’d spent drinking and fucking. The men in the room laughed at her antics. Tears stung her eyes.

  About the time she started humping some leather-clad male on the vid screen, one of the men noticed she was in the room with them. Hastily, he froze the vid. “Ma’am—” He closed his mouth.

  Shasta blinked. It hurt. Not that these men were watching her dance naked, but that they laughed at her behavior, clearly finding the whole thing funny.