Crusader

by Cyndi Friberg

  “Yes, but human medicine is archaic. She’ll want to know how her injuries disappeared.” She’d also seen him materialize out of nowhere and watched his flexblade transform. He had no idea what conclusion she’d draw from those clues, so he didn’t volunteer the information.

  “What about your shadow? Will he return?”

  “Likely.”

  “I’ll post guards until you can get back down there, but this is your mission. We have our own objectives. Return the woman while she’s still unconscious. Search the place thoroughly before she wakes up then tell her you work for the US Government. Humans accept all sorts of inconsistencies when their government is involved. If all else fails, tell her the truth. It’s unlikely she’ll believe you anyway.”

  Bandar nodded. Spending more time with the female shouldn’t be enough to excite him. He was to question, not seduce her. So why was his heartbeat racing and his armor suddenly too tight? Like Sental, it had been endless months since Bandar had been with a female. The battle born were often chosen for long-term deployments. They were expected to obey without question or complaint, regardless of the hardship or danger.

  Battle born. Those two words had shaped his past and overshadowed his future for longer than he could remember. He couldn’t change the circumstances of his birth, but he now had hope that a better life could be secured for himself and the other battle born sons. In fact, establishing a brighter future was what brought him to Earth. He just hadn’t expected a simple recon mission to be quite so challenging.

  He returned to the infirmary and found Irron seated at one of the workstations in the center of the immaculate room. The treatment table on which the human had rested was now empty. “Where is she?”

  Irron motioned over his shoulder without turning around. “Regen bay two. Her vital signs are strong and she’s healing well. She should be mobile in less than an hour.” He glanced up then. “You are taking her back, aren’t you? It would be much too disruptive to keep her aboard.”

  “Commander Tarr agrees with you. I’m to return her to her apartment as soon as she’s restored to health.”

  “I’ll com you when she’s ready or you can pull up a chair and watch the progress, just don’t expect me to entertain you.” He flashed a smile then turned back to his display before Bandar could reply.

  Bandar walked into the adjacent room and stood beside the regen unit transfixed by the occupant. She was naked, her right arm resting above her head as an army of nanites worked to regenerate her torn flesh. Her ivory skin was now free of blood and her hair created a golden pillow for her head. He only glanced at her breasts, though the pink-tipped fullness deserved a more thorough inspection. Her entire body was long and supple, with the lush curves Bandar adored. Everything about her appealed to him more deeply than he’d thought possible.

  “She’s in her late twenties and has yet to bear a child though her reproductive system is fully functional.”

  Bandar had been so absorbed in his observation that he hadn’t heard Irron move. He looked at the doctor, who now stood beside him, unable to hide his annoyance. “What does that have to do with her recovery?”

  “I’m not blind. She’s very attractive. I’m surprised she hasn’t been claimed.”

  He agreed with Irron’s assessment, yet found the doctor’s interest irritating. “We aren’t here to claim mates. At least not yet. We all need to stay focused on our duties.”

  Irron slapped Bandar’s back with a mocking chuckle. “If you can focus on anything but sex with that female at your side, you’re a stronger man than I.”

  Bandar couldn’t argue the point. Standing there staring at her naked body was filling his mind with all the ways he’d like to touch her, all the places he wanted to taste. Gods she was beautiful.

  Left with no option but to put some distance between them, at least until she was appropriately clothed, he grabbed his helmet off the counter and went to his cabin. Today was the third time he’d encountered the unnamed soldier. The phantom was Rodyte, like Bandar, but they hadn’t been able to learn his identity or who had dispatched him to Earth. At first Bandar thought the soldier was following him, but today his “shadow” arrived first. So he had either anticipated Bandar’s next move or he was searching for the same thing, the research conducted by Daniel Kane, world-renowned geneticist and longtime Rodyte collaborator. Early on Bandar had discovered that Daniel Kane was dead, which was unfortunate. However, his work could still prove invaluable.

  The mystery surrounding Bandar’s shadow would have to wait. He had a human to question and doing so in his armor would likely intimidate her. He opened his closet and released a frustrated sigh. Would she respond better to a business suit or jeans and a T-shirt? He’d known interacting with humans would be an integral part of this mission, so he’d prepared for a variety of situations.

  Deciding on casual clothing, he gathered what he’d need and moved to the bed. He sat and tugged off his boots then stood and released the front seam of his armor. After pulling his arms from the sleeves, he peeled the flex-lar down his legs and pulled his feet free. A lifetime in the military demanded that he keep his quarters neat and organized, so he hung up his armor before donning the human outfit. He was unwilling to leave the ship without a weapon, so he compressed his flexblade into a pocket knife and slipped it into the front pocket of his jeans.

  The next forty-five minutes passed slowly as Bandar paced his cabin and updated his activity log. Finally Irron notified him that the human was ready for departure so he headed back to the infirmary.

  The female was still unconscious and Irron had wrapped her in a sheet. “The regen unit uses a powerful sedative. She could sleep for a day or more if you don’t rouse her.” He held out a nasal mister. “This will bring her around.”

  “Thanks.” Bandar tucked the mister into his pocket then slipped his arms under the female and lifted her against his chest. Even through the sheet her body was warm and soft, enticing.

  “Her blood sugar is low. Make her drink a soda or some fruit juice.”

  “Got it.” Bandar wasn’t sure why he was so anxious to be alone with the female, but the urge was undeniable. He signaled the bio-stream engineer that he was ready to depart then braced for the sickening rush.

  * * * * *

  Awareness returned in stages. A strange scent filled Ashley’s nose, not unpleasant, just unusual. She inhaled again and the protective haze muddling her mind began to dissipate. Memories came rushing back, terrifying images and flashes of pain. She’d been stabbed by an intruder. The realization jarred her, propelling her back to the present. Was her attacker still here? Fear tore through her, yet self-preservation kept her perfectly still.

  A distant car horn disrupted the quiet then she heard the rumble of an engine. The sounds were familiar, oddly calming. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking as her vision adjusted to the gloom. Even in relative darkness she knew the outline of her bedroom furniture. She lay on her back and the searing pain in her side was now a barely noticeable ache. With trembling fingers she felt her forearm. She distinctly remembered the knife slicing her flesh, but the cut was just gone. How was that possible?

  Why was she still alive?

  The door to her right swung open and light spilled into the room. A man stood silhouetted in the doorway a beverage can in one hand. He was tall, his shoulders broad, but his features were lost in shadow. “Oh good, you’re awake. I wasn’t sure the mister worked.”

  Without the distortion of his helmet, his voice sounded deeper, his accent even more pronounced. This was the second man, the one who drove her attacker away. Which didn’t mean he wasn’t just as dangerous, it only meant that he needed her alive. “Who are you? Why did you… Where the hell are my clothes?” She hadn’t even noticed she was naked until the sheet wrapped around her body began to unwind.

  “Your garments were torn and soaked with blood. They were removed by a physician, not me.”

  “What physician?” She held the s
heet against her chest as her heart thundered and her sluggish mind tried to make sense of the situation. She’d been bleeding to death on her living room floor and suddenly she was all but recovered and in her own bed. “How long was I out? No, start at the beginning. Who are you and why did you break into my house?”

  “I won’t hurt you. That was never my intention.” His actions supported his claim, but that didn’t explain why he was here or what he wanted from her. He reached the bed and held out a can of diet cola. “I was told your blood sugar is low. You’ll feel better if you drink this.”

  She wanted to believe his reassurance, but he hadn’t answered any of her questions. “There’s no sugar in that. Why is my blood sugar low?”

  “It’s a common side effect of regeneration.” He set the can down on her nightstand. “Your refrigerator is basically empty. Do you have any sugary snacks? Perhaps a candy bar in your purse?”

  She never had time to cook and planning meals for one was depressing. Besides, she was much more concerned about escaping her unwanted visitor than stabilizing her blood sugar. “My office is one level up. Try the desk drawers.”

  He nodded then left the room, his stride long and purposeful.

  Regeneration? He’d said the word as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. Tension knotted her belly and she scrambled off the bed, but her legs barely supported her. Why was she so weak? How long had she been unconscious?

  It didn’t matter. She couldn’t leave the apartment wearing nothing but a sheet, and there was no way she was staying here with him. Snatching a pair of panties out of her dresser drawer, she pulled them on then tugged a baggy T-shirt off its hanger. She hadn’t bothered with a bra, but at least she was covered to mid-thigh. She shook out a pair of jeans and was about to step into them when the stranger returned. Damn that was fast.

  “You’ll be weak for several more hours. Get back in bed.” His firm tone left no room for argument. He’d likely saved her life, but why was he still here?

  Like an echo from a nightmare, the image of her attacker’s eyes formed within her mind. Glowing blue rings in a sea of black, unreal. No, just inhuman. She’d seen eyes like his before, many years ago. But she’d been thirteen and in the middle of a traumatic family crisis. No one had believed her. Not her mother and not the parade of mental health professionals that followed. Ashley’s insistence that she’d seen an alien had nearly destroyed her life.

  Was she talking to one now? Could she finally prove to herself, if no one else, that she wasn’t crazy?

  She draped her jeans over a chair then reluctantly climbed back into bed. “You haven’t told me who you are or what you want.”

  “Special Agent Bandar and you were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He moved to her bedside and held out a half-full bag of Hershey Kisses. “Eat or you’ll end up with a horrible headache.”

  Her temples were already pounding and she couldn’t stop shaking, so she didn’t object. She took the bag from his outstretched hand and set it on her lap. “‘Special agent’ as in the FBI?” He nodded and she tried not to laugh. And I’m Director of the CIA. She unwrapped a chocolate drop and popped it into her mouth, savoring the simple comfort as it melted on her tongue. “Who was the other guy; you know the one with the nasty temper?”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t arrive in time to prevent his aggression, but I assure you the damage has been repaired.”

  “I noticed.” She narrowed her gaze, determined to see if her rescuer had incandescent rings in his eyes. If his looks were unremarkable, why was he lurking in the shadows? “When did the FBI develop regeneration technology?”

  “The details aren’t important. I need to ask you a few questions and then you can pretend none of this happened.”

  It was the absolute worst thing to say. She’d spent the past sixteen years pretending she hadn’t seen what she knew damn well she’d seen. She tossed the candy aside and glared at his silhouette. “I can ‘pretend’ you didn’t blink into existence in the middle of my living room? Or that your sudden appearance was the only thing that kept me from bleeding to death? How about how my stab wounds ‘regenerated’ while I was unconscious? And let’s not forget you and your friend had knives that transformed into swords then back into knives. Nifty trick. Care to explain how it works?”

  He crossed his arms over his chest, drawing her attention to his snug gray T-shirt, and the muscular torso beneath. When had he changed clothes and what had he done with his black…jumpsuit? “What’s your relationship to Daniel Kane?”

  The question only reinforced her suspicion that the three most bizarre situations in her life were connected. Her father had been present the first two times she’d seen a person with blue-ringed eyes. “What’s this about?”

  “According to public records, Daniel Kane owns this property. You obviously live here. How are you connected to him?”

  She was dying to know more about the mysterious people who seemed determined to disrupt her life, but one fact remained unavoidable. When she’d seen her attacker’s face, he’d tried to kill her. Aliens or not, these people didn’t want the general public to know they existed. “You’re eight months too late. Daniel Kane is dead.”

  He remained at her bedside tense and silent. She still couldn’t see his face and it was driving her crazy. Curiosity shoved aside caution and she reached for the lamp on her nightstand. Her fingers found the switch but he whipped out his arm and grabbed her wrist.

  “Don’t. It’s better if you don’t see me.”

  “Why?” Her father’s death had been ruled a suicide, but she’d always thought it was murder. If this man was connected to the others, maybe he could help her find the truth. “I’ll help you, if you help me. But I need to see your eyes.”

  “My eyes? What do my eyes have to do with anything?” He sounded almost convincing.

  “Your friend grabbed me from behind.”

  “He’s not my friend.”

  She went on as if he hadn’t spoken, needing to say it all before she lost her nerve. Or before common sense took over. “I don’t think he meant to kill me, until I saw his face.”

  “How did you see his face if he was behind you?”

  “There’s a mirror over the couch. He noticed me looking at him and that’s when he turned violent.”

  He was silent for a moment then spoke in a low rumble. “What makes you think I won’t react the same way?”

  “If you’d wanted me dead, I’d be dead.” He didn’t argue, so she pushed a little further. “I’ve seen your kind before.”

  “My kind?” He chuckled. “FBI agents?”

  She tried to sound calm and assertive, but her hands trembled. “People with bright blue rings in their eyes. My father was involved with them.”

  Without responding to her claim, he said, “The man who attacked you was after information. If you have Daniel Kane’s research or have access to it, the man who attacked you will return.”

  Would she never be free of that stupid research project? It had wrecked her parents’ marriage, made her mother doubt Ashley’s sanity, and likely cost her father his life. Exasperation built inside her soul and set her body in motion. She turned her back on the stranger and crawled off the other side of the bed.

  “There’s nothing here to find.” She grabbed her jeans off the chair and pulled them on, each movement revealing her agitation. “I’ll just leave and let that bastard figure it out for himself.”

  The stranger moved around the bed and slowly approached her, keeping the light from the hallway at his back. “If he’s convinced you can lead him to the research, there’s nowhere you can hide.”

  She zipped up her jeans then turned to face him and her surroundings blurred. Her knees buckled then strong hands grasped her arms, keeping her on her feet, barely. She looked up into the stranger’s face and her heart dropped into her stomach. They were perpendicular to the light from the hallway and she could finally see his face. His features remained in high relie
f, but his eyes gleamed in the semidarkness, his common brown eyes.

  “You’re human,” she murmured as she stubbornly searched the brown for any hint of blue.

  With a warm chuckle, he eased back without releasing her entirely. “You sound disappointed.”

  She didn’t know what she was—disappointed, relieved, confused, even a little angry. She’d been so sure Bandar was one of them. “But you’ve seen them, haven’t you. They’re real and they aren’t human.” She held her breath, afraid he’d brush her off like so many had before.

  “What’s your name?” His voice was soft now, caressing.

  “Ashley,” she answered automatically.

  “Ashley Kane? As in Daniel’s only offspring?”

  She didn’t see the benefit of lying. Maybe if she answered some of his questions, he’d answer some of hers. “Yes. Daniel Kane was my father.”

  A slow smile curved his lips and his dark eyes shimmered. Still no hint of blue, but other realizations rolled through her. He wasn’t just handsome. His features, what little she could see of them, were undeniably masculine, yet striking. He had the sort of face photographers loved, all sharp angles and graceful hollows.

  “Bandar really is my name,” he told her, “but you’re right. I don’t work for the FBI.”

  “Can we go sit down in the living room? I’m still feeling sort of woozy.”

  “Of course.” After making sure she was steady enough to stand on her own, he grabbed the bag of candy off the bed then followed her from the bedroom.

  He was being polite and mostly nonthreatening, but she couldn’t let herself forget all the strange things that had happened already. He didn’t appear overtly alien, but he emanated power, a sort of controlled intensity. Maybe he was some sort of hybrid. Or he could have been altered so he’d blend in more easily with humans. Bandar? What kind of name was that? Female names were getting sort of wacky, while male names remained mostly traditional. At least on Earth. The stipulation made her smile. Suddenly all the thoughts she’d been suppressing for years didn’t seem so outrageous.