by S. E. Smith
For the first time, Dagger could understand and appreciate what Hunter must have been feeling as they searched for the human named Jesse. There was something about the females that pulled at the protectiveness in them… Well, except for Saber, who was cursing. The tiny female he was holding had sunk her teeth into his arm again. The moment he opened his hand, she had slipped away to hover near Hunter.
“Does she live?” Saber asked, rubbing his arm.
“Yes, but she needs medical attention,” Hunter replied in a low voice. “Call for a transport.”
“Already done. I’ll see how far out they are,” Saber replied before speaking quietly into the comlink attached to his ear.
“They’re going to be okay, aren’t they?” Taylor’s worried voice asked. She turned to look back and forth between the three men before her eyes locked with Saber’s. “You can help them, can’t you? I… Jesse and Jordan are all I have. Please, you can make them better, can’t you?”
Dagger watched as Taylor’s eyes filled with tears. Shifting his gaze to Saber, he bit back a chuckle. Saber’s face was filled with a panicked, almost desperate look, as he glanced back and forth between her sisters, before finally locking again on Taylor’s pleading eyes.
*.*.*
Dagger muttered another apology under his breath as he climbed up the slanted slab of concrete. Jordan knew her low cry of pain was probably echoing in his ear. A sigh of relief escaped him when they reached the top and he straightened up. Her eyes flashed with fear when she saw an alien transport sitting almost a hundred yards away, nestled between two ruined buildings.
“You don’t have to apologize,” Jordan whispered, laying her head wearily on his shoulder. “It’s not your fault I hurt.”
Dagger’s grunt was his only reply to her as he began walking toward the back of the transport. The never-ending rain had begun again, this time a little harder than before. Jordan watched as he nodded to one of the warriors that was waiting at the end of the platform.
“How bad?” The man asked, glancing at her pale face.
“Bad enough,” Dagger replied in a grim voice.
Jordan closed her eyes and shivered, she didn’t understand what they were saying, but she knew it had to be about her from the looks they exchanged. She was so tired, not just physically, but mentally.
She knew she must look like a drowned rat and she felt worse than a week old roadkill. She just hoped she didn’t smell like it. Daily baths had become a dream of the past.
Instead, she, Taylor, and Jesse made do with rain water, heated, if they could afford the luxury. They used scraps of material as a washcloth, and the few precious bars of soap they had managed to steal from different abandoned homes, hotels, and stores over the last four years was almost gone to and it was becoming harder and harder to find anything left behind anymore.
The best thing about living here was that water was plentiful and the weather mild to freezing so she didn’t have to worry about sweating that often. The bad part about living here was everything was dirty.
Jordan gazed around at the interior of the ‘spaceship’. While it might not be one that went into space, it still flew like the ones in the movies and was the closest thing to something out of this world that she had ever seen. The interior was lit with red lights. She knew they probably did that to preserve their night vision, but it made the interior feel even more out of this world.
Her arms tightened around Dagger’s neck when he started to set her down on a long, flat bed. Her heart started pounding, making her already beaten and battered body hurt even more. Tears silently slid down her cheeks and the shivering from the cold, fever, and shock increased until her teeth were chattering.
“Please, don’t let me go,” she whimpered. “Not yet. I… Please, I can’t… not yet.”
Dagger glanced at the man standing near the cot and shook his head. “Take care of the other one first,” he ordered in a low voice.
Relief filled her when Dagger moved to one of the bench seats instead and sat down. Her arms loosened and she pulled them down, trying to get closer to his warmth. Her teeth continued to chatter until she felt like one of those dancing teeth that you wind up and let go.
“I… I’m… sorry,” she stuttered. “I… I’m just so cold and I…”
She turned her face into his chest as her throat tightened with tears to the point she couldn’t talk anymore. She felt so defeated. How could life become so hard that she wasn’t sure she could go on?
“Hush,” Dagger whispered, brushing a hand along her hair. “Tell me what happened to you.”
A shudder coursed through her body and she stiffened for a moment before she relaxed. What did it matter anymore? She had no idea of what would happen to them now. Hell, she didn’t even know what the Trivator warriors did to their prisoners. At least they were trying to help them other than….
“I was attacked,” she forced out, closing her eyes. “The other night, Jesse and I were looking for food. We haven’t eaten in forever. I didn’t realize that Jesse had stopped. I was so excited to get back to Taylor and show her that we had found some food. The alley…” Her voiced died and she knew she was crying again. “There was an alley that we were cutting through, a shortcut. I didn’t see the man in it. He attacked me. He… he kept hitting me, over and over, then he fell on top of me. I could feel my ribs hurting when he hit me, but when he fell on top of me, I heard a snap. I tried to scream, but he…”
Choking sobs escaped her and she turned her face into his chest again as the memories of that night just a few days before washed through her. She wanted to forget what happened. She wanted to wake up from the nightmare and think of it as a bad dream. Her dad would be calling to make sure she was home and ask if she had done her homework. Taylor would be excited about her next gymnastic competition, and Jesse would be humming under her breath as she cooked dinner.
“How did you escape?” Dagger asked in a low voice, careful to keep the anger in it hidden, less she thought it was directed at her.
“Jesse,” Jordan replied, opening her eyes and staring up into his intense yellow-gold ones. “She heard me scream when he attacked. She killed him. She saved my life and helped me get back to the parking garage, but…”
“But,” Dagger encouraged, when she fell silent again.
Jordan’s eye shifted to where Jesse was lying peacefully on the cot across from her. The Trivator called Hunter was sitting beside Jesse, gently stroking her older sister’s hair while the other man that had greeted them checked Jesse. Jordan assumed the guy was some kind of a medic since he was checking Jesse like a paramedic or doctor would. Her eyes flickered to where Taylor was sitting, watching everything with wide-eyes.
“She had to leave the food behind,” Jordan finally finished. “It was too dangerous to go back and get it. We didn’t know who else might have heard what was going on. Jesse might be able to fight off one man, but not two or more. What are you going to do to us?”
Dagger glanced at Hunter. His friend shook his head in warning. Whatever was going to happen, Hunter wasn’t ready to share it yet.
“We will take you to our compound where our healer will care for you,” he responded. “Then, you will be fed.”
Jordan gazed up at him, unaware that suspicion and uncertainty shimmered in her hazel eyes for a moment before resignation filled them as she stared up at him. Her lips finally lifted at the corner in a rueful smile. Her eyes lighting with the first hint of amusement.
“If you throw in a long, and I mean a really long, hot shower with the healing and food, I just might love you forever,” Jordan finally whispered before her eyes widened in surprise when she felt the press of cold metal against the skin of her neck.
“She needs rest,” the medic informed Dagger. “The scans show she is running a higher than normal temperature. I also didn’t like some of the other readings. She has to be in intense pain.”
Dagger nodded, glancing down at Jordan when her head fell back again
st his shoulder. She frowned and blinked before her eyelids fluttered close and she sank into the peaceful darkness.
Bowing his head, he breathed in the rain fresh scent of her skin. “I will keep you to that vow,” he whispered so softly that he knew no one else would be able to hear him. “You are destined to be mine, Jordan Sampson.”
Chapter 10
Dagger jerked, unaware that he had fallen into a light, exhausted sleep. It took a moment for his mind to clear and for him to realize it was the soft chime of the surgery unit finishing that had woken him. He rose stiffly out of the chair and walked over to the unit.
He reached over and pressed the panel, opening the cover. His eyes flashed briefly to the readings above the unit, all signs showing normal. He breathed a sigh of relief as he turned his attention back to Jordan. Her cheeks were flushed with the slight pink color that he remembered.
His gaze moved down to her stomach. It was healed with only a faint red line showing where the skin had been torn and blistered. She would always carry a light scar from her wound, but at least she would live. He carefully picked up her arm and checked it as well. The skin was slightly pinker than the rest where it had been blistered, but would probably heal without a scar.
He started when she moved her arm until she was joining her fingers with his. He blinked several times, his fingers instinctively curling around hers. She was looking up at him with a silent, searching gaze.
“Did we get away?” She finally asked in a quiet voice.
Dagger drew in a deep breath before he could answer her. He nodded while he tried to regain control over his emotions. Turning, he sat down on the edge of the surgical unit and pulled her hand up to his lips. Pressing a hard kiss to her knuckles, he closed his eyes, willing the thickness in his throat to dissolve.
“Yes,” he finally said, opening his eyes to stare down at her. “Yes, for now. We aren’t out of danger yet.”
“But, we are for now,” she repeated with a sigh.
He watched as she turned her head with a frown and gazed around before looking down. A rosy blush rose over her cheeks when she realized that the only thing covering her were her bra and panties. Luckily, both were black and covered her as much as a swim suit back home would have. Still, she wasn’t at the beach, but alone with Dagger.
“What happened?” She asked, looking back up at him. “I remember being shot.”
“Yes,” he snorted in a disgruntled voice. “I told you to seal the door.”
A hint of a smile curved Jordan’s lips. “I did,” she replied. “After you were through. I just didn’t do it fast enough.”
The corner of his lip turned down and his expression grew dark as he stared down at her. “You almost died,” he pointed out.
Jordan raised her fingers and touched the firm line of his lips. She couldn’t resist rubbing her thumb along it as her own gaze turned haunted by the memories of watching him fight. What she had gone through was nothing compared to what he had endured for over two years.
“So did you,” she whispered. “When I saw you fighting that creature…”
*.*.*
Dagger pulled away from her and stood with his back to her. He curled his hands into a fist, trying to resist the urge to either shake her, or wrap his arms around her and never let her go. The urge to shake her came from the knowledge that he hadn’t been crazy. He hadn’t just imagined that she was there. She had been.
“Do you have any idea how dangerous that crazy stunt of yours was?” He asked harshly, refusing to turn around.
He didn’t want her to realize that it wasn’t anger he felt, but fear. Fear of what would have happened if Kelman or a hundred other males on Bruttus would have gotten their hands on her. Death would have been a blessing compared to what could have happened to her.
“Yes, I do,” Jordan said, her voice closer than he expected.
He turned to discover that she had risen off the bed. The thin, thermal blanket that had been on a lower tray next to the bed wrapped around her. She looked so beautiful, so fragile, and yet, there was a strength about her that he remembered seeing back on Earth.
“If Kelman had discovered you….” Dagger swallowed.
Jordan took a step closer to him. He stood stiffly when she leaned in close enough to rest her cheek against his chest and slide her right arm around his waist. A soft sigh escaped her, just as it had the first time he had held her. His arms slowly moved to wrap around her and he laid his cheek against the top of her head and released a sigh of his own.
“When is the last time you ate?” He asked in a gruff voice when he heard her stomach growl.
He lifted his chin when Jordan tilted her head back so that she could look up at him. Her eyes danced in amusement and she gave him a rueful smile. He loved the little half smile she always gave him. She knew it too.
“It’s… been a while,” she admitted. “I think I had a snack yesterday, or maybe it was the day before. I seem to have lost track of time with all the running around.”
Dagger scowled down at her. “Come on,” he said, wrapping her hand in his and turning toward the door. “There should be some clothing on board. We’ll search the cabins. You can get cleaned up while I fix you some food. The cabins are next to the dining area.”
“What about you?” Jordan asked in concern. “When is the last time you ate? Or slept? Or had a chance to clean up?”
Dagger glanced down at her and shrugged. “I’m a warrior, I’m used to such things,” he replied in a low voice.
Jordan pulled him to a stop and forced him to look at her. “You are a living being,” she said just as quietly. “When Dagger?”
Dagger knew from the determined thrust of her jaw, that Jordan wouldn’t budge. They may not have had a lot of time together, but he had memorized everything about her that he could before he left on what was to have been his last mission. When Jordan made up her mind, few things could change it.
Lifting a hand, he brushed back her long hair before running his fingers down her flushed cheek. He would never get tired of the silky feel of her skin. The only thing that worried him was after everything he had been through, that it might not be safe for her to be close to him. He had felt something snap inside him. Something that he wasn’t entirely sure that he had control over.
“Once you are taken care of, I will take care of my own needs,” he stated instead of answering her. “Come. We have a few hours before we reach a place where we must land. The Lexamus IV incurred damage. I must try to repair it.”
“Can’t you call the men who came to help you, or Trig?” Jordan asked, following Dagger into a small room off the long corridor.
“No,” Dagger replied, striding over to where the storage panels were. “It is too dangerous. I can’t chance Kelman intercepting the communication and tracking the signal.”
He opened several, pulling out clothing that looked huge. He threw some items over onto the bed, before pulling another panel open. Inside were several pieces of smaller, feminine clothing. It would appear Arindoss either didn’t travel alone, or he had enjoyed bringing things to a female back on Bruttus. Dagger suspected it was both.
Jordan held up the black leather pants, vest and blouse. An amused grin curved her lips when she glanced at the matching set lying on the bed. It would appear that black was the ‘in’ color for pirates and warriors alike.
“We’ll be twins,” she chuckled, glancing back at Dagger. Her eyes softened as she stared up at him and the smile on her lips faded. “I missed you.”
A low groan escaped Dagger at her words. Stepping forward, he pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips against hers. He didn’t kiss her the way he wanted, he knew if he did that it would be impossible to stop. They were still in danger and he would not do anything that could jeopardize her safety.
“Get cleaned up,” he ordered in a gruff tone. “I need to take care of my wounds and fix you something to eat. I’ll get cleaned up in the other room and meet you in the dining are
a.”
“What if they find us?” Jordan asked, worry darkening her voice.
“I have the computer set to alert me,” he replied, picking up the clothes he had thrown on the bed. “It won’t take me long.”
“You could… You could stay… in here with me,” she offered, glancing shyly down at the floor as a rosy blush spread up her neck.
“Jordan,” Dagger murmured, waiting until she looked back up at him. “Don’t tempt me. It… I am not the same as I was before. That isn’t saying much, but… I’m not sure that it is even safe for you to be with me.”
The stubborn expression settled over her face again, reminding him that there was more to her than met the eye. Inside him, the beast that he had become turned at the challenge in her eyes. He wanted her in a way that was different from before. Two years ago, the emotions inside him were protective. Now, the need to protect was still there, but so was something much darker, more primitive.
“I’m not the same as I was either, Dagger,” Jordan replied, tilting her head and staring back at him. “Go get cleaned up and take care of your wounds. I’ll see what there is to eat.”
Dagger’s throat worked up and down before he gave her a brief nod and turned and walked out of the door. There was something different about Jordan as well, he reluctantly admitted. Lost in thought, he walked into the cabin next door, refusing to think of how much he wanted to take Jordan up on her offer.
*.*.*
Twenty minutes later, Jordan watched as Dagger’s nose wiggled as he sniffed the air when he walked into the dining area. Her eyes swept over him, unable to believe that he was really here. He was dressed in the dark clothing that he had found.
He and Arindoss must have been very similar in build because the dark shirt, vest, and pants looked like they were made for him. Her eyes went to his wrists where he had rolled the sleeves back. The cuts and bruises around them from where he had been chained were gone.