Dagger's Hope

by S. E. Smith

  They had arrived late last night, and while the planet looked familiar, she couldn’t be sure. “That looks just like Rathon,” she remembered exclaiming in shock when she saw the planet they were approaching.

  “It is. I wanted to spend some time with you, alone,” he reluctantly admitted. “Unless you are in a hurry to return to your sisters, if you are, I can change course.”

  While she had been surprised when he told her that they would not be returning directly to his home, she had been even happier that he wanted to spend time alone with her. The last two weeks they had been on the run or stranded. Either way, both had been filled with the stress of danger.

  “No, I’m not ready to go back yet,” she replied. “I would love for it to just be the two of us. It will be nice.”

  Dagger’s relieved expression spoke a thousand words to Jordan. He needed time to deal with everything that had happened. While there was no certainty that Kelman was dead, the fact that he was on the run and it was only a matter of time before he was found and prosecuted helped heal the wounds a little. Still, after two years of being caged and fighting to survive, Dagger needed time to adjust to being free. Personally, Jordan was amazed that he was doing as well as he was.

  “So, where are we going?” She asked in curiosity.

  “There is an island off the coast,” he said. “It belongs to a friend of mine. It isn’t very populated. There is a small village, but that is all.”

  “It sounds lovely,” Jordan replied. “I think it will be good for the both of us to enjoy some island time, Mon.”

  Dagger’s chuckle had filled the bridge at her exaggerated accent. “I like that,” he admitted. “Maybe you can wear that outfit you were talking about.”

  “Maybe I could wear even less,” she had countered.

  Now, gazing out at the sparkling water, she was glad that he had decided to come here instead of going straight home. While she loved her sisters, Hunter, and his parents, she also knew that she and Dagger needed time together.

  “I was wondering where you had disappeared to,” Dagger said, walking down onto the beach to stand next to her.

  “You were talking to Hunter,” she laughed. “Well, arguing would be more like it. I thought it better to leave the two of you alone to work it out. Plus, I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to know if the sand felt as warm as it looked.”

  Dagger wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his body. “And does it?” He asked in a husky voice. “Feel warmer?”

  Jordan turned to him and raised her arms up to his shoulders. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and his skin felt just as warm as the sand under her feet. A cloud of memory flashed through her mind for a moment before disappearing.

  “What is it?” He asked. “You remembered something.”

  Jordan rose on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. Her fingers wrapped around a strand of hair that curled near his ear. It was growing out.

  “I was remembering when we first met,” she whispered. “I didn’t think I would ever feel warm again, but in your arms…” She paused and drew in a deep breath. “In your arms, I know that I’ll never feel the cold.”

  Dagger pulled her close, holding her as the sun caressed their skin. He knew what she meant now. There had been many days when he wanted to give up. The endless days when the cold of the metal wrapped around his arms and ankles slipped through to his soul. The months of unbearable fatigue from night after night of fighting that had chilled his blood until he shivered uncontrollably under the thin blanket that had been given to him.

  “I want to show you something,” he murmured.

  Jordan took a step back, pushing a strand of long brown hair back behind her ear and smiled. “What?” She asked curiously.

  “You’ll see,” he said with a small smile. “Come.”

  Jordan tucked her hand in his and followed him back up the narrow path to the terrace of the house built into the rock face. Dagger picked up a colorful blanket and a basket before pulling on her hand again. Laughing, she followed him as he walked up a winding path behind the villa.

  “Axe told me about this place years ago,” Dagger explained as they walked along the narrow path. “The island has been in his family for centuries. At one time, it was a fortress for a Trivator Prince. His job was to protect the surrounding shoreline.”

  Jordan reached up and touched a thick, black leaf as they passed under it. Brilliant lines of green light lit up the leaf in delicate patterns. She grinned at Dagger when he turned to look at her.

  “This is like the plant on the ship,” she laughed. “I knew that I loved you then.”

  Dagger paused and looked into her eyes. “I knew that you were mine the first time I saw you,” he replied. “It is said that at Trivator warrior would know when he had found his Amate. It is true. When I saw you lying near the fire… I knew.”

  Jordan stepped up and wound her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and lifted her up, pressing small kisses along her jaw and lips before running his nose along her cheek. She smelled slightly different, sweeter, than he remembered.

  With a groan, he reluctantly set her back on her feet. “If we don’t stop, we’ll never make it to where I want to take you,” he muttered, grabbing her hand and turning her. “It isn’t much farther.”

  Jordan’s lips tingled from their kiss. She had never thought of herself as being wanton before, but now all she could do was think of Dagger, usually without his clothes on. He must have sensed her impatience because she felt him squeeze her fingers.

  He slowed as the dense coverage of trees and flowering plants thinned. Stepping into a small clearing, she gasped. It was the waterfall from the ship, only this time, it was real. Thick yellow ferns covered the ground like grass. The waterfall sent a prism of color streaming out as the light from the sun caught the mist from it.

  Jordan felt tears burning her eyes as she stepped out from under the canopy. She walked over to the crystal clear pool of water and stared down into it. She saw her reflection. The water shimmered and rippled, but she could make out her father’s hazel eyes that she had inherited and her mother’s small nose and full lips.

  She had a scattering of freckles across her nose from playing outside in the sun and had never quite lost them after that. She wasn’t beautiful, like Dagger said. Raising her hand, she smoothed back her hair when it blew in front of her face. When she looked again, Dagger was standing beside her, gazing down at their images.

  “So much has happened, to both of us,” she reflected quietly. “When I look at my reflection, I still see my mom and dad. It gives me strength, knowing that they are still with me, in my heart, a part of who I am.”

  “What do you see when you look at me, Jordan?” Dagger asked in a somber voice. “Do you see the scars of a warrior? Do you see the heart of a killer?”

  Jordan smiled and tears blurred her vision for a brief moment. “I see a man, a warrior, who came out of the darkness and carried me away from the cold. I see a man who warms my heart and makes me feel safe.” She turned and took a step closer to him. Raising a hand to his right cheek, she ran her fingers tenderly along the scar. “I see a man who I would follow to the ends of the universe because he makes me feel complete. I see you, Dagger, and I have never seen anything more beautiful in my life.”

  Tears glistened in Dagger’s eyes as he stared down at Jordan. The beast that feared to trust, that fought to survive, calmed inside him as his mate, his Amate, touched him with the warmth of her love and healed his battered soul. His throat worked up and down before he closed his eyes and pulled her into his embrace, holding her like he would never let her go, and he wouldn’t. She was the reason he had lived. She was his hope.

  Pulling back, he held her hand as they walked back to where he had set the blanket and the basket of food he had brought. Together they spread the blanket out under the shade of the tree. Once it was done, he bent and removed a device from the bas
ket. He knelt with her on the blanket, holding the cylinder reverently in his hands.

  “This is inscribed with the symbols of my people,” he said in a quiet voice. “I am asking you to be my Amate, my wife. I have already received permission from Hunter and his and Jesse’s acceptance of my claim. I now ask you, Jordan, if you would do me the honor of being my Amate.”

  “Yes, Dagger,” Jordan whispered. “Oh, yes.”

  Dagger swallowed and slipped the device around her right wrist. He snapped it closed and pressed a series of buttons. Drawing in a deep breath, he lifted her left hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to her fingers before he guided them to the cylinder.

  “Press this,” he instructed, watching her. The moment she did, he began to speak in a low, soft voice. “I am Dagger. I belong to Jordan as she belongs to me. Forever will I tie my life to hers. I will care for, protect and give my seed only to her. She is my Amate. She is my life. I will protect her and keep her warm, and if the Goddess sees fit, I will give this protection to our children. I love you, Jordan Sampson. Forever.”

  Jordan knew she was crying, but she was laughing too. He repeated the same ritual when he did her left wrist as well. She swallowed when he showed her how to program the inscription for his wrists.

  She carefully snapped the cylinder around his wrist, noting the slight bead of sweat that formed. Raising his left hand to her lips, she kissed the back of his fingers before lowering it to the device. A shudder went through him as the memories of being chained were replaced with the knowledge that this was different.

  She held his left hand against her heart after he pressed the command. “I am Jordan. I belong to Dagger as he belongs to me. Forever will I tie my life to his. I will care for, protect and cherish him as he cherishes me. He is my Amate. He is my warrior and I love him very, very much.”

  She carefully removed the cylinder and placed it on his left wrist. This time, the fear, the memory was gone. The only thing she saw was love and warmth.

  “I love you, Dagger,” she whispered, gazing up at him. “Forever.”

  “Forever, my Amate,” he whispered, removing the device when it was finished and tossing it to the side. “My beautiful, little warrior.”

  Shifting, he slowly removed her clothing, taking his time to explore her in the brilliant light of the sun. Her hair fanned out around her as she lay back against the blanket. His eyes swept over the dark markings wrapped around her pale wrists. His… she was his.

  Chapter 19

  Dagger grunted and muttered under his breath as he watched Jordan being led away by her sisters. He had barely set the transport he had borrowed down before Taylor had opened the door and pulled Jordan out of it and into her arms. He grimaced when he heard Hunter chuckle.

  “What do you think is so funny?” Dagger snapped before he released a sigh. “I did not expect this to be so difficult.”

  “What? Having an Amate?” Hunter asked, slapping Dagger on the shoulder before he pulled him into a bear hug. “I am glad you made it, my friend. I… I apologize for not finding you sooner.”

  “No, sharing her,” Dagger commented as he pulled back. “I understand why you didn’t look. You and Saber were injured as well. There was no way of knowing, anyway. I read the reports. I would have thought Edge and I were dead, too. Has there been any word about him?”

  Hunter nodded. “Yes, I’ve sent Thunder and his team to follow up,” he replied. “I will not rest until we find either him or his body.”

  Dagger drew in a deep breath when he saw Saber standing next to the door. A wry smile curved his lips and he strode forward. His eyes hadn’t missed the cane his friend was leaning on or the dark shadows in Saber’s eyes as Taylor walked by him.

  “Saber,” Dagger grinned with a nod. “Still as ugly as ever, I see.”

  Saber’s eyes ran over the scar on Dagger’s face before he gave him a rueful grin. “They still haven’t figured out a way to kill you, have they?” Saber responded.

  Dagger nodded to the cane. “I’m not the only one,” he replied. “We may not look as good as we did in the past, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still kill the bastards when we need too.”

  Saber’s mouth tightened when he saw the markings around Dagger’s wrists. “Not so much killing anymore,” Saber said, turning stiffly and walking into the house.

  Hunter frowned as he stared after his friend. The incident last night had nearly pushed Saber over the limit. Taylor was growing up and she let Saber know it, in front of everyone, last night when she ran her hand down the front of his pants and squeezed him. Hunter imagined it was only the shock of what she had done that let her escape from the house, especially when Saber knew that Taylor was meeting a young warrior that was in one of her classes.

  “He seems moody,” Dagger commented, watching Saber awkwardly walk into the house. “He’s lucky to be alive from what I read. You, too, from the incident reports and medical that was in the file.”

  “Remind me to have a talk with Jordan about hacking into my account,” Hunter muttered before he grinned. “Welcome home, Dagger.”

  Dagger winced when he heard Saber’s loud snarl, followed by Taylor’s smothered scream. “It’s good to be back,” he chuckled. “I’m surprised they haven’t killed each other yet.”

  “Taylor is determined that Saber is going to get off his ‘ass’ as she puts it and ‘get back to the living’,” Hunter remarked with a grin. “She is slowly succeeding. He comes over almost every day with one excuse or another. I think he is realizing that if he doesn’t, he just might lose the best thing that ever happened to him.”

  Both men stepped to one side when Taylor stormed by them, her face a mask of fury. Saber wasn’t far behind her. It was the fastest that Hunter had seen his friend move in the past two years.

  “You aren’t the boss of me,” Taylor yelled over her shoulder. “I can hang with whoever I want, you big lout. I’m a woman! I turned eighteen months ago if you hadn’t noticed!”

  “I forbid you to go anywhere near that boy again,” Saber yelled, pushing past them.

  “Bite me,” Taylor called out, slamming the gate. “Hunter, I’ll be back in a few.”

  Dagger watched as Taylor took off running. Her hair swung behind her and she ran with long, confident strides. She had grown up over the past two years.

  “Is she always like that?” Dagger asked, thinking of how different, and yet how similar, she was to Jordan.

  “Only when Saber is near,” Hunter replied with a sigh. “Let’s go in the house. He’ll wait on the porch until she comes back. He always does.”

  Dagger nodded. Saber stood at the gate, staring down the long path. He was leaning heavily on the cane, but at least he was moving. Turning, he smiled when he saw Shana and Scout.

  Yes, it is good to be home, he thought with a grin.

  *.*.*

  It was well after midnight before they finally made it to his house. Dagger set the transport down inside the circled courtyard after disabling the protective barrier. It felt strange being back. While he had owned this house for years, it had never really felt like a home. It had just been a place to sleep between missions.

  Now, it would be different. Jordan would be here and he would no longer go on missions. He decided he had enough of that life. Instead, he would focus on training the young warriors coming up, including his own sons one day.

  Dagger slid from the seat of the transport and walked around to help Jordan down. He jerked in surprise when he felt a sudden sting in his left shoulder. Reaching up, he felt the back of his shirt.

  His fingers wrapped around the long, thin cylinder and he jerked on it. Looking down at it, he swayed as his body grew heavy. The dart fell from his fingers and he rolled to the side of the transport.

  “Dagger,” Jordan’s husky voice cried out as she knelt beside him.

  Dagger blinked and tried to clear his vision as a shadowy figure stepped out of the dark. He tried to rise when he saw the second figur
e that stepped out. His mouth tightened and he braced his hand on the ground, but couldn’t get his legs to cooperate.

  “Run,” he forced out, shifting his eyes to Jordan. “Run.”

  Jordan turned when she heard the sound of muted clapping. She hissed and tried to move in front of Dagger. Her hands clenched as she stared into the dark, cold eyes of Cordus Kelman.

  “No!” She growled in rage, slowly rising to her feet. “I will not let you harm him again.”

  Kelman chuckled in amusement. “You have fire in you for someone so small,” he laughed. “I’ll give you a choice, come with me quietly and I’ll let him live. If you refuse, I kill him now. He has cost me a significant amount of my resources and wealth. I expect for him to help replenish it.”

  “You heartless bastard,” Jordan hissed, stepping in front of Dagger. “Those are living beings you put in those cages. Their lives are worth more than a few credits! They have families that care about them, love them, and you… you rip that away.”

  “What planet are you from?” Kelman asked, shaking his head in wonder. “It would be interesting watching them in a fight ring. I can’t believe you have continued to exist.”

  Jordan straightened up and her eyes grew cold and hard. “You know nothing of my species,” she replied in a calm voice devoid of emotion. “You wouldn’t survive a day on my world.”

  Kelman released a long, deep breath. “Cuff her,” he ordered the dark figure standing silently beside him.

  The figure moved forward on silent feet. Jordan tried to jerk back, but Kelman pulled a weapon and aimed it a Dagger’s unconscious form. Nausea built inside her when the male indicated that she should put her hands out in front of her. Jordan forced herself to remain still as the man slipped the cuffs around each of her wrists and attached them in the center.

  “What are you planning to do?” Jordan asked, wishing she thought to grab the laser pistol at Dagger’s waist when he fell.