Rystani Warrior 02 - The Dare

by Susan Kearney

  Zical rubbed a spot behind his ear, wondering why Dora so easily put him on defensive. He was usually an easygoing man. He didn’t worry over the minor particulars. He didn’t know why he was having so much trouble with her transforming into a human. Yet, whether computer or woman, Zical did consider Dora his friend. “Why don’t we start over?”

  Hope sparkled in her eyes. “Okay. If I hadn’t been plugged into Ranth, I would have greeted you with a hug.”

  Zical couldn’t help but grin. Now here was the confident, sexy, sassy personality that he remembered. He held out his arms and she hurried to him, stumbling along the way. He stepped forward, catching her, and as they embraced, her arms closing fiercely around him, he had to stop himself from his natural inclination to kiss her. He wasn’t thinking about a brotherly peck on the cheek, either. Every instinct in him pounded, demanded, that he dip his head, part her lips, and discover for himself if she tasted as real as she felt.

  Damn.

  Up close, she smelled feminine and her friendly warmth reminded him that not only was Dora a family member and an essential part of his crew, she was all female. While his mind had difficulty coming to terms with Dora as a woman, his body responded as if she was his dream lover.

  Focus on the mission.

  Gently, he pulled away, reminding himself that Tessa wanted him to coax Dora out of her quarters. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he smiled down at her. “Why don’t we go for a walk? Get reacquainted.”

  She shook her head, a lock of her cinnamon hair falling over her cheek. “We can talk here.”

  “The gardens are in full bloom.”

  “I can see them on the monitor.”

  She was being difficult, but he didn’t know why. He recalled when he’d had to coax Summar out of their closet the morning after she’d gone shopping and spent too much money. She’d been terrified of him for no reason. But just like Summar, Dora was too frightened to think clearly.

  Zical tried to keep judgment from his voice. “But wouldn’t you like to smell the flowers? Feel the breeze on your face? Isn’t that why you became human, for the new experiences?”

  Dora shivered. “I’m not ready, yet.”

  Zical picked up the thread of fear in her tone and gentled his voice. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Come on, Dora. What’s bothering you?”

  The muscles in her neck tensed, and she walked to a window that overlooked the gardens. He sensed that she was desperately trying to hide her emotions and when she spoke, her tone was flat. “I’m not yet adjusted. I need more time.”

  He had no idea what she was talking about, but he’d gone from trying to help her to anger to wondering how to help her again so quickly that he marveled over the disturbing effect she was having on him.

  “What do you mean that you haven’t adjusted?”

  “For the last three hundred years I’ve been protected by five thousand tons of bendar on a ship. Later, Tessa buried my main processor deep in Mystique’s core. But my sensors could see enemies from afar, from whatever direction they attacked. In addition, I possessed the entire accumulated knowledge of the Federation in my data banks. Instead of the most powerful laser cannons to defend me,” she held up her hand, “I now have … fingernails. Instead of sensors that can warn me of danger that can come from light-years away, I have only two eyes that can’t see past the door. Instead of bendar, the hardest substance created by humans to protect me, I am flesh and bone.”

  “But you wanted to be human.” He kept his words gentle, his gaze on her profile. Unlike Summar who had been frightened for no good reason, Dora had made a logical argument to support her rationale. But he wasn’t buying. “You knew we couldn’t do the same things as a computer.”

  “Yes. I knew. But I didn’t know how vulnerable I’d feel once I was in this body. Humans are brave. I’m not.” She refused to meet his eyes, and continued to stare out the window, but even as she twisted her hands behind her back to hide the tremors, he couldn’t miss the shudder of distaste that rolled through her.

  He couldn’t demand that she curtail her fear when she had good reasons to be afraid. Flesh had to be a million times more fragile than bendar. Although she had two good eyes, compared to sensors on starships and satellites and even other worlds, her sight must seem extremely limited. He wished she’d confided her fears to Tessa, not him, because he didn’t know what to say. But she’d opened to him, putting a burden on his shoulders, one with which he might not be equipped to cope, and yet, he was touched that she trusted him with her fears.

  “Humans deal with fear by facing it.” He sounded harsh, even to his own ears, and she flinched, then crossed her arms across her chest.

  “I don’t want to face my fears.”

  He could have told her he’d protect her. He could have tried to sweet talk her into coming out of her quarters, but her mind seemed so set, like a stubborn two-year-old’s. Oh, she might not be throwing a temper tantrum, but this was the adult equivalent.

  Zical took two steps forward and swept her into his arms. Even as she stiffened, gasped, and flung her arms around his neck, he enjoyed the feel of her curves.

  As her lips parted in surprise, she lost her look of composure. “What are you doing?”

  “Taking you outside.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.”

  “Put me down. Please.”

  Her plea knifed him, but his mind was made up. Tessa had told him strength, not gentleness might be required, and he finally understood what she’d meant. He wasn’t taking her into danger. He was carrying her to the garden. Instead of an answer, he strode toward her door in steady, determined steps.

  When Dora understood that he had no intention of yielding to her pleas, her eyes narrowed in fury. She kicked her legs, squirmed, but he simply tightened his grip, overpowering her with his superior strength.

  She pounded his shoulder with a fist, then complained. “Ow. You hurt me.”

  He chuckled. “Next time, try raising your shield before you punch someone.”

  “Let me go.”

  She didn’t scream, but the desperation in her tone clawed at him, made him question if he was taking the right approach. But he didn’t let her see his doubts. “We’re going outside for thirty minutes.”

  “Thirty … minutes?” She ceased struggling, but if the outrage in her gaze could have shot lasers, he would have been a dead man.

  “I know you’re scared—”

  “Well, du-uh.”

  In spite of her fear, her natural courage was so much a part of her character she revealed it under duress. She just needed reminding. “Ranth’s watching after our safety with his sensors. We aren’t at war, but if we came under sudden attack, he’d warn us. So exactly what do you think can happen?”

  “You could drop me.”

  “I won’t.” He promised even as he chuckled, appreciating that although she might be frightened, she hadn’t lost her sense of humor.

  Dora took deep breaths, but her face remained pale, and she trembled in fits and starts as he carried her from her quarters, down a hallway, through an exit, and into the gardens filled with paved walkways, a fountain, and several sculptures. Tessa and Kahn had wanted Mystique to not only be a home to the displaced Rystani people, they wanted the world to be welcoming. Tessa had imported many of her favorite shrubs, trees, and flowers from Earth, enhancing the area’s natural beauty.

  At this time of day, most of Mystique’s citizens remained at work. A few couples strolled by, but for the most part, they had the place to themselves.

  Hoping the trickling water would soothe her fears, he headed for a secluded area by a waterfall, reminding himself that Dora had saved him and the lives of his crew with quick thinking more times than he could recount. He owed her patience. He owed her time to adjust to her body. She’d shown sparks of her former courage when she’d called him a coward. She wasn’t the same friend he remembered. She’d lost huge amo
unts of memory, all of her sensors. The adjustment had to be difficult, and if he could, he wanted to help her through the hard part.

  When he glanced down at her, he was surprised to see she’d closed her eyes. A bead of sweat broke on her forehead, and her suit absorbed the excess moisture. Her breathing remained ragged, her face pale as Mount Shachauri’s highest peak, and her pulse leaped erratically at her neck.

  Perhaps this hadn’t been such a good idea. “Why are you closing your eyes?”

  “It lessens the shock of being unable to see behind me, over me, and under me.”

  He settled in the sweet-scented, green grass and kept her on his lap, enjoying the warmth of her skin, the clean scent of her hair, and her bottom snuggled against his lap. Compared to Dora’s sparkling vibrancy, Xentos was quickly becoming a fading memory. Risking Tessa’s wrath and plucking a fragrant flower from a nearby stem, he whisked the delicate petals across her forehead. “But with your eyes shut, you can’t see this beautiful snowy white lidenia.”

  She smacked his hand aside with a petulant frown. “The scent is making me ill.”

  “Rare perfume is made from flowers like—”

  “How many more minutes are left?” Dora refused to open her eyes.

  “Twenty-eight.”

  “Your manhandling is not working. I’m more frightened now than I was before. Take me back, Zical. Now.”

  “No.”

  “Ranth,” she spoke to her portable computer, “call security.”

  “Ranth, cancel that request.” Zical responded calmly. “We’re in no danger. Dora only thinks she is.”

  “Compliance,” Ranth responded. Ranth’s complex ethics programs probably weren’t happy. However, he’d been built to cope with conflicting orders. In case of danger, he protected life. If rank was involved, he obeyed whoever was in command. Among squabbling friends, he stayed out of the way.

  “Damn you.” Dora cursed through gritted teeth. “I want to return to my room.”

  “You sound like a child.”

  “I don’t give a freakin’ dove tail how I sound.”

  Zical held her tightly against him, her head tucked under his chin, his arms wrapped around her. “Don’t you like the warmth of the sun on your face? The glow makes your skin luminescent.”

  “I don’t want your compliments, either.”

  “The breeze is fluffing your shimmering hair.”

  He brushed a lock from her perfect face, marveling at the silky texture, the high-gloss and the multicolored strands of rich copper threaded with golden highlights. He reminded himself that although she possessed the physical attributes of a holovid star and a genius IQ, she’d only been human a few months—which was no doubt why she felt so vulnerable and was acting so childishly.

  “How many minutes?”

  “Not enough.” He held her and spoke softly as he’d once done to his child bride who’d been frightened of leaving her home, of him, and that he’d had to leave her to go hunt for their dinner. “You’re safe, Dora. I know the adjustment is difficult. I can’t imagine what it must be like for you, but you have friends and family who love you. We all want you to experience the good parts of being human. Tell me what you like best so far.”

  “Chocolate.”

  He grinned. “What about the scent of the grass and the garden?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “It’s … okay.”

  “Just okay? You don’t like the scent of flowers?”

  “Mm.” Dora tilted back her head, opened her eyes that simmered with fiery red heat. “You smell much better than any perfumed flower.”

  Chapter Six

  DORA HELD HER breath. Would Zical kiss her? She’d imagined this moment so many times, but she’d never thought it would come in the midst of so much fear. She still didn’t understand why he was so shocked by her transformation or that she’d grown her body to look like his fantasy woman. It wasn’t as if Xentos was a person.

  Obviously, she’d made a mistake, one she’d have to live with. Barring extensive plastic surgery, this was the way she would look until she began to age. Despite Zical’s surprise, once he’d gotten past the initial shock he’d adjusted quite well.

  Better than she was doing. She wondered if he found her uncontrollable spasms as ugly as she did. She hated the lack of control, but the doctors could find nothing physically wrong and had suggested that time might cure the problem. But it might not.

  Zical gazed at her, his irises flashing into the purple spectrum. Even with only two eyes she could see his pupils dilate, his nostrils flare slightly, and a muscle in his neck throbbed. She swallowed down a grin that her flirtation was succeeding. Snuggling closer, she rubbed her breast against his chest, and the sensation stunned her.

  Wow. Talk about pure sensual feedback. Her flesh suddenly seemed over-sensitized with delicious thrumming and her nipples pebbled. Heat suffused her and her chest tightened in a pleasing reaction that made her ache for more of his touch. Thinking about him helped push her fears to the back of her mind. Touching and being touched by this man was one of the reasons she’d wanted to become human. While she suspected Tessa had something to do with his appearance in her quarters, Dora didn’t mind that the man needed prodding to visit. She simply was glad he was here. Now that she finally had him to herself, she’d be a fool not to put aside her groundless fears and make the most of her opportunity.

  Lifting her face to his in breathless anticipation, she gave him clear access and waited for his lips to press against hers. She was about to congratulate herself for temporarily overcoming her fear and beginning a seduction in one fell swoop, when Zical pulled back.

  Oh, no. He wasn’t going to kiss her.

  Disappointed, she wondered if she’d miscalculated the heat in his eyes? Or was he holding back because he wasn’t certain of her response?

  Maybe he needed more encouragement. She allowed a pleased smile to soften her mouth. “Aren’t you going to kiss me?”

  He stiffened. “Why would I do that?”

  “Because you want to?” She arched one eyebrow, hoping he’d read the gesture as impudent. “Dora, you aren’t a computer anymore. When you tease a man like that, there are consequences.”

  Her grin widened. “I’m ready for them.”

  “I don’t think so.” Gently, he set her from his lap onto the grass.

  She plucked a blade and tore it to bits, disappointment nagging her, uncertainty enveloping her in a tension she didn’t understand. Their first time together was not going anything as planned. If he intended to refuse her, if he didn’t want her, why was he going out of his way to be kind?

  Had she come on too strong? Tessa had warned her Rystani men preferred to be the pursuers. Dora didn’t like how his rejection had started to make her question herself. Being uncertain was a new experience, one she didn’t know if she wanted to deal with on a regular basis—not that she had much choice. When she’d been a computer, she’d gathered her facts, determined the outcome she required, and then did what was necessary to achieve success. She didn’t second-guess herself because with the data available, the probabilities calculated, she always made the best decision.

  Now, all she wanted to do was run away and hide in her room. Yet, she’d been waiting months to be with Zical in her human body. He was the man she’d dreamed her first dream about. He was the man who intrigued her more than any other. It made no sense to run, especially when her fear of the outdoors had begun to subside. The pleasant gurgling of the fountain calmed her. The balmy breeze and the sunshine soothed her.

  She tossed the bits of grass into the air. “You were right to bring me outside. It’s beautiful here.”

  “Glad you—”

  “But you were wrong about kissing me.” Dora shoved to her feet and dusted her palms, hoping she could manipulate him by causing even a little jealousy. “I think I’ll go visit another man. One who likes me better than you do.”

  “Don’t act like a child.”

  “The
n don’t treat me like one.”

  Zical reached out with a lazy snap of his wrist and jerked her back down, his gesture revealing a tension that she couldn’t discern in his soft tone. “So men are all interchangeable. Any one of us will do?”

  She shrugged, unwilling to tell him that she considered him special, that she wanted her first time to be with him. There was no point to making that kind of admission when he wouldn’t even kiss her. She’d already made her body in the form of his fantasy woman, and his rejection still stung. She wanted to return the insult. She might be new at the human-relationship business, but she’d always had feelings, and he had no right to trample them.

  Dora tossed her hair over her shoulder, concealing her pleasure that he’d pulled her onto his lap. “All men have the necessary equipment.”

  “But they don’t all use that equipment with the same expertise,” he countered.

  Her heart thumped crazily. “I suppose I’ll find out for myself … especially now that you’ve convinced me that it’s not so dangerous to go outside.”

  “You have a prospect?” His eyes narrowed.

  Her intense physical awareness of his irritation with her, an outward display of jealousy, summoned a boldness to surface. Hoping she sounded confident, she wrenched her gaze from her revealing preoccupation with his handsome face. “Tessa assures me that with this body, I’ll have my choice of offers.”

  His gaze raked her curves, causing her to realize that despite his previous outburst, he was susceptible to her charms, but his tone turned serious. “Perhaps you should return to Mount Shachauri with me. There’s lot of men there. Many with brilliant minds. We could use your help.”

  She squashed her disappointment that he was offering to take her to see other men. He seemed to miss the point that she would be with him—or perhaps she wasn’t giving him enough credit. Perhaps her being with him had been his real plan all along. Either way, she hadn’t realized how much she missed being useful until he made the request. Besides, the idea of spending time with Zical intrigued her as much as seeing the alien machines from a human perspective. “I’m not a computer any more. What could I do to help?”