by Bethany Aan
Maybe she should do just that.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The one benefit of being confined to quarters again and unable to move around much was that Ri managed to get her clothing finished the next day. When Hunter saw Arianna that evening in her new gown with the pretty floral embroidery she had added around the wrists, neckline, and top hem of the over-dress, his proud gaze made the hours of stitching worthwhile. He and Jace both admired the stitching and her use of colors, but after a moment, Hunter frowned, shaking his head.
“It’s missing something,” he murmured, then turned and disappeared into his bedroom.
Ri blinked at him, wondering what her dress could possibly be missing. She turned a questioning gaze on Jace, who just grinned, as though he knew what was going on but wasn’t sharing. Her narrowed stare only made him grin more. He thought she was adorable when she was trying to be fierce. She rolled her eyes. These guys were impossible sometimes! Adorable, huh?
Hunter emerged from his room, a triumphant look on his face. He held a narrow length of woven ribbon in his hand.
“This. You need this.”
Ri blinked down at the ribbon, memory tugging at her. She shook her head.
“It’s lovely,” she said. “But where would I put it? I’ve already decorated the gown.”
Hunter’s expression turned solemn and he pressed the ribbon into her hand, then hurried back to his room for a moment. This time, when he came out, he held one of his tunics. Wordlessly, he put the tunic on. Sensing that he was trying to tell her something significant, Arianna cocked her head, looking him over slowly, taking in every detail. There. The same trim went around his left biceps on the tunic, three narrow stripes. When she found it, she smiled.
“You want me to wear it so that it matches your tunic?” she guessed, wondering why he didn’t just tell her. He shook his head, grinning. She sighed, throwing a look at Jace. The physician was actually wearing a tunic today, in deference to the cooler weather that had blown in. She looked for the trim on his clothing as well, wondering if it was a ‘team’ thing. Her brow furrowed when she saw that he bore none.
“Hunter is the only person in the colony allowed to wear the band that way,” Jace said quietly, nodding his head at his brother, pride in his eyes. But he held her gaze. “Or, he was.”
Ri thought about it for just a moment, then understanding dawned. She looked at Hunter’s tunic, the ribbon in her hand, and then met his eyes. He smiled, nodding in confirmation.
“The bands on the left arm indicate that you are a Reader, a Commander,” he told her quietly. He moved to stand directly in front of her, and she straightened where she sat, feeling as though this was more than just his imparting of information. Jace moved to stand beside him, also straight and tall, almost at attention. Hunter toggled the com unit, waited a beat, then went on. Ri’s heart sped up, understanding that whatever he was doing, he wanted the entire compound to see it.
“Arianna, leader of the human contingent present on Ishira, attend. This ribbon is, as you guessed, my team colors of teal and purple. The alternating stripes indicate our original five members, with the two thicker teal stripes denoting the two surviving members, Master Jace and myself.”
Ri held her breath as Hunter took the ribbon from her and gently wound it around her left biceps. He tied it securely then stepped back.
“From this day forward, you will officially hold the rank of Commander. You will be treated with the courtesy and respect due such rank, and will carry the authority and responsibilities of your station until such time as you willingly relinquish them. This is done by my authority, Commander Hunter of Thorsan.”
There was cheering from all over the compound, the sounds drifting through the walls and the doors to the balcony. Ri felt her cheeks heat as Hunter toggled the com off, then turned to her and kissed her deeply. Jace followed that kiss of congratulations with one of his own. Arianna’s head was spinning by the time they both stood back, grinning at her proudly.
“That was seen by every Thorsani and human on this planet,” Hunter told her firmly, “Including Amy. She cannot doubt your position or your authority now.”
“So that was all show, just to keep her from trying to attack me again?” Ri asked, curious. Hunter shook his head.
“No, little warrior. It was an actual ceremony, recorded for the archives and made public so that all could bear witness.”
“We have been calling you Commander because you are a Reader,” Jace added, moving to start dinner. “But now it is official. The men will not deny you, and your women should now have the proof they need that you are, indeed, the boss of them.”
Ri chortled unexpectedly at his use of the American slang term. His eyes danced with mischief and he shrugged. “Hey, I listen!”
Hunter rolled his eyes at his brother’s antics, then went on.
“My men will know your rank by the band, and who you are aligned with by the colors of the band. If you choose your own colors, the band will still indicate your rank.”
“I can pick my own?” Ri interjected softly. Hunter nodded, frowning, but then his gaze softened.
“You may. You could also add a color or two to the existing band. But I fervently hope that you will take mine as your own. It will bring me great pride to see you in my colors, little warrior.”
She nodded her understanding.
“You will wear the band on all official dress and whenever there is a formal occasion. I recommend putting it on all of your clothing, as that will serve as a reminder of your station to all those around you.”
“You don’t wear one often,” she pointed out.
“I wear one, always,” he said.
Stripping out of the tunic, he flexed his arm, reminding her of the tattoo on his left biceps. She let out a breath in understanding. Jace had one on his right arm. She hadn’t really thought about the fact that Hunter was the only one with it on his left. Actually, she hadn’t thought about their tattoos at all. They were simple, thin bands of various designs, much like the tribal bands that people wore back on Earth. She hadn’t even really noticed them up until now. She reached out and traced Hunter’s design, noting with a bit of womanly glee that his skin bumped up when she lightly drew her fingernail over the black, teal, and purple design. It reminded her of a peacock on black velvet.
“Perhaps you did not think of the tattoo because you are almost always resting your head on that arm?” Hunter joked gently with her. She gave him a startled look, then laughed, realizing he was right. She slowly lost her smile, though, as a thought occurred to her.
“Do I have to get a tattoo?” she asked. She hated needles, but if that’s what she had to do, she would do it. Hunter chuckled, shaking his head.
“Only if you wish,” he said with a shrug. “I think you would look rather fierce with one, my little warrior, but it is up to you. You could also wear an armband, if you wear clothing that does not allow for a band in the proper place.” His face darkened and she sensed a shyness in him that she hadn’t seen in him yet. “I have, actually, made one for you to wear until you can have one designed.”
She gasped when Jace handed him a small leather band. Hunter showed it to her. He had intricately braided the leather in two different designs. One was a thick seven-strand flat braid. The other was a four-strand braid, below the wider one. She took it and touched the braiding carefully.
“It’s beautiful,” she murmured.
“I had to guess at the size,” he told her, “So I could surprise you with it.”
She grinned helplessly up at him, her eyes shining.
“I love it, Hunter! I’m sure it will fit just fine.”
“You could try it on now,” he murmured, his grin turning a bit wicked. She found herself blushing at him when she caught the drift of his thoughts.
“I’d have to take off my gown,” she said demurely, holding her grin back. He arched his brows as though that hadn’t occurred to him.
“That would
be a shame,” he told her, shaking his head in mock dismay.
“It would be hard, too,” she admitted truthfully. “I had trouble getting the darn gown on, because it still hurts to raise my arms over my head and wiggle.”
Hunter’s mind came back with some very interesting and flattering mental images when she mentioned wiggling.
“We would be more than willing to help you dress and undress until you’re better,” Jace offered sincerely. “Mostly undress, but we can put clothes on you, too, if you insist.”
Ri burst into laughter at that, and they all relaxed.
Hunter smiled and stepped forward to hug her to him. “That’s what your gown was missing. Now, it is the most beautiful gown I’ve seen in more than a decade.”
Before she could protest that it was probably the only gown he’d seen in all that time, he was gathering her against him. His kiss of admiration sealed her determination to make underpants, just so she didn’t have to sit around in her own stickiness when the men turned her on.
Which, over the next week or so, turned out to be rather frequently. Sometimes they did it without meaning to. They still slept naked and didn’t bother to cover up between their bathrooms and their bedrooms. Why should they, really? It was their space and, most of the time she pretended to sleep, just so they wouldn’t feel the need to cover up. Now that she was used to the unusual size of their cocks, she very much enjoyed looking at their beautiful bodies. And they seemed to rather enjoy her looking at them, if their smug, masculine grins were any indication.
They took turns sleeping with her, though neither one made a move to seduce her. Not that it would take much at this point to get her to make love to either one of them. She was in a constant state of sexual awareness around them. They were always sneaking touches, planting kisses on her whenever the mood or opportunity struck. They were also not shy at all about doing so in front of others. Apparently, their society didn’t think anything of love being expressed publicly.
A week had passed since she’d come to stay with them in their rooms, and her leg was starting to heal, again, though still not quickly enough for Jace’s liking. He insisted on making her stay off it for a few days more, however, when he examined it one evening and found that it was still too weak to put her full weight on it. She was apologetic at his frustration, which prompted a lecture from both men about apologizing for things that were beyond her control.
“It’s strange,” Jace murmured, almost to himself, sitting back on his heels. “It should be healed by now. The other girls with broken bones have been well for two days now. Alicia’s sprained ankle was completely healed two days after Amy’s attack. Your leg is nowhere near as healed as it should be. I wonder why it is taking so much longer with you?”
Arianna shrugged. She knew a little bit about medicine, but not enough to begin to offer an explanation for her body’s reaction to the alien medicines he’d given her. Just to be on the safe side, Jace gave her a booster of the nano shot. It made her a little loopy for several hours, which provided endless entertainment for her warriors that evening, as she giggled and bantered suggestively with them. She responded to their caresses and playful teasing with uninhibited delight. Her laughter and sweetness were intoxicating, and the men couldn’t help but find her enchanting.
Bev had given her the Nook the night Amy broke her leg again, but deciding to ease the chafing of her confinement, Hunter and Jace presented her MP3 player to her, along with the accessories that Bev had assured them she would need. Her reaction to having the electronics again was so gratifying that both men almost lost their resolve to wait to make love to her until her leg was healed.
She spent the evening playing them songs from her MP3 player, through speakers built into the apartment’s walls. She was exceedingly pleased when she played one of her favorite new-age groups and both Hunter and Jace requested that she leave those albums on for them to listen to, rather than quickly skipping to the next type of music.
Surprisingly, the Nook sat mostly unread unless she was trying to get to sleep. Back on Earth, her books had been an escape from a world she no longer wished to inhabit. But now she was living in the kind of world that she’d once longed to escape to. She didn’t need to escape from this one.
Hunter didn’t want to hand over her entire bag yet, as he was still transferring files over to the main servers. He wanted to make his own copies of all of her files before he gave it to her. Hunter wanted to know more about her, and he had a feeling that there were many personal and private things on her computer that would give him a great deal of insight into the woman he was falling for.
Because yes, was falling in love. He knew it, just as he knew his brother was, too. The tiny woman that had fallen into their midst was full of life and energy, compassion for those around her, and a great deal of wonder at her new world. She had endless questions for them, constantly reminding them that she had a quick and agile mind, well-honed problem-solving skills, and a creativity that fascinated the warriors.
She figured out within days how to extract color from some of the flora in their garden, and though she wouldn’t tell them how, she’d also managed to ‘fix’ it so that the color did not leach from the cloth when it got wet. When asked, she’d merely blushed and told them it was an old Earth technique, and they wouldn’t understand. She then proceeded to dye skeins and skeins of the kimi yarn with the rich teal of the tree leaves. Hunter asked her what she planned on making with so much of the color, but she simply smiled and told him that a woman had to have her secrets.
Knit and crocheted projects were scattered around the apartment, in various stages of completion. Hunter marveled that she could have so many things going at once, but she had reasons for each one. The socks on the balcony were ‘mindless’ for when she had company. The scarf out there was for the same reason, but used mainly when she was teaching people how to knit.
Several of his men had asked for lessons, which didn’t surprise Hunter at all, but seemed to make Arianna positively giddy with delight. She loved that so many of his men knew about fiber crafts, loved that they wanted to learn about knitting and crocheting. It hadn’t occurred to her that they were descended from cats, so of course they would love playing with string. Hunter didn’t clue her in on that. He wanted to see her face when she realized it for herself.
And she was always working on a little item that she then warily put out somewhere in their quarters. His heart melted a bit more each time they came back from various errands or duties to find that she had added one more small touch to their home, something pretty and sweet that she had found or made. It became a bit of a game to see which of them could spot the newest addition first, then lavish her with praise over the little item. She turned such a lovely shade of pink each and every time, as though surprised that they actually liked and appreciated her gifts.
What she couldn’t know was that the colorful little items charmed the men and reminded them of better days back home, when their mother and sisters had done the same sort of things. Hunter wondered if she yet realized that the home was firmly under the jurisdiction of the woman, and now that she was living there, she could do what she wished with the décor. She loved color, and he wanted very much to see what she might do when let loose with bolts of cloth, her imagination, and no supervision.
Scratch that… he would want to supervise, just to watch her agile mind at work. He and Jace both loved it when she talked through her ideas, because it gave them great insight into her thought processes, what excited her, and just how incredibly adaptable she could be. The brothers were often left breathless after one of her creative sessions, where she would draw, write, or just go through a number of ideas in rapid succession, finally ending up with something that would work, without having to experiment as much as most people would have. When Bev added her ideas, the mental energy swelled and multiplied, and they seemed to feed off of one another, to the great amusement and awe of their respective men.
The
two ‘families’ spent more and more time together, often in Hunter and Jace’s quarters, since their living area was more spacious. The men enjoyed hearing stories of Earth, and the women were held spellbound, listening to the rich history of Thorsan, all of the Thorsani traditions and culture, their beliefs and their spirituality… which was very close to what Ri believed, anyhow. It was just one more way she and her men were compatible.
By the end of that first week in their tender care, Arianna had also cemented her leadership of and friendships with most of the girls, to the point that Hunter began allowing them to spend time with her on the balcony while he was away tending to his duties, as long as they promised to help her and keep an eye on her energy levels. The girls had fervently assured him that they would have done that anyhow. Bev actually had the temerity to give him a smack for his nagging one day, as though he knew better than to even question her abilities to help her friend. He had grinned and left Ri in their capable and willing hands.
She had begun teaching the ladies to spin, which they all embraced eagerly, especially the ones who already knew how to knit and crochet. Those girls were delighted by the incredibly soft yarn they were producing, and were already making plans for the various things they were going to make once they had enough yarn.
While Arianna was healing, the girls who weren’t already helping out elsewhere happily kept her company while Hunter and his men worked on the other buildings in the compound, hunted for food, or took their turns tending the gardens. Survival was a daily job in this place, and winter would be on them before they knew it. The summers and winters on this planet, the warriors had discovered, were brutal. Summers were very short, but humid and so very hot. The winters were bitterly cold, though if fires were maintained in the hearths, the buildings they had fashioned managed to insulate fairly well. Winter was also long and harsh, with deep snows that closed the warriors in for weeks at a time.