“The job where you...rode something... you were a messenger. We have those. They are very important. It is a great honor to be given that task on my Planet.” He looked at her sharply, something passing over his expression. But he seemed satisfied with his assessment.
“You happened to pick the place where I was delivering a package to take your women.” She shifted to look at him, surprised to find he was still holding her hand.
Taso met her gaze. “I’m glad they chose that place when I saw you.” He shrugged, worrying her knuckles with his thumb. “They went to the same city they always do, but this time, I found what I’ve been looking for.”
“So they always went to New York?”
“What?”
“The city. It’s called New York. In the state of the same name. The country is the United States.” That whole explanation seemed overly complex. “Do you have cities and states and countries?”
“We have cities, yes. And each Clan has territories, some more than others.” His brows drew together. “That is the crux of the battles, the endless wars that plague us. Clans fight, bears against tigers against lions. Wolves against everyone. Alliances form, break, form again. You find the friend that is fighting with you in one battle, becomes your enemy across the lines in the next. It tears my world apart. It tears me apart.”
“But you fight, you said you did.”
He straightened. “I fight only when I am attacked. I no longer fight just because there is someone on the other side of a river or a mountain, or because they are a different Clan than mine. I only defend what I have. I do not fight for more. And no, I don’t want my mate fighting alongside me… women are too precious on our planet. We protect them, and treasure them more than any other Clan.”
His voice had gone hard and cold, the softness she’d seen in his face gone. His features had gone just as hard, angular, as if chiseled from stone. She could imagine that image, carried into battle, defending what he believed, the ideas that no one else seemed to care about.
“So why take women? You said yours fight...”
“Yes, they refuse to obey our rule that women are not to fight.” His smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You think we should keep them home, keep them from fighting? That would be impossible. Shifters are born to fight. It is in our very nature, and that’s why it’s so difficult to...”
With a bitter sound, he dropped her hand and stood up, striding across the small cabin. “It’s impossible. We’re born to fight and die in battle, and I want to keep them from doing just that. I am a fool for thinking I can make my world any different, any better.”
She watched him, saw the tension in the way he held his shoulders, the straightness of his back. “I want there to be something else in our lives, other than constant fighting and death. I want there to be a different end for our lives.” He turned suddenly.
“Our women fight, and they die. And then they do not bear us any children. We are killing ourselves, and someday there will be no one left to fight.” His words came out in a rush, as if it hurt to say those final thoughts. “There will be no one left.”
“And you think by bringing women from Earth you can make up the difference? That we’d willingly give you children, and be happy with that?”
He ran one hand through his hair, sending the already messy hair into complete disarray. “I care about my world, my Clan...” The coldness in his voice made her pull back.
“Most Earth women do not fight…it is not part of their nature to want to stand on the battlefield like our women so we do not have to worry about that...” Some of the harshness was gone as he went on. “I should not care, but in the end, I do.”
“I said before, you can’t expect kidnapped women to be happy servants. Or that the women you take unwillingly would want to have your children.”
Taso looked down at her. “And I cannot expect you to understand how desperate I have become. When we found your...Earth...I thought we had found the answer. Your women are so very much like ours, but without the need to fight. They do not shift like our men and women do, but they bear us shifters. They eat our food, and drink our water and do not fall sick. They accept our men...” He dropped his eyes for a moment and she though he blushed. “And they bear children.”
“So you found breeding stock, more or less.”
A troubled look passed across his face. The frown deepened, dark brows almost touching. “You make it sound cold, a brutal thing.”
“Well, speaking from this side of things, yes, it was cold.” She stood up, moving between him and the little window. “But I think you meant it to be something else. You did because you could, but you didn’t feel that you really should.”
Taso barked out a startled laugh. “You talk in riddles, Max. Speak plainly.”
“You did something bad with good intentions.” She reached out and tapped a finger against his chest. “In here, you thought it was a good idea.” Moving her hand higher, she tapped his temple. “Up here...you should have realized it wasn’t such a good thing.”
Before she lowered her hand, Taso reached up and took her hand, pulling it down to his chest.
“I like the feel of your hand here.”
She spread her hand flat, feeling the warmth of his skin through his shirt. She didn’t want to admit she liked the feel of his heart beating through the strange mesh on the front of his armor. It was constant, steady...the only thing that seemed real. She lifted her head and met his eyes. They were dark but soft, all the hard edge gone from the depths.
“And I think you like having it there as well.”
“I hate that you do that, read my thoughts.” She wasn’t sure if she’d meant to say that or not. There were no accidents...
“So you no longer hate me, Max? Just my words?”
“Hate is a strong word. I was very scared, very angry...confused...” She tensed her fingers against his shirt. It might be her imagination, but she thought his heart was beating just a bit faster. “But...”
“But...but you do not hate me any longer.”
“I think I understand you, if that’s what you want to hear.”
He held her gaze and she wanted to look away, willed herself not to. Now there was something else in his eyes, a flash of heat that echoed inside her. It wasn’t only his heart that was beating faster.
“It is enough for now. Being misunderstood is a thing I dislike.”
To her surprise, he set his hand on her chest, between her breasts. “I like having my hand her as well. I can feel your heart, know that you are alive and still with me.” He nodded, apparently pleased with the beating of her heart.
She swallowed, all her words lost in the darkness of his eyes, the pressure of his hand against her chest. He made no move to slide his hand over to one breast; he only moved closer, until she was pressed against him. She knew he was going to kiss her and she was going to let him.
“I came looking for a mate, Max. I told you that. I believed I found her when I found you. I see you, in my mind, standing on the parapets of the wall of my city, looking down over our province, sharp eyes taking in the breadth of the land, looking for a breach in the wall, but in your heart, accepting no breach because our enemies have been made to see a better way. If you can understand that about me, then my heart will be full.”
“You’re really just a hopeless romantic, aren’t you?” She tipped her head up to him. “Just looking for peace and love in the universe.”
“I don’t know the word you call me, but by the way you say it, I don’t believe it is a bad thing. Is it?”
She shook her head. “No. Not a bad thing, really. It’s why you think with your heart, and not your head.”
His mouth curved in a crooked smile. “And you are right.”
His lips touched hers, and the little flash of heat inside her flared up, sending a shiver through her. Taso’s smile widened for a moment and then she was kissing him, or he was kissing her, but it didn’t seem to matter. It se
emed right, somehow. Some part of her had fallen away, the vision she’d carried of herself in that now-broken mirror was gone. She had no idea who she was, what she wanted. Or where she should be.
But this place, with this man...it was wrong on so many levels. Still, he was warm and solid, and in the chaos of the last days, the only thing that was constant. He’d taken her from her home, but he’d taken her for a remarkable and completely irrational reason: for love.
She gave up and gave in and let him kiss her. With almost a physical sensation, she realized she was no longer Veronica: She was Max. The mirror had broken, but she had no other reflection than what Taso gave her. He wanted her as she was, with all her strengths—because of her strengths.
The kiss deepened, their hands still pressed against each other’s chests. She could feel the echo of her heart against her hand, and wondered if he could feel his against hers. It struck suddenly her that she’d never felt this close to any man in her life. Had it really taken being kidnapped by an alien to get to this point?
For a dizzying moment she felt the Earth move...or the metal grating beneath her feet. But it wasn’t the effects of the kiss; Taso was turning her, guiding her backward to the bench. She let him set her down, not breaking the kiss. He sat beside her, and his hand finally strayed from the center of her chest, moving with deliberation to one breast, cradling the weight of it in his hand. She wanted out of the mesh armor, wanted his hand against her skin. She reached down, grabbing the edge of her shirt, got it halfway up her body when the sound of metal Clanging shot through the room.
Taso jerked away, and she yanked her shirt down as the door behind Taso opened. A man appeared, said something she didn’t understand. Taso nodded, replied in the same mysterious language, and then turned to her.
“I need to deal with this.” The heat was still in his eyes, but it was overshadowed by a harder edge.
“Are we crashing again?”
He frowned, but a smile played around his lips. “Not this time. This is my ship and it is very well maintained. It is nothing for you to worry about.” He stood, looking down at her. “I’ll have someone bring you food and water. You should eat.”
She watched as he strode out of the little room, ducking through the door. Then it slid shut with a metallic Clang. For a moment she stared at the door, wondering if it was locked. Then she remembered where she was, on a space ship. Even if she could walk through the door, where would she go?
It seemed like only minutes before the door opened and a man walked through. He carried a small box which he set down on the bench. He gave her sidelong glance, as if judging her in some way. Then he bowed and left her alone.
The box held a bottle of water and small packages of what she assumed was food. It turned out to be something dried, possibly like jerky. It smelled spicy, tasted vaguely like beef, but it really didn’t matter. After the first bite she realized she was starving. With relish, she tore open the other packages, finding grain-like circles, the ones she remembered from earlier, the ones that tasted terrible. They weren’t any better now and she left them in the box.
By the time the door slid open and Taso walked through, she had eaten everything, minus the inedible crackers. She glanced up, suddenly wondering if this had been meant for both of them.
“I’m sorry...” She held out the empty box. “I ate it all. I guess I was hungry.”
He sat beside her, picked up one of the crackers and bit into it. With a grimace he dropped it back in the box. “I can get my own later.”
She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, then blushed. “Sorry again. My manners...I have them...”
But he was smiling, shaking his head. “I think I would like to watch you eat. You enjoy your food.”
“I was hungry, I guess.”
“No doubt. The circumstances explain any lack of manners, but I don’t stand on ceremony. Eat, please.”
She did, although she was self-conscious being watched. But her hunger overpowered everything else and she finished everything she’d been offered. Except for the strange crackers. It seemed they were unpalatable, no matter how hungry either of them were.
Finally, she yawned, throwing her hand up to cover her mouth. Full, sated, exhaustion didn’t just creep up; it washed over her in a tidal wave. Taso looked over his shoulder as she yawned again.
“You should sleep. We have quite a few hours of travel left. Come.” He held out his hand. She took it, letting him pull her to her feet. Her body felt leaden, uncoordinated. She couldn’t really remember the last sleep she’d had. Yesterday? On the other ship? Memories were already growing cloudy, vague. Sleep deprivation or drugs, or both, was playing havoc with her mind. For a fleeting shocking instant, she wondered if Taso had drugged her again. She pulled violently against his hand, stumbling back into the small room.
“Did you...am I...” Her voice was thick, the words sticking in her throat. “Drugged?”
His brows came together and he stopped in the doorway. “No. You are exhausted, Max. That is all.” He moved toward her and she shrank back, but then his expression smoothed out, his lips curving into a smile. She wasn’t exactly reassured, but some of her panic eased.
“No harm will come to you, Max. I give you my promise. From now until the end of your days, you are under my protection.” He reached out, setting one hand on her arm. “You are my responsibility. You may not think of yourself as my mate—yet—but I do.”
It took a moment for her sluggish mind to take in his words, and to let them sink in. A stubborn part of her refused to trust him, trust what he said, yet a bigger part of her wanted to believe him, needed to believe him, if she was going to maintain her sanity. If she was going to survive in this strange, new world.
Nodding, she held out his hand. He hesitated, and then took her hand. They stepped through the doorway, and he led her down a short hall and through another doorway. This room held a cot with blankets. She stumbled past Taso, practically falling onto the bed. It was hard, the blanket scratchy, but at the moment it was heaven. Taso said something, but his words were lost to her as she was swept away into a deep sleep.
Chapter Nine
She came awake suddenly, completely. And for a blinding moment she had no idea where she was. Then it all came back, just as suddenly: Taso...the crash of the first ship...being taken from the lobby of the modeling agency. And now she was on Taso’s personal ship—she really couldn’t think of it as a space ship, no matter how hard she tried. They had crashed before. Maybe they were crashing again.
The door opened as she was trying to get her stiffened limbs to cooperate enough to stand. Taso stuck his head around the corner. Expecting the worst, she was surprised to see him smiling.
“We are home.” He extended his hand. “My home. And I hope you will think of it as yours someday.”
She let him pull her up, her legs full of pins and needles. “How long was I asleep?”
“The better part of the journey...eighteen hours or more.”
“You’re kidding? And you swear you didn’t drug me with that food?”
His brow furrowed, but he still kept the smile on his face, even if it faded a little. “I did not. It was exhaustion and the aftereffects of the drugs the mercenaries gave you. They needed to use more than they have in the past. Apparently...” His smile widened again. “You fought them quite hard.”
Shaking her legs, she followed him into the narrow hall. “What did you expect? Some strange men grab me, I’m going to put up a fight. It happens all the time in New York. But it’s never been aliens before.”
They went down the narrow hall toward what looked like a hatch on an airplane. It whooshed open, admitting a wash of gray light. Even though it was dim, she blinked, realizing how dark it was in the cabin, the hallway. Taso stepped out through the opening, and her steps faltered. She hadn’t thought much about what this would be like, stepping out into his world. He looked human; would his world look like Earth?
Tentativel
y, she ducked through the opening, focusing on the short set of metal steps that led to hard-packed dirt, shieling her eyes with her hand. The air was warm and dry, not unpleasant. Once her feet hit the ground, she looked up.
The ship seemed to be sitting on the top of a high area of ground. Maybe it was the equivalent of a heli-pad on top of a New York skyscraper. Gray clouds hovered low, obscuring whatever sky was overhead. In the distance she saw trees, something that looked like pines, conical, deep green, but with strange, branching tips. Yet there was something else odd about them, but before she could quite put her finger on it, Taso took her by the elbow.
“Come. This way.”
He led her toward the edge of the hard-packed area, to what looked like the edge of a cliff. He stopped, turning to her.
“This...” With a flourish he pointed to what was below. “This is my province.”
Spread out below them was a city, clusters of buildings of all sizes, streets winding through in complex patterns. She could see people walking, tiny spots of dark movements on the gray streets. For a moment, she wondered if they were bears, or people. Or both.
The entire thing was surrounded by a wall that stretched as far as she could see in each direction, those parapets he’d mentioned spaced evenly on the wall. The whole city, the wall, everything held such a brutal, primal beauty. She wanted to find a place and time, an age, a label that would help her mind get a grip on what she was looking at. Medieval England set inside the Great Wall of China. Some of the dissonance in her mind calmed down, but when she looked off to the distance, it hit her: what was off about the trees. They were too tall. They had to be thousands of feet tall, and what? Miles away? It took her breath away, that realization. And completely blew her mind.
“What do you think?” Taso tugged her elbow. “Tell me...”
“I don’t have any words yet. I’m still trying to take it all in.” She was still looking at the trees, trying to comprehend how something so familiar could be so vastly different from what she knew.
Dark Side Of The Moon (BBW Paranormal Were-Bear Shifter Sci-Fi Romance) Page 9