by Linda Mooney
Outside, Star gently pushed the ship far enough away so it wouldn’t become entangled in the gravitational field she would throw around the rogue asteroid before hauling it away. The work was hard and mind-consuming, leaving her unaware of the man who had paused in his searching to stare at her from one of the many viewports.
It was rare these past two days that he could watch her without her knowing. Now that he had the chance, and none of the others were nowhere near to catch him, Hunter granted himself the luxury of drinking in the sight of the woman who, by this time tomorrow night, would be giving her body to him.
He was terrified beyond anything he’d ever encountered before in his life. At the same time, he wondered if his heart could beat any harder or louder than it already was.
Terrin DiLyric, a.k.a. StarLight, was above them all. Strength, beauty, ability, bravery—she was her own enigma. No one knew where she’d come from when she had applied for membership into the Guardians two years ago. No one knew if she had any parents, but some had wondered aloud if she was the child of a HandFast—a child given away by both her true and adoptive parents because they had discovered how different their daughter was from normal children. Such incidents were reported to have happened.
Staring down at his hands, Hunter clenched his fingers into white-knuckled fists. Tomorrow he would know every velvet inch of her. He would touch her, taste her, learn the exquisite expanse of her iridescent skin, and then he would plant his body into hers and give her his seed. Every night, at least once a night, for the next fourteen days and then a minimum of three nights per week as required by law.
A shiver arched through him, and his skin tightened inside his environmental suit. He had no knowledge of the groan coming from deep inside his chest until he saw the telltale breath on his faceplate.
She moved like a dancer, with grace and liquid movements. Her impossibly thick hair was spread out behind her like a cape. He had felt the texture of that hair just once, and its memory had never left him. There were nights when he thought he could feel it across his bare arms, like the softest satin gown.
Like the pale yellow gown she had worn that night he’d found her in her secluded little hideaway in the botanical gardens. The gown that had clung to her moist skin inside that humid alcove. The moment he had entered her territory, he knew he had invaded something so private, she had never shared it before with anyone else. And for long seconds he had thought about backing out and leaving.
Almost.
He could hardly breathe as his eyes had fastened upon the pulse in her neck, visible just under the flawless skin. Her eyes were huge, amethyst drops. She was more terrified of what was to happen than he was, and her nervousness had been enough to reach inside him and draw out his protective side.
If they were unable to create a child from their union, Udo Vosstien swore to himself she would walk away from this HandFast knowing she had been cherished, and cared for, and protected every single hour of every day of the year they were together.
It was the least he could give her.
“Hey, Hunter, what’s the holdup? Seeker says that’s not the last of them.”
“Keep your shirt on. Seeker, how many?”
“Two, both men.”
“Got it,” Hunter acknowledged, reluctantly turning away from the viewport. He quickly found the last two, dragging them back to the main dining hall where the temporary triage had been constructed.
Condemner glanced around, his hands on his hips, as he summed up their work so far. “Looks like we’re about ready to start heading back to Pyrar. Star, how’s it going out there?”
“Terminus Four has a new moon. Come look! She’s so pretty and full!”
Hunter smiled to himself. Star loved what she did. And despite the fact that she could literally make the earth tremble beneath one’s feet, she seemed unfazed by the extent of her power. Otherwise, if she ever got truly peeved at anyone or anything, there was no telling how catastrophic her retaliation could be.
“Okay, everyone! Listen up!” Condemner got the attention of the survivors, who were already gathered in rapt attention. They knew they were being rescued by the Guardians, and like typical fans, they were torn between the jeopardy of their situation, and wanting to get closer to their heroes.
“Are you the Condemner?” one young man asked, gazing up at the big man.
Giving the kid a quick smile, Condemner continued. “You’re going to feel some uneasiness for a while as I tug this liner back to the Pyrar system. The gyros are not stable, so if you get queasy, well, sorry. Once we get there, the Stellar Police will see that you get back to your own homes safely.”
“What happened to our ship?” someone called from the back of the dining hall. Altogether, there must have been around four hundred people total, including crew.
“You hit a rogue asteroid,” Morning Fire told them. “The ship is intact, and no one is in danger.”
Like the others had done in the secured room, Hunter removed his helmet to save oxygen, not thinking, when attention suddenly diverted to him.
“Hey! You’re Master Hunter! Is it true? Are you being HandFasted to StarLight tomorrow?”
The question suddenly created a swelling of noise from the crowd. One voice in particular stood out. “That’s StarLight out there moving the asteroid away!”
Almost as one, the entire crowd sought out every available viewport in search of the nearly invisible woman against the starry background. Those on the port side of the ship could see Transport Two hovering less than a hundred yards away, the enormous white, florescent G across its tail section marking it as a Guardian craft. And floating near the main viewport near the nose of the craft was the object of their search.
“Hey! There she is!”
“Where?”
“Near the nose! Oh, mother of all heavens! How lucky can one guy get?” one voice inquired with honest jealousy.
It was a woman’s voice who responded. “Well, speaking from a woman’s viewpoint, StarLight isn’t getting too bad a deal herself.”
Immediately over a hundred female eyes turned to rake over Master Hunter’s strong, muscular figure. Almost to a one, he knew their eyes had drifted to the lower edge of his tunic, fantasizing about both his size and skill. As their attention shifted onto him, Hunter felt his face infusing with heat, and he knew he had to get away from their scrutiny. The sooner, the better.
“If that’s all, I’ll wait over in Two,” he curtly informed his teammates, and locked his helmet back over his head. Without waiting for their answer, he blinked out of sight and transported himself back onto their ship.
It would leave Seeker and Morning Fire to care for the survivors as Condemner and Star led the liner back to safety, but at the moment Hunter didn’t care. It was enough to be the object of their intense scrutiny. It was a totally different thing to have to stand idly by and listen to them compare his possible reproductive qualities as if he were a stud animal in a research project.
In the pilot seat, Commander glanced over his shoulder. “Hey. Weren’t you supposed to stay onboard and help with the victims?”
“Seeker and Fire are taking care of things,” Hunter replied in a cautious voice.
An eyebrow went up on Commander’s face. “Something happen over there?”
“Yeah. Star, can you read me?”
Her reply was hesitant. It was the first time he had addressed her directly in front of others since the announcement, and she knew their teammates were listening in.
“I copy, Hunter.”
“Do not board the liner once we reach Pyrar,” he told her in a flat, emotionless voice.
There was a moment of silence. Then, quietly, she replied, “Copy that.”
“You giving Star orders now?” Commander inquired softly. Hunter turned around as he removed his helmet.
“Just saving her a little embarrassment,” Hunter explained after squelching his headset.
He didn’t have to say anything m
ore. Commander knew immediately what he was implying. Giving a nod, he turned Transport Two around, bringing it behind the crippled craft, and they followed the spaceship until they reached their destination.
Once the mission had been cleared, and everyone was back on board Two for the trip back to Guardian Command, Star gave Hunter a quizzical look, still perturbed by his unexpected command. Morning Fire noticed her friend was about to question him, and grabbed her hand to drag her over to the empty seat beside her instead.
“Fire.”
“Hush and strap yourself in.”
“I was just going to—”
“He did you a favor,” Morning Fire hissed softly in Star’s ear.
Star held her tongue until Commander had locked in their coordinates, and they were cruising back home. Turning to the woman, she waited for an explanation.
Giving her friend an irritated grimace, Morning Fire kept her voice low so no one could overhear, even making Star bend over so she could hear her. “Those people saw it was you and Hunter in the rescue party.”
“So?”
“So, they started asking a bunch of questions about the HandFast. And … and they started making a lot of insinuating remarks. A bunch of men were ogling you from the viewports, not to mention the women practically undressing Hunter with their eyes. That’s why he asked you not to go into the ship.”
“He told me, not asked me,” Star corrected her.
Morning Fire shrugged. “Let it roll off, Star. He was doing you a favor, because he knew you’d be hit up with the same behavior if you went inside. You ought to be thanking him, instead of acting all hacked-off.” She scowled. “Heavens know I was plenty angry with them myself after Hunter left to go back to Two. All those crappy, personal questions that aren’t any of their business anyhow. How can people be so insensitive?”
Pausing, Star started to glance over her shoulder where she knew Hunter was sitting in the aisle seat at the back of the transport ship. She stopped herself, closing her eyes instead and leaning her head back against the seat cushion.
Now that the mission was over, unless something else popped up that evening, there was nothing to eat up the hours before she and Hunter were to appear at the Hall of Magistrates for the ceremony. She would have the night to think about what was about to happen to her. To them. And if she got any sleep at all, it would be a miracle.
Star tried to swallow, but her throat suddenly felt incredibly dry. Space walking always did that to her, leaving her parched and dehydrated. Throwing her harness off her shoulders, she got to her feet and started down the aisle, toward the back where a small kitchenette held refrigerated drinks. She grabbed a bottle of cold water, then snatched a juice she knew Hunter preferred. One didn’t work closely with a person for over two years without catching on to a few idiosyncrasies about him.
Walking back down the aisle, she casually dropped the juice into his lap, not stopping to see his surprised look, or the equally surprised expressions on the faces of those who had witnessed the little exchange.
Once she returned to her seat, Star buckled herself back in and reclined back to enjoy her water. It was going to be long ride home, but it was going to be an even longer night.
Sighing noisily, Star closed her eyes, oblivious to Morning Fire’s humming along with the music in her headset, and tried not to imagine what the women thought they could see when they tried to mentally undress Hunter.
She would find out for herself soon enough.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter 4
Preparation
When Transport Two finally landed back in the bay at Guardian Command, it was already dark. Everyone headed for the dining room for a quick bite before dispersing to their separate quarters.
Each Guardian had his or her own suite of rooms. For privacy’s sake, the men’s section was on the opposite end of Command Central from the women’s. Around courtyards which included a manicured garden and free-flowing pool and fountain circled twelve spacious suites. At present two suites were empty on the men’s side, six on the women’s, allowing for the inclusion of more Guardians whenever prospects presented themselves for membership.
History had never seen a full complement of twenty-four Guardians. At the most there had been twenty, but retirement, injury, or death had decimated the ranks. A Guardian never had the luxury of going home “after work”. Work was life. Danger was just a fact of that life. And Guardian Command was home.
Which was why the naming of two Guardians for the HandFast lottery had caused such controversy. A Guardian never made commitments, much less anticipated what life would be like a month, or a year, in the future. To expect two Guardians to deliver a child within a year was almost a ridiculous notion, as there was the very real potential that one, or both parents, could be dead within that time.
Rather than eat in the dining room, StarLight had turned to head for her rooms, preferring to take a light meal in privacy, when Deceiver caught her attention and motioned her over to where he stood in the doorway leading deeper into Command Central.
Silently, she followed him into the narrow passageway where he stopped and turned to face her once he was sure their conversation couldn’t be overheard.
“I just wanted to let you know Committee Engineers were here today. I let them into your quarters,” the Guardian Leader informed her.
Giving him a confused look, Star asked, “Why?”
“They put a testing device in your communications console.”
The information made her take a shaky step backwards. Deceiver watched her reaction carefully. Although he was her leader, he was a friend and fellow Guardian first and foremost. And this whole HandFast thing had knocked him for a loop as hard as it had affected everyone else.
“I was told to tell you all the instructions are there. All you have to do is turn it on, and it’ll walk you through the … procedure. Sorry, Star. I had no choice but to let them in.”
Nodding slowly, she managed to flash him a watery smile. “It’s all right, Deceiver. If you don’t mind, I think I’d like to go ahead and retire for the night.”
Deceiver nodded as well. “Oh, but one more thing. The rest of us would like to know if you and Hunter would want us to be in attendance at the ceremony. I mean, since family is allowed, and we’re the closest thing you both have to family.”
Star raised a shaky hand to her forehead. “I don’t know, Deceiver. Ask Hunter. I’ll abide by whatever decision he makes. I’m too tired to think right now, not to mention what tomorrow will bring.”
Without saying another word, she abruptly left the man alone in the passageway that felt as if it was steadily squeezing all the air from her lungs. She had to get away to somewhere she could be alone to think. Or, better yet, to some place where she wouldn’t have to think. Where she could just let the worries of the world fall behind her.
Once outside in the courtyard, she could breathe easier. The night was warm; the air was filled with the scent of flowers blooming in the little garden. A hedge of enormous mutaska blossoms gave her a small amount of privacy, the wide orange flowers shielding the door to her chambers from any prying or passing eyes.
Star glanced quickly at the next door a dozen yards away. That chamber was empty, as was the one on the other side. It hadn’t been set up that way, for each woman Guardian to have an empty apartment on both sides, but through attrition, the coincidence had fallen naturally into place.
She had almost reached the small platform leading up to the door when she felt the presence of another person. Without having to look up, she knew at once who stood inside the shadows. “Hunter?”
“I won’t take much of your time,” he promised softly, in case another Guardian was crossing the courtyard for her suite of rooms. “We have to get a couple of details worked out first.”
“Come inside. There’s no sense in us standing out here. Door, open.”
She stepped through the doorway as the room brightened its l
ights to welcome her. Three steps into the room, and her eyes fastened on the shiny metal plate inset into her communications console nearby. Although she had been warned about its installation, seeing it there still managed to stun her into immobility.
Hunter came up behind her, and noticed where her eyes were riveted. “What’s wrong?” he asked gently.
“It’s the testing device. Deceiver told me the Committee had it installed today.”
She bowed her head and rubbed her forehead. It was all too sudden. Three days was not enough time to acclimate oneself to the finality of what she would have to do. Or how drastically her life would change because of the luck of the draw.
“Uhh … speaking of Deceiver,” she added, “he wanted to know if we wanted the rest of the gang to accompany us to the ceremony. I told him it was up to you.”
She couldn’t look at him. He was too close to her, even though—when circumstances had been different—she had been held against his chest on numerous past occasions. For comfort. For warmth. For protection. She knew how strong he was, how rock hard his muscles were beneath that rich brown uniform. How she always felt better with his support.
Her body shuddered, either from memory or anticipation, she couldn’t tell. She only knew she felt like a caged animal heading for slaughter.
As though he could sense her uneasiness and inner pain, Hunter crossed his arms over his chest. “The ceremony is set for nine in the morning. Rather than us going over separately, I think it would present a stronger front if we went together.”
Star sighed loudly. He was right. They needed to show the rest of the world they were still Guardians, despite the HandFasting. “When and where should I meet you?”
“Eight-thirty, up on the roof. I’ll have a shuttle pod waiting for us. And … I’ll tell Deceiver to ask the rest to stay here … if that’s all right with you. They can view it on the screen, along with the rest of the populace. I have a feeling the hall will be a madhouse tomorrow.”