In the dim light, she made out the ghost of old scars on his body that would have been savage and deep when fresh, and it made her think of his hard past fighting in the Kingdom Wars. She wanted to reach out and comfort him.
Sensing eyes on him, he turned to face her. For an instant, his eyes widened and what might have been a look of desire raked over her, but the stoic mask came down like a portcullis and she could not read his expression. He gestured for her to join him. “Come on, let’s go for a swim.”
Padding across the warm rocks to the edge of the pool she joined him as he slipped into the waters. It was pleasantly cool and lapped gently against her skin.
All the pressures and strains of the last few weeks melted away and she experienced a fresh sense of invigoration that boosted her flagging spirits. She turned to catch Tawn watching her and her stomach did a flip-flop.
“What is it?” she asked, paranoid that there was something wrong with her appearance.
“Nothing,” Tawn replied, a smile playing at his lips. “You. You look better already. The waters have that effect on humans.”
“I do feel better,” Jenna agreed. “I feel rejuvenated.”
“Good,” said Tawn. He pointed to the nearest island to the shore. “Race you? Unless you know that I’ll beat you. I’ll go easy so you don’t get left too far behind.”
Jenna grinned and splashed him in the face. “You’re on,” she laughed as she surged away through the waters.
“That’s cheating!” Tawn called after her playfully, before giving chase.
They drove through the water; keeping pace of each other but Tawn had the edge and got to the small rocky island just before she did. As he pulled himself up onto dry land, she got a nice view of his strong thighs and legs, dripping with water, and decided it was worth losing for.
She got out of the water and flopped down next to him and got her breath back. They sat in companionable silence and Jenna enjoyed the serenity of the grotto. It was so peaceful and still here that she completely forgot about the outside world.
After a while, she closed her eyes and lay back on the smooth slab of rock she had settled down on. Tawn was a large, comfortable presence next to her.
“What is your life on Earth?” Tawn asked after a while, his deep voice sending ripples through the quietness.
Jenna must have been dozing off to sleep because she jerked awake when he spoke. “What?” she asked. “What did you say?”
He looked at her, his blue eyes sparkling in the low light. “Your life on Earth, what is it like?” he asked again. “I am curious.”
Jenna thought about the question for a moment. “Busy,” she said, making a face. “I work for my government’s most important vaccine research centres, developing vaccines and drugs for every illness you can think of. Our work is vitally important now that Earth is establishing new colonies across the solar system.
Colonists and space travellers are coming face to face with a whole new variety of viruses and diseases native to alien worlds and we have to develop medicines to combat them. It’s a big job but very rewarding and groundbreaking. It feels good to know I’m making a difference in my own small way.”
Tawn nodded thoughtfully. “I see, and what first made you want to go into this area of science in the first place?”
“Well, I’ve always been a nerd girl. In fact, science and me made friends pretty much early on in life. It helped a lot because I didn’t have many real friends when I was growing up. I suffer really bad social anxiety, but that’s another story.”
“I don’t know what nerds or social anxiety is,” Tawn confessed. “Are they good or bad things?”
“Depends on your point of view,” Jenna said, shrugging her shoulders.
“Both helped and hindered me, but I value both of them. I get to see people how they really are and became a pretty good judge of character as a consequence.”
Tawn narrowed his eyes. “What does your good judge of character say about me then?”
Jenna’s eyes lingered over his handsome face and perfect chest and a tingly heat danced along her drying skin. “It says you’re full of surprises.”
Tawn laughed at this. It was a rich, booming sound. “I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing, either.”
“It’s a good thing, believe me,” Jenna said with feeling.
Their eyes met at that moment and a connection passed between them, strong and sensual. Jenna found herself tumbling into his eyes and his lips, so soft and inviting, were close enough to kiss.
As if controlled by a supernatural force, she leant in closer, aching to taste those lips full of sensual promise. He seemed to feel the same way and tensed up, expectant for something wonderful to happen.
They held that poise for what seemed an eternity, hovering on the border of desire and restraint, until Tawn slowly lay back on his elbows, ending the stalemate. His eyes fixed on a point on the grotto roof and Jenna, though relieved she had not succumbed, tried hard to hide her disappointment.
“Yet, you were inspired to heal people, where did that desire come from?” Tawn asked, picking up the thread of their conversation.
“I have seen your passion to find a cure for the Screaming Plague these last few weeks, it has consumed you. I think you would gladly drop dead the instant you find a cure as long as it helps Kastra. Something in your life shaped you into strong character you are today. What was it?”
He thinks I’m strong, she thought to herself, thrilled at the praise.
“I think if you’re looking for reasons as to what makes me, me, I guess it started when I went to some of Earth’s poorest regions as an aid worker,” Jenna said.
“I visited many places that had hit by disasters such as earthquakes and by war and I saw tremendous suffering. Vulnerable people like children and the elderly were falling prey to sickness and there was nothing I could do about it except offer scant comfort. The more pain and despair I saw the more I wanted to help them and I realised I could do the most good by studying diseases and developing vaccines. If I could ease pain and save lives then I feel I’ve done a good job. It’s become something of a crusade for me and I’ve pushed away everything else from my life except my work.”
Tawn raised his eyebrows. “Everything? You have not taken a mate?”
“You mean a boyfriend? Lovers?” Jenna asked.
Tawn nodded. “You have no interest in those types of things?”
Jenna giggled. “I’m not a complete ice maiden,” she drawled.
“I’ve had a few boyfriends, but nothing serious. I have a habit of choosing men who are wrong for me. I end up with guys who are controlling or who cheat. It made me depressed, because I thought there was something wrong with me. Then, I met someone who I thought was the right person for me.”
Tawn was listening intently, and she sensed he was feeling a sense of disappointment. “You have a life mate,” he said, his voice staying neutral.
“I thought he was at the time,” Jenna said wryly.
“His name was George and he was another aid worker. In fact, he was a senior supervisor and a lot older than me. He seemed so wise and experienced and felt the same compassion as I did for the people we were trying to help. He was like a kindred spirit. We got close when I volunteered to work at a food distribution centre in Earth’s Barren Zone.
We lived on site and after months spending all of our time together, both professionally and socially, we eventually gave in to our feelings. We had a wild affair, you might say, and I thought it was true love. George, though, had other ideas.”
“He was not as committed as you?” Tawn asked.
“That’s an understatement,” Jenna said glibly.
Now that time had past and the emotional wounds had healed, she could speak about it with humour and detachment.
“George liked his freedom and his women. He liked to collect them like trophies and he had quite a few young, impressionable aid workers on his mantelpiece. When I found out,
I decided to turn a blind eye. I thought I could change him, that I was the right woman who’d finally tame him. I was bitterly mistaken.
He got another girl I worked with pregnant and they decided to leave Earth altogether and start a new life on one of the Martian colonies. Of course, George didn’t bother to tell me any of this beforehand. I only found out after he and she split during the night. I was so devastated, I cried for a week.”
“This George has no honour in him,” Tawn said gruffly.
“I cannot stand men who play with female delicate hearts. You are too special to be treated that way.” He spoke with a fierceness that took Jenna’s breath away.
“At that time, it was pretty rough,” Jenna agreed, calming her emotions.
“But later, I realised he was not the man for me. It helped me to focus on my scientific career and put me on the path to where I am now. In many ways, I should be thanking him for everything. I’m doing what I feel is my life’s calling.”
“I am glad too that you are here,” Tawn said, his face deadly serious. “If not for this George, we might never have met.”
“When I first arrived here, I got the feeling you would have preferred it that way,” Jenna said, lowering her gaze.
She stared down at his large hand lying open on the ground and wanted to run her fingers along its wide palm.
Tawn sighed heavily. “I would be lying if I said I was happy about it. I had a feeling you would be a magnet for trouble before you made planet fall, and I now seek the quiet life more than anything these days. Though I am pleased you are here now, and in a strange way I enjoy all the trouble you have brought.”
He winked at her, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry about that, really I am. No clues yet to who the mystery assassin is?”
Tawn shook his head. “Our enemy has dropped out of sight completely. Hopefully, we have heard the last of them but I doubt it. I sense some new attack may be coming. I have an instinct for these kinds of things. It is how I managed to survive the Kingdom Wars.”
Jenna looked back at him, her curiosity spiked but wary of how to proceed. “Marna told me a little of those times. I can’t imagine what life was like for you.”
Tawn frowned and looked inward. “You lived from day to day. You didn’t think ahead, you couldn’t afford to. All you could do was hope the Sea God would be merciful, and let you survive. Though there were many times I wished I could have died and be at peace at last.”
That saddened Jenna. “What about mates? Did you form any relationships?”
“There were a few brief romances,” Tawn said in a careful voice, “but nothing that offered true commitment. During the Kingdom Wars power hungry lords allied and betrayed each other as quickly as the weather changes. Not only did we clash on the battlefield, there was also another secret war waged by spies, traitors and assassins. Apart from Marna, I could trust nobody and a friend was likely as much to slit open your throat as they were to sit down and share a drink with you.” He paused and gave her a meaningful look.
“It was the same with women. After a couple of bad experiences with lovers who turned out to be agents of rival warlords or scheming courtiers, I decided to keep my distance from emotional attachments. I closed myself off from men and women. It was easier that way. You didn’t feel the pain so keenly when they died or let you down.”
He spoke matter-of-factly, with no trace of bitterness, despair or anger. It was like he had built an iron fortress around his feelings and was so used to being inside it and protected from the outside world, it was like second nature. Jenna found it terribly sad.
“I’ve lowered your spirits,” Tawn said, looking into her eyes. “Marna says I have that effect on people. I am as gloomy as the Iron Reefs, she says. I didn’t mean to depress you.”
“You haven’t depressed me,” Jenna said, smiling. On impulse, she ran a finger along his tanned cheek and down his chiselled jaw.
Her skin tingled at their closeness. He watched her intensely, his eyes sultry and full of seductive promise. “I’m just sad that you’ve had such a tough life,” she said in a low voice. “You deserve to be happy.”
“I’m not sure happiness is in the Sea God’s great plan,” Tawn said wryly.
“I have settled for a quiet life as Marna’s Defender, until I get too old and infirm and then I will live out my final days in a fishing hut on one of the Golden Isles to the south.”
Jenna’s fingers drifted from his face and she bit her lower lip. “Alone?” she asked in an unsteady voice.
Tawn remained silent for a long time, before smiling enigmatically. “Perhaps.”
The silence welled between them and then he sat up abruptly. He stretched and clambered to his feet.
“Come on,” he said, offering her his hand, “I have something else to show you.”
Jenna smiled up at him. “Another surprise?” She played her tiny hand in his and let him help her up.
“I hope so,” he said.
Her hand stayed in his as they sauntered down to the shore and slipped into the water again. This time they swam together and Tawn took her to the far side of the grotto where another opening lay.
They pulled themselves up onto the shore again and padded through the opening to another smaller grotto. Jenna’s eyes widened as she took in the small lanterns hanging from the ceiling, bathing the space in a soft, yellow glow.
Oversized cushions had been spread across the uneven floor, and in the centre was a mother of pearl table with two comfortable chairs set either side of it.
An array of Kastran dishes had been set out on the table, giving off beautiful aromas that made Jenna’s mouth water.
“Tawn, this is wonderful,” she exclaimed.
He gave her a generous flash of his sexy, lopsided grin, and guided her to one of the chairs.
“I thought you might appreciate a nice breakfast. You’ve been living off those vile nutrient packs you brought from Earth for all these weeks, I’m sure you’ve forgotten what real food tastes like.”
“Thanks,” Jenna said, moving closer to him, “but I’m not hungry, not for the food anyway.”
He gave her a bemused look before understanding spread across his face. Desire thrummed through her body and she could no longer contain herself. She leaned in closer to him, gazing up into his face.
There was a flicker of hesitation on his part and then his lips swooped down to press against her mouth. Jenna’s heart pounded in her chest, and she surrendered herself to the kiss. All her pent up frustrations were unleashed in an instant and she clung to his powerful body, abandoning any sense of restraint and caution.
This impulsiveness went against all her careful arguments for staying out of emotional entanglements and focusing only on her career, but she didn’t care. All she wanted was Tawn regardless of the consequences.
He held her to him, his hands all over the exposed skin showed off by the bathing costume. His kiss was long and lingering, full of urgent need and his strong muscled body was like an iron weight grinding down on her.
Responding to his hunger, she wrapped her legs around his torso and he carried her to the cushions. She sighed with pleasure as he set her down and her back arched in uncontrollable pleasure as his mouth and fingers explored her.
Before long they were both naked and all her reservations and fears that she was not physically attractive to him were washed away in the tide of lust. They joined together as one connecting on a higher plane of passion.
She cried out with aching need as he took her to the heights of ecstasy that no man had ever taken her to before. Soon, they were both spent and they lay in precious silence, neither of them feeling the need to speak and spoil the moment.
Jenna snuggled against his chest, letting sleep claim her as he held her protectively to him. As her eyes closed, she thought she saw a little yellow-scaled lizard scuttle up the rock wall.
She couldn’t be sure, but she thought it was watching her with its glowing red
eyes before she drifted off into blissful sleep.
* * *
In a lone tower, two hundred miles away, Duke Zelba watched the Earth woman and Tawn on a monitor screen, the specially augmented camera eyes of his mutated lizard showing him everything.
He had dozens of his lizards throughout Kastra Capital and in the palace itself providing him the means to track every move of his enemy. That old fishwife Marna was looking for spies in all the wrong places, without seeing what was directly under her nose. She always was an unimaginative fool.
Anger flared in Zelba’s chest when he thought about the hated queen, and he was suddenly racked by a fit of violent coughing.
He hunched forward on his throne of black steel and brought his stained handkerchief to his sore infested lips with one gnarled, misshaped hand. The fit lasted several minutes and when he brought the handkerchief away from his mouth, the fabric was smeared with fresh blood and spittle. He took a long, steadying breath and glared at the monitor.
The great oaf Tawn had finished pleasuring his woman and they now wallowed in their own sin. Hate bubbled up inside Zelba as he looked enviously at the warrior’s naked body, so strong and healthy.
“Enjoy your woman while you can,” Zelba muttered in a raspy voice. He would be suffering soon enough, and the Duke would finally have his revenge.
Tucking his soiled handkerchief back into his filthy, silken waistcoat, he turned his attention to the Earth woman, Jenna. She had proven to be more of a challenge than he had first assumed.
She had survived both his attempts to kill her, and he had lacked the resources to create another of his plague creatures to send against her. But his next plan would not fail.
This time, he would oversee things personally and nothing would go wrong. Soon, the woman would be dead and he would have his revenge against Marna and Tawn and then all of Kastra would be his.
Wheezing heavily, the Duke sneered at Jenna on the monitor, asleep and utterly oblivious to the fate that was to befall her.
“Yes, Tawn,” he chuckled. “Enjoy your happiness while it lasts. When I’m finished with the little Earth trollop, you’ll want to kill her yourself.”
Royal Defender: Her Space Guardian (Celestial Mates Book 9) Page 5