They kept at it for hours. When Liasare felt like she was about to drop from exhaustion, Jurek would infuse her with his energy, and they would get right back to it. Hours later, he finally let her stop. He flashed them back to her room and ordered them food from the transmuter. He tried to explain how to use it, but she was so tired and hungry, she told him to go to hell.
“Can you just please put your hand on my forehead and give me some of your super mojo? I can’t even think right now.”
He touched her head and that wonderful warmth seeped into her, filling her with exactly what she needed.
“Better?”
“Yeah,” she said as she tore into her dinner. She ate everything she could get her hands on and then some, as Jurek leaned back in his chair and watched her.
“When was the last time you ate?”
“Don’t remember,” she answered between bites.
He let out his breath, saying, “You have to keep better track of that Liasare. You can’t go without food. No wonder you were about to drop.”
She looked up at him as she wiped her mouth with her napkin and raised her brow. “Tell me you’re kidding me? You don’t think the way you repeatedly kicked my ass for hours on end had anything to do with it? Unbelievable. Why are men such morons? I’m taking a shower,” she announced as she headed to the bathroom.
Jurek scratched his head as his eyes followed her. She was complicated to say the least.
***
Jurek, Tak, Marik, Ludo and Naroo sat around the conference table discussing their strategies for returning to Earth and trying to reestablish a new headquarters. Tak was insistent on using Liasare to lure in the Xanthians so they could uncover information that could lead them to the missing humans.
Jurek’s hostility toward this suggestion became more evident when his eyes turned into orbs of onyx and his lips hardened into a thin line. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Tak and refused to speak about it. Tak’s exasperation pushed him beyond his normal limits and he threw his hands up in the air.
“She’s a fucking liability Jurek! You’re just too damn blind to see it,” Tak said with frustration. “You won’t even consider letting her be used as bait for a trap. You’re not thinking clearly around her. You know you can’t get involved with her. It’s dangerous to us and to her. If you want to fuck her, then fuck her and get it over with. But do it now and send her back. She’s clouding your judgment.”
The room exploded in violent waves as Jurek rose to his feet. The conference table disintegrated, as did the chair he’d been sitting on.
He seethed with violence as he spoke. “I’ve never played this trump card in all our years together, but I’m throwing it down now. You forget yourself Tak. One, you are in my employ at LSE. I am the sole owner of that business as well as Lare-Stell. You can leave any time you like and I can ask you to leave any time I like. Two, I am your Ruler, your Leader. I can order you to shut your fucking mouth whenever and wherever I choose. I will fuck whomever and whenever I choose and you can keep your opinions of Liasare and me to yourself. I make the decisions where she is concerned. Have I made myself clear?”
Tak gave Jurek a single nod but his eyes frosted over, conveying his anger.
“I am charging you with finding a new headquarters for us on Earth. Are you up to the task, or do I need to assign it to another?” Jurek said tightly.
“I will do it.”
“Take Marik, secure the location and outfit it. I want it move-in ready ASAP ... as in yesterday.” Jurek flashed out of the room, leaving the remaining occupants staring at each other.
***
The day had started out badly. Liasare entered the training facility and Jurek barely said a word to her. She tried some light banter, but was only answered with a few grunts here and there. Eventually, she gave up and they trained in silence, except for his remarks about her inadequacies. The tension between them was ridiculous, but she tried to figure out what had put him in such a foul mood. He kept rattling off one instruction after another, like he expected her mind to work like some kind of a Compsys.
“That was sloppy Davidson. Lunge. Again. When I come at you, immediately parry. Then don’t wait for your remise. We are not following the good rules of fencing here. There are no disqualifications. You are fighting for your life and don’t forget it,” Jurek ordered.
She shook her head in frustration because she didn’t even know what the good rules of fencing were. “Stop! All these instructions are making me crazy. Your expectations are way over the top. I don’t have any superpowers. I’m not fast or strong. I’m just a damn stupid human.” Liasare yanked off her mask and protective gear, slung them on the floor and stomped out of the room. She turned left and marched down the corridor, fuming. Five minutes later, after making her way through the winding passageways, she realized she was ridiculously lost. She pictured Jurek having a good laugh at her expense. That notched her anger up even higher.
She heard a popping sound and felt that charge of energy. “Don’t you dare say a word. Not a word Jurek. So help me I’ll smack the crap out of you if you do.” She fisted her hands feeling the urge to punch him.
His ridiculously sexy hands came into view from behind and wrapped around her waist pulling her against him.
Who the hell has sexy hands? What is it with him?
He took one arm and placed his hand on her forehead, immediately defusing her anger and replacing it with a sense of calm. “Better?”
She sighed and nodded.
“I’m glad you think my hands are sexy, but they’re not nearly as sexy as yours,” he purred in her ear. “Someday, I want to feel them all over my body Liasare.” She melted into him.
“Holy fuck! It’s so not fair that you have this effect on me,” frustration rolling off of her.
“Please don’t use such nasty language. Your beautiful mouth wasn’t meant for such ugly words.”
“Why...”
“Stop asking me questions you know I won’t answer and start trusting me. I’m trying to teach you the art of defense. You must understand that when we go back to Earth we go back to fight. As part of our team, you will be in great danger. The Xanthians also have your DNA now and can easily trace you. You are high risk and a target so you must know how to defend yourself. I can sense when you’re in danger, but I’m not willing to take any chances where your life is concerned.”
***
After several weeks of training, even with Jurek’s healing powers, every muscle in her body screamed when she rolled out of bed each morning. She shuddered when she thought how she would have felt without Jurek’s magic mojo. Liasare stretched and hit the transmuter up for some breakfast. One thing about all this training ... it made her eat like a horse. She guzzled down a large glass of OJ, ate two pieces of buttered toast, hash browns, three scrambled eggs and four slices of perfectly cooked bacon.
Swallowing that last bit of crispy bacon, she slipped into her workout clothes, which were form fitting shorts and a sleeveless shirt that emphasized every bump and curve on her body, and headed to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. Knowing Jurek derived great pleasure in her workout wardrobe, if she had the means, she wished she could show up in the indecent outfit Tak had given her that day. Liasare also wished she could get rid of some of her bumps and curves, but whatever.
It had taken her awhile, but she finally figured out how to get from her quarters to the training facility. This place was confusing as hell. She took an elevator that didn’t just go up and down, it went backwards, forwards and sideways. She was so discombobulated when she got off the damn thing, she could never figure out if she had to go left or right. After days of wandering around in no man’s land, she began trail blazing. Wrapping elastic hair ties everywhere, she was finally able to find her way around.
What she didn’t know was that Tak and Jurek found out about this and early this morning, they changed the location of all her hair ties. They were spying on her as she wande
red around, and unbeknown to her, she was walking around in a large circle. Everything looked the same on the space station...white, white and more white. There were no signs anywhere...well, none that she could read. There were symbols everywhere, similar to the tattoos that Jurek bore on his arms and that sexy one on his hip. Her mind drifted to that work of art and its location and how she wanted to run her fingers across it.
Whoa ... where the hell am I? I should have been there by now!
Liasare turned around and backtracked, but dammit all, everything looked the same to her. She wondered why these Praestani had such a penchant for white and monotony. She felt like taking some spray paint and livening up this place.
Tak and Jurek were howling as they watched her. “Do you think we need to rescue her,” Tak asked.
“I suppose that would be the nice thing to do,” Jurek laughed.
“She has provided us with some badly needed amusement, hasn’t she?”
“And no doubt we will pay for it later.”
Liasare stood there, trying to decide what her next move would be. She was damned if she’d call out to Jurek. As her bad luck would have it, she looked up to see Tak approaching her.
“Hey there Brownie. What are you doing all the way over here?”
“Oh, I thought I would go for a stroll. What the hell does it look like?” she snapped.
“You’re late, and the lord of the manor is not happy.”
“The lord of the manor can kiss my ass. Do you Praestani not believe in any color besides white?”
“What do you mean?” Tak wondered, truly puzzled by her odd question.
“Open your eyes, fool. Every-fucking-thing is white. Is that the only paint choice you have where you hail from?”
Tak burst out in laughter and didn’t stop for a long time.
They entered the training facility and Jurek raised his brows at Tak.
“Brownie was asking if we had other colors on Praestan.”
“What?”
“Everything here is white. White walls, white furniture, white clothing. I could stand next to the wall and you wouldn’t even notice me.”
“Oh, I would definitely notice you Liasare,” Jurek said in a throaty whisper.
Liasare’s stomach immediately turned into a handful of twisted knots. Okay, change of subject here.
“Sorry I’m late. I got a tad lost.”
“You’re fighting Tak today. Gear up,” Jurek said curtly.
Hmmm, insta-change-a-mood, she thought.
She looked at Jurek beneath her lashes and saw him staring intently at her. Her cheeks grew hot as she flushed and she could barely tear her eyes away from him. She sighed deeply as she put on her protective gear.
Jurek instructed her every move while she fought Tak. As the day progressed, so did her technique. Immensely. Her improvement was so great, he commented on it at the end of the day, surprising her.
“I think you want to hurt Tak. You fight him like a warrior. Excellent job Liasare. Meet us in the dining facility in one hour for dinner tonight. We discuss our return to Earth.”
They both popped out of the room, leaving her standing there, her mouth forming a huge O.
Chapter Fourteen
Dining facility? Return to Earth? WTF!
Liasare fumbled her way back to her room. It took her quite a while to get there, having to stop and ask directions several times. That left her little time to get ready so she took a brief shower and hurriedly dressed in a pair of white (no surprise there) form fitting pants with a matching long sleeved shirt. Then she wondered how the heck she was supposed to get to the dining facility, wherever that might be. About that time, her viewing platform lit up and Naroo’s face appeared.
“My lady...”
“Ahhh,” Liasare screamed as she spun around. “Crap Naroo, you scared me to death!”
“Forgive me, my lady. My intent was not to frighten you. I wanted to ask if you were ready. I was told to escort you to the dining facility.”
“Yes,” Liasare sighed, her heart pounding a million beats a second. “Thanks, I think.”
She heard a pop and there stood Naroo.
“Why didn’t someone tell me that window could do that?”
“I apologize, my lady. I suppose we all forgot,” Naroo said, bowing. She was dressed in a white flowing robe that tied at the waist.
“Whew, you really scared the crap out of me. And Naroo, please call me Liasare.” Liasare rubbed her chest as she spoke.
“Oh, that I can’t do, my lady. As a guest of my lord Jurek, I must address you appropriately.”
“May I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Why do you call Jurek, ‘My lord?’”
“Because that is what he is. He is our lord and ruler.”
“Oh.” This really puzzled Liasare. Lord and ruler of what, she wondered? “May I ask you something else?” Naroo nodded. “Why is everything white?”
“White is the color of power and Praestani equates it to power. It is Light or the opposite of Dark. It is the true meaning of our species my lady.” Naroo’s beautiful eyes were wide and glowing when she spoke and her lips had curved into a soft smile, making her even more beautiful. Liasare decided she liked this woman very much.
“Thank you for sharing that Naroo. Please don’t think I’m hitting on you or anything, but you are very beautiful. I’ve never met a woman without hair and you are the loveliest thing I’ve ever seen. You’re tattoos are amazing.”
Naroo face flushed. “Why, thank you my lady. The Praestani women have no hair. Some hate it but I don’t mind it. Less time in the shower I say,” she laughed. Liasare joined her in laughter.
“Okay, this is going to sound really strange but I find myself drawn to you. As in friendship. I’ve never had a girlfriend before. When I was young, all the kids made fun of me because I’d been in an accident that left me covered in horrible scars. So I never hung out with any of them. Anyway, I hope you don’t think I’m geeky or anything,” Liasare ended, as she reached for Naroo’s hand and gave it a slight squeeze.
“What happened to your scars, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Oh, Jurek healed me,” Liasare informed her.
Naroo’s eyes widened. “My lady, this is true?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“My lord Jurek normally doesn’t heal humans. You must be special to him indeed.”
Liasare’s heart tripped at Naroo’s words. The simple thought of that man did strange things to her body. “I don’t think so. I think he barely tolerates me.”
“You don’t truly believe that. Your mind is telling me quite a different story. My lord Jurek is a difficult man, yes, but a great man, to be sure. My lady, he will guard you and protect you. This I can say with certainty.”
Liasare grabbed Naroo’s arms. “Why? Why does he do this?”
“Who is to say? He has his reasons. Come, we must go before we are late.”
***
When they entered the dining hall, all the men were already seated. Jurek sat at the head of the table, with Tak to his left. Sitting next to Tak was Ludo. Across from Ludo was Marik. There was an empty seat that was suspiciously empty on Jurek’s right. His eyes motioned to Liasare to have a seat there. Naroo sat at the end opposite from Jurek.
Liasare eyed Jurek as she took her seat. He was dressed entirely in black, which contrasted with the lightness of his lavender eyes.
The men were drinking some sort of golden liquid and Jurek reached to fill Liasare’s glass. She watched the muscles of his shoulders shift as his shirt stretched across them when he poured the liquid into her glass. She briefly wondered if he dressed like this to entice her, or if wore tight shirts just to emphasize his beautiful physique.
“Go easy on this. It’s Praestani wine. It’s much more potent than what you’re used to.”
Liasare took a sip and the wine slid down her throat with ease. It was the most delicious wine she had ever tast
ed.
“This is wonderful!” she exclaimed. Jurek lips curved into a sexy smile that she would have liked to stare at all night, except Tak interrupted her thoughts.
“So Brownie likes our wine, does she?”
“Yes, she does. Are you going to be pleasant tonight Tak or are you going to be a big pain in my ass?”
The others at the table chuckled, but Jurek reached over and grabbed Liasare’s hand and asked, “I would ask that you both behave tonight. We have some important matters that need to be discussed.” He leaned back in his chair, but failed to release her hand.
“So, what’s on the agenda?” Liasare asked.
“We will go back to Earth in two weeks time. Tak and Marik have found us new headquarters and are nearly done outfitting them. Then we need to continue our work. Marik has some information you may have some interest in Liasare.”
Liasare’s eyes swung to Marik. Generally the quiet one, he wasn’t comfortable speaking in front of the group. Possessing the same dark hair, lavender eyes and tattoos on his arms, his facial features were harsher, giving him a more frightening appearance.
“I have more information on the Xanthian minions. The warehouse your brother used as an address is where some of them live. There are others just like it dotted across the city. The Xanthians use the minions for their dirty work. They take orders and are expendable. We’ve tracked some of them through their DNA and they match some of the missing persons that have been reported. The problem is that there are so many missing now, it would be virtually impossible to track every single person. What we want to do is use you to help us find your brother so we can bring him in for questioning. If that fails, then we will need to employ our mind reading capabilities.”
Tightening his hold on her hand Jurek leaned forward and asked, “Are you up to this task Liasare? This would mean another confrontation. You will have to put your feelings aside and deal with him as you would someone you had no connection to. Can you do this?”
Dangerous Lovers Page 121