She gathered her frayed nerves, pieced together her courage and spoke.
“Excuse me, but can you understand me?”
He looked up from studying her wrists to stare into her eyes. He was frowning, looking slightly confused about her question.
She sighed.
Figured her rescuers wouldn’t speak English, and this sexy man couldn’t understand her.
“Yes, I can understand you. My name is Taavi Larn. I am here to free you.” His beautiful green eyes stared into hers, as if trying to take away her fear.
Instead of the fear she had been expecting, all she could feel was an immense comfort and a heady wonderment, intermixed with a strange feeling of peace. She didn’t know him or his race, and yet she instinctively knew he would never hurt her.
Would, in fact, give his life for hers.
“My name is Natalie White. Would you grab my kimono please? Oh, and thank you for the rescue. Now, if you don’t mind, I believe I am going to pass out now.”
And with that little beauty of a line delivered, she passed out.
Chapter Five
Taavi gently lifted the beautiful pale alien into his arms. With her space black hair and pale skin, the blue of her eyes made her look ethereal.
He felt such rage that the Nezlean brute had bruised and abused her, but he was afraid that she had been violated as well. He prayed that was not so. It didn’t look as though the Nezlean had penetrated her, since there was no blood between her pale thighs, nor did it appear that he was able to get her undergarments off.
He breathed a sigh of relief so potent he could scarcely stay standing.
There was something about the female that immediately struck him as familiar. He knew he had never seen her or her kind before, but there was some part of him – on a soul-deep level – that recognized her. Something primal and instinctive that called out for him to know her, to keep her.
He carefully wrapped the trailing sheet under his precious burden, grabbed the strange, bright soft material on the chair, and walked out of the room. His men would be waiting for him to return to their shuttle. He tightened his hold on the female, frowning when he thought about his men staring at her alien beauty.
Mine! Keep! Mate!
Holy Mother of Tavanni, how could he have been so stupid? The immediate possessiveness, the recognition of her on a soul deep level, and the instantaneous, almost violent desire that had hardened him faster than the most skilled bed partner.
She was his Soile-Miena, his soul mate.
He could have slapped himself for being so blind.
He gazed back at her, stunned anew that he had finally found his mate; the one who was made to complete him.
He made his way toward the loading bay, his strides long and sure. What would this mean for his dying world, having found what his race had thought lost? It had been more then seventy years since the last soile-miena bond had been seen.
Maybe her people were sent by the universe to repopulate his planet. Maybe there were more females to bond with the males of his planet and males to bond with their females.
He would have to ask her when she awoke. Maybe her people could help his stand against their enemy, the Nezlean.
He walked toward his men, feeling his muscles stiffen as all four sets of their eyes zeroed in on his mate.
There was Hannan, the youngest elite warrior; Aaden and Aaren, the twins; and Andris, his second-in-command.
“Tavanni! Taav, who is that? Is she alright?”
He looked up at Hannan, meeting the concerned gaze of his youngest warrior.
“Peace, Hannan. She is alive, but has been abused by Imhal. He didn’t rape her, but we need to get her to Tali for healing.”
He turned from the group of his closest friends, the best warriors of the Tarlon Empire, and walked onto his ship.
They couldn’t return to the surface fast enough.
~ ~ ~ ~
Natalie woke once during the flight back to Tarlon.
She was on a soft cot, covered with a blanket, and being watched by two sets of eyes. There was the man who had rescued her from her recent hell, and then another man standing near the door. The new man was a little taller than Taavi, but a little less muscular, more compact rather than dense. He had ice blue eyes and seemed to be trying to stare a hole into her forehead.
When Taavi saw she was awake, he hurried over and knelt by her head.
“Natalie, you are well? I was afraid you were severely injured when you did not awaken. It has been thirty quai cycles, and I was beginning to worry.”
As soon as Taavi came to kneel by her, the heat inside of her head came back full force. This time, along with the relief and protection, was a potent and unsettling amount of arousal. She didn’t know this man, and yet she was this close to jumping his bones.
After all she had been through, she was so aroused she felt her nipples tighten. She inwardly rolled her eyes.
If only Kayla could see me now.
As soon as that thought slipped into her head, her eyes filled with tears and rolled down her cheeks. She bit her lip to stifle the sob that was trying to make its way past her lips. Letting it escape was the last thing she wanted to do, because she knew if she did, she would fall apart.
Three things had hit her simultaneously.
First, she was still in a great amount of pain. She really wished there was something they could give her to stop the incessant throbbing in her face and shoulder. Second, she was really truly saved from the pain Imhal had been about to unleash on her. And third, and maybe the most important and devastating news, she would probably never see Kayla or Ben again.
With all three of those thoughts, and the accompanying feelings, coalescing into a whirlwind of emotion, the sob she had been trying to push down burst from her lips.
She turned onto her injured side, uncaring of the extra pain it inflicted for it was nowhere near the total devastation she felt on the inside, and she hid her face from the two men in the room. She was sucked into the vortex of intense sorrow so deeply, she almost missed when she was lifted and cradled against a hard, expansive chest.
She was just aware enough for the whispered command of “leave us, Andris,” to filter through her head, before lips were at her temple humming a tune she didn’t know.
As the storm waged war inside her, she tried her best to focus on the man rocking and singing to her. He was her rock in this moment of complete vulnerability. And she didn’t trust anyone more than him to help her weather it.
As she started to quiet, his gentle rocking and deep humming started to take center stage, lulling her toward sleep. She decided that she would allow herself to rest in his strong capable arms, trusting him to hold her safe while she slept.
After her months of solitude, followed by days of thinking she was going to die, only to wind up in another galaxy abused and tortured by ugly ass aliens, she was just so tired.
Yeah, I freaking deserve a little gosh darn respite in the arms of this freaking sexy ass alien. So suck it brain and shut the heck up.
And with that as a last thought, she faded into sleep.
~ ~ ~ ~
Taavi placed his precious cargo back onto the cot and pulled the blanket over her sleeping form. He still couldn’t believe this beautiful creature was his. Sitting in the cradle of her hips, he brushed the hair off of her face, gently tracing her nose, across her lips, and down her chin. He lightly touched her bruised cheek, cringing when she flinched in her sleep.
He would kill the Nezlean responsible for this offense against her. He would make them scream in pain and agony, the way she must have felt. He was the Captain of the Elite Warriors of Team One and no one dare touch anyone he cared about.
Tavanni help them if they did.
He didn’t want to leave her, but he had to contact Ty. He needed to make him aware of what had just happened on the Nezlean ship.
When he gently brushed a kiss on her forehead, he became entranced by the softne
ss of her skin against his lips. Pulling away, he made his way toward the control center, knowing all of his men would be there.
When he walked in, all of their eyes turned to him.
“So how is she? Is she all right, Taav?” Hannan’s concerned voice broke into his thoughts.
“Yes, she’s fine. We just need to get her to Tali so she can fix her up. I don’t want her in pain.”
He went to sit at the communications console to contact Ty.
“She sure is beautiful. She’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen or encountered. I wonder what she’s like,” Hannan mused aloud.
Before Taavi was able to restrain himself, he found himself across the small room with his forearm pressed deep into the other man’s throat.
“Don’t ever think about touching her. She’s mine, Hannan,” he said as he stared into the shorter man’s eyes, easing his pressure on Hannan’s throat.
He looked around at each of his men, making sure he had their full attention.
“Hear this, and hear this now. Natalie is my soile-miena. You will not touch or harm her. I will kill you if you do.”
He waited for each of their nods, ignoring the looks of astonishment he was getting.
As Hannan rubbed his throat, Andris slowly stood and walked toward Taavi.
“My leader, my friend, my brother. I am glad for you that you think you have found your mate. But I must caution you. You do not know this creature, nor do you know her motives. She could be a spy sent to infiltrate our empire. When we get back and Tali heals her, we should have her arrested until we know for sure we can trust her.”
Just as fast as he had turned on Hannan, Taavi whipped his gun out of his holster and pointed it at Andris.
“That is the first and last time you will ever speak such malice against my mate. Friend, brother or otherwise, I will kill you before you lay a hand against her.” Taavi watched as the other man’s eyes widened. He slowly lowered his arm and holstered his weapon. “I will have many enemies against me now. I need to know I can count on you, my brothers, to have my back. I do not need to be watching for an enemy if I have your support.”
Aaren and Aaden glanced at one another, communicating as only twins could.
“We will always have your back, Taav, you know this.” Aaren spoke first.
“You have our vow and our support, always.” Aaden replied soon after.
They both brought their right fist to their chest, above their hearts, and bowed their heads. That was a sign of allegiance and respect. Hannan made the same gesture and all eyes turned toward Andris.
“Andris, as my second and my friend, I understand that you have your concerns and reservations, but I need you as my brother. If you must, you may watch over her if it comforts you. That way you can protect her when I cannot and appease your sense of duty at the same time.” Taavi walked over to one of his oldest and dearest friend to place a hand on his shoulder. “You know I would not ask you to compromise your values if it were not important.”
Andris stared into Taavi’s eyes with his jaw clenched. The skin pulled tight over his cheekbones and put his scar into stark relief. Finally he gave a deep sigh, put his clenched fist over his heart and bowed his head.
“For you my brother, I will do this. But I will take my time in deciding whether she is innocent or not.”
Taavi gave a brief nod as relief filled him.
He knew he could count on his team to have his back. He walked back toward the communications console as the others wandered back to their seats. He sent an encoded message to Ty’s personal comlink and waited for a reply.
As he waited, he allowed his mind to wander. He thought about Natalie, about where she came from, and what it would mean when his people found out that the soile-miena bond was not extinct after all. He wondered where the Nezleans were hiding, what they were planning next, and when they were going to attack.
A sense of apprehension filled him when he thought about the Nezlean who had taken Natalie; somehow he knew that man wasn’t through with her yet.
The comlink gave a bleep, signaling a message. All it said was to meet with Ty as soon as he got back. He sighed again; they couldn’t get back fast enough.
Chapter Six
When Natalie woke again, it was because Taavi was setting her down onto what appeared to be a medical cot. At first she struggled to get away from him, terrified that he was going to experiment on her or something.
He may be hot, but no way did she want to be probed.
His deep calming voice broke through her fear.
“Peace, Natalie, we will not hurt you. My sister, Talisha, is a healer. She will do what she can for your injuries.”
“What? Your sister? No one else is in the room.”
“Sorry, dear brother, I stepped into the hall for a moment,” came a melodious voice near the door.
As Natalie turned her head, she encountered an even more beautiful specimen than the man in front of her.
The woman was tall with deep golden skin and amazing green eyes. Together with her golden blonde locks, and amazingly full lips, she was one knock out of a woman. And that didn’t even include her body.
She had the type of body any woman on Earth would kill for. Long, long legs with full rounded hips encased in a beautiful olive green fabric that draped just right, and made her eyes pop. Along with that, she had a small waist under a generous bust. All of that combined made the woman look like some sort of goddess come to life.
Natalie knew her mouth must be open, but come on!
Natalie knew she was pretty, what with her pale skin, blue eyes, and black hair. That and a C-cup, which was nothing to sneeze at, and a little more junk in her trunk than she would like, resulting in a fairly decent, if short, looking woman.
But holy crap, if she stood next to this divine creation, she would look like pig shit.
She rolled her eyes, annoyed with herself for feeling inferior to this woman’s beauty.
“Hello, Natalie. My name is Talisha, you may call me Tali if you wish, and I am a healer. If you will let me examine you, I will see what I am able to do to aid in your healing process. You seem to be similar to us in shape and form, so I think our medicines will work fine on you.”
“Hey speaking of which – literally – how is it you can speak English? It’s an Earth language.”
“Ear-ith? Did you say Ear-ith? It has been many cycles since anyone has spoken of that myth.”
“It’s actually Earth, and yes I speak of it. It’s where I come from. It’s my home planet, kind of like this planet is yours.”
Talisha looked at Taavi with wide eyes. Her face was set in shock, before a wide breathtaking smile stole over her face.
“Taav, did you hear? Ear-ith – I mean Earth – is real. It isn’t a myth. Go, you must inform the King and the Elders. Maybe Tavanni has finally heard our prayers.”
When it looked like Taavi would hesitate, Talisha gave him a push.
“Go, brother, your soile-miena is safe with me. I swear it on my life.”
With that, Taavi looked back at Natalie, gave one last searching look, and left.
“My goodness, you really have him tied up in knots, don’t you?” Talisha said on a laugh.
“I can honestly say I don’t know what you mean. Until today, I had no idea there was life anywhere outside Earth. Now I have been kidnapped and abused by those awful men, rescued by your brother – where I promptly fainted – only to awaken, sob in his arms, and then fall asleep. I haven’t even spent enough time with your brother to say one way or the other if I have him tied up in knots.”
Talisha stared at her through narrowed eyes.
“You don’t know, do you? You really don’t know.” She gave a small laugh. “Oh, this is going to be very entertaining for me. Oh yes indeed. I shall enjoy this very much.”
“Okay, I hope you didn’t mean it that way, but you just got really creepy. What will be entertaining?” Natalie asked in exasperation.
&
nbsp; “Oh dear, I don’t mean to be, but he is my brother, and anything that will give him grief and annoyance is positively entertaining in my book.”
“Oh. Okay, I get it. You think I’ll cause all this grief and problems. Hmmm. I see, I see. Well, how about I just leave if my being here causes problems?” she asked sarcastically.
Who was this woman to make these assumptions?
Talisha rushed to reassure her. “You misunderstand me. It won’t be the bad kind of trouble, but the good kind. The kind of trouble where I get to laugh at his expense. Don’t you have siblings? Surely, you must enjoy their discomfort sometimes?”
Silence fell between them.
Natalie didn’t know what possessed her, but she finally shared, “I once had a brother, but he died with my parents. I don’t have any family back where I’m from. Well, apart from some very good friends, but I’m stuck here now, so they’re gone too.”
Her emotions rose up, threatening to choke her. She wrestled in silence, and won.
She cleared her throat and spoke again. “And yes, I enjoyed watching my brother squirm from time to time. It’s probably one of the things I miss most about him.”
Talisha hesitantly took a seat beside Natalie on the bed, draped her arm around her shoulders, and leaned in so they were touching. She took a deep inhalation and gently let it out.
Turning toward Natalie she said, “I am so sorry Natalie. I didn’t mean to bring up so many sad memories. I only meant to tease you. Please don’t be sad. Forget I said anything.”
Natalie leaned into Talisha, warmed and drawn by the concern she saw in her eyes.
“Talisha – Tali – please, I’m okay. It’s still fresh. It’s been a year, or a cycle, since they passed. And it’s a good memory. Something I hope I never forget…” she trailed off, letting thoughts of the past wash over her.
They sat in silence for some time, taking comfort in each other’s presence.
“Okay, enough of this moroseness. You must be hurting after all you’ve been through. I’ll take care of you, and answer as many questions as I’m able. The ones I don’t answer, I’ll leave you to ask Taav.”
Destiny Found (Epsilon Chronicles Book 1) Page 4