Arak's Love: A World Beyond Book 2 (4 page)

The automatic winch whined behind him and Kyele’s head appeared followed by the woman in his arms as he leaped with familiar agility into the shuttle and set his cargo on her feet.

The two women embraced one another as soon as they could reach out. When they parted, Arak directed Sylvie to the row of black leather jump seats bolted to the floor along one wall. Kyele helped Joni so the women sat next to one another. Further down, the Vesuvis huddled together in their seats, eyes taking everything in.

Arak’s hands fumbled a bit with the buckles, fingers trembling.

A soft touch brushed back hair made damp from his hood. Arak glanced up and got caught in the web of a steely blue gaze. “Thank you.”

He could only nod, unable to explain his unusual reaction to her but he continued to be thrown off by the visceral need to nuzzle into her touch as her fingers glided through the strands of his hair before dropping to her lap.

Arak stood after making sure the safety harness held tight across Sylvie’s chest and made his way to his seat directly across from the women. He slumped back with relief. Sweat dripped from his brow and his body was one mass of quaking muscles and pain. Kyele pushed at the other woman’s hands despite her complaints and did up her harness as well before taking his seat beside Arak. Faruk joined them and dropped into the chair with a grunt, while Jaron argued with the shuttle pilot.

“What happened out there?” Faruk asked, white-blond hair in spikes as if he’d run his fingers through it.

Kyele’s nose curled and he answered before Arak could. “There were two of them. You reported they’d left.”

Faruk paled, blue eyes wide. “Sensors didn’t pick up anything. They left on hover bikes. Jaron and I both saw the Marenians depart.”

“Then your eyes need checking,” Kyele snapped.

Arak closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the seat. His wound had moved from burning to throbbing and he had to grit his teeth to keep his cat from taking over and lashing out with pain. The heated conversation drew Jaron’s attention.

“Faruk’s right. Nothing indicated they’d circled back, let alone set explosives to the place.” The team leader used the overhead rail for balance as he made his way to the back.

“He was supposed to scout and add cover. Where was he?”

Kyele’s demand forced Arak’s eyes open. The leader for Team Two flinched. “I checked the back. Laid low once I realized there were Marenians inside. Then the communicators went down and there was no way to warn you.”

It happened. There were times on missions when everything imploded and there was nothing for it. Nothing anyone could do except shift to a secondary plan and hope your brethren had your back.

“Did you find the females in the basement?” Jaron asked, shooting an inquisitive glance in their direction once he took a seat on Arak’s other side and fastened his cross-chest harness.

Kyele’s green eyes darkened as he folded his arms over his chest. “There was nothing in the lower level except death. Those two are from Earth.” He nodded at the females. “Torkel needs to know.”

Jaron leaned toward Arak and whispered, “We’re stopping at a port to drop off the Vesuvians. They refused to go further with us and prefer to seek medical attention on their home world.”

Both females held hands, shoulders brushing and heads tilted together. Weariness dragged at their shoulders but their eyes remained alert. Arak shifted his head to face Jaron. Keeping his voice low, he asked, “And the women?”

“With us. The Vesuvians were just transferred here a day or so ago. They’ve been drugged the whole time. According to them, the women have been here longer. Until we can question them about their experience and what they know, we’re taking them to Enotia.”

Arak’s gaze drifted to the women or more specifically one woman. Sylvie. Their gazes clashed, hers deep with concern. A frown piercing her brow. Arak shifted in his seat, attempting to straighten his leg and regretted the action immediately. He cursed several times and clenched his jaw.

Jaron flipped through a medi-pak on the shelf behind their jump seats and withdrew an injector. Before Arak could protest, his team leader jammed the pain killer into his injured leg and depressed the plunger.

“You know I hate that shit.” Drugs messed with his Argoran half but already the meds worked and his lower leg went numb.

“Deal with it.”

Chapter 4

Sylvie stayed close to Joni as the uniformed men escorted them into a large business complex after a short hover-car ride when they debarked the shuttle. Security codes used at each door hinted at the high level of security in this place. Once inside, another code opened the elevator doors.

“Where are we and why are we here?” Sylvie asked, glancing around. Conversation had been kept to a minimum during the flight followed by covert looks on the drive over.

The place had the innocent appearance of a corporate office building one would find on Earth but without the employees or furniture. Miniature cameras in the ceiling recorded their every move, the overall silence of the place unnerving her.

“You’re at a Jutak facility. We have a medical center where you’ll both be treated.”

This from the tall blond with dashing blue eyes. A friendly smile stretched across his attractive features. At one point in her past, he would have been the type of man to attract Sylvie back on Earth. Clean cut and smooth, his looks an excellent complement to the gentle manner he used toward her and Joni. He was a team lead but she wasn’t quite sure what that meant. Arak had called him Jaron and the other man Faruk. Faruk had blond hair too but more a white-blond and his gray eyes constantly scanned around them. The two could have been brothers with their similar coloring.

Neither of them entranced her as much as Arak though. He hobbled into the elevator with the help of the fourth man, Kyele. His friend propped him against the inner wall. Rivulets of blue ran down his leg and plopped on the tiled floor of the elevator. From the pain lines etched on his face and the tight press of his lips, Sylvie figured she was correct in assuming the blue liquid was alien blood. Huddled next to Joni in a far corner, she unobtrusively gazed around the elevator at the men dressed in black. Weapons covered a good portion of their body from knives with weirdly shaped handles strapped to their thighs and calves to the blue-black laser blasters holstered around their hips.

Aliens. Most of the humanoid species from other worlds bore a passing resemblance to human men on Earth and some were clearly far away from the realm of anything she could have imagined. Like the Chamele who’d owned her with his ever changing skin tones, the Marenians with the sharp thrust of horns from their temples and many others. Except these aliens, soldiers, she corrected, appeared human. If one discounted the blue blood.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened with a metallic hum. Sylvie stepped through keeping a wary eye on their little group but it was Jaron again who took the lead. “We have our own resident doctor. He’ll look you and your friend over.”

Sylvie nodded and from the corner of her eyes caught Arak using Kyele’s shoulder to help him down the hall behind them. White walls and gray carpet lined the narrow corridor. Joni kept her knives out, gaze darting around. Neither of them were doing a very good job of hiding their rising fear.

“I’m going to see Torkel. He asked for a personal update when we returned,” Faruk announced as he broke off and turned in the opposite direction down the hall.

Jaron nodded and waved him off. Sylvie slowed her steps and whispered to Joni, “You holding up?”

Joni rolled her eyes. “As well as can be expected.”

Sylvie managed a smile. They were a sight. Both dressed in skimpy, blue dresses of silk, no undergarments underneath which didn’t leave a lot to the imagination if one stared too long. Their hair hadn’t been washed in days and Sylvie knew they smelled worse.

They followed the blond soldier as he entered a room clearly used for medical purposes. Sylvie’s breath stalled in her chest and a sheen of sweat immediately broke out on her skin. The lights, the equipment and the beep of machines she recognized. Her steps froze and she couldn’t move further into the medical room. Joni touched her shoulder but Sylvie jerked away, stumbling into the wall behind her.

“Dr. Maku, these are the Earth females we mentioned.”

Sylvie’s gaze flew to the man in the white jumper. Despite his kind smile and blond good looks, a fine tremor shook her frame as he stepped in her direction. He held a small silver cylinder in his hands.

“Please allow me to help you.” He gestured at the narrow bed behind him.

Joni sensed her panic and stepped in front of her, blocking Sylvie’s view. “Stay back,” her friend warned, raising her stolen knives.

***

The arm Kyele had around Arak’s shoulder stiffened. He turned behind him and stilled. Sylvie stood behind Joni, pretty blue eyes darting around the medical center. He scented the air and her fear slammed into his guts like a powered hammer.

Arak cursed and blinked back the spots dotting his vision as he prepared to go to her side, his instinctive need to soothe her blocking his own pain. Kyele gripped his arm, fingers clenched tight before he could move.

“Allow me,” his friend muttered.

Arak’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped. “What?”

Kyele wasn’t exactly known for his friendly manner. Arak broke off the rest of his question as Kyele released him and headed toward the frightened females with measured steps. From the corner of his eyes, Arak noticed Jaron tense. Dr. Maku at least had the grace to stop and not get closer to the women.

Kyele eased to the side but stayed in front of Joni. “You need to trust us. Attacking each time one of us catches you off guard places you in danger.”

He leaned forward and added in a low voice. “I can’t allow that. Give the weapons to me.”

Arak held his breath and waited. Joni’s shoulders eased slightly. The hand holding the knives wavered before she finally passed them over. “I’m trusting you. Don’t make me regret it.”

Arak exhaled sharply as Kyele accepted the blades and nodded. Maku tipped his head to the side and introduced himself. “I’m sorry for what you have been through. I’m Dr. Maku and assigned to the Jutak warriors medical care at this facility.”

Sylvie came forward, arms wrapped around her middle. “I’m Sylvie Forrester from Earth and this is Joni Miller.”

Maku smiled and held up the neutralizer. “This will help with your injuries if you will allow me to see to you.”

It didn’t surprise Arak when Joni stepped forward first. “You can roll with me first, Doc. If nothing hinky happens then Sylvie will be next.”

Relief crashed across Sylvie’s features before she masked the expression. She searched the room until her gaze landed on him. A tentative smile started until one of the female medics came over staring at the line of blood running down his leg.

“You need attention now, Arak.”

Arak jerked from Laia’s delicate grasp on his elbow.

The smile fell from Sylvie’s face and she turned her back on him. His cat protested and struggled. Arak’s skin tightened and itched while he fought to hold back the animal within. For a moment, he worried he’d lose control for the first time since adolescence and shift. His cheeks heated when Laia frowned.

There was no explanation for why this Earthling had such an effect on his senses. Considering his past history with Laia, though brief, Arak felt like a complete
ebo
. Instead of explaining his odd behavior, he hobbled over toward one of the beds and with a hitch managed to seat himself without passing out.

Maku led Joni over to the bed directly across from Arak and Sylvie stayed on his heels, watching the doctor’s every move. Jaron propped himself against the wall, arms folded over his chest and eyed Arak, his gaze silently questioning. Arak shrugged. He couldn’t explain his reactions and now wasn’t the time to speak with his team leader.

Laia worked quickly and with a gentle touch. She cleaned his face and tossed the blue streaked cloth into a bio container. Next she unbuttoned his ruined shirt and used the neutralizer on his middle. His Argoran half had already healed most of the superficial wounds but Arak appreciated when his ribs snapped into place.

Laia glanced up. “Deep breath.”

Arak inhaled.

“Now release,” she coached.

Having gone through this before, he exhaled. No pain.

“I don’t know how you managed to function,” she murmured as she continued to run the neutralizer over his injuries. A slight press on the bridge of his nose and his face stopped throbbing as the break healed.

“You’ll need to unwind after this mission.” She cast a none too subtle look at the bulge between his legs.

His shaft twitched in agreement but Arak’s gaze returned to Sylvie and her friend. The high from assignments aroused him and he usually worked most of the heat off with a willing female sex server in the city but there were many times he’d just as soon work it off himself in the privacy of his quarters.

In order to keep from offending a friend and prior lover he said, “I’ll be fine. Torkel’s going to want to talk to the females about their time among the Marenian.”

Laia checked over her shoulder, blonde hair swishing about the white, medical jumper she wore. When she faced Arak there was a knowing glint in her blue eyes. “Hmm.”

Fortunately she didn’t voice her thoughts. She ran her hands over his injured leg, gasping at the extent of the brutal gash. “You’re very lucky.”

Arak wouldn’t exactly call having his leg shredded lucky but it was a minor difference in outlook. He knew what she meant and he
was
damn lucky.

Hands light, she eased the neutralizer up and down the bleeding wound. The damage healed in moments, the flesh knitting together with a slight burn. Laia straightened and patted his knee before pulling her hand back. “You should get cleaned up. You’re a mess.”

Arak nodded and slid off the table. He pretended to miss her look of regret.