Hunter's Claim: The Alliance Book 1 (8 page)

No,
she thought in despair.
It has
everything to do with an alien warrior hot enough to melt every bit
of resistance I have inside me.

Jesse stepped cautiously through the doors.
She would have turned and run back to the cabin where she had woken
earlier if it wasn’t for the fact that Hunter was blocking the
doorway. Her eyes swept the large dining room filled with mostly
men. There were a few female aliens scattered among the men but
they were far outnumbered. All of them were seated near a male.

Her eyes paused briefly on the female she
had met once before. Her brow creased as she tried to remember the
woman’s name. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she had met
her.

“Her name is Bree,” Hunter said as he slid
his hand around her waist when he felt her hesitate. “She is the
Amate
of Carp, the healer who took care of you and
Jordan.”

Jesse nodded but her eyes were focused on
the two small, pale females sitting next to Bree and Carp. Jordan
saw her first before Taylor. Jordan looked at her in concern while
Taylor’s eyes lit up and she rose from her s
eat
with a cry of delight.

Jesse took a step forward and opened her
arms as Taylor rushed forward. Jesse closed her eyes and held her
little sister tightly, overcome with emotion to see the sun shining
in Taylor’s eyes again. Jesse pulled back far enough to cup
Taylor’s cheeks. She searched every area of her sister’s face,
needing the reassurance that Taylor was really alright.

“Are you okay?” Jesse asked hesitantly.

Taylor smiled. “Yes,” she said with a small
smile. “I got knocked out so I didn’t know what was going on, thank
goodness. Jordan didn’t say anything but Saber said that they took
care of the men who attacked us. From the look on Jordan’s face,
I’d say they kicked some ass.”

“Taylor,” Jesse said sternly in rebuke at
her sister cussing but she couldn’t prevent the corners of her
mouth from lifting at the mischievous twinkle in her eye. “They
kicked some major ass.”

Taylor tilted her head. “Are you okay?” She
asked, suddenly seeming so much older than fifteen. “We woke up a
few days ago but Hunter said you needed more time and we needed to
let you rest.”

Jesse looked over to where Hunter was
talking quietly with Saber and Dagger. He looked up as if he knew
she was thinking about him. She flushed and lowered her head. She
was so confused. None of this made any sense to her.

“I’m fine,” she replied. “I’m just glad you
and Jordan are alright and… safe.”

Taylor grinned. “Come on and sit with us.
Are you hungry? It is so different, being able to eat when we want
and not be starving all the time.”

A low growl rumbled through the room as
several warriors heard Taylor’s comment. Jesse flushed again, this
time out of guilt. She had done a piss-poor job of protecting and
taking care of her sisters. She had done the best she could but it
was obvious from Taylor’s comment it had not been good enough.

“Don’t,” a soft warm voice whispered in her
ear. “What you did was remarkable. I do not know of many warriors,
myself included, who could have done what you did.”

Jesse glanced up at Hunter and gave a small
shake to her head. She stiffened when he turned her to face him. He
carefully cupped her face between his hands, tilting her face
upward so he could see her eyes.

“I mean it, Jesse,” he said. “What you did
is remarkable. There is not a warrior here that is not in awe of
what you have done.”

Doubt clouded her eyes as she continued to
stare up at him. “Why? You heard Taylor. We were always cold,
hungry, tired. We had to move constantly and they were always in
danger,” she murmured in regret. “That is no life for a fifteen and
seventeen year old. They should have been enjoying high school,
going to dances and thinking of boys.”

“Things that you gave up to care for them,”
Hunter pointed out. “You risked your life to save mine.”

“I couldn’t let them kill you like that,”
she started to say, stopping when he touched her lips with his
thumb.

“I was an alien to your world,” he reminded
her. “My people were the reason your world was the way it was.
Others would have left me to die and felt I deserved such a death
and more.”

Jesse flushed when she realized that the
room had become silent as all the warriors in the room listened to
her and Hunter’s conversation. She looked at all the eyes staring
at her, waiting for her response. She trembled and moved closer to
Hunter. She turned to look at him when she felt his arms move down
to draw her closer.

“My world is like it is because of the
humans who live there,” she stated calmly. “You
r
coming only gave them the excuse they were looking
for to self-destruct.”

Hunter drew her against his chest and held
her close. This human female continued to shake him. It took
several long moments before her arms reached out and circled his
waist. He looked over at Jordan as he felt Jesse relax against him.
Jordan nodded and smiled sadly at him before she turned away. It
would not be easy but he was beginning to learn and be accepted by
his new family. He just needed to assure them that he would not
leave them as well.

*.*.*

Jesse stood in the doorway separating the
bathroom from the bedroom. There wasn’t a lot of room in the cabins
and they had been bumping into each other since they returned from
the dining room. Jesse had suggested that she get her shower
first.

Now she stood in indecision as she looked at
where Hunter was leaning back against the headboard of the bed
reading. She glanced at his long body then the door leading out of
the room. She flushed with guilt when she glanced back and saw him
studying her with a tight look.

“The door is sealed,” he commented, rising
from the bed. “I am the only one who can unlock it.”

“I…” Jesse turned red and bowed her head so
her hair would hide her face. “I still think it would be best if I
stayed with Jordan and Taylor.”

“And I think you will be more comfortable
here,” Hunter said, standing in front of her. “The rooms are
small.”

Jesse nervously pushed her hair behind her
ear and stared at the bed. They had already had this argument –
twice. Each time, Hunter had insisted that she stay with him.

“We’re used to small areas,” Jesse argued
again. “They can have the bed. I’m used to sleeping on hard
surfaces. The floor will be fine. I can lay a blanket down
and…”

“No,” Hunter retorted firmly. “You are my
Amate
. You will stay by my side where you belong.”

“I never agreed to be your
Am-
Amate
,” Jesse stammered out. “I never agreed to any of
this.”

She waved her hand around in aggravation.
She was so far over her head she was past drowning. She had sunk to
the bottom and couldn’t even see the top. Unable to deal with the
uncertainty shaking her, she wrapped her hands around her waist and
hugged herself.

“Get in the bed while I use the cleanser,”
Hunter ordered gently. “Scoot next to the wall. I need to be near
the door.”

“Why?” Jesse asked, tilting her head to look
up at him.

“A warrior always sleeps near the door,” he
said in exasperation.

Jesse stepped aside so he could walk into
the bathroom. She waited until he closed the door before she
muttered under her breath. She squeaked when he opened the door and
glared down at her before closing it again.

“Stupid alien super-hearing,” she cursed out
before growling in aggravation when she heard his deep chuckle.

She climbed into the bed thankful for the
long tunic that she wore. It covered her from her shoulders to her
knees. She scooted under the covers near the wall and turned her
back to the bathroom door. She just hoped he stayed on his side of
the bed.

*.*.*

Hunter grimaced as he stepped under the cold
flow of mist. He really needed a long, icy cold shower in the
waterfalls near his home. He couldn’t keep the grin from his face
as he thought of her muttered comment.

“I’m a warrior too, you know,” she had
snorted out under her breath.

She was right,
he thought as he
rubbed cleanser through his hair.
She was a warrior. But, no
longer,
he thought fiercely as he rinsed the solution out of
his long hair and ran his hands over his body.
It is my turn to
protect her from now on.

He leaned forward for a moment before
turning off the cleansing mist. He breathed deeply through his
nose, trying to calm his mind and body. He wanted her. He wanted
her badly. A shudder went through him as he gripped his hard cock
in his hand.

So much for a cold mist,
he thought
in frustration.
I cannot even seek relief from my own
hand.

A shudder went through him as he released
his throbbing length with a low hiss. He stepped out of the unit
and reached for a drying cloth. Once he was done, he looked with
regret at the training pants that she had laid out on the counter
for him. He knew that was her way of saying she wanted him to wear
a cover to bed. He glared at the offending material. His hands
clenched as he resisted the urge to shred them.

He muttered a dark curse before he grabbed
the pants and slid them on. He stared back at his reflection. Dark,
repressed passion had changed his eyes to an almost gold color. He
reached up and ran his fingers through his damp hair. His eyes
froze on the two bands of tattoos circling his wrists. He slowly
lowered his arms and stared at them, reading their meaning.

I am Hunter. I belong to Jesse as she
belongs to me. Forever will I tie my life to hers. I will care for,
protect and give my seed only to her. She is my Amate. She is my
life.

Doubt filled him as he touched the dark
markings. It was true, she was his life, his future. When he said
he would give his seed only to her, he was saying that she was the
one who would decide if his lineage would continue. A shudder went
through him as he thought of what life would be like if she were to
deny him his claim. It would be a bleak, cold and very frustrating
existence.

He glanced back in the mirror. Determination
glittered from his eyes and his mouth tightened. He wanted her
desperately. He knew she wasn’t immune to him. He felt her heart
increase when he was close to her and he didn’t scent it being
caused by fear. His eyes warmed as he remembered her eyes darkening
as she stared at him.

No,
he thought with satisfaction.
She is not immune to me. I just need to drive her to the point
of madness that she will beg me to take her. I will court her until
she melts in my arms. I will show her that I am the only male that
she wants touching her. And I hope I survive it long enough to
enjoy the rewards.
Feeling more confident, he gave the command
for the lights to dim.

All of his plans flew from his mind the
moment he stepped out of the door to the cleanser and caught the
sweet scent of Jesse. If that wasn’t bad enough, the sight of her
lying in his bed, one shoulder bare as the tunic she wore slipped
down and the covers curled around her waist, were enough torture.
He stepped up to the bed and pulled the covers back just far enough
so he could slide in beside her. He wrapped his arm around her
waist and pulled her closer. She stiffened at first before finally
relaxing back against him.

“Hunter.”

“Yes, Jesse,” Hunter responded.

“What’s going to happen now?” Jesse asked,
staring at the wall.

Hunter could hear the confusion and
uncertainty in her voice. Her body trembled ever so slightly but he
could still feel it. He let his warmth surround her. He understood
her confusion. He had always dreamed of having an
Amate
and
eventually a family but he had always expected it to be with a
female of his own species. He was on unfamiliar ground and he
didn’t like it any more than she did.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Perhaps we
should just take it one day at a time. This is new to me as
well.”

Jesse relaxed even more and shyly wrapped
her hand over the one he had draped over her stomach. Her fingers
threaded through his and she squeezed them. A small smile curved
her lips at the slight sound of confusion in his voice.

“I’d… like that,” she whispered. “Thank
you.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Jesse,” Hunter
murmured burying his face in her hair. “But I hope you do not take
too long to learn about me. I really want you, little human. Your
scent is driving me crazy.”

He moaned silently when he felt her body
shake as she giggled. It was worth the extra pain when he felt her
relax even more and her breathing even out as she fell asleep. He
lay awake for several hours just enjoying holding her in his arms.
She was small and needed to gain some weight but she fit perfectly
against him.

He rubbed his chin against her hair and
wondered if she would like living on his world. He thought of all
the things he wanted to show her and her sisters. Pride flared
inside him even as his eyes began to droop as exhaustion pulled at
him. He had a family. It was small and strange but it was his and
he would do everything in his power to protect it.

Their days fell into a pattern on the
warship. Each day, Hunter would go off to his duty station and
Jesse, Jordan and Taylor would spend time with Bree or explore the
ship. They were three weeks into their journey when they discovered
the training room. Jesse laughed as Taylor’s eyes lit up as they
walked in and she saw the huge area where the warriors worked
out.

Taylor had been in gymnastics since she
could stand. She was always tumbling and rolling on the floor.
Their dad had thought it would be a good way for her to expend some
of her energy. It had been devastating when the world went crazy
and Taylor couldn’t train any longer. She had gone to the National
Championship in her age group for years and had dreamed at one time
of going to the Olympics.