Lovers of the Galaxy, Book Two: Bounty Hunters of the Heart (7 page)

“You heard the one to our right.” Somehow—an odd
click, perhaps—Miln sensed a weapon aimed at his head. “She wields
a dangerous weapon, probably a rifle, and since they are alone out
here, I trust she will use it.”

“Damn straight I will,” the woman, now behind them,
said. “Now put your hands up. Last time I’m gonna tell ya!”

Slowly, he put his hands in the air. Beside him,
Oshki did the same.

A pungent yet clean aroma reached Miln’s nose.
Something hard, small, and cold pressed into the small of his back.
He stiffened.

“You! Start walking up the hill.” The hard edge in
the woman’s voice told him she meant business. “And make sure your
big friend there doesn’t try anything stupid. I’m pretty good with
a shotgun, but if I miss, my sister won’t.”

“You heard her,” Miln said.

Slowly, he began trudging up the hill with Oshki
keeping pace with him. As they neared the summit, golden light
shone from posts by the home’s front entrance. A woman stood with a
weapon to her shoulder, its long end pointed at them. Next to her,
a large, shaggy dog began barking again.

“Heaven have mercy,” the woman by the dog exclaimed.
“Brody, that’s enough, boy. Shush!”

Miln kept his head down as they drew closer to the
light.

“I suppose we can tie ’em in the barn,” the one
behind him stated, “but they’re so darn big I won’t feel safe with
’em out there.”

“We can’t bring ’em into the house,” the other
objected.

“What other choice do we have, Melinda?”

The one called Melinda sighed. “Well, you keep the
gun on them while I get some rope out of the barn.”

“You heard her.” The thing in his back pressed
harder. “In the house with ya both, but if ya do anything I don’t
like, I’ll fill ya with lead.”

He moved across the bare, muddy ground with his
partner keeping pace next to him, the muck sucking at their boots.
Head down with his chin tucked tightly to his chest, he walked past
the growling, snapping canine and the other female. He glimpsed
bare, white feet with mud oozing between the toes. He reached the
door, pulled on its square handle, and stooped nearly in half to
walk inside.

“You next,” the woman told Oshki.

Miln stared at the floor as his mate moved over to
stand next to him. He wrestled with lame ideas to remedy their
situation. This didn’t bode well. Once the female got a good look
at them she would be so frightened by their appearance she might
use her strange weapon to kill them both.

Firelight emanated from a hearth and from something
on the rough-hewn table in front of him. The illumination
increased, brightening the room considerably.

“Lemme see your faces,” said the female, her tone
stern.

“Schizma!” he hissed under his breath.

“We do not mean you any harm,” Oshki said.

“Ain’t never heard anyone with a garbled accent like
that before. Look at me.”

Inwardly, he groaned. “Just let us be on our
way—”

“I said look at me—now!”

“Stay calm,” his mate said. “We are different, but we
will not hurt you.”

Fearing the worst, Miln raised his head the same time
Oshki did. The woman stared back at them with horror. Her mouth
dropped open, her eyes widened, and the shotgun she kept trained on
them began trembling.

“Lord help us,” she cried. “You be demons!”

“No,” he said soothingly. “We are not demons. We are
from a different place, one so far away from here you cannot
imagine it.”

The door swung open again, and a younger version of
the first woman halted where she stood. She dropped two small coils
of rope on the dirt floor and swung her weapon up to her shoulder,
aiming it directly at Oshki. “What the hell are you?”

“Please, just hear us out.” Miln wished he could
alter his appearance like the Kallias people could. He could only
imagine the horror the females felt as they took in his fuchsia
eyes and hair. “We do not mean you any harm.”

“He speaks the truth.” Taking a step closer to him,
Oshki lowered his hands and held them out, palms up in a placating
manner. “We are here looking for a very bad man who may hurt many
innocent people.”

The older of the two young women kept her shotgun
aimed at them as she approached. Again, Miln caught the strong
aroma of something clean wafting from her and guessed she’d just
come from a bath. Long, dark blond hair hung from her head in wet
locks, and the faint outline of her nipples showed through a thin,
white gown that hung to the tops of her feet. Her cheeks glowed
pink from a recent scrubbing.

“How do we know you’re telling the truth? It’s bad
enough we have to fight the Indians to survive. Now you’re here,
too?” She regarded him with large, dark eyes. “What the hell are
you, anyway?”

“We are Azutuans,” he replied. “Security for a base
far away. We were sent to find a man named Randle Nyerscot.”

“He kidnapped and wounded the woman we were
protecting,” Oshki added. “If we do not find him soon, he could
seriously damage this world as you know it.”

“Charlotte?” Melinda sidled over to her sister.
“Anyone who looks that strange has to be up to no good.”

“I’m not saying I believe ’em,” Charlotte returned, a
quiver in her voice, “but what if they are telling the truth?”

Melinda shook her head. From what Miln could tell,
she was at least five Earth years younger than the one called
Charlotte. Younger siblings, especially those in their teenaged
phase, were often more rash, and therefore more dangerous when
frightened or threatened.

“If we can prove we are good, will you help us?” he
asked.

The women both gaped at him then shifted their
attention to Oshki and back again.

“Take off your hats,” Charlotte commanded.

He took his off, but when Oshki hesitated, he nudged
him. “Why are you hesitating? Your coloring is more human than mine
is.”

Slowly, his mate pulled his hat from his head to
reveal his long, yellow locks and braids.

“Pointed ears!” Melinda exclaimed. “See? They’re
demons!”

“Shush.” Her sister threw her a stern look, silencing
Melinda. “Remember when Ansel was abandoned at the church? He
looked like something a cat threw up, but once we got to know him
during the trip to the orphanage, we realized he was the sweetest,
gentlest soul who ever lived.”

A stricken look crossed Melinda’s face. “You’re
right, but we still don’t need to take any chances.”

Charlotte motioned for her sister to move over by a
long wooden counter. “Keep your rifle on ’em. If they make one
wrong move, blow ’em away.” She lowered her shotgun and leaned it
against the table. “Who are you?”

“I am called Miln Se’a.” He inclined his head toward
his mate. “This is Oshki Lahmni.”

“I’m Charlotte Coppersmith, and that’s my sister,
Melinda.” Her gaze wandered up and down them both. “If you can
prove you mean us no harm, I suggest you do it soon. If our brother
comes home and finds you here, he’ll kill you on sight.”

“I have to open my satchel,” Oshki stated.

Charlotte shook her head. “For all I know, you might
have a weapon in it. Put it on the floor and push it toward me with
your foot.”

Doing as he was instructed, his partner gently
slipped the pack off his shoulder and then shoved it toward the
woman with the toe of his boot.

She retrieved it and set it on the tabletop. “What am
I looking for?”

“It is a thin, rectangular object that looks similar
to a sheet of window glass,” Oshki replied, his expression
worried.

“If you’re lying to me,” she said, eyes hard, “you’re
both dead. Understand?”

Miln nodded. These females could either be helpful or
become deadly adversaries. He only hoped it was the former.

Charlotte pulled a scanner from Miln’s satchel. He
watched the expressions cross her face as she stared at the images,
symbols, Azutuan numerals, and other readings dancing across the
screen. The woman’s eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. Finally,
she seemed to snap back to herself. She held the tool up and showed
it to her sister.

“Look, Melinda.”

Melinda’s reaction was similar to her sister’s. “What
the heck is that?”

“It’s called a scanner,” Oshki supplied. “We use them
to collect all sorts of information.”

Silence reigned in the room until an ember popped in
the hearth, sounding like the blast of a small weapon. Despite
being a trained warrior, Miln jumped slightly, and so did his
mate.

“All right,” said Charlotte. “Let’s say I believe
your story about meaning us no harm. You said he captured a woman
and that he could do damage to our world. What do you mean?”

Quickly, he explained the purpose of being in their
time, and Oshki filled in details here and there.

“So you see,” Miln finished, “it was bad enough he
took Venus, but if he’s able to change things in 1847, he could
seriously alter history to suit himself. He’s a scientist, and he
has access to tools on the stolen ship that can be modified to make
such changes.”

Charlotte motioned for her sister to put the shotgun
down. Although she appeared reluctant to obey her, Miln breathed
easier when Melinda eventually lowered the weapon.

“You’ll need to take care of your business before our
brother returns.” Charlotte shuffled over to the hearth and removed
a pot from the edge of it. “That gives you two days. If he finds
you here, you’re on your own. Rest assured he’s one of the best
riflemen in the area.” She glanced over her shoulder as she
straightened. “Do you get my meaning?”

“Yes,” Oshki answered.

He nodded.

“Are you sure about this?” Melinda asked.

Her sister shrugged. “The sooner we give ’em what
they want, the sooner they’ll be on their way.”

“I don’t want ’em in the house.” The look Melinda
gave them spoke volumes about her distrust. “I say we let ’em bunk
in the hayloft.”

“Agreed.” Placing the pot and two tin cups on the
table, Charlotte also reached for a plate covered with a cloth.
“Have some coffee and a biscuit and then we’ll get you two situated
in the barn.” She poured both cups full of black brew. “Melinda,
would you be a dear and get those two wool blankets out of Mama’s
trunk?”

Melinda shot another dark look at Miln as she crossed
the room. She returned shortly with the requested items and stood
waiting patiently by the door.

Quickly, he wolfed down his food and drank the
coffee, which was strong but pleasant. Just as fast, Oshki finished
his small meal. With a nod, the young woman and her sister led them
out to the barn.

Once they were settled in the hayloft, Miln stood at
the double doorway looking out over the barnyard. The women strode
back to their little house, heads bent together as they whispered
to one another.

“It has been a long time since I slept outdoors,” his
partner mused from behind him.

“We are not outdoors,” he replied. “We have a roof
over our heads and these doors can be shut and secured.”

“It is outdoors to me.” Rustling followed. “It
reminds me of when we were assigned to follow that wealthy
commander of the Northern Tribe. We slept in that horrible shanty
full of bugs and vermin for two nights.”

He had forgotten about that time. They’d been
miserable, had used up all their anti-itch salve, and their
body-warmth blankets had done little to hold off the cold those two
nights. After the first night Oshki had suggested they sleep
together to help conserve heat. Being spooned behind him had been
pure torture for Miln. If he shifted once to keep his hard sapin
from poking the warrior in the ass, he’d moved a thousand
times.

He studied his partner as he shook out each blanket.
“Am I to understand you are talking to me again?”

“Having two unpredictable females pointing a weapon
at you puts things into perspective.”

“Again, I am sorry for hurting you, Oshki. It was not
my intention.”

He shrugged and shot Miln a sidelong glance. “I
understand, but your reasons—as I have heard Venus say—piss me
off.” He sighed. “It is very difficult to share you with everyone
else.”

“I know, but although it might appear it is easy for
me to put others first, in truth it is difficult for me, too.”

He didn’t bother to explain any further and irritate
his mate by reaffirming his reasons for thinking of those they
protected first. It was their job, but it had become clear Oshki’s
priorities were askew. However, he prayed Oshki would eventually
learn that life and what one desired were never compatible.

“We better get some sleep.” Settling in the mountain
of loose hay, he added, “We should probably remain dressed since we
have no idea what to expect.”

A snort of amusement burst from Miln. “Yes, I would
hate to run around naked in this world and get lead shot at my
ass.”

Oshki chuckled lightly.

Leaning out, he hooked the door strap of the right
side and pulled it shut, followed by the second. He turned to find
his companion kicking off his boots and wiggling out of his Western
clothing.

“What do you think you are doing?” he asked, his cock
already hardening in anticipation.

“What does it look like?”

“What if one of the women comes to the barn to check
on us?”

“Then they will see something that will be branded in
their minds forever. Besides, we are now sure there are no kerks
monitoring us.”

“That may be true, but just know that our
relationship is taboo here.” Slowly, Miln closed the distance
between them. “If caught, we face serious consequences, maybe even
death by hanging.”

“I know.”

“And you are not worried about having to leave
suddenly?”

“No.” A primal light danced in his partner’s eyes.
“We just grab our clothes and satchels and make a run for it.”