Hunted: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance, page 10
Jobek offered her a rare smile. “It sounds as if you would like to know more about us.”
“I would like that very much.” Heat broke out on her cheeks as his dark gaze stared into hers. “Tandor called you brother. Are you blood relatives, or was it just a show of familiarity?”
“We are not blood relatives, but it is more than simple familiarity. It might make more sense just to take you through the basic facts.”
She nodded so Jobek began the tale.
“My grandmother was a Torretian slave. Her master used her as a breeder, which is not uncommon in certain sectors of the planet. She gave him four children, three sons and a daughter. He accepted the three sons as payment for her freedom then set her free with the daughter.”
He spoke so casually, as if breeding slaves and bartering children went on every day. She had to keep reminding herself that he was speaking of an alien planet. All she knew about their culture or social practices were the traditions pertaining to power triads. “I’m thrilled that he finally set her free, but to rob her of three of her children seems incredibly cruel.”
His gaze moved over her face, assessing her reactions to the events. “Most breeders are used until they can no longer produce children and then they are sold as laborers. His treatment of her was considered generous for the time.”
The final phrase gave her hope. “Please tell me that sort of thing has been outlawed.”
“It has been against the law for centuries, but that doesn’t keep it from happening.”
She nodded. The same was true on Earth. Nearly every country on the planet had outlawed slavery, yet people were bought and sold every day. “Was your mother the daughter you mentioned?”
“Yes. Her name is Napeth and she met and fell in love with a young man named Colenor when she was barely sixteen. My grandmother finally saved enough money to buy passage for herself and Napeth back to Torret. Napeth was crushed and did everything she could to avoid the trip, but she was only sixteen so it was not her decision to make. Colenor was a few years older, an adult by Altorian standards.”
“He went with them?” Ansley asked cautiously. The tragic story had just taken a romantic turn and she hoped the new course would continue.
“He joined the Torretian military so that he could be near her.”
“But wasn’t he Altorian?” Ansley asked, confused by the contradiction.
“He was. However, the planets were not yet at war. It was unusual for foreigners to join the militaries of other worlds, but it was not unprecedented. Anyway, the couple bonded days after Napeth turned eighteen and no longer needed her mother’s permission.”
All this talk of desperate young lovers reopened old wounds. She’d always longed for someone to share her life. Someone who would love and support her. She wanted stability and children, a place she could call her own. “Did they ever make up, your mom and grandmother?”
“Briefly, before my grandmother died.”
“I’m sorry it took so long. The conflict must have been hard on everyone.”
One of Jobek’s shoulders lifted in a subtle shrug. “I’m sure it was, but I was too young to remember.”
His brittle tone hinted at pain, yet it was obvious that he didn’t want to talk about it. “Please, continue with the story.”
He paused and took a deep breath, likely organizing his thoughts. “Napeth became pregnant a few months after they bonded. The pregnancy was not planned but it was welcomed. Colenor knew that the only way he would be able to provide for his mate and their child was to reenlist in the military. I was born a short time later, but my father died in battle three weeks after my first birthday.”
She gasped softly, hand flying to her mouth. “Oh, my God.” So much for the romantic turn to his tragic story. She lowered her hand and tried to relax her expression. He was volunteering the information, but he didn’t need to relive the trauma of those early years. “You never knew him?”
“I did not know my father and barely knew my mother or grandmother. By the time I turned six, they had all died. That’s when Tandor’s parents became my guardians.”
“I’m glad there was someone there to take care of you, but I’m very sorry that you lost so many of the people you loved.”
Jobek just stared back at her silently, his rugged features locked in an expressionless mask.
Not sure what else to say, she shifted her gaze to the male beside her. “Did you two know each other before that or is that how you met?”
“Napeth and my mother were best friends,” Tandor told her. “When Napeth was left to raise a young son on her own, my parents allowed her to move into a cottage on their land.”
“Then you two grew up together.”
“We did,” Tandor confirmed. “Napeth died four years later, so it seemed natural for Jobek to become part of our family.”
Emotion clogged Ansley’s throat and she blinked back tears. Jobek’s entire family had died one after the other leaving him alone and defenseless. She understood how that felt. Her family hadn’t died, but her reality had been shattered, leaving her adrift in an unfamiliar circumstance.
“Don’t pity me too much,” Jobek cautioned. “The story is not over yet.”
She acknowledged his statement with a nod and swallowed past the tightness in her throat. “How did your mother die?”
“She succumbed to a lung infection, but it was a common side effect of a drug she was abusing,” Jobek explained. His face was still expressionless as if the events were unimportant. He had either buried his emotions long ago or time had allowed him to accept all the loss in his childhood. She didn’t know him well enough to decide which was more likely. “She never recovered from my father’s death. He had sacrificed so much so they could be together. It just seemed unfair.”
“I wish you’d had a chance to know them. That seems unfair too.”
His head dipped once then he moved on. “My origins might have been tragic, but I lacked for nothing as a child. Tandor’s parents are wonderful. I was loved and supported through all of my defining years. They had five children of their own and they still opened their hearts and home to me. We might not share a bloodline, but we were a family. That is why Tandor and I often call each other brother.”
She smiled warmly then turned her attention to Tandor. “So what was life like in a family with five, or rather six children.”
Tandor took a moment to answer. His face was more expressive than Jobek’s. She’d noticed that Tandor’s eyes changed color when he was riled up. He was relatively calm now, so the red flecks in his dark irises were barely visible. “My family was loving and supportive, as Jobek said, but money was always a problem. My father was a fabricator. He made custom fittings for everything from skimmer engines to office towers.”
Ansley found the occupation surprising. “I figured any sort of manufacturing job would be automated in your star system. The automation trend has already begun on Earth.”
“Most of manufacturing is automated, but the custom nature of my father’s projects made it hard for a robot to replicate. My father didn’t stamp out thousands of pre-engineered parts. Everything he created was made to order and usually solved a complex problem.”
“Did your mother work outside the home?” Ansley felt relaxed and at ease for the first time since these two had zapped her off the mountain. It had been obvious from the start that they would not harm her, but the menacing tension she’d felt around them was finally easing.
Tandor chuckled. “With six children? It would have cost much more in childcare than she could hope to earn. Anyway, we always had a place to live, never went without food. and always had clothes on our backs, but that was as far as my father’s compensation stretched. Each customer paid very well, but his projects were few and far between.”
“Money isn’t everything,” Ansley insisted. “I worked from dawn until dusk and slept in a dormitory. Most would consider that incredibly poor, yet I was happy.” Or she had been until she’d found out that her entire life had been a lie.
“The story isn’t over,” Tandor cautioned. “My father was involved in an accident that crushed his arm and ruined his hand. The company he worked for covered his medical bills and a very basic prosthetic. However, he was unable to do his original job and the alternatives they offered him were insulting. He finally found a position teaching at a trade school, but the compensation was half of what he’d been making before.”
Her heart sank and her chest ached. Were there no happy stories in their star system? “What did your parents do? Were your siblings old enough that your mother could find a job?”
Tandor looked insulted by the suggestion. “It is the male’s responsibility to provide for his family. If the father is unable to meet their needs, the responsibility falls to the oldest son, not the female.”
She knew from her research that gender roles were more stringent in their star system than they were on Earth. Still, this seemed really old-fashioned for a society with spaceships. “Who is the oldest son and how old was he?”
“Neloff had just turned nineteen. Me and Jobek were thirteen, so all three of us found ways to help out.”
She managed to fight back a gasp but her eyes widened. “You went to work at thirteen?”
“We compiled information for Neloff, who started hunting bounties.”
Her jaw dropped. She couldn’t help it. “Neloff became a bounty hunter at nineteen?”
“We were his recon team, but yes, he and a friend did the actual hunting. They started with planet bound targets until they’d saved up enough money to buy a rusted-out ship. That ship was replaced by bigger and newer ships until Neloff was running a full crew in a state-of-the-art spaceship.”
She admired his entrepreneurial spirit, but hunting bounties was so dangerous. She hated to think about anyone that young interacting with dangerous criminals. “Does he still work with his original partner?”
Tandor shook his head. “He found a female and she insisted that he find a less dangerous job.”
“That’s understandable.” Her thoughts would have been much the same.
She paused and looked at her companions, really looked at them. They were both physically appealing but in very different ways. Jobek’s size and military bearing brought to mind lumberjacks and ancient warriors. Yet his features were ruggedly handsome rather than brutish. Tandor, on the other hand, had an exotic mystique that drew her attention time and again.
Shaking away the momentary distraction, she refocused on the exchange of information. “How long have you guys been part of Neloff’s crew?” This was helping more than she’d expected. She was starting to see them as people, not just a source and a controller determined to claim a conduit. She understood why Tandor smiled more easily than Jobek, and recognized the pain deep in Jobek’s night-black eyes.
“Six, no, seven years,” Jobek told her. “We joined a security firm when our contracts with the Torretian military were fulfilled, and joined the crew of the Madelle after that.”
“The security firm worked for the scientists who use these outposts?”
Jobek just nodded, so she moved on.
“You said you’re a master controller. How long were you at the Citadel?”
“We were assessed at the Citadel, but I had a private tutor,” he told her. “As did Tandor and Neloff. The Citadel rejects anyone with Torretian blood and DNA analysis is part of the application process so no one ever sneaks through.”
“Wow, that seems harsh.”
“They turn away a lot of really talented people,” Tandor said. “My brother’s the perfect example. His scores were—”
“Almost as high as yours,” Jobek cut in. “Tandor likes to downplay his own abilities, but he is the strongest source I’ve ever encountered. And our mentor agrees that he is exceptional.”
“Jobek is just as exceptional,” Tandor insisted. “And you are a second-level conduit. If, or hopefully when, you allow us to claim you, our triad will be phenomenal.”
They had worked their way back around to the present and the decision awaiting her. She wasn’t foolish enough to believe that they had fallen madly in love with her in less than twenty-four hours. They wanted her because of her abilities, or her potential abilities. Still, their sexual chemistry was off the charts and she liked them a lot more than she thought she would now that they were bothering to speak with her.
“What will happen if I choose not to accept you guys as my mates?” Even knowing the question would annoy them, she wanted to see what they would say. “What will the people at the Citadel do with me?”
Jobek shrugged, though his nonchalance was unconvincing. “You will start over. They will likely give you a week or two to adjust and then teams will start courting you.”
Ansley suspected she didn’t have a week or two. Her heightened emotions and close proximity with two virile males had compromised the suppressant Dr. Lorish… Who the hell knew what that creature had injected her with. He might have heightened her sex drive for all she knew.
“You are a prize worth fighting for, Ansley,” Tandor stressed. “Do you understand how valuable you are? Multiple ships from three different planets are here searching for you.”
Why did he think she would be comforted by the thought? Maybe he wasn’t trying to put her at ease. Was he emphasizing the danger so she would turn to him for protection?
“Each team that courts you will pursue you as aggressively, as determinedly as we have,” Jobek warned, desire igniting in his eyes.
Angered by yet another attempt to manipulate her, Ansley snapped, “So what the hell am I supposed to do if I let you claim me and then feel an even stronger connection for a team at the Citadel? You two are the first team I’ve ever met. I’m twenty-five years old and I’ve flirted with a grand total of one other male. Only one.”
“We will give you as much time as we possibly can,” Tandor promised, “but Commander Cylex is already here.”
Jobek went on with even more vehemence. “Half of our star system is still searching for you. We must use this time wisely because it could end without warning.”
“You’ll have to be a little more specific.” She hadn’t meant the statement to sound bitchy, but something about Jobek made her want to challenge him, to provoke him until he pounced. “I’m not sure what you’d consider wise.”
Jobek’s only reaction was the subtle narrowing of his eyes. “We were rejected by the Citadel. If we release you without establishing some sort of claim, they will take you away from us.”
Tandor continued to build their case. “Our courtship would be undeniable if we join bodies with you. Our position would be even stronger if we form a mind link, even a temporary one.”
She laughed, feeling feisty and more than ready to play. “I’m not the one who shut things down. I want access to my power and you guys want time to court me properly. We might be coming at this from different directions, but we want the same thing.”
Jobek’s expression had gone from serious to grim. “If you are serious about having us release your power, you need to understand exactly what that means.”
“It means I have sex with you. I’m not ready to be claimed. I’m okay with a mind link as long as it’s temporary. I’m not agreeing to anything permanent, but I’m ready for you to fuck me. Is that specific enough?”
Jobek pushed to his feet and stared down at her imperiously. “There are two steps to accessing your power. Tandor would open a pathway to the mystic energy, allowing it to flow freely through your mind and body. It will be a rush like you cannot imagine, but your element is fire and fire consumes everything it touches.”
“Why is my element fire?” His assertion had come out of nowhere, derailing her thoughts about sex. “What do the elements have to do with magic?”
The males looked at each other, obviously as confused by her questions as she had been by Jobek’s last statement. “Power triads control the elements,” Jobek explained. “All of our magic is based in the elements.”
Tandor went on as Jobek fell silent. “When power triads were created each planet was given control over a different element. Altorian triads control fire, the Torretians control water, Pyron controls air, and earth or nature was given to Houkdi.”
“I can’t believe this wasn’t in any of the information I was allowed to read.” She couldn’t think of a reason why the founders wouldn’t have wanted her to know about this.
“Neeva might have been revealing the truth gradually, so you wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed,” Tandor suggested with a shrug.
“There has also been a recent shift toward combining the elements,” Jobek offered as he returned to his place half on and half off of the bed. “The new focus began when the first set of second-level conduits were claimed. Your mentor might not have wanted to limit your thinking by teaching you that you could only control one element.”
“Well, whatever her reason, I know more about my abilities right now than I ever have before.” She took a deep breath and tucked the sheet more snugly under her arms. “Back to my awakening. Tandor will open the pathways allowing the energy to flow.”
“It won’t just flow,” Tandor warned. “Your power has been suppressed for more than twenty years. It will build inside you like a volcano and explode in a burst of fire.”
She shivered, equal parts excitement and fear teasing her senses. “You’re saying that the fire will need to be controlled and I won’t be able to do it.”
“We will be lucky if I am strong enough to do it,” Jobek warned.
The balance on her emotions tipped over into fear. She scooted off the bed, managing to take part of the bedding with her. “You’re scaring me.”
“That is not my intention, but I think it’s important for you to understand what we will be facing.”
She quickly wrapped the blanket around her, covering her body from her armpits down. “If it all takes place in my mind, do we even need to have sex to make this happen?”
“Sex produces a combination of chemicals that triggers the metaphysical connection. The link cannot be formed unless we’re in the throes of passion.” Tandor crawled off the bed and went to her. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he drew their lower bodies together. “I thought you wanted our cocks deep inside you.”
