Initiation (Xylon Warriors 1) (27 page)

“You’re the one who gave me this to wear!” She flipped the back of the shirt up, mooning them, then turned the corner and ran smack into Leila. “Oof.” Both of them fell to the floor.

The men rounded the corner and stopped beside the tangle.

“Babe collision.”

Braden chuckled.

Alexa looked up at Erik. “Very funny. Help us up. I’m sorry, Leila. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Sorry. I should have been paying closer attention.” She glanced at Alexa’s outfit as she sat up. “You need clothes.”

Braden pulled Alexa to her feet.

“Thank you.” When Erik just stood there with his arms crossed, Alexa reached out for Leila. “What’s your problem?” she asked him.

He simply grunted.

Braden grasped Leila’s other arm, and they helped her to stand.

“Thanks.” Leila turned to Braden. “I need to talk to you in private. It’s important. Business.”

Alexa wondered what was up now. The serious look on Leila’s face worried her.

“All right,” Braden answered, with only a slight narrowing of his eyes. “Why don’t you two go visit with Kam,” he told her and Erik.

“Good idea.” Erik’s fingers curled around her arm. “You know where to find us.”

Alexa’s gaze shifted from Erik to Leila. They were avoiding each other, their own gazes set purposely elsewhere, as if afraid even to acknowledge the other’s presence. Something strange was going on between those two. Erik’s fingers tightened around her arm, and he practically dragged her down the corridor. “What’s with the attitude?”

“Leave it alone, Alexa.”

His lips pressed into a thin line. He was hurting. She saw it in his eyes. She covered his fingers with her other hand and squeezed. “I’m sorry.”

He stopped, and his surprised gaze met hers. “For what?”

“For whatever’s causing you pain.”

His cheeks reddened, and he started to pull away, but then his eyes softened. “Thank you.” He gently raised her hand and kissed the middle of her upturned palm. “That means a lot to me.”

* * * * *

Braden rubbed his chin. “That doesn’t make sense, Leila. Even if I wanted to believe it, which I don’t. If that were the case, he could have taken Alexa at any time. And I never would have been in the position I was.” Fear speared through him. This couldn’t be happening.

“I haven’t figured that part out yet. But Kam knows something. I swear he does. I saw it in his eyes when I mentioned it. He might even be in on it.”

“I
won’t
believe that.” Everything he’d ever believed would be a lie, if Leila’s suspicions were true.

“I don’t want to either. But can you afford to take the chance?”

No. He couldn’t afford to take the chance. Not when it involved Alexa, and maybe even the future of their world. Anything was possible, he supposed. But how could he find out the truth for sure? Worry took hold as he wondered how deep the deception might be. If there even was a deception…

“You have any ideas on how to handle this?” he asked, wanting her input.

“A trap.”

“What kind?”

“The ultimate kind.”

* * * * *

Erik’s vid-cell beeped. He grabbed it off his belt. “Talk to me.”

“Don’t let on that it’s me,” the voice on the other end replied. “Tell them that you’re wanted by The Council, then materialize into my quarters.”

Erik hesitated. “Um…” Too weird. What the hell was going on now? “All right.” He snapped the cell closed. “Council duty calls. I’ll see you two later.”

Kam and Alexa waved him off, barely acknowledging his words; they were so engrossed in conversation. He had hoped everything would calm down now that they had Alexa safe and sound. But something was definitely off.

Leila stepped into the room just before he materialized out. Their eyes met briefly. He felt all tangled up inside and didn’t know what to do about it. He wasn’t used to dealing with these sorts of feelings, and it irritated him. The best way he knew to handle it was
not
to handle it. Not yet.

Erik materialized out of medical and into Braden’s quarters. “What’s with all the secrecy?” He watched Braden pace back and forth.

“We might have a traitor in our fold, according to Leila.”

What else was new? Warriors were defecting in record numbers. They were all traitors as far as he was concerned. But the look on Braden’s face made him take the news more seriously. His stomach clenched. “Who?”

* * * * *

Alexa’s eyes narrowed. “What are you doing?” Kam kept glancing over her shoulder, a worried look on his face.

“Looking for Leila.”

“You heard her. She went to get some clothes for me. Do you need me to find someone? Are you in pain?”

“No.” Kam struggled to sit up on the side of the bed.

“Wait. What’s going on?”

“I need you to help me get out of here.”

“Why?” No one had detained him against his will. Why was he acting like a prisoner who needed to escape? Something strange was going on. He looked so agitated—desperate almost. “Kam?”

“Help me.” He stood up, but wobbled precariously.

Alexa steadied him. “You shouldn’t be walking. It’s too soon. Leila said you need at least another twenty-four hours to self-heal since the wound was so severe.”

“No choice. I need clothes and a transport-connector.”

“Kam, please tell me what’s going on!” She felt the need to run to Braden for help. This wasn’t normal.

“There’s no time to explain, Alexa. Leila could be back any minute.” He draped his arm around her shoulders. “Help me. In there.” He pointed to a door. “I can wear one of the medical uniforms. Anything is better than this healing-wrap garb I’m in now.”

She walked him into the supply room and watched the door as instructed while he dressed. She felt like an accomplice in a crime. “You have to tell me what’s going on. You’re scaring me.” She wanted to help him, but…

He grabbed a transport-connector from a cabinet. He cupped her cheek. “Don’t worry. And do what Braden says, Alexa. He’s a good man. Always remember, you’re dear to my heart.”

Then he was gone.

Chapter Eighteen

“Are you going to tell Alexa?” Erik asked. Worry spread through him. This was not good. He could picture Alexa’s explosive reaction.

Braden shook his head. “I don’t think so. Not the whole of our suspicions anyhow. This is a touchy subject. The less conflict, the better. We need to know now, without a lot of arguing back and forth. And Leila’s right. If he is a traitor, and is monitoring us, this will work. It’ll be his last chance at Alexa. He’s powerful though, Erik. He doesn’t flaunt it, but he is. We’ll need to be prepared.”

“What if Alexa refuses to be Branded?” It was a big step. A lifetime decision. And for someone new to the Warrior way of life, it could be traumatic.

“I don’t know. I’ll just have to convince her. There’s no other way. She’s mine, Erik. I’m not letting her go. And if this is the best way to ensure that, then it will happen. No matter what.”

Erik’s eyes narrowed, and an unexpected surge of protectiveness hit him. “Her own free will, Braden.” The intensity in his voice surprised him, but this was something he felt adamant about. Force of any kind, when it came to Alexa, didn’t sit well with him. She was special and deserved special treatment.

With a fire burning in his eyes, Braden stealthily approached. “Yes. Of course, Erik.” His stare growing hotter in intensity, he added, “I appreciate your concern for her, my friend, as long as that’s all it is.”

Erik raised his hands in mock surrender and backed off. “That’s all it is, Braden.” He knew Alexa wasn’t for him, so he had no intentions of challenging Braden for her. A strange ache started in the vicinity of his heart as his thoughts switched to another woman. If only…

Braden’s eyes softened, and he too backed off. “I love her, Erik.”

“I know.” He saw it in his friend’s face and heard it in his voice. Braden and Alexa would make a good couple. He had no doubt about that. After watching how they were with each other, he knew they’d last a lifetime.

Quiet settled around them. Erik understood the dynamics of their friendship would change with Braden’s commitment to Alexa. But it was time. Braden needed someone like Alexa in his life to ground him. Erik doubted they’d be initiating any more women together. Alexa would never allow it, and Braden felt so emotionally attached to her that he probably had no desire to fill his needs elsewhere. Just as he was going to ask Braden about
his
physical involvement with her, the door slid open.

Alexa rushed in. “Oh! You’re both here. Good. I didn’t know where else to go.”

“What’s wrong?” Erik asked. He could see more than a slight disturbance in her eyes and concern filled him.

“Kam left. He wouldn’t tell me what’s going on, but something’s definitely wrong. He took a transport-connector from the medical supply room and materialized out.”

“Shit!” Braden responded. “He picked a hell of a time to disappear. We should have put security on him.”

“Security?” Her eyes widened, and she looked from Braden to Erik and back again. “So something
is
going on. I knew it.”

Braden stalked over to the dresser and grabbed a shirt. He tossed the garment at her. “Put this on, Alexa. That one you’re wearing is too short. You shouldn’t be roaming the corridors alone in it. You’re too much of a temptation. Where’s Leila?”

“I don’t know.” Alexa slipped the longer button-down shirt on over the one she had on. “She went to get me some clothes, but never came back. What’s going on?”

A bad feeling struck Erik about Kam disappearing without a word. Especially now. This whole situation had a foul smell to it. Leila might be right after all. “I’ll find her. You’ll have decent clothes available in no time.”

“I’m not concerned about my clothes, for crying out loud.”

“I know. You don’t need to worry about Kam. He can take care of himself.” Better than he normally let on.

“He’s still hurt.”

“He’ll be fine, Alexa,” Braden replied. “Erik will handle this for the moment. I need to talk to you about something.”

“Right now?”

“Yes. Right now.”

“Later, guys.” Erik headed for the door. Time to find the worm in the hole.

Alexa didn’t like the feel of things. Something was definitely going on. And nobody was letting her in on it. Braden, Erik, and Kam were too protective of her. Or too secretive. She wasn’t sure which it was.

She fluctuated from fear to anger to frustration to more than extreme wariness, to say the least. “I’m getting scared, Braden.” An understatement if there ever was one. “Please tell me what’s happening.”

Braden pulled her down to the couch with him and settled her on his lap. “You’re safe.”

“I’m not worried about myself.” Well, obviously that wasn’t true, since she’d just confessed her fear, but it went deeper than that, and she was tired of him putting her off. “I’m worried about Kam.” And that
was
the truth. He’d grabbed a special place in her heart, and she couldn’t just dismiss what was happening with him. “Why would he take off?”

“Kam’s always been like that. He gets headaches and goes off.”

“Headaches?”

“He’s half-Tamarian. Tamara is a planet in a nearby star system. His mother is from there. Their genetics don’t always work well with Xylon biology. It creates some health problems.”

“Is it serious?”

“Not for the most part.”

“For the most part?”

He patted her leg. “He’s fine. Leila keeps a close watch.”

“How can she keep a watch when he’s gone, and no one knows where he is?”

“Don’t worry about him, Alexa.”

“He’s my brother.”

“I wouldn’t lie to you about his health.”

Braden looked sincere, but she wasn’t so sure about the explanation, and concern filled her. If it were so simple, why wouldn’t Kam just have told her? There had to be more to it. Her brother had been too secretive about leaving, as if he didn’t want anyone to know…or anyone to stop him. She tried to read between Braden’s words, but his hand rubbing her thigh caused her thought processes to go all haywire, and she couldn’t concentrate, as she should.

“I want to talk to you about something. Please hear me out on it.”

Uh, oh. That didn’t sound good either. What had she gotten herself into by coming to this alien planet? “All…right,” she replied, drawing out the words, not sure that she really wanted to hear what he had to say.

“I want to Brand you, Alexa. Wait, now,” he added quickly when she stiffened. “Let me explain what that means.”

His fingers gripped her leg tighter, and his other arm wrapped around her waist, so she couldn’t go anywhere. He’d trapped her. She took a deep breath and nodded. She knew he wouldn’t actually detain her against her will if she insisted on getting up, so she supposed it wouldn’t hurt to just stay put and listen.

“Okay. I’ll listen.” Maybe Branding wasn’t as barbaric as it sounded. And maybe in the telling he’d reveal more about the new life she found herself a part of. She felt very lacking in information at the moment.

Braden relaxed. She hadn’t protested…yet. He eased his grip on her, but kept her on his lap. He wanted her close. He felt more centered when she was near. “Branding will completely protect you from the Egesa.”

When she shuddered, a heavy weight settled upon him. He wished he could take away all her fear. He only hoped he could convince her to go through with the Branding. It’s not the way he would have planned what was supposed to be a private, intimate act. But, once again, her pivotal position held their future in her hands.

“But I’m safe just being here, aren’t I? They can’t get to me.”

“Theoretically. But we have reason to believe that they’ve found a way to monitor our activity, and might even be able to get a man past our defenses and infiltrate The Lair.”

She glanced around the room. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip. She looked so vulnerable and uncertain. He rubbed her thigh—a light caress.

“These quarters are secure. At least of listening devices. Erik and I checked. We’ll do a sweep for video later today. We need to be sure you’re protected as much as possible. It’s not over yet, Alexa. But I’ll be right here with you all the way.”