Hannah's Warrior: Cosmos' Gateway Book 2 (10 page)

“
Yes.” Hannah whispered
distractedly.

She was really trying to hear what was being
said. Maybe her parents wouldn’t even know she was here. Maybe she
would get a break. She could get Borj to bring Tink back and get
out before her parents realized she was back in the States.

“
They would insist if one of these men
looked at you and touched you that you must bond with them?” Borj
asked as his eyes began to flame again and his mouth began to curve
into a wicked smile.

“
Are you kidding? If my folks found out
you were a horny alien here to kidnap me they would probably – no
definitely – get you the rope to tie me up! This is worse than any
TV reality show.” Hannah hissed out under her breath as she shooed
with her hand for him to back up.

“I…” Hannah’s voice faded as
she got a look at Borj’s face. “Oh, no….oh, no…you are
so
not going to do what I
think you want to. If you thought last night hurt you haven’t felt
anything yet.” Hannah said pushing herself against the wall and
trying to scoot around Borj.

“
I will take my chances.” Borj said as
he reached for her.

“
Uh, Tink isn’t here right now. I know
she is going to be upset at missing you. She, uh, she went out of
town for a while.” Cosmos said looking up at Angus Bell with what
he hoped was a convincing face.

“
Oh, dear. I knew we should have called
first.” Tilly said looking around with a frown.

Cosmos bit back a curse when Tilly walked
over and pulled one of the Penthouse magazines out from under the
sofa cushion. Her eyes widened with delighted interest and she
turned and sat down on the sofa. Cosmos was turning back to Angus
when a loud scream followed by a stream of curses filled the air
from above them.

“
I thought Hannah was here.” Tilly said
calmly as she leafed through the magazine turning it this way and
that way at times.

Cosmos’ closed his eyes listening at the
sound of grunts and alien curses coming down the stairs. Cracking
his eyes opened, he watched as Borj fought to keep from getting his
nose busted. His shins were not as fortunate. Cosmos grimaced as
another flash of pain crossed Borj’s face.

“
Let me go, you jerk!” Hannah yelled.
“I am so going to beat the crap out of you.”

Borj grunted as the back of Hannah’s head
connected with his chin. He felt the taste of blood as his lip
connected with his teeth. His mate was a blood-thirsty little
thing. Borj tightened his arms around her effectively trapping her
arms against her side. He should have thought about tying her feet
though. Borj groaned as the thought of having Hannah tied up in his
bed drew vivid pictures in his mind.

“
You can just keep dreaming, buddy! It
will be a cold day in hell before I let you tie me up!” Hannah
growled out trying to reach around far enough to bite
him.

“Oh dear, Angus, I think I
love him already. What do you think?” Tilly Bell’s lilting voice
chuckled out.

Angus looked at his wife who had a picture of
Miss June opened up on her lap. He leaned down over the couch and
brushed a kiss across her neck. Tilly tilted her head to the side
to give him better access with a low moan.

“
I think Miss June has nothing on you,
my love.” Angus said with a quiet growl.

“
Oh. My. God!” Hannah cried out
furiously. “Hello! Your oldest daughter is getting
attacked…manhandled…kidnapped…can’t you at least act like you give
a damn?”

Tilly looked over her shoulder. Her breath
caught in her throat as she stared intently at the huge male
holding her struggling oldest daughter against him. He was
breathtaking. And, he had Hannah. He was absolutely perfect! Tilly
laid the magazine down on the coffee table and stood up so she
could get a better look at the man.

“
Angus.” Tilly said softly.

Angus was doing some staring of his own. The
moment he saw the silver flames burning in the man’s eyes he knew
he wasn’t human. Hell, he wrote about aliens every single day. He
knew what a human looked like but he could only dream about what a
real alien would. Angus wrapped his arm around his petite wife and
drew her closer.

“
I am claiming your daughter as mine.”
Borj said as he jerked his head back away from Hannah’s again. “She
is my bond mate.”

“
Uh, Borj…” Cosmos began rubbing the
back of his neck again. “Uh…”

“
Don’t you dare, Cosmos Raines. I will
castrate you and this alien jerk in your sleep. I’ll cut you into
little pieces and feed you to the fish. I’ll…” Hannah’s furious
threats were cut short when Borj let out a deep growl and turned
Hannah swiftly in his arms. Holding her wrists together behind her
back and sliding one leg between hers to prevent her from using her
knee again, he crushed his lips against hers in a savage
kiss.

Hannah froze in stunned surprise at the
heated fury in Borj’s kiss. He was laying claim to her in front of
her parents, Cosmos, and letting them know he would not take ‘no’
for an answer. Pulling back briefly, Borj looked into Hannah’s dark
green eyes fiercely.

“Hannah, please do not
fight me.”
Borj whispered tenderly.
“I knew you were mine from the first time I saw
your image. You were beautiful but it was more than that. There was
a look in your eyes that called to me. Please, give me a chance to
show you.”

Hannah stood perfectly still as she stared up
into Borj’s flaming, silver eyes. She could see the sincerity in
them. “You don’t fight fair.” She whispered.

Borj smiled down into Hannah’s flushed face.
“I will never fight fair where you are concerned.”

Tilly and Angus watched the expressions
flashing across their oldest daughter’s face. For the first time in
ten years, Tilly felt a shaft of hope blossoming. She saw the fear
and confusion but she saw something else too. She saw curiosity,
hope, and wonder.

“
Hannah.” Tilly called out softly.
“Would you like to introduce your young alien?”

Hannah started at her mother’s voice. She
closed her eyes briefly with a sinking feeling. Was she the only
one blessed with two parents who would think meeting an alien was
not only a seemingly everyday occurrence but totally cool that said
alien was showing possessive tendencies over their daughter? Hannah
sighed deeply taking a deep, cleansing breath before she looked
back up at Borj.

“
Let me go.” Hannah said
quietly.

Borj shook his head and looked over at Angus,
Tilly, and Cosmos with a mischievous grin. “Never.” He replied
although he did release one of her wrists so she could turn and
look at her parents.

“
Hi, mom. Hi, dad. This is Borj. He is
from another planet.” Hannah said with exaggerated
resignation.

Chapter 7

Hannah’s loud groan filled the air as she let
her head fall back on the couch. Or, should she say, on Borj’s arm
on the couch. For the past three hours, her mom and dad had been
grilling Borj from everything from how Tink met his brother and how
she was doing, to his family, to what did his planet look like, to
what base crystals were made of and how they worked. The questions
went on and on and on. They would ask, Borj would answer, Cosmos
would translate, and Hannah would grit her teeth.

“
Argh!” Hannah growled out in
frustration finally. “He needs to bring Tink home! I can’t believe
you two are perfectly okay with your youngest daughter getting
knocked up by some over testosterone he-man from another world.
What kind of parents are you? Aren’t you worried about her?” Hannah
growled out trying to get up off the couch – again.

“
Of course we are worried, dear. But,
from what Cosmos and Borj have said it is because of J’kar that
your sister is alive. How can I be upset about that?” Tilly said
calmly.

Borj wrapped his arm around Hannah’s waist
pulling her closer as she struggled to get up. “Will you knock it
off? I am not in the mood to deal with you and them. I need a
drink, preferably something with alcohol.” Hannah snapped out
impatiently.

Her body was doing all sorts of funny things
when he touched her and she didn’t understand it. She needed to get
away from him. She needed time alone to figure out what was going
on.

Borj looked with concern at the wild look in
Hannah’s eyes. He slowly released her but not before he ran the
back of his hand gently down her cheek. Something was wrong. He
tried to ask her silently but she had shut him out.

Tilly watched quietly as Hannah got up and
headed for the kitchenette. She was worried about her oldest
daughter. Tilly turned her attention back to Borj who was also
watching Hannah with worried eyes.

“
You must be patient with her. It will
take her time to accept you and trust you. She has a very good
reason not to trust people.” Tilly said softly.

Borj turned his gaze to Tilly. “Why?”

Cosmos cleared his throat before repeating
Borj’s question. “He wants to know why?”

“
It’s none of his business.” Hannah
said quietly from the doorway between the kitchenette and living
area. “It is no one’s business but mine.”

Tilly rose from the chair she was sitting in
and walked over to her oldest daughter. Hannah was several inches
taller than her mother but she always felt smaller around her.
Tilly wrapped her arms around Hannah and held her. Hannah stood
stiffly for a moment before she slowly wrapped her arms around her
mom, hugging her back.

“
I’m scared, momma.” Hannah whispered
softly in Tilly’s ear. “I don’t understand all these strange
feelings going on inside me.”

Tilly smiled gently and leaned back to brush
Hannah’s hair back from her face. “I know. What do your feelings
tell you when you look at him, sweetheart?” Tilly asked gently.

Hannah looked up and stared into Borj’s dark,
silver eyes. She could easily drown in them. Hannah focused in on
the feelings she felt when she looked into his eyes. She felt…safe,
loved, a sense of peace. Borj smiled softly at Hannah. It was as if
he knew she was trying to see if she could trust him; not only with
her body but with her heart and soul.

“I will always be there for
you, my ku lei, always.”
Borj’s voice
whispered softly in her mind.

Hannah’s eyes darkened with confusion and a
small amount of fear. She looked back down at her mom who was
waiting patiently for Hannah to work things out in her own mind.
Hannah shook her head in denial.

“
I don’t know.” Hannah responded. “I
don’t understand any of this.”

Tilly smiled up encouragingly at Hannah.
“Believe in your feelings, Hannah. They have always guided you to
safety. They will continue to do so. Now, let’s go fix the guys
something to eat. Your father has been working on his new book so
much he hasn’t wanted to eat.”

Hannah looked at Cosmos, her dad, and Borj
before looking back down at her mom. “I would kill for some pizza.
I haven’t had one in almost two years. Do you think we could order
out?” Hannah begged softly.

“
RITA!” Tilly called out.

“
Yes, love.” RITA replied
cheerfully.

“
Can you order two pepperoni pizzas
with extra cheese, a fresco with spinach and black olives, three
dozen wings – mild, and a double order of garlic knots.” Tilly
called out.

“
It will be here in forty-five minutes
to an hour. I’ll let you know when they pull up.” RITA
replied.

“
Thank you, dear.” Tilly called out
pulling Hannah back over to the couch and gently pushing her back
into Borj’s arms. “Now, tell me again about how Tink met your
brother.”

Borj settled back against the couch with a
sigh. He was beginning to appreciate Cosmos’ and Hannah’s
reluctance at letting Tilly and Angus know about him. He wanted to
take Hannah upstairs and wipe the fear and uncertainty out of her
eyes. He also needed to return to Baade. The longer he stayed here,
the more dangerous it was.

Borj looked at the caution
in Angus’ eyes and gave a brief nod. He understood Hannah’s mother
needed reassurance her youngest daughter was safe and happy. He
also understood Hannah was not ready to return with him. He wanted
to howl out in frustration. He imagined his union would have been
much different. More like his brother and Tink’s where Tink seemed
unable to keep her hands off of J’kar. Borj glanced at Hannah out
of the corner of his eye. She was trying to sit stiffly so she
didn’t lean against him but the soft cushions on the couch made
that almost impossible. As he once again told how J’kar and Tink
met and about how close they came to losing her, he let his hand
gently rub against Hannah’s back until he felt her begin to relax
and settle closer to him on her own. Yes, her mother was right. It
would take time and patience. He would do whatever was necessary
for his mate.
Even,
Borj thought in despair,
if it killed
him.

Much later, after the pizza and more stories,
this time about the adventures of Hannah, Tansy, and Tink growing
up, Borj reluctantly settled back down on the couch to sleep. Angus
and Tilly left about an hour ago to sleep in their ‘motor home’.
Borj was fascinated at the idea of someone living in a home that
moved around all the time. This was an interesting world. He liked
the different foods and the drink called beer that Cosmos gave him.
Borj pulled one of magazines Cosmos gave him with Hannah’s
photographs in it out to look through. He rolled over and turned on
the small lamp next to the couch. This one was a special edition
highlighting Hannah’s work from when she was only a child through
to last year.