Hearts of Ishira (Hearts of Ishira Saga) (21 page)

Arianna thought Bev asked the question more for the benefit of the others than for herself, since she’d been at the meeting and knew as much as Ri did. She shrugged and shifted into a more comfortable position. At least she didn’t need to call one of the medics in to help her sit up now. She still hurt, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been the day before. One of the other girls heard Bev’s question and moved to join them. Kim was her name, and she was a lovely young woman of Latino heritage. She was smart, witty, and very friendly. She also shared an interest in sci-fi/fantasy and anime. At least some of the girls had glommed onto Arianna’s seniority and the fact that the men had already acknowledged her as leader, and were willing to listen to her. She had to thank the stars for that little blessing. If the guys weren’t going to listen to her assertions that she wasn’t the leader, at least the girls could make it reality for awhile. And it was nice that some of them seemed genuinely interested in being friends with her. It had been awhile since she’d had close friends. Too long.

“According to what Hunter told me in the med center,” Arianna said, shaking herself mentally, “They are stranded here, too. They have a small hope that their people might find them someday, but they have been here for nearly a decade already.”

“They have that command center, don’t they?” Kim asked. “Why don’t they just use their high-tech computers to call their ships to come take them home?”

“It’s not quite that simple,” Bev said, sobering. “They’re here because their home world is no longer theirs. It was taken over by another race, the Solvari. So what was left of their people evacuated and scattered to the stars.”

“Hunter’s ship ended up here, and then was damaged, so they ended up building the compound. They’re planning on colonization, so that if their people ever manage to find them, they will have a place to settle,” Ri put in.

“But as for the technology… I don’t think they can use a homing beacon yet,” Bev finished up, “Because the one on their ship was broken. And I think they’re afraid that if they do use one, their enemies will find them more quickly than their people will, and they have no way to defend against an aerial attack right now.”

“Been talking up the boys in command?” Ri asked, grinning. Bev blushed but nodded.

“As much as I could, without understanding them. They mostly showed me through videos and footage from on-board cameras, I think. I figured the rest out. I could be wrong about some of it, though. They could have been showing me their version of
Star Trek
, for all I know.”

“So… what do they think of us?” Kim asked shyly, quietly. Arianna smiled gently at her.

“Jace admitted that he’s already run tests on us and found that we are possibly compatible for mating,” Ri reminded her, repeating what she’d told them all this morning. “But only time and successful integration into their society will tell. They would like for us to consider ourselves guests until we’re ready to mingle, at which point they would like to start courting you guys. If you want. That’s the key, there… it will be your choice, if you want to let them.”

Several of the girls who’d been quietly eavesdropping nearby gasped at that, turning their attention fully on Arianna.

“Do you think we can trust them?” Chelsea asked breathlessly, thinking about the devastatingly handsome security officer that had shown an interest in her the night before. “I mean… we really have no choice right now, but… later, when they’re used to us and we’re used to them? I mean… they’re gorgeous, once you get used to the cat-from-the-back view.”

“Honestly?” Arianna asked, cocking her head to the side. The girls nodded. She shrugged and smiled. “I think we can. Hunter holds a great deal of respect for us, as far as I can tell, and his intentions are completely honorable.”
Except, perhaps, where she was concerned.
Ri barely restrained herself from saying that aloud. “His men are much the same way. The ones that I have had contact with are certainly eager for you ladies to get over being scared and to start socializing, but their main concern is that you are safe and cared for until that happens.”

Bev shook her head as the other girls murmured among themselves at that.

“That’s great for the cute girls,” she sighed heavily, her voice low and meant just for Arianna. “But not so much for me.”

“Bev, please,” Ri chuckled. “You are lovely. Plus you’re sweet, happy, and incredibly smart. That goes a long way with some men.”

“Not many of the men I’ve ever met,” Bev snorted. Arianna winked at her.

“Well, trust me, with the right man, it will be important. And Trey can’t seem to keep his eyes off you, so I think you underestimate your appeal, young lady! He’s already pretty smitten with you.”

“What about you?” Bev changed the subject, her eyebrows rising at the revelation of Trey’s true interest. The other girls might balk at Arianna’s having psychic powers, but Bev had seen them in action, had seen Ri and Hunter exchanging those mental images and doing their little ‘controlling’ tricks when needed, and she knew Ri was the real deal. That, and she had a touch of it herself, but not nearly the same level as Ri. Distracting her new friend from the gentle teasing, Bev grinned and pointed out, “Hunter is hot. He’s so tall and muscular and… sleek. Hell, Jace isn’t too shabby, either. And both of them seemed to be trying to flirt with you.”

Arianna’s heart thudded at that. Flirt was such a mild word for the devastation they’d waged on her senses yesterday. Yes, Hunter was incredibly handsome and sexy. He was also in the market for a baby-mama, and unfortunately, she wasn’t a candidate. So while she might fantasize about him falling head over heels in love with her and sweeping her away into the happily-ever-after, nothing could come of it. She sighed and shook her head. Maybe he’d be up for a fling before settling down with someone more suitable? She could only hope. If not him, then maybe Jace? Who knew what might happen down the road?

Ri sensed the growing curiosity in the women around her and forced her mind back to their fears and questions.

“From all the sci-fi books and movies I’ve seen and read, the most important thing for colonization,” she told Chelsea and Kim, testing the waters on the topic the officers had discussed the night before, “Is procreation. You have to get the population base built up so that there are workers and soldiers and all that. These men will most likely want to do that, which is only natural. I can’t have children, but I’m sure the Commander will want a family.” She looked sadly back at Bev and told her quietly, “So…yeah. He’s hot, he smells great, and he’s smart, respectful, and has no problem at all with intelligent women, which is refreshing. But he’s not for me. More than likely, none of the men will be, unless they have an old geezer who’s past the stage of wanting a family.”

Bev’s face fell in sympathy, but Arianna forced a smile for the younger girl.

“But,” she continued, forcing a smile, “I will be thrilled to be Auntie Ri to all of your babies, if procreation happens. I guess we’ll figure it out as we go. No one has to make a decision today.”

Deciding that this was a depressing line of conversation, she changed the subject and cast a wry look around. “So, who wants to help me to the bathroom this time?”

Bev hopped up to lend her support, and Kim surprised them both by shoring Arianna up on the other side, so that she wouldn’t have to put pressure on her broken leg at all. The exotic beauty smiled ruefully and shrugged.

“I’m a nurse,” she told them. “I can at least act like it, while we’re here.”

They helped Ri to the facilities and waited for her to finish. They were in the process of making their slow, careful way back to her bed when Hunter, Jace, and Trey entered the dormitory, doing their best not to roll their eyes at the squeals and sudden scurrying of the girls to get out of their way and out of their sight.

Arianna kept moving toward her bunk, offering the men a sunny smile as Bev and Chelsea gently lowered her to the mattress. She had to provide an example of how to deal with these men. Running and hiding was not the way to get anything accomplished, other than to have the men think that they were all scared little dingbats. With Arianna once more in bed, Chelsea moved to stand against the wall near Ri’s bunk. Bev, more familiar with the men after the late-night meeting, also offered a welcoming smile and sat near Arianna in silent support. Kim fussed with pillows and blanket, trying to arrange Ri’s leg into a comfortable, elevated position, then moved to stand near Chelsea.

“What are you doing out of bed, woman?” Hunter demanded in his deep voice, crossing his arms over his bare, muscular chest. Did these guys not believe in wearing shirts? It was chilly in here. She arched her brows at him, the corner of her mouth kicking up.

“Using the bathroom,” she told him baldly.

“You should not be on your leg yet,” he told her. “Nor should you have pressure on your ribs until they have healed. You could injure yourself further, and we have need of you, as their Commander and interpreter, to heal quickly and remain healthy.”

Arianna sensed that when he said ‘
we
’, he meant ‘
I
’, and it warmed her heart, even as she tried to remind herself not to take it personally. She would not allow herself to fall for this beautiful man. No matter how much she wanted to.

“I will be fine, Commander, but thanks for the concern.” She finally managed to find a comfortable position, drawing her blanket up over her. She looked him in the eye, though she had to look a long way up to do so. She then made Bev chuckle when she asked, “So what brings you into the hen house?”

When he didn’t understand her reference, she sent him a mental image of clucking chickens scared of their own shadows. He barked out a laugh before he could stop himself, giving her an amused grin. He sat across from her, on Bev’s bunk, while Jace knelt in front of her to check her injuries. The medical officer flipped back the blanket she’d just pulled up. Ri rolled her eyes at the futility of trying to stay covered. The warriors seem to have never heard the word ‘‘modesty’.

“We have braved this inner sanctum of femininity,” Hunter intoned with a wry grin, “To let you know that I will be taking a team out to the crash site later to see what we are able to salvage from the slave ship. It is possible that the slavers that took you had power sources and supplies that will be invaluable to the compound when the winter months come and solar energy is limited.”

“Smart,” Arianna nodded, flinching and hissing involuntarily when Jace gently prodded around the wound on her broken leg. He murmured an apology, but kept doing it.

“I hope to find building materials we can use for a greenhouse or new buildings, among other things,” Hunter said. “I hoped that you would be able to join us, but Jace assures me that you must stay abed for at least a few more days to recover.”

“Why would you want me there?” she asked curiously. “I don’t remember being on the ship, so I can’t see how I’d be of any help.”

“Because you may have experience with machinery or technology that we do not have or have not thought of. We could miss something important without realizing it, simply because we come from different worlds.”

“I wish I could go,” she said wistfully. Jace pressed gently on her ribs and she gasped in pain. She threw Hunter a rueful glance. “But obviously, I need to rest and heal or something.”

Hunter nodded, then stood and glared at her.

“When next you need to get out of bed, call one of our men. There are several medics stationed at the door. They will be happy to assist you, and better able to do so without causing further injury.”

“We can take care of our own, Commander,” Bev said shortly, rising to stand with crossed arms in front of Arianna’s bunk. Trey, who had come in with his leaders, arched a brow at her, amused at her gumption.

“Oh, you can?” he asked slowly, though the comment had been made to Hunter. She nodded, meeting his eyes defiantly. Then he grinned and waited for her to realize that she had understood him. The expression on her face when she did so was priceless, and had Arianna and all three men laughing. Bev’s face lit up with her smile.

“My neuro-translator’s working!” she exclaimed, grabbing his muscular forearm and beaming up at Trey, forgetting her shyness. “Say something else. I want to be sure it wasn’t a fluke.”

“You are, by far, one of the loveliest women it has been my pleasure and honor to behold, on this or any other world,” he told her, his voice going husky as his hand covered hers on his arm. Her mouth dropped open at the sincere and wonderful complement, then she shook her head and tapped the area behind her ear, where the translator rested.

“I don’t think it’s working right, actually,” she muttered to Arianna, who just grinned. “It thinks he just told me I’m beautiful. This thing must be malfunctioning.”

Trey laughed softly and took a step closer to her, tipping her face up to meet his gaze.

“Your device is working perfectly,” he assured her. “And you are, truly, beautiful.”

Bev simply stared at him. Trey looked at Arianna for support. Ri shrugged at him.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” she said, “In our society, girls like Bev and I are not considered pretty.”

“Why would it be different on your world?” Hunter asked, truly confused. “The two of you are the loveliest of your group. How could that be different in a different society?”