Lisia's Journey (2 page)

Color swept up the man‟s cheeks. She watched as his hands tightened into fists. He

was so easy to provoke and obviously not the alpha he was pretending to be. Drawing

in fast, deep breaths, he seemed to be trying to gather his courage.

“I am the
Shi’an
!” he screamed.

She felt the faint brush of his fury and then fear. She shook her head. Very stupid

move. He‟d just lost what little support he‟d had. The men around him moved away as

if he‟d suddenly become diseased. His temper had probably sealed his fate as well. For

all the infighting that went on within a clan at times, no one claimed the title of
Shi’an

without earning it.

“I didn‟t think you‟d be that stupid, Hern.” A deep voice rolled from the dense

vegetation to the right.

Lisia turned and noticed the muscles and size of the man emerging from the leafy

growth first. Now here was the kind of man she‟d expected to see when she‟d stepped

off the shuttle. She felt the light brush of his anger as well as a small hint of amazement

as the black-haired man came closer. He was dressed in dark clothing as were the other

Aridi
here, but his appearance highlighted the weakness and youth of those she‟d first

encountered. The clothing didn‟t appear to be a uniform in the official sense, merely a

type of clothes they all favored.

She pulled her lips into a straight line. She didn‟t know why he‟d suddenly decided

to make an entrance, but she immediately shut her mouth. Playtime was over. She‟d

drawn enough attention to herself. Getting home had already been much harder than it

should have been. She didn‟t need to add more complications to the mix.

“I am Arik E‟Trin,” he announced, his eyes sweeping the group in front of him.

8

Lisia’s Journey

Keeping her ultimate goal in mind, she walked slowly back to the group of UDA.

She did her best to blend in among them and be as unobtrusive as possible. The

difference in her clothing from the UDA guards did make her stand out from them. Her

vibrant blue shirt and loose pants definitely weren‟t standard green Guard uniform. She

knew she wouldn‟t be successful, but hoped they‟d overlook the differences in her

clothing.

More large warriors emerged from the forest. They moved among the young
Aridi

present, questioning them. Eventually, two men escorted the pretender away from the

area. The large man who was apparently in charge turned to face the group of UDA

guards still waiting for some formal word of welcome. She saw the man begin to walk

toward them. Marsh drew her attention away from the man.

“Thank you so much. I don‟t know if we‟d have ever broken that time without you.

Not to mention getting past his lies. I‟ll make sure you get on the next shuttle.” Marsh

clasped her hands between his.

“She‟s not going anywhere.” The man‟s hard, deep voice overrode Marsh‟s promise

to fulfill his side of the bargain. “She‟s the one who won your right to be here. Until

someone else beats the time set, she stays on the planet.”

Lisia‟s eyes narrowed, but she didn‟t try to mask her surprise. She hadn‟t expected

that. None of the
Aridi
had talked to the soldiers since the warriors had arrived. Even

with that, she‟d gotten the impression that they hadn‟t approved of the pretender‟s

actions. From the surprised looks of some of the other
Aridi
males, she knew they

hadn‟t expected that condition. Could that big warrior suspect, or even worse know,

that she was more than she seemed? She hadn‟t ventured close to him, but he could

have detected a hint of her scent depending on where he was before he‟d emerged from

the forest around them.

Glaring at the man, she didn‟t attempt to hide her anger or the fact that she was

staring. The man hadn‟t introduced himself other than by name. She had to wonder if

he even had the authority to make the condition. Probably. She didn‟t know exactly

what position he held, but he most likely did have the clout to back the decision. His

attitude screamed power, but she didn‟t think he was the
Shi’an
. No one had addressed

him by that title. They would have if he‟d actually held it.

The delay infuriated her. She‟d been barred from any way home for months by

slavers. Her only hope had been Lieutenant Commander Marsh Carson. She‟d known

the UDA soldier would have the resources to get her back into a safe region of space.

She‟d also known the help probably wouldn‟t be free. He‟d asked her to help him get

past a test to aid some shifters in a pirate-plagued area. It hadn‟t made any sense to her

that they‟d refuse help, but she was willing to do almost anything to get back to Deshra.

Of course, she hadn‟t known at the start that they were
Aridi
like her. When she had

discovered that they were the same species, she wasn‟t too worried. She should have

been able to leave the planet in a relatively short time.

The large shifter talked to Marsh for a few more moments and left. She wasn‟t sorry

to see him go. Angry and a little frustrated, she drew in a deep breath. She couldn‟t go

9

Rebecca Airies

home immediately, but she hoped this was only another delay. She hadn‟t brought her

clothes down to the planet, because she‟d still have to go up to the ship and change

shuttles. There hadn‟t been a reason to have them with her. She‟d planned to leave as

soon as she‟d fulfilled her side of the bargain.

“I‟ll need to send a message that I‟ll be delayed,” she told Marsh as soon as the

large warrior moved away from them. “I‟ll also need my bag since I‟ll be staying down

here for a few days at the least.”

“We‟ll get someone to redo that course and beat the time as soon as possible so you

can go home. I‟ll have your bag brought down and send an explanation of your delay to

those you love.” Marsh assured her.

He left with two of the other UDA guards, escorted by three of the
Aridi
warriors.

They all began walking toward the clan holding.

10

Lisia’s Journey

Lisia‟s eyes kept straying to the trees around them. The deep greens and vivid

colors of the flowers and berries drew her. Even the sounds of the animals chittering

and chirping made her want to go explore. She doubted she could slip into the forest

without being spotted, but she wanted to do it. Knowing that she‟d be here for even a

short time didn‟t make the urge any easier to handle. Her eyes lingered on bushes and

trees. She thought she saw a faint path leading into the forest.

The dense forest on each side of the path called to her beast. Just the sharp, crisp

smell of the trees and the sweet scent of the flowers lured her toward the cool darkness.

Her skin itched and tingled and she had a hard time resisting the desire to investigate.

She wanted to go run through those trees, tear off her clothes and let the wind move

over her skin. It had been so long since she‟d run in her animal form or even walked in

such a lush area. The temptation was almost too much to resist.

The hair on the back of her neck rose and an uneasy feeling crawled up her spine.

The feeling tore her thoughts away from the forest. Someone was watching her. She

rolled her shoulders, unconsciously trying to lift the almost physical weight of

someone‟s stare. Cautiously, she looked around the group of people, but couldn‟t see

anyone even looking at her much less focusing on her with the intensity she felt.

Something moving across a faint gap in the bushes caught her eyes. The big dark

feline shape continued moving. She saw it walk past a tree just in front of the first
Aridi

males. A big black
Aridi
in animal form stepped out in front of the group. A ruff of

black hair surrounded the large round head, designating it as a male in the prime of his

life. Dark brown eyes looked over the group, locking onto her.

The big male stalked forward, powerful muscles moving beneath the sleek, dark

coat. He growled as he moved, snarling at one of the UDA soldiers who just happened

to be in his way. His lips pulled back revealing dagger-sharp teeth. The soldier hastily

backed away.

Lisia frowned. She could feel his arousal and a strong wave of possessiveness

pulsing over her. An intense, clear feeling. Not the light brush of emotion an
Aridi

usually felt from another person. His scent hit her, musky with a spicy undertone and

too appealing. Who was he? She was sure she hadn‟t met him anywhere. She‟d have

remembered feeling this connection with someone.

He came closer until his muzzle pressed into her leg. He drew in a deep breath and

rumbling purr rolled through his body. Lisia practically felt the jolt of arousal slam

through him. His head moved and pressed against her crotch. Her mouth dropped

open in shock. At first, she just stared down at him. Shaking her head, she pushed away

11

Rebecca Airies

the last of the surprise. She grabbed handfuls of the rough black hair on the sides of his

head and held him. Stepping back, she looked down into the large rounded face.

“Get your face out of there. I don‟t know you.” She frowned down at him, keeping

her arms straight.

“For future reference, the
Shi’an
‟s name is Jarritt E‟Sain,” Arik advised. “I‟d say he

wants to know you.”

“This is the
Shi’an
?” She glanced over at the man, but didn‟t loosen her fingers from

the thick mane she was holding.

The big
Aridi
was still trying to get close to her. Fortunately, he wasn‟t using all of

his strength. She knew he was letting her put some distance between them, but she was

simply happy for the space. The combination of his emotions hitting her and her

embarrassment over the position was a little overwhelming. That wasn‟t a common

greeting even among an exclusively
Aridi
group. She ran her eyes over the large animal.

Just judging from his size and build in animal form he had to be tall and well muscled.

“Yes. Now do you have something to tell us?” Arik‟s voice sounded annoyingly

cheerful.

She took a deep breath and then licked her lips. The situation had just exploded in

her face and she couldn‟t think of a way out of it. She didn‟t know if it could get any

worse. If it could, she didn‟t want to know about it. There was no denying the truth

now. Not after Big and Furry had gotten personal.

“I think you guessed it already. It‟s why you didn‟t let me leave the planet when I

wanted to. I‟m an
Aridi
.” Lisia took a sliding step back maintaining her stiff-armed hold

as the large male tried to press close to her again.

“I suspected that you were more than human. What is your name?” Arik tilted his

head and his eyes locked on her hands holding the large
Aridi
away from her. A smile

tilted his lips.

There was nothing funny about the situation. She wanted to scream at him. She

settled for glaring at the large male in animal form whose rudeness was causing her

cheeks to heat. “My name is Lisia.”

“And how do you come to be with a group of UDA soldiers?” Arik asked.

Lisia shook her head at that aggressive tone. Suspicious, territorial males. “I‟ve been

having a bit of trouble getting back home. The Lieutenant Commander offered to help

me if I helped them. Since I know I can trust him to keep his word, I agreed. Can you

get the big, dense brute of a cat to back off?”

“As I said, he‟s the
Shi’an
. He wouldn‟t listen to me. He likes you. How do you

know the Lieutenant Commander will keep his word?” Arik just smiled and stood there

seemingly content to wait days for an answer.

“He‟s worked with my clan. If he gives his word to you, he‟ll keep it. He went

against one of his superiors to keep his word to us. He‟s a good man.” She looked over

at Arik and fumed at his seeming enjoyment of her predicament. He was probably one

12

Lisia’s Journey

of the
Ferot
, a sort of second-in-command although there was usually more than one

Ferot
.

A deep growl rumbled from the huge black cat. She could feel an intense wave of

disapproval and possessiveness rolling from the large male. Frowning down at him, she

drew in a deep breath. What had set him off? His scent had intensified with the strong

emotions. The mixture of musk and a sharp spicy bite pulled at her, but she didn‟t

forget her goals. She wanted to go home. She knew she‟d better make her position clear

now or risk him getting the wrong idea.

“I‟m going home. This trip out to the ass end of nowhere is just a detour. So don‟t

get any ideas. As soon as it‟s possible, I‟m leaving.” She tightened her fingers in the

thick ruff and glared down at him.