Odd Coupling (15 page)

“
I was hard on him too.” He
groaned. “Why?”

“
You’re newly mated and
have been separated. It’s natural for you to be
irritable.”

“
Irritable?” He chuckled
wryly. “My female would say I acted like an asshole.”

Salla laughed heartily. “I didn’t know
assholes could do that.”

“
Please, Salla. If you
won’t wake my mate, then allow me to rest.”

All he wanted was a few private
moments to think about everything that had happened on the planet.
He’d need to file a report, and Bethany would be an important
detail, a delicate one. For the first time in his career, he wasn’t
sure how to proceed.

“
Since you’re capable of
moving about without suffering too much, follow me. It’s time. She
sheds tears during sleep.”

Galvanized by the news that his mate
needed him, he leapt from the bed, but made sure he didn’t grunt in
pain as he trailed after Salla.

“
You can read the reports
and find out what you’ve missed while I make preparations to revive
her,” she added.

Chapter Nine

Bethany awoke to a shocking sight. Two
pairs of oval-shaped eyes surrounded by feline features stared down
at her through a watery haze. She recognized one of
them.

“
Vren! How…” She blinked
and wiped a palm across her face to remove her tears.
Tears? I must have been reliving that
nightmare.

“
You’re safe, Bethany, on
my ship.” His large hand grasped hers and held tight. “No one will
harm you here.”

His reassuring touch and words
banished the anguish inside her. He was alive! She didn’t know how
it was possible. She’d believed he’d died. Confused and not sure if
she was completely awake, she held his gaze as the other D’Lyrian
blotted away the last of her teardrops with a soft cloth. To her,
Vren was a beautiful sight, next to naked, wearing only a
tapa.

“
This isn’t a dream? You’re
alive, and I’m really on your ship?”

“
Yes.”

He sat beside her and then pulled her
into his arms. Heat poured from his velvety skin, warming her to
the bone. He grunted, then softly growled when she hugged him as
hard as she could. She didn’t loosen her hold. He’d come back for
her, and by some miracle, he’d survived. There was no way she was
about to let him go.

A soft purr that didn’t come from Vren
distracted her. They broke apart. She took a closer look at the
other alien. She was feline, like Vren, but she wore a uniform, and
her coloring was vastly different. From what Bethany could make
out, she was solid white. Her eyes were so light blue they seemed
to sparkle like two aquamarine gems. The woman held up a small
black case and spoke in a language that sounded vaguely
familiar.

“
I’ll tell her,” Vren said
with a slight nod. He gently stroked his fingertip up the side of
her neck and didn’t stop until her reached a point behind her ear.
He gave the area a light tap. “You’ll need a translator to
communicate with my crew. Everyone on board has one. The implant
goes here.” The woman nodded in apparent agreement.

Unsure, Bethany pulled away a few
inches. “A what? You want to put something in my head?”

His expression changed to one of
concern, but he gave her an encouraging smile. “It’s a quick and
painless procedure. Afterward, you’ll be able to understand and
communicate with everyone. It’s very important.”

“
You know I trust you, but
I’m not sure about this.”

“
Do you remember the human
female who was with the NASA team?”

Bethany bit her lip as she thought
back. “Yes. I think her name was Marisella…something.”

He removed his hand from her neck and
rested his palm on her shoulder. It was an act of comfort, but it
roused an insane need within her. She wanted to feel it cup her
breast. The thought led to other more carnal desires. Vren’s
nostrils flared as he inhaled. A soft purr came from him as he
exhaled.

“
Soon,” he whispered, then
cleared his throat. He swallowed hard before speaking. “That woman
had a translator implant. Several NASA employees and your
government officials have them. There’s no danger.” He glanced at
the feline woman who waited at the bedside. “This is Salla, my
ship’s chief medical officer. She’s done the procedure many
times.

Bethany drew in a deep breath and
nodded. “Okay.” Even though the woman held a small gun-shaped
object in one hand Bethany plastered on her bravest of
smiles.

She and Vren exchanged words. Although
they were meaningless to her, Bethany recognized the sound of his
language from the few times he’d spoken to the Tauran
male.

“
Are you right handed?”
Vren asked.

“
Yes.”

“
For humans, the implant
works best if it’s inserted near the dominate hemisphere of the
brain. Salla will place it behind your left ear. Lie down, turn
your face toward me and relax.” He gave her shoulder a gentle
shove, and she did as he instructed by resting her right cheek on
the mattress.

Relax? Not
likely.

Most of her nervousness melted away as
he crouched beside the bed and clasped her hand. His expression
exuded confidence. His very presence assured her that everything
would be fine.

“
Don’t move,” he
added.

Bethany closed her eyes and held her
breath, still unsure what to expect. Gentle fingertips brushed her
hair away from her ear. A moment later, the cool touch of the
instrument pressed against her skin.

“
It’s done.” The voice was
Salla’s, speaking to her in clear and understandable words. Only
she wasn’t actually speaking English. It was the strangest thing
she’d ever heard.

Vren released her hand as she sat and
turned to look at the alien female. “That was fast. I didn’t feel a
thing.”

Salla smiled. “Painless.”

Bethany felt behind her ear. The skin
was smooth, no soreness at all. “I don’t feel anything.”

“
You had moderate head
trauma and were unconscious when you arrived. We treated your
injuries, and you healed while you slept. How do you
feel?”

Bethany took a moment to do a swift
assessment. Her head didn’t hurt at all. She touched her face.
There was no pain where Caleb had struck her. In fact, she couldn’t
find a single ache anywhere. Astonished, she looked at Salla and
then Vren.

“
I feel great, better than
ever. How long was I out?”

Salla tilted her head in obvious
confusion. “Out?”

Vren chuckled. “She means
unconscious.”

The alien female laughed as she patted
Bethany’s shoulder. “It will take a few days for the translator to
learn all the nuances of your language. You were unconscious for
two of your Earth hours, but you’ve been in stasis for three days
while you healed. Vren was also ‘out’ during that time.”

“
I woke not long ago,” he
said.

“
His wounds have healed,
but he must rest another cycle before returning to active
duty.”

Bethany’s mouth fell open as she
stared at the woman in utter disbelief. “How is that even possible?
He was shot, like three times!” She looked at him. “You weren’t
moving or breathing. I couldn’t find a heartbeat. I thought you
were dead.” Tears filled her eyes and threatened to spill down her
cheeks at the awful memory of seeing him so lifeless.

He put his arms around her and tugged
her close. Bethany leaned into his embrace and clung to him. He
nuzzled her ear. “I’m fine. I told you I heal quickly.”

A disdainful-sounding snort from Salla
disturbed their intimate hug. “Vren’s injuries would have killed
him if his body hadn’t gone into hibernation. He was brought to the
ship in time for me to operate. He was lucky.”

Bethany twisted in his arms to look at
Salla. “Hibernation?”

“
It’s a special metabolic
state,” she answered. “Sometimes, if our males are severely
injured, their bodily functions slow down and become dormant. In
Vren’s case, it gave him enough time to reach medical help before
he died.”

Salla walked around the bed to stand
close to them. She draped her arm across his shoulders and gave him
a quick hug before she strolled to the door. Her action shocked
Bethany to the core, but Vren’s reaction filled her with jealous
fury. He purred! Her catman actually purred for another woman, a
member of his crew!

She stiffened, going rigid within his
embrace. The rumbling sound instantly faded, but he tightened his
arms around her. If Salla noticed the change, she didn’t give any
indication when she paused and looked back.

“
You’re both discharged.”
She glared at Vren. “Brack waits in the corridor to escort you and
your mate to your quarters. Remember our agreement. No strenuous
activity. If your chest wound opens, I’ll confine you to a medical
bed for the next five cycles.” She turned and left.

Uncomfortable silence filled the room
after her departure. Without a word, Vren released her and stood.
He offered his hand. Bethany jerked her chin up to stare at him,
purposely avoiding any help.

“
Are all the women in your
crew so…affectionate?”

His eyes widened in apparent surprise,
then narrowed as his lips curled into a warm smile. “You object to
Salla touching me. Don’t worry. We hug each other often, especially
during sleep.”

He reached for her, but Bethany
scrambled off the opposite side of the bed to avoid him. In her
haste, she almost forgot to check if she wore anything. Not much,
just her bra and panties. She snatched the thin sheet off the bed
and wrapped it around her before she turned to glare at
him.

“
Damn! I’m such an idiot,”
she blurted. “You’re no different than a human man. At least they
have the decency to lie about their other women.”

His smile instantly turned into a
snarl and his ears swept back. There was no mistaking the
expression—furious feline. Relieved that the bed was between them,
Bethany took a couple cautious steps backward to widen the
gap.

“
Salla isn’t ‘other women.’
She’s my litter mate,” he explained with a deep growl. His intense
gaze slowly raked up and down her. Thankfully, his ears perked up
and he seemed to relax. “I think we’re having a communication
problem. Tell me why you’re angry.”

Bethany tried to latch on to the most
objectionable reason. Vren admitting that he hugged another woman
while sleeping sounded like the most awful one until she suddenly
recalled their earlier conversation at her ranch. D’Lyrian’s didn’t
have sex in the place where they sleep! Okay. Maybe it’s not as bad
as she was imagining. She really wanted to understand.

“
What do you mean when you
say she’s your littermate?”

He cocked his head as if surprised by
the question. “She’s my birth sister.”

“
Do you mean she’s your
twin sister?”

“
Yes, my littermate. We
were born together.”

“
Oh,” she said with a sigh.
Well, that did put a different spin on things, but she still didn’t
like the idea of him sleeping with his sister. It was too creepy.
“You two don’t look anything alike.”

He laughed. “Of course not. I’m
male.”

“
I think you know what I
mean.” Bethany inched closer to the bed and him.

“
All D’Lyrians have a birth
twin, and most of us have several pairs of siblings. None of them
are identical. I have two brothers and two sisters besides my
littermate. I’m the only warrior-born son my parents had since my
birth twin is female. Opposite genders develop different than
matching ones. You can tell by my size, and anyone who sees Salla
knows she was born with a male.”

“
How can they
tell?”

“
She’s a solid
color.”

“
I’m not sure I
understand.”

“
Female littermates are
always either striped or spotted, but never a solid color. However,
all males, no matter what size they are, can be any color, solid,
striped or spotted. You’ll see many examples on my ship, Bethany.
Please come with me. We’ll go to my quarters where we can talk in
private.”

Since he’d brought up the subject of
privacy, she had to agree. She heard voices and shuffling sounds
just outside the small room. She hadn’t noticed them before. Now
she felt even more vulnerable. Somehow, she’d lost her clothes, and
all she had were her undies and a thin sheet for cover.

“
I need
clothes.”

She did a quick visual scan of the
room. There were no cabinets or closets that she could see, only
the bed and an assortment of medical-looking devices that were
attached to the nearest wall.

“
Wait.” He walked around
the bed and then hurried to the far side of the room where a row of
rectangular panels lined the wall. He stopped in front of one,
tapped it and it slid aside to reveal several stacks of neatly
folded white garments. He selected one of them and brought it to
her. “You’re dressed appropriately for an off-duty crewmember of my
ship, but this might help you feel more comfortable when we leave.”
He held it out and gave a shake. The bundle unfolded into a thin
robe-like garment. A pair of soft slippers were tucked into a side
pocket.