Rystani Warrior 02 - The Dare (7 page)

She froze, blinked, and her eyes focused with brilliance that stirred his senses even as it revved the shock he made no effort to hide. Seeing his reaction, her face paled, her body shuddered and a muscle spasmed in her neck.

Her voice shook, and she crossed her arms over her chest, a feeble attempt to stop the trembling. “I thought you’d find me beautiful.”

He spoke each word with care, wanting to be honest, yet unwilling to cause her hurt. “You surprised me.”

“I thought you would be happy, honored.” Her tone rang with sincerity but revealed raw anxiety.

“You are beautiful,” he admitted, realizing he’d hurt her. “But your change is going to take some time for me to get used to.”

“Coward.”

She said the word with quiet firmness. Nevertheless, her insult sliced deep and rose up his throat to choke him on the truth. During the first twenty-two years of his life, Zical had lived as a simple hunter. He hadn’t spoken to computers or flown starships. He’d never met anyone who hadn’t been Rystani. During the last seven years, Zical’s life had changed dramatically. He’d met beings from other planets and cultures. Yet the idea of a computer taking the human form of Xentos was so alien to him that he needed time to adjust.

His reaction to Dora’s alteration came from a place he didn’t wish to acknowledge, from the dreams that had taunted him for weeks, from a place he didn’t want to admit he couldn’t control. He wanted to think of himself as open-minded. But in truth, her transformation was so alien a concept to him that he had to keep reminding himself that this woman was the same sentient computer personality who’d been his friend.

Mastering his confusion for her sake, he refocused his thoughts. Tessa had told him that she feared for Dora’s life, but since he’d stepped into the room, Dregan hell, he’d thought only of how he was going to cope with Dora’s transformation. However, in his defense, Dora didn’t look as if she were on the verge of death as Tessa had suggested, appearing more like a goddess than human.

But then he recalled how alien she’d looked when connected to the computer. Her face a mask, her eyes closed, her expression without emotion. She’d sat so still, as if pulled into the world of machines, as if she had no interest in her surroundings.

Their conversation had changed all that. He’d unplugged her, severing Dora’s corporeal connection. Focused on him, she’d become less alien, much more human.

She’d stood up for herself like the old Dora—and her courage as well as the memory of how many times she’d saved his ship and his crew kept him in the room as much as his real desire to help her. She’d actually had the temerity to call him a coward.

He almost smiled, planted his feet wide, tamped down the last of his shock. He’d known that she wouldn’t be the same Dora after she had a body. Okay, he hadn’t expected her to look like Xentos, but he’d known she’d be ignorant about the complexities of becoming human. While it wasn’t fair that he found her breathtakingly gorgeous, he’d get over his extraordinary attraction to her. “I’m not the one hiding in my quarters, afraid to face the world.”

“You have no right to judge me.” Dismissing him, she picked up the cord and was about to plug the end back into her neck.

“Don’t.”

“Why not?” Her voice broke.

He didn’t know if she lacked the same control over her voice as she did the muscle spasms, but as the shock of her using the body of Xentos ebbed, so did most of his worry about what Dora expected from him. He was left with the uncomfortable knowledge that Tessa had sent him here to make things better, and instead, just as he’d feared, he’d made them worse.

Zical didn’t want to let Dora down. She’d helped his people escape Rystan. She’d helped him and his crew win many battles against the Endekians. She was a … friend. A friend in need. No way could he turn his back on her and live with himself.

His posture remained stiff, but he attempted a smile. “Dora, I’m human and Rystani. We don’t take surprises well.”

“If that’s an apology, then I accept. And I’m sorry if this body has displeased you.” Her manner remained tense, as if she feared that if she relaxed, he’d hurt her again.

An awkward silence rose between them. With every moment that passed, the tension grew more strained. The easy camaraderie he’d once shared with the old Dora was gone. In her place was a stranger, in a body that was way too familiar and yet not familiar at all. He understood that she’d tried to please him by copying Xentos, but Dora was human, not a holosim. She came with feelings that were real, not simulated. He couldn’t turn her off with a switch like Xentos. She’d remember what he said, how he’d reacted to finding her so alien. He should have been more tolerant, and perhaps if he hadn’t been so lacking in sleep due to his dreams, he might have reacted differently.

Zical rubbed a spot behind his ear, wondering why Dora so easily put him on defensive. He was usually an easygoing man. He didn’t worry over the minor particulars. He didn’t know why he was having so much trouble with her transforming into a human. Yet, whether computer or woman, Zical did consider Dora his friend. “Why don’t we start over?”

Hope sparkled in her eyes. “Okay. If I hadn’t been plugged into Ranth, I would have greeted you with a hug.”

Zical couldn’t help but grin. Now here was the confident, sexy, sassy personality that he remembered. He held out his arms and she hurried to him, stumbling along the way. He stepped forward, catching her, and as they embraced, her arms closing fiercely around him, he had to stop himself from his natural inclination to kiss her. He wasn’t thinking about a brotherly peck on the cheek, either. Every instinct in him pounded, demanded, that he dip his head, part her lips, and discover for himself if she tasted as real as she felt.

Damn.

Up close, she smelled feminine and her friendly warmth reminded him that not only was Dora a family member and an essential part of his crew, she was all female. While his mind had difficulty coming to terms with Dora as a woman, his body responded as if she was his dream lover.

Focus on the mission
.

Gently, he pulled away, reminding himself that Tessa wanted him to coax Dora out of her quarters. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he smiled down at her. “Why don’t we go for a walk? Get reacquainted.”

She shook her head, a lock of her cinnamon hair falling over her cheek. “We can talk here.”

“The gardens are in full bloom.”

“I can see them on the monitor.”

She was being difficult, but he didn’t know why. He recalled when he’d had to coax Summar out of their closet the morning after she’d gone shopping and spent too much money. She’d been terrified of him for no reason. But just like Summar, Dora was too frightened to think clearly.

Zical tried to keep judgment from his voice. “But wouldn’t you like to smell the flowers? Feel the breeze on your face? Isn’t that why you became human, for the new experiences?”

Dora shivered. “I’m not ready, yet.”

Zical picked up the thread of fear in her tone and gentled his voice. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Come on, Dora. What’s bothering you?”

The muscles in her neck tensed, and she walked to a window that overlooked the gardens. He sensed that she was desperately trying to hide her emotions and when she spoke, her tone was flat. “I’m not yet adjusted. I need more time.”

He had no idea what she was talking about, but he’d gone from trying to help her to anger to wondering how to help her again so quickly that he marveled over the disturbing effect she was having on him.

“What do you mean that you haven’t adjusted?”

“For the last three hundred years I’ve been protected by five thousand tons of
bendar
on a ship. Later, Tessa buried my main processor deep in Mystique’s core. But my sensors could see enemies from afar, from whatever direction they attacked. In addition, I possessed the entire accumulated knowledge of the Federation in my data banks. Instead of the most powerful laser cannons to defend me,” she held up her hand, “I now have … fingernails. Instead of sensors that can warn me of danger that can come from light-years away, I have only two eyes that can’t see past the door. Instead of bendar, the hardest substance created by humans to protect me, I am flesh and bone.”

“But you wanted to be human.” He kept his words gentle, his gaze on her profile. Unlike Summar who had been frightened for no good reason, Dora had made a logical argument to support her rationale. But he wasn’t buying. “You knew we couldn’t do the same things as a computer.”

“Yes. I knew. But I didn’t know how vulnerable I’d
feel
once I was in this body. Humans are brave. I’m not.” She refused to meet his eyes, and continued to stare out the window, but even as she twisted her hands behind her back to hide the tremors, he couldn’t miss the shudder of distaste that rolled through her.

He couldn’t demand that she curtail her fear when she had good reasons to be afraid. Flesh had to be a million times more fragile than
bendar
. Although she had two good eyes, compared to sensors on starships and satellites and even other worlds, her sight must seem extremely limited. He wished she’d confided her fears to Tessa, not him, because he didn’t know what to say. But she’d opened to him, putting a burden on his shoulders, one with which he might not be equipped to cope, and yet, he was touched that she trusted him with her fears.

“Humans deal with fear by facing it.” He sounded harsh, even to his own ears, and she flinched, then crossed her arms across her chest.

“I don’t want to face my fears.”

He could have told her he’d protect her. He could have tried to sweet talk her into coming out of her quarters, but her mind seemed so set, like a stubborn two-year-old’s. Oh, she might not be throwing a temper tantrum, but this was the adult equivalent.

Zical took two steps forward and swept her into his arms. Even as she stiffened, gasped, and flung her arms around his neck, he enjoyed the feel of her curves.

As her lips parted in surprise, she lost her look of composure. “What are you doing?”

“Taking you outside.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Put me down. Please.”

Her plea knifed him, but his mind was made up. Tessa had told him strength, not gentleness might be required, and he finally understood what she’d meant. He wasn’t taking her into danger. He was carrying her to the garden. Instead of an answer, he strode toward her door in steady, determined steps.

When Dora understood that he had no intention of yielding to her pleas, her eyes narrowed in fury. She kicked her legs, squirmed, but he simply tightened his grip, overpowering her with his superior strength.

She pounded his shoulder with a fist, then complained. “Ow. You hurt me.”

He chuckled. “Next time, try raising your shield before you punch someone.”

“Let me go.”

She didn’t scream, but the desperation in her tone clawed at him, made him question if he was taking the right approach. But he didn’t let her see his doubts. “We’re going outside for thirty minutes.”

“Thirty … minutes?” She ceased struggling, but if the outrage in her gaze could have shot lasers, he would have been a dead man.

“I know you’re scared—”

“Well, du-uh.”

In spite of her fear, her natural courage was so much a part of her character she revealed it under duress. She just needed reminding. “Ranth’s watching after our safety with his sensors. We aren’t at war, but if we came under sudden attack, he’d warn us. So exactly what do you think can happen?”

“You could drop me.”

“I won’t.” He promised even as he chuckled, appreciating that although she might be frightened, she hadn’t lost her sense of humor.

Dora took deep breaths, but her face remained pale, and she trembled in fits and starts as he carried her from her quarters, down a hallway, through an exit, and into the gardens filled with paved walkways, a fountain, and several sculptures. Tessa and Kahn had wanted Mystique to not only be a home to the displaced Rystani people, they wanted the world to be welcoming. Tessa had imported many of her favorite shrubs, trees, and flowers from Earth, enhancing the area’s natural beauty.

At this time of day, most of Mystique’s citizens remained at work. A few couples strolled by, but for the most part, they had the place to themselves.

Hoping the trickling water would soothe her fears, he headed for a secluded area by a waterfall, reminding himself that Dora had saved him and the lives of his crew with quick thinking more times than he could recount. He owed her patience. He owed her time to adjust to her body. She’d shown sparks of her former courage when she’d called him a coward. She wasn’t the same friend he remembered. She’d lost huge amounts of memory, all of her sensors. The adjustment had to be difficult, and if he could, he wanted to help her through the hard part.

When he glanced down at her, he was surprised to see she’d closed her eyes. A bead of sweat broke on her forehead, and her suit absorbed the excess moisture. Her breathing remained ragged, her face pale as Mount Shachauri’s highest peak, and her pulse leaped erratically at her neck.

Perhaps this hadn’t been such a good idea. “Why are you closing your eyes?”

“It lessens the shock of being unable to see behind me, over me, and under me.”

He settled in the sweet-scented, green grass and kept her on his lap, enjoying the warmth of her skin, the clean scent of her hair, and her bottom snuggled against his lap. Compared to Dora’s sparkling vibrancy, Xentos was quickly becoming a fading memory. Risking Tessa’s wrath and plucking a fragrant flower from a nearby stem, he whisked the delicate petals across her forehead. “But with your eyes shut, you can’t see this beautiful snowy white lidenia.”