Shielder — A new Science Fiction Romance (Book 1, Shielder Series) (20 page)

Chase sat on the edge of her bunk, scanning
his medical monitor over Brand. Huddled in the middle of the mat,
Brand stared fearfully at the monitor. Raven crouched on the floor
nearby, watching anxiously. Nessa's protective instincts went on
full alert and she stepped toward the bunk. "What are you doing,
Captain?"

He glanced up, his cool gaze skimming her,
pausing at her bare legs before moving to her face. "I'm checking
the children to make sure they're okay."

"Oh." Feeling rather foolish, she looked
around the room, searching for her tunic. Not finding it, she moved
closer to the bunk to observe. Chattering in welcome, Turi
performed a flip when she passed the case. "They went through
decontamination yesterday, if you're worried about germs."

"I'm not concerned about external bacteria."
Chase laid the monitor down and picked up an item with a light at
one end. "But I want to know if I need to worry about diseases or
parasites. I'm going to look in your ear, Brand."

Brand drew back, trembling violently. Chase
paused, lowering the instrument. "This won't hurt you. It has a
special light on it, so I can see into your ear. Would you like to
look in my ear first?" He offered the instrument, but Brand
retreated even further. Chase considered a moment, then glanced at
Nessa. "Tell you what. Why don't I check Nessa first? Then you can
see exactly what I'm going to do, and that it doesn't hurt."

Brand's eyes cut to her, although he didn't
give any other response. Chase beckoned. "Come here, Nessa."

She certainly didn't want him checking her,
especially since she wore only a blanket. "I need to find my
tunic," she hedged.

"Your old tunic is gone. I put it in the
disintegrator."

His words took a moment to register, and
when they did, panicked outrage swept through her. With her tunic
gone, the silk robe became her only item of clothing and after last
night, she didn't intend to wear it around Chase. "You destroyed my
tunic? That was all I had—"

"You have another article of clothing, as I
recall," he interrupted. "And I bought you some tunics while I was
on Elysia."

That stopped her tirade midstream. Amazed,
she snapped her mouth closed, but not for long. "You purchased me
tunics? Why?"

"Because you needed them," he replied
brusquely. "Now, get over here, and that's an order…Nessa."

He didn't say the word
slave
, but she
caught the implication. He'd been quite clear about her new status
when he found the children, as well as during their passionate
encounters after that. Resentment burning in her chest, she
clutched her blanket more tightly around her and walked slowly to
the bunk.

Chase patted the mat. "Sit."

She sat stiffly, staring straight ahead. He
pushed her hair behind her ear, the warmth of his hand sending
small shocks through her. The cool metal pressed into her ear and
he leaned so close, she could feel his breath on her face.

"Hmmm, very interesting. Pretty dirty in
there."

Dirty? She scrubbed her ears whenever she
took a shower. She turned to glare at him, but he deftly moved to
her other side and held her head still while he examined the second
ear.

"Wow. This one's even dirtier. And not a
lanrax in sight." He grinned broadly and winked at Brand, who
quickly averted his eyes. A soft giggle escaped Raven. Chase was
teasing, trying to put the children at ease. She'd never seen him
really smile. His face lit up, his eyes glowed, and he looked
incredibly handsome. Her breath hitched.

"I need to check your throat. Open
wide."

Resigned, she allowed him to shine a light
into her mouth. "I can see your dinner from last night, all the way
down in your stomach," he declared solemnly. "You had bread and
cheese." That seemed to catch Brand's attention. Even though Nessa
knew it was just an educated guess, she found Chase's act charming.
It revealed a side to him she hadn't known existed.

"Time to lie down now." Before she could
react, he swung her legs onto the bunk and pushed her onto her
back. "I'm going to press on you in a few places, to see if you've
swallowed any weapons lately."

Raven smiled outright at that, and Nessa
found it pretty funny, until Chase ran his hands over her breasts.
Her breath caught, and a rush of sensations flooded her body. He
watched her, his eyes darkening with a predatory gleam.

"Nothing there—at least, no weapons," he
said, his voice deeper. He slid his hands lower and gently pressed
his fingers down her abdomen, coming alarmingly close to the apex
of her thighs. "Is it sore…anywhere?" he asked softly.

Searing heat flowed through her lower body,
reminding her of last night, in the shower.

With a gasp, Nessa grabbed his wrists. Her
eyes locked with his as a startling current flowed between them.
She wanted to insist that he move his hands, to tell him he was
hurting her; say anything to stop his touch, to stop the swiftly
rising desire.

But the warning in his eyes reminded her of
the children and their fears. She realized, even as his presence
threatened her on a number of levels, that he meant the children no
harm. He appeared to possess a surprising amount of medical
knowledge, knowledge that had benefitted her and would help the
children. Forcing the breath from her lungs, she relinquished her
grip on his wrists.

Approval flashed in his eyes. "Nothing
there, either." He removed his hands. "You're done. You were very
good." He reached toward a plate of caroba she hadn't noticed until
now. "Here." Taking advantage of her surprise, he shoved a piece of
caroba into her mouth, then turned to Raven.

"Since Brand still seems a little nervous
about this, why don't you go next?" He offered his hand to the
girl.

She looked at Nessa uncertainly. Nessa
nodded reassuringly. "It's okay, Raven. Captain McKnight won't hurt
you. I'll sit next to you while he checks you."

Hesitant still, Raven climbed onto the bunk,
holding her blanket tightly. Her fears were quickly calmed by
Chase's soothing and kind manner. She even giggled when he
announced with great amazement that she had a kerani in her right
ear. That earned her a piece of caroba, which she had apparently
never had, judging from the rapt expression on her face when she
tasted it. She willingly lay down for the physical part of the
examination.

Nessa watched Chase's hands moving gently
over the girl. They were beautiful hands, strong, yet able to
comfort with their touch. Able to stir all kinds of sensations….
She had to forget about what had passed between them. With a great
effort, she forced herself to concentrate on the questions Chase
was asking Raven, and the girl's diffident replies.

"Do you know how old you are, Raven?"

"Twelve seasons, master, I think."

"Have you started your menses yet?"

Raven appeared baffled by his question.
"What, Master?"

"Your cycle, the flow of blood once a
month." He paused, observing her confused look. "Probably not.
Don't worry about it right now. There, we're done. And you're in
good shape. You get another piece of caroba."

Raven crouched by the bunk again, slowly
eating her treat. Chase offered his hand to Brand. "It's your
turn." Shaking his head, Brand scrabbled into the corner of the
bunk.

Chase picked up a piece of caroba. "Tell you
what, Brand. I'll give you this so you can taste it and see if you
like it. When you want more, you let me know. Then I get to check
you out, and you get more caroba." He placed the treat in the boy's
hand.

Nessa was touched by his patience and
understanding with the children, with his caroba rewards for their
cooperation. There would have been no tolerance of such behavior,
even with good cause, in a Shielder colony. How odd that Chase, a
shadower, a member of a group infamous for ruthless actions, showed
such compassion.

He rose from the bunk. "We'll have the
morning meal in a little while. But first, Nessa and I need to
talk." He indicated a package on the shelves. "Those are your new
tunics. Put one on and join me in the cockpit."

He gathered his medical equipment, then much
to her disappointment, retrieved the plate of caroba before he
left. She could have used it to fortify herself for the coming
confrontation, having no delusions as to the nature of the
discussion.

She retrieved the package from the shelf,
once again astonished at the generosity her new acquaintances had
shown her. After going seasons without luxuries of any kind, to
receive several offerings within a ship's cycle seemed
overwhelming.

The package contained two tunics, one a
deep, rich brown and the other a forest green color. Nessa knew
instinctively they would complement her coloring. She fingered the
cloth, much softer than her pilgrim's tunic. Why had Chase
purchased such fine quality clothing for her? She'd needed another
tunic desperately, but he could have gotten something a lot less
expensive.

No use second guessing him. Picking the
brown tunic, she headed for the lav, where she found the silver
lanrax curled mournfully in the sink. "Poor little creature," she
told it, even though it hissed at her intrusion. "You would love to
be close to Captain McKnight, while I'd like to stay as far away
from him as possible."

But as the memory of last night resurfaced,
she knew that wasn't entirely true.

* * * *

Chase was entering navigational commands
when she entered the cockpit. She waited quietly while he finished,
dismayed to realize they had departed Elysia and she hadn't even
been aware of it. Now she could only hope their destination had
been set for Star Base Intrepid. She didn't know if he would allow
her further access to the computer, so she'd have to wait to check
the destination screen secretly.

After a few moments, he swiveled around, his
expression hard. The man who'd just gentled two terrified children
had reverted back to the ruthless shadower.

"Would you care to offer an explanation as
to why you so blatantly defied my orders yesterday?"

Nessa forced herself to look into his eyes.
"It wasn't my intention to defy orders, Captain. I only wanted to
find transport to Zirak. The time before the eclipse is growing
short."

"As is my patience. Twice now, you've given
your word that you would obey orders, and both times you failed to
do so. Are you a liar, perhaps?"

Irrational anger flared at his blunt
accusation. After all, she
had
lied about virtually
everything. To a Shielder, honor came before all else, yet Nessa
knew her falsehoods were justified. "Not a liar, Captain. Just
desperate. My people have sacrificed much for me to be able to
participate in the ceremony of the eclipse."

"And was it desperation that led you to buy
those children—or did you act solely on impulse? Did you even plan
any further than buying Raven and Brand and bringing them on board
my ship?"

She refused to admit her action might have
been rash. "I planned on taking the children with me to Zirak. Then
we could return to…Delsan together. My people will accept them."
Chase had her so shaken, she'd almost forgotten her story. She
warned herself to tread carefully.

"But now you have no money. How do you
propose to earn transport passage for three people? And not only to
Zirak, but home from there."

Realizing she had her hands clenched
together, a dead giveaway of her tension, Nessa forced them to her
side. "I don't know. But I couldn't leave those children on
Slaver's Square. I just
couldn't
. So punish me if you will,
but don't take it out on them. I'll do whatever it takes to earn
our passage. Anything you want me to do—cleaning, inventory,
computer research, navigation. Anything."

His brows shot up. "
Anything
?"

Embarrassment set her face on fire. At the
same time, pain jolted her heart. She'd known their mating was a
mistake, but to think it might be in payment of her debt to Chase
wounded deeply. She could work in a Pleasure Dome if that were the
case, except no one there would want her services.

But pride insisted she see this painful
situation through. Determined Chase would never know her true
feelings, Nessa drew a deep breath. "I'll do whatever is necessary
for my survival and the survival of those children."

He scowled, apparently not happy with her
answer. "I'll remember that." He spun the seat back around and
punched some pads.

It suddenly occurred to her that if Chase
truly considered her his slave, he would see no reason to pay her
for whatever services she performed. Desperation twisted her
insides.

"What about the children?" she asked.

"What about them?"

"What are you planning to do with them? Will
you allow them to go with me?"

His shoulders tensed. "I haven't decided
yet."

"But what would you do with them? How could
you properly care for them, leading the life of a—of a…." She
halted, appalled at what she'd almost said.

"A shadower?" he finished for her. "You
should have thought of that before you so rashly purchased
them."

Oh, Spirit, he meant to take them from her.
Already, she felt an inexplicable bond with the children. They
needed her. And she needed them. Not only that, but they were
Shielders. If he ever found out the truth…Her leg buckled, forcing
her to grab the console for support.

Chase turned around. "For Spirit's sake, sit
down before you fall down."

She complied. "The children, are they all
right?"

He nodded grudgingly. "They appear to be in
good health, although I need to examine Brand more closely. From
their general condition, I'd say they hadn't been slaves very long,
half a season, perhaps."