Unexpected (4 page)

“What
did he say about her? Is she well?”

“He
said she was in her quarters for the night and we weren’t to disturb her
because she’d worked hard all day.” Mikel let out a pleased sound and leaned
close to the display. “This is very fine indeed.”

“What?”
Leaping to his feet, Felix rushed over to him and leaned down to read.

“I
was afraid Alisa might be from a culture that frowned upon physical interaction
before the union is confirmed. It would explain her leaving us so quickly. But
she is North American, and most of that tribe
expect
sexual contact to commence as soon as all parties are in agreement.”

Felix
nodded as he scanned the information, equally pleased that she would warm their
bed very soon, perhaps tomorrow. Just the thought of holding her body as she
shuddered through a vital crisis made his already alert staff harden further.
“What is this section about? What is dating? Is that a reference to some sort
of timetable?”

It
would be very good if there was a plan for them to follow. It would give him
and Mikel a solid framework of activities and certainly make Alisa more
comfortable. If she was as shy as old
Mak
implied,
the typical Alphan courtship ritual of pheromone evaluation after presenting
bona fides, then stripping to inspect each other’s body for any sort of flaw
would certainly not appeal to her.

****

Alisa
had grave doubts the artichokes would produce anything edible by the end of the
short, Canadian growing season. The grey-green plants hadn’t increased in
height or even grown a new leaf in the four weeks since she’d planted them. She
sympathized. She wasn’t exactly thriving in this new environment either. It
wasn’t as if she missed her old life in Dallas, considering the crime, lack of
food and shelter, and overall wretchedness she’d endured there, but despite the
security and comfort she had now, she still was unsettled. Would she ever feel
at home here? Or would her experiences while being held captive keep her
forever apart from life?

Using
the end of her hoe as a prop, she straightened from her crouch, and she rubbed
her neck and stretched her aching back. She’d been optimistic when planning the
size of the plot, and now found there was too much area to cultivate in the
course of the day. Weeds sprouted up from areas she’d cleared just an afternoon
ago. If she didn’t like being outside among the plants and anticipating how
happy her fellows would be when the harvest began, she would likely let the
whole enterprise revert back to overgrown lawn.

A
rattling sound interrupted her musings, and she turned to locate it. Staring at
her through the iron bars of the fence that surrounded the compound were the
two
Alphans
, Mikel and Felix. So startled by their
unexpected appearance, she took a step back and tangled her foot in the hoe’s
blade, which made the long wooden handle spin and strike her in the forehead.
Pain thudded through her head, and she stumbled, dropping her tool as she
clasped her hand to the new injury. That hurt.

Blinking
back tears of pain, she glanced up to see where the
Alphans
were and was shocked anew as she made out their large forms easily scaling the
fence and leaping to the ground nearby. Before she knew what was happening,
they were upon her, one at each side, their big arms circling around her waist
and shoulders as she tried to both push them away and press her hand to the
lump forming on her skull. A sudden memory of the
Xyran
striking her erupted in her mind, and she flailed, panicked by the pain and
pressure of big bodies around her. With an inarticulate cry she cowered,
clenching her muscles to draw her legs up to protect her belly, wrapping her
arms around her skull so the kicks wouldn’t break her nose. The soft ground of
the tilled garden cushioned her fall, and she rolled herself up as tight as she
could, weak breaths huffing in and out of her mouth. She smelled dirt, felt
cool leaves of some vegetable plant she’d fallen on under her cheek, then light
pressure along her back, stroking up and down.

It
was one of the
Alphans
. She wasn’t so far into her
fear not to know that. A sudden flash of embarrassment filled her. She’d lost
control in front of them. They probably thought she was insane, not that she
cared what their opinion was. Though their soft touches were soothing and
driving away the idea that someone was going to hit her. A warm sensation
trickled along her nerves, calm and steady, and her lungs expanded. Sucking in
a deeper breath, she relaxed her arms and legs enough to begin to take her
weight, and before she realized what was happening, they were helping her sit
up, brushing dirt and debris from her as she kept her eyes averted. This was
humiliating.

“Alisa,
our sincere apologies—”

“We
did not mean to startle you.”

The
sincerity in their tones broke through more of her frozen mind, and she risked
a glance up through some of her messy hair. Both Mikel and Felix crouched at
her sides, their amber eyes intent on her, equal frowns pulling down their
mouths.

“Well,
I guess you see why I’m still here.
Hiding.”
The
admission just tumbled out as her tears threatened to do. More tears. She was
so sick of crying. At least now they’d leave her in peace.
Alphans
didn’t weep.

Mikel
narrowed his eyes and moved her fingers away from the bump on her head. He
pushed back her hair and scrutinized the injury, his gaze so focused she
couldn’t look at him any longer, so she stared at the ground she wished she
could sink into. A big golden hand pressed against her shoulder, and somehow
she was leaning her weight against Felix as she waited for Mikel to finish his
evaluation.

Felix
cleared his throat, and she could hear the rumble in his chest. A wave of
sleepiness overtook her, and she yawned. A day of hard work in the sun combined
with her panic seemed to have sapped her of her strength.

“You’ll
have a bruise if we don’t treat it,” Mikel said. He was arranging her tangled
hair, or trying.

“Then
treat it we shall,” Felix announced, and before she could react, his strong
arms wrapped around her and she was lifted into the air as if she weighed no
more than a tomato. Another tremble of fear pulsed through her, and she pushed
at his block-like shoulder.

“No.
Put me down. I don’t mind a bruise.”

“But
we mind it most certainly, both because we triggered it, but because you are
ours—” Mikel said as he stood next to her, again staring at the lump on her
forehead.

“I’m
not yours. I’m no one’s. I’m mine.” Alisa was suddenly angry. Angry with her
own volatility, angry that these big men assumed so much, angry at not knowing
who or what she was supposed to be any more.

“Let
us help you, please. We wish to make amends,” Felix whispered in her ear, and
she shivered. He still held her steady as gravity and weariness filled her.

“I
can walk.” Her protest was met with a silent beat, but after that slight
hesitation, Felix gently set her down. She was quiet for a moment, undone by
his quick acquiescence. She turned toward the brick living quarters, each man
close to her sides as she tottered toward refuge. She briefly wondered how the
two
Alphans
were going to explain their presence in
the off-limits area, but soon decided she didn’t care. Her head hurt too much.

****

“Absolutely
unacceptable behavior,” Commandant
Offen
said as he
leaned back in his chair. “I can’t imagine what you were thinking, Felix.”

Their
commanding officer shook his head and stared at first him, then Mikel. Everyone
always looked to him first, Felix mused with some resentment. No one would
believe him if he said the entire episode had originated with his bondmate’s
impulsive inspiration to drop by with flowers for Alisa. Mikel had claimed it
would be clearly “romantic”, whatever that meant. Felix had tuned out much of
the human cultural minutia his partner had spouted ever since he’d consumed
that etiquette book in one reading. Well, it had turned out poorly. The flowers
were abandoned on the sidewalk by the fence, Alisa had become frightened of
them, they’d caused
an uproar
with human and Alphan
diplomats alike, and somehow because his bondmate rarely spoke up, Ivar was
laying blame on him.

“The
last thing we want to do is leave the impression that our warriors are out of
control, not that these humans practice any sort of restraint among themselves.
Our welcome on this tawdry planet is tenuous enough.”
Offen
laced his fingers together and glared across the top of his bare and polished
desk. The suite of offices for visiting
Alphans
was
housed in a former academic building, and space was at a premium. Their
commander had managed to arrange to have a large corner office nevertheless,
with tall windows that looked out over a pleasant lawn dotted with green-leafed
trees. This was such a peaceful island in the midst of all the chaos on this
planet.

“Perhaps
you should consider deferring your service here and return to Alpha. It might
cool the furor if you are gone.”

Felix
went still, and he sensed Mikel’s immediate alert. That course of action was
out of the question until they’d formalized their bond with Alisa. At this
rate, it would take several months before they were able to say more than three
words to her without something going wrong. “Are the humans that outraged?”

Ivar
shrugged. “It’s hard to say. They tend to act aggrieved over the slightest
thing. I’m more concerned with our fellow
Alphans
.”

“What
do you mean, sir?” Mikel asked, leaning forward slightly in his chair.

“Well,
leaping over a wall to get at a woman rather flies in the face of the
procedures we have in place,” their commander said with a slight smirk. He was
referring to the system whereby
Alphans
of rank had
first priority whenever a social occasion involving available females occurred.
He and Mikel had only managed their own encounters at large parties involving
the entire contingent. “Some of our colleagues were unimpressed.”

Unimpressed
did not translate to discipline and being banned from Earth. Felix relaxed
slightly. “We only scaled the wall because she was injured.”

Ivar
waved his hand with impatience. He’d heard the story from beginning to end
already.
“Of course.
But it does raise a point I’ve
been meaning to bring to your attention.”

Their
commander paused, and Felix braced himself. Perhaps they were being transferred
elsewhere on planet? It would make seeing Alisa more difficult, but he was
determined to win her over. A few continents or oceans between them wouldn’t
hold them back.
Although a few walls and doors seemed to be
succeeding at the moment.

“I’ve
been laying the groundwork for you back on Alpha. As my protégées, your
successes reflect on me and enhance my reputation for sound advice and clever strategy.
You’ve passed all your physical and genetic fitness reports, and your service
record is exemplary, today’s episode
excepted
. So it’s
been my pleasure to submit you as candidates for consideration by the next
available Alphan woman.”

Silence
reigned for a few beats. Just a week ago, this would have been the best news of
his life, but now Felix wanted to shake his head, stand up, and leave the room
just to emphasize how uninterested he was. Mikel leaned back and narrowed his
eyes but fortunately refrained from one of his recent bouts of verbosity and
said nothing. It was a high honor, an enormous compliment, and one usually paid
to bondmates with far more influence and experience than he and Mikel possessed
at this time. But destiny had provided Alisa, and even the vision of a
beautiful Alphan woman couldn’t distract him.

“According
to my sources, the next few girls who come of age will be presented at court in
a few months, so if you both manage to avoid any more human entanglements, you
can anticipate an unprecedented opportunity. Imagine the prestige and potential
of such a union.”

Ivar
stared at the ceiling as he contemplated it, and Felix wondered why his
commander hadn’t submitted his own pedigree and bona fides to the Alphan
population managers. Considering all the favors the commandant must have called
in to get him and his bondmate on the shortlist, Felix knew he couldn’t reveal
their disinterest in this plan quite yet. Let them bond with Alisa and make
their pact, then deal with the fallout. He was glad they hadn’t mentioned Alisa
to Ivar. It was clear their commanding officer would object to the idea that
they’d decided on a human bondmate in the last tumultuous hours.

“Sir,
that’s quite an honor. I’m, we’re … staggered,” Felix offered as he gave Mikel
a cautionary look. His bondmate now looked ready to argue, and that would only
cause more strife in a day that had already turned out not quite as planned.
Alisa was tucked back in the women’s quarters, a bruise on her forehead and a
bad impression of them in her mind. They had been in turn reprimanded and
offered a prize they didn’t want, so the last thing they needed to do was to
antagonize
Offen
before they had to.