Warrior's Valor (17 page)

“Thanks.” Dwyn's voice was hoarse, and she fumbled as she reached for a clean linen shirt.

“You're welcome.” Emeron lowered the sanitizer and watched in horror-filled delight as Dwyn donned the garment, then slid off the lower part of the coveralls. Her hips were as slim as her chest, and still there was nothing boyish about her.

“I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?” Dwyn halted as she stuck her hands down the waistband of her underwear.

“No. No. Why do you ask?” She licked her lips.

“Because you're staring.”

“Oh. Sorry. I…” She shifted her gaze and fiddled with the sanitizer.

“It's all right. Just as long as I don't freak you out. I'm used to a non-privacy kind of environment. I figured you'd be desensitized from all your years in law enforcement.”

“I am. Well, I mean, I was.” Furious at her own stuttering, she cleared her throat. “I didn't mean to stare, but you're just so damn beautiful.”

Dwyn had pulled her underwear down halfway and now she stopped, blushing faintly. “Oh.”

Emeron acted without thinking. She placed the sanitizer on her bedroll and covered Dwyn's hands with her own. Slowly she slid the last items of clothing along Dwyn's legs and off her feet. Grabbing the sanitizer, she ran it along Dwyn's legs and around her hips. Dwyn accommodated her, trembling, her blush more saturated as she parted her legs. Emeron was sweating now, her hands shaking as she ran the device between Dwyn's legs, not touching the skin, but right next to it. When she was done, Dwyn rose to her knees, her eyes narrow and dark, and began to unfasten Emeron's coveralls.

“Your turn.” Her words came from a deep place in her throat, a guttural sound that barely resembled her normal speech.

Emeron tore off her clothes, so turned on it hurt to wear them. Dwyn ran the sanitizer along her, carefully cleaning her hair and not missing a spot. The hum from the device ignited fires along hundreds of thousands of nerve endings, and she knew she'd be buzzing soon too.

Dwyn placed the sanitizer back into Emeron's carrier, then merely sat there, looking at her. “You're stunning,” she said. “Absolutely stunning. Like a work of art.”

“Dwyn.” She touched Dwyn's chin. “Have you forgiven me? For this evening?”

Dwyn blinked. “Oh.” She scooted closer. “The way you've touched me, or not touched me, rather, says more than any apology. So, yes. I have. I do believe you care.”

“Having you near me like this is something I never thought would happen.”

Dwyn smiled. A sweet, lopsided smile. “I never thought I'd be in this situation with you.”

“Pri said you're an innocent when it comes to intimacy.”

Dwyn pulled back, only a few centimeters, but enough for Emeron to see the change in her demeanor. “Why would she say that?”

“Because she's very perceptive.”

“And I'm clearly a totally clumsy fool, who—”

“No. You're not. Not at all. But Pri told me to be careful. That you have little or no experience.”

“What did you say to make her warn you like that?” Dwyn didn't avert her eyes, even if she spoke in a shaky voice.

Emeron felt a blush creep up her neck. “I really didn't say anything.”

“But, as you said, she's perceptive.”

“Eh, yes.” Emeron knew she was navigating a minefield and wondered, not for the first time, how she'd become caught up in this.

“And you have, of course, experienced physical intimacy,” Dwyn said casually. “Many times.”

“I've shared quite a few beds, that's true. Until a few years ago, I was on the prowl at every opportunity.” Somehow, she knew if she was anything but honest with Dwyn right now, her words would come back and slap her in the face.

“What happened to change that?”

“I was unhappy.” She had never admitted that out loud, but knew it was true as soon as she said it. “I felt empty, and lonelier than when I was actually alone.”

Dwyn's eyes softened. “So, I haven't missed anything? Is that what you're saying?”

“No, no, not at all.” Emeron tried to explain. “There's nothing wrong with two people sharing a moment. For me, in the end, it was more like scratching an itch than sharing something wonderful with someone. The problem lay with me, not the women I was with.”

“I see.” Dwyn's eyes took on a shade of shining silver. “And now, when you've recognized this problem, have you given up hope of ever finding a soul mate?”

Dwyn's words startled her.
Soul mate
. “Eh, I've focused on the job, mostly. You know what I do for a living. If I don't concentrate, people get killed.” Determined not to be the target of more difficult questions, she quickly said, “And why have you kept to yourself so much? You're a beautiful, intriguing woman. You couldn't have been without offers, so to speak.” Unable to resist the surge of desire that accompanied her words, she cupped Dwyn's neck under the heavy hair.

“You making me one?” Dwyn's smile was tremulous. “But no, I haven't had that many offers. Apparently my job situation is like yours. So, same reason, pretty much.”

Emeron lost the last of her breath and, gasping, embraced Dwyn. She laced her fingers through Dwyn's hair, guiding her head back. “Dwyn.” Hungrily, she pressed her lips onto Dwyn's, and the soft sweetness was almost too much for her inflamed senses. She groaned and knew she had to taste Dwyn, devour her mouth and put this overwhelming desire to the test. She slid her tongue between Dwyn's lips and expected her to reciprocate.

It took her a few seconds to realize that Dwyn was completely rigid and certainly didn't return her kiss. She pulled back and let go, mortified and embarrassed. “I'm sorry. I'm so—”

“Don't.” Dwyn was pale. “You don't have to say anything.”

“I shouldn't have…” She pulled the bedroll up, intending to cover herself, but looked at Dwyn, who sat shivering in her sleeveless shirt. She changed her mind and wrapped it around her instead. To her surprise, Dwyn sobbed once and rolled into her arms.

“
I'm
the one who's sorry.” Dwyn buried her face against Emeron's neck. “So stupid.”

She closed her arms around Dwyn, bedroll and all, and held her tight against her breasts.
Damn, she's an innocent, and I kiss her, for the first time, when she's half-naked
. “Shh.” She merely embraced Dwyn, not moving at all. “You're all right.”

“Today has been too much for me.” Dwyn sighed. “I just can't seem to respond as I want.”

“What do you mean?”

Dwyn pulled back and met her gaze. “When you kissed me, I wanted to respond. I really did. Somehow I'm stiff and frozen, and I have all these images in my mind—of the burned Disians, and the dead people…”

Cursing her own libido and lack of sensitivity, she groaned and hugged Dwyn. “You're reacting in a much more natural way than I am. I'm too hardened.”
And too horny, obviously
.

Dwyn felt wonderful in her arms, and even though Emeron desperately wanted to kiss her, she was content to simply sit like this for a while.

“Aren't you cold?” Dwyn asked.

“You're joking, right?”

“No? I… Oh.” Dwyn pressed her hot face back into Emeron's neck. “I see.”

“Should we try to get some sleep? I have a feeling we'll be very busy tomorrow.”

Dwyn nodded and they arranged the bedrolls and climbed into them. Emeron lay down, and before she could move onto her side, Dwyn slid up next to her.

“Do you mind?”

“Not at all. Come here.” She pulled Dwyn onto her shoulder. “There you go.”

“Thanks.”

“Try to get some rest.” Dwyn relaxed against her before she finished the short sentence, and she knew without checking that Dwyn was already asleep. Just before Emeron drifted off, she realized that, for the first time, she was content to merely hold someone as she slept.

Dwyn watched Emeron disengage the secure channel communicator. Her stark features gave nothing away, but it wasn't hard for Dwyn to interpret the steely resolve in her eyes.

“We have new orders.” Emeron stepped into the circle of her unit. “Our headquarters is teaming up with the SC military installation. A unit of senior officers is en route to the nearest drop zone.”

“Drop zone?” Dwyn hadn't thought there were any such things in the forest. “Are they big enough to actually land a ship in?”

“Yes, I believe so. They're strictly for emergencies, of course, and are located in natural clearings.”

“Natural clearings? How can they stay open when you can't even break off a twig in the forest?” Mogghy asked.

“I don't know why, but the dirt appears infertile to larger plants and trees in these areas. To my knowledge, they've been used as drop zones for no more than a hundred years.” Emeron shook her head. “I suppose there's never been an emergency such as this.”

“So, where's the nearest drop zone?” Mogghy asked.

“About four hours' walk from here, if we take the less-known paths. I'll ask Pri for help. We need indigenous guides if we're going to reach the clearing in time.”

“How many people does this unit contain, ma'am?” Noor hoisted her plasma-pulse weapon. “I hope they bring enough to help us catch M'Ekar and his cohorts quickly.”

“As I understood, six. Four senior officers, and by that I mean
senior
, as in one admiral and so on.”

“An admiral, you say?” Mogghy whistled. “There must be a lot at stake here.”

“Evidently.” Emeron began to leave. “Break camp. I'll go talk with Pri. Dwyn, you're with me.”

“Aye, ma'am,” she murmured without malice and lengthened her stride to keep up. Emeron had woken up only an hour ago and had looked completely energized. Dwyn was by then grateful that the tent was still fairly dark, since she had curled up almost under Emeron during the night. Not sure what to say, she had laughed nervously, which in turn had made Emeron hug her, quickly and fiercely, before leaving their tent.

“About our backup, did things just get better, or…?” She peered at Emeron as they hurried to the center of the village.

“Better, I hope. But Mogghy's eerily correct. A lot more than a fugitive and kidnapping is at stake here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, since headquarters wouldn't brief me even over the secure comm channel, I'd say it's a matter of constellational security.”

“That sounds ominous.” She wondered what could have been aboard the crashed vessel to warrant such actions. Or whom. “And as I understand it, until these high-ranking officers get here, we're it.”

“Correct.” Emeron stopped at a small intersection in the village and turned left. Three houses down the narrow path, she hesitated briefly before opening the gate. “This is Pri's dwelling.”

“You've been here before.” Dwyn didn't make her words a question. It was clear to her that walking among the Disian houses wasn't easy for Emeron.

“Yes.”

“They're not called houses? They're…dwellings?”

“Yes. The Disians don't see the house as a property, but a place to stay. They might live in the same dwelling all their life and still see it as a shelter given to them by the forest deities, one not to be taken for granted.”

“All right. Let's see if she's in.” She took the initiative since Emeron hesitated at the gate. “Do I knock?”

“Yes.” Emeron blinked rapidly a few times, then joined her on the small cobblestone area outside Pri's front door.

Pri opened it and gestured them inside without a word. She guided them into what Dwyn guessed was the equivalent of a living room.

“Thank you for seeing us, Pri,” Emeron said in Premoni. “I suppose you could sense us coming and know what I plan to ask you?”

“That, and the neighbor's little girl told me you were on your way. It wasn't hard to figure out why.”

“And why do you think I'm here?” Emeron spoke politely, but the underlying curtness of her tone didn't escape Dwyn. She wondered if Pri noticed. Probably.

“You are here because you need
trei-kas
, guides, in order to travel with speed through the blessedness.”

“You are right, as always.” Emeron's face didn't reveal any sarcasm, but her voice insinuated as much. “Handy things, these Disian traits.”

“Traits which you possess, if your pride would not deny—”

“Leave my pride out of this.”

“Your grandmother—”

“Briijn is definitely off topic here.”

“Please. Stop it.” Dwyn couldn't be quiet any longer. The old Disian woman looked as if she could crumble at any second, and the loathing with which Emeron stared at Pri scared Dwyn. “Pri, we've come to ask if you could help us. Apparently you've already guessed, or somehow seen, what we need. Even I didn't know exactly what Emeron was going to ask of you, so clearly there's more going on than I understand.” She drew a new breath, not taking her eyes off the two surprised women. “I realize there's history between the two of you, and one day I'm sure you'll have it out with each other. But today, this instant, isn't the time.”