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  “An even less efficient use of manpower and equipment,” he growled back, and Deklan clamped his mouth shut. “We aren’t a hotel. I could get orders we need to be packed up and ready to deploy to an entirely different nebula in an instant. Where is an available bed behind some securely locked doors on this damned planet?”

  The doctor straightened his shoulders and considered possibilities as Leo noticed Deklan smoothing the sheet over the woman. The verbal exchanges didn’t seem to be disturbing her. She breathed shallowly and steadily, a slight furrow between her delicate eyebrows.

  “Obviously nowhere in this care facility, or in rehabilitation. There are no bunks in the caregivers’ barracks, and there would still be the issue of contact. Which leaves my bed or yours, Commander.”

  Harrumphing and probably contemplating remonstrating the doctor for his near-insubordinate comment, the commander cocked his head. “I have no time to bond with a woman, and neither do you. But I seem to recall both of you,” he gestured between Leo and Deklan, “have a spare bedroom in that modular unit of yours.”

  Leo’s heart sank. Their leader was right. Because of their bondmate status and seniority, he and Deklan had been assigned the only other private living space in the unit. It was small and spare, but to them the privacy was priceless after years spent huddled in drafty tents or narrow bunks on troopships.

  “Besides, I know you and Deklan aren’t going to be sniffing around a woman looking for a bondmate you haven’t earned.”

  Leo held his tongue yet again, but the callous reminder that he and his partner were no longer fit, no longer respected warriors, stung his pride and made his scars ache anew. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Deklan straighten, and he feared what the other man might say in their defense.

  “We’d be honored to host her until she’s well enough to return to her home,” Deklan declared, his hands hovering near the edge of the bed like he wanted to gather her up immediately.

  “So glad you agree.” The commander’s dry tone didn’t disguise his relief that this immediate problem was resolved and he could move on to the next issue among the many waiting his attention. “Cover her up as best you can and have her out of here as soon as possible.”

  With that final order, he turned on his heel and stomped away. The doctor let out a slow breath and glanced down at the woman. “I’ll be by in the morning to check on her. The restorers will detach automatically. Get her as much food and water as she’ll take, then make her rest. The sooner she’s ambulatory, the sooner we can get back to our regular assignments.”

  With that, the doctor also fled the makeshift room, leaving Leo to stare at Deklan, at a loss as to what had just occurred. Somehow they’d acquired a new roommate who, despite her injuries and poor treatment, was one of the most fascinating beings he’d ever seen. Deklan heaved out a sigh and stared at her, running his fingers over the smooth surfaces of the restorers attached to her cheek and shoulder.

  “Let’s get her dressed.”

  Holding on to professional detachment with all his might, Leo assisted Deklan in re-dressing her limp body in some spare pajamas stored in the bedside cabinet. They were far too large, and he would make it a priority to pillage stores for something more appropriate. He did his best to ignore her full breasts and round hips as he and Deklan tugged concealing clothing in place. Not so easily forgotten was the quick glimpse he’d gotten of the soft swell of flesh between her legs, barely concealed by small curls of hair. He was embarrassed when his staff swelled with blood yet again and cast a guilty glance at his bondmate, who shrugged.

  “It’s biology.” Deklan offered a reassuring excuse.

  Being at the whim of hormones and body parts was not to his liking, and Leo turned away as Deklan went to work cleaning her exposed skin. He ordered the men to lower the curtain since she was now covered. As soon as he released them from their task, the centurions surrounding them lowered the barrier and stared at her. The novelty of being this close to a human woman, knowing she’d been temporarily divested of her clothing, was proving an irresistible sight to the healthy young men. She’d likely feature in quite a few of their fantasies in the coming nights: rescuing the beautiful maiden from the clutches of a foul villain, beheading the dreadful enemy with one strike of his blade, earning her unending devotion and tentative caresses—Leo shook his head at the absurdity of his own rampant thoughts.

  Pulling a blanket over the sheet covering the woman’s form, careful not to dislodge the restorers knitting her cells back together, Leo wondered what the evening would bring. He was the ward manager, the supply and housing of all injured warriors his responsibility. She’d fought to protect someone weaker. He might not be fit to battle any longer, but he would help her to the best of his ability. He thanked the men for their help and directed them to the mess hall for some food. They walked away slowly, with many throwing looks back at the woman.

  Deklan had cleaned her as well as he could, but she would benefit from a bath. What Leo could see of her lips indicated they were full and pink, unlike any he’d ever seen before. Deklan reached out and straightened a lock of her pale hair, easing away some of the tangles. She’d need a brush, mirror, oral care kit…

  “What color is this? Yellow or gold?” Deklan asked in a low voice, very different from his usual cheerful tone.

  “I think they call it blonde,” Leo said, resisting his urge to touch it. It would be improper, both as a caregiver, and as the ranking medical officer. Deklan could get away with it since his responsibilities included rehabilitation. Lots of physical contact with rehabilitation. A vaguely uncomfortable sensation settled in his gut as he recalled that spark he’d experienced when he’d touched her skin.

  “Come then, let’s move her now while she’s unaware.”

  “What if she wakes up? Who will attend to her?” Deklan’s question was a good one. The majority of their patients, brave warriors wounded in battle, would be accompanied by their bondmates who would take on the role of providing medical care just as they supported each other in training, barracks life, and in a fight. On rare occasions, a lone Alphan might arrive, his bondmates killed while he’d survived. In those situations, the staff would step in and provide constant companionship, both for physical and psychological support. Those were wrenching situations, always leaving Leo grateful that he and his bondmate had both managed to recover from their wounds. The idea of being without Deklan, or his bondmate being alone if he had died, made Leo’s heart ache.

  “I suppose it falls to us.” Leo reviewed his schedule. It could be done. Once the rescued humans were on their way to Earth, he’d have few warriors housed in the ward. There’d been a lull in the fighting, and not as many warriors populated the cots as he’d come to expect. The spare bedroom was clean, and he’d merely need to pull fresh sheets and towels for her, so they could take her immediately.

  “Done. I’ll take first watch.” Deklan’s eyes were alight with excitement. He enjoyed breaks in the routine far more than Leo did.

  Leo turned back to the patient, finally allowing himself a moment to just see her, not as a collection of aliments, but as a person. She looked young, perhaps in her twenties, not that he was any judge of ages in another species. Her face had settled into lines of pain or distress, no wonder considering what she’d been through. Without realizing he’d leaned so close until he caught a drift of her scent, Leo whispered in her ear.

  “Rest easy. You’re safe.” He bit back the next words before he could utter them, surprised he’d wanted to reassure her that he and Deklan would be there when she woke. He didn’t know that, couldn’t predict what the next few hours would bring. His desire to be there when she did wake, to, he hoped, comfort her in his limited way, surprised him.

  Chapter Two

  Aura felt heavy. Her legs, her arms, no, one arm wasn’t moving. Drawing in a determined breath, she tried to move that arm even as fluttering bits of memory slowed in her mind. The ship. The hateful aliens with the forked ton
gues. That frightening cock and the poor girl.

  With a shiver, she remembered everything and lurched into full consciousness, sure she needed to hide, find a refuge before they started beating her again. Instead of being able to move, again that warm, enveloping weight was almost comforting. Almost as if something or someone was there. Yes, she sensed someone, an almost familiar presence. But how could that be?

  She opened her eyes, only one eye, for a soft weight was pressing on half her aching face. Darkness, blurry shadows, the sense of being in a small space. She tried to talk, but only a croak came out because her lips and tongue felt stuck together. Something drifted across her jaw, and there was a hint of liquid against her lips. Not caring if it was poison, she licked at it, then took a swallow. Cool water. Relief flooded her, and she relaxed a bit. None of those brutal creatures would have given her a drink, so one of the women must be helping her.

  Aura tried to raise her head to see where she was, thank whoever was there, when a deep, rumbling voice startled her. The masculine timbre of it both soothed and attracted her ear like there was more she should be hearing.

  “You’re safe. Don’t sit up. The restorers haven’t quite finished their work.”

  “What?” She managed the word as she let her head fall back against the soft surface she was lying on. A bed? There weren’t any beds on that ship, and no human men, for that matter. “Who?”

  “I’m Deklan of the Raghar. Formerly of the Raghar, I mean. You can call me Deklan, if you like. You’re going to be all right.” A slight stroking pressure along her arm. Not the arm stiff at her side, burdened with some sort of vibrating object pressed to the shoulder that horrible fiend had broken. Why didn’t that hurt more?

  She blinked in the gloom, searching for this Deklan. A large shape moved into her field of vision. The silhouette was man-like, and very large. Her belly fluttered, but not with fright. Maybe she was hungry. “Where—”

  “You’re safe on Vashon, at a forward medical unit. Not a Xyran within five hundred thousand kilometers.”

  “Good. I hate them.” The admission fell from her parched lips, and she made a motion at her mouth. The man leaned her way, somehow sensing her movements in the dark, and there was again water. She sucked greedily, the soothing refreshment sliding down her throat. Deklan’s fingertips rested against her cheek, and her skin tingled. She could feel soft clothing cocooning her body. Not the clothes she’d been wearing, too loose, too clean. Someone had undressed her. This big, gentle man? The thought didn’t bother her like it should.

  “We share that sentiment.” There was a hint of a chuckle in his low voice, and Aura felt an answering smile curve her mouth, stopping when there was a twinge of pain along her cheek. She’d been hit there, the memory of the agony enough to bring tears to her eyes. Reaching up to touch her face, Aura encountered rough skin around a smooth humming thing resting on her cheek. What had happened to her?

  “Why doesn’t this hurt more?”

  She thought she sensed him reaching out, and then his hand was on hers, fingers carefully catching and lifting it back to her side. At the contact, a fraction of the tension and confusion that filled her eased, and she kept her palm turned up, a mute plea for him not to let go. He didn’t, and as he pressed his fingertips against her wrist, a sigh left her. It felt good.

  “We repaired the break, reduced the swelling. The skin remains abraded. There’s only so much the restorer can do.”

  “I’ll take what I can get. Where am I again? In a hospital?”

  “Not exactly.”

  She heard him shift near her, and she wondered at what he wasn’t telling her. Aura thought of the girl thrown to the floor, the woman who’d kept her arms wrapped around her small children throughout the whole ordeal. “The others, the people I was on the ship with, those Xyrans, they threw one girl down. She’s probably hurt—”

  He stroked her hand and made a quiet sound. Her heart raced, and she sucked in a few shallow breaths. A flush of warm sensation swept through her, and she almost sighed with pleasure. Was this some delayed reaction to her fight? “Your companions are well. On their way back to Earth.”

  The women and children weren’t here in the medical ward? Why was she left behind? Suddenly the questions were too much, and she wrenched her body up into an awkward seated position, hampered by her immobile arm and the shivering weight attached to her shoulder. The thing that had been on her face fell into her lap, and she jumped. The unseen man’s hands supported her, touching her back, her waist, her hip as she balanced on the bed’s soft surface. She wanted to touch him in return, which was a stupid idea since she didn’t even know where she was or who she was with.

  “I’d like to see—”

  A soft scraping sound interrupted her request, and she stilled as the shadows moved around her.

  “Deklan, she shouldn’t be up—” A new male voice caught her attention, and she flushed, suddenly dizzy. A big hand cupped her head briefly, and she turned toward it, unseeing. Deklan?

  “You would have me hold her down, Leo?” Deklan’s hand squeezed her arm in a gentle gesture, then released her as the other hand slid to her nape and then disappeared. With a sharp pang, she missed the contact and wished he’d stay close.

  “No, but—”

  A new, dark shape emerged, roughly the same size as Deklan. “What is your name?”

  This voice, equally deep and quiet as Deklan’s, demanded her attention as surely as if he’d shouted. Her body trembled, and she licked her lips.

  “I’m Aura Tremain.”

  “I’m Leontus of the Raghar. How is your … wait a moment.” The new voice belonging to this Leontus paused. There was a scuffling sound, and then a small light illuminated the area. Aura blinked as her eyes adjusted, star-like sparks winking behind her fluttering eyelids. She squinted and focused on the two men in front of her. Tall, wearing dark grey and tan clothing, their skin seemed gilded. As she looked at their faces, bold noses, elegant dark brows, long black hair pulled back, gleaming gold eyes, she realized there was something slightly off, something alien about these handsome men. They had horns growing out of their heads. Horns. Sleek, slightly curved black horns that blended in with their hair.

  “What are you?”

  They glanced at each other, and she realized she had no idea which was which. When one reached out to touch her hand, the moment he touched her skin she knew it was Deklan. So the other was Leontus.

  “We’re Alphans,” Leontus said as he reached into her lap to retrieve the greyish oval that had been attached to her face. His knuckles bumped her upper thighs, and her skin quivered.

  So these were the fierce warriors people had been talking about in the last few months. If she believed the whispered gossip and intermittent and hysterical news reports, she was sitting in the presence of the beings who could save humanity if only they would open their borders and give the billions suffering on Earth another few planets to ruin. She was too insignificant a player in galactic events to have much of an opinion, other than that these two men seemed quite civilized and didn’t fill her with revulsion like the Xyrans had. She would have shrugged, but the warm thing pulsating against her shoulder held her back.

  Tearing her gaze from the two imposing males in front of her, she took in her surroundings. They were in a small room, about four meters square. The furnishings consisted of a bed, a wide chair, and a black cabinet. Very utilitarian. Not especially alien. “Where am I? Why am I here?”

  “You’re here to recover. Gain your strength before you are returned to Earth.” Leontus approached the bed and stood close to her, his gleaming eyes inspecting her face, or her injury, rather. His hand curled near her cheek, and he hesitated a moment, then lightly traced his thumb across the spot where the alien—the Xyran, had struck her. His eyes darkened, and some shiver of awareness flew along her nerves. She knew she should be scared, terrified, but instead simply waited for the next word, the next touch. Her belly fluttered with nervous ene
rgy. “How does this feel?”

  As Leontus asked the question, Deklan reached out and removed the device from her shoulder. The loss of its weight combined with the strange sensation of having her arm back under control made her shiver. Without a word, Deklan was pulling at the shirt she was wearing, baring her upper arm and collarbone to their view. She made a half-hearted attempt to cover herself, but their big, strong hands were undeterred as they stroked gently over her skin. She remembered the blank agony that had struck her dumb when the Xyran hit her, but none of that pain remained, only a vaguely tingling numbness, like she’d slept in a funny position all night.

  They were only making a clinical inspection, but Aura was embarrassed to find her body heating up, pulses timed with her accelerating heartbeat throbbing between her legs with every brush of their fingers against her skin. A dark part of her brain wanted them to tear the rest of her borrowed clothes away, check her thoroughly for any bruise or cut, prod at her until they declared her fit and she was wet and satisfied. Both of them touching, kissing… She blew out a huff to clear her mind of that bizarre desire. Why was she thinking about that? Why was the idea of being naked in front of them making her breathe hard, making her nipples tighten? The Alphans drew back.

  “Did we hurt you?” Leo asked.

  She shook her head. What she was experiencing was far from pain. No, better to keep those thoughts to herself. These courteous males would likely be revolted that some alien woman found them attractive. Insistently attractive. She must have sustained a head injury to be this mixed up.

  “Good. I’ll schedule a visit from the physician in the morning. He can give you any details about your injuries you desire.”

  “So am I healed?”

  Leo nodded once and looked to Deklan, who asked her to extend her arm, raise it up, circle it. She did do with a few flickers of pain, but no major impediments.