Authors: Rebecca Airies
I‟m not going to break it.”
“Then let‟s go. The
Shi’an
wants us back before the sun sets.” Hale turned and led
the way deeper into the forest.
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Rebecca Airies
Lisia was a little relieved to hear that. She didn‟t know if she could resist the urge
after dark. Normally, she‟d be furious at the additional restriction, but not this time.
This time, she‟d have probably asked to start back early. She loved being outside and
having the freedom to roam, even with guards. There was only so much temptation she
could withstand.
They walked through the forest, staying off the well-traveled paths. Lisia enjoyed
the wending journey around bushes and across a rocky shallow portion of the river.
They stopped for a moment beside the gently running, cool water. She stretched her
arms over her head and let her eyes wander around the area. Purple and yellow flowers
dotted the bushes near the river. Along the grassy banks and anywhere the sun could
find a path through the leaves, bright coral-colored flowers dotted the ground.
“It‟s time to head back now.” Hale‟s voice seemed loud in the silence of the smal
glade.
Lisia fell into step behind Anna. She was a little sad to be heading back. She wasn‟t
satisfied with the walk. She wished she could run through the forest, hunt and romp
until her lungs burned and the wild side of was thoroughly exhausted. The darkening
forest called to her. She resolutely looked at the light brown fabric of Anne‟s shirt.
A sharp sizzling sound brought her head up just in time to see Hale crumple to the
ground. She heard a thud and whirled. Dallan sprawled on the ground, unmoving, too.
Men burst out of hiding and started running toward them. Lisia‟s heart slammed in her
chest. She started to turn and run before she recognized the men in the dark, mottled
clothing. Stopping, she stared in awe as her brother and other men from her clan ran
toward her.
“Drake… What…” She looked at the two unconscious men and then back to her
brother.
A fierce scowl pulled his lips tight and she could see the tension in his body as he
came toward her. When he got close to her, she felt his anger. He stopped in front of
her, his eyes running from her head to her feet. His fingers wrapped around her wrist.
“It‟s time to go, Lisia,” he said tugging on her arm.
“I can‟t go, Drake. I told you that I was committed.” She shook her head.
Asaen
, he
was here to rescue her and it wasn‟t even necessary.
“You‟re not committed to anything. You‟re coming with us, Lisia. Don‟t argue.” He
looked over and let his eyes settle on Anne and Renee who were staring at him with
open-mouthed astonishment.
“Dammit, Drake, I gave my word. I did agree and I‟m not going to stomp all over
my honor and back out of it.” She jerked at her hand, trying to free it.
It had no effect whatsoever on her big blond-haired brother. He still held her hand.
She growled. The thought of leaving sent a shaft of pain and panic through her. She was
getting damn tired of no one listening to her. Twisting her wrist, she knew she had to
make him listen to her before the overprotective lug started a fight.
“Did he force you to accept him?” Drake asked baldly. His hand cupped her cheek.
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“There…was some coercion.” She grimaced and sighed. She wasn‟t going to lie to
her brother about it. He could probably guess just how it had happened. There was no
use trying to make something up to appease him.
“He‟s dead. You won‟t have to worry about being married to him.” Drake‟s hand
fell to his side and clenched. His voice had a distinct growl.
Lisia felt her eyes widen. She shook her head, amazed that her brother had gone
from brooding and angry to furious enough to do bodily harm in the space of a breath.
Putting her hands on his arm, she tried to think of a way to calm him down. The only
thing she could think of was to show him that Jarritt was a normal man.
“Are you going to tell me that women always specifically say yes before anything
happens on Deshra? That they‟re never pressured or rushed into the situation by males
intent on claiming a mate?” She folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot.
He frowned. “What difference does that make? Other women aren‟t my sister.”
She fought a smile. “If it‟s acceptable for others, you can‟t get angry when he did
the same thing with me. He didn‟t take me from my home. I came here and was
without protection from family or other
Aridi
. Just because I‟m your sister doesn‟t mean
the normal rules don‟t apply to me.”
“You should never have been in this situation.” Drake‟s muscles tightened and
bunched making him look larger and his expression was so hard she knew he wanted
to hit someone.
“I‟ll admit that if you‟d gotten here a few days after I arrived, I would have wanted
you to get me off this planet as fast as possible.” She smiled a little and shrugged. She‟d
have happily left with him at one point.
“You were coerced, Lisia. Off this planet, what you said doesn‟t matter. I‟m taking
you up to the UDA ship in orbit. A neutral area where he‟ll have to take your answer
whatever it is.” Drake glanced at her.
She drew in a sharp breath. A choice just because she wasn‟t on the planet. She‟d
never thought it would be that simple.
“You tell your
Shi’an
that Lisia will be up on the UDA ship and we‟ll be waiting.
This time, she‟ll have a choice. If she doesn‟t choose him, I‟m taking her home.” His
eyes swung to the two women gawking at them.
“This isn‟t going to work, Drake.” Lisia shook her head. This would only infuriate
him. Jarritt wouldn‟t give up his claim even if she decided to walk away from him. Not
that that was going to happen. She loved him and wasn‟t about to leave him. She
wanted a lifetime with him.
“You don‟t know what I have planned, Lisia. Just be patient and come on.” Drake
took a step and tugged her along with him. “I will carry you if I have to.”
“You know this is going to cause trouble. How would you feel if this happened at
home?” She paced along beside him. There was going to be a fight. She had no doubt
about it.
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Rebecca Airies
“We‟ll find out. I have a feeling your Jarritt is a lot like me,” Drake led her deeper
into the forest.
Lisia shook her head. Her brother wasn‟t going to listen. She knew him well enough
to know he was trying to prove some point but she had no idea what it was. Well, other
than Drake wanting to prove that Jarritt couldn‟t stop him if he really wanted to take
her out of the galaxy.
“You said you would have left if I‟d come earlier. You don‟t want that now? I don‟t
care about any promises you‟ve made. I need to know how you feel. Do you want to be
with him for the rest of your life? If you don‟t, I‟ll get you off this planet, out of this
system and he can rage about it all he wants. Just tell me.” He gave her hand a
reassuring squeeze.
“I want to be with him Drake. Everything‟s happened so fast, but it‟s right. I feel so
much for him.” Lisia thought about Jarritt, hoping her brother would feel how much
Jarritt meant to her. She wanted to make a new life with Jarritt.
“How did you get down here without someone knowing? The new sensor
equipment should have revealed any shielded vessel.” Her breath puffed out in fast
pants as he hurried her through the forest.
“We‟ve been using those sensors in our sectors for months. Of course, we know
how to get around them.” Drake shook his head and laughed as if the answer should
have been obvious.
“And how to strengthen them.” Maxim, another of her brothers ran over and
hugged her. “It‟s good to see you again, Lis.”
“Do you know what he‟s planning?” She looked pointedly at Drake.
Maxim nodded. “Drake knows what he‟s doing. Trust him. Your man needs to see
things from our point of view.”
Frickin’ male posturing. That’s all it was.
* * * * *
Jarritt looked up at the darkening sky. Hale and Dallan should have called a halt to
the group‟s walk and turned back to the holding by now. Even with the guards, he was
nervous about her being out in the forest. The pirates were still free, still a threat. He
didn‟t want to lose her.
He heard breaking twigs and the sound of running footsteps. He tensed, his hand
on the stunner at his hip. Anne burst through the bushes. She didn‟t look scared. She
looked angry and determined. Her eyes looked over the groups of people almost
frantically. When she spotted him, she ran toward him. He waited, worry beginning to
build. She‟d been in the group Lisia had accompanied. Where were the guards? Where
was Lisia? Fear slammed through him followed by a rush of anger. She wouldn‟t die.
He wouldn‟t let her.
“Where is Lisia?” He stepped forward aggressively.
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Lisia’s Journey
“Taken. A man named Drake. He said he‟s taking her up to the UDA ship and that
they‟ll be waiting there. He said she‟ll have a choice this time and if she chooses, he‟ll
take her home.” Anne dragged in huge gulps of air.
“How did they get down here without us knowing about it? Jarritt gritted his teeth.
“Those sensors are supposed to tell us when someone enters the atmosphere.”
The woman shook her head, but Jarritt barely noticed.
He clenched his fists. Her brothers would be lucky if he didn‟t rip them into pieces.
Fury pounded through him, but underneath it fear and doubt nibbled at the edge of his
mind. She could choose to go with her brother. He‟d pushed and used every trick he
knew to get her to agree to be his. She wanted him and felt more than affection for him,
but he didn‟t know if she was ready to admit it. He stiffened and shook his head. She
was coming home with him and that was final. If he had to, he‟d go through her
brothers and the other
Shi’an
to get her.
He stormed toward the
marrohl
where Lieutenant Commander Carson should be by
now. He wanted to know if the man had known that her brothers had arrived. Jarritt
noticed Arik walking down the street and waved him over. Arik immediately joined
him.
“Is something wrong,
Shi’an
?” Arik asked.
“Lisia‟s brothers have arrived and have taken her off the planet. Send men into the
forest to get the two guards and the woman who stayed with them. I want you with me
when I go up to the UDA ship to get her.” Jarritt looked over at Arik.
Arik nodded. “I‟ll meet you at the shuttles,
Shi’an
.”
“I‟ll be heading there as soon as I have a few words with the Lieutenant
Commander.” Jarritt looked toward the
marrohl
.
Jarritt walked into the
marrohl
. He immediately spotted the red-haired commander
walking toward him. The man looked tired and worried. Commander Carson exhaled
heavily as he came to a stop in front of Jarritt. He held up his hands before Jarritt could
say a word.
“I found out that Drake had arrived only moments ago. They just notified me. I was
coming to talk to you.” The Lieutenant Commander shook his head and sighed. “I
wouldn‟t have thought Drake would take her off the planet.”
“He‟s her brother. How did they get onto the planet without us knowing? I thought
your sensors worked.” Jarritt crossed his arms and waited for the man to answer. If
those damn sensors couldn‟t even stop an overprotective brother, they had no chance
against the pirates.
“Those shields originated in the galaxy Lisia comes from. Drake and the other
Aridi
always tweak the technology. It doesn‟t surprise me that they know how to get past
them.” The Lieutenant Commander shrugged. “I‟ll go up with you,
Shi’an
. Drake does
listen for the most part.”
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Rebecca Airies
“No need. I won‟t have any problem making him understand how I feel.” Jarritt
turned and started out the door.
“I‟m coming. I‟ll be able to keep the UDA soldiers out of it if the situation gets
loud.” The Lieutenant Commander stepped up beside him.
Jarritt didn‟t argue. He wasn‟t going to waste the time debating with the man.
Jarritt led the way out of the
marrohl
. The walk to the shuttles seemed to take forever.
He knew that Lisia would be on the ship. Still part of him worried that she‟d be gone
and he wouldn‟t be able to find her. The cat inside him roared and raged. He felt claws
pushing at the nails of his fingers. He‟d fight to keep her.
By the time the shuttle lifted off, his fury simmered. He wanted to get his hands on
her brother for even daring to think about taking her away from him. Walking through
the light yellow halls of the large ship, he kept an eye out for Lisia or her brothers. He
felt Lisia‟s nervousness as the UDA soldiers stopped in front of a door. The door slid