SavingAttractions (8 page)

The smaller attacker lunged at her. She stumbled back away
from his hands. His palms brushed her chest. He shoved. She lost her balance
and fell. A scream of panic escaped as she landed on her ass. Pain jolted up
her spine, but she didn’t have time to wonder about how badly she was hurt. The
man was on top of her before she could roll away from him. One of his hands
gripped her throat. He reached back and pulled an injector from his waist band.

Fear and panic swelled in her as the pressure closed off her
airway. She punched at him, trying to drive him away from her. He grunted, his
blue eyes narrowed and his grip tightened. She desperately fought to draw in a
breath. Her chest felt tight and her eyes watered. She struck at him and
grabbed for his hand when the injector got to close. Digging her nails into his
wrists and anywhere she could reach, she scratched, trying to get his hand off
her throat. She also wanted to keep whatever drug he had out of her system, but
the need to breathe trumped her worry over what the medication would do to her.

A deep male shout sounded. The person above her turned his
head. He tensed and cursed. His hands left her throat and then he jumped to his
feet. He ran and his larger partner followed. Relief burst through her. She
rolled to her side, coughing and gasping as she drew air through her burning
throat. Her throat felt raw and pain seared with every sweet breath of air.

She saw the two people disappear into a group of trees.
After feeling that person on top of her and the strength in those fingers, she
thought it was a he, but she couldn’t be completely certain. She hadn’t felt
any breasts when she’d been fighting the attacker.

“Ada!” She heard Jagger’s voice a moment before someone
knelt beside her.

Gentle hands turned her to her back. She looked up at him
through her teary eyes. He stared down at her worriedly. With a slow and almost
hesitant touch, he brushed the hair away from her neck. His fingers lightly
touched the skin she knew was probably red and bruising.

“Go after them.” Her voice sounded raspy and unfamiliar.
Every word burned as it came out. It felt like she’d tried to swallow something
covered with thorns.

“There are men chasing after them. Tell me where you’re
hurt.” His eyes ran over her as if trying to see the injuries himself.

“I’m not really hurt. They weren’t here that long. He hit my
shoulder and choked me to get me to shut up.” She tried to push herself into a
sitting position, but Jagger curled an arm under her and lifted her.

“You haven’t seen your neck. He hurt you.” Jagger’s eyes
fixed on her throat and the intensity in his gaze startled her. “So tell me
about the two men.”

Ada grimaced and then confessed her confusion. “I can’t be
completely certain it was two men. The one attacking Lauren definitely was a
man, but the other I’m just assuming. I didn’t feel anything that definitely
identified him as a man.”

“All right one definite man, one probably a man.” Jagger
nodded. “Tell me about them and what happened.”

“I didn’t see them until they were running toward us. They
wore hood-type masks that covered everything except their eyes and clothing
similar to some I’d seen in the physician’s tent. The one on top of me had blue
eyes and lighter skin.” Ada frowned.

A knot formed in her stomach. It wasn’t one of the pirates.
They both had darker skin than that and it wasn’t one of the Zarain men. They
were all larger than that small man, which meant that it had to be someone from
their crew. All she’d seen was one man’s eyes though. Blue.

After the first attack, there had been a suspicion that it
had to be one of the crew. Ada hadn’t given it too much thought. She hadn’t
wanted to believe that someone from the crew would harm people they knew. She’d
hoped it was some person stranded here who had wanted to steal supplies.

With this second attack though, she couldn’t blame an
outsider. There was only one reason for the attack. They had nothing to take.
Since they’d been stranded here, they barely had one set of clothing that
belonged to them. On the other hand, there hadn’t been even a hint that it was
a sexual assault. She couldn’t understand why they’d want to attack someone.
What did they hope to gain? What questions were they going to ask and what was
it?
Given the fact that again they’d attacked someone from the
Setona’s
crew, she couldn’t deny the evidence. Someone among the crew was working with
the pirates.

She had no clue which of the newer members was responsible.
None of the men among the trade crew had blue eyes. The one woman who did have
blue eyes was so petite she couldn’t be even the smaller person.

“Did you recognize either of them? Did their voices sound
familiar?” Jagger helped her to her feet.

“No, but only the bigger one spoke and it was only to tell
the other one to shut me up. I don’t think his voice was familiar.” Ada touched
her throat. Although she didn’t feel much pain on the outside, every breath
felt as if something scraped over the raw inner tissues.

“Let’s get you back to the physician and he can see how bad
this is. Are you having any trouble breathing?” He looked down at her silently.
His gaze was intense.

“No, it just hurts.” She frowned. She’d have bruises but
nothing serious.

His arm scooped under her knees and he lifted her off the
ground. She gasped and her fingers clenched on his shirt. A sliver of panic
stabbed through her at the unexpected move.

“Relax. I have you, Ada.” His arms tightened, holding her
closer against him.

“I can walk.” She held on to his shoulders.

He was big and muscled. She didn’t doubt that he could carry
her, but she knew she wasn’t exactly a lightweight. They weren’t that close to
the camp and the ground was uneven. She didn’t want him hurting himself while
carrying her.

“Let me do this.” He glanced down at her but didn’t even
slow his pace.

There was such intensity in his eyes that it shocked her.
She didn’t know what was behind that strong emotion. She stared at him but
didn’t try to get him to put her down again. Her mind was too caught up in what
his reaction might mean. It seemed too intense for simple protectiveness.
Admittedly, there was danger, but there wasn’t anything that deep between them.

She barely noticed the scenery passing as she thought about
the way he was reacting. By the time he’d carried her to the medical tent, she
had worked up a little panic about his feelings. He was reacting so strongly.
As much as she didn’t want to be hurt, she also didn’t want to cause anyone
else pain.

He carried her into the tent and put her down. The
physician, Kairn, rushed in after them almost as if he’d been called. He’d introduced
himself when he’d treated her that first day. She could only guess that he’d
noticed the activity or someone had quietly found him and told him someone had
been hurt.

“Well, hello, Ada, I see you’ve had a bit of an incident.”
Kairn came up to the side of the table. His voice was soft and reassuring.

He moved around Jagger without a comment about his presence.
That surprised her a little, because Jagger was in the way. The physician
seemed prepared to work around him. She’d known physicians who’d kick people
out even if they were standing or sitting to the side of the room.

“It’s not as bad as it seems. He carried me because he
wanted to. I can walk. It’s only my neck.” She grimaced. Her voice still
sounded a little hoarse.

“Well, then let me see your neck.” He stepped closer. He
lifted one of the instruments and began scanning the injury to see the extent
of the damage.

“He squeezed and not too long, although time seemed to drag
when it was happening.” She smiled a little but then winced as the physician
pressed on her neck lightly.

“If we were on the ship, I could completely heal this for
you. Here, I can give you something for the pain and to take down the swelling
a little.” His silver eyes met hers.

“I understand.” And she did. On the
Setona
, they
didn’t have the most advanced medical technology. At times, on some of the
longer runs, minor injuries weren’t given much treatment at all if they
wouldn’t interfere with work. Supplies were sometimes precious on a small trade
ship and had to be saved in case of major injury.

A low growl sounded. She looked over at Jagger, unsure if
that sound had actually come from him.

“Yes, that was him. In addition to being overprotective,
males can also be a little temperamental when it comes to this type of thing.” Kairn
patted her hand. “Once he sees you’re safe and not in pain, he’ll calm.”

She had no idea what type of thing he meant. “I’m safe and
the pain on the outside isn’t so bad, but my throat feels a little raw.”

“I’ll get you something for that as well, but drink plenty
of fluids. That should help with the irritation.” He moved away and came back
with a small tube and a small bottle.

“Thank you. I’m sure it would pass on its own, but a little
pain relief would be nice.” She swallowed with difficulty.

“We’ll get you something to drink as soon as he gives you
his recommendations.” Jagger’s hand stroked through her hair.

She looked at him. As strongly as he’d reacted, she wasn’t
surprised that he was still here. Still, she was a little wary of what it
meant. Although he was gorgeous and she liked him, she knew it would be too
easy to get too involved with him.

“Swallow this. I’ll spread on the topical cream.” Kairn gave
her the small bottle.

She popped off the top and swallowed the thin liquid. It had
a slightly bitter, herbal taste, but she didn’t have any problem getting it
down. It numbed the pain a little as it hit her throat. He opened the small
tube and squeezed out a glob of gel. He spread it over her neck. As it touched
her skin, she felt an immediate, soothing coolness.

“Better?” Kairn asked.

“Yes, how long will the cream last?” She didn’t see the
rawness in her throat persisting too long. She was more concerned with the
outer pain.

“It should last through the night, but if the pain
intensifies or you have trouble breathing, come see me at once.” Kairn stepped
back.

“I will. Thank you for checking my injuries.” She smiled at
him and slid off the table before Jagger could decide to scoop her up and carry
her. Honestly, she could learn to like that too much.

Jagger held out his hand. “Let’s go get you something to
drink.”

She slid her palm into his and nodded. His fingers tightened
slightly and he led the way out of the tent. He went straight to the table and
urged her into one of the chairs.

“Stay here. I’ll bring you something to drink.” He squeezed
her shoulders.

She sat and marveled at the attention. He didn’t take long
and returned with a drink for her. He drew a chair near her. Then he talked,
not about anything specific, just conversation. She enjoyed it and relaxed as
time passed.

Jagger waited for Ada to come back out of her tent. It was
hard for him to let her out of his sight at all. Last night, he’d wanted to
take her with him instead of letting her walk into the tent she shared with
some of the other women. He didn’t have anywhere they could be private, but the
urge to find somewhere had been strong. Today, he’d stayed as close to her as
possible, but he could tell she was starting to wonder why. She’d started
pulling back, and going into her tent had been an excuse.

The Zarain half of him wanted her with him so that he could
protect her from the danger. Especially since they had no idea who the
attackers were. The animal knew that it could protect her with its size and
muscle. Being with her only part of the time was pushing him to his limits.
Sheer will and the knowledge that she’d probably panic kept him from changing
into a shaggy blond beast and planting himself by her side. The Zarain within
him wanted to rip anyone who’d hurt her apart with teeth and claws. Jagger had
the distinct impression that it would be happy keeping her separated from
everyone until the
Vigilant
arrived.

His men had tracked the attackers to the river and reported
the scent had definitely been male. Unfortunately, the gender of the attackers
was the only thing they knew with certainty. There had been something off about
that scent. It wasn’t until they’d gotten back and checked the camp that they
discovered why that was. There were tubes of salve missing from the supplies as
well as a few other medications. It had changed the scent just enough to stop
them from identifying who had done this.

They’d found the clothes in the water at the river and no
sign of the men. By the time that they returned to camp, everyone was there. No
one could say with any certainty who had been in camp at the time of the
attack. Not that he could blame them. People tended to wander to keep
themselves busy or to get some time alone. Not everyone was dealing well with
the close quarters, even if they did have to be together only at night.

Jagger planned to ask Ada to go for a walk so they could
talk. He needed to explain why he was so intent on being near her before she
decided that he was stalking her. She might think that she needed to get away
from him and stay away. That wouldn’t go over well with the Zarain part of him.
He knew himself well enough to know that he’d have a hard time keeping control
if she tried to end the relationship.

A mating didn’t end. This wasn’t a date and she’d have to
see it. Once she had fully transformed to a Zarain, she would understand. She’d
feel the connection between them. He knew she felt it a little now, but she
still fought it. From what he’d heard, she didn’t trust long-term
relationships.

When she came out of the tent, he waited until she noticed
him. He didn’t want to sneak up on her even accidentally. She might still be
tense from the attack. He hoped she’d agree to walk with him, but they would
talk tonight. Picking her up and carrying her out of the camp was not out of
the question, even if it might cause a stir among her crewmates. He smiled as
she looked at him. She took a deep breath and walked over to him. It was more
than he expected.

“Would you like to go for a walk?” He held out his hand. It
was time to make her see the full truth. If they’d met some other way, it would
have happened already.

“Yes, we do need to talk.” She nodded, but her expression
was solemn.

That wasn’t good. He knew that the truth was probably going
to come out a lot more bluntly than he intended. Well, it could be worse. She
knew him a little better now. He could have had to press his claim without her
knowing anything about him.

Grabbing a blanket from a crate of supplies, he led her out
of the camp to a quiet spot near the river. It was one place that he could be
almost certain that she’d be safe. When he’d decided to talk to her, he’d sent
his men to patrol the area. No one was near it. They’d keep watch over the
humans in the camp, especially the men. His men would keep track of them and if
any of them disappeared or there was trouble, they’d contact him through the
mind link. He needed time alone with Ada, but he didn’t want her in any danger.

“So how far are we going? Do you really think the
discussion
is going to get that loud?” The way she stressed the word discussion, he knew
she expected an argument to occur.

“Not too much farther. There’s a spot up here with a nice
grassy area that isn’t too overgrown.” Jagger held back a smile at the
attitude. He wasn’t going to let her push him away. There wasn’t going to be an
end to this relationship regardless of what else happened.

She shot him a glare but stayed by his side. He stopped at
the grassy area in the trees. It was near the river but not right next to it.
The trees would offer them shelter and the privacy he wanted. He’d prefer a
room, but this would have to do. The shuttle would have been perfect, but he
knew that it would have drawn too much attention and someone could have
interrupted.

“Do you want to sit?” He gestured to the ground and spread
the blanket.

She sat on the far side of the blanket. That wouldn’t last
long. His scent would draw her close even if she was furious with him. The
attraction burned between them. Even now, he could smell her arousal. It was
low but would rise, drawing her to him. He’d just have to find a way around her
attitude about relationships. Jagger didn’t fool himself that it would be easy.
He settled on the other side of the blanket.

“This is getting too intense.” She licked her lips and sat
up straighter.

He thought he knew what she meant but wanted to hear her
complete explanation. He knew what he had to say wasn’t going to make her
happy. “What is too intense?”

“This thing between us. You’ve been watching me as if
there’s more between us than there is. More than there can be.” She took a deep
breath and met his eyes. Her brown eyes narrowed and her lips firmed in
determination.

His eyes locked on those lips and his thoughts immediately
went to the feel of her lips on his skin and how he wanted to feel them wrapped
around his cock. He forced his mind away from that tempting path and back to
the matter at hand. She thought there shouldn’t be this much intensity between
them. A partial explanation wasn’t going to satisfy her.

“What we have is more than you think is there.” He knew it
wasn’t enough information for her. He wanted to provoke her and make her think.

She shook her head sharply. “It can’t be more. Jagger, we
only have a little more time together. I heard your men. They only expect a few
more days until the ship comes for us.”

“And you think that after that our relationship will be at
an end.” He raised a brow. Their relationship was only beginning. He drew in a
slow breath and kept a firm grip on his temper and the Zarain within him,
preparing for her answer.

“What can there be? I’ll be going back to Central Command
Space and back to running the trade routes. I don’t know if the ship has been
recovered, but I have to have a job. Even if it’s not with my old captain, I’ll
have to sign on with someone, at least for a short time.” She shook her head.

He didn’t know if she’d deliberately stopped herself from
thinking about a future between them or if she was so set in her beliefs that
it never occurred to her there could be more. Whatever the reason, he was going
to show her their relationship was more than a temporary, convenient liaison.

“There
is
a mating,” he said flatly. He wanted to
tell her a little more gently, but now, she wouldn’t recognize anything but the
blatant claim.

“No.” She jumped to her feet and shook her head. Her eyes
darted almost as if she was looking for somewhere to run. “No, no, no.”

He stood, thankful that she hadn’t actually run. He didn’t
want to have to run after her. The Zarain inside him already wanted to grab and
prove his hold on her. He didn’t want to scare her, and a snarling man chasing
after her would. If she wasn’t scared then, she would probably be startled at
the least when he caught her and started kissing her. He wouldn’t be able to stop
himself from at least a kiss.

“The mark on your shoulder says differently.” He kept his
voice calm and even, but he watched her.

She looked down to the shoulder where he’d bitten her. “But
shifters bite.”

His mark was covered by her shirt. He’d rather have it in
the open where everyone could see it, but their clothing options were limited.
The shifter males knew though. They could smell his scent on her.

“We only bite that way, puncturing the skin, during sex with
our mates. Our canine teeth lengthen, a sort of partial shift to make the
claiming mark.” He relaxed a little as he saw red rush up her cheeks and her
body stiffened with anger.

She wasn’t going to run now. An argument or fight was more
likely with her current mood. Judging by the way her fingers clenched, it would
be the latter. Jagger smiled. He loved a woman with a temper.

“You think this is funny? I didn’t agree to anything. You
didn’t even ask me. What happens when you get tired of me? Am I supposed to go
back to Central Command Space and try to start some kind of life there?” She
glared at him and paced a little away before whipping around and coming back.

“Mating isn’t a choice. It’s biological. You are my mate.
I’ve seen a lot of Zarain couples, and I’ve never come across one where either of
the two has walked away for any reason. They don’t get tired of each other.
Yes, there’s work, because life sometimes isn’t easy. As long as no one gives
up, it works.” He lifted his hand and tried to brush the hair away from her
face.

She jerked back. “No. It’s my choice. I can’t do that.”

He smelled the fear but also heard it in her words. He knew
she wasn’t afraid of him. She wouldn’t have gone for a walk with him if he
scared her. The only thing he could think of was that she was scared of the
commitment.

“You’re in Shifter-Protected Space now, Ada. We don’t let
mates walk away. Why are you scared of it? I know you’re angry, probably
because this isn’t what you planned, but you’re scared too.” He took her hand
and held on to it even when she tried to pull back from him.

“I’m not scared.” She straightened and her eyes narrowed to
brown slits. “I don’t want a man, not as a permanent attachment.”

“You’re scared. I can smell it as surely as I can smell your
arousal. We’re mates and it’s not going to change simply because you fear it.”
He again lifted his hand, this time to touch her shoulder.

She batted his hand away. “I don’t care what you can smell.
I can’t do this.”

He had to nudge her out of the fear that was beginning to
override her emotions and he thought that anger might do the trick. Anger he
could deal with, but fear made him want to rip apart whatever as causing it.
Since he was fairly sure that he was at least behind part of the fear, stopping
the source of it was going to be a little hard to accomplish. He’d have to show
her his understanding later.

“You can, you have and you will. You’re my mate and you’ll
be staying with me when the
Vigilant
arrives.” He raised an eyebrow and
waited to see how she’d react to that challenge.

She drew in a sharp breath and blinked at him for a moment
as if she couldn’t believe that he’d said that. “I won’t. You can’t make me.”

He laughed a little and shook his head. “You were found in
Shifter-Protected Space and you’re my mate. It’s the law here. Anyone who comes
near our space knows that if a woman is found to be a mate, then she’ll be kept
with that shifter. You can’t tell me that you were unaware of the law. Even if
you were, it wouldn’t matter.”

She lunged at him, her fist swinging wildly. He turned,
taking the blow on the shoulder. He grabbed and held her wrists to keep her
from trying that again. She jerked in his arms. A smile curved his lips. She
wasn’t near calm yet. Her chest heaved as she drew in a shuddering breath.
Hell, if she kept lifting her chest like that he’d be lucky to hear anything
she said.

“Damn you, Jagger, I can’t. I can’t do relationships.” She
shook her head.

“You might not think you can, but you already are my mate.
That relationship is for life. Regardless of your fears or doubt, neither of us
is going to walk away from it.” He tightened his hands and tugged her a little
closer.

She shook her head and a sad little laugh fell from her
lips. “Forever. There is no forever. Relationships never last.”

Her eyes held such sadness in them that he almost drew her
into his arms. He resisted. She’d take that step on her own very soon.

“Really. My mother and father are still together. My
grandparents are as well. Leaving isn’t an option. They work through their
problems, not walk away from them or turn to someone else.” He ran his thumbs
over her inner wrists.

“You make it sound as if there’s no other way.” She leaned
close and her head rested for a moment against his chest.

“Do you really think I’m going to let it be any other way?”
He chanced letting go of one of her hands and curled his arm around her waist.

She smiled and shook her head. “You’re not the only one
involved.”

“No, but you wouldn’t give it up even now.” He stroked his
fingers up and down her spine.

“You don’t lack conceit, do you?” She took a deep breath and
slowly exhaled. “How can I want you so much? Especially now.”

“You’re my mate. Of course, you want me.” He was tempted to
leave it at that but knew he had to explain more. “It’s my scent. The
pheromones of a male Zarain are especially strong to his mate.”

“Pheromones, I should have realized. Is it all the way you
smell?” Her eyes narrowed, but her hand stroked his chest.