“What is wrong with her?” Kelan demanded harshly glaring first at Carmen then at Ariel.
Carmen just shook her head and looked away. When Kelan realized he would get nothing out of her, he turned his gaze on Ariel, daring her to not tell him. His mate was obviously in excruciating pain and he wanted to know why.
Trisha
rolled over frowning. She stared up at the ceiling focusing on her body. She didn’t hurt. She slowly moved her feet back and forth and up and down.
Nope, no pain.
She thought confused. She pulled her knees up slightly, waiting for the pain in her lower
back to warn her she had been l
ying still too long.
Nothing
!
She lifted her arms up and stretched towards the ceiling rotating her wrists back and forth, still nothing, nada, zip. Where was the pain through her shoulders and neck? A movement on the bed next to her made her smile. Turning her head, she let out a small yelp. Instead of the big golden dog she was used to seeing next to her there was a huge, dark haired man with golden eyes.
Trisha scooted over to the edge of the bed as fast as she could, taking the top cover with her. She could feel the soft cloth of the bedspread against her skin so she knew she wasn’t wearing her borrowed clothes anymore.
“What in the hell are you doing in my bed?” Trisha squeaked. She pushed her heavy mane of curly hair out of her face as she sat up.
“Actually, this is my bed and you are the one in it with me.” Kelan responded with a slight curve to his lips. His mate looked beautiful with her hair all tousled and curly around her. Kelan felt the low rumble of a purr as his dragon woke and responded to the presence of his mate so close and delectable.
Trisha frowned at Kelan in confusion. “You know what I mean. How did I get here and where are my clothes? Where are Carmen and Ariel? Did you say you have Cara too? When are you taking us home? And, why don’t I hurt anymore?” She finished breathlessly. God, he was so cute! She was having a terrible time keeping her eyes and her thoughts above his chin.
Kelan folded his arms under his head as he leaned back against the pillows. The movement pulled the covers further down his chest until they rested just above his hips. His lips twitched when he saw the color rise in his mate’s cheeks and she turned her head slightly to the side as if she was uncomfortable at seeing his body. She would have to get over those feelings very quickly if that were the case. He planned on being around her a lot without his, or her, clothes on.
“That is a lot of questions. I carried you here, I removed ‘my’ clothes from you, your two friends are locked up so they cannot do any more damage to my ship or my men, and yes, the one you call Cara is also on board although we are trying to find her again after her little experiment in engineering. As for you not hurting anymore…” Kelan began roughly as he remembered the amount of pain she endured. He sat up, twisting towards her. The movement caused the sheets to bunch around his waist and made him look even bigger and closer and definitely more dangerous to her libido. “…You should never have been allowed to have felt such pain. My symbiosis and I both regret not seeing to your physical wounds sooner. If we had known, we could have healed you sooner.”
Trisha frowned. “What do you mean you would have healed me sooner? There is nothing else that can be done. The doctors did everything they could to put me back together after the accident.” Trisha said in bewilderment.
Kelan studied his mate’s face, watching as emotions flickered across it; sadness, pain, and finally resignation. He wanted to chase all of those away and erase whatever caused it. He tried to get Carmen or Ariel to tell him what had happened to Trisha. Carmen merely shook her head and turned away from him. Ariel looked at him with tears in her eyes and said it was up to Trisha to tell him if she wanted him to know. Both refused to say anything else.
In the transporter room, his symbiosis moved over and over Trisha’s body, healing and mending. Kelan could not comprehend how a body could have so much metal inside it and be able to function. His symbiosis moved carefully over each part of Trisha, absorbing the metal inside her into its own body while mending the bones, muscles, nerves, tendons, and tissue. It worked on Trisha for the better part of an hour before Kelan finally stopped it. Trisha had lapsed into semi-consciousness by then before falling into a deep, exhausted sleep. Kelan carried her to his living quarters after instructing several of his security force to escort the now subdued females back to their own quarters. Once he, his symbiosis and Trisha reached his living quarters, he carefully undressed Trisha and placed her in his bed allowing his symbiosis to finish the healing process. He sat watching over her until his symbiosis finally moved away satisfied she would be all right.
Kelan called Jarak before he joined Trisha to have someone go by and repair the damage to the other females’ cleansing unit door and panel but cautioned him to maintain adequate security for the men doing the work in case the females decided to attack again. Jarak informed him all warriors assigned to guard them were now required to have their symbiosis with them at all times and he increased the number of guards from three to six. Satisfied his ship was safe from at least four out of the five women, Trelon’s mate was still on the loose, he ordered Jarak not to disturb him unless it was an emergency. Kelan spent the next six hours with his arms wrapped around Trisha. It was only in the few minutes before she woke that he simply laid next to her watching her.
Trisha pushed her hair away from her face where it had fallen again. “What do you mean when you say you would have healed me sooner?” She repeated again softly trying to understand what he meant.
Kelan couldn’t resist leaning towards her and running the back of his hand down along her soft cheek. “My symbiosis has the power to heal me and my mate.
You
are my mate, Trisha Grove.”
Kelan replied to her softly spoken question.
Trisha gasped and pulled away, catching herself before she almost fell off the bed. “I am
not
your mate.” She replied as she swung her legs off the edge of the bed and stood up wrapping part of the huge bedspread around her. “I don’t have time to be a mate. If I did, I certainly wouldn’t choose you! I have to go home. You never responded to that question. When are you taking us home?”
Kelan frowned at Trisha’s withdrawal. His dragon growled a low warning. It would not let its mate go again.
Bite! Now!
It was demanding.
Mine! Now!
I’m trying.
Kelan replied frustrated. He swung his legs over the other side of the bed and stood up.
“As I said before in the transporter room, you will not be returning to your home world. Your new home will be on Valdier.” Kelan stated determinedly. He did not want Trisha to doubt he would not let her go.
Trisha kept her eyes focused on his face, refusing to look any lower or to be intimated. It wasn’t like she had never seen a naked man before. She used to catch sight of plenty of guys growing up running through the woods and she had been married for three years even if a year and a half really didn’t count. She would not give him the satisfaction of making her uncomfortable. If he wanted to prance around in the buff, so be it.
Trisha was already shaking her head. “No, I have to return home. I have no other choice. If you do not return my friends and me as soon as possible then I will consider this an act of war against my people.” Trisha said determinedly. She would get home to her dad come hell or high water.
“War?!” Kelan repeated in disbelief. How in the hell did they get from him laying in bed being horny as hell to her declaration that he was at war with her and her people?
“
War.” Trisha said desperately. Maybe she could be the one to intimidate him, she thought. “
Under the conditions of the Geneva Convention, I expect the articles concerning the capture of prisoners of war to be upheld and respected. The articles include:
Quarters, food and clothing as stated in Articles 25–28, hygiene and medical attenti
on as stated in Articles 29-32…” Trisha continued speaking in a rushed voice as Kelan stared at her in horror as she recited what she had learned in basic training.
What in the hell was she talking about?
Kelan wondered in dismay. He just wanted to claim her, what in the hell did this Geneva have to do with that? “I am not at war with you or your people.” Kelan broke in. He walked around the huge bed until he was standing in front of Trisha.
Trisha gripped the bedspread tightly and kept her eyes trained on his face refusing to look anywhere else as he moved towards her. When he stopped in front of her, she tilted her head back to look into his eyes.
“I have to go home…please.” Trisha pleaded softly. “It’s very important I return as soon as possible.”
Kelan gazed down into Trisha’s deep, dark brown eyes drowning in them. He reached out to gently touch her cheek again, letting his fingers trail down along it to her jaw before he groaned and lowered his head until his lips were almost touching hers. He moved his other hand to her hip and pulled her against his hardened shaft. He wanted, no needed, her badly. His dragon was practically purring at having his mate so close to him.
A taste,
he thought. H
e would sample a taste before he responded to her plead.
He knew deep down she was not going to be happy with his answer but he also knew it was the only one he could give her. He would never let her go. She was the light to his dark. She filled the emptiness that had been eating away at him, his dragon and his symbiosis for so long. She was the rest of him and he would do whatever it took to make her realize he was the same for her.
“I can’t.” Kelan said softly before he crushed his lips to hers and pulled her tightly against him.
Trisha recognized two things instantly. He said
can’t
, not
won’t
; and, she had never been kissed like this before. She knew she should pull away. Instead, she took a step closer.
It was like stepping into the sun for the first time or feeling the rain on your face after a hot day,
she thought in awe. It held a sense of wonder about it that made her want more, even as she knew it was impossible. Reluctantly, she pulled away from the kiss and looked down to where her free hand was splayed across his bare chest. She let her fingers thread through the light coating of hair. Trisha shivered at the pleasure she felt deep down inside at the touch of his skin against her sensitive finger tips. She gently pushed away from Kelan, taking a step back to put a small space between them so she could get herself back under control, at least a little bit.
Trisha drew in a shaky breath. Looking back up into Kelan’s eyes, she said softly. “Then, I can't let you kiss me, or touch me, again. I have to go home. It is not for me, but for my father. I can’t let him go through what he did before. I… won’t let him go through it. He thought he had lost me once and it almost killed him. If he loses me again and never knows what happened to me…” Trisha’s voice faltered as she thought of the pain her dad must be going through at that moment. “…To not know what happened to his only daughter, his only living family…” Trisha stared deeply into Kelan’s eyes fighting back the tears of pain and sadness. “It would kill us both, him for not knowing and me for being unable to stop his pain.
Kelan was going out of his mind! He looked down at the reports but didn’t see a thing. His mind was replaying the scene from earlier over and over in his head. After Trisha pulled away from him, telling him about her father, he tried to explain to her why he could not take her back but it had been fruitless. Every time he tried to touch her, she would move away from him. He tried to get her to see reason. He had a mission. He needed to return to Valdier and find out what was going on. His oldest brother needed to return home. He needed her! But it all fell on deaf ears. She refused to listen, just repeating over and over she needed to return home immediately. When he still refused to take her she began reciting her name, rank, and a long series of numbers until he finally lost what little patience he had left.