aHunter4Saken (aHunter4Hire) (6 page)

“By
bred, I assume you mean when you were created.” Kimi leaned her elbows on the
table.

“Yes.”
Niail’s voice was devoid of emotion. “We have been genetically modified since
the beginning of time. We are not born of women. We are bred in a laboratory
and then taught to fight.”

“You
had no childhood?” Kimi’s stomach tightened. “You weren’t raised by a family?”

“We
had each other.”

“That’s
inhumane.”

“That
is how it has been for eons. We begin our lessons as soon as we can walk.”

“How
was that possible?” Kimi put her hands around her coffee mug. “You would have
been too young to do much.”

“We
had enhancers and implants to help us.” Niail’s jaw tightened. “I have been
altered to be the best warrior possible. I am clan Giath, which means my genes
were improved to perfect my precision and reaction time. I have perfect aim.”

“So
you’re a marksman?” Kimi’s voice held a note of doubt. “I didn’t think a skill
could be genetically coded.”

“Many
things are possible on Cygnus. It is more advanced than Earth.”

“Are
other things programed into you?”

Niail
nodded. “We were also bred to obey. We were the elite warriors for the Kaladin,
who ruled Cygnus since time began.”

Kimi
took a sip of coffee. There was something in Niail’s eyes that flickered when
he mentioned the Kaladin. Some hidden hurt or memory that was unpleasant.

“What
happened?”

“You
perceive too much.” Niail frowned.

“I
can see it in your eyes.” Kimi’s voice was dry. “There is something that you
are hiding.”

“There
was a civil war on Cygnus and the Holman defeated the Kaladin. They destroyed
or imprisoned all Kaladin except the High Council, and then they ordered the
execution of all Hunters.”

“But
you’re alive.” Kimi put down her mug and leaned closer to Niail.

“Our
leader, Ardal, disobeyed the execution order.” Niail’s voice held pride. “He
chose to let us die fighting so we would have honor in our death.”

“You
didn’t die, though.”

“No.”
Niail grinned. “The Holman ship was filled with inferior soldiers. We defeated
them and took over the vessel. Unfortunately it crashed on earth.”

“So
how long have you been here?”

“It
has been almost a year.” Niail raised an eyebrow. “We have adapted well to our
new home. We also found that there were other Hunters on this planet. They have
been here for over thirty years.”

Kimi
frowned. “They must be old men.”

“This
planet has advantages for us.” Niail shrugged. “We heal faster, we move
quicker, we age slower, and with our implants deactivated we can be as normal
men.”

Normal
men? Kimi took another sip of coffee. Niail’s eyes had not left hers and
somehow she knew his meaning was important. She put her cup down.

“How
were you different before?”

“We
were not allowed to mate.”

“Never?”

“It
was forbidden.” Niail rubbed a small scar on his right forearm. “Our implants
made certain we would not have the desire.”

“But
surely that has changed since you’ve landed on earth.” Kimi tried to keep the surprise
from her voice. “You must have been with women?”

“Only
our leader, Ardal, has found his mate.”

Kimi’s
mind drew a blank. She couldn’t conceive of a man of Niail’s age, and obvious
masculinity, never having slept with a woman before.

“If
your implants are out, then you can feel attraction for women.” Kimi’s words
were hesitant. “You must have found some that you wanted to mate with.”

“No.”
A flicker of emotion burned deep within Niail’s gaze. “The genetic
modifications that were done to make us better warriors also intensified our
bonding. We desire only one mate.”

“What
does that mean?”

“We
bond to one woman. There will be no others. Hunters will go to any lengths to
protect them, including disobeying orders.”

“So
when you have a mate you become unreliable soldiers?” Kimi shook her head.
“That makes no sense. Plenty of men and women fight for their countries and
still have families.”

“They
are not Hunters.” Niail’s voice was low. “A Hunter forms a pair bond with the
woman who is destined to be his one and only mate. They connect not only
physically, but mentally, and spiritually. They become one with each other.”

“That
sounds pretty intense.” Kimi forced her voice to remain steady. “I’m not sure
that’s any different than what humans feel when they’re in love.”

“A
Hunter always knows what his pair bond feels and needs, even if they are not
mated.”

Silence
followed Niail’s words. The air crackled with tension and Kimi shifted in her
seat. The breath caught in her throat and she had to force herself to look away
from the truth in Niail’s eyes.

“Why
are you telling me this?” Her voice stumbled over the words.

“I
am certain you are my pair bond. Until I found you I had no desire to be with
another woman.”

“That’s
not possible.” Kimi shook her head. “We just met. You’re confused because I
helped you. Patients transfer their affection to their caregivers all the
time.”

Niail
continued to stare at her for a few seconds and then looked away. “As you say.”

Kimi
exhaled the breath she had been holding. “Now you’re trying to humor me.”

Niail
pushed back from the table. “I know that in over ten months of having my
implants deactivated, no woman has interested me. You are the first.”

Kimi
gave a crooked smile. “That’s a wonderful compliment, but I’m not looking for a
partner or a mate.”

“This
not something we can choose.” Niail picked up the empty plates from the table
and brought them to the sink. “If my head was not so foggy, there would be no
doubt about whether I am bonding with you.”

She
went to the stove and lit the burner. She still had pancake batter to cook, and
kids to feed. She was attracted to Niail, but she wasn’t prepared to be his
chosen mate. She was an independent woman raising children. She had worked
hard. She wasn’t throwing it all away because a man appealed to her.

Niail
cleared his throat. “I need to contact my fellow Hunters. Do you have any means
of contacting the outside world?”

“My
one and only concession to modern technology is a cell phone. I have children.”
Kimi smiled. “That means I have to be ready for any kind of emergency.”

“It
works in this area?”

“There
are cell towers everywhere.” Kimi flipped a couple of pancakes onto a plate.
“The phone is in my truck. Ask Wil to get the phone on his way into breakfast.”

Niail
went outside and called for the kids. The children were completely taken with
Niail and she heard them answer him immediately. They would be disappointed
when he left.

Niail
returned to the kitchen and leaned against the counter. “Wil’s getting the
phone.”

Peta
walked in at that moment. “Who are you going to call?”

“I
must report to my brothers. They will be worried.”

“Are
they warriors too?”

“Don’t
be so nosy.” Kimi chided. “Take this to the table.”

Peta
grabbed the plate of pancakes and banged it on the table before pulling out a
chair. She sat with her arms crossed. “I just want to know if they are like
Niail.”

“Yes.”
Niail’s voice was even. “They are my brothers. I have fought many battles with
them.”

Peta’s
eyes widened. “Will they come and help you?”

“It
is possible.”

“Cool.”
Peta grinned. “Then we can meet them.”

Niail
opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped by a shout from Wil. He was out the
door before Kimi could turn around. She pushed the frying pan off the burner
and followed Niail.

The
boy was bent over a large puddle beside the vehicle. Niail picked him up and
held him in a protective hug as his eyes scanned the horizon. There were sparse
groupings of ponderosa pine and aspen as far as he could see and mountains in
the distance. The roadway was clear. There was no sign of movement anywhere.

“What
happened?” Kimi’s words came out in gasps as she struggled to catch her breath.

“I
dropped the phone.” Wil pointed down at the puddle.

Niail
eased his hold on Wil. “There was no danger?”

Wil
shook his head. “Just to the phone.”

Niail
put him down. “It is good you are safe.”

“You
scared me half to death.” Kimi’s voice held a note of reproach. “I thought
someone had hurt you.”

“Sorry
Mom.” Wil bent and picked the phone out of the puddle. “I don’t think you can
use this.”

Kimi
took the dripping instrument from Wil. She flipped the back open and pulled out
a battery. “I’ll try putting it in rice. I might be able to dry it out.”

Niail’s
chest tightened. He had hoped to contact Partlan, but that was not to be. He
eased his breathing and started to the house. No point dwelling on something he
could not change. He would have to devise another plan for contacting the
others. The alternative was not worth considering.

Never
had he been left without backup before. Always his brothers were with him,
whether it was in battle or in his thoughts. Even when technology failed, there
was the mind connection. The injury to his head had changed that.

Niail
was truly alone.

Peta
was at the door waiting for them. “Is Wil okay?”

“He
dropped the phone.” Niail picked her up in his arms and moved with her to the
kitchen. “He was upset.”

“Boy,
I bet Mom is too.” Peta looked over Niail’s shoulder. “You sure can run fast.”

Niail
grunted and put Peta back in her chair. “I have trained since I was younger
than you.”

Kimi
and Wil followed them into the kitchen. “We’ll try and dry the cellphone out. If
that doesn’t work, then I’ll drive you into Browning. You can probably find a
way to contact your friends there.”

Niail’s
tension eased. It would only be a matter of hours before he was connected
again. Kimi’s house was isolated. He would be safe here until they could go to
town. He might be on his own, but he was well trained. If a situation developed
he would take care of it then.

“You
kids need to eat.” Kimi put the pancakes in front of the children.

Wil
grinned and Peta’s eyes sparkled. “Our favourite,” they sang out in unison.

Niail
leaned against the counter and observed the children. A surge of warmth spread
through him. This must be how it felt to be part of a family. Unlike the
Kaladin and Holman, humans were still connected with their children. The love
between Kimi and the children was tangible and comforting.

When
the pancakes were done, Wil and Peta took their plates to the counter. Kimi
filled a kettle with water from a hand pump at the sink and put it on stove to
heat. She started to clear the table, but Niail stopped her.

“I
can put this away. You need to sit.”

He
gathered the syrup and butter and put it in the fridge and then cleared the
rest of the dishes. He stacked them in the sink and when the kettle had heated
he started washing.

“I
understand you want to keep your traditions, but why do you live without
running water and electricity?” Niail looked over his shoulder. “Would it not
be quicker to have some conveniences?”

“Mom
doesn’t want us to have the internet or video games.” Peta rested her chin on
the table. “She thinks it will corrupt us.”

“That’s
not true.” Kimi’s voice was indignant. “You get the computer at school, and I
know you play games when you visit your friends.”

Niail
frowned. “Why would these games hurt them?”

He
had learned his techniques through hand to hand demonstrations and multi-media
interactions. All his military strategies and manoeuvers had been burned into
his memory during video sessions when he was barely Wil’s age.

“I
don’t want them focusing on violence. The Blackfeet believe all living
creatures are sacred.”

“So
these games go against your traditions.” Niail took a seat at the table. “Are
all games violent?”

“No.”
Peta shook her head. “My friend and I bowl on her game console.”

“You
play with dishes?”

Wil
giggled. “It’s a game with a ball and pins.”

“Your
language is confusing.”

“Not
for me.” Wil pushed back from the table. “Peta and I are going back to our
fort. Niail, come and help us. We could use someone who is strong to lift
stuff.”