aHunter4Saken (aHunter4Hire) (8 page)

His
body hardened.

He
pulled her closer, feeling the frantic beat of her heart against his own.
Reality disappeared and in its place was paradise. How could he ever let her
go? He was bonded to her. His very existence depended on keeping her near.

Kimi
twisted her head away and ended the kiss. Her eyes were glazed with passion as
she struggled for breath.

“That
can never happen again.”

Kimi
bit her lip and turned back to the stove. Niail was helping Wil with his
coloring and Peta was supervising. Peta was sitting on her knees and leaning
against Niail. She was trying to teach him the finer points of using crayons.

“You
have to stay in the lines.” Peta pointed at Niail’s picture. “Didn’t you ever
color before?”

“No.”
Niail leaned closer to the book. “Our training was the only thing we had time
for.”

“You
must have taken a break?”

“We
changed from one educator to another. There was too much to learn. We couldn’t
waste the precious time we had. Knowledge could mean the difference between
living and dying.”

“It’s
not easy being a superhero.” Peta’s voice was low. “You don’t have to worry. I
can teach you coloring.”

“All
kids learn to color.” Wil’s voice was encouraging. “You will learn fast.”

Niail
grunted. “I do not seem to be coordinated.”

“It’s
okay to be messy at the start.” Peta picked up a yellow crayon. “Try this color
on the moon.”

Kimi
closed her eyes for a brief second. How could her children be so accepting of
Niail? They had only known him since yesterday, yet they believed in him
totally. They wanted to be near him. She wanted the same thing, but she
couldn’t risk getting hurt. There was a strong attraction between them. That
didn’t mean it was meant to be. She had learned her lesson with Sam, and she
wasn’t going to mistake sexual attraction for love everlasting.

That
kiss they had shared had been amazing. Never had she experienced anything like
it; certainly not with Sam. There had been a total connection between her and
Niail. They had become one and for a few seconds, she had allowed herself to be
lost in the sensation. Then fear had taken over.

He
was a stranger.

Worse,
he was an alien.

She
shouldn’t have let her children near him, but there was no stopping it now.
They adored and worshiped Niail. Not just because they thought he was a
superhero, but because they liked him. Watching them together, she knew the
feeling was mutual. Niail would do anything for her children.

So
why was she hesitant to accept him into their lives? Niail swore there was a
bond between them. One he said that was permanent and lasting. He’s also said
he liked to move around. Her life was here on the reservation. That meant any
kind of relationship between them would be long distance. She had tried that
with Sam and it had been a disaster.

Niail
wasn’t Sam though.

Dare
she trust him?

With
a shake of her head, she banged her spoon on the side of the pot. Thinking like
this was getting her nowhere. Niail was leaving tomorrow. The only reason he
had stayed today was because she had begged. Once he left, he would realize
that there was no bond.

“Supper’s
ready.” Kimi left the stove and started to pull some plates from the cupboard.
“Clean the table off.”

For
the rest of the evening Kimi couldn’t take her eyes or mind off Niail. He was
larger than life and his presence filled her small house. When it was time to
put the children to bed, Wil insisted that Niail tell him a story. Peta climbed
up on Wil’s bed as eager as Wil to hear the story.

“What
kind of story do you want to hear?” Niail’s voice was uncertain.

“How
did you become a superhero?” Wil snuggled deeper into his covers.

“I
am a Hunter. I can only tell you about that.”

“How
did you come to earth?” Peta pulled a blanket around her shoulders. “Did you
come on a spaceship?”

Niail
glanced over at Kimi. She was standing in the doorway and nodded. She wanted to
hear how he ended up here also. As far as she knew there were no regular visits
from aliens, at least none that the government admitted to.

Niail
cleared his throat. “We were sent to this planet to be executed.”

Wil
inhaled sharply. “They wanted to kill you?”

“We
were no longer needed.”

“Why
didn’t they just let you quit being a Hunter?” Peta was frowning. “You could
have gotten a different job.”

“We
were bred to be warriors. There is no other job for us.”

“Why
don’t you tell us about your home planet?” Kimi thought that was a better place
to begin than death. “I don’t want you two having nightmares tonight.”

“Your
mother is right. I come from a planet called Cygnus. There are many classes of
people there, but those who rule are the Ancients.”

“They’ve
been there the longest?” Peta nodded. “Are they good or bad?”

“They
rule.” Niail pulled a chair close to the bed and sat. “Long ago when the
universe was new, they existed. They traveled the stars and found many other
planets and when they saw other creatures that showed potential, they asked
them to join them. That is how Hunters began.”

“You
came from a different planet first?” Wil leaned closer to Niail. “Do you know
where?”

Niail
shook his head. “It was so long ago that our origins have been clouded by
time.”

Kimi
found herself fascinated by Niail’s story. She moved into the room and sat on a
small desk chair. She put her elbows on her knees and rested her chin on her
hands. Niail looked at her and smiled. A surge of joy raced up her spine.

“I
was raised on Beligia. It is a moon of a large planet close to Cygnus, where the
Kaladin ruled. It is very similar to earth, but we only stayed until our
training was finished.”

“Where
did you go then?” Peta’s eyes were wide with curiosity.

“I
was stationed on Cygnus at one of the Kaladin palaces. That was when I was
assigned to Ardal’s unit.”

“Who
is Ardal?” Peta asked.

“He
is clan Rioge. They are leaders, skilled in all areas of combat and strategy.
Ardal is the greatest of leaders because he chose to let us fight rather than
die. That is how we came to be on earth.”

“If
you have a spaceship, why did you stay on earth?” Wil frowned.

“We
crashed on your planet.” Niail’s voice was heavy with sadness. “Many of our
unit did not survive. We have no way back, so we have made earth our home now.”

Wil
yawned. “Do you have a job?

“We
help people who seek justice.” Niail stood. “That is enough for one night.”

“Will
you tell us another story?” Peta gathered the blanket around her shoulders and
jumped off the bed.

Niail
looked at Kimi with a raised eyebrow.

“We
will have to wait and see,” Kimi answered. “Now it’s time for bed.”

She
shuffled Peta to her bedroom. Niail waited for her in the kitchen while she saw
that both the children were tucked into bed. He was frowning and she sat in the
chair beside him.

“Do
you miss Cygnus?”

“No.”
Niail shook his head. “Perhaps it was our destiny to find your planet. We have
found that there are great injustices here and that many people require our
services.”

Kimi
wasn’t sure she wanted to hear about the type of work that Niail did, but she
had to ask. “When you said that you righted wrongs, how do you go about doing
that?”

“People
contact us for help.” Niail cleared his throat. “When honor has been forgotten
and the truth distorted, there is often only one solution.”

“Death?”
Kimi’s voice was a whisper. “How can violence be the answer?”

“Evil
does not allow any other choice.” Niail lowered his voice. “We cannot allow the
Sacred Codes to be broken. When women and children are threatened and hurt, it
is my duty to defend.”

“How
can you be sure your codes are right?”

“Some
laws are universal.”

Kimi
bit her lip. She knew that her grandfather considered the symbols and messages
of the Star People to be universal. She couldn’t deny Niail’s logic. The
Blackfeet believed that no one was born evil, and that truth and honesty were
the basis of an honorable life.

“What
if a person repents?”

“You
want us to give them a second chance?” Niail’s voice held doubt. “It has not
been my experience that people change.”

“There
is always hope.”

“That
is not realistic.” Niail shook his head. “If there is true grief for one’s
actions, then we will allow them the time to restore their honor.”

“So
your code allows for forgiveness?”

“When
it is warranted.” Niail sighed. “Lack of knowledge and understanding are
usually the only reasons to grant this.”

Kimi
smiled. “At least there is the possibility.”

“This
gives you peace.”

She
nodded. “I would hate to think you were incapable of mercy.”

“I
have seen too much violence, not to feel compassion.” Niail reached out and put
his hand over hers. “A Hunter does not have time to reflect on his actions. We
are forced to act and then move to our next mission.”

“That
must have changed since landing on Earth.”

“No.”
Niail squeezed her hand. “We are in constant demand.”

Kimi’s
stomach churned at the sadness in Niail’s voice. She knew there were problems
in the world. She didn’t have to look further than her neighbors to know that people
fought and hurt each other every day. To think that the services of a group of
alien warriors were necessary was overwhelming.

“Are
we that horrible?”

Niail
shook his head. “No. I find humans to be one of the most understanding and
loyal of all races.”

“Then
why is it necessary for you to continue killing?”

“There
will always be those who are greedy and uncaring of how they fulfill their
wishes.”

Kimi
sighed. Niail was right. There was very little an ordinary person could do
about corruption or greed. Most people were just trying to survive. Human
nature and limited resources almost guaranteed that some would climb over
others to get what they wanted.

“I
suppose it was perfect on Cygnus.”

Niail
leaned back in his chair. “If it had been perfect, there would have been no
need of Hunters.”

“How
was it different?”

“Women
rule on Cygnus.”

Kimi’s
eyes widened. “What about men?”

“They
serve women.” Niail’s face was expressionless.

“Seriously?”
Kimi didn’t bother to hide her shock.

“Women
make all the decisions. Men do their bidding. Men still have jobs and careers,
but everything is directed by women.”

“Do
they get married?”

Niail
shook his head. “Women change their partners frequently. There are no permanent
relationships.”

“But
they still have children.”

“Children
are born outside of women. They are reared in schools until they are old enough
to take their position in society.”

“That’s
horrible.” Kimi didn’t hide her disgust. “It sounds so cold and unemotional.”

“I
do not believe they find it that way.” Niail held her gaze. “You can understand
why a Hunter’s desire to bond would not suit the Kaladin, though.”

“You
don’t think all women are like them?”

“Since
I’ve been on earth, I realize that there are differences.” Niail’s voice was
dry.

“I’m
sorry.” Kimi gave him a rueful smile. “That was a dumb question. It’s just so
different.”

Niail
leaned toward her. His mouth softened into a smile. For a second she wondered
if he were going to kiss her again. Her stomach fluttered in anticipation as
she felt his breath against her cheek.

She
longed to taste him again.

Desire
flickered in his eyes.

It
was as if he could read her thoughts. Niail’s hands cradled her head as his
thumbs caressed her cheeks. His gaze never left her face. He leaned closer and
brushed his mouth against hers. She closed her eyes and surrendered to the
sensations his touch aroused.

His
tongue stroked the crease of her lips until she opened for him and then he dove
in. Swirls of pleasure skittered across her body as her tongue dueled with his.
Passion built and time was lost, as they embraced in a world where only the two
of them existed.

His
hands moved down her back and pulled her from her chair. He held her on his
lap, his fingers feathering across her neck and down her chest. A jolt of need settled
in her womb as he cupped her breast, letting his thumb stroke across her
nipple. A thrill of exquisite pleasure throbbed through her.