Between Two Tiron (2 page)

shifter for any length of time required skill and luck. Nerisa would be a very lucky woman if she

was still free. Her training didn‟t include hiding her trail and her scent as she traveled through the forest.

The Sendar‟s sensors picked up the ship circling the green and blue world of Nariu Minor

as she entered the system. When Lina first saw the scans, she stared in stunned awe and growing

horror at the size of the ship in orbit around the planet. This mission had just become very

dangerous and damn near impossible.

A Veriga-class battleship stood guard over those on the surface. With its advanced

sensors and weaponry, it could pose a considerable threat. She‟d expected a small party of

shifters patrolling their space. An entire clan hovered over the planet in that gigantic warship. If a large number of shifters were staying on that planet, searching would be difficult. With more

shifters on the planet, the chance that she would be spotted and recognized for what she was

became even greater than it would normally be.

Arriving at the planet, she did her scans but exercised extreme caution when she did. She

knew most scanners wouldn‟t pick up the signals—but some would. She hadn‟t established her

reputation by being careless.

Two distinct camps had been formed on the side of the planet where the research was

being conducted. The researchers‟ camp was smaller, not as well-equipped as the shifters‟ camp.

On the opposite side of the planet from the group of camps, buildings rose in varying stages of

completion.

A few intercepted messages later, she identified the group of shifters as Santir—the same

species as she was—and she learned that they hadn‟t found Nerisa. She did a few extra scans to

explain some anomalies she‟d found and then began preparations for entry into Nariu‟s

atmosphere.

She knew that, in spite of the sophistication of the large ship, they wouldn‟t be able to

detect her Sendar 4. The modifications she‟d made to her shuttle were unique and effective.

They‟d been tested under much harsher conditions than these. As well, if they knew that anyone

had arrived, even in the solar system, a vehement demand for an explanation of her presence

would have been issued along with a few threats. That was something she hoped to avoid. Her

ship was equipped with weapons, but there was no way it would stand against that large

battleship.

She used the first three days on-planet to familiarize herself with the terrain and to stash

emergency packs in the areas she was most likely to need them. To get a better idea of what she

faced, she sent out tiny remote hover-vid units and piloted them to spots around the Santir camp.

With these, she could watch the shifters without too much risk.

Lina kept an eye on the video monitors when she was on the shuttle. On the morning of

the fourth day, she gaped at the monitor displaying the Santir camp. The sight of the two men

standing there held her transfixed. Her mouth watered, warmth stirring low in her belly at the

luscious male flesh on display. The warmed breakfast bun she‟d just taken from the auto-prep

station landed unnoticed at her feet.

They stood in front of one of the Dura-tents. The mottled camouflage pattern of greens on

the tent only served to focus her eyes on them. Both obvious alphas. Both lick-them-all-over

gorgeous.

They were bare-chested and both of them had dark hair. The sight of them held her

attention and directed her thoughts to carnal paths. They had dark skin, as dark as the deep

brown bark of the manoga tree. From experience, Lina‟s eyes measured their height against

known landmarks. She judged that the men in the tight, black pants were both tall, above average

in height.

The one on the right had straight brown-black hair that fell just past his shoulders. She

zoomed in on his face. His sparkling green eyes were framed by thick long lashes. Her eyes

skimmed downward to the sharp blade of his nose and his full, kiss-inciting lips. He was close to

beautiful, but even through the monitor a predatory quality made itself evident. Her tongue swept

out over her lips and she took a shaky breath. This man could be dangerous, but Gods, tangling

with him would probably be fun.

The dark spots of his
trika
at jawline and ribs appeared as splotches of darker flesh

against his dark skin visible only to those who expected to find them. He was muscled and

broad-shouldered and of the same height as the man next to him, but he appeared smaller next to

the sheer muscularity of the man on the left.

The man on the left had long black hair which hung in spiraling curls nearly to the middle

of his back. His dark brown eyes narrowed and he stood with a hand on his hip. The rugged,

starkly masculine lines of his face became more noticeable. This was no civilized city boy. His

nose had been broken more than once. Those sensuous lips slashed into a fierce frown at the

moment. The dark spots of his
trika
at his jaw delineated a very firm jawline. The fierce animal in this man loomed very close to the surface, a predator waiting to pounce. Everything about

him—his stance, his attitude, his expression—screamed strength and power.

The flash of red, a bird or something, flying just in front of the vid-unit broke her

concentration and brought her back to reality. She took a deep breath and focused on discovering

if they‟d found Nerisa. If they hadn‟t found the woman, she had to go talk with that research

team. Taking a step forward, she stepped on the still-warm roll. The soft pastry squished under

her foot, flattening, oozing up between her toes.
Eww.
Shaking her head, she turned back and prepared another roll while she cleaned up the first one. Finally, she sat down in front of the

monitor and began looking.

The camp was well-equipped, even lavish in some respects. All the tents were the

luxurious, large model of Dura-tent—even the tallest man wouldn‟t have to stoop inside them.

She saw an abundance of supplies, some still in crates. Tables had been placed in two rows at

one end of the camp and were used for work space when not in use for a meal.

As she switched between the images, Lina noted the weapons and kept a running total of

the number of people in the camp. Some men and women worked at the metal tables set in a

clear area while others made their way through the camp. She couldn‟t be certain of the exact

number as there were a couple of skimmers missing from the line of medium-altitude hovercraft

at the side of the camp. She‟d seen too many people for her comfort. When she was satisfied that

Nerisa hadn‟t yet been found, she shut off the monitor.

Leaving the bun to cool on a small counter, Lina went to her bag and began going

through what she‟d need to take with her. She had a variety of gadgets that could be useful if she

was spotted. She couldn‟t use a few of them because of that big ship orbiting the planet. One of

her favorite tools, a beacon designed to bring her ship to her, was just such a device.

Selecting the equipment she wanted, she plucked it out of her bag and stashed them in

various pockets of her functional brown flight suit. Satisfied that she was ready, she returned her

attention to her now-cold breakfast. She chewed on a bit of the bun. It wasn‟t nearly as good cool

as it was warm, but it was filling. She‟d need the energy today. Hiding the last few packs would

burn a lot of calories and when she finished stashing her packs, she‟d really begin hunting. After

she‟d eaten, she left the Sendar.

The mission wouldn‟t get any easier and waiting would only increase her chances of

being caught. It was time to talk with those researchers. She had a few questions she needed

answered.

Shard Valdon‟s eyes narrowed as Jaksen strode over to the tables where he and Kaleb

Markan, the man who ruled as Ardin with him, were inspecting some artifacts. Jaksen Aledo was

carrying something in his hands. Shard didn‟t recognize the object. Brown, mottled and compact,

the edges were rounded and appeared smooth. What was it? Where had he found it?

Other than still being unable to find Nerisa, everything had been going according to plan.

The construction of the buildings—a permanent home for the
thent
, their clan—progressed ahead of schedule. They had found enough evidence on the planet to encourage the belief that their

clan‟s symbol was still here. And surprisingly, the researchers had been following the rules that

had been set for their stay here. Until now, there had been little sign of trouble.

“Ardin, I found this pack in the forest outside our camp.” Jaksen handed the sealed

packet to Shard.

“
Outside
our camp?” Shard looked down at the array of browns on the packet in his hand.

“How did you find it? Was it just left somewhere?”

“It was stashed, Ardin.” Jaksen hesitated a moment as he walked toward them. “I would

have missed it if I hadn‟t fallen on the trailing branches of the bush in front of the hole in the tree where it had been hidden.” The admission came out in a rush.

“You fell?” Kaleb raised his brows and a smile tilted his lips.

“A limb broke beneath my weight.” Jaksen shifted his feet and slanted his eyes away as a

blush heated his cheeks.

Shard lifted the bundle and sniffed. The packet was waterproof and carried no scent.

Shard opened it. Inside, clothing for rough travel had been packed along with nice, pale green

feminine underwear, a pair of shoes, a pack of food and a filled water container.

“Whoever she is, she has nice taste in underwear.” Kaleb fingered the ample
tetri
silk cup

of the green bra before taking the pack from Shard.

“You‟re sure this was stashed and not just put somewhere and forgotten?” Shard looked

at Jaksen as he asked the question.

“Yes, it‟s definitely a Santir or other shifter‟s stash, but she is good. There was no

disturbance of any of the branches or leaf litter near the base. This was an experienced woman.”

Jaksen looked them each in the eye as he gave them his opinion.

“Gannon, have any ships landed on Nariu since we arrived?” Kaleb looked over at Trane

Gannon. If no ships had landed, that left only the women within this camp as the possible source

of this stash.

“No, nothing has even come close to the planet, Ardin Kaleb. The only shuttle on the

planet is the one we use,” Trane reported after he consulted the link they had with the
Ovian
.

“I wonder if any of our women would care to explain this.” Shard looked over at two of

the women who‟d been allowed to come down to the planet. Something seemed wrong about

this. Why would one of the women be stashing packs as if in preparation for an escape attempt?

“You‟re certain that this is a fresh stash?”

“Yes, it‟s fresh, no older than a week at most,” Jaksen confirmed.

“Get the women together. They have some questions to answer.” Kaleb‟s hand clenched

on the fine fabric in the pack.

Shard mentally went through the list of females on the planet. Every one of them was

bonded. It made no sense that they would be stashing packs around the area. That was the

behavior of a single woman who thought to escape a mate who hadn‟t yet claimed her. The

married women knew that there was no escape from a bonding and most reveled in the

connection.

The women were gathered in the center of camp, near one of the long tables currently

being used as a work surface. There were only fifteen females in the group that had come down

in the shuttle. They stood in a cluster, curious as to why they‟d been called before the Ardin.

“Does this look familiar to any of you?” Shard held up the pack for the women to see.

The women all looked blankly at the pack. Not even a hint of recognition flickered in any

of their eyes. Shard frowned. The woman who‟d done this was either a very good liar or they all

really knew nothing of it.

“What of this?” Kaleb held up the silky bra, dangling it by one strap. It hung from ends of

his dark fingers. The endowment of the owner was obvious by the large cups of the garment.

“May I see it, Ardin Kaleb?” Medina Tallen stepped forward.

Kaleb lifted his brow. Lithe and slim, Medina would have space to spare in this garment.

“We know that it doesn‟t belong to you.”

“It isn‟t mine, but it reminds me of a bra I saw on a world we visited. They have a special

symbol stitched into them. If it‟s one of those, it couldn‟t belong to one of us,” Medina

explained. “We don‟t waste that amount of Common Credits on something we rarely wear.”

Kaleb handed her the garment. The short woman with curly black hair looked near one of

the catches to the bra. She smiled and then held it out to Kaleb.

“See. This is the symbol of Teria Design. It‟s an exclusive shop. One of these bras costs

more than anything in my entire wardrobe. It‟s made specifically to the body of the woman who

will wear it and that decorative stitching is done by hand. If I had one of these, it would be worn

only on special occasions and treated gently.” Medina showed both of the Ardin the distinctive

symbol surrounding the stylized letters
T
and
D
.

“How much would one of these bras cost?” Shard fingered the fine material of the bra.

“Well, she has matching panties there. She probably bought them as a set—around three