Hearts of Ishira (Hearts of Ishira Saga) (50 page)

“I need some time,” she said quietly, squaring her shoulders and meeting his eyes, chin up. His smile was slow and hopeful. “I… I’ve never thought about something like this. You guys will have to bear with me… let me take it at my own speed, and if I say no-“

“We will endeavor to make sure you do not,” Dale said, moving to Mors’ side and flashing his brilliant grin.

“For now,” Mors said, gently taking her shoulders between his hands then moving those hands up her neck to cup her jaw. She shivered beneath his touch. “We should get back to work.”

“Training?” Chelsea blinked as he turned and walked back to the training field.

“If you are to join our team, you will have to fight to our standards,” he told her, then chuckled. “We are Hunter’s personal guard. You must keep up with us, if you plan on being our mate.”

“I haven’t said I would!” Chelsea stomped after him. “I said we’ll see.”

“You will,” Mors said, stopping and whirling before she had a chance to react. His arms came around her, holding her tightly to him for a moment before he lowered his head and kissed her breathless.

Much hooting and hollering followed the public display, and even Hunter and Jace laughed and clapped in celebration. As Mors’ team got back to sparring, this time with Chelsea as part of the tactics, Kim shook herself and looked up to find Jax and his medics standing nearby, grinning expectantly. She threw a look at Hunter, then Jace, then finally at Ri.

“Please don’t make us go through it all over again,” Jace begged her, winking. Kim threw her head back and laughed, then moved to stand in front of Jax. The tall warrior medic stared down at her, the question in his eyes. Kim cocked her head to one side.

“Do I have to learn how to fight?” she demanded. Jax shook his head.

“Not unless you wish to,” he assured her.

“But you’re a warrior,” she pointed out quietly.

“I am,” he allowed. “But that is to protect the lives of those I cherish. I do not go looking for a fight.”

“But when one comes to us,” Amar said, stepping forward, “We like to know how to protect our patients and ourselves, so that we can continue healing.”

“And you… want me?” Kim asked, looking at all four of the medics, her cheeks rosy red from the thought. They all nodded, almost in unison. She gulped, then nodded slowly. “But it’s like Chels said, guys. We take it slow, take it easy, and nothing happens with any of you unless I say so!”

“That was without question,” Jax said, affronted. Emir choked in shock.

“We would never!” he said. “We are healers, not criminals!”

Kim’s face turned even darker with embarrassment.

“I knew that,” she sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m just… flustered.”

“As should only be expected,” Hunter said softly, stepping in when he sensed that none of the team knew quite how to get out of this particular hole. “Jax, perhaps you should take your chosen woman and move her into your quarters. You will find that it is much easier to get to know one another if you spend more time together, in a family setting.”

“Thank you, Commander,” Jax said with a grateful smile. Offering his arm to Kim, he led her away to his quarters, his team following eagerly behind.

For a long moment, those left stood there, glad that it was over, for now. Then Ri sucked in a breath and looked at Bev in question. The little blond laughed and shook her head.

“It’s okay,
Mom
,” Bev joked gently, hugging Ri close for a quick embrace. “Trey and the boys already had ‘the talk’ with me.”

“They did?” Ri breathed, grinning. “When?”

“Oh, a few nights ago,” Bev admitted, then reached up to fluff her hair. Ri choked on her surprise when she saw the three tiny but different braids almost hidden beneath the fluffy curls of Bev’s short hair. Winking at her commander, Bev then began whistling as she sauntered off in search of her men.

“And you called
me
a slut-puppy?” Ri laughed. Bev tossed her head.

“Takes one to know one, Fearless Leader!” she shot back.

Ri was going to have to have a good old-fashioned girl-talk session with Bev in the very near future! She wanted details!

The next few days were nerve-wracking for Arianna.

Despite Hunter’s promises and his obvious physical desire, a tiny part of her was still certain that at any moment he would decide that he wanted a different lady after all. Now that he’d slaked his initial passion with her, she was worried that he’d move on, like other men had in the past. He had met all of the women by now. She feared the day he realized he could do so much better than her.

Her leg was finally starting to mend, and he started taking her down to the courtyard in the mornings, where the women had begun gathering. Chelsea, Bev, and Kim, joined her enthusiastically, showing her the fiber tools their own men had made for them, following Hunter’s example. Arianna noticed that the men tended to stop by often to check on the ladies, offering to fetch drinks or snacks for the group, ask if they needed anything for comfort.

As the days passed, Arianna became more relaxed and comfortable around the much-younger ladies. More of the girls began joining her little group in the courtyard, asking to be taught how to make fabric using different techniques, how to spin, and how to mend clothing for the men. By the time the second week had passed, they were all fully clothed, underwear and socks included, and Arianna had begun helping them create working patterns for other garments, such as pajamas, tunics, pants, blouses, and bodices.

And by then, ‘the talk’ had been shared with the rest of the women. Most of them now sported at least one distinctive braid, some wore two, and Chelsea, the minx, had four very intricate and intertwined braids woven over her head. When she fought on the training field, the long ribbons her men had threaded through her locks spun and shifted with her, providing a starkly beautiful contrast to her dark skin.

When the men weren’t on duty, some of them sat with the group of women and helped create wardrobes for the ladies and for themselves. The warriors enjoyed the various fiber crafts, embracing knitting and crocheting eagerly. Ri was delighted when they started figuring out their own intricate designs once Ri taught them about lace, cables, braids, and other interesting stitch variations.

The girls were also learning to embroider, though all of them needed a lot more practice. Some of the girls were even daring to put their own flair to the clothing, playing with structure to make more fitted gowns. The men appreciated their efforts and Bev’s men had drawn her a few patterns of their team’s badge, for her to put on her clothing, denoting who it should be returned to if lost. More of the men did the same thing, when they saw that. It reminded Arianna of household badges used in her medieval re-enactment group, so that you knew who belonged with whom, just at a glance.

For herself, Ri worked on sewing the lovely trim Hunter had given her onto her clothing, encircling her left biceps. For certain garments, she embroidered a band, instead, adding little flourishes of color and intricate scrollwork. Hunter loved the designs and actually got choked up when she showed him the one that carried his exact tattoo, only smaller, with curlicues and tiny flowers to add a feminine touch. He made love to her twice that night.

All in all, it was a good week’s work, and Arianna was thrilled.

As the sun sank quickly over the mountain at the end of their second week on Ishira, Jace came by to scoop her up and carry her upstairs. He laid such a kiss on her when he did so that the other girls were laughing and hollering again. Bev handed him Arianna’s basket and he hurried to their quarters with her.

Later that evening Arianna watched, tired but content, from her chair on the balcony as tables from the great hall were brought out into the warm evening air, candles and torches were lit, and a festival atmosphere began seeping into the courtyard. She grinned and watched the festivities as an impromptu feast was created and enjoyed by all, even up in her quarters, since Hunter brought them all plates from the party.

She enjoyed the music that the men made then, as they shared some of the tunes of their world on strange but interesting instruments. Then a few of the ladies offered to sing some of the songs of Earth, and Arianna couldn’t help but laugh till tears came out of her eyes when three of the sorority girls performed horribly funny versions of ‘
Milkshake’
and ‘
Lady Lumps’
.

Jace and Hunter joined her at some point after dinner was cleaned up and began plying her with the wonderful juice that seemed to have the same affect on her as wine did back home.

“It has been so long since I danced,” she mentioned at one point.

“You enjoy dancing?” Jace asked. She nodded, smiling.

“I like slow dancing, mostly. It’s just so nice to be held and sway back and forth to a nice love song.”

Surprising her, Hunter got to his feet, holding out a big hand to her.

“May I have this dance, sweet Arianna?” he asked in his husky, deep voice.

Her heart melted. Taking his hand, their eyes locked as she got to her feet. She took one step, though, and cried out softly, holding onto Hunter’s shoulders as her bad leg refused to hold her up, still. Frustrated, she sighed against his chest. Not missing a beat, he swept her up into his arms and began swaying with her, murmuring to her of his admiration and her strength.

But over her head, Jace and Hunter exchanged troubled looks. She should be walking by now, not hobbling. Hunter shielded her from their thoughts, but his own were a little dark, worrying about what could be wrong, that her leg was healing so slowly.

Oblivious, Arianna closed her eyes and smiled softly, loving the feel of his arms around her, his hard, muscular chest, his scent surrounding and intoxicating her. He leaned his head down to rest his forehead against hers, and began humming along with the intricate tune that one of his men was playing below. She looked up at him, enchanted as he began to sing along. It was a ballad of love found, lost, and found again, ending with happily ever after. Though she didn’t understand some of the words –they just didn’t translate- the flow and the story itself were lovely.

By the time the song was over, she was completely in thrall to the night, the man, and the music. Hunter nuzzled her nose with his, nudging her face back a bit, then took her mouth in a gentle, loving, undemanding kiss. She felt like a princess in a fairy tale.

“I think it’s my turn,” Jace said after a moment, as the music changed to something bright and quick. Hunter reluctantly relinquished his sweet burden to the younger man.

Jace whirled and twirled with her around the balcony and the suite, leaving her breathless with the constant dips and lifts. She gasped at the quick movements, but never worried about him dropping her. He was so big, so strong, and so careful of her, she knew he would never allow her to come to harm within his embrace.

Her laughter rang through the quarters, echoing off of walls that had never heard such a sweet sound before. Hunter watched from the balcony doorway, smiling at their antics, loving the homey scene. He could recall the days of his youth, as he and his brothers sat and watched their mother and fathers dancing and singing together, laughing into one another’s kisses, and generally just being happily in love. He had wanted the same for his own children someday. He leaned his head against the jamb, wistfully dreaming.

Perhaps he would not have children, but he had the woman he had always dreamed of. And he might not have all of his brothers here to share that woman and the life she would be the shining center of, but he had Jace. Gods willing, one day they’d have their mother and remaining father back, possibly their sisters, and he could play doting uncle to nieces, nephews, and perhaps even more brothers and sisters. His mother was still a young woman, after all.

The music changed again, and the men took turns making Ri melt with love or squeal in delight when first one, then the other cradled her tenderly or spun her around in delightful approximations of the dancing going on below. Finally, worn out but happy, she dozed against Hunter’s chest as the music wound down.

She barely felt it when Jace began examining her, didn’t see his look of complete consternation when he found that her leg was still not healed enough for her to walk without assistance. She was sound asleep by the time the men tucked her into Hunter’s bed and closed the door so they could discuss their growing concern for her.

“I do not like it!” Hunter stormed quietly, pacing through the living area. Jace braced his hands on the kitchen counter and hung his head over the sink, deep in thought, as his brother fretted. “She should be healed by now, should she not?”

“Yes, she should,” Jace said on a sigh. He looked up, shaking his head. “Hunter, there has got to be something hampering the knitting of her bones. Neither her ribs nor her legs are as healed as I would have expected. The other girls are completely fine now, healthier than when they got here. But our Ri… she’s still unable to put much weight at all on her leg. Even having been broken twice, it should be nearly as good as new by now. I am deeply concerned that she has something wrong that we cannot test for, or fix.”

Knowing it was completely irrational, Hunter swung around to berate his brother, but halted at the pale, anxious look in the younger man’s face. Deflated, he sank to the stool opposite Jace, shaking his head.