Hunter's Claim: The Alliance Book 1 (17 page)

“I have everything already in the transport.
Charma and Bronze will be here if you should need anything. My
parents are on their way back,” he said. “I have asked them to come
stay with you and the girls. I don’t want you to be alone at
night.”

“We’ve been alone a lot of nights,” she
whispered against his chest.

“Not any longer,” he bit out harshly. “They
will arrive in a few days. Until then, Charma and Bronze will stay
in the guest wing.”

Jesse shielded her pain, knowing that he
would be able to smell it. She had learned a lot about shielding
her emotions over the years. She did not want him to worry about
anything but coming back to her.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

Her arms tightened around him as she sensed
their time was up. She hugged him to her one last time before
pulling away. Tilting her chin upward in determination, she
smiled.

“You better come back to me,” she said
quietly. “You know what will happen if you don’t.”

“You’ll come after me?” He teased, drinking
in the beauty of her face.

“You bet your ass I will,” she said
hoarsely. “I’ll always come after you.”

“And I will always come back to you,” Hunter
whispered, touching her cheek. “Always.”

“Forever,” Jesse choked out. “You promised
me forever.”

“My lord,” Bronze said behind him. “The
transport is ready.”

Hunter nodded without turning around.
Bending, he brushed another kiss across Jesse’s soft lips before he
turned and walked back into the house. He could feel Jesse’s eyes
on him as he walked away. He was just getting into the transport
when Jesse came flying out the front door. Her eyes glittered
fiercely but no tears fell.

“I love you, Hunter,” she said, holding onto
the door as it started to close. “I love you. Forever.”

Hunter couldn’t reply. His own eyes
glittered with fierce emotion as Jesse stepped back several steps.
He watched as Jordan and Taylor wrapped their arms around her waist
and lifted a hand to him. He raised his own in response.

“I will watch over them, my lord,” Bronze
said. “My
Amate
and I will protect them.”

“Thank you, Bronze,” Hunter murmured as he
watched his family fade from view. “Thank Charma for me as
well.”

“I will, my lord,” Bronze replied as he
steered the transport toward Julumont.

*.*.*

“What do we do now?” Taylor asked as she
watched the transport disappear.

“We do what we’ve always done. We push
forward,” Jesse said quietly. “We continue learning about our new
world so we can make a better life. We all have a lot to catch up
on. We’ll take this time to focus on it.”

“Did he say anything about Dagger and
Saber?” Jordan asked, staring up into the empty sky.

“Just that he was joining up with them,”
Jesse said. “Come on. Charma said her grandkids were coming over
this afternoon. That was why she needed the ingredients from the
market, plus you need to make the dough for the pizza so it can
rise. I’m sure the other kids will enjoy trying out an Earth
dish.”

She straightened her shoulders and turned
back toward the house. She would focus on learning how to make
their home better for when Hunter returned. She would also think
about what she wanted to do with her own life.

Charma had asked her what she was interested
in a few days ago. She had spent so many years caring for her
sisters and dad then just trying to survive she never really
thought about what she wanted to do. She had planned to focus on
art restoration. She loved art but she didn’t have the same talent
that Jordan did. Her love came in the history behind it and the
preservation. She didn’t know if there was much need for that on
Rathon. Still, she could see what was available and learn a new
skill.

Anything to keep me busy so the pain
doesn’t overwhelm me,
she thought.
I miss him
already.

One month dragged into two which soon turned
into three. Hunter’s parents had come to stay with them a few days
after he left. Jesse had to admit that she was glad.

She had fallen in love with the couple and
appreciated their acceptance of her and her sisters. She knew they
had been surprised when they first met her, Jordan and Taylor but
that didn’t stop his mom, Shana, from wrapping her arms around
them.

Since then, both his mother and father had
taken them under their wing. It had been so long since her sisters
had the positive influence of an older, and definitely more
experienced, couple that Jesse wasn’t surprised that Taylor,
especially, was lapping up the extra attention. Shana doted on
Jordan, seeming to understand that she was more reserved, while
Scout, Hunter’s father, had fallen in love with Taylor who asked
him a million and one questions and followed him everywhere.

Jesse leaned back tiredly from the small
area in the garden that she had been helping Bronze clear. It was a
very warm day and she was covered in sweat and dirt. She hadn’t
slept well since Hunter left and it was catching up with her as she
always seemed to be exhausted.

“Why don’t you take a break, Jesse?” Bronze
said. “I can finish this up.”

Jesse shook her head. “No, we’re almost
done. I can take a break then.”

“Have you always been this stubborn?” Bronze
teased as he raked up the weeds they had pulled. “It is too hot to
work much longer. We can finish this afternoon when the sun has
gone down a bit.”

“No, because I know that when I come back
this afternoon you’d already have it done,” Jesse chuckled,
smearing dirt across her forehead when she wiped at the sweat
threatening to get into her eyes. “Just a little more then we’ll
call it quits.”

“Good,” Shana said, coming up behind her.
“I’ll have Charma bring lunch out in half an hour onto the patio.
It is much cooler in the shade.”

“Thanks, Shana,” Jesse smiled. “Are the
girls back yet?”

“No, they asked if they could stay over at
Charma’s daughter’s house for a bit longer. Scout will pick them up
later,” Shana replied.

Jesse stood up stiffly, swaying for a moment
before she locked her knees. She was getting out of shape if a
little yard work caused her to feel shaky and dizzy. She smiled at
Bronze again when he took a step toward her.

“Are you feeling well, Jesse?” He asked in
concern.

“I think I’m out of shape from sitting
around and eating too much of Charma’s excellent cooking,” Jesse
said. “Perhaps I will go get cleaned up and rest for a bit.”

Shana reached out to help Jesse but Jesse
shook her head. She didn’t want Hunter’s mom to get filthy. She
nodded to both of them before she walked back into the side room of
the house where she could slip out of her dirty clothes. She
pressed a hand to her head as another wave of dizziness swept
through her. She definitely needed to get some rest.

*.*.*

Jesse woke with a start later that
afternoon. Her eyes turned to look out the window. She was
surprised to see it was growing dark. She stretched before pressing
a hand over her mouth. Rolling from the bed, she rushed to the
bathroom. Holding onto the wall, she emptied what little contents
she had in her stomach. She sank to the floor and pressed her
trembling hands to her forehead.

“I was surprised you had not been sick
before this,” a soft, concerned voice said from the doorway.

Jesse looked up to see Shana step into the
bathroom. She picked up a washcloth and ran cold water over it
before coming to kneel next to Jesse. Jesse closed her eyes in
relief as the cold seemed to help the queasiness in her
stomach.

“What do you mean?” Jesse asked huskily.

“I was sick from the very first day when I
was expecting Hunter,” Shana said with a smile. “I swore I was
going to gut Scout if he ever got me pregnant again.”

“Pregnant?” Jesse whispered, her eyes
popping open in shock. “I...”

She was about to deny she could be pregnant
but she hadn’t had a period since right before she and Hunter had
made love the first time. That would make her at least four months
pregnant. She placed her cold fingers in Shana’s hand as Hunter’s
mom stood up, grateful for the help.

“Why don’t you get cleaned up and come out?
Dinner is ready. I was getting worried about you. When I came to
check on you earlier you were sound asleep which was the best thing
at the time. Now, you need something
i
n
your stomach,” Shana encouraged her. “I am so glad Hunter found you
and your sisters, Jesse.”

“Thank you, Shana,” Jesse said with a shaky
smile. “I’m glad we are here as well.”

Jesse closed the door to the bathroom and
leaned against it. She and Hunter were going to be parents. Her
hand moved to cover her stomach.

“Oh Hunter, I wish you were here,” Jesse
whispered. “I really need you to come home now.”

*.*.*

Several days later, Jesse grinned when
Jordan came up behind her and rested her hands on her stomach.
Since the night she had woken up sick, she had been more careful
about listening to her body. Shana and Scout had given her a
private moment with her sisters to tell them. Taylor had squealed
in delight and danced around her while Jordan had given her a huge
hug. Both of her sisters had been doting on her, much to Jesse’s
amusement.

“I wish dad were still alive. He would be
thrilled, Jesse,” Jordan said quietly. “He was very proud of
you.”

“He was proud of all of us,” Jesse said,
placing her hands over Jordan’s. “I miss him too, Jordan.”

“Have you heard from Hunter?” Jordan asked,
taking a step back and turning to pull a cup out of the
cabinet.

“Not in over a week,” Jesse replied. She
leaned back against the counter. “He, Saber and Dagger were heading
back out. He wasn’t sure how long they would be gone.”

“Oh.”

Jesse looked at her sister. It was hard to
believe that Jordan was eighteen and Taylor was sixteen now. They
had changed so much.

So have I,
she thought as she slid
her hand over her stomach.
Our lives have changed and yet, we
are still the same.

Both of them turned when Shana came into the
kitchen. She was very pale. Scout was behind her. His face was
drawn into a tight mask of forced calm. A third man that Jesse had
never seen was standing behind them. Her hand started to shake when
she saw that he was wearing a uniform similar to what Hunter
wore.

She was already shaking her head in denial.
Her breathing began to become erratic as she remembered what it
meant back on Earth when her dad had to go to someone’s house.

“No,” she whispered. “No, I would know. I
would know. He’s not… he’s not…”

“Jesse,” Shana said, shaking her head. “They
don’t know. He is missing. Along with Saber and Dagger. They lost
contact with their transport in heavy fighting. They’ve sent in
teams to bring them out.”

The huge male standing behind them cleared
his throat. He glanced at Scout who nodded before he spoke. From
the grim expression on his face, things did not look good.

“If you would all have a seat, I will update
you on information I received on the way over,” the man said.

Jesse moved to sit at the table as Jordan
and Taylor gathered closer to her. They each held her hand tightly
as the man began giving them a brief summary
of
what had happened to date.

“Unexpected fighting broke out in an area
previously thought to be secure. Ten warriors were trapped behind
enemy lines. Hunter’s crew went in after them. Hunter, Saber and
Dagger were to protect the rescue crews. Both transports, the one
piloted by Hunter and Saber and the other piloted by Dagger and
Edge
,
were shot down,” the man said
calmly. “We believe Hunter and Saber were able to make an emergency
landing. Transmissions were received from their transport after the
fighting.”

“What of Dagger?” Jordan asked quietly. “You
said they were both shot down. What about Dagger’s transport?”

The man shook his head. “Both men were
killed. Their transport exploded shortly after it crashed. The
remains of two men were found in the burned debris.”

Jordan’s hand tightened on Jesse’s until
Jesse looked in concern at Jordan’s deathly pale face. Her
expression was closed but Jesse could feel the violent trembling in
her sister’s body. She squeezed Jordan’s hand in encouragement.

“You said you received a message from
Hunter’s transport?” Jesse asked. “What are you doing about
it?”

“It was the emergency signal transmitting
their location. Their personal ES are moving which indicates that
Hunter and Saber are on the ground heading toward the line where we
have control. Our troops are pushing forward. I have been informed
to keep you posted per the council,” the man assured her. “We do
not leave our men behind.”

Jesse nodded. “I promised him I would not
leave him behind either,” she said quietly. “Thank you for letting
us know what has happened.”

Jesse rose automatically when the others
did. Her heart was heavy as Scout escorted the man to the door. She
turned when Jordan murmured to her and hurried from the room. Jesse
started to follow but stumbled.

“Jesse,” Shana said in concern.

“He’s alive,” Jesse whispered. “He promised
me he would always come back. He has to keep his promise.”

Jesse’s eyes pleaded with Shana to agree
with her as Hunter’s mom slid a supporting arm around her. She
couldn’t accept losing him. He had to come back. They were going to
be parents. He needed to know that.

“He will come back to you, Jesse,” Shana
promised. “He has a family now and a new one on the way. That is
the greatest gift a Trivator warrior can ask for and he would never
give that up without a fight.”