Hunter's Claim: The Alliance Book 1 (9 page)

“Jesse?” Taylor asked, bouncing on the
mat.

“Have fun, squirt,” Jesse laughed. “You can
tumble to your heart’s content. Just make sure you warm up first so
you don’t hurt yourself.”

Jesse and Jordan walked over to the side of
the room and sat down to watch. Jesse looked at Jordan in concern.
Jordan had always been quiet but she was becoming even more
withdrawn than ever.

“Jordan, what’s wrong?” Jesse asked as they
watched Taylor stretching. “Are you okay? Those men,” Jesse drew in
a deep breath. “Those men… they didn’t… they didn’t…?”

“No,” Jordan replied softly. “No, they
didn’t. The… Dagger stopped them.”

“So, what’s going on? You’ve always been
quiet but I can feel the change in you,” Jesse said, picking at the
fabric of her tunic. “I….” Jesse’s throat closed up and she blinked
back the tears that threatened to fall. “I’m sorry for not doing a
better job of taking care of you and Taylor. I’m sorry for not
protecting you better,” her voice faded as a tear coursed down her
cheek and she impatiently brushed it away.

Jordan reached over and squeezed Jesse’s
hand. “You did everything you could. Hunter was right when he said
not many others could do what you did, Jesse. You are only five
years older than me but you’ve always been more of a mother to me
than a sister. Right now, I think I need a sister more. I’m just
scared, that’s all.”

“What are you scared about?” Jesse
asked.

She looked at her sister and realized she
was changing a lot. She had never thought about how pretty Jordan
was with her brown hair streaked with blond highlights from the
sun. She had inherited their dad’s hazel eyes. Right now they
looked greener as the color of her tunic reflected them.

“Everything,” Jordan said, watching Taylor
moved to the corner of the mat and raised her arms. “We don’t know
anything about the world they are taking us to. We don’t really
know anything about them. What about school? I had hoped to become
a graphic artist, maybe go into animation. Taylor had hoped to go
to the Olympics.”

Jesse watched as Taylor did a simple floor
routine. Several warriors stopped to stare in wonder as she did a
set of flips and tumbles before turning at the far corner. Life was
definitely going to be different from what they were expecting but
hadn’t it been already?

“Things had already changed,” Jesse
commented. “Life on Earth is much more unpredictable, I think. I’m
sure they have schools where we are going. I can ask Hunter about
it. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the first graphic
artist-slash-animator.”

Instead of smiling, Jordan looked down at
her hands. “What about finding a husband and having a family?”
Jordan asked softly. “I know Hunter has claimed you as his
Amate
. Bree says that is the same as being husband and wife.
Have you…” A slight blush rose in Jordan’s face and she refused to
look at Jesse. “Have you and Hunter… you know?”

“No!” Jesse said sharply, turning bright red
when two warriors walking by glanced at her. “No, we haven’t… you
know,” she whispered.

Jordan looked at Jesse in confusion. “Why
not? Is there something wrong with him? Can’t they…?” She stopped
when she saw Jesse’s face turn a vivid red. “You’ve seen him
naked?” Jordan asked with a curious smile.

“I… yes… he is…,” Jesse groaned and covered
her face with her hands. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with
them. He is built like a sex god!” Jesse looked at her sister and
scowled. “Don’t you dare say a word to anyone about this!” She
hissed under her breath. “He is giving us time to get to know one
another.”

“Don’t you find him attractive? I mean I
think he and… some of the other guys are pretty cute,” Jordan said
turning her face away and biting her lower lip.

Jesse’s eyes narrowed on Jordan. “Jordan,
has one of the warriors come on to you? If one of them are
bothering you, you know you don’t have to put up with it. Tell me
and either I or Hunter will take care of it,” Jesse said reaching
for Jordan’s hand. “I mean it. You don’t have to be pressured or
harassed.”

“No one is pressuring or harassing me,”
Jordan whispered, paling as Dagger turned to glare in her
direction. She hadn’t noticed that he was in the training room. “I
don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

Jesse turned her head and scanned the area
to see what had shaken Jordan. Her eyes paused on Dagger who was
standing across the room. He was holding a large set of dumbbells
in each hand. His eyes were glued to Jordan who had withdrawn
again.

“Jesse!” Taylor called out. “Watch
this!”

Jesse turned to watch as Taylor started to
run across the mat, breaking into a tumbling routine that was more
difficult than the ones she had been doing. Jesse’s breath caught
in her chest when Taylor did a double flip barely landing on her
feet. Jesse had been sure her little sister was about to break her
neck.

“Yes!” Taylor crowed out in delight before
letting loose a loud squeal as she was turned around and shaken.
“What the fuck!”

“Taylor!” Jesse called out sharply before
she glared at Saber. “Let her go!”

“She almost broke her neck with that little
stunt!” Saber snapped out. “What the hell do you think you were
doing?”

“You aren’t the boss of me!” Taylor bit out,
pulling back and stepping behind Jesse. “Jesse, tell him!”

“Saber,” Jesse began.

Saber glared over Jesse’s head at Taylor.
“You are an immature child who needs to have her ass spanked for
being so reckless.”

“Saber!” Jesse said sharply. “Taylor is very
skilled in gymnastics. She has trained since she was a
toddler.”

Saber glared at Jesse before muttering a
dark curse under his breath. He sent one last angry look at Taylor
before he turned sharply on his heel and stormed out of the
training room. All three girls watched as he left.

Jesse swiveled to admonish Taylor for her
bad language. Jordan had wrapped her arms around Taylor who was
shaking. Angry tears glittered in Taylor’s eyes as she stared at
the door.

“I am not an immature child,” Taylor
whispered stubbornly before she looked back at Jesse. “I want to go
home, Jesse. I don’t want to go to this new world. I want to go
back to Earth.”

“Taylor,” Jesse said, reaching out to
comfort her sister. “It might not be that easy.”

“It’s not fair, Jesse,” Taylor said, with a
hiccup. “Why did we have to leave? Why did all this have to happen?
I wish dad was still alive. He would never have let this happen. He
would have taken us to the cabin and we would still be back
home.”

“Taylor,” Jesse said again in frustration.
“Dad isn’t here. There is no use wishing for things we can’t
change.”

She groaned when Taylor pulled away with a
shake of her head and ran out of the training room in tears. Jesse
glanced at Jordan who murmured a quick word of support before she
went after Taylor. Jesse felt like the weight of the world had once
again settled on her shoulders.

“She is young. Give her time,” Dagger said
coming up behind her.

Jesse turned and looked at the tall warrior
who was good friends with Hunter. He was slightly darker than
Hunter and his eyes were the color of mocha. He was as tall as
Hunter but there was an air of barely controlled violence that
clung to him that she didn’t feel with Hunter or with Saber.

“I’m not sure she is the only one who is
having a hard time with us being taken away from our world,” Jesse
admitted. “I wish…”

Dagger looked intently at Jesse as her voice
faded. “You were wise when you said there is no use wishing for
things that you cannot change. It will only fester like an unhealed
wound inside if you do.”

“It isn’t easy,” Jesse said softly. “Humans
weren’t ready to find out they weren’t the only ones in the
universe.”

Dagger reached out and ran his fingers down
Jesse’s cheek before letting his hand drop to his side. He could
smell her pain just as he could hear the fear and confusion in
Jordan’s voice when she asked about finding a mate. His eyes moved
to the door and he nodded as Hunter came through the entrance.

“No world is ever ready to find out they are
not the only ones,” Dagger replied. “But they always wonder if
there are others out among the stars. That is why there is always a
touch of amusement to the Alliance when they rebel when we answer
the calls they send out.”

Jesse frowned as Dagger nodded briefly
before turning and walking back over to the weight bench. She
started when she felt warm hands wrap around her waist. She glanced
over her shoulder at Hunter before sighing and leaning back against
him.

“What happened?” Hunter asked. “I was
informed that Taylor was crying.”

Jesse turned in his arms and wrapped hers
around his waist. She needed the comfort he was giving her. She
buried her face in his chest and breathed in deeply. She finally
released a sigh and leaned back to give him a rueful smile.

“I never realized how difficult it was to be
a parent,” Jesse admitted. “Saber got mad at Taylor and she wants
to go home. So does Jordan.”

Hunter stiffened and his hold on her
tightened. “What about you, Jesse? What do you want?”

“I’m not sure,” she admitted reluctantly.
“I’m not ready to call it quits. I know what our life would be like
back on Earth. I think it might be nice to see where this takes
us.”

Hunter stared intently down at her before he
bent and rubbed his nose along her cheek. She smelled so damn good.
When he was told that Taylor was crying, he had panicked. He had
been afraid that Jesse and her sisters would want to return to
their world. It was to be expected. He just needed time to convince
them that his world could be a good place for them. Jesse was
giving him that time.

“Hunter,” Jesse murmured as he continued to
rub her cheek with his nose.

“Yes, Jesse?” Hunter whispered.

“Why haven’t you kissed me yet?” She asked,
threading her fingers through his hair. “Don’t you want to?”

Hunter pulled back just far enough so he
could look down at her in confusion. That was what he was doing. It
was a male’s way of kissing a female by rubbing his nose along the
female’s cheek. It left scent markers to the other male’s that she
belonged to him.

“I… how do humans kiss?” He asked
instead.

Jesse looked up at him with a raised eyebrow
before her eyes dropped to his lips. She began massaging her
fingers along his scalp. A low rumble escaped him as her
fingernails heightened his desire to fever pitch.

“Like this,” she whispered before sealing
her lips over his.

Hunter’s fingers curled in surprise when
Jesse covered his lips with hers. He had wondered what her lips
would taste like and it was beyond anything he had dreamed. They
were soft and full against his own.

He sucked in a quick breath when she shyly
caressed his lips with her tongue. She took advantage when his lips
parted to slide her tongue into his mouth. A loud groan echoed
around the training room as she ran her tongue carefully along his
sharp teeth. A shudder ran down his length and his arms tightened,
lifting her up so that she was forced to wrap her legs around his
waist.

He took over the kiss, exploring her mouth
with his tongue. He ran the tip of it over her smooth front teeth
before tangling with her as they danced back and forth. He almost
snarled when she pulled back and pressed light kisses along his
lips and jaw.

“That is how humans kiss,” she panted out
breathlessly.

“Jesse,” Hunter started to say before a low
growl broke from him as several males came to stand closer to them.
“Back!” He snarled, showing his teeth.

“Hunter,” Dagger said hoarsely. “I think you
should take this to your quarters. You can’t expect us not to be
affected by what we are seeing and….” Dagger glanced at Jesse with
an apologetic look. “… smelling. It has been a long time for many
of us.”

Hunter pulled in a deep breath and Jesse’s
sweet arousal washed through him like a huge wave crashing to
shore. A rumble of answering desire was yanked from deep inside
him. He swelled to the point he felt like he was about to expend
himself right there in his pants.

“Done,” Hunter muttered, wrapping his arms
tightly around Jesse. “My apologies.”

“You are forgiven as long as you get her the
hell out of here while you still can,” Dagger grounded out.

Hunter nodded and turned sharply on his
heel. It was time to court Jesse in a much more personal and
private way. He was ready for his
Amate
. He just hoped she
realized what she had started with her ‘kiss’.

*.*.*

Jesse kept her face buried in Hunter’s neck
as he carried her through the corridors. She didn’t complain about
him carrying her because she seriously doubted her legs would
support her. The kiss had literally knocked them out from under
her.

She was also very, very embarrassed. She had
never been into public displays of affection. She had totally
forgotten where she was when Hunter asked her to show him how
humans kissed. She had been lost the moment their lips touched. It
sounded like something out of a romance novel or a movie but it was
true. The world ceased to exist the moment they kissed.

She pulled back when she felt herself being
lowered onto the soft surface of their bed. She gazed up at him
before her eyes dropped to his lips again. Her hands moved up on
their own violation until she had buried them in his hair
again.

“Do you have to go back to work?” She asked
huskily.

“No,” he said hoarsely. “I switched with
another.”

“Good,” Jessed breathed out before she
captured his lips again.

Hunter groaned loudly and pressed his
throbbing cock against her. The brush of material along his swollen
length pulled a shudder from him. His hands moved to the neckline
of Jesse’s tunic. He gripped the material between his hands and
ripped it.