Invasion Earth (12 page)

Except she was damned sure it wasn’t an act.
The flash of pain and remembrance and love on his face and in his
eyes when he mentioned his parents had not been imagined or faked.
He was a man uncomfortable, maybe even scared, of emotion. He’d
never bother to contrive it.

She leaned her head back against the cold
metal of the shuttle’s hull and closed her eyes. Normally a move
she would never have indulged in, and a show of weakness, but the
hell with it. Let them assume she was just tired. She sure as hell
hadn’t been sleeping much.

She’d been so sure she could do this. Keep
her heart out of it. What could be worse than loving someone who
couldn’t love you back? And God, wasn’t she screwed then? If she
loved him. Did she? She bit her bottom lip hard enough to draw a
bead of blood. She couldn’t; she didn’t
know
him.

“Are you okay?”

She opened her eyes and rolled her head
against the bulkhead, turning to meet Daggar’s gaze without
straightening from a pose she knew must appear weary to any
onlookers. She didn’t know when he’d sat next to her but he looked
concerned. It was such an odd expression to see on his face. He’d
only been withdrawn and severe in public before. More open but with
a heavy dose of sarcasm in private with his brother. Other emotions
seemed so out of character. She frowned. Hadn’t she just been
thinking along similar lines at least about Alrik?

“I’m fine.” She closed her eyes again
unwilling to see his scrutiny. It was curious how he’d hesitated
over
okay
. Which reminded her. “How is it you speak our
language so well?”

She heard the smile in his voice. “We
studied.”

“Ah. I see.”

They fell silent. It wasn’t comfortable. She
opened her eyes and stared at the far wall. Wondered if she was
expected to make small talk. What the hell? Might as well give it a
shot. She looked at him.

“So where are we going?”

Daggar looked surprised and frowned at Alrik,
who was sitting several seats away speaking with his men. “He
didn’t tell you?”

She shrugged. Tried to avoid the bitterness
welling in her throat. “He doesn’t tell me anything.”

“Perhaps he’s not sure if he can trust you.”
It was a softly spoken jab, but there nevertheless.

“Of course, you can’t. Not any more than I
can trust y’all.”

He shook his head. “I’m not speaking of trust
between Delroi and Earth. I meant trust between Alrik and
Laney.”

She turned to meet his gaze. “The two aren’t
so easily separated.”

He shrugged before standing. “I think you
know that’s not true, Sergeant Major.”

He walked away and she muttered under her
breath, “Maybe for anyone else, but it is my truth.”

And weren’t they all screwed then?

She scowled at Alrik who looked up just at
the right moment to catch it. She felt him probe at her mind—she
was getting the hang of this—and imagined a wall, imagined forcing
him out of her head. He cocked an eyebrow and she realized she’d
succeeded. There was no more pressure, but she didn’t feel any
better. She just felt alone.

She didn’t have time to wonder where the
empty feeling came from because the shuttle shuddered a little as
it braked, and within seconds they were landing. The door lowered
and the three warriors Alrik had been speaking to disembarked while
he waited for her. There was nothing in his eyes of what had passed
between them earlier. His face was impassive as ever, but he took
her hand when she stopped at his side and lightly traced the curve
of her face with his other hand. She leaned into the unexpected
gentleness, savoring his touch for just a second before they walked
forward. He didn’t release her when they stepped into the bright
sun and strode down the ramp.

Neither spoke. It was stupid, this silence.
What did she hope to gain? Sulky games were not her style and
didn’t have a chance in hell of changing him. She sucked in her
breath. The situation. Not him. She didn’t care anything for what
he thought
.
She refused to allow him to be any more
important to her than she was to him. With that thought firmly in
mind and reminding herself she was a Sergeant Major with a
reputation to protect if nothing else, she looked around the area
they’d landed in.

There was a rocky incline on three sides of
the craft. Not quite steep enough to be considered a cliff, but
sharp enough to make it very difficult to climb. Before them was a
large earth berm. The clear area was not large though, and amazed,
she turned to see the ship with mere inches to spare on its
sides.

“Talented pilot,” she muttered.

One side of Alrik’s mouth twisted up. Only
half a smile but the bottom of her stomach dropped to her feet
seeing it. “My best.”

She struggled to contain her physical
reaction to him, the rising tide of lust in her veins, but he made
it impossible. She felt his response to hers and they seemed to
amplify each other, building and growing into something that
couldn’t be fought. Suddenly desperate for someplace at least
semi-private she looked around again, cursing herself for ten kinds
of fool. Hadn’t she said she wasn’t doing this again? And why look?
The ship was right there.

She grabbed his hand and stepped towards the
still lowered ramp and then the damnedest thing happened. He
slammed up a shield between them. She still felt overwhelming lust
but it was no longer hers and his mingled and she was able to take
a steady breath. Well, steadier. He lifted her hand and nibbled the
back of her knuckles. Fire licked through her, almost undoing the
effectiveness of the shield. She wondered how long he could keep it
up?

“Now’s not the time. Keep it for later,” he
said it softly, calmly, as if he didn’t have a care in the world,
but his eyes were hot and promising.

Her channel clenched in response but she took
a deep breath, determined to control this ... thing that burned in
her. After a moment she thought she’d regained enough control to
carry on.

“What are we doing here? Where’s everyone
else?”

This time he did smile, but it was so cold
she took a step away from him. She couldn’t retreat far with her
fingers still in his grip though.

“We thought a demonstration might be in
order. The others are behind a wall on the other side of this
valley.”

She was almost afraid to ask and her voice
was not as sure as she’d wish for. “What kind of
demonstration?”

He walked along the wall to a place where
steps had been cut into the earth and led the way up. On top she
looked out over a small green valley. It was a pretty little place
with a blue stream meandering its way through it. It wasn’t far
from her home base and she’d spent many afternoons there. She felt
Alrik’s gaze on her profile as she looked at it.

“Did you think your people are the only ones
who’ve built world destroyers?”

She hadn’t but she was still horrified.
Enraged and terrified at the same time. Was this for her defiance?
Or something else? One thing she knew for sure. They didn’t have
enough good land left to allow any to be destroyed. And if it was
because of her, because of her actions or lack thereof or reticence
she’d never forgive herself. She grabbed his forearm and turned her
body into his, close but not quite touching.

“This isn’t necessary, Alrik. I’ve seen your
ships, the size of your forces. I’ll ... cooperate.”

He didn’t speak for several minutes and just
stared at her. His expression was unreadable.

“How far would you go to protect your people,
Sergeant Major?”

The words were a blow, like taking a punch in
the gut. The shield he’d erected had slipped a little. She
experienced his anger and disappointment and had no idea how to
respond. She straightened her shoulders.

“As far as necessary for the people I love.”
When he didn’t respond, she searched desperately for whatever it
was he wanted to hear. “I’m not sure what you expect of me exactly,
but I’ll do my best to provide it.”

She was careful to keep any bitterness she
felt from her voice. His expression softened a little.

“It’s more for them than you, Laney.” He
jerked his head to indicate the other Alliance members presumably
watching from the other side of the valley. “And not just to show
the force of our weapons. Our power. But how we can reverse
it.”

She remembered Cilia’s words earlier in the
gardens, that lush green place that seemed so at odds with the
males of these people.

“You can fix the damage you propose to do
here?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” She thought she knew, but she wanted
to hear it.

“Your people don’t trust us. That we aren’t
here to occupy and subject you. That we bring something other than
war.
You
don’t trust us.”

“You shouldn’t go so far to earn one woman’s
trust,” she whispered.

This time she knew she wasn’t imagining she
saw emotion, some burning of something beyond lust in his eyes. He
lifted his hand to her face. Brushed her cheek with the backs of
his fingers.

“There are many reasons to do so.”

Before she could protest or sort out her own
confusion—God she was sick of never knowing her own mind with
Alrik—one of his warriors approached. He smartly saluted, his right
fist thumping his chest over his heart.

“They’re ready to begin, General.”

“Good.”

Alrik set a hand on Laney’s lower back and,
standing close to her side like a tall, silent sentinel, guided her
to the steps. She didn’t protest the proprietary move even after
noticing the others had gathered around. The other Delroi gathered
in the small area didn’t bother to hide their curiosity when they
watched her with Alrik. She had a sudden image of them taking
silent notes and passing them around. How to deal with Earth women.
She nearly laughed aloud.

Biting her tongue, she accepted a pair of
goggles from Alrik with a soft
thank you
. It was a strange
new reality she found herself in when she was thanking her enemy
for taking safety precautions, marrying her enemy to save Earth and
wishing it was more than simply that.

While she’d been on top of the berm with
Alrik, the others had erected a small observation platform. She
followed him up the short flight of stairs. The deck appeared to be
simple wood and it was fronted by what looked like a wall of glass,
but she suspected was so much more. She reached out to touch it.
The pads of her fingertips connected with the smooth cool surface
and she cocked an eyebrow at Alrik, who’d moved to stand beside
her.

“Aluminum glass,” he answered her unvoiced
question.

She repressed a sigh. How much farther
advanced would her people’s technology be if they hadn’t spent much
of the last one hundred years trying to annihilate each other? All
the scheming and plotting and fighting she’d done over her lifetime
to bring them together, was it all for nothing now the Delroi had
invaded?

Alrik waved a hand in front of her face and
she blinked.

“Where did you go?” There was the tiniest
thread of curiosity in his voice.

She shook her head. “Nowhere. Thinking about
things past.”

Her answer annoyed him and this time he
didn’t bother to hide his feelings when he snapped back. “Well,
stay in the present. We’re about to begin.”

With his words a ship came into sight,
falling out of the sky and hovering over the center of the valley.
He handed her field glasses and she trained them on the vessel,
watched as a door slid open in its belly. A bright red light
erupted and she jerked her head around, closing and shielding her
eyes. She heard the ship’s engines roar and knew it was lifting.
When she turned back around, the transport was high overhead and
the fertile green valley had been transformed to the thing of her
nightmares, scorched and barren of life. Gasping, she stepped
forward and set both palms flat against the clear wall. She
squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds before forcing herself to
look again. The thing she’d feared several days ago, the thing
she’d surrendered to avoid, had come anyway. And from someone she
was beginning to trust.

Could he fix it? Heal it? Maybe. But his
willingness to use such a weapon, even as a demonstration that
could be repaired, said something about him and his people didn’t
it? She didn’t get to pursue that line of thinking. A rocket was
launched from the surrounding hills. It hit the shuttle dead on and
the craft exploded in a ball of fire crashing to the earth beneath
it. Alrik cursed in his own language and dragged her down the
platform’s stairs as small arms fire finally registered in her
brain. They were being attacked.

Instinct made her reach for the sidearm
normally strapped to her thigh and she added her own curses when
her hand came up empty. She’d been unarmed for days, but hadn’t so
keenly felt the loss until now. Crouched low, they ran to the
safety of the shuttle. Unfortunately they were on the wrong side.
To get to the door they would have to leave cover to round the
front or back of the ship. There wasn’t enough room to crawl under
it, which would have been a fine option in her opinion.

Every time one of the warriors tried to step
around the hull or stern, gunfire answered his appearance and she
heard gunshots from a distance, presumably the other group on the
opposite side of the valley. Her hand kept straying to her thigh
and finally in irritation she snarled.

“I’d feel a hell of a lot better if I had a
weapon.”

Alrik and Daggar looked at each other before
turning to her. Slowly Daggar pulled one of the guns from his side
and handed it to her butt first. He smiled a little as he handed it
over, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes and he looked a little
green. She reached for the weapon as reluctantly as he handed it
over, wondering if it was some kind of trick. It was clear neither
of them liked the idea of her being armed.