Leaving Earth (2 page)

He and Alrik had argued over it for weeks before Alrik made the decision to let her come. He rationalized the Earthlings only wanted more in depth information. Information they were unsure of coming from Lady Torfa. Barak was not so sure, but he knew his place, understood his position in the chain of command. He could advise, was often 11

Leaving Earth

by Loribelle Hunt

heeded, but the final call would never be his. So with Alrik gone, he'd come here to witness this inauspicious occasion. The arrival of the first spy from Earth.

The problem was—and he admitted his problems were legion at this point—the woman could not be ignored. She was
his
and he did not have time for the complication she presented. Nor did he have the heart to send her home. If he was in a better mood or a humorous kind of man, he might have found it funny. Ironic even. The Delroi master spy's
der'lan
was, well, a spy. Who said the gods didn't have a sense of humor?

He watched Daggar take her hand in his, felt the growl rise in his throat. Daggar released her quickly and she glanced around, her eyes searching the shadows. He felt the weird flare of energy he'd learned to associate with psychics using their power. There was no way she could see him, but she'd sensed his regard and his displeasure at her touching another man. He moved farther back, pressing his spine into the wall behind him, and took deep meditative breaths. He must remain in control, but his job was suddenly complicated beyond anything he'd ever experienced. Ferret out the rebel plot, protect Lady Torfa, the doctor who'd come to visit her and belonged to his Lord if Daggar's reaction to her was anything to judge by, and the other. Britt. His own
der'lan
, though he couldn't afford to claim her right now. Could he ever?

He'd managed to infiltrate the rebel force, but if they discovered what he was, who he was, anyone and everyone that meant anything to him would be considered fair game. 12

Leaving Earth

by Loribelle Hunt

He'd protect her at all costs, which meant he must stay away from her. He felt a stabbing in the vicinity of his heart and his Delroi genetics came roaring to the forefront, demanding he go after her, claim her, rut with her. Gritting his teeth, he didn't move. He was better than biology. Smarter than biology. DNA be damned. He'd keep her safe whatever way he had too.

[Back to Table of Contents]

13

Leaving Earth

by Loribelle Hunt

Kendall followed Laney and Britt down the wide corridor, listening to their chatter with half an ear. What the hell had happened back there? Who was that guy and why did she want to drag him into the nearest room and bury her hands in his rich dark hair. Rip his clothes off and lick and nibble him all over. Better yet, let him do it to her, along with all the secret things she fantasized about alone in the deep dark of the night.

The sudden lust made her uncomfortable. Scared her a little. Solo fantasy was one thing, but she'd always ruled her life with logic. This attraction, the need she felt crawling over her skin, was so illogical, so unlike her that she wasn't sure how to deal with it. Jumping the alien at the first opportunity was definitely not an option though. She wasn't about to upset her well ordered life for an exotic fling. Besides, this wasn't a vacation. Well, it was sort of a half holiday, because it didn't take that long to deliver a baby really. She'd jumped at the chance to come to Delroi. Not only to see Laney and Britt, her truest and oldest friends, but because she found the aliens fascinating and wanted the chance to study them up close. The trip had presented the perfect opportunity—time with old friends and alien exploration. A memory rose of the old Earth space-horror films. Daggar Torfa could tie her up and probe her anytime. She bit her lip and suppressed a groan. How did she go from thinking about studying the Delroi to old movies and 14

Leaving Earth

by Loribelle Hunt

back to Torfa again so quickly? She needed to get this out of her system fast and was damned glad she'd brought a toy or two along to help out. Thank God, there hadn't been any customs search leaving Earth or arriving on Delroi. Of course that probably just meant they had some kind of technology that scanned and catalogued everyone's belongings. Would there be a list? Would Torfa see it? Her breath quickened. She felt a blush spread up her face and that just pissed her off. She was a grown woman. There wasn't any need to feel embarrassment over a perfectly normal physiological response to a good-looking man. But why did she have the feeling he'd be angry about her taking care of her own needs?

And why did she care? She didn't even know him. She was so lost in her thoughts she almost barreled over Britt. She loved the younger woman. Everyone did, but she was so petite and dainty that half the time Kendall had to concentrate on not feeling like a cow when she was around her. Since Britt was tiny and petite and Laney had always been the picture of a female athlete, muscled and sleek, her image of the ultimate in feminine health only improved by pregnancy, it was a good thing Kendall was so self-confidant. She'd never be thin and delicate looking like Britt, though she knew that appearance was pure illusion, and she'd never be able to run a marathon with Laney. But she could hold her own. She was smart and skilled and men loved her round ass and generous breasts. She tried to concentrate on those things as Britt and Laney stared at her like she'd missed her half of a conversation. Hell, she probably had.

"What?"

15

Leaving Earth

by Loribelle Hunt

Laney grinned.

"What?" she asked again.

"Daggar is distracting, isn't he?" Laney smirked. There was no other way to describe it. That witch knew how bad Daggar Torfa was disturbing her equilibrium. The odd thing was her satisfaction of it. Kendall scowled past her discomfort of thinking of Laney so negatively. What was up with these Delroi? She'd seen some woman fall so completely under their thrall they threw all their single friends into the path of single alien males. It was weird and one of the reasons she'd wanted to study them so badly. She'd never figured Laney for one of those women though. She set her hands on her hips and faced off with her old friend.

"I don't get it. I can see you're happy, and I'm thrilled for you, but I never expected you to retire at the height of your career to marry a stranger, Laney, and if you're gonna turn into one of those Delroi wives who throws all her friends to the wolves, I'm outta here."

She'd wondered about male Delroi, no doubt. Was the sex that good? Were their pheromones super-charged or what?

Her intuition kicked into overdrive and she suddenly understood she had to figure it out. Somehow she knew it was vital in the truce with the Delroi and the future of her people. Vital to
her
future. Laney sighed and linked her arm through Kendall's.

"It's complicated," she said and led them down a wide corridor.

16

Leaving Earth

by Loribelle Hunt

Kendall finally started to pay attention to her surroundings. From the small windows in the shuttle that had brought them down, the Royal Palace had seemed like a massive red stone edifice surrounded by small but similar buildings in a sea of sand and craggy mountains. She'd heard the planet was mostly dessert, had thought during that limited view coming down it looked like Mars and hoped she'd get the chance to see more of it.

Up close and personal she realized the palace was larger than anything on Earth. Maybe larger than several of their largest buildings put together. She'd assumed when Laney had told her she and Britt would stay with her it would be a private residence. It was obvious as they rounded a corner and entered a cavernous room that there was a bit more to the Royal Palace than she'd assumed.

The room seemed to be a common meeting area with some kind of cafeteria set up on one side. Several other corridors opened into it and groups of people clustered everywhere along the edges. The center seemed to be kept clear for foot traffic.

"When you said Royal Palace, I had something very different in mind," Britt said, her curious gaze sweeping the large open space.

Kendall wondered what the other woman saw when she looked around, what stood out to her artist's eye—to the spy's eye—that no one else noticed. Britt's gaze was sharp, as if sizing the place up, and Kendall felt a twinge of unease. She'd wondered many times over the weeks of preparation for the trip exactly what Britt's motives for coming along 17

Leaving Earth

by Loribelle Hunt

were. Was the spy really retired? Was she really here just to paint and visit her friends?

Kendall turned her study to Laney, who looked calm and serene as usual and was watching Britt. Their gazes met, held, and Britt nodded so slightly Kendall almost missed it. She didn't bother to hide her groan. Great. All she needed was to get involved in some intrigue involving a retired Sergeant Major and a not-so-retired spy.

Laney didn't miss her unvoiced protest. She grinned then linked an arm through hers, leading them off into the crowd.

"Don't worry, Kendall. Just a little interspecies cooperation." She gaped at the pregnant woman. Yeah right. She made it sound like goodwill towards the Delroi, but did you drag your best spy out of the mothballs for a little favor? Kendall snapped her mouth shut and ground her back teeth. No, you didn't and whatever was going on she didn't want to get dragged into the middle of it. She was a doctor damn it. Since the truce she'd been able to spend her time healing people instead of digging bullets out of bodies. So what if it wasn't as exciting, as challenging as working in the field. She'd like it to stay that way. She pressed her lips together, working up a good mad and glared at Britt. Like Laney, she'd always been an adrenalin junkie. Bet she didn't get pulled kicking and screaming back into active service. Britt just shrugged, unflappable mask firmly in place. They crossed the room and entered a new corridor. The farther they walked, the thinner the crowds grew. When she was reasonably sure she wouldn't be overheard, she spoke, keeping her voice soft but not hiding her anger. 18

Leaving Earth

by Loribelle Hunt

"What are you two up to? No. Don't answer that. Whatever you're up to, keep it to yourselves. But give me some warning. Who knows about this?"

"About what?" Britt asked turning innocent eyes on her. She didn't fight her smile, her anger dissipating somewhat.

"Oh please. Save it for someone who hasn't seen you in action."

Britt grinned back and Laney laughed. Kendall experienced a moment of déjà vu. How many times had the three of them laughed and fought and cried together? She'd wondered if their friendship, if their bond, would survive the end of all the wars. Now her gut was screaming at her that the wars weren't all over and she knew the friendship would last the rest of her lifetime.

Laney finally answered after her laughter dried up. "No one knows."

Kendall cocked an eyebrow. She'd seen her friend with her new husband and she seemed devoted to him.

"Not even Alrik or his brother?" She refused to name him. Just thinking his name made her heart begin to race again. Laney shrugged one shoulder. "They know what Britt used to do for us. And that she's retired." Kendall snorted.
Retired my ass
.

"Look, she's not going to do anything she doesn't already do." She repeated the shoulder action. "Watch. Listen. And report back to me with anything interesting." Laney had her there. Britt couldn't seem to help gathering intelligence. It had always been that way. The question was why Laney thought it was necessary.

19

Leaving Earth

by Loribelle Hunt

"Why? You married one of them. I thought you trusted the Delroi."

Laney sighed. "They have detractors here too. Just like back home. It's not them though. It's some of the people in the Earth delegation that make the back of my neck itch." She fell silent and stopped to let two Delroi warriors hurry by them. Both bowed their heads before they moved past the women. Then Laney turned to face Kendall and Britt, met each of their gazes for a long pause before speaking.

"We worked too hard to bring peace to Earth. First with the Alliance and later with the Delroi. I'm not about to let a small handful of idiots screw that up."

Damn. Just like that Kendall was sucked back into her old life. The old life where paranoia may have been a constant, but so was the determination to make things better. Britt watched her expectantly and she sighed, nodding her assent. She'd done a little intelligence gathering of her own in that other life. Qualified doctors were hard to come by in war zones and they'd been given incredible freedom of movement. Unlike the other two however, she wasn't addicted to the rush. She'd spent those missions terrified of getting caught. The O.R. was where she'd gotten her fix—

healing people. Saving lives.

Her heart constricted before it started a steady, fast pound. She didn't want to think about it right now, needed to distract herself long enough for her brain to compartmentalize the rush of trepidation.

"How big is this place?" she asked, switching to a safer subject. They turned, chatting as they started walking again, 20

Leaving Earth

by Loribelle Hunt

but Kendall didn't pay much attention. Instead she found herself thinking about the Delroi Overchief again. Daggar. Would he be as commanding in bed as out of it?

Laney snorted. "I have no idea. I haven't even begun to explore it all yet. Massive as you can see. All the Warrior's bureaucratic offices are here and there's a barracks. Plus any representatives from other planets are housed here."

"Under the watchful eyes of the Army," Britt murmured.

"Do the other castes have palaces? Here?"

"Yes. In other parts of the city." Laney nudged her side and Kendall tried to focus on the conversation, on her friends. It was impossible. They exited the hall into another big room, though not as massive as the first one. Her skin tingled and she felt scrutinized. Cautiously, she swung her gaze around the room looking for the source. She felt pinned down when she met Daggar's eyes and her mind filled with images of being tied down to a bed. He stood speaking in the middle of a group of warriors, but his gaze was zeroed in on her. She flushed from her head to toes as a flash of lust swept through her.