Razor's Traitorous Heart: The Alliance Book 2 (11 page)

Patch muttered under his breath when he saw
the ripped tissue. He carefully rolled Kali onto her freshly healed
back. It would take a few more days for the flesh to be completely
mended and it would be tender but she would live. She would also
have a scar, but it would be a faint one, mostly where the deepest
part of the cut had been.

He carefully cleaned each of her palms,
spraying the cleanser on them, then applying the sealer to each cut
no matter how small it was. He had been on too many planets where
the smallest wound could prove deadly if not cared for.

“Are you sure about this?” He asked, staring
at the pale face of the female before looking back up at Razor.
“Once done, only death will free you.”

Razor’s eyes flashed in annoyance. His
irritation must have shown clearly because his friend turned with a
sharp nod and muttered he would return shortly. Several long
minutes later he returned with a wide circular device.

Razor watched carefully as Patch programmed
the device. It would embed his mark on her and her’s on him. They
would forever be tied together, or so he hoped. If she rejected
him…

A shiver of apprehension ran down his spine.
If she rejected him, Patch was right. He would be condemned to a
long, lonely and frustrating life. Once a Trivator warrior gave his
word to a female, she became his life, his future. He would give
his seed only to her, meaning he would forsake all other physical
release to prove his commitment to her and only her.

He pushed aside his doubts. She was his.
Something inside him connected with her on a basic level that he
did not understand. Frustrated at his lack of understanding ate at
him. Pushing his feelings of uncertainty aside, he gritted his
teeth and held out his arm.

“Do it,” he ordered.

Patch slipped the opened device around
Razor’s left wrist and snapped it shut. He secured the lock
mechanism and checked the programming once more before he looked up
at Razor one last time. With a nod, he pressed the button, sealing
Razor’s fate to that of an unknown human female.

Ten minutes later, Razor gently picked
Kali’s unconscious form up in his arms once again. The dark marks
around both of their wrists stood out, especially those around her
pale, delicate wrists. Pride, and another unknown feeling, poured
through him as he gazed at the markings for several long
seconds.

He nodded to Patch as his friend mumbled
that Kali needed to rest as much as possible over the next couple
of days to fully recover from her wounds and to give her body time
to replenish the blood she had lost.

“Good luck, my friend,” Patch muttered,
staring at Kali’s relaxed face. “She is an unusual female. I hope
you know what you are doing.”

“Yes, she is, and I have no doubts that she
is meant for me,” Razor responded in a slightly husky voice before
he cleared his throat. “Tell Cutter I want to see him in one hour.
Plans need to be set into motion to end the conflict here. I have
duties back on Rathon that require my attention and I want to leave
within the fortnight.”

“I will notify him. He was in the command
center checking on the weather. This planet’s weather is very
unstable,” Patch complained, returning the marking device to the
medical satchel he had retrieved a short time ago. “If the weather
is like it was on my way down to the planet, I’m not leaving. I
hate flying as it is.”

“It might be best if you remained close,”
Razor commented over his shoulder as he stepped through the
doorway. “I have a feeling things are not going to go as smoothly
as Mexico City.”

Patch stared at Razor’s retreating back with
a look of dismay and resignation on his face. The rebels in Mexico
City had fought fiercely before being overwhelmed. If Razor
classified that as ‘smooth’ then he hated to think what this city
was going to be like. Personally, he would have been happier
remaining on board the
Journey
. These humans were some of
the most stubborn creatures he had ever studied. Personally, he was
ready for the return trip home.

He shook his head in wonder before he picked
up his bag. He needed to find Cutter. Maybe he could explain what
was happening to Razor.

Razor pushed the door to his personal
quarters open with his shoulder. He was careful not to jar the
precious bundle in his arms. He drew in a deep breath at his
thoughts. Kali’s sweet scent, tinged with her blood, filled his
lungs and pulled on a deep need to care for her.

The sedative Patch gave her would keep her
unconscious for several more hours, giving her some of the rest she
desperately needed. The first thing he needed to do was clean her
up and get her warm. Her clothes were still damp from the rain and
every few seconds he could feel her shiver.

Laying her down on his bed, he wished he was
back at his home on Rathon. There he could easily bathe and care
for her in the spacious cleansing room adjacent to his bedroom. His
quarters here were small and barren in comparison to his residence.
He sank down on the edge of the bed and gazed at her relaxed
features.

She was paler, softer than the females of
his world. Her bone structure was smaller and more delicate as
well. A smile curved his lips as he touched her short hair. It was
straight and feathered around her face.

He carefully began peeling her ruined shirt
from her. It was easy since Patch had cut it down the middle in the
back. She was wearing a black restraint around her breasts. Her
breasts, while not large, would easily fill his hands when he
cupped them.

A low groan escaped him as a wave of heat
flashed through him. He studied the garment for a moment before he
realized that the release for it was nestled between her soft
mounds. He quickly snapped the clasp. His breathing grew heavy as
the black lace cups fell apart. Sweat beaded on his brow as he
forced his eyes downward to the fastening holding her pants on.
Standing up, he quickly removed the soft soled shoes she was
wearing. Tossing them aside, he unfastened her leggings and pulled
them and the lace panties covering her womanhood away. Once she was
undressed, he grabbed the blanket folded at the end of the bed up
and covered her.

“Oh
fi’ta
, I do not understand what
control you have over me. I can only hope you do not take too long
to accept that we belong together,” he muttered under his breath as
he turned and stepped into the small bathroom.

*.*.*

Ten minutes later, Razor grimaced as he
gently lowered Kali’s body into the warm water. He had filled the
tub as high as it would go, but it still barely covered her. He
grabbed one of the towels he had set out and used it as a pillow
under her head.

Reaching for one of the washcloths, he
quickly lathered it up before tenderly stroking it over her skin.
He took his time, memorizing every inch of her. He noted every
scar, every bruise, on her body. She had a long scar on one of her
arms as if it had been broken at one time. There was another long
scar just below her right knee.

Almost a dozen other scars, some small, some
large, covered her delicate skin. She also had a large number of
bruises. Guilt, another unfamiliar emotion, pulled at him. He
should have had Patch do a thorough examination on her.

He ran his fingers over a large bruise on
her right hip. She must have hit it as she went through the window.
He bowed his head and closed his eyes as he remembered her body
flying off the roof. Panic had held him in its greedy grip for
several long seconds before he rushed over to the edge.

Locking the memory away, he continued to
bathe her. Once he was finished, he pulled the drain and reached
down into the water to lift her up. He balanced her limp body on
the narrow counter as he swept up another towel and carefully
wrapped it around her.

Picking her up, he returned to the bedroom
and once again laid her down, this time under the covers that he
had tossed back with one hand. He shifted her to the side closest
to the wall before covering her again. Only when he was satisfied
he had done what he could to make her comfortable did he take care
of his own damp clothing.

He quickly shed his clothing, tossing them
into the hamper by the bathroom door as he strode into the
bathroom. Twenty minutes later, he stood by the bed watching as
Kali lay curled in a small ball. He undid the towel at his waist,
letting it fall to the ground, and pulled the covers back so he
could climb in beside her.

“You, little warrior, are killing me,” he
muttered when she turned and snuggled against his body. He knew she
was just seeking the warmth, but his body didn’t care. “Rest, my
stubborn human. I will protect you.”

Razor knew he didn’t have much time before
he was to meet with Cutter, but Kali came first. He would turn up
the heat in the room before he left to keep her from getting
chilled. He pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head as she
sighed in her sleep. A silly grin curved his lips and his arms
tightened protectively around her as it sank in that he had an
Amate
.

“I will never let you go,” he vowed in the
silence of the room. “I will protect you and care for you and you
will come to accept me as your
Amate
.”

*.*.*

“How long is the weather expected to
continue like this?” Razor asked in frustration.

He stared out at the thick sheets of rain
mixed with sleet. An Arctic blast from Canada had intensified
unexpectedly and was sweeping through the area. Several feet of
early winter snow was expected. Right now, he could barely see a
few meters outside the window.

He ran his hand through his hair in
aggravation. He had been fifteen minutes late to the meeting he had
ordered. It had taken every ounce of his self-discipline to pull
himself out of Kali’s arms and get dressed. His plans to return to
Rathon in a fortnight were quickly beginning to look less and less
likely to happen.

“Four, possibly five days,” Cutter responded
grimly looking out of the window with a worried frown. “This is
going to put an incredible hardship on the humans in the city.”

“Won’t that make your job easier?” Badrick
drawled as he stepped into the room. He looked with disdain at the
cracked leather covering on the office chair before sitting down
with a sigh of resignation. “They will be either eager to surrender
or they will be dead. Either way, it will allow you to finish your
mission here on this planet.”

“Your compassion for this species is
commendable,” Cutter muttered sarcastically.

Badrick turned his icy blue eyes on Cutter
and sneered. “Isn’t there some duty you need to attend to? Perhaps
cleaning the waste removal units?” He drawled.

Cutter took a threatening step toward
Badrick. Razor shot his second-in-command a sharp look and shook
his head. Badrick had arrived just before all transports were
grounded. He wanted to know what the blue bastard wanted. He was
tired of Badrick’s lies and deceit. If the councilman wasn’t
careful, Cutter would be the least of his concerns.

“Enough, Badrick,” Razor snapped. “What are
you doing here?”

Badrick turned his gaze to Razor’s intense
gold ones. Within seconds, he shifted his gaze to stare out the
window. After several long seconds he finally responded to Razor’s
question when he realized that neither Razor nor Cutter were
prepared to continue their discussion until he answered the
question.

“I heard that you captured one of the
rebels. I thought perhaps I could be of assistance,” Badrick
finally answered. “I have dealt with these rebels before and
thought you could use my knowledge to resolve the situation
faster.”

Razor heard the lie in Badrick’s voice. He
frowned as a brief memory flashed through his mind. Kali’s accusing
voice echoed harshly as he remembered her questioning him.

Why are you supporting Colbert?
She
had demanded.
Don’t you know what he is like? Don’t you see how
he doesn’t care about the people living in the southern half of the
city? Every day we take in refugees seeking a safer way to live. He
doesn’t care about anyone or anything.

“It was you,” Razor murmured as his eyes
narrowed on the councilman. “You are the one supplying Allen with
the weapons, one of which was used to attack the helicopter I was
on.”

Razor watched as Badrick paled until his
blue skin took on a sick pasty bluish-white tint. Cutter moved in
behind the male when he tried to rise. Razor shook his head. No,
the bastard was his. It was within his right as the Chancellor over
the Trivator Forces to enforce the laws of the Alliance. No one was
above the law of the Alliance, especially those sworn to uphold
them.

“They… it was necessary to bring peace to
the city. I was doing what I felt was in the best interest of the
humans and the Alliance. Allen had the larger and more powerful
force. It seemed natural that with enough weapons, the conflict
would soon end,” Badrick replied, sitting back as Razor stepped
closer to him. “I was thinking of the Alliance,” he repeated
weakly.

“You better hope to the Gods and Goddess’
that you were because if I find out differently, I’ll gut you
myself,” Razor growled in a frigid voice. “I am in control of this
area now. I will take care of the situation. You will no longer
interfere.”

Badrick’s eyes flashed with fear and fury.
He pushed out of the chair, turning as he did to put it between him
and Razor. His eyes shifted nervously to where Cutter was now
leaning against the wall by the door. A satisfied grin on his
face.

“You were ordered to bring the humans under
control. Instead, you have one of the rebels in your bed. I do not
think that the Alliance Council will be pleased that you are
protecting one of them,” Badrick argued. “I demand you turn the
female over to me. Kali Parks could be used to end the
conflict.”