Taken: Warriors of Hir, Book 2 (6 page)

“You must not think that now, little one,” he assured, his glowing gaze very serious. “There will be no others. Only you.”

“I didn’t mean—!” Hope passed her hand over her eyes. “Okay, one, I was joking and two, we need to take a step—no, a whole freaking
lot
of steps—back here. Why in hell would you think—” Hope’s head came up. “Wait, is that what happened to that other girl, Jenny? Some alien carried her off to be his girlfriend?”

“If you are speaking of Jenna, mate of Ra’kur—yes. I have met her. Jenna is a gracious, well-bred female. She is very happy,” he offered, “living at Ra’kur’s enclosure.”

“And
that’s
why you’re on Earth?”

“To hunt a mate.” He gave a human nod. “Yes.”

“Hunt a—? That’s what you ali—uh,
g’hir
, do? You came here to hunt women?”

“Not
all
women.” His brow creased. “Just one. Just you.”

She cleared her throat again. “Look, I hate to point out the obvious but you, well . . . you’re not human.”

“No,” he agreed.

“And I . . .
am
.”

He gave a nod. “Yes.”

So not getting through here . . .

“I just mean—” Hope shifted her weight. “I don’t see how that would work out. With you being g’hir and me being human. You know, for a relationship.”

“G’hir and humans are very sexually compatible.”

Her glance flicked over him, the broad shoulders and slim hips, the way the leather clung to his muscular thighs, even as she beat back the searing memory of how close she’d been to coming from just that rumble-purr of his—

Hope cleared her throat. “I probably shouldn’t ask you how you know that.”

“
I
do not,” he growled. “I am only the second warrior to claim a human mate; Ra’kur was the first. I nearly returned home in despair, resigned to live my life out alone. But then Goddess led me to you.” His warm broad hand cupped her cheek. “My mate, my
Hope
.”

The thing of it was he looked so damn sincere with those glowing eyes of his and as whacked as it was she really didn’t want to hurt him. Luckily she had the ace of all aces right on her ring finger, one that not only allowed her to let a man down super easy in many a Georgetown bar but with the power to win a resigned smile from the drunkest guy—even on Saint Patrick’s Day.

“It’s not you.” She gently took his hand from her cheek and flashed her diamond ring. “I’m engaged to marry someone else.”

“No longer.” R’har gave the jewelry a dismissive glance. “He is fucking another female now.”

Hope shut her eyes briefly. “You know, you could said
that
a little more tactfully.”

“But that is what
you
said!
You
said he is fucking—”

“Yes! I know!” she flared. “Yes, I know
what
he’s doing,
who
he’s doing it to, and how much the sheets he’s doing it
on
cost,
okay
?”

“Yes.” He gave a chin jerk, his eyes a little wide from her outburst.

“Good,” she gritted out.

“If he had not bonded to another female,” R’har offered after a moment, “I would have killed him.”

Hope’s gaze snapped to him. “What?”

“Killed him,” he repeated, then at her stare added helpfully, “To take you from him.”

“That’s what your—g’hir—do? You kill each other over women?”

“For a warrior to be so determined to take a female from another is a compliment to his mate, a great tribute to her value.” He searched her face. “Are you not taking it that way, Hope?”

“Actually right now I would characterize myself as ‘creeped out.’”

“I do not think that expression translates well,” R’har said slowly. “What I am hearing is ‘deeply disturbed by.’”

“Yeah.”

R’har’s head reared back. “You find me
disturbing
?”

“When you think it’s fine and dandy to show up on someone else’s planet and just kidnap a woman? Yeah, I’d log that under ‘creepy.’ I mean, what if it were a g’hir woman we were talking about, instead of a human?”

“A g’hir female longs to be captured by a strong mate, to have the male who takes her be clever, capable, determined,” he replied a little sharply. “I am the son of a clanfather. A g’hir female would be
honored
by what I have done,
flattered
by my actions.”

Hope put her hands on her hips. “Then it’s too bad you didn’t get yourself a g’hir woman instead!”

A wounded look flashed in his eyes, and then his expression cooled. “Perhaps you are right.”

He turned away and stalked with his catlike movements toward the room’s exit.

“Oh, so now you’re just going to walk”—the door slid closed behind him—“out?” Hope finished.

With a burst of energy she was across the room, ready to pound on the door, howl curses at him for leaving her locked in
here
of all places, but the door slid open for her too.

Oh sure,
now
the fucking thing works!

She caught sight of R’har at the end of the corridor and plunged into the hallway after him.

“Hey!” she called. “We were in the middle of a conversation back there! Or don’t g’hir have any manners?”

He stopped to look round at her, his nostrils flared. “We are a very civilized people!”

“Yeah, I could tell by the handcuffs,” Hope snapped as she caught up to him. “I’d like to leave now, if you don’t mind. You know, since you’re such a
gentleman
alien.”

His fangs flashed for an instant, then he bent his head to her. “As you please,” he growled, then turned on his heel and headed for the door at the end of the corridor.

“Yeah, well, maybe you could show me the way—”

The door slid shut behind him.

“Damn it!” she gritted out, already following. She waved her hand around at what she thought was the motion detector but, wherever it was, at least this door slid open for her too.

He was halfway to the next one and she jogged to catch up to him.

“I said, I want to leave!”

“I heard you,” he snarled, not even pausing in the entryway.

“Well?” she demanded, following him inside. “Are you going to—”

She recognized the equipment here, the four chairs and the control panel, the windows to the outside, but—

“Oh, you have
got
to be kidding me!” Hope gripped the headrest of the nearest chair, taking in blackness out there, the endless star-filled vista visible through the cockpit window. “When did the fuck did we leave Earth?”

Four

“You are very heated in your speech,” R’har grumbled, taking the pilot’s seat. “Is this common in human females?”

“Among human females who drive the Capital Beltway? I’d say I’m about average,” Hope snapped. “And where the hell
are
we?”

He glanced out the cockpit window at the slowly spinning green planet visible there. “Tenth sector. The Olari system.”

Okay, trying not to panic here . . .
 

She looked at R’har. “We’re really in space?”

“Yes.”

“We’re in space.”

“Yes.” He frowned. “Your spots have darkened.”

Hope used her grip on the seat to stay upright. “I think that’s just my face going paler in comparison. And they aren’t ‘spots,’ they’re freckles.”

His bright glance ran over her. “Why do you not have them everywhere?”

“Well, actually the sun—
Hey!”
she exclaimed, scowling. “How did you know I don’t have them everywhere?”

His fangs flashed in a quick smile. “I did not—until now.” His bright eyes trailed her form again, slower this time, his growl becoming a little huskier. “What does the skin without the freckles look like?”

Hope’s gaze fell on the fullness of his mouth and his glowing gaze met hers. “When—?” she began weakly. Hope cleared her throat and indicated the stars beyond. “When did we leave Earth, R’har? When did we go into space?”

“While you were sedated.”

“Where’s Earth?” she asked, proud that question came out almost calmly. “Where’s my world?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Likely still in orbit around your sun.”

Not panicking, just breathe, absolutely not going to freak out here . . .

“Listen to me carefully, R’har—I really,
really
need to know how far away Earth is right now. Will you tell me that please?”

He tapped a few of the ship’s controls. A holographic scrolling alien script appeared over the cockpit window, superimposed over the stars. “Thirty-nine parsecs from our present position.”

“Okay.” She gave a nod. “Okay, that doesn’t sound too far.”

He looked back at her. 

“Um . . .” She swallowed hard at his raised eyebrows. “How far is that again?”

He thought for a moment. “Twelve hundred and nine trillion kilometers.”

“Trillion . . .?” She sank down into the co-pilot’s chair. “Just how long was I knocked out for?”

“Three hours.” He glanced at the hologram. “Perhaps a little longer.”

“Three
hours?
We traveled trillions of kilometers in just
three hours
?”

“Yes.”

“Okay . . .” She nodded. “So three hours here, that means three hours back. You can just turn this thing around now and take me back home, right?”

He turned away, his fingers working the controls again and the hologram vanished. In profile his cheekbones were high, his jaw strong, his rippled forehead heavy and profoundly alien.

“Right?” she persisted sharply. “I want to go home, R’har. You
are
going to take me home, aren’t you?”

“The ship was badly damaged during the exit jump from your world.
That
is why we are not on Hir now.
That
is why we hold position here.”

“Damaged?” Hope sent a quick glance around the cockpit. Everything looked fine to her, not that she would know. “What happened?

“When I generated a wormhole for the jump,” he said, his fingers never pausing over the alien equipment, “a feedback loop occurred.”

“Okay,” she said, nodding. “All right. No idea what you’re talking about. How about this—Tell me what you mean by ‘badly damaged.’”

“There are numerous critical systems that must be repaired before we can attempt another jump. The directional assembly has been fused. Power to the auxiliary engines is off-line, the secondary couplings are—”

Hope’s brow creased as the list went on. “It sounds like we’re going to need to be towed in.”

“If you mean assistance, we must expect none. I have no way of contacting the homeworld.”

“No—? We’re on a fucking spaceship!” she burst out with a wave at the control board. “Your people are so advanced you’ve got brain implants, you can travel across lightyears like it’s crossing the street! You can’t tell me you haven’t got a radio—or whatever you use to growl at the other big scary aliens—on this thing.”

He gave an impatient huff. “We are twelve parsecs from Hir and the communication array is damaged. If I send a signal at sublight speed it will not reach Hir until you and I are long dead of old age.”

“What about the planet? What did you call it? Olari?” she asked with a glance at the spinning world below. “Can’t the people there help us?”

“The Olari colony was abandoned decades ago. Only an automated signaling post remains now.”

“You mean we’re stuck here with no way to call for help?”

“Yes.”

No help on the way, no way to call anyone and on a ship that sounds like it’s about to fall apart?

“What aren’t telling me? You’re hiding something, aren’t you?” Hope clasped her now shaking hands together. “Are we—are we going to die up here, R’har?”

His bright gaze met hers and his face softened a little. “No. This is g’hir territory and our borders well patrolled. I will bring you safely home to my enclosure, little one, you have my vow.” He gave a rueful smile. “Although clearly it will take longer than I expected.”

“But you’re sure you can fix this thing?” she asked. “You can take me home?”

“I possess the skills needed to repair all equipment on this ship,” he rumbled. “But I am only one man. Repairs to so many systems will take time.”

She frowned. “Wait, just how long are we going to be stuck here together?”

“I do not know. Days. Perhaps several days.”

Hope’s gaze was drawn back to the cockpit window, to the vastness of space, to the majesty of creation beyond.

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” she said.

“That is a common reaction to seeing open space for the first time. It will pass.”

“Well . . .” She cleared her throat again and turned her gaze back to R’har. Even
he
was less terrifying than the frozen, airless vacuum on the other side of that window. “I guess we don’t have much choice anyway. At least you know how to fix the ship and we’re okay here for now . . . I mean, I lost my job and Brian is—Well, I don’t think anyone’ll even notice if I’m gone for a few days more—”

He gave a snort. “If that is so, then what reason is there to take you back?”

“I don’t have any interest in living on another planet, R’har,” she snapped, more than a little unnerved at his casual dismissal of her wishes. “And, flattered as I am that you dig gingers, my life plan doesn’t include being your sex slave.”

“A pity.” His gaze dipped to her mouth. “Your earlier response proves you are ideally suited to the task.”

Her face went hot. “If you even think about ever—” Suddenly she broke off, blinking. “You’re joking.”

R’har laughed, the deep huffing sound filling the cabin.

“Oh, that’s just fucking great,” she grumbled, her cheeks warmed by embarrassment now rather than outrage. She folded her arms. “I had to get kidnapped by the
funny
alien.”

“If you do not wish to be my pleasure slave then I offer myself to be yours.”

The smile still tugged a bit at his lips but there was sincerity in those otherworldly eyes and her breath quickened.

“This appeals to you, little one?” he rumbled softly. “To know I will pleasure you at your command?”

Oh, man, if he starts that purring thing again I’m a goner . . .

Hope tossed her head. “Don’t you wish?”

“Yes,” he growled. “I do.”

The feel of his mouth against hers flashed through her mind and Hope blurted, “I don’t have casual affairs.” She cleared her throat. “And that’s all this could be. There’s no point in starting anything or anyone getting hur—in us even talking about it.”

“I will not hurt you, Hope.” His gaze was serious now. “I will never hurt you.”

Damn but he looked like he meant that . . .

Her throat tightened. “You won’t get a chance to. What Brian did—I’m never going through this again.” She lifted her chin. “So the sooner you get me back home, the better.”

R’har turned his attention back to the console, checking readouts, making adjustments. “Once the repairs are complete we will jump to Hir.”

“Hey, you said Earth was—”

“It is a far closer jump to Hir,” he interrupted sharply. “And from this sector it is a much safer journey than to your planet.”

“And what about taking me home?” she demanded.

His glowing eyes met and held hers.

“If you do indeed choose not to remain on Hir,” he rumbled finally, “I give you my vow, Hope, that I will return you safely to your world.”