Page 10 of Warrior's Captive
Each step his jaw ground. Hated leaving her, but there was no choice.
The first time Ibukay had tried to circumvent the law by placing aliens into private housing, she’d caused an uproar. By law all aliens must check into a waystation and remain there until they were processed.
The solution had been to build and staff her own waystations throughout the city, making her the de facto sponsor of each inhabitant. So far, the solution had worked, since most individuals chose to immediately return to their home world. Those who didn’t were found alternate worlds or allowed to apply for employment and transition into Yadeshi society.
The marks on his arms crawled, almost leaping off his skin. The brief moment he’d held her in his arms, he fought a vicious battle to force himself to let go.
This was his bondmate. His child.
But even if his own ethics hadn’t already dictated it, he was ordered to leave her until their meeting. She must come to him of her own free will. It could never, ever, be said that Ibukay facilitated the forced bonding of an alien female to one of her warriors as a goddamn perk. Her funding, her support, would evaporate.
What he was allowed to do was join the team assigned to guard her, cloaked and in the shadows, waiting for any lurking enemies to reveal themselves.
“That was quick,” Ibukay’s voice said in his ear.
“They are either bold or foolish,” Vykhan said, “to show their hand so soon.”
“Has the couple been IDed yet?” Tai’ri asked.
“Mercenaries,” Vykhan said.
“I’m en route,” Tai’ri said. “Vivian’s secure.”
“We’ve tripled security around the building,” Ibukay assured him for the third time.
Another decision they’d gone back and forth over. Thekheterwould soon reveal in whose interest she was acting, and they would know if she was in any way tied to the traffickers. They’d allowed thekheterto speak with Vivian to see what she would say and after it was clear the intent was to shuttle Vivian back into medical custody whether the human female liked it or not—
Tai’ri reminded himself not killing thekheterwas the right choice.
“Better to lessen security and wait for the enemy to reveal themselves,” Vykhan said coolly. He’d made his opinion known, and Ibukay had vetoed.
“I won’t risk their safety,” theBdakhunsaid. “We’ll wait it out and use one of our operatives as bait.”
“None of them will be the bait that the human female is,” Vykhan replied. “They would have expended considerable resources in breeding her. That level of expense means they have a buyer for her, and the infant. There would be consequences, not only financial, if they fail to deliver.”
“I know all of that, Vykhan,” Ibukay growled. “In case that’s the reason why you felt the need to restate the obvious.”
Tai’ri frowned. Shesounded at the end of her patience. “Bdakhun, when did you last rest? Can’t function if you don’t sleep and eat.”
“You go sleep and eat,” she retorted. “You aren’t supposed to even be on duty, and you need to prepare for your meeting with Vivian.”
“I concur,” Vykhan said. “Tai’ri, sign off and see to your bondmate. She must agree to come with you or our hands are tied.”
Anticipation surged, and Tai’ri obeyed, veering off from the team and heading home. He had a few hours to meditate, stuff the whirling mass of emotions inside his mind where it would not affect his female, and change into his civilian skin.
4
Vivian recalledthe discussions at the dinner table where her parents would browse through the profiles of single Mid Tier professionals, filter for compatible genetic, lineage, and financial status, and discuss the circumstances in which she would apply for legal cohabitation and conception of her first child.
And here she was pregnant on an alien planet, about to meet her infant’s father for the first time.
It wasn’t ideal.
It certainly wasn’t boring.
Excitement, she now understood, was vastly overrated.
She’d been just fanciful enough growing up to daydream about meeting an intelligent, free thinking (but not in front of her parents), modern man with a few social connections in the upper Mid or lower High Tiers. Just enough that perhaps their children could ease, through social influence and judiciously applied bribes, into a better quality of life. Crossing Tiers wasn’t impossible, it just took the right combination of circumstances, and careful attention to whom one bred with.
