He had been too late. Distracted by the children, he had not realized that she had left her cottage until she was already on the path. A path that would lead to the top of the mountain and close to where his ship had crashed. If he did nothing to prevent it, they would meet in person at last.
The prospect had left him unexpectedly nervous, as nervous as he had been the day he took his final exams at officer training school. She hadn’t flinched from him when she had seen him at the window, but had she thought she was dreaming? It wasn’t until he had polished his horns for the second time that he realized that he – a Commander of the Tandroki Fleet – was primping for a member of a primitive race. Ridiculous. He resolutely strode back to the viewing screen, and that was when he had realized that she was in trouble.
The snow had grown increasingly heavy, and he could tell that she was struggling with each footstep, but she still continued up the mountain. Her determination was to be valued no matter how foolhardy, but watching her struggle made his chest ache. He also realized that she had gone astray. She was no longer heading for his ship, but rather towards the caves to one side of the peak. Caves that were inhabited by –
Shouting a quick warning to Whit to close up the ship, he took off at a run. During his initial studies of his surroundings, he had seen the inhabitant of those caves - a large, primitive beast equipped with far more deadly, natural weapons than those possessed by the villagers.
He dashed through the snowy woods, moving more quickly than he had since his last training run with Nicholsarian. The obnoxious snow was falling even more heavily now, but his thermal suit kept him warm and he ignored it. He reached the clearing just in time to see his female stumble and fall as the beast leapt for her.
A thousand years of civilization and a lifetime of training disappeared. He forgot about the blaster holstered to his right hip and the ceremonial sword on his left and attacked in the same way his primitive ancestors would have attacked - with his horns and his claws. The roar that erupted from his mouth was an ancient battle cry, echoing through the clearing as he intercepted the beast before it could hurt his female.
The animal fought viciously, but there was never any doubt in Krampasarian’s mind that he would win. The deathblow filled him with satisfaction as he turned to claim his female. He had fought for her and he had won.
“Now you are mine,” he proclaimed triumphantly.
But her eyes were wide, scared, and she tried to scramble away from him. He saw her wince and sway, her face turning the color of the snow, and automatically reached for her. Her eyes fluttered close as he lifted her into his arms, but he had seen the fear in those deep blue eyes. And when he looked down, he saw the blood staining his claws. What had he done?
Remorse washed over him as he carefully carried her back to the ship. How could he have abandoned his civilized ways and how could he expect her to understand?
Even now, his instincts demanded that he claim her. The feel of her soft curves against him had his cock stiff and aching, even though he would never press his attentions on an injured female. He would never press his attentions on any female.
Whit was standing at the open door at the top of the landing ramp, but Krampasarian didn’t have the heart to chastise him. The boy’s eyes widened as he saw who Krampasarian was carrying.
“You stole a lady too?”
“I didn’t steal her.” Although he hadn’t exactly asked for permission to bring her on board. He soothed his conscience with the knowledge that she needed medical assistance. “She’s wounded.”
Whit closed the door behind them and accompanied him to the medical lab, still shooting worried glances at the female in his arms.
“Who is she?”
“You know who she is,” he said shortly as he placed her on the exam table.
“No I don’t. And she’s pretty. That means someone is gonna come looking for her. You need to get rid of her.” The boy crossed his arms and scowled at Krampasarian.
“You would have me send an injured female out into the storm?”
“Well no, I guess not. But as soon as the storm lets up. We don’t need her.”
Krampasarian was running a scanner over Jaelle’s head when her eyes suddenly flickered open. Rather than focusing on him, she looked to the boy, and a smile crossed her face.
“Safe…” she whispered, and then her eyes closed again.
“That’s Jaelle!” Whit rushed over and took her hand. “I don’t understand. She looks so young.”
“She is young. She disguises herself when she goes into the village,” he said absently, studying the results of the scan. The damage to her head would be painful but it was not life-threatening. Her ankle was in worse shape, and he tried to use the medical bed to heal it. Unfortunately, its systems had also been damaged in the crash, and in the end, he was forced to attend to the injury himself as the medic machine provided instruction. She would recover, but it would not be as swiftly as he would have preferred.
“Is she going to be all right?” Whit asked anxiously.
“She will be fine.” Anything else was unacceptable.
He hesitated for a second, glancing around the small medical bay, but he didn’t like the idea of leaving her in here surrounded by these machines. Bending over, he lifted her back in his arms. By the Horns of Moroz, she felt so right there.
“Where are you taking her?” Whit bobbed anxiously next to him. “Do you want our bed? I can sleep on the floor, but do you think she would mind sharing with Cinna?”
The question brought him up short. He had automatically been heading for his cabin – that was of course where she belonged – but perhaps she would prefer a room of her own. Unfortunately, his cabin and the small crew quarters occupied by Whit and Cinna were the only sleeping accommodations on the ship.
“Thank you for offering, Whit, but I’ll put her in my bed.”
The boy scowled again, his speckled nose wrinkling. “That ain’t proper.”
“I do not believe there is anyone here to object,” he said dryly. “But do not be concerned for her honor. I will sleep in my chair.”
“I reckon that’s okay.”
“Thank you.” Despite the sardonic note, he found himself appreciative of the boy’s determination to protect Jaelle’s honor. Whit was quite right. Krampasarian’s own people did not believe that a male and female should share the same bedroom. But he had observed enough of the villagers’ behavior to realize that the same prohibition did not exist here, at least not for permanently bonded couples. A month ago he would have dismissed the idea as ridiculous, but it no longer seemed so unpleasant. He could actually imagine bonding with Jaelle, sharing a room with her…
What was he thinking? He was not remaining on this planet, and once he was back amongst his own people, he would be negotiating for a suitable mate to help advance his career. No matter how little the idea appealed to him.
Whit followed him into his cabin and watched critically as Krampasarian carefully placed Jaelle in his bed and then covered her with a blanket. Her eyes were still closed, but her breathing was deep and even, and the medic machine had indicated that she would sleep. He would watch over her until she awoke.
Chapter Seven