Chapter 12

Sadie stared at the delicate bracelet, its intricate pattern glinting in the firelight. She shivered, though not from the cold. The idea of being tagged and tracked like cattle made her feel sick.

"So this tracks me?" she asked, her voice quiet. Too quiet.

His eyes narrowed. "You have to understand, it"s for your own protection. Should anything happen?—"

She laughed, the sound bitter. "For my own good? Yeah, right… the typical excuse of male oppression throughout history. What you mean to say is that this… thing." She shook the bracelet on her wrist at him. "Is to keep me from running off or being taken. Like I"m some animal you"ve tagged."

Bile rose sharp and immediate, burning the back of her throat. Like an idiot, she"d laughed at the protesters back on Earth… the ones who accused the Lathar of using Human women as breeding stock, literally broodmares in their Mate Program. Perhaps she should"ve listened to them.

His nostrils flared as his jaw clenched. "It is nothing like that. I gave that to you because I cannot bear the thought of losing you."

She snorted in bitter amusement, ignoring the ache in the center of her chest. "Of course not, given that I"m your only route to having children of your own. Was that the plan?" She demanded. "Laythia couldn"t give you kids, could she? So I"m the backup plan?"

"What is this fascination you have with her?" He surged to his feet, anger written all over his face.

"Not only do I not see Laythia in that way, but she is bonded to an alpha pack and only has eyes for them. Neither of us would ever," he snarled, looking disgusted. "… dishonor her bonds in that way."

She took an involuntary step back at the fury blazing in his eyes. She shivered again, the chill of the approaching night seeping into her bones. Her chest ached fiercely where the harness had tightened during the crash.

"I don"t like being seen as just a piece of meat," she admitted in a whisper. "Like an animal to be tagged by its owner."

His expression softened and he moved closer, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into the warmth of his body.

"I do not see you as a piece of meat or a broodmare, Sadie," he murmured. "Please… Never think that of me."

She settled closer against his side, comforted by his warmth and his words. "I just don"t like being treated like property, tagged and tracked without my knowledge."

She looked at the bracelet again, turning it around and over on her wrist. She couldn"t figure out how it came off. "Even by something so pretty."

"I"m sorry. I should have told you."

Lifting his hand, he tucked a finger under her chin to lift it, his touch impossibly gentle.

"My only desire to keep you safe, the idea of losing you..." His voice cracked, and he shook his head. "I made that bracelet just for you. Someone, a male with no honor, tried to take Prince Rohn's new daughter. Females are so rare and prized that they are prepared to wait years if need be."

She looked at him, all the wind taken out of her sails.

"Oh," she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. "I did think mine looked a little fancier than the others."

His expression softened, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. "I may have spent more time on yours. I wanted it to be special," he admitted, his voice a low rumble. "I wanted you to know how much you mean to me."

Her heart ached in her chest as she looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears. "Why didn"t you just say something?"

He shrugged, then leaned over to place a gentle kiss against her temple. "Fear," he admitted. "The certainty that as soon as you signed up to the Mate Program, you would be matched with someone better."

"Hey!" She turned to him, a frown creasing her brows and glared at him. "I"ll have you know that I am a very good judge of character and that I have picked the best possible mate for myself… without the help of some weird alien matching program."

His lips quirked as he looked down at her. "Is that so?"

"Yes." She lifted her chin in challenge. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, my lady, I most definitely do not." The quirk became a full, devastatingly handsome smile as he leaned down and claimed her lips in a hard, possessive kiss that took her breath away.

* * *

An hour later,Sadie wrapped herself tighter in the blanket, the soft fabric still carrying a faint burnt scent from the crashed escape pod. But it was warm and dry, and that was all she cared about at the moment.

She sat on the opposite side of the fire to Vaarn, her gaze locked on the board he had spread over his knees. He"d come back with more than just survival essentials from the escape pod, he"d also bought back what looked like a full engineering kit and half an electronic console. She watched fascinated, as he deftly stripped the console panel apart for components, lining them all up neatly on the board before he"d asked for her bracelet.

Now her bracelet lay in three pieces, as he worked on the inside with delicate tools that looked way too tiny for his large hands.

Her fingers played with the edge of the blanket, tracing the minute ridges in the fabric. The components he worked with were tiny, and they were more complex than anything she'd ever dealt with in manufacturing.

"How on earth did you get everything that small?"

He paused and looked up, his smile a brief flash of white teeth. He'd put contact lenses in to work, and they magnified one pupil, giving him an odd, otherworldly appearance that suited him perfectly. With the masses of silver hair, and the dark stubble on his jaw… he looked like a sexy mad professor.

"Miniaturization tech is my specialty," he said in a low rumble. "It"s what I gained my engineering rating with at the Engineers" Hall."

Her eyebrow arched in surprise. "When I first met you, I thought you were just a warrior," she admitted. "I didn"t realize you"re also qualified as an engineer."

He put down the tool he"d been working with and picked up another one that was so small she couldn't even see what it was.

"Lathar are taught combat as a primary discipline, almost from the point we can walk," he explained. "But we are also encouraged, if we have the attitude and talent, to train in a secondary discipline as well. It makes sure that we do not require to bring in other species for specializations beyond combat."

She leaned forward. "So, what made you choose engineering?"

His fingers paused for a fraction of a second. "I've always been fascinated by how things work— the mechanics behind technology and invention. It allows me to create, to invent new solutions to problems that exist."

She watched as he manipulated the delicate wires in her bracelet, linking them to other components that were on the board. She had no idea what any of it did, she just had to trust that he knew what he was doing.

"It looks like you"re very good at it," she said.

He glanced up again, locking eyes with her for a brief moment before returning to his work. "I like to think so. And so, I would think, do most of the citizens of Devan Station."

She shifted on her makeshift seat, a small piece of the damaged hull he"d dragged closer to the fire from beyond the rocks behind them. "Is that why you made these bracelets? To keep track of your people?"

He nodded without looking up this time. "In a way, yes. The original technology was based on it anyway. I was looking for a way to ensure we could find those who are lost or in danger quickly, with an extremely small footprint. Something that could be worked into a thread on a ship suit for example. Or perhaps into an insignia for combat leathers, but then I adapted it for a far better reason… protecting our future. Protecting the human females that are so important to us."

"Like me," she murmured.

"Especially you," he confirmed, a gentle smile on his face as he looked up at her again.

She went back to watching his large hands as he worked on the tiny components of the bracelet. He worked quickly, until her bracelet looked like an alien spider, with legs reaching out to squat feet made from the console panel components. Finally, he took off his wrist computer and, opening up the back, linked it up to her bracelet. Lights raced along the silvery "legs" and he grunted in satisfaction.

"Okay, that should boost the signal enough to reach the station," he said, as he laid the board with it on down gently a little way away from the fire. "It will take some time to get through though."

He looked over at her, and his expression softened. She liked the gentler look on his face and the warmth in his eyes. "We should get some rest."

She nodded, stifling a yawn. Exhaustion had been riding her hard for the last hour or so, but she"d been determined not to give into sleep until he was finished. It had been a long, hard day, but she"d had the easy part of it. She hadn"t missed the fact that he was black and blue with bruising all down his side.

He refused to talk about what had happened but she wasn"t an idiot. As soon as she"d seen him unclipping that harness when he"d walked out of the lake she"d realized that he"d literally jumped out of a burning ship without a parachute, just those stubby little "wings" under his arms.

She tried to help him lay out blankets but he shooed her away until he had them set up how he wanted.

"Lie down nearest to the fire," he said, lowering himself down to the makeshift bed with more stiffness than she"d have liked. "You"ll get the most heat that way."

One look at his face told her it was a bad idea to argue, and she lay down. He pulled her back against his broad chest, an arm wrapped around her waist and a sigh of relief escaped her as she relaxed against him. Sleep tried to pull her under, but she wriggled in his arms to look up at him.

"I"m sorry I thought you wanted that woman back at the trade negotiations, Laythia," she said in a low voice. "I was jealous and not thinking clearly."

He grunted, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "I don"t blame you, little one. I wanted you to think I had no interest. I assumed you would be matched as soon as you joined the program."

She pressed her lips into a tight line. The stupid mating program again.

"I even joined the program myself on the off chance that we would anyway," he added. "But it doesn"t matter now."

"You"re right. We chose each other without any program."

She smiled, snuggling closer. She was too tired to think further about their situation. For now, she just felt safe and cared for in his arms as sleep overtook her.

* * *

Sadie jerkedas strong hands gripped her shoulders, shaking her awake. She blinked in confusion as a large hand clamped over her mouth. Then the sleep cleared enough from her foggy brain that she recognized Vaarn's stern face leaning over her.

"Pirates," he whispered, looking up out into the darkness. "We need to move. Now."

Heart pounding, she nodded and let him pull her to her feet. The last of the firelight was just enough to see him point back toward the rocks behind their campsite. He took her hand and led her away from the shore, moving quickly and quietly into the darkness.

She stumbled as she heard harsh shouts from further down the beach, guttural and foreign. His hand tightened on hers, and he slid an arm around her so they could move faster over the uneven, rocky terrain. Pebbles and debris rolled under her feet, and she winced as her ankle twisted but she kept going, knowing that to slow down meant death… or worse.

Reaching a cluster of boulders, he pulled her down, pressing her body close against the rough face of the big rock. Moving closer, he sheltered her smaller frame with his own, looking around the edge of their hiding spot. She shivered, her face buried in the hollow of his throat, his powerful warrior's body surrounding her with heat and strength.

They would get out of this. She knew they would. He would make sure of it.

She looked up at him. She could just make out his features, cast in angles and planes from the faint moonlight above. His expression was hard and focused, nothing there of the man whose arms she"d fallen asleep in. The awkward, gruff engineer who had confessed his feelings to her was gone, replaced by a ruthless, capable soldier, prepared to eliminate any threat to her safety.

She'd seen this side of him before, when he'd killed that pirate to keep her from being taken. She'd been too scared and running on adrenaline to really understand what he'd done at the time. But now, with him covering her, she saw the power and lethality in his body, held in check for the moment while he took in the situation.

Her heart raced with exhilaration and fear. She knew he would never turn that ferocity on her, only using his skills to keep her safe. Still, seeing his warrior side in action was terrifying and comforting at the same time. And also kind of sexy. No one would be able to stop him from protecting her.

The harsh voices grew louder, accompanied by footsteps crunching on the rocky shore. She tensed, pressing against Vaarn's chest, her heart in her throat as the voices drew closer. He moved slightly, angling himself in front of her and shielding her body with his own. She peeked around him anyway, just able to make out firelight flickering through the trees near their camp. The pirates must be using torches.

"Over here! I found something."

She closed her eyes. The pirates had found their little shelter on the beach.

She bit her lip, straining to hear what they were saying. A gravelly voice rose above the others.

"The fire"s still hot. They can"t have gone far."

Her stomach dropped.

"Spread out!" the pirate leader barked. "Find them!"

Deep voices raised in a chorus of acknowledgment. Heavy boots trampled through the underbrush as the group began to fan out in all directions.

"And don"t come back without that human female," the leader added coldly. "I have a buyer expecting delivery and he wants her unharmed. So none of you draanthic have any fun with her."

She suppressed a gasp, her fingers digging into Vaarn"s arms. The pirates were here for her. To sell her, like she was nothing but property. Like back on Krantav Three...

Her blood turned to ice as her memory kicked in. She knew that voice.

She pushed at Vaarn, trying to see past his broad shoulders, but the guy was built like a barn and she couldn"t. He resisted at first, looking down at her as he kept her shielded, but she just shoved harder and added a glare for good measure. He eased back a little so she could see.

Her stomach dropped as her gaze fell on the pirate leader. Tiir. He wasn"t the amiable engineer he"d pretended to be. Instead, he was leading a band of pirates. Pirates who were looking for her.

Anger rose in her blood. Tiir was Latharian, like Vaarn. How could he be involved in capturing and selling humans? She thought they protected humanity, had honor as warriors. Apparently that honor didn't extend to all of them.

One of the pirates kicked at their makeshift shelter. "What should we do if we run across the warrior she was with?"

Tiir shrugged, the firelight glinting off his teal hair. "Kill him. He"s of no use to us."

Her hands curled into fists. They were ready to murder Vaarn on sight. Her protector. Her mate... Just toss his life away like garbage.

Over her dead body.

Trembling with rage, she nestled against Vaarn"s heavily muscled, solid strength. If he hadn"t survived the crash, she would have been easy pickings for these pirates.

Movement caught her eye. Tiir stalked around the fire to the small collection of boulders Vaarn had sat on as he worked on the beacon. Her breath caught in her throat as the pirate leader leaned down and flipped back a tattered blanket on the ground.

Tiir jerked back, confusion on his face as he looked down at the mass of wires that was their makeshift beacon. His expression twisted with rage as he stood and, with a swift kick, smashed the device to pieces.

"Enough tralling about!" he barked. "Find them! We need to get off this rock before the cavalry arrives."

Her heart stuttered. If they combed the area, it was only a matter of time before they found her and Vaarn.

She looked up at him.

"What do we do?" she whispered. They couldn"t outrun the pirates… and he couldn"t fight them all.

"Wait here," he murmured, his voice a bare whisper. "Do not make a sound."

She opened her mouth to protest but he was already gone, melting into the darkness. She bit her lip as panic clawed at her throat, but forced herself to remain still and silent. She was well hidden, and Vaarn knew what he was doing; she had to trust him.

Crouching low, she tried to make as little noise as possible as she crept forward to peek around the boulder, searching for any sign of pirates sneaking up on her. She could just make out several hulking forms milling along the shoreline.

Then she saw a dark shape detach itself from the rocks and glide toward one of the pirates who had ventured into the rocks out of sight of his companions. Her lips curved into a fierce grin.

Vaarn.

With lethal precision, her dangerous mate took out the pirate before he even knew he was there. He emerged out of the darkness like an alien version of the Grim Reaper and struck faster than she could follow, rendering the pirate unconscious or dead in seconds. She didn"t know which and didn"t care. These assholes wanted Vaarn dead and to sell her to the highest bidder.

As far as she was concerned, they got exactly what was coming to them.