Page 12 of Chieftain (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #1)

Daicon sent the Sage a hard snort but smiled broadly when his attention turned back to Emmy. “I swore to never set foot on a Gilese moon as a prisoner again. This is for an altruistic reason. Who better than me to slip around the moons unseen?"

"Aren't you the biggest, sweetest old teddy bear?" My gut clenched at the words Emmy gave to Daicon. Her tone was soft and breathy—I wanted that sound only for myself.

"I don't know what a teddy bear is, but I like how you said that." My war-hardened battle chief melted before my eyes.

Next to him, Hakkar cleared his throat.

Charick slammed his fist on the table again before pointing accusingly in Hakkar's direction. "You, our healer, wish to leave the ship. What if we require you?"

Hakkar lifted his chin in defiance. "If we are on leave with no prisoners in our hold, my apprentice Toovis is perfectly capable of handling Medi-Bay in my absence.

" The healer's eyes met mine. "There have been reports of a new plant propagation that is said to offer relief to the gravity sickness that affects so many on Tau Ceti.

" His gaze flickered to Emmy. "Of course, I would look for your friend during my stay there. "

"Darlings. All of you." Emmy made the finger blow gesture toward each of my council, save Charick.

My council, the strongest, bravest warriors in the galaxy, turned to piles of grinning mush before my eyes.

Emmy managed to sway each warrior to her cause in just a few moments.

This beautiful creature possessed some power I’d never encountered before.

Had she brought some drug from the Trogvyk skip that affected us so strongly.

Was she one of the sorceresses mentioned throughout Earth's history texts?

Perhaps all Earth women held this power, but she was the only one brave enough to wield it.

Like my crew, I was lost to her power, whatever it might be.

"What will you do during leave, Chieftain," Jutuk asked, his eyes flickering to the human. My chest swelled with his implication that Emmy would be at my side. I pushed away the feeling, focusing on the mission at hand.

“We will take the Bardaga to the Lernax Centauri space station. The head of our spy network resides there. If there is talk of Emmy’s friends, he will know it.”

I felt the tingle of Emmy's touch land on my arm again before she softly murmured. "Thank you.

Instead of distracting me, this time, her touch focused my mind.

“Jutuk, send a comm to Alliance headquarters with our request for ninety days' leave. The Douraat with Chieftain Ortuaga is in the Eridani system. They are the best choice to take over Earth's patrol until we return. Each of you prepare your skiffs. Tarook, I don’t want anyone leaving unarmed. Remember, our priority is to find and rescue Emmy’s friends—there may be a need to battle.”

"Yes, Chieftain." My weapons master stood with a nod of respect in my direction before his gaze flickered to Emmy, a softness creeping over his features.

I didn’t like it.

“Orzon, take Emmy to her quarters.”

She stiffened next to me. “But…

Her green eyes were wide and alert, but faint purple smudges painted the flesh underneath.

She appeared paler than when we came aboard, despite the fact she'd eaten well.

I lifted her hand, pressing her palm over where my heart thudded heavily in my chest. "You look tired, little human.

Rest, and we will be enroute to the space station when you awaken. "

Orzon appeared at her side, his short, stocky arm held out to her in offer. Emmy's fingers trembled slightly before landing at his elbow as she stood. Her gaze never left mine, a mix of curiosity and worry.

"It will be fine. Orzon will take care of you. I will check on you when I finish here."

Full pink lips ticked upward as she nodded and let the Framaddi lead her from the room. The rest of my crew followed behind like waddling Earth fowl—ducks, I believed they were called.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

I turned to my Sage, irritation boiling in my gut.

"Do you have something to say to me, Sage?"

"No, but Charick has something to say to his friend Khaion." He stalked nearer. "Turning our lives upside down for six humans? You know our directive—protect humans, but never get too involved.”

My chair rolled back several feet as I stood. "I believe you forgot our creed to rescue the abducted as well. Isn't that what we’re doing?”

“You know damn well it’s not. There are other Vaktaire ships better equipped to track down lost slaves. That is not our directive." Charick pointed an accusing finger. "You're bending the rules for this human, and I, for one, would like to know why?"

“I gave her my word that we would rescue her friends.”

Charick made a deep sound in his throat, thinking I was lying. "Did something happen that you're not telling me?"

Something did happen, but how could I explain it to Charick when I didn't understand it myself? My body tingled with the memory of her touch, and her scent still wrapped around me like an embrace. "What do you mean?"

Charick crossed his arms over his chest and glared. “Did you mate with her?”

“What are you suggesting?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time one of our kind has tasted the pleasures of human flesh.”

"Do you think so little of me that I cannot control myself with a small, scared human?

" I demanded, irritation causing my muscles to tense.

But was the irritation I felt because of his accusation, or the idea of burying myself in Emmy's body lingering in the back of my mind since waking up in the pod with her in my arms?

Charick sighed, the tenseness leaving his stance. "I respect you above all others, friend, which is why I notice and comment when you act so out of character."

"Vaktaire do not feel the mating pull with humans. We know this. They are too different." Denial rested on my lips as I imagined what it would be like to do the very thing.

“The human has been through the Garoot Healer. We know it alters their bodies. What if somehow the healer makes them able to survive the Valakana?"

Hope slammed through me. The idea that Emmy could be mine had the force of a blow, staggering me slightly. Could it be true? Mating would undoubtedly explain the pull and protectiveness I felt for the tiny human.

Charick’s eyes narrowed on me.

“Chieftain.” The Framaddi’s voice over my wrist comm was a welcome distraction.

"What is it, Orzon?"

“Human Emmy,” Orzon’s tone was worried. “She seemed very upset when I left her quarters. There was liquid sprouting from her eyes, and I could not get it to stop.”

The compulsion to be at her side drove me toward the door, "I'll be right there."

"Tell me again, nothing going on?" Charick said in a low tone from over my shoulder.

I stiffened. "I gave my word I would keep her safe."

"Then you better go keep your word. I will prepare for the ship to travel through the wormhole." Charick was my oldest friend. The disappointment in his voice scalded me, but it didn't slow my feet as I stalked from the room.

We housed most visitors to the Bardaga on the second deck. I'd had Orzon install Emmy in quarters a few doors down from my quarters. She would occupy a large suite with many amenities, a space made for a chieftain's visiting wife or mistress—if he had one.

My heart flinched. Charick was right. The tiny human affected me in ways I could not understand or explain.

I knew desire and the touch of carnal pleasures.

While I did feel the burn of passion for her small human body, this was something more…

something precious, and the idea both intrigued and terrified me.

The access panel of her door was set to respond to three individuals, Emmy, myself, and Orzon.

I knocked lightly, not wanting to startle her with my entrance.

The creature that opened the door appeared even more fragile than before.

From the dampness of her curls, it was apparent Emmy used the sanitizer, the unit that cleansed our bodies with a mixture of steam and air.

She wore what appeared to be a uniform tunic, which swallowed her body, hanging to a point past her knees.

What made my chest tighten hardest was the redness of her eyes and the tear tracks staining the paleness of her face.

“Shit, I’m sorry.” Emmy grimaced, swiping at her eyes as more tears fell. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't stop crying." She pressed her palms against her eyes. "Shit! I've never been one to cry, but now I can't stop. I must look like such a wimp."

"Hush, little human. I do not know this wimp , but you have every right to cry." I stepped into the room, closing the door.

Emmy watched me, the tears flowing furiously.

Gently I placed my hands atop her shoulders, feeling the tremors that flowed underneath her skin. I turned her toward the bed in the far corner of the room. It was large with a thick foam pad and covered by soft blankets. "You are exhausted. You need rest."

Emmy offered no resistance as I propelled her toward the bed.

"Thank you," her voice was small and trembled slightly. "What you and your crew are doing to help me means everything."

"Rest now," I said as she climbed onto the mattress, resisting the urge to smile.

Vaktaire, even our females were considerably taller than humans.

The bed stood half as tall as Emmy, and she looked like a youngling clamoring under the blankets.

"When you awake, we will have passed through the wormhole and be close to the space station," I promised, pulling and tucking the covers around her shoulders.

"Will you," Green eyes regarded me as she gnawed at her lower lip. "I'm sorry, never mind."

“Will I what?”

"It's stupid. I'm just being a wimp."

“Tell me, please.”

"It's just… the last time I fell asleep, I was on Earth, in my home, and I woke up on a spaceship with a four-boobed cat-alien with my body forty years younger than it should be. I’m kind of afraid to go to sleep.” She gnawed at her lip again for a few moments, before asking, in a fragile voice.

"Will you stay with me till I fall asleep?

It's stupid, I know, and I feel ridiculous even asking, but…

." Deep green eyes met mine. “I feel safe when you’re nearby.”

My chest swelled with a feeling I didn’t recognize, but it was warm, thick, and fiery, pushed through my veins by the heavy thud of my heart.

I sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to take up too much space. "I will not leave until you are deep in slumber."

The sigh that escaped her lips was thick with relief, followed by a soft smile. She nested in the blankets, pulling her hands to rest under her chin. Feeling weight settle onto the mattress, the automatic lights blinked off, leaving only the glow of steadily blinking stars outside the window.

Tentatively I reached a hand to her thick curls, letting my fingertips stroke through the silk of her hair repeatedly as I had in the pod. The gesture seemed to calm her, a complete juxtaposition to how it made me feel.

Within minutes the transition in her breathing told me she was asleep. Yet, I could not pull my fingers from the softness of her hair, nor could I tear my eyes away from the beauty of her small, pale face illuminated by starlight.

She was the most fascinating creature I'd ever seen. Even now, when the need to protect her was tantamount in my thoughts, my body craved to settle into the blankets next to her and hold her close.

Could Charick be correct? Could the Garoot Healer alter human bodies so that Emmy could withstand the Valakana?

I pushed down the explosion of hope, not letting myself be strayed by imagining a future impossible for a Vaktaire Earth protector.

I would keep my word to Emmy. I would find her friends and see them all to safety.

Gratitude was all a Vaktaire should ever desire from a human.

Why, then, could I not push away the craving for more?