Chapter Five
Allik sat on the table in the medical bay and tried to focus on the questions the healer was asking him. He’d felt a disturbing snap in his shoulder as he dived to the floor to protect Victoria. Then, as he’d spanked her, there had been an all-too-familiar twinge in his upper arm that told him that he’d injured himself. Since he’d returned to active duty, joining the intelligence service after his release from the enemy camp, Allik had struggled to reach the same peak of fitness he’d enjoyed before his capture. When his ship went down on the plains of Antarrak, he’d sustained serious injuries but worse abuses of his body had come at the hands of the Bylanthians who’d held him hostage.
His recovery from the whole ordeal had been slower than he would have liked and there was still some way to go before he achieved his desired strength. Although he was by no means unfit, even by the standards Taar-Breckian males set for themselves, he knew he had to be more careful from now on. That meant heeding medical advice but, as he sat there being poked and prodded, he found that his mind kept drifting to Victoria. Had he made a mistake in leaving her to her own devices so soon after bringing her here? Was he neglecting his duty to ensure her comfort and safety?
“Allik!” A sharp female voice cut through his thoughts.
“I am sorry, Kyree.” Allik sat up a little straighter and looked at the pretty young medic who was examining him. “My mind was elsewhere.”
“I imagine it was.” Kyree laughed. “The whole ship is buzzing with the news. I hear she is a real beauty and spirited, too. A perfect match for you.”
Allik’s jaw tightened and he offered no response. Kyree had performed miracles in patching up his broken body when he was finally ransomed back to his people and he held her in the highest regard. That did not mean, however, that he was going to allow her a glimpse of his private thoughts and desires. Fortunately, Kyree knew him well enough to interpret the tension radiating from him as a sign not to push for information.
“Well, take care of her,” Kyree said solemnly as though such a command was necessary. “I hear that your Miss Walton is a close friend of the commander’s wife.”
It didn’t matter to Allik what Victoria’s connections might be. As soon as he’d seen her in the flesh, his instinct to protect her had kicked in and he would look out for her whether ordered to or not.
“I will protect her with my life, Kyree,” Allik replied.
“I know you will. The commander would not have tasked you with bringing her to safety otherwise.”
At the reminder of the mission that he and several other men had been dispatched on to rescue the friends of Commander Rossingham’s much-admired new bride, Allik nodded.
“Has there been progress with the other women?” He knew that Kyree was always one of the first to learn of any new developments.
“I’m surprised you haven’t heard.” Normally, Allik would have been kept up to date but he’d been preoccupied lately. Kyree took a firm grip of his shoulder and upper arm and began to test his range of motion. “There are four on board MV621, which is two days ahead of us on its way to Taar-Breck. Lieutenant Taryn expects to bring Miss Walton’s friend, Lucy, here within the next few hours. Three of the women are not yet accounted for, the commander’s sister by marriage among them.”
Allik knew that the lack of news on Elizabeth Chatterton was a source of deep concern for his commanding officer.
“I will ask Victoria if she has any information about the others,” Allik said. He let out a low growl as Kyree’s prodding caused a sharp pain to shoot down his arm.
“You have done some damage but nothing too serious,” Kyree informed him as she let go of his arm. “I would like to strap it…”
“No.” Allik didn’t even let her finish the sentence. He wanted no outward signs of physical weakness, not when he had only just brought Victoria on board. Until he claimed her, other men might challenge him for her. He didn’t want anyone to think they had a chance of beating him.
“Very well.” Kyree shook her head despairingly. “I will apply a soothing balm but you must rest your arm.”
The look on Allik’s face suggested that was not going to happen.
“Well, at the very least, you might refrain from spanking the young lady.”
Allik rolled his eyes. “I will make no promises on that.”
“Feisty as well as beautiful, is she?” There was a teasing note in Kyree’s voice that most females would not dare to use with him. “Well, good. You need a mate who will keep you on your toes.”
Allik scoffed at that. What he really needed was a mate who would do as she was told so he could enjoy a quiet life when not on military deployment. What he desired was another thing entirely but he didn’t want to entertain thoughts about that.
“It is premature to speak of mates,” Allik said. “I have not claimed her yet.”
“She was chosen for you.” Kyree’s tone was matter-of-fact. “You have told her that she is yours. Why not claim her fully?”
Allik shrugged his broad shoulders and almost flinched at the look of pity that flashed across Kyree’s face. She smoothed it over, well aware by now that he hated to receive sympathy from the people around him.
“You think she won’t want you?” she asked. Clearly, the look on his face was response enough as she quickly added, “Of course, it’s not my business.”
As Kyree rushed off to find the balm she’d said she would apply to his injured shoulder, Allik let out a sigh. It was difficult to know how to proceed with Victoria. All of his baser instincts told him to simply make Victoria his as soon as possible but a nagging doubt overrode his strong desire to take her. From what he had heard, human females were not programmed in the same way as those of his race. They needed to be coaxed into accepting a mate. Besides, something about Victoria was different, special, and he was going to approach making her his in the right way. He just had to figure out what that was.
* * *
What Allik lacked in social graces, he more than made up for in raw animal magnetism, Victoria thought as she wandered through his private quarters, familiarizing herself with her rather Spartan new surroundings. There was something about Allik that fascinated her and she wished she could figure out what was it. If she did, then perhaps she would find a way to overcome it before she lost her head entirely. She had no intention of becoming an alien’s sex slave, even if he did seem to think she belonged to him already.
As she stood by the door to the bedroom and looked at the functional rather than stylish bed that dominated the room, she lamented the fact that there was not a single clue in this whole place to the sort of man Allik was. There were things she already knew, of course. That he was a warrior was glaringly obvious. He was strong, disciplined, assertive. She wanted to know what lay beneath the surface. He had told her that she was his and she needed to figure out what exactly that meant to him.
A quiet whooshing sound alerted Victoria to the opening of the main door and she walked back into the living room, ready to demand some answers from Allik. To her surprise it wasn’t him, but a woman who entered the room. Tall and slender, her flowing white hair trailed down her back. She was the epitome of elegance in a long tunic and skirt. Victoria, who was used to being the most admired person in any room, suddenly felt very shabby in her linen shift. She stood in awed silence as the woman practically floated across the room. Her height alone would have marked her out as Taar-Breckian but, if there had been any doubts, then those piercing violet eyes would have dispelled them. Victoria’s brow furrowed. What on Earth was such a graceful creature doing on board a military vessel?
“Hello, Victoria,” the woman said in a pleasant tone, her voice slightly accented. “My name is Kyree. I’ve come to check on you.”
“Allik sent you?” Victoria asked.
“Yes, he was concerned for you. He told me you were unwell on the shuttle.”
“He didn’t seem too worried about my health when he was spanking me,” Victoria grumbled.
“I think you’ll find that he spanked you because he was concerned for your safety,” Kyree said, her tone a little sharper. Victoria rolled her eyes. Did Taar-Breckian women buy into this whole punishment thing as well?
“If you say so.”
“I do.” Kyree smiled broadly and Victoria realized that the other woman hadn’t picked up on the sneer in her tone. “Now, would you come with me, please. I really would like to check you over.”
“You’re a doctor?” Victoria asked, even though she didn’t think such a thing was possible.
“I suppose that is what you would call me,” the other woman responded. She gave Victoria no opportunity to ask more questions as she turned and left the room, clearly expecting her to follow.
Strangely reluctant to leave the sanctuary of Allik’s rooms, Victoria trailed behind the other woman along several corridors until they came to the medical bay. As Kyree led her into a private room, Victoria felt as though her heart had stopped. The walls and floor were cold, white, sterile, just like in the nightmares she’d been having. Although there was no wooden bench at its center, there was a chair on the other side of the room that looked as though it would recline for more intimate examinations. Standing next to it, with some sort of electronic device in his hand that Victoria couldn’t identify, was an enormous brute of a man in a white tunic and black pants.
“What is this?” Victoria took a step back toward the door but found that Kyree was blocking the way.
“It’s the medical room,” Kyree replied. “I told you that I wished to check you over.”
Yes, she had said that but, for some reason, Victoria was still unsettled to find herself in a room like this.
“And him?” She waved her hand in the direction of the man she assumed was a doctor even though his appearance screamed warrior. “Why is he here?”
“To observe. We don’t often have the opportunity to examine human females.”
The other woman’s words sparked an intense fear in Victoria. Her heart lurched as Kyree put a hand on her back and gently urged her forward. There was no force being used, but Victoria suddenly felt as though she was in danger. As they got closer to the chair, she could see metal hoops that restraints could be fastened to. Terrified that her nightmare was about to become a reality, her whole body began to shake.
“I don’t want to be examined!” she cried out. “Please don’t do this to me.”
“Nobody is going to hurt you, Victoria.” Kyree’s tone was no doubt intended to be calming but it did nothing to soothe Victoria’s splintering nerves. All the fears she’d harbored for so long flooded to the surface. She was sure that her shameful secret was about to be revealed. On Earth, the punishment if the loss of her virginity was discovered would be severe. She assumed Taar-Breckians would react in the same way. From what she understood, they were a strict race, controlling of their women and she had no idea what the response to discovering she was not an innocent might be.
Wild thoughts raced through Victoria’s mind and all sense of reason fled from her. She ran for the door but couldn’t open it. She turned back to the room to find Kyree approaching, her hands held out as though she was trying to calm a cornered animal.
“Do not fucking touch me!” Victoria shrieked as the other woman came closer.
The anger that had been suppressed since she was taken from the Town Hall mingled with fear to create a dangerous cocktail of rampant emotion. Swinging out with all the force she could muster, Victoria landed a punch that caused Kyree to stumble backwards and fall to the floor. The man, who had been watching with a faint air of disbelief, now came toward her.
Screaming incoherent strings of curses, Victoria picked up whatever objects came to hand and threw them at him. She hurled a large glass jar that smashed into a thousand pieces on the wall on the other side of the room. Undeterred, the large male moved closer. Heart pounding furiously, Victoria felt around on the surface of the nearest worktop and found a sharp medical instrument, a scalpel of some sort. Snatching it up, she brandished it wildly.
“Stay back!” she screamed. “Don’t come any closer!”
Holding his hands up in a placating gesture, the large male stepped back. Overwhelmed by conflicting feelings of relief, fear, anger, and despair, Victoria slumped to the floor and started to cry.
* * *
Allik stood by Victoria’s side as she sat fidgeting on a chair in the medical examination room and wondered what he’d got himself into with this woman. He’d come as soon as news reached him about her meltdown but, by the time he got there, Kyree had worked her magic and coaxed Victoria out of her apparent fit of madness.
The room around them was a mess. Surgical equipment was strewn about the floor and there were shards of glass everywhere. The cost of replacing all that she had broken would be quite high and he intended to ensure that she paid for the damages one way or another. He could hardly believe that she had already earned herself a second punishment. If this continued, she was going to have a very sore bottom for their entire journey to his homeland.
Sighing as he looked down and saw the fear in her eyes as she peered up at him from beneath those gorgeous long lashes, he reached out and took her hand in a gesture of reassurance. If today was anything to go by, he was going to have to discipline her often, but it was her respect he craved, not fear.
“What happened?” he asked.
“I lost control.”
“Evidently.” Allik surveyed the considerable damage once more. “But why?”
“I was afraid.”
“Of being examined?” Kyree interjected, her brow furrowing thoughtfully. “I was only going to check your temperature and blood pressure. I assume you thought it would be something more.”
Victoria nodded.
“You expected the examination would be of a more intimate nature?”
As Victoria nodded once again, Allik was pleased that Kyree was able to get to the heart of the problem. He didn’t think Victoria was ready to confide in him quite yet.
“And why did that scare you so badly?” Kyree asked.
Victoria hesitated. She looked up at Allik and he could see tears beginning to form in her eyes. She blinked and turned back to Kyree.
“I was afraid that you would find out about me.”
“What were you so afraid we would find out?”
Victoria took a deep breath and the tension radiating from her told Allik he should brace himself for some terrible revelation.
“That I’m not a virgin.”
Was that it? Clearly, it had been difficult for Victoria to say the words but Allik couldn’t understand the level of fear she exhibited over it. He shared a look of confusion with Kyree.
“That is not something I would examine you for,” Kyree said gently. “You had no need to worry.”
“So I’ve confessed for nothing?” Victoria sobbed.
“Confessed?” Allik realized now that she felt as though she had committed some awful crime. “Did you think it would matter so greatly?”
“Are you telling me that it doesn’t?” Victoria seemed to have rallied herself as her tone took on a sharper, more challenging edge.
“Not to me,” Allik said. He was far from an innocent himself. “Is that what you were so afraid of? That I would be displeased?”
Victoria snorted. “Displeased? I thought you’d be disgusted.”
Allik shook his head. If it hadn’t been for the indignant look on Victoria’s face, he might have laughed. Earth’s High Council had much to answer for. He knew that they held their women to an impossible standard and that virginity was highly prized.
“Did you think I would punish you?”
Victoria’s lower lip trembled as she nodded.
“You will have to be punished,” Allik said. “But not for that. You cannot be allowed to get away with acts of violence.”
Her response was a despondent shrug of the shoulders. She looked so down-hearted at the prospect that he wanted to wrap his arms around her and offer her comfort but he knew he couldn’t give in. Strong discipline was essential if they were to have a future together. A man like him faced many dangers and he needed a mate who would obey without question so her safety would be assured.
“Is she cleared to leave?” he asked Kyree.
“Well, I didn’t get a chance to examine her but she seems to be in good health,” Kyree said. “Her right arm has a strong swing, at least.”
Allik saw genuine regret pass across Victoria’s face.
“I am sorry for hitting you,” she apologized.
Kyree smiled with her customary grace. “We’ll see about that tomorrow.”
Obvious confusion crumpled Victoria’s brow but she didn’t ask Kyree for clarification. Allik would tell her later that she would also have to atone to Kyree for the injury she had caused her. Thankfully, Taar-Breckian women were made of strong stuff but Victoria had managed to knock Kyree off her feet, and that could not be allowed. Retribution was called for but, knowing how generous the young medic was, he doubted she would make Victoria pay as dearly as another, more vindictive female might.
“So, we can leave?” Allik clarified.
At Kyree’s nod of confirmation, he held his hand out to Victoria. Half-expecting some gesture of defiance, he was pleased when she wrapped her long, elegant fingers around his and allowed him to help her to her feet.
“Come on then, young lady,” he said as he led her toward the door. “Time to face the consequences of your actions.”