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WE will finish our discussion later. Dolok’s words continued to race through Talia’s thoughts long after she’d finished her shower and slipped into a short-sleeved shirt and pants. She couldn’t believe she’d almost told him that going after Tremaine was personal for her. If the rest of the group hadn’t shown up when they did, she might have given him every awful detail of the night her father was taken.
She would have told him how she’d been seventeen when Tremaine had broken into their home and abducted her father. How she’d spent the last twelve years trying to find the bastard and that this was the closest she’d ever come. She might have even told him how she’d trembled in fear after her mother had made her promise to keep Lexa hidden when he’d invaded their home. Or how she’d had to listen to her mother scream when one of Tremaine’s men attacked her.
Her mother had survived, lasted another six months. After what happened, she’d never been the same—her body and mind had slowly wasted away.
Talia hadn’t cried in years, and she wasn’t going to cry now. She tamped down the memories, sealing the mental wall she kept them hidden behind. She perched her ass on the edge of the bed to slip on her boots when the door to her quarters opened and Lexa walked inside.
“Hey,” her sister said, not bothering to wait for a response before plopping down next to her, causing the metal frame beneath the mattress to squeak.
“Hey, back.” Talia tugged on the boot, adjusting the soft leather so it fit snugly against her calf. She should have known Lexa would show up in her quarters instead of waiting for her in the gathering room.
“So...” Lexa drew out the inquiring word.
If Talia remained silent, it wouldn’t be long before her sister started quizzing her about what happened between Dolok and her. The memories of that spectacular kiss, her body’s reaction to the man, and how he made her feel were confusing enough without having to share any of the details with Lexa. His apology had caught her off guard, slipped inside the strong wall she kept around her emotions.
There was no denying her attraction to him or the fact that she was beginning to care about him. Regrettably, avoidance should, and would, be her best plan of action, but that was going to be a little hard to accomplish once they were aboard the transport.
“So.” Talia feigned ignorance, deciding to sidestep the issue by getting to her feet and pressing her palm against the flat silver panel on the wall. The door swished open, and she stepped into the passageway.
“You’re not going to tell me what’s happening with you guys, are you?”
“Nope.” Talia kept moving, and, as expected, Lexa stayed on her heels and followed her into the lift that would take them to the upper level.
“Seriously?” Lexa made a harrumphing noise and slumped against the wall, her practiced pout rivaling that of a spoiled child.
“Did you have any issues when you picked up the transport?” Talia asked.
“No problems, though I think poor Paul was intimidated by Corran, especially after he growled at him. Heck, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a guy’s face get so white. He didn’t even try to haggle on the price, and he was more than accommodating on getting us the supplies we needed.”
Talia shook her head, unsurprised by the news. Since the people living on the planet resided in a different quadrant, she doubted if any of them had seen, much less had to deal with, the massive guys who towered over most humans. “It’s a good thing Gedrin stayed behind, then. He would have given the poor guy a heart attack.”
Lexa chuckled. “Yeah, he is a little scary with that whole I’m-a-broody-badass thing he has going on.” Her face blanked for a few seconds as if her mind had drifted elsewhere. “It’s kind of sexy the way Corran’s always growling around me.”
Talia snapped her fingers to get her attention. “Do you suppose you could stop thinking about sex long enough to focus?”
The lift stopped, and Lexa followed Talia into the corridor, a spring in her step and a persistent gleam in her eyes. “Sure, as soon as you tell me what’s going on between you and the big guy.”
“No,” Talia responded adamantly.
“No, as in you’re not interested, or no, nothing happened between you two while you were sparring?” Lexa stayed by her side, easily keeping pace as they made their way to the gathering room.
“No, as in it’s none of your business,” Talia said.
“Oh, come on. He hasn’t taken his eyes off you since he stepped out of the cell on the Inferno.” Lexa nudged Talia’s side with her elbow. “Admit it, you like him.”
Talia rounded a corner to her right. Damn it, she didn’t want to admit that she liked the guy, and she wished Lexa would let it go already. “Whether I like him or not doesn’t matter. I’m not about to break”—she made quote marks with her fingers—“the rule.”
“Seriously, sis, that rule is so stupid. You need to get laid. How long has it been—a year, maybe more?”
Almost two, but who’s counting? “Again, none of your business. Relationships complicate issues and screw up a mission.” Being involved with someone during an assignment, made things more difficult. That and traveling a lot were the reasons Talia avoided getting entangled with anyone on a long-term basis. In this case, if they got involved, it was going to be far worse.
Tremaine stood between them like a huge blinking beacon. Dolok wanted him in prison, and she wanted him dead. There could be no compromise. The minute she pulled the trigger to avenge her family, anything between them—trust, respect, caring—would be permanently ruined and severed. And it pained her more than she’d like to admit.
Lexa draped her arm over Talia’s shoulder. “Tall, dark, and buffed seems very interested. I still think you should take him up on having sex if he offers. Hell, have some fun with the guy, have a relationship. It’s what Mom...”
“Don’t say it.” It was a conversation they’d had plenty of times. One that always ended with Lexa reminding her how much her parents, if they were still alive, would disapprove of the lifestyle she’d chosen. How they’d want her to be happy. But Talia couldn’t think about herself, not until she saw this thing with Tremaine through to the end. Even though it would kill her to be away from her sister, she’d never asked or expected Lexa to stay with her. The stubborn woman had made that decision on her own.
If Talia had her way, Lexa would be settled somewhere with a great guy and a bunch of kids. She’d already decided that once this contract was completed, she was going to do everything in her power to ensure her sister’s happiness. Even if it meant getting out of the business and finding a nice planet to settle down on.
Until then, she couldn’t let herself get distracted, and Dolok qualified as a distraction in a major way. Talia couldn’t stop thinking about her body’s reaction to him or how great it felt when he’d pinned her to the mat. “It’s not going to happen.” She squelched the direction of her thoughts and shrugged away from her sister.
“What is not going to happen?” Corran had stepped out of the gathering room and stood in the middle of the passageway ahead of them. His gaze briefly landed on Talia before focusing his inquisitive grin on Lexa.
The man always appeared to be calm and happy. Talia wondered if anything ever bothered him. “Nothing.” After groaning and giving Lexa one of her I’ll-hurt-you-if-you-say-something looks, she slipped around him and escaped through the doorway. She hoped Corran would be too preoccupied with Lexa to continue pressing for an answer.
Dolok, Ross, and Gedrin were all standing near a large storage crate sitting in the open space between the kitchen counters and the rectangular table. They stopped their conversation to glance in her direction.
“Right on time.” Ross grinned at Talia. “I made some of my special coffee from Earth. Would you like some?”
“Special?” Talia loved coffee. Most of the time, all she could find was a standard-issue brand that provided a caffeine boost but didn’t have the greatest taste.
“Yeah, it’s a French vanilla blend.”
Her mouth watered, and she was pretty sure there was some drooling. “That’s hard to come by. Do I even want to know how you got it?”
“Let’s just say my family can obtain things that most people can’t.” Ross winked and gave her one of his boyish grins.
In other words, the coffee wasn’t obtained through legal means. Even in the circles Talia traveled, she’d heard the stories about Ross’s father, Burt. He’d had a reputation for being able to acquire items—for a price. Ross had obviously inherited the same skills and connections, but she wasn’t going to ask. Sometimes it was best to ignore the obvious. If the hunters, who were in law enforcement, didn’t have a problem with it, then neither would she. “If you don’t mind sharing, I would love some.”
Ross brushed his hand along her arm. “Not at all. Let me fix you a cup.”
As soon as he turned and walked over to the counter containing the brewing unit, Talia heard a low growl coming from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and found Dolok glaring at Ross as if he wanted to shred him into a hundred pieces.
He can’t possibly be jealous, can he? Ross had flirted with her a few times since his arrival. She wasn’t interested, hadn’t given it much thought, figured trying to charm women was part of his personality.
Maybe hunters were protective of women and she was reading too much into Dolok’s behavior. Talia glimpsed at the frown on Gedrin’s face. The same disapproving frown he wore every time she saw him. Then again, maybe not.
#
THE LONGER DOLOK WAITED to claim Talia, the worse the possessive side of his nature became. He needed to control his emotions better. He wanted to hurt Ross in the worst way, but growling at him for paying attention to Talia wasn’t the best approach to handling things. They were on a mission and had to work as a team if they had any chance of capturing Tremaine.
Once again, he regretted accepting Talia’s terms to allow Lexa and her to accompany them. The females would have been safer if they’d remained behind. His sanity would be at risk, but at least it would have kept her away from the other males.
This would be easier if Talia had been a Tarron. She would have recognized him as her mate and wouldn’t be staring at him curiously every time his irrational side overwhelmed him. He would have been able to start the claiming process, ensuring that all males knew she belonged to him and would keep their distance.
Corran and Lexa joined the group, but he ignored their conversation and concentrated on Talia. After taking the mug and thanking Ross, she followed him across the room, positioning herself between them. Dolok knew she’d heard his growl. Everyone except Ross had heard him. Was putting herself between them her way of protecting Ross or showing him that she had no interest in the younger male?
He watched her blow on the hot beverage, then take a sip and make an appreciative groan. A groan similar to the one she’d made when he’d had her on the mat and they’d kissed. His blood heated, and the front of his pants grew uncomfortably tight. Talia was oblivious to the effect she was having on him, and if she didn’t stop soon, he’d be dragging her from the room.
She took another sip, this time without the moan, then asked, “What’s in the crate?”
“Not sure.” Ross snapped the two locks along the seam of the container, then lifted the lid. “Paul said we would need these because of the unpredictable weather in the southern region.”
“Does unpredictable mean the fluctuations you mentioned will be far worse?” Gedrin grumbled and glanced at Talia.
“He didn’t specify,” Lexa answered. “I think Corran intimidated him, because he couldn’t get us out of there fast enough.”
Talia shook her head when Lexa raised a brow and smirked at her. Dolok wondered what unspoken message the females were sharing.
Ross reached inside the crate and pulled out a bundle, then unfolded what appeared to be a fur coat, complete with a hood. He held it up against his body, the length touching below his knees.
Lexa wrinkled her nose. “Please tell me an animal didn’t die to make that.”
Corran chuckled, then placed his hand along the small of her back. “You are opposed to warmth?”
“No.” Lexa shrugged away from him. “I’m opposed to putting the remains of dead things on my body.”
Ross draped the coat over his arm and ran his fingers through the fur. “I don’t think you need to worry. This is synthetic and an exceptional replica.”
Talia glanced at Lexa. “Was the transport equipped with the terrain tracker I asked for?”
“Yep.”
“Did you...”
“Verified and tested for accuracy,” Lexa finished. “I also checked the food rations. There’s enough in the storage units to last at least a month, way more than we need.”
“Good. If everything goes as planned, then we should be okay,” Talia said.
“Ross and Corran will take care of loading the additional weapons,” Dolok ordered, then addressed the rest of the group. “Since we are unfamiliar with the area, I would prefer traveling during the day. Unless there is anything else we need to discuss, everyone should prepare to leave at first light.”
