Authors: Rebecca Airies
open and his eyes skimmed over the large men in the pale yellow room until he found
his golden-haired
arra
sitting at the table. He stared at her for a moment willing her to
understand that she belonged to him.
“She‟s not going anywhere but back down to the planet.” Jarritt turned his attention
to the large, muscled men in the room with her.
He recognized one of the tall blond men as
Shi’an
Drake from their earlier
conversation. Jarritt saw the gold eyes lock on him. The powerfully built man dressed in
mottled clothing was definitely Lisia‟s brother. A dark scowl curved the man‟s lips and
his muscles were tensed and ready for a fight. Two other nearly identical men sat one
on either side of Lisia.
Well, now he understood how Lisia had gone for so long without someone pressing
her for a bonding. Not many men would want to face even three of such men and she
had two other brothers.
Drake stood, his shoulders rolling as he loosened his muscles. “That‟s her choice
now. You can‟t coerce and push her here. Did you really think we‟d allow you to coerce
her into marriage?”
Jarritt stepped forward more than ready to meet the challenge he saw in her
brother‟s eyes. “If you‟re so damn protective of her why was she forced to run away
from those slavers on her own?”
Drake flinched. “Because a man I trusted left her on her own. He‟s lucky he‟s still
alive.”
Drake paced around the table, his step slow and sure. As soon as Drake cleared the
last chair, he lunged forward. Drake‟s fist slashed up toward Jarritt‟s chin. Jarritt jerked
back managing to avoid the blow, but just. He hadn‟t expected her brother to come out
swinging like that. He didn‟t fall back more than that single step. His arm rose blocking
another blow. Jarritt drove a short quick punch into Drake‟s gut. They crashed into the
table as they grappled with each other. The table slid across the floor with a screech.
86
Lisia’s Journey
Jarritt and Drake broke apart, but Drake plowed forward again. Jarritt kept a grip
on his anger and the roaring
Aridi
inside him. This man might have taken his mate, but
unfortunately he was also her brother. He couldn‟t kill the man. Drake‟s breath
exploded from his lips, but Drake‟s fist landed a solid punch against Jarritt‟s side. Pain
shot through his ribs. He grappled with Drake trying to wrench him off his feet. A stun
ray hit the wall over their heads. Shocked, Jarritt leapt back and spun to face the
shooter.
Lisia stood on the black-topped table, her feet braced slightly apart. She held the
gun easily in her hand. He was relieved when he saw that the barrel pointed toward the
tabletop.
“Enough already. One or two punches should have been enough. Both of you
already know that the other didn‟t appreciate your actions. If you want to rip each other
apart, you can do it when I‟m not around to watch.” She stepped down onto the chair
taking her brother‟s hand but keeping the stunner out of his reach when he tried to grab
it.
Jarritt smiled at her. She was such a bold woman at times. Then he looked at her
brother. She was right. As much as he wanted to rip into her brother, it wouldn‟t solve
anything and might just make her angry enough to try to leave him. He walked over to
the table and sat down across from her.
“So you didn‟t just come up here to beat up my brother for taking me off the
planet.” She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him.
“I came for you, Lisia. Your brother took you and yes, that pissed me off.” Jarritt
leaned forward. He wasn‟t going to let her pretend this was all about his anger at her
brother.
“Why did you come after her? She‟s just one of many possible mates.” Drake
dropped into the chair next to Lisia.
Jarritt growled. “She‟s my mate. You‟re not taking her anywhere.”
“If she wants to go, I‟m taking her home, because she‟s my sister and I love her.”
Drake relaxed in the cushioned brown chair, seemingly at ease.
“I‟m still here. I‟m not an object to be picked up or owned, damn it.” Lisia stood,
her chair rolling back.
“I know that, Lisia. I understand what your brother is trying to get me to see. He‟s
far from subtle. If we have daughters, I‟d want to slit a man‟s throat if he used even half
the methods I did to get your agreement.” Jarritt clenched his fist. Fear and anxiety
tightened his stomach.
“Exactly. If she had wanted it, I would have taken her home without discussing
this, but I‟d have been back.” Drake‟s eyes narrowed.
“You have a choice here, Lisia, but know if you choose to return home, I‟m not
going to give you up. I‟ll come after you.” Jarritt stared into her beautiful golden eyes
trying to find some clue of her answer. He had no idea what she was going to decide
and the uncertainty gnawed at him.
87
Rebecca Airies
“We‟ll always take care of her.” The third brother said.
“And your name is?” Jarritt raised a brow. Taking care of her was his job now.
“Taron. Even if she marries you, you‟ll see us often. We‟ll want to make sure she‟s
safe.” The blond man who was only slightly less muscled than Drake, looked too
relaxed, too confident.
Jarritt sighed and resigned himself to that. Eventually, they might come to a better
relationship, but it was going to take time. He didn‟t point out that she would be going
back to the planet one way or the other. That was an argument they weren‟t going to
settle just yet.
“Is it just because I‟m a more than compatible mate? I know the strength of the
connection is strong. I feel your feelings almost as strongly as I do my own, but is that
the only reason you want me? And why didn‟t you trust me after you, um, the incident
with Arik and the boy?” She tilted her head, drawing his attention away from her
brothers.
He stared at her blankly. How could she think that after they‟d been together for
the past days? He was a little grateful to her for not coming out and saying the word
“punished”. That would start another ferocious argument considering how protective
her brothers had been so far. “It‟s more than that. You know it‟s more than that. You
can feel what I feel. As to not trusting you, that‟s wrong. It‟s not that I didn‟t trust you. I
didn‟t want you to do something rash while you were angry with me, plus there was
also the danger with the pirates. If you ran into the forest in a huff, it could have ended
up far worse than just another argument between us.”
“I can feel what you feel, but I can‟t be sure that what I‟m reading isn‟t colored by
my own feelings.” She licked her lips.
“I want only you, no other will do. It‟s not just sex or the fact that the connection is
amazingly strong between us. It‟s you, the way I feel for you. Without you, life would
go on, but it would be so much worse than when I lost my sister.” Jarritt swallowed
heavily. Just the thought of losing her left a heavy weight in his stomach.
“Is that enough for you?” Drake asked.
Jarritt looked up to see the blond man looking at Lisia. He turned his attention to
Lisia. She was nodding, walking toward him. He stood and met her halfway around the
table. As his arms closed around her, satisfaction and calm swept through him. Jarritt
felt a surge of relief flood him. She was his. She knew it, accepted it and their
relationship.
88
Lisia’s Journey
Lisia looked over at the table where Drake and Jarritt sat talking. She was a little
relieved that the confrontation had stopped at a simple fistfight. For a little while she‟d
thought they‟d rip each other apart. They were both so proud and possessive, neither
one of them wanted to give an inch.
“Have you settled your problem with the pirates?” Drake asked.
“Not yet. But their greed will bring them back and we‟ll get them.”
“I‟m not leaving her in danger.” Drake‟s voice snapped through the
marrohl
.
“I can protect her without your help.” Jarritt leaned forward his voice carrying the
distinct edge of a growl.
Lisia rolled her eyes. Not again. The last thing they needed right now was another
fight about who had more right to protect her or who could do it better. She put down
the cups she held and walked over to stand at Jarritt‟s side.
“It could be months before the pirates attack again.” She slid her hand over Jarritt‟s
tense shoulders.
Drake laughed. “I‟m not going to get into another fight with your man. We‟ll work
around our animosity.”
“You could try working around it faster, besides since you‟re both so much alike
you should have no problem finding common ground.” She tapped her foot.
Drake laughed, but it faded as an alarm began to sound. “What does that mean?”
“That‟s the alarm for the pirates. They‟re on the planet.” Lisia explained quickly.
Jarritt had already left the table and was talking to Arik. Drake followed at a fast
pace.
“Lisia, you stay in this
marrohl
, unless one of my men tells you to leave.” Jarritt
came over to her and gripped her shoulders. He stared down into her eyes.
“I won‟t leave, Jarritt. You worry about keeping yourself safe.” She smiled and
lightly touched his face.
He frowned. “You‟d better not.”
She couldn‟t blame him entirely for doubting that she‟d stay. But the man should
know that when she gave her word, she‟d do her best to keep it. She narrowed her eyes
and poked him in the chest with her forefinger. “You worry about coming back to me
safely.”
“Don‟t worry, Lisia. I‟ll make sure he comes back to you.” Drake appeared beside
him.
89
Rebecca Airies
Lisia didn‟t know where he‟d found it, but somehow he‟d gotten a weapon. He
stood there ready, waiting. Her eyes widened. Now she had to worry about both of
them.
“This isn‟t your fight.” Jarritt folded his arms across his chest and stared at Drake.
“You can stay here and guard your sister and the others in the
marrohl
.”
“I‟m sure you‟ve already assigned men to do that. Anything that threatens my sister
is my concern. Besides, I‟d like to talk to you.” Drake smiled showing his teeth in a far
from friendly smile.
Jarritt nodded. “Let‟s stop these pirates. Then we‟ll talk.”
Her stomach tightened as Jarritt began to lead Drake over to the side of the room.
She walked over to a group of women. Her hands tightened at her side. She didn‟t want
to go sit down, even though she didn‟t have any work to do. She needed to find
something to occupy her mind. She couldn‟t just stand around waiting for the men in
her life to return from fighting pirates.
* * * * *
Jarritt moved through the forest silently. He could see Drake creeping through the
trees to his right. The man still wasn‟t happy, but Jarritt could sense that he only
wanted to help with the pirates. Anything concerning Lisia on the other hand was
another matter. That was only what Jarritt expected from a brother.
Now they had to stop these pirates. Jarritt knew the landing pad would be the
pirates‟ target and headed there. This time, Jarritt and the Lieutenant Commander had
baited a trap for them and scheduled a delivery of weapons. With the unexpected
arrival of Drake and Lisia‟s other brothers, the pirates must have thought that the
shipment had arrived.
Creeping toward the landing area, he held the stunner lightly in his hand. He
wouldn‟t kill the pirates, as much as he wanted to rip them apart. He couldn‟t think of a
worse punishment for them than losing their freedom. Peering through the leaves, he
saw the men moving around the pad, trying to get into the shuttles. They wouldn‟t
know which shuttle held the weapons. Two men worked with small comps trying to
hack through the security protocols. The other men tried more physical methods. They
pried at the hatches with any bar they could find. Apparently, they hadn‟t come
prepared for breaking into shuttles. They‟d obviously expected to find the cargo being
unloaded, the crates out like they had been on a few other occasions.
He saw Drake move farther away from him, taking position for a clear shot. Jarritt
moved for a shot on one of the men prying at the door. He raised his hand in signal to
the men around him. Opening his fist, he fired. Beams flashed toward the men.
A warning cry rang just as the first beam hit one of the men. Others scrambled for
cover. Four made an immediate break for the forest. Two men were taken down before
they reached the cover of trees, but the other two managed to get into the forest. Jarritt
knew men would follow, try to catch them. He didn‟t lose focus on the remaining men.
90
Lisia’s Journey
Shots slashed into the trees from the pirates‟ weapons. Jarritt moved to the