Barbarian's Taming: A SciFi Alien Romance (Ice Planet Barbarians Book 9) (11 page)

Shit. I have no choice but to head over, pasting a smile to my face. “Hi. What’s up?”

“I’m trying to explain to Maylak that it’s very important that I go to the ship—the Elders’ Cave. I want to visit one more time before the brutal season hits.” She adjusts the baby in her arms and looks over at her mate, who has a large pack on his back. They look like they’re ready to head out the door. “It’s about the computer.”

“Oh?” I’m not seeing where I factor in with this.

“Yeah, I noticed last time that things weren’t adding up when I’d ask the computer questions, and the more I sit and think about it, the more I’m worried that there’s something wrong with it.” She looks at her mate, then back to me. “I worry the data’s corrupted and I’m trying to explain that to them, and no one’s grasping it.”

“I’m no computer genius myself, but I ran into that problem before on my laptop. You think it has a virus? How did it get a virus if it’s been crashed here?’

“I don’t know if it’s a virus, but…things don’t make sense. It’s a computer, so it’s supposed to relay nothing but facts, but I keep finding discrepancies. Like…okay. You know how long the sa-khui have been here, right?”

“Um. Two hundred something years right?” I seem to recall someone telling me about that.

“Two hundred eighty-nine years.” She jiggles her baby on her hip. “That’s what it says every time you ask it. But when I talk to the tribe, it doesn’t make sense. Maylak says the oldest in the tribe is Vadren.”

The healer inclines her head. “He has seen one hundred and sixty-two brutal seasons.”

“Wow, that’s pretty crusty.”

“It gets weirder. I was thinking about that, right? So I went to talk to Vadren, and he said his father lived to be a hundred and fifty seasons. And his father before him was about the same.”

“Uh, I’m no mathematician, but that doesn’t add up.”

“Right! And he says that no one has ever had any technology for as long as he remembers. He learned to spear hunt, and his father learned to spear hunt from his father. If his dad was a kid around the time of the crash, wouldn’t he remember something?”

I shrug. “I guess? Maybe they’re off-the-grid types and decided to go back to nature when they landed here permanently?”

“I was wondering about that, but then I kept thinking about it, and it bothers me.” There’s distress on her freckled face. Her baby grabs a fistful of her orange hair and tugs, and Harlow absently tugs his hand free. “I know I’ve had a few instances where I’d get a schematic from the computer and parts would be missing or seem incorrect, and I thought it was me. But now I’m wondering if there’s corruption in the system somewhere. And I’m worried because I don’t know if it’s safe to use for the language capabilities. What if it beams a laser into someone’s brain and fries them when it’s supposed to be teaching them sign language?”

Yikes. “Yeah, that doesn’t sound good.”

“So would you check it out? Or do you think it’s just me looking for things to do?” She casts a worried look to her mate.

“No, I think if you want to go check it out, it can’t hurt, right?” Plus, I’m selfish. Only half the tribe has the sign language so far, and I want my sister to be able to communicate with everyone. She’s worked really hard to teach the computer her ‘hand words,’ as the others say, and I don’t want her to be hampered by an inability to communicate. Then again, I also don’t want someone’s brains turned to goo just because they’re trying to learn how to talk to my sister.

“I am worried,” Maylak says in her low, gentle voice. “I feel you should stay here, with the tribe.”

At this, Rukh scowls. “I will watch my mate. I protect her.”

“It is not that,” Maylak continues. “It is…I just worry. I feel…” She sighs. “Perhaps it is just a healer worrying over nothing.”

“We make this trip all the time. We’ll be fine,” Harlow assures her.

Maylak nods, but doesn’t seem convinced. “Just be cautious.”

Harlow casts a smile in my direction and then looks at Asha. “Did either of you want to go with us?”

“Oh, I’m, um, busy.” I smile brightly and hope they don’t ask too many questions about that. “Got a lot on my plate.”

“Gathering all the unmated males close?” Asha says in a teasing voice.

I scowl at her. “Waiting for my sister to come back?”

She simply smiles, unbothered by my pissiness.

Maylak, Rukh and Harlow start to talk again, and I edge backward, trying to extricate myself from the conversation. I glance out of the cave, hoping to see a familiar figure on the horizon, but it’s empty.

“Looking for someone?” Asha’s voice is amused as she comes to stand at my side. In her arms, the little girl sucks her thumb and watches me with big, glowing eyes. Asha’s smile returns. “One hunter in particular, perhaps?”

“Shut up.” I scan the outdoors again. “You haven’t seen him today, have you?”

“I have not. Perhaps he is bothered by all the males you are attracting, given that you do not wish to take him to your furs permanently.”

I frown at her. “What do you mean?”

“Would you like some tea, Mah-dee?” she mocks. “Perhaps some leather for more clothes?”

Oh. That. “I’m not encouraging them! I don’t know what’s changed for them to suddenly start paying attention to me.”

“It is because you smile now. Before you scowled at everyone and threw things. Now you smile, and now they notice you.” Her look becomes sly. “They do not realize the reason why you smile, I imagine.”

I can feel my cheeks heating. Yeah, I know why I’m smiling now. It’s because I’m getting laid. Actually, it’s more than that. It’s Hassen’s company. It’s that I’ve found someone that really understands me and my situation. I don’t feel so abandoned. I feel like I have a partner in crime now. “Well, I want them to leave me alone. How do I do that?”

“You resonate,” she says in a dry voice.

“Well aren’t you just a big bundle of help?”

“No.”

“Sarcasm.”

She shrugs and cuddles the little girl in her arms close. “Then take a pleasure-mate.”

Argh. These people are so frustrating. I’m about to complain about how irritating I find all of this attention when I see a dark figure appear in the snow in the distance. My heart races and I feel an excited flutter in my belly. Hassen. He’s waiting for me.

But then a second figure appears, and my excited flutter dies. Oh. Not Hassen. It must be Lila and her group returning. I’m excited to see my sister again, but at the same time, I feel a niggle of dread. While she’s been gone, I’ve been hitting it with the guy that kidnapped her.

That’s going to be hell to try and explain.

I worry that I should feel guilty. What Hassen did was wrong, but now that I know him better, I don’t hate him. I’m not happy with his actions in the past, but I’ve also behaved like a jerk myself. I was kind of an asshole when we woke up, and I’ve continued to be an asshole up until recently. Heck, Marlene won’t come out of her cave when I’m around, and Stacy still cringes like I’m going to throw something at her again. I get annoyed with their reactions to me, especially now that the guys are all acting like I suddenly became hot shit overnight. I shouldn’t be judged by how I acted when I was stressed out and afraid…and I wonder that I’ve been judging Hassen all along.

After all, one reason why I hold him at arm’s length when it comes to our relationship is because of my sister. Because I don’t want Lila to be disappointed in me. I’m all mixed up and I’m not sure how to handle things.

I wait at the entrance, hugging my cloak close to my body as the party moves closer. A few others trickle out of the cave and move out to greet them, but I hang back. I hate that I feel like I don’t know how to be around my own sister anymore. I watch as she comes into view, her hair pulled into a braid, her face ruddy with cold. She’s smiling broadly and has a large pack on her back, and she makes gestures with her hands as she scans the people emerging, looking for someone. Looking for me.

And then I feel like an asshole, because it’s my baby sister. I love her. I step forward and raise a hand so she can see me, and Lila’s face lights up with pleasure. I feel my anxiety abate and I wade out into the snow to greet her.

There you are
, she signs as she approaches.
I was wondering if you were hiding!

I make it to Lila’s side and hug her close, ignoring Rokan. I squeeze her tightly, and she looks good. She smells like sweat and furs, but she looks great. I pull back and smile at her, then sign,
I didn’t want to crowd you.

You’re allowed
. She reaches for my hand and squeezes it, then signs,
You look great, by the way. How is everything?

I’m good. I missed you
. I realize that it’s true. I’ve been keeping myself occupied with hunting—and Hassen—but now that my sister’s back, it feels like a missing piece has slid back into place. For all that we’re struggling to find our way here on this planet, she’s still my best friend and my family. I need her.

But you look good
, she tells me, and reaches for the straps on her pack, glancing at her mate.
I’m exhausted.

Oh shit. I’m an asshole. She’s walked for days now and has a bag full of fruit—that can’t be light. I rush forward, signing,
Let me help
.

Both Rokan and I pry the pack off of Lila’s back, and my sister stretches, then puts a hand to her back and grimaces.
I need to work out more.

For some reason, this strikes me as hilarious. Work out? On an ice planet? Lila’s already a twig.
Doofus,
I tell her, and loop an arm around her waist, ready to help haul her into the cave.

Rokan shoulders her pack and touches Lila’s arm, a question in his eyes. She reassures him with a quick hand signal and a smile, and leans on me.

“I will take the packs in,” Rokan says and signs. “Bring Li-lah by the fire so she can rest?”

“Will do,” I tell him. I don’t even resent him at the moment. We both just want what is best for my sister.

By now, people are spilling out of the cave, and there’s excited, raised voices in every direction. Bags are being distributed, and humans are spilling out, babies in arms, because they can’t wait to see what kind of fruit was brought in. I weave through the crowd with Lila and head for the fire pit. For the first time in possibly ever, there’s no one sitting around it. I’m pretty sure they’re all crowded out front. I park Lila in front of the fire pit, at the best seat, and help her shrug off the top layer of her wraps. They’re a little damp, and I spread them out on one of the poles set up nearby for such a reason. There’s no tea bubbling over the fire, so I grab a tripod and string a pouch over it, motion to my sister that I’ll be back, and fill it up at one of the multiple springs bubbling through the cave. There’s a basket of spices and tea kept near the fire— Stacy’s, probably—and I dig through it before finding tea and setting it up. I’m actually pretty proud of myself that I knew how to do all that just from watching the others—now I just hope I’m not boiling my sister a tea made from meat spices.

I sit down next to Lila and sign at her again.
Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?

Just tired,
she tells me.
I was fine until we saw the tribal cave, and then I lost all my energy.
Her smile is tired.
I’m glad to be home.
You should be glad you didn’t go. It was a fun trip but a hard one. I’m wiped out.

Did you get a lot of fruit? Was your one-eyed friend there?

We did get a lot of fruit, but we also ate a lot of it and just harvested seeds and cuttings from the plants. We could not take all of it back. There’s so much, it’s incredible. We brought back as much as we could carry, but we buried some in a cache as well. We were so busy!

Sounds like it.

And no, no sign of my friend. It was just us there.
She rubs her stomach.
I liked the fruit, but I would be happy not eating any more of it for a while. I never thought I’d say it but I’d prefer raw meat right now!

I laugh, because that’s not something I expected to hear, either.
Are you going native then? Eating raw?
I know that’s how the sa-khui prefer their meat, and some of the more daring humans have taken it up, but not me. I like my steak well-done and not fresh out of something’s gut.

A shy look crosses my sister’s face.
It’s not that I like the thought, but I’ve been having cravings for the past few days…
She stops and clasps her hands together, and I see her eyes are shimmering with tears.

“Oh my god,” I breathe aloud, and then realize what I’ve done. She understands me though, and laughs and nods. Lila’s pregnant. I squeal with excitement and grip her hands in mine. She beams at me, and in that moment, I’m so utterly thrilled for my sister’s happiness. I love that my shy, scared sister is just blossoming out here on this ski slope of a planet. It makes me tear up, too.

My sister’s going to have a family and a baby, just like everyone else. I’m so happy for her, and yet…I still feel the sting of losing her. And I feel alone all over again.

Which makes me think of Hassen.

Which makes me think I should probably tell my sister I’m flirting with Hassen.

Okay,
sleeping
with Hassen.

Not that anyone’s doing much sleeping.

I watch Lila’s happy face. She wipes away her tears, beaming. We knew it would happen because of resonance, but still, to think about it and to actually have it happen are two different things.

You can feel it? Already?
I touch my breast, thinking about the parasite inside me—the khui. I can’t feel it, ever, though I have noticed that the mated couples purr at each other when they resonate.
Is it because of the khui?

She shakes her head.
It’s more of…what you don’t feel.
Her cheeks color.
The resonance slows down. Plus, Rokan knows.

He thinks he knows because he’s a man?

No, I mean he
knows. She taps her temple.
In his ‘knowing’ sense.

Oh, right. I keep forgetting that Rokan’s a minor psychic of some kind. Maylak’s cootie makes her a healer, Rokan’s gives him spidey-senses, and mine? Well, mine kind of sits there like a lump. Which is probably a good thing. Not that I’m jealous of all the babies, but it feels weird and isolating to have the only inert khui out of the entire tribe. I mean, damn. Surely I’ve got something worth passing on to the next generation. Sometimes I feel like I need to go sit in the bad kids’ corner with Hassen.