Tansy's Titan: Cosmos' Gateway Book 3 (10 page)

Her body was a patchwork of different colored bruises. She had the wound on her right side just above her hip that was still red and angry. There was a long shallow cut about ten centimeters long that ran across her lower abdomen at a forty-five degree angle showing she had moved just in time as the blade was coming at her.

Mak ran his fingers lightly over her ribs which were showing. Rage filled him at the thought of how long it had been since she had eaten. The fact that she was so exhausted that she couldn’t even stay awake long enough to eat burned through him.

Never again,
he swore to himself.
Never again would she put herself through such stress. Never again would she come so close to dying. And,
he vowed,
never again would she feel
she needed to save a method to kill herself so she could not be taken.

He continued his examination of her body, pausing when he reached the wound he had covered earlier with the sealant patch. The skin around it looked much better. It was no longer red, swollen, and hot to the touch. By morning, it should be completely healed. Mak rose off the bed and returned to the bathroom where he left his clothes. He pulled his pants on and reached into his vest for his MED kit before he returned to Tansy. He replaced the pain patch with a new one and sprayed a light mist of HM over the cut on her stomach and her side. He did not want to use any more of the sealant patches in case she needed it later. He recovered her with the quilt, tucking it firmly around her before going down to the kitchen. He would reheat the soup and wake her long enough to eat. Then, he would let her rest. Her body and mind needed it. He could feel the fatigue pulling at her when he touched her mind earlier.

Mak gazed down at the intricate circles on the palm of his hand. A shudder went through him as he remembered his first touch with her. The shock to his system was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. He felt his cock harden at the memory and groaned. He would need to wait to claim her. She needed rest and care, not a horny Prime male right now. He would heal her, claim her, and return with her to his world where he could keep her safe.

He moved over to the stove and turned the burner on under the pot of soup he had warmed up earlier. It had taken him a few minutes to figure out where everything was but he often cooked at home so it wasn’t that difficult. He warmed the soup up enough so it could be eaten without burning Tansy’s mouth. Pouring it into a bowl, he pulled a spoon out of the kitchen drawer. He carefully balanced the bowl of soup and a glass of water as he moved back up the stairs. He wanted to make sure she had something to eat before he let her sleep. Once she was done, he would check the perimeter of the farmhouse again before he joined her.

He stepped through the door and moved quietly over to the bed. The only thing she had moved was her arm which was thrown out to the side. Mak couldn’t get over how beautiful she looked lying with her hair spread out over the crisp white of the pillowcase. His body jerked in reaction but he quickly gave himself a mental rebuke. The dark shadows and clear exhaustion were too evident to ignore. He set the soup and water down on the small nightstand and gently pulled Tansy into his arms.

“
Je talli
, you must wake enough to eat something. Then, you may sleep all you wish,” Mak said soothingly. “Come, little one, open your eyes for just a little longer.”

“Don’t want to,” Tansy mumbled sleepily. “Five more minutes, just five more minutes.”

Mak chuckled. “Eat the soup I have fixed you and drink some water and I will give you all the five minutes you wish,” he promised tenderly.

Tansy’s head fell back into the curve of his arm. She forced her eyes open until they were narrow slits and peered through her lashes up at the man holding her. She snuggled closer to him as the chill in the room moved around where the covers had fallen from her shoulders. She was about to tell him she wasn’t hungry but the combination of the determined look on his face and her nose picking up the delicious smell helped her decide to give in.

“I don’t know if I have the strength to even pick up the spoon right now,” Tansy said honestly.

“You do not have to,” Mak said as he helped her into a sitting position against the headboard of the bed. He tucked the covers firmly over her breasts with a muttered curse. “I will feed you.”

Tansy sat back against the pillows, a small, sad smile curving her lips. “Why are you helping me? You know it will only get you hurt or killed, don’t you?” She whispered fighting to keep her eyes open.

“Open,” Mak growled out in a low voice as he held the spoon to her lips.

Tansy groaned as the warm soup slid down her throat and hit her empty stomach. The warmth seemed to spread out and suddenly she was famished. She leaned forward eagerly for the next spoonful, opening her mouth like a little bird.

“Damn but that tastes so good,” she moaned out.

“When is the last time you had nourishment?” Mak asked gruffly as he spooned bite after bite into her open mouth.

“I don’t remember,” Tansy answered looking at Mak
with a
muddle expression. “I ran out of power bars three, maybe four days ago. I can’t really remember,” she said suddenly full and fading fast again. “I can’t eat any more right now. I need to get some sleep. If you can wake me in a couple of hours I would appreciate it.”

“Drink some water first,” Mak said holding the glass to her lips so she didn’t have a choice.

He didn’t give her a chance to refuse as he tipped the glass up enough for some of the cool liquid to slide down her throat. She was dehydrated. He would do what he had to do to take care of her, even if it meant bullying her a little. Only when he was satisfied she had drunk enough did he pull
the glass
away
from her lips
.

“What did you do to my leg?” Tansy asked after she had drunk half the glass. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“You were fevered. Your leg was infected. I reopened the wound, cleansed it, sprayed it with a healing mist, and used a pain and sealant patch on you. I also gave you a heavier dose of HM mist to help your body heal faster,” Mak said setting the glass back next to the nearly empty bowl of soup.

Tansy slid back down under the covers, yawning. “I need to get a truck load of the stuff. It would be great to have the next time I get stabbed or shot.”

Mak’s eyes flashed with fire but he bit back the retort he was about to make. They would talk about the fact there was NOT going to be a next time if he had any way of preventing it. He wanted to get her out of this world that was so dangerous. It tore him up to think about a knife or other weapon cutting through her delicate skin. He saw the faded scars from other wounds. It was amazing she had survived this long.

“Sleep,” he replied quietly. “I will make sure you are safe.”

His words fell on deaf ears. Tansy was already asleep before her head was all the way down on the pillow. She let out a deep sigh in her sleep and rolled onto her side curling into a little ball. Mak ran his hand down over her silky hair before he leaned over and gently kissed her cheek.

“Sleep tight,
je talli
,” Mak whispered. “I will protect you with my life.”

*.*.*

Mak finished checking the perimeter of the small farm. It was not very big, less than ten acres. The house was surrounded by thick woods with a long narrow driveway leading to the highway. The wood covering was both good and bad. It allowed the house to remain relatively unseen and provided ample cover but it also made it difficult to see if any intruders approached. Natasha and Helene must have thought of that as they set up sensors around the property high enough most animals would not trip it but low enough a human walking would. Helene had shown the sensors to Mak and given him a small tablet PC programmed to indicate when and where a sensor was activated. He carried it with him now. Moving and watching as the lights lit up.

He made two passes around the property before he was satisfied everything was clear. Moving back into the farmhouse, he checked each of the windows. The bottom floor of the house consisted of four rooms, a kitchen, a large living area, a small bathroom, and another small room that was set up as an office. Once satisfied, he moved quietly up the narrow stairs to the upper level. It contained three bedrooms and one bathroom. The bathroom was off the main hallway with one large bedroom across from it and two smaller bedrooms on the same side. Tansy was in the larger bedroom. Mak glanced through the open door. He caught a peek of
her
dark
red
hair before moving further down the hallway to check the two smaller rooms. He opened one door and looked in. There was a small single bed, a nightstand, an armoire, and a chair in the corner. He walked over to the small, narrow window and checked to make sure it was secure.

He moved out to check the last room. It was set up the same way. He checked the window pausing as a movement outside caught his attention. His eyes narrowed in on it and he waited. Within a few minutes, the dark shape of a deer appeared. It took cautious steps forward, looking around before lowering its head to feed on some of the grass around the house. Mak released the breath he didn’t even realized he was holding. He had been fearful he would need to wake Tansy and move her. She desperately needed rest and care.

I need to get her somewhere safe, somewhere I can protect her,
Mak thought in frustration,
I need to take her to my home.

He reached for the satellite phone Cosmos had given him. Quickly powering it on, he waited impatiently for Cosmos to answer.

“Hello dear,” RITA’s cheerful voice said.

Mak grunted. “Where’s Cosmos?” He growled out.

“Mak, I’m here,” Cosmos said breathlessly. “I… uh…. are you and Tansy safe?”

“I need to get her out of here. She is still in danger. When will you have the portal open?” Mak demanded in a quiet voice.

“Well, there is a slight problem,” Cosmos said.

“What do you mean there is a slight problem?” Mak bit out harshly.

“I’ve run additional calculations on using the portal to transport you from one spot on Earth to another. It isn’t safe. All my calculations are coming back with disturbing conclusions. The interference I told you about the first time is a type of natural barrier. It is like trying to go from positive to positive or negative to negative. A natural barrier prevents the two from connecting. If I try to force it, it becomes unstable to the point it is dangerous. That is why it took more and more power each time to push the items through and why the power grid failed as soon as you passed through. It becomes stronger with each passage. I worry it can cause a disruption that could alter the natural flow becoming explosive,” Cosmos explained.

“Why does it not happen between our worlds?” Mak asked impatiently.

“When the portal opens from our world to yours it is more like going from positive to negative where they attract each other,” Cosmos said.

“What does this mean?” Mak ground out.

“It means I have to get you home the old fashion way. I have Natasha and Helene working on getting a jet. Helene is a pilot and will be able to charter it. It may take a couple of days as they are getting you and Tansy some papers together. You both need to hang low until everything is in place,” Cosmos said.

Mak ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He should have brought his portal device with him but Cosmos had been afraid it would fall into the wrong hands. Now, he was without any means of getting his mate to safety. He had never relied on someone else to help him before and it went against everything in him to do so now.

“Get whatever you need together as soon as possible. I want my mate out of here,” Mak told Cosmos in a voice that promised retribution if anything happened to Tansy.

“I will. Give me forty-eight hours and I’ll have you both out of there,” Cosmos promised before hanging up.

Mak stared out the window to where the deer were grazing. His mind was not on it though; it was on the danger to his mate. He would kill anyone who tried to harm her.

Chapter 9

Tansy woke making sure to keep her body completely still as she assessed her surroundings and her body. She felt almost normal. She was hungry but she ignored that. She did a brief analysis of her body. Her leg didn’t hurt at all, neither did her side or stomach which surprised her. She drew in a shallow breath catching the scents around her. She could smell the clean sheets and…

Turning her head, her eyes widened as she took in the relaxed face of the huge male next to her. He hadn’t been a figment of her imagination. She clenched her fists to keep her hands from reaching out. She had the most overwhelming desire to run her fingers along the sharp edges of his face. She studied his features with a critical eye. He wasn’t handsome in the true sense of being good looking. His features were too harsh for that. He had a wide forehead and a long narrow nose that looked like it might have been broken at one time. A thin scar ran across his forehead until it angled down to the corner of his left eye. It was so faint she would have missed it if she hadn’t been lying so close to him. He had a strong, square jaw and thick black eyebrows. A shadow of dark stubble covered his jaw. His hair was black and was a little on the long side reaching down past his ears. Tansy was amazed at how large he was. He wasn’t fat. She didn’t think there was an ounce of fat anywhere on his body. He was just… huge. His shoulders were wide and his chest...damn!