Vareen & Mica (The Alliance Book 2) Read online

  Looking around it didn’t take a degree in astronomy to know the light was bright enough to indicate it was daytime. Maybe she could make breakfast with Mica if he was at home and wanted to eat.

  Taking her time in the bathroom, Vareen played with the settings on the shower. Getting soaking wet was something she’d learned to enjoy in the hospital. Another thing she appreciated was the smells the soaps put off. Mica had different types than she was used to. The ones in this shower were a mix of floral, musk, and an earthy element she couldn’t quite place. Stepping out of the water, she dried off with a huge towel that quickly absorbed the water running off her body.

  Upon returning to the bedroom she stopped short. Sprawled out on her bed was a huge, black furred creature. Its long tail was rising and then thumping down on the covers, and huge green eyes were watching her intently. Whiskers twitched and a pink tongue came out to swipe at a clawed paw the size of a salad plate.

  “You must be Luna.” Vareen looked around, holding the towel more firmly against her chest. She didn’t see or hear Mica and wondered how the feline had gotten into her bedroom. At her words, the feline’s ears twitched forward.

  Vareen moved cautiously toward her bed. The dress she’d been planning to wear was under one front paw of the beast.

  “You are pregnant aren’t you.” Vareen noticed the animals belly and distended nipples. The poor thing was huge. “How many babies are you going to have?”

  Vareen was talking to herself to keep calm. The cat may have been domesticated, but those claws didn’t look harmless. The only response she got to her rambling was another twitch and thunk of the cat’s tail.

  Taking her dress in one hand, Vareen pulled it from under Luna’s paw. Happy with her success at facing the cat, she dropped the towel and hurried to get dressed.

  “There,” she presented herself to the cat. “All done.” Hearing a loud noise coming from the beast, she leaned closer. Why was the cat making that sound? Was it angry at her for grabbing the dress?

  Maybe if she pet the creature it wouldn’t be angry any longer. Reaching out her hand, she put her fingers against the cat’s fur. Its tail stopped twitching, the noise ceased and its eyes narrowed on her.

  Okay, this was either a good sign and she should keep petting or it was a bad sign and she was about to lose a hand. Deciding to trust that the cat would just leave if it didn’t like the contact Vareen stroked its fur a bit harder. It was extremely soft to the touch and she enjoyed the feel against her fingers.

  The rumbling began again and the feline flopped onto her side. The bulge of her pregnancy was more prominent at this angle and Vareen again wondered at how many babies this mother was carrying.

  “Vareen?” Mica called from the front room and Vareen was forced to stop petting the feline when it slinked away.

  “I’ll be right out.”

  The cat cleared the doorway before she did.

  “Luna? How did you get in here?” there was surprise in Mica’s voice.

  Vareen saw the feline rubbing along Mica’s legs and his fingers were petting her fur. An image flashed through her mind. Mica’s fingers against her skin, caressing. She only saw it for a split second and with it a flashing pain pounding in her temples. Vareen forced the pain away and kept walking toward the pair. She blinked rapidly to hide the slight watering of her eyes. Scolding herself as she walked she repeated to herself. Mica was her friend and she needed to stop projecting her thoughts into memories that didn’t exist. He would be horrified to think she had just fantasized about him.

  “Good morning.” Vareen stood uncertainly. She’d been prepared to ask Mica if he’d like something to eat, but now she wasn’t so sure.

  “How are you feeling today?” his gaze was inquisitive.

  “I’m fine. Thank you.”

  “How did you sleep?” he asked his eyes roaming over her in the black dress.

  “I’m a bit tired still. I know I must have slept all night, but it doesn’t feel like it.”

  “Do you remember waking up?”

  “No. I remember going to bed and then this morning. I don’t even recall any dreams.” She lied since she did recall one of them together in bed.

  Vareen knew that Jaden had asked Mica to report anything unusual, but she was very embarrassed about her wayward thoughts.

  Mica stood from his position over his pet. “My sister has come for lunch and I’d like it if you could join us.”

  “I missed breakfast?” Vareen had no idea she’d slept that long.

  Laughter danced in Mica’s eyes. “Yes. I came by earlier, but you didn’t answer my knocks and I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “What if I’d slipped in the shower and couldn’t get to the door?” Vareen teased and pain slashed in her head. She ignored it.

  Tapping his head Mica teased back, “I’ve got special abilities, remember.” She could tell he wanted to take the words back instantly. His smile failed, “I’m sorry.”

  Vareen held up her hand. “Please don’t apologize. If we’re friends like you say, then you know me well enough to know I’m not that thin-skinned. Which way to lunch?” she smiled encouragingly.

  “At the main house.” Mica swept his hand out and motioned for her to go ahead. “After you.”

  Vareen went out the front door and down the steps. Mica took her arm and led her toward his house. “I wasn’t sure what food sounded good, so I made some finger snacks that are easy on the stomach.”

  “That’s probably a good idea. I’ve been on hospital rations for so long, real food might be too strong for me.” Vareen’s brow furrowed. “Some of it wasn’t bad, though. Jaden would sit with me and tell the funniest stories.”

  Mica didn’t say anything, just kept propelling her forward. His fingers slightly tighter on her arm than before. Was he upset about something?

  They approached two wide double doors and Mica entered his home through one of them. The great room they were standing in was a replica of hers, albeit much larger. There was a dining table, a selection of couches, chairs, and tables. The throw pillows strewn about were varied in color, size, and material. There were some wall paintings and decorations in this space that hers didn’t have.

  Vareen had missed the woman standing in an archway until she heard a clinking sound. Turning in that direction she saw a tall, athletically built woman juggling dishes on her way to the dining table. Her hair was black like Mica’s only really long and curly. The requisite black dress that Vareen was becoming accustomed to seeing, looked different on her curves. Amazing, would be another way to say it. Where on Vareen the dress hung there, on this woman it flowed.

  “Vareen,” Mica got her attention. “This is my sister Andani Jataci. Dani, this is Vareen.”

  Andani looked up and her smile faltered. “The foods ready.”

  The electric blue tint around the brown of the woman’s eyes told Vareen that her emotions were heightened.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Vareen walked forward and offered her hand.

  Andani took her hand and shook it quickly. “Yes, nice to meet you.”

  Vareen was all too aware that the voice held no warmth. For whatever reason, Andani wasn’t pleased to make her acquaintance.

  They settled themselves around the table. Mica at her right, with Andani across from them.

  Vareen selected a few of the different foods that looked tasty. Taking small bites, she worked her way through her selections to make sure she liked what she’d picked.

  “So, Mica tells me you were the science officer for The Reliant.” Andani paused in taking a bite of food to talk.

  “Yes. With my current issues, I’m not sure how long it will be until I can return to duty.” Vareen averted her eyes and ate another bite of her food.

  “What will you do if you don’t recover?” Andani asked casually enough but her gaze was determined.

  Vareen chewed thoughtfully, swallowed her food, and then shrugged. “I’m not sure. Space wasn’t the
only area of study I was good at. Something will come up.”

  “What kind of things were you interested in?”

  “I enjoyed horticulture and had an apartment full of plant life. Jaden was nice enough to bring me books on the plant life of Titus while I was in the hospital.” Vareen smiled at the memory of the pile of books he’d presented her with. “I also enjoyed learning and implementing new self-defense techniques. I practiced that daily—”

  Andani’s eyes narrowed, “A lot of good that did you.”

  Vareen stopped with a bite of food halfway to her mouth and set it back on her plate. Fixing her eyes impassively on Andani, “Excuse me?”

  “Andani,” Mica’s tone was hard with anger. “I asked that you be respectful.”

  “I’m just saying that all of her Cestori training didn’t help her avoid getting caught for realignment. How good of a science officer can she be? How good at any of her other ‘hobbies’ can she be? The future of our clan leadership—”

  “I said enough Dani,” Mica practically roared at his sister.

  Vareen looked between the siblings in confusion. Maybe it would be better to leave now. “Andani, lunch was very good. Thank you.”

  Vareen stood from her place and pushed her chair in. When Mica went to stand with her, she held her hands up to stop him. “No, you don’t need to walk with me. I’ll see myself back to the guest house.” Before he could protest or follow her, Vareen left his home and hurried across the manicured lawns.

  Something Andani said got her thinking. Not the insults on her ability as a science officer, or the one about her being bad at horticulture or even the dig about her being incapable of self-defense. It was when Andani hinted that the future of the clan leadership hinged on her abilities. What was Andani getting at? What did any of that have to do with her?

  The only person who could impact the leadership of a clan was an heir. Mica was one, along with Dak, Tae, Arik, and Drake. Jaden had told her about them in one of their sessions.

  Another thing that would impact the leadership of a clan would be an heir’s chosen mate. She wondered who Mica would mate with, and then she felt a rage of jealousy at the idea of Mica mating with anyone but her.

  With the jealousy came splitting pain. Her head felt like it had an ax embedded in it. She’d just reached the stairs to the guest house and the pain was so blinding she couldn’t see the steps. Taking a deep breath, it only worked to make the pain worse. It was too consuming and Vareen screamed in agony and lost consciousness.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Andani,” Mica was in unfamiliar territory with these feelings of anger toward his sister and it was discomfiting. They were normally very close. “What has gotten into you?”

  “I don’t see what you find attractive as a mate in that woman.” Andani held her ground, her chin going up in defiance. “She’s weak, unskilled at anything useful, and quite frankly unworthy of you.”

  Mica sighed, “I want you to see what I see in her. She isn’t any of those things Dani.”

  His sister opened her mouth to argue when a piercing scream rent the air.

  “Var,” Mica instantly charged through the doors and ran as fast as he could to the guest house. He saw Vareen on the ground just before the steps. His sister appeared on the grass beside him and out from the tree line, Luna ran into view.

  “What’s wrong?” His sister was pale, but Vareen was much paler.

  “She has episodes of extreme pain when trying to remember certain things.” Mica took the pain relief depressor out of his pocket and administered a dose to Vareen’s still form on the ground. “I’m going to put her to bed. I want you to go to the main house and watch the holo-video Var1 on my communicator. I’ll be in to talk with you about your behavior after I get her tucked in.”

  “Mica really—”

  “Not one more word Dani,” Mica clenched his teeth to keep from saying something he’d regret. “If you keep pushing to make me renounce my claim on Var, it won’t be her that loses me. It will be you, father and the clan that I’ll walk away from. I will choose her.”

  Mica stalked away before his sister could say anything further. He knew deep down she wanted the best for him and the clan. He didn’t know if he could hold out long enough for Dani to see that Vareen was the right choice.

  Taking small steps to avoid stepping on Luna, he placed Vareen into bed and carefully tucked her in. To his astonishment, the feline curled herself around Vareen and refused to move. Shrugging at the pet’s odd behavior he used the black-out feature on the blinds and made sure the room was dark so Vareen could rest. The medicine should keep her out long enough for him to deal with his acerbic-tongued sister.

  *****

  Taking a seat in his living room, staring idly at the fireplace, Mica waited for his sister to join him. The flames weren’t putting off any heat, he had that feature turned off, but he could imagine the comforting warmth despite the lack of real fire.

  He knew it was a risk that instead of seeing Vareen as a strong fighter, his sister might take the other route and see her as pitiable. That would be the worst case scenario. The video was hard to watch, but Mica forced himself to view it when he felt his patience wavering. At first, Vareen had tried to avoid answering any questions. As the pain got worse, at every question asked by those foul doctors, Vareen would use him as a shield. She only stopped saying his name toward the end.

  “I was wrong to say she was weak, unskilled and unworthy.” His sister joined him in the living room. “Do you want me to apologize?”

  Mica breathed a sigh of relief. “No. She never remembers what happened in the moments before she has an episode. She won’t know that you were so unkind. You have a second chance at a first impression.”

  “What she went through…” his sister couldn’t continue, “It’s still not going to be easy sailing for you Mica. The rest of the clan will resist the idea of her as your chosen. Not only for the fact that she’s an offworlder but because of the damage to her psyche.”

  “I know.” Mica looked at his beloved sister’s face and her grim expression mirrored his. “I can handle the others. I only need the support of you and father.”

  “I can’t speak for father,” Dani drew closer and grabbed his hand, “but you have mine. I’ll do whatever I can to make Vareen Nas welcome.”

  “Thank you, Dani. That means a lot to me.” Mica squeezed her hand.

  “What did I miss?” a rough male voice called from the doorway. “You didn’t have it locked. I hope I’m not intruding.”

  Mica looked at Dani’s pale face and widened eyes and knew she feared he would tell their father of her behavior. With a reassuring smile at his sister, he called out. “You didn’t miss anything father. Come in.”

  “I was hoping to meet your chosen.” His father looked around the room, “I see I missed her.”

  “She’s resting right now.” Mica looked sideways at his sister. “She’ll be sorry to have missed you. Perhaps tomorrow for breakfast?”

  “I’d like that.” His father settled on the couch across from him. “We need to talk about the Challenge of Succession.”

  Mica was alerted to something wrong at his father’s tone. “Has someone come forward?”

  “The clans Metari, Takari, and Denary each have one challenger. With the heirs gone and just returning, the clan members are emboldened. There isn’t anyone for Renari or Jataci yet, but I expect there will be soon.”

  “The challenge is in one week. All challengers have to declare themselves before the opening ceremonies. They are running out of time.” Dani was shaking her head.

  “I think Temloc will challenge for Jataci. He’s been training for the last ten months, and his confidence has grown.”

  “I don’t see Temloc doing that,” Mica defended his cousin. “He’s got too much respect for you.”

  “We’ll see,” his father’s dark brown eyes were troubled. “Metari is hosting this year. I want to leave in three days’ time.
That will give us four days to set up our camp, and get a feel for the staging arena.”

  Mica felt a tug of dread in his stomach. If his father was correct and Temloc challenged it could open a rift in their clan. Not to mention that would only give him three days to prepare Vareen before leaving for Metari. How would she handle being around Cali and Vathral? Both of which he was sure would be there for the Renari. Drake and Nevir wouldn’t let their father face a challenge without cheering him on. Not only would Vareen have her two friends to face, she would be of interest to all of his clan members as well. How would she hold up under the pressure? Nothing like trial by fire. There was nothing else he could do. He wasn’t leaving Vareen here.

  “I know that the timing isn’t the best,” his father broke into his musings. “If you’d prefer I can ask Jaden Takari to come watch your chosen. He seems to have developed an affinity with Vareen.

  “No,” he shouted and barely heard his sister protest at the same time.

  “Vareen will come with us.”

  “She has to come.”

  He looked at his sister and she bowed her head to let him go first.

  “Vareen isn’t going to regain her memories by hiding away from life. I need her by my side to get her to remember or at the very least, re-learn why we have a connection.”

  “I agree with Mica,” his sister was back to looking grim. “We need to show a united front at the challenge ceremonies. If we are divided, or Mica was to show without his chosen, it could cause dissension.”

  “I’m not worried about the clan,” his father waved away his sister's concerns. “I’m strong and can win the challenge with my hands tied behind my back.” A booming laugh from his father broke the tensions in the room. “Wouldn’t that be funny if there was a trial that the combatant’s hands were tied behind their backs?”

  Andani retorted, “Be serious father. Your seat on the council is at stake.”

  “If I don’t win the challenge, I don’t deserve to sit on the council. The worthiest opponent will win.” His father’s intent gaze fell on him. “I’m more worried about the welfare of Mica’s chosen mate. If she can’t handle the pressure at this point in her healing, she should be left behind for her own good.”