Page 20 of Bought and Shared
Amy winks back at him. “I knew it would. And I plan on enjoying every last one of them once we get the hell off this bus!”
The men outside start shouting, tearing my attention away from the intimate conversation in front of me. Without warning, our attackers run back to their vehicles. I don’t realize why they are retreating so frantically until the noise of their engines recedes down the road a ways and a sound overhead explains their sudden retreat. Ships from Fort Kent have arrived and are hovering above us, touching down on all sides of the bus.
“The cavalry is here,” Dunkan announces then.
And not a minute too soon, I think to myself with utter relief.
My body floods with calm at the sight of those silver ships. While I don’t usually feel anything but dread at seeing them, today is different. Today, they represent safety and security.
Oren floats through my thoughts then. Though I only just met the man, I find myself longing for his protection and presence. I hate myself for it, but I can’t lie. He’s so strong, capable, and domineering that I trust he’d never let anyone hurt me.
Glancing over at Amy, who is being cared for by her three Voltan warriors, I realize that maybe, just maybe, being with one of them won’t be as bad as I thought.
It is then that I remind myself that I wasn’t just going to be withoneof them. I had two Voltan masters, and though I knew little of Oren, the other was acompletestranger to me at present.
The women are helped from the bus one by one and loaded up into the waiting ships. Some are bleeding, some are limping or holding an arm or shoulder protectively. Others are quietly crying, and all of us look stricken with shock. One young woman is clutching her arm which is hanging at an awkward angle that suggests it may be broken. As terrible as that undoubtedly is for her, I’m grateful every one of us has come through this awful situation alive.
Just as I was being led onto one with Cadence, a soldier stops me and shakes his head. “I just received a message from the base stating you’re not to be transported to Fort Kent on any of these ships.”
Cadence frowns. “Why not? Is she supposed to hitchhike back there on her own?”
The implacable soldier points to the sky, and we both look up. The light is fading fast, but I can see something streaking toward us. It’s another aircraft. Smaller than the others, but so fast it’s nearly a blur in the dim light.
“She’s not coming with us,” the soldier explains ominously then, “Colonel Rayaz has come to take her home himself.”
CHAPTER 10
Aurora
My heart flutters as the sleek ship touches down a few dozen yards from where I’m standing. The moment the vessel is on flat ground, its hatchway opens and Oren strides out looking purposeful and pissed.
When his eyes fall on me, they harden to pure ice. Shivering at his frosty stare, I begin to worry my hands together and bite my lower lip. He can’t be angry with me, can he? No, that would be absurd. I had nothing to do with this accident. But the way he is looking at me now, I can’t shake the feeling that he’s furious!
Oren is by my side in seconds. Reaching out, he drags me into his arms and nestles his head on top of mine. After a moment of silence and holding me so tight I think I might break a rib, he steps back and studies my face intently.
His finger grazes just above my eyebrow where my cut is throbbing. “Aurora! You’re bleeding!”
Overwhelmed and emotional over his gentle tone, my pesky bottom lip begins to quiver and hot tears threaten to spill over the rim of my dewy eyes. “I was cut when the bus tipped over and the window shattered.”
“Why hasn’t a medic seen to this wound immediately?” He demands, spinning about to look for someone to yell at.
Pulling his focus back to me, I say, “Since there were no life-threatening injuries, they’re transporting everyone back to Fort Kent to be medically cleared. The soldiers said all injuries would be dealt with at the base’s infirmary because it’s better equipped to handle a multitude of people at once.”
“You’re not going to the Fort’s infirmary. I’m having my private doctor look you over as soon as we get back on base,” Oren tells me, brooking no argument.
Without further discussion, he spins and propels me forward. We head directly for the spaceship he showed up on. It’s smaller than all the rest I’ve seen today, and I wonder how many people are traveling with us back to the base in it.
When we get closer, I look back at Oren and work up the courage to speak. “Is anyone else flying with us?”
Pausing, he looks me dead in the eye and shakes his head in the negative. “No. It’s just you and me, Kitten.”
My world seems to close in on me as quickly as that hatchway does. Inside the vessel, the space is minimal but well laid out. There are so many colorful switches and blinking lights that it almost makes me dizzy as I take them all in.
Pointing to comfortable-looking captain’s chairs at the front of the craft, Oren tells me to take a seat in the one to the right.
I’ve never been in a spaceship before, let alone an alien one. Heck, I’ve never even been on a plane. Life for me, up until this point, had been overly sheltered and remote. Given all this, my eyes ping pong from one side of the craft to the other, drinking in all the impressive technology as Oren straps me firmly into my seat.
“You ready for the ride of your life, Kitten?” He asks with a heart-stopping smile.
