Alien General's Baby (Brion Brides 7)(10)

That was no way to talk to a Brion general, she knew that. Several people behind her suddenly made themselves scarce after hushed gasps, bringing up excuses on the level of a forgotten kettle on the stove as they backed away.

The loud hum of the ship above them and the shadow it cast seemed to only surround Braen, giving his distinct features that much more of an edge.

To her surprise, Naima saw a small smirk playing at the corners of the general's lips. As she grew dizzier, watching the warlord swim out of her sight, she could only think of how good it would feel to kiss those lips.

"Naima..." she heard Doug say before another surge of pain she hadn’t felt since being in the depths of the ocean went through her and she fell.

She never hit the deck.

Suddenly there was a pair of strong arms around her and Naima was rising through the air as the general picked her up. His amazing blue eyes were looking down at her with concern now when before she had been certain she'd seen desire, and maybe a hint of irritation, burn in them.

"This way," Naima could hear Janey's voice call from afar and then she knew nothing anymore.

When she woke, she found herself on the already familiar med bay bed.

This needs to stop happening! she thought, groggily blinking her eyes.

Most of the team was gone, tactically avoiding the Brion general. They were known for getting their answers one way or another and no one wanted to witness the another.

For some reason, seeing the general leaning against the wall a bit further away, Naima didn't think he posed any threat to her at all. She felt that heat she’d experienced when she first saw him bubble to life immediately, fighting away the cold that she’d become almost accustomed to being surrounded by. It felt, for lack of a better word, nice.

There was something around her wrist. Sleepily, she tried to pry it away to signal she was awake and ready to participate in this battle of wits and wills again, but Janey pulled her hand away.

"Don't," the girl warned her quietly. "He put it there."

Well, that's not comforting at all. What is it?

Sitting up, Naima saw that there were only five people in the room, including her. Janey was standing by her bedside while the men were scattered around the room, watching her with various degrees of interest.

Captain Gordon seemed pissed off, there was no other way to put it, arms crossed over his wide chest. Doug was caught between annoyance and concern. And the Brion general... there was an unknown emotion in his eyes that was haunting in the most beautiful way.#p#分页标题#e#

As soon as she'd raised her eyes to him, Naima couldn't look away. He had the same effect on her that the lifestone shard had, in a way, only that it felt somehow… bigger. And definitely better. She had to pinch her arm to bring herself back to reality, but once it came, it came with all the realizations.

It was clear all of the people in the room were keenly aware of Braen's presence. Although he said nothing and hadn't pulled a weapon on them, the general simply towered over everyone in the med bay. His mere existence was enough to freeze them all to the spot, keeping the attention of the room fixed on him with no effort on his part.

She could tell that it was so despite the fact they were all seemingly looking at her.

As soon as she moved and gave signs of life, their gazes flickered back to Braen.

"How are you feeling?" the general asked, his deep voice echoing pleasantly in the room.

Naima noticed Captain Gordon trying very hard not to stand at attention when it wasn't even his superior officer doing the talking. She couldn't deny she had similar desires, though. When Braen spoke, it was clear he was used to being obeyed and answered at once.

The attraction she'd felt before had returned, leaving everything else behind. Being free of the pain and unease she had felt ever since her last dive came as such a surprise that only Braen's question made her understand it was gone.

Great. So the cure to the bends and the curse of a glowy rock of doom is the presence of a hot Brion general. Better alert Galactic Science.

But there was something else that caught her attention. Inadvertently, her hand still kept going to the bracelet around her hand. Naima frowned.

"Better," she whispered, staring at the general. "Better than I've been since I returned from the ocean. What is this thing?"

She touched the bracelet on her wrist. It was cool against her skin and surprisingly light. The silvery metal was nice to look at, too. She wouldn't have thought Brions made stuff like that. It seemed too delicate for them.

Getting more settled in her body again, it felt somehow more her own. Like whatever had been there to cause this odd shift in her had been removed or made lesser now.

"It's a Palian device," Braen said, coming closer.

Figures, Naima thought, watching as Captain Gordon and Doug stood up straighter as well, ready to interfere.

The notion was ridiculous. The general looked like he could twist them into knots without ever pulling the battle spear from its sheath. Even at leisure, there was an aura of power around him that couldn't be denied. She also couldn't hide how much it turned her on, from herself at least.

They say Brions can hear your heartbeat. I really need that to be a rumor right about now.

"It is meant to block the lifestone's power," Braen said. "It was devised to be a harness, but the Palians modified it to be a safeguard against whatever the stone did to you. I'll admit we don't know much about the workings of it yet, but you shouldn't be concerned. It has not harmed the other Terran and has kept her safe through worse than you've been through."

The silvery-blonde woman.

"Another?" Naima asked. "When I touched the stone, I saw a woman, with long light hair."

Braen nodded and for a second it seemed to Naima that she heard a sigh of relief, but it was probably her imagination. Brion generals didn't take anything for granted. They forced their will upon the world and it was the galaxy that bent, not them.

As the general came closer, she felt a shiver going down her spine. It had nothing to do with cold, nor with fear, just like it hadn’t on the deck earlier. Braen's physical closeness brought his entire being into the center of Naima's attention and she was frankly overwhelmed by it. Her lifelong disdain for the species was quickly retreating to the back of her mind in Braen's presence.

A few years ago, Brions hadn't been such a common sight among the people of the union  . They were still not admitted to Terra. Officially for security reasons, but Naima had heard a biting rumor that it was because their warriors were as strikingly gorgeous as they were dangerous.

Drowning fast in Braen's blue eyes, observing her with unmistakable interest, Naima was willing to vouch for that truth.

Get a grip, she told her mind, barely catching herself before leaning in for a kiss. We clearly have bigger problems right now than Brion men being total hunks.

"You saw her?" Braen asked. "Good. It confirms your identity. Audrey was the one who told me about you. The whole union   has been looking for you."#p#分页标题#e#

What? Way to put a girl under the spotlight. What did I do?

"What?" she burst out, stopping when she saw a warning light in the general's eyes.

She was still talking to a Brion, Naima reminded herself. So far, Braen was being incredibly uncharacteristic in his nonviolent conduct and she wanted to keep it that way. He was speaking the common tongue, which was a miracle in itself, telling her that perhaps there really was some greater issue somewhere out there.

If it could make the Brion generals behave, it had to be something huge.

Braen looked around the room, fixing everyone in place with only his gaze. When he spoke, Naima could see all of them lean in, gravitating to his authority as easily as they breathed.

"I have been tasked by the Elders of my people to handle this matter," he said, adding as an afterthought: "And the union   too, coincidentally. It is in the best interest of everyone in the galaxy that I succeed. What I'm about to tell you can't, for the time being, leave this room. Is that understood?"

Everyone nodded. Naima found herself playing with the bracelet, but the general stopped her with one quick glance. Like a child being caught reaching for a candy bar, she quickly moved her hand away. The scientist part of her wanted to dismantle it and study every piece of it to find out what was allowing it to make her world suddenly less… horrific.

Maybe it’s just the general?

That thought was as appealing to the non-scientist side of her as the bracelet being the fixer was to the scientist side of her.

"The Palians inform me that you already know what the lifestone is," Braen said, pacing around the room slowly. "That saves us some time, considering Miss Jones and I should already be on our way."

That again. On our way where?

Naima's surprise almost overshadowed her body's sudden and desperate urge to go wherever the general wanted. Doug and Janey spoke up in one voice before she could, but Braen cut in without ever raising his voice.

"I will get to that. First, let me congratulate you. The work you've done here is admirable and will be met with praise by the union  . The lifestone is found, but not only here. Palians have been aware of an ice world with a potential reserve for a while now and a few weeks ago, that was confirmed as you may have heard."