“I need words,” he told her.

  She understood he wanted to speak to the gang outside. “What do you want to say?”

  “Warn for retreat.”

  Lindsey decided simple was best. “Get back. We don’t wish to harm you but we will defend ourselves.”

  Bacoj repeated her words exactly. The sound of his voice rolling out of the address system startled the group outside, silencing their yells for a few beats.

  Blockhead recovered first. His shout hurt Lindsey’s ears, and she considered having Bacoj tell him they could hear him fine without all the excess volume. “Give us medical supplies and food, and we’ll leave peacefully.”

  Vax shook his head adamantly. “We no enough for all.”

  “He’s lying about the leaving peacefully part anyway.” Lindsey considered before dictating to Bacoj. “Tell them you’re part of a larger convoy. You’ll have supplies brought in a couple of days if they leave now.”

  The Dramok frowned. “Longer time for help come.”

  Lindsey smiled bitterly. “If he can lie, so can we. We’re buying time until you can get this tub repaired well enough to get us out of here.”

  Bacoj’s eyebrows rose, and he smirked at Japohn. “Lindsey ruthless like Nobek.”

  “That good.”

  Bacoj repeated the falsehood she’d fed him. As Lindsey figured, Blockhead’s group didn’t buy it.

  “Lies!” he shouted, walloping the side of the shuttle with his baseball bat for good measure. “Give us what we want or we’ll take it!”

  Lindsey rolled her eyes. “It’s a waste of breath, but tell them this is the last warning. If they don’t leave, do the stun thing. But no killing, right?”

  Bacoj touched her face as if to comfort her. “No kill. Enough that already.” He turned back to the panel and savagely pressed the button to communicate. “Last warning. Leave or we will defend ourselves.”

  “Get ‘em, boys!” Blockhead shouted in response.

  Like a bunch of Neanderthals, the mob pounded the sides of the shuttle with their bats. The violence in their faces gave Lindsey pause, but it still was a struggle to not snicker at the sight. All they lacked were animal skins to make them revert to caveman status. Homo sapiens had fallen far indeed.

  Shaking his head, Bacoj punched a green button. A low hum filled the air, and half the assailants dropped to the blond sand. Blockhead was one of the stricken to Lindsey’s immense satisfaction. The effect on the rest was immediate. Arms dropped to the attackers’ sides, and they stepped back, gaping at their inert companions.

  “Leave or more fall,” Bacoj commanded the Earthers.

  Many dropped their bats in their haste to drag the unconscious away. They struggled mightily to get away from the shuttle, but within half a minute, the crowd was gone.

  Bacoj gave Lindsey a worried glance, clearly concerned with how she felt about seeing her people beaten back so decisively.

  “Serves the buggers right,” she said, patting his muscled shoulder. “They finally got some of what they deserved.”

  All three aliens relaxed. Bacoj’s grin was particularly bright. “Gratitude, Lindsey. You help much.”

  Despite his lightened demeanor, Japohn’s voice was steel. “They watch us now. Move Lindsey parents here. Keep family safe.”

  Bacoj’s grin faded, and an attitude of firm command settled over him. “I agree.” He gripped Lindsey’s upper arm, letting her feel his strength. “No vote again. Apology.”

  She pressed her lips tight against the argument that rose in her throat. It rankled to give up so much control to the aliens, but Lindsey had to agree with their assessment of the situation. “I guess it’s for the best,” she conceded.

  Chapter Five

  Two hours after scaring off the bat-wielding Earthers, Bacoj tapped a backup power cell into one of the undamaged slots of the regenerator and nodded to Lindsey. “Hold here.”

  The pretty Earther stretched up to press the fingertips of both hands to the end of the cell as he raised an adhering tool to bind the two pieces together permanently. She eyed the thin needle end of the device suspiciously. “Don’t fry my fingers with that thing.”

  Bacoj was his most reassuring. “I swear no harm. Tool no hot.”

  She chuckled, a rich throaty sound that sent a thrill down his spine. “That was a joke, Bacoj. I know you won’t hurt me.”

  He grinned down at her, glad to hear she trusted him. He wondered if she would ever join a clan. Okay, he was wondering if she’d consider joining his clan. The more Bacoj was around her, the more attractive he found Lindsey. “No hurt, much pleasure,” he said, wishing he could speak her language better. He’d like to tell her exactly how he’d pleasure her.

  Lindsey ran her gaze over his body, letting him know he didn’t have to speak Earther to get his point across. “Naughty boy, fix this tub, would you?”

  “Good job, you reward?”

  She reddened, but the smile she gave him was pure heat. “Big reward if you hurry up before my arms fall off from fatigue.”

  He nodded and hastened with the repair. Seeing Lindsey stretched up like that gave him an excellent image of how she’d look suspended naked in the air with a pair of hover cuffs around her wrists. He wondered how she felt about being bound helpless for sex. With her need to control it might take some convincing. Of course, having her cuffed and struggling against him while he took what he wanted had its possibilities too…

  “Release Lindsey,” he said, turning the adherer off. She let her arms flop to her sides, shaking the tension out. “Vax, start shuttle!” Bacoj called.

  The engine chopped to life, the ratcheting sound making him wince. But it quickly smoothed out, almost regaining its normal purr. Bacoj felt a rush of pride at his repair job. The trip to the search party would take a ridiculously long time to complete, but at least they wouldn’t be walking and swimming the whole way.

  “Is it working right?” Lindsey asked.

  “Good for leave.” He tried to make her understand how their journey would go, gesturing as he spoke. “Small trip day, recharge night. Three days.”

  She nodded. “Hippity hoppity to the search party then.”

  Bacoj wasn’t sure what she meant, but she seemed satisfied with his explanation. “We tell parents. Leave at Japohn return.”

  Her face tightened for an instant, and she looked towards the buildings in the direction the Nobek had gone in an hour ago. “You shouldn’t have let him take off like that. Too many things could go wrong.”

  Bacoj was surprised to see her obvious worry for Japohn. Could she care so much for a man she’d just met? Hope flared bright in his heart. He tried to keep his expression noncommittal. “Food containment fail. More food need.”

  “I realize that, but if Blockhead’s group is watching us they could take him down. Even he’s not strong enough to fight off thirty people, which is about how many is in that gang.”

  His inability to control his Nobek clanmate made Bacoj’s stomach clench. “Japohn stubborn. Insist his way.”

  “But isn’t the Dramok in charge of the clan?”

  Bacoj drew a deep breath. He gave Lindsey a shamefaced smile. “Japohn older. Much experience with hostile situation. Know more me.”

  Lindsey narrowed her eyes at him. “He may have experience, but he should use it to advise, not run all over you. You’re not stupid, Bacoj. Man up and put him in his place.”

  She rose up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his lips. Despite his surprise at the unexpected affection, Bacoj quickly wrapped his arms around her tiny frame, pulling her close. Feeling her against his body made his senses come alive, and as he tasted the velvet sweetness of her mouth, he wondered once more if Lindsey would perhaps honor his clan by joining them. Having her warm his bed for the rest of their lives was a tantalizing prospect. Certainly Vax and Japohn wouldn’t object to such a delightful opportunity.

  As the kiss broke she smiled up at him. The question was trembling on his lips when her gaze diverted over his shoulder. Relief suffused her face. “Here comes tall, dark and overwhelming now.”

  Bacoj looked to see Japohn crossing the street, returning empty handed but safe. The moment broken, Lindsey slid from his arms and called to the Nobek.

  “No luck, huh?”

  He shrugged, the thunderous look on his face easing as he looked at her. “Apology, Matara. I fail. No find you food.” Japohn’s voice was heavy with regret.

  “We’ve got the emergency rations. I’m just glad you’re back safe.” She turned to Bacoj. “Should we prepare my parents now?”

  He nodded. It was time to go.

  * * * *

  Lindsey entered the sleeping room as her parents put their few belongings in the drawers the clan had emptied for their use. She smiled to see her mother looking perky and her father not quite so drawn as he had before. A full meal in their stomachs had made a big difference. And a dose of the Kalquorian’s pain inhibitor had taken most of the strain from Aaron’s face. She could have wept to see him looking more like his old self.

  Swallowing the rush of emotion she said, “Good, you’re almost finished. The boys are locking down for takeoff.”

  Tara smiled up at Aaron. “See if you can help the Kalquorians. Lindsey and I will put the rest away.”

  He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “All right.”

  The instant her father left the room and the door shut behind him, Lindsey folded her arms over her chest. “Okay, you’ve got me alone. What’s on your mind?”

  Tara showed no signs of embarrassment that Lindsey had detected her subterfuge. And she wasted no time in getting right to the point. “They’re good men. Are you going to join their clan?”

  Lindsey’s mouth dropped open in shock. Her mother had always been able to read her like a book, but it disconcerted her nonetheless to be so obvious. Wondering what Tara thought she ventured, “Three men to one woman. It’s kind of unsavory, don’t you think?”

  The elder woman loaded the last of their items in the drawer and tapped it as Vax had shown her. It slid closed to blend seamlessly into the wall. “You’re thinking in terms of Earth’s old regime. The ones who held us in fear are dead. We cannot be punished for following our true beliefs anymore.”

  “Since when do we believe in group sex?” Lindsey snorted.

  “You know what I mean.” Tara’s tone was mild. Lindsey had always envied her unflappable demeanor. She’d never heard her mother raise her voice. Tara had a knack for calming everyone around her. Even Jessica’s fiery temper stayed soothed in their mother’s presence.

  “So you think it’s okay for a woman to be intimate with three men at a time? Wow, Mom. That’s nonjudgmental even for you.”

  “What is there to judge? We’re going to Kalquor where it’s necessary for their species’ survival, perhaps even ours at this point. And if it’s enjoyable, what’s the harm?”

  “Our beliefs warn against excessive lust.”

  “Is it only lust that made you have intimacies with them?”

  Lindsey was startled anew. Her face warmed as she realized her mother knew she’d already had sex with the Kalquorians. Was there nothing she could keep secret from the woman?

  Thirty years old, and Lindsey still couldn’t get away with anything as far as Tara was concerned. She knew she sounded like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar, but she couldn’t keep the grudging guilt from her tone. “The first time was to bargain for food.”

  “So you have been with them more than once.” Tara kept her voice and expression carefully bland. “Are you still bartering for their help?”

  Lindsey met her gaze, summoning every bit of dignity she could muster. Which wasn’t much. “No, now I’m having relations with them for pleasure. I like sex. A lot.”

  Let Mom chew on that.

  But Tara refused to be shocked. She was dogged in her questioning. “Do you like them beyond what they do for you sexually?”

  Lindsey threw her arms in the air, frustration and embarrassment making her groan. “Mom, this is so uncomfortable! I don’t want to discuss it with you.”

  “I won’t have you giving yourself to men just to put food in my stomach, Lindsey Noelle McInness.”

  The sudden tears standing in Tara’s eyes made Lindsey regret her moment of anger. It was guilt driving her mother’s interrogation, not disapproval. Lindsey wrapped her arms around the smaller woman. “They don’t require I have sex with them to help us. Apart from the first encounter they haven’t demanded a thing from me, and even then it was me who offered. Like you said, they seem to be good people.”

  She stepped back, resting her hands on Tara’s thin shoulders. “I wouldn’t be attracted to them sexually if I didn’t like them.”

  Tara blinked back the tears. A knowing smile teased her lips. “Are you sure it’s just liking?”

  “Jeez, Mom. One of your daughters is already married off to a Kalquorian clan. Are you in such a big hurry to unload both of us?”

  Tara’s eyes were filled with wisdom that Lindsey didn’t want to see. It irked her that her mother always seemed to know what was going on in her head before she did. “You light up in their presence, and they in yours. It’s infatuation on both sides, at the very least. If they make you happy, why are you acting ashamed?”

  “I just met them! How can you be so accepting that I’m having sex with three men who are absolute strangers to me?”

  But it wasn’t the attraction and desire the aliens had wakened that bothered Lindsey. Nor even her eager plunge into all things carnal with men she knew almost nothing about. It was that damnable fear of getting caught, of being punished to the point of death that brought terror of her actions to the fore. Even having been surrounded all her life by the unconditional love and acceptance of her family couldn’t dispel the certainty that authority was looking over her shoulder, ready to condemn and kill.

  “It’s hard, Mom. I still think about being dragged to a work camp. About being beaten, branded, tortured and executed. We’ve been judged every day of our lives.” Lindsey took a deep breath. “I’m also not sure Dad will understand. He had a hard time wrapping his head around Jessica joining the Kalquorians.”

  Tara nodded. “Fathers are protective of their daughters. It’s their nature.” She smiled brightly. “But your sister paved the way for you to have more than one man in your life. In the end, if you’re happy your dad will adjust.”

  Yes, brash and bold Jessica joining the Imperial Clan had indeed knocked down the highest barriers of Aaron’s acceptance of the very non-Earther concept of Kalquorian marriage.

  One other concern, one even bigger than Lindsey’s fear of condemnation, had to be faced. In the clarity of her mother’s experience and faith, she knew she was safe to get her honest opinion. “Is it too soon to feel a real connection? You know. To be in love?”

  Tara’s smile broadened. “I knew your father was the one within five minutes. I think your clan knew that about you just as quickly.”

  With that, she left the room.

  “My clan.” Lindsey tasted the sound of the words on her tongue. It rang true to her ears, but she worried it was only infatuation, a temporary devotion brought on because Bacoj, Vax and Japohn were the first men she’d had sex with. And did they really feel drawn to her too as Tara implied? Enough to make the relationship permanent?

  Too many questions. To find the answers, Lindsey would have to get past her fears. She wondered if she was strong enough to do that.

  She moved towards the open door. Japohn suddenly stood there, making her start with surprise.

  “We ready soon.” His brows drew together, and his words were clipped. Despite her attraction to him, the quick-tempered alien made Lindsey nervous. It wasn’t the ease with which he became irritable so much. She’d lived with Jessica too many years to be worried about frequent bouts of bad humor, often over imagined offenses. It was that the man was so big. Unlike Lindsey’s younger, finely boned sister, Japohn looked like damage incarnate. Especially when he glowered as he did now. He scared her.

  He also made her sexually excited. The little taste she’d had of his dominance was definitely a turn on, something that still surprised Lindsey. Looking up at the looming threat that was the handsome Nobek made her imagine letting him do things to her she’d never thought of before.

  Using the soft voice that had so often quieted Jessica’s storms, Lindsey said, “You look upset.” She traced her fingertips over his sleeveless biceps as if to calm him, but she was actually enjoying the granite muscle.