seemed to put a whole new light on it. She’d not only been abruptly completely conscious of him as a virile, and extremely attractive male—alien or not—but the wrestling match, in retrospect, became almost … like foreplay, as if it had primed her awareness. She suddenly remembered every touch even though she hadn’t consciously been aware of it at the time.
Beyond that, it dawned on her forcefully that her attempted escape had brought her into the limelight, so to speak. Khan had carried her back. Gerek and Adar had been waiting with food and water to tempt her and Teron to treat her injuries. Maybe the other women wouldn’t think anything about it. Maybe, if they’d thought about it at all, they would be sympathetic that she’d suddenly been surrounded by aliens, but she knew damned well if the four males hovering over her had been human men the rest of the women would be contemplating cutting her throat for being the center of attention.
Maybe they would be anyway since the harsh fact was that they were completely
at the mercy of these Hirachi males and the other women would feel threatened in the sense that they’d see it as trying to make points with their new ‘masters’?
It was unreasonable, she thought resentfully. She hadn’t gotten any more
attention than any of the others—just all at one time—but there was nothing really reasonable or fair about survival mode.
Before she could think of a polite way to decline, a shadow fell over the two of them. Even as she looked up, she was hit with an avalanche of fabric. She jerked instinctively, expecting pain until her mind identified what she’d been pelted with.
Khan’s expression was as thunderous as it had been the last time she’d seen him.
Having dumped the gowns he’d brought them on the dirt beside her—half on top of her—he pivoted and stalked toward the other side of the compound.
Teron twisted around to stare at his back.
Miranda watched him for several moments herself and finally pushed the gowns
off of her that had fallen on top of her. “Uh … my ankle’s a little better now. I think with the wrapping I can hobble down to the water on my own steam. It would probably be better anyway … to keep mobile, you know.”
Teron leaned forward and scooped her up despite her protest. “It will be better if you stay off it as much as possible,” he contradicted her, both his voice and his expression grim.
She slipped her arm around his shoulders, wiggling a little to try to put at least a little distance between herself and his bare chest. She heard him grinding his teeth and flicked a quick look at his face. He was studying her, she discovered, from beneath hooded lids, his golden eyes tumultuous. Chastened, she subsided, realizing abruptly that THE SPAWNING Kaitlyn O’Connor 46
not only had she not succeeded in putting any distance between them, but her wiggling was only making things worse since she was rubbing all over him.
THE SPAWNING Kaitlyn O’Connor 47
Chapter Five
Teron strode quickly toward the water and plunked Miranda on the sandy soil
near the lazily lapping waves with the air of discarding bad luggage. Straightening without a word, he stalked down the beach and into the water.
“My, it must be nice to be the prom queen,” one of the women commented in a
perfectly audible voice that she’d lowered just enough to give a pretense of not intending to be heard.
It brought Miranda’s focus back instantly from her contemplation of the healer. It was hard to guess which one of the women had made the remark, though. It seemed a good half of them were giving her evil looks. The others were pointedly gazing off into space as if they were alone in the universe.
She’d expected it, and it still unnerved her and pissed her off at the same time.
Deciding to ignore the remark, she shifted down the sand in a sort of crab walk to reach the water, wondering if she should try to bathe off without getting the bandage
Beyond that, it dawned on her forcefully that her attempted escape had brought her into the limelight, so to speak. Khan had carried her back. Gerek and Adar had been waiting with food and water to tempt her and Teron to treat her injuries. Maybe the other women wouldn’t think anything about it. Maybe, if they’d thought about it at all, they would be sympathetic that she’d suddenly been surrounded by aliens, but she knew damned well if the four males hovering over her had been human men the rest of the women would be contemplating cutting her throat for being the center of attention.
Maybe they would be anyway since the harsh fact was that they were completely
at the mercy of these Hirachi males and the other women would feel threatened in the sense that they’d see it as trying to make points with their new ‘masters’?
It was unreasonable, she thought resentfully. She hadn’t gotten any more
attention than any of the others—just all at one time—but there was nothing really reasonable or fair about survival mode.
Before she could think of a polite way to decline, a shadow fell over the two of them. Even as she looked up, she was hit with an avalanche of fabric. She jerked instinctively, expecting pain until her mind identified what she’d been pelted with.
Khan’s expression was as thunderous as it had been the last time she’d seen him.
Having dumped the gowns he’d brought them on the dirt beside her—half on top of her—he pivoted and stalked toward the other side of the compound.
Teron twisted around to stare at his back.
Miranda watched him for several moments herself and finally pushed the gowns
off of her that had fallen on top of her. “Uh … my ankle’s a little better now. I think with the wrapping I can hobble down to the water on my own steam. It would probably be better anyway … to keep mobile, you know.”
Teron leaned forward and scooped her up despite her protest. “It will be better if you stay off it as much as possible,” he contradicted her, both his voice and his expression grim.
She slipped her arm around his shoulders, wiggling a little to try to put at least a little distance between herself and his bare chest. She heard him grinding his teeth and flicked a quick look at his face. He was studying her, she discovered, from beneath hooded lids, his golden eyes tumultuous. Chastened, she subsided, realizing abruptly that THE SPAWNING Kaitlyn O’Connor 46
not only had she not succeeded in putting any distance between them, but her wiggling was only making things worse since she was rubbing all over him.
THE SPAWNING Kaitlyn O’Connor 47
Chapter Five
Teron strode quickly toward the water and plunked Miranda on the sandy soil
near the lazily lapping waves with the air of discarding bad luggage. Straightening without a word, he stalked down the beach and into the water.
“My, it must be nice to be the prom queen,” one of the women commented in a
perfectly audible voice that she’d lowered just enough to give a pretense of not intending to be heard.
It brought Miranda’s focus back instantly from her contemplation of the healer. It was hard to guess which one of the women had made the remark, though. It seemed a good half of them were giving her evil looks. The others were pointedly gazing off into space as if they were alone in the universe.
She’d expected it, and it still unnerved her and pissed her off at the same time.
Deciding to ignore the remark, she shifted down the sand in a sort of crab walk to reach the water, wondering if she should try to bathe off without getting the bandage
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