Guarded Beginnings Excerpt

Chapter One

Davik Ferr stared at the screen. The images on it were frozen, stopped on the moment when she’d strolled past. The brief glimpse of her during the meeting with the Tribunal had stunned him. He had no idea if they’d seen his surprise and didn’t care. The details of the mission hadn’t mattered from the moment he’d seen her. He didn’t know if Nials Caral and his sister were actually in any danger, but he knew he and Camin would be going to the mining planet of Mayoon. The representative had given them the video and now Davik couldn’t stop looking at her. Nials wanted male guards and had been requesting them regularly.

Aeva… Even just seeing her in the background of the video, it was impossible for him to mistake her. She wore her glossy black hair in a long braid now. Her light brown skin gleamed under the harsh light. It looked darker than he remembered against the very pale gray wall behind her. The tight fabric of a light green shirt had delineated her high firm breasts. Encased in black body-hugging pants, her legs looked toned and strong.

Only briefly did he see more than a profile in that video, but it had been enough. He’d seen that sweet oval face in his dreams. Finally, he’d get a chance to do things right. Now that he’d found his woman again, he wouldn’t let her go. He just had to get her name.

“The shuttle’s being prepped to take us to Vedev. We’re going in as muscle for the bar. From Vedev, we’ll go by company shuttle to Mayoon. She’s not going to disappear. You heard the man. She’s guarding them.” Camin strode into the room they’d rented before their meeting with the Tribunal. He dropped onto the plush gray chair and looked over at the vid-screen.

“Any word on how long it will take help to get to us.” Darik turned off the small computer. Looking at it was almost a form of torture. Seeing her satisfied some part of the longing inside of him, but he wanted to hold her, to feel her soft skin.

Four men would go with them which should be plenty of guards even if they intended to do the job as the Tribunal wanted. Their plans differed greatly from the one the officials had outlined to them. This time they wouldn’t be taking any chances by following rules other than their own. She was much too precious to them. They’d sent word back to the Mocant that they’d need extraction from the mining planet of Mayoon.

“We’ll be there at least eight days, probably closer to sixteen.” Camin shrugged. “We can use the time to get to know the person she is now.”

Darik nodded. They’d need that time and maybe more. He’d wasted the time he’d been given with her before, kept her at a distance. He wouldn’t be repeating his mistake. He knew the pain that losing her could bring and he wasn’t going through it again.

Denise wiped down the scarred wooden top of the bar. She’d done it last night, but the action kept her hands busy and off of Nials’ throat. The urge to do the man bodily harm grew each day. And because she hadn’t been getting enough sleep, her restraint wasn’t at its highest.

The huge room seemed strange without people filling it. Just in the short time she’d been here, she’d become used to seeing the sturdy, gray-topped tables surrounded by people. She’d even grown accustomed to the bad sound system in the bar and the limited selection of music the antiquated player offered. What she couldn’t get used to was how these surroundings sometimes reminded her too much of the labs. The gray walls and even the durable white tiles on the floor seemed too clinical to her.

The lights flickered overhead, giving off a faint yellowish glow before flaring to their brightest level again. That was yet another thing that irritated her. When they’d taken this assignment, they’d been told the mining outpost was isolated and had been thrilled. Protecting Nials and his sister would be easier if they weren’t somewhere they could be easily found.

They hadn’t been told that conditions here were this primitive. The power was still so sketchy here that the doors used manual locks, not automated id locks. As if that wasn’t enough, they’d been forced to leave all of their weapons on Vedev before they’d boarded the shuttle to Mayoon. No advanced weapons were allowed here. The only tool they’d been given in case of attack was an ample supply of a drug and a contact with a Tribunal operative on the planet.

Doing around the clock body guarding on two people with just three guards would be impossible long term. Thankfully, they shouldn’t be under this much pressure long. The Tribunal had promised to send more operatives when they could. Keeping Nials alive was a priority for them. She knew the information he’d given them about Bio-mech was important, although she didn’t know the details. The only reason the Tribunal had even sent them here with Nials was because the man had requested Arcein guards.

She had no idea why he’d done that. He hadn’t trusted a single decision she’d made. It was his double-checking, the constant doubt that infuriated her the most.

The man more than lived up to the untrusting, antisocial reputation of the Second Gen men. He seemed happiest when he was alone and didn’t deal well with any kind of contradiction. With one exception, she did have to admit that he was devoted to his sister Sela. While she admired that, she wished he’d put more energy into restraining his sister’s impulses or at least help in making the woman aware of the danger. As it was, the woman’s antics only increased the stress on the women.

Hopefully more help would arrive with the shuttles due today. She knew she wasn’t the only one who could use a break. If no reinforcements arrived, they’d have to make it through another week before more shuttles arrived. Denise looked toward the door. Jasi had gone down to the entry port, the only access to the mining camp for civilians, to see if someone had been sent. She should be returning soon.

Denise moved around the bar wiping the tables and moving chairs. She kept the front door and the entrance to the private staff area in sight at all times. Her first duty was to ensure no-one entered the bar and tried to get to Nials while she was on watch. But there was another reason she kept such a sharp vigil. Sela wouldn’t listen and thought she could do as she wanted. She didn’t see that she was in as much danger as her brother. The woman constantly tried to slip out of the bar.

The hum of strange nano-cytes hit her. She blinked, stunned. Nials and Sela were Second Gen and she’d grown used to their signal. That left only one group of Arceins which could the unknown signal. Nervousness flared. She was relieved to finally have some help, but she didn’t know what to expect from First Gen Arceins.

The entrance door to the bar swung open admitting a sharp gust of warm air, a whirl of needle like leaves and Jasi. Her friend looked shocked. Her eyes were wide and she kept glancing over her shoulder. Denise frowned as the door remained open after the black haired green-eyed woman had stepped through the opening.

A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped into the opening. Her eyes widened as they landed on his face. Short wavy blond hair just brushed the collar of his shirt. That haircut highlighted his pointed ears. She knew the sharp hard lines of his face even though she’d never met him. Almost every night, she dreamed of him and another man.

His blue eyes narrowed as they focused on her. The angular planes of his face became more pronounced as his jaw clenched. He took a slow step forward.

Denise took a deep breath, shaking her head. She couldn’t believe that he was here. She’d known they’d probably been created, but hadn’t expected to see even one of them. Or wanted to see them. Most of her dreams involving them weren’t happy.

The man stumbled forward a bit and then stepped forward and to the side as another man entered the bar. The overhead light glittered off the red-blond hair of the man striding toward her. The harsh light made the long hair seem even redder. If anything, he was larger than the blond man trailing behind him, his muscles more defined. The tight black shirt he wore made that more than obvious.

Eyes a strange color somewhere between brown and gold watched her as if he thought she might run. If her feet didn’t suddenly feel bolted to the floor she might have. Her eyes marked his high cheekbones and the slight shadow of beard on his cheeks. She stared at his lips. She’d never seen a man with lips that full.

A’Camion and Davorik—that had been the names of the men in her dreams. It couldn’t be the names of the men in front of her. Her dreams had mostly revolved around a primitive world. For a long time, she’d thought they were just that—dreams. Only in the last year had she dreamed of A’Camion, the blond and Davorik, the redhead in the prison with her. Well, a different version of her, softer, a victim. It had taken a little time, but she’d realized that those dreams were far from creations of her imagination. They were scenes from the life of the woman from whose DNA she’d been created.

Her gaze flicked past him to the four men who’d come into the bar after him. Nervousness settled low in her stomach. She didn’t want to have anything to do with them, but Jasi wouldn’t have brought them here unless they’d been sent as reinforcements.

Jasi stepped forward and forced a smile. Her shoulder length hair swung gently as she glanced toward the men. “These are the men the tribunal sent to help us. Did you know Nials contacted them again?”

“No, but it wouldn’t surprise me. He’s not exactly thrilled with having us guard him.” Denise shrugged.

Right now, she could care less about Nials obnoxious behavior. She could barely focus on anything other than the two men who now stood shoulder to shoulder in front of her. Emotions rushed through her, an illogical mass of feelings that she couldn’t control or sort through. Attraction pulsed, immediate and undeniable. Just as strong, anger rose and flared.

It didn’t matter that she’d never met these men. Some part of her associated them with the sadness and pain felt by the woman in her dreams. They couldn’t be the men who’d done it. These had to be men from the first experiments, the First Gen. Rumors had been spreading through the various groups that a group called the Norik were the First Generation of experiments. She hadn’t believed the tales then. She’d thought the First Gen had likely been killed.

“Nials wanted a group of male Arceins to replace us. The Tribunal sent these men as reinforcements. Nials won’t be pleased that he didn’t get what he wanted.” Jasi pulled out a seat from a nearby table and flopped into it.

“Nials isn’t my concern right now. He’ll growl a bit about not getting everything his own way, but he’ll move past it. They need to get settled. Tonight’s going to be busy.” She returned to wiping down the table.

They recognized her. She could tell by the way they were looking at her. Sexual interest burned in their eyes. She had to admit that they were sexy, but she wanted to know more about them. Why they didn’t seem even a little surprised to see her topped the list of questions.

“True. I’ll take them back and show them the rooms.” Jasi’s white teeth flashed stark white against her dark brown skin.

“Check on Sela. She hasn’t been in here to try leaving since you left. She could be still pouting, but…” Denise shrugged and grimaced. They’d had to go out looking for the woman once when she’d slipped out. She didn’t want to have to do it again.

“I’ll check on her.” Jasi turned and led the way to the door to the private staff rooms.

Denise looked up and watched as the men began to walk toward the door. All except for one of them. The man with blond hair tossed his bag to the redhead and took a seat on the opposite side of the table.

“Hello.” He leaned forward a bit, meeting her eyes and smiled. “I’m Camin Arohn.”

She didn’t return the smile. Her feelings were too confused. “I’m Denise Arensal.”

“You’ve been dreaming of us.” He placed his hand on the bar, his fingers almost touching hers.

She took a deep breath. His scent filled her lungs and hit her with the force of a body blow. Memory and sensation rushed at her. Hot moist breath fanned across her neck as a muscled arm pulled her tight against him. The rish exotic essence of kinas spice semmed to surround her. For a moment, she relished the security and desire she felt in his embrace. That hadn’t been a question. She knew she hadn’t been able to hide her shock at first seeing them.

Reality returned with a thud as he repeated his remark in a more forceful voice.

“I dreamed of two men, but we both know they weren’t really you or that other man. You should be glad you’re not them. Both of those men were bastards,” She said.

His smile died as he sat back. He ran his hands through his gold hair, mussing it. She saw his eyes close.

“There’s a lot you don’t know.” He looked down at her and put his arms on the table, leaning forward.

“We have all of the information from the known bases. I don’t think there’s anything about those labs that I haven’t heard or read.” She resumed her task of wiping down the table before moving on to another.

“It’s not about the labs. It’s about the Norik men.” He rose from his seat following her as she moved to the next table.

“Then I don’t really need to know, do I? I’m here to watch Nials and his sister until a secure location is found for them. I won’t be getting involved with you or the other man. I don’t know if I could ever get past the resemblance.” She tossed a smile at him and then threw the used cloth into a bin under the counter.

Even though the container was only half full at the moment, she picked it up and began carrying it toward the door to the living quarters. Anything to be able to walk away from him. The conflicting desires only made every feeling sharper, more intense.

He didn’t follow her. Walking down the hall, she frowned. She didn’t feel relieved, just a little disappointed. Somehow, she hadn’t expected him to just give up and let her go without even asking her to stop and listen.

Davik walked out of the large room he’d chosen. On a level below the bar, each man could have a private room if they wanted. He’d put his bags as well as Camin’s in the spacious room. The room was a little bland for his taste, minimally furnished with a bed and a small round table. With a little rearrangement, it would serve for the short time that they’d be on the planet. When he turned at the top of the stairs to go back to the bar, he saw her striding down the hallway with a slatted gray box in her hands. Her brown eyes sparkled with emotion and a flush darkened the skin over her high cheekbones. She stopped and her pink tongue slicked over her lush lips. He wanted to taste those lips again.

“Camin is out in the bar. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you joined him. Keep an eye out for Sela. She’s a blond. Straight long silver-blond hair and the lightest skin I’ve ever seen. Don’t let her out of the bar without an escort. I can’t make her understand that she’s as big of a target as her brother.” She looked back down the hallway to the main bar area.

Davik frowned as she gave him a sweeping look and stalked away at a fast clip. Astonishment curled through him. She’d just given him orders and dismissed him. If he hadn’t guessed just by the fact that she was working as a bodyguard, he now had undeniable proof. This woman was so much different than their sweet Aeva. Aeva had never even talked back to them, much less ordered them to do something as if they were servants.

He was more than tempted to go after her, but he knew something was wrong out there in the bar area. Camin would have been right behind her if she hadn’t said something to him that held him back. They both wanted this woman in their lives. There had to be some reason Camin wasn’t beside her, talking until she listened.

Davik headed for the bar, intent on discovering just what had happened. Whatever it was, they’d get past it. She’d been taken from them once. It wouldn’t be happening again. This time, she would be safe and happy with them.

He walked out into the bar and found Camin sitting on a barstool. His elbows rested on the dark scarred surface and his fingers laced together in front of him. He stared at the wall, so lost in thought that he didn’t even know he wasn’t alone anymore. Davik’s eyebrows rose. Such lack of attention to his surroundings wasn’t like Camin.

“What happened Camin? I saw our woman stalking down the hallway, obviously a little upset, but not enraged enough to warrant time for her temper to cool.” Davik slid onto the stool next to him and turned to face Camin.

“She remembers everything.” Camin raised a hand and ran it across his jaw.

“We knew she probably would.” Davik nodded and waited. There had to be more to the story than just she remembered, something that would have held him back.

“She called us both bastards and wants nothing to do with either of us. Even though she thinks we were created as she was, she’s holding a grudge.” Camin lifted his head.

That was a stronger reaction than they’d expected. They hadn’t known just how much she would remember yet or if she’d remember it when she met them. Camin had let her walk away because he needed the time to think.

“So what did you decide?” Davik asked.

“That this is just one more reason to tell her the truth from the beginning. Denise—that’s her name—would never come to trust us if we hid it from her.” Camin looked toward the door.
“We’ll tell her tonight after the bar is cleared of patrons. I don’t want any interruptions.” Davik slashed a hand through the air. “She’s going to know everything.”