Defender: A Terran Times Tale Read Online Free PDF Page A

green.
    “Tricky little bugger.”
    Alder popped in and offered her his arm.
    “Dinner is served, so to speak.” She took his arm, and he walked her up to the house, heedless of his nudity.
    She thought of the bird and wondered if she was walking with its next target. “Do the Heshi ever bond to animals?”
    “Not that we are aware of. They want to live an active and interesting life, not merely an existence.”
    She could smell something that had been recently cooked. “You managed to make dinner?” Alder shook his head. “I will confess to slight manipulation there. My housekeeper at the village prepared dinner. I simply popped out to grab it before Orriko could catch me.”
    “Why are you hiding from him?” The dinner was on a large platter, and two plates were waiting along with a bottle of wine and two glasses.
    “Orriko and Lillibeth consider you to be family, so they are attempting to recall you before I can claim you. There is a finite amount of time for returning a woman to her family.”
    “What is that amount of time?” He smiled as he helped her into a seat at the table. “It is the time between taking a woman home and getting between her thighs.” A blush ran across her cheeks. “Ah. Well, that is fairly specific and flexible at the same time.”
    “Ah, but how flexible is the true question.” He chuckled and slipped a fish and some vegetables onto her plate.
    She sighed. “Charming.”
    He grinned. “Thank you. The fish was caught two hours ago, and the vegetables are grown in hanging gardens.”
    She nibbled at the fish, and when the taste didn’t make her swell up, she kept eating. It was a habit she had gotten into after her first duel with incompatible foods.
    Scotia sipped carefully at her wine and nibbled her way through the meal. She felt stronger and very sleepy when she finished.
    She sat back and Alder was watching her.
    “Do you need more?”
    “No. I am fine. Thank you, Alder.” She checked her clothing, and it was still covering all important points.
    “How long until the station is within sight?” He asked her softly.
    Scotia got up and walked to the front porch.
    The walls of the home were designed to be peeled back for a fully open exposure to the winds, but right now, they were closed.
    She walked down the steps and stood on the sand with Alder right behind her. She looked up as the stars brightened. “I can feel it coming around. It will be here in a few hours.” She was going to continue when a voice laughed through the darkness. “Welcome to the family hideaway, Scotia Pickering. The entire planet is looking for you.”
    Alder disappeared and reappeared a few seconds later, wearing his wrap. “Scotia, this is my sister, Aldeen.”
    The woman was standing in the open doorway of the house, and she had a pack over one shoulder.
    “Pleased to meet you, Aldeen.” Scotia looked over to Alder and saw the thwarted frustration in his gaze.
    Aldeen came down and extended an arm to Scotia. “Come along, sister. We can do better than the hand-me-downs of past generations. This bag of clothing is for you. Some daily wear and swim wear.”
    She looked at Alder and his sheepish grin. “Oh, good. I was wondering about swimwear.” Aldeen laughed, a bright sound that lit the night, and they went together into the house to wait out the station rising.

Chapter Six
    “S o, you are telling me that people are looking for me?” Scotia let her curiosity flow. They were in one of the guest bedrooms, and Aldeen was helping her with the fit of the next wrap.
    The fabric was a vibrant scarlet and embedded with jewels. The skirt was designed so that the tie faced front and cascaded into a second forward panel in the wrap. It was very Egyptian in style.
    “Oh yes. Baels Lerock and Hislar have been to the village three times in the last few hours. Even Bael Norwen showed up, demanding to know what you wanted of his wife.” Aldeen fussed and fiddled, but eventually, she stepped back and