Read Rystani Warrior 02 - The Dare for Free Online Page A

“Come on. Move.”
    His muscles pulsed. His bones vibrated strangely as he forced one foot in front of the other. He put down the fantasizing to the aftereffects from his knock on his head. Had his presence, his bump into the machinery, or the rescue party’s arrival brought the machines to life? Were they about to undergo another attack of golden light? Would the portal close and trap him?
    Kahn poked his head into the corridor, one thick arm blocking Tessa from entering. In a sweeping, intelligent gaze, Kahn took in the hum of machinery and Zical’s unsteady steps.
    Without hesitating another moment, Kahn entered the cavern, approached, and placed a steadying arm over Zical’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing.” Zical rubbed his forehead again as another jolt of sexual need coursed through him. “Everything. I don’t know.”
    Tessa slipped to Zical’s other side, and together they helped him stand and go outside. “Dora, what happened?”
    Concisely, Dora reported the pertinent details, including that Zical’s portable computer unit was undamaged and again in contact with the mainframe now that they were outside. She concluded her analysis with the suggestion, “Zical should undergo a full physical exam.”
    “Dregan hell. I’m fine.” What he needed was an hour with Xentos to take the edge off, a night to douse the flames of desire from his system. He hoped the sensation would abate when they left the cavern. It didn’t.
    For some damn reason, every time Dora spoke, erotic images of her with a body flooded his mind. Dora dancing naked for him. Dora kissing him, her mouth sultry and warm. Dora’s hands busily stroking … damn. The golden light must have put those images in his head, and no matter how much he tried to focus his thoughts on the ancient machines and their purpose, he failed to get Dora out of his head.
    With Tessa, Kahn, and Zical standing outside in the niche, the spot was so crowded, he couldn’t move. Zical closed his eyes and more exotic images of Dora filled his mind, images similar to those that he’d dreamed while unconscious. Dora with a sexy neck, large breasts, and sensual hips. Dora with a body like Xentos, his holosim. If he shared this odd information with Kahn, he’d not only have to suffer through a physical, but he’d also have to withstand a psych evaluation. He hated nothing more than talking to a therapist, resented anyone probing his mind, digging into old and painful wounds better left alone.
    He could imagine the therapist’s questions. Did he fulfill his needs with a holosim, not a real woman, because he couldn’t put aside his failure to protect Summar? He would honestly answer yes, but no good would come of tearing open old wounds. The fact remained that Summar was dead, and while he’d unconditionally loved the baby inside her, he’d always had deep reservations about his child bride and resented their arranged marriage from the beginning when he’d recognized they were a poor match. After her death, he’d tried to numb his grief and forget his failure to protect his family by accepting one war mission after another. If he was reluctant to involve himself with another woman, he could blame his people’s need for competent starship pilots and his busy schedule.
    Tessa peered at him, her concern in eyes as green and deep as the valley far below. “Do you think the golden light is a weapon?”
    “Rays of golden light cut through my suit like a starship through hyperspace.” Slowly, the thrumming ebbed, leaving him certain that if the creators of the technology inside Mount Shachauri had wanted him dead, he wouldn’t still be breathing. “I’m not hurt. Maybe it was a welcome?”
    “A welcome that knocked you out?” Kahn muttered sarcastically.
    “Dora says these machines are ancient. The builders couldn’t possibly have anticipated what effect their technology might have on beings other than themselves,” Tessa countered, peering around