AHealingCaress by Viola Grace Read Free Book Online

“It was a mild sedative. I have been building up a tolerance for it. I forgot about it until she mentioned it. It will wear off in an hour or so.”
    Tracker shifted Bren until she was cradled in his lap. She was boneless, but her ivory skin still held a hint of a flush from their kiss. Her chest rose and fell evenly and her hair slithered over his arm in a rush of pale silk.
    Polai started mixing a separate pot of tea. “I used to look at Miriil like that, until her father caught us. I was on a ship so fast that I wasn’t even conscious before we took off. I have no idea what his Imperial Highness told his daughter, but I bet it wasn’t flattering.”
    Tracker’s urge to kill Polai disappeared when he saw the definite grief on his face. “It probably was not.” He stroked Bren’s cheek and smiled as she rubbed her face against his hand. “Are you willing to fight for Miriil?”
    Polai threw some herbs in a pot and watched them steep. “If she wants me, I am willing to try. Do you think you can get me into the event without her father barring us from it?”
    Tracker stroked Bren’s cheek again. “I have just the all-access pass with me. You only need to keep from knocking her out again.”
    Polai poured some more tea. “This will counteract the sedative I gave her. It is a simple stimulant. Raxos has a wealth of vegetation and herbs that can be used for a multitude of purposes. It is a wonderful planet and I will be sorry to see it go.”
    “Then, you are coming with us? Bren will be happy about that.” He smiled and shifted her against him, his arousal caressed by her lush thighs with every minute move. It was pure torture and he was committing it to memory.
    “How is it that you were unaffected by the tea?” Polai’s question seemed genuine.
    “I have a quick recovery time.” The double entendre was lost on the woman in his arms, but he didn’t care. She was relaxed and defenceless and he was only too happy to guard her while she slept. It was the least he could do for all she had been through.
    He had studied her records from Gwellen and her arrests had shadowed details that he had interpreted from his time with law enforcement. She had lived a life on the edge of survival and he had nothing but admiration for her coming out of it with her dignity intact.
    Polai poured the tea between two cups, cooling it. “Can you get her to drink this? Even a small bit will help.”
    Tracker shifted her in his arms and took the cup. He held her against his shoulder and pressed the cup to her lips. She sipped, coughed and her lids fluttered wildly. She opened her eyes wide enough to look at him with her pupils dilated.
    “Drink, Bren.”
    She sipped greedily and tension filled her body as she came back to consciousness.
    Tracker watched her closely and when she was more alert, he put the cup down and placed his hands against her hip.
    His arousal beat at his senses, her scent filled his nostrils and all he could think about was peeling her out of that uniform, but he restrained himself with intense effort.
    She blinked and turned to their target. “Polai, will you come with us?”
    Her husky voice ran along Tracker’s nerves, but he kept himself under control.
    Polai smiled. “With such an example of love to accompany me, how could I not?”

    Chapter Nine
    Warshos was a bland world. None of the colours that were visible had any strength or intensity.
    Looking at what would be her fifth world, Bren was a little disappointed. “Polai, this world really bites.”
    He sighed from behind them. “I am aware, but it is my home. Was my home.”
    Tracker grinned. “It will be again if you wish it to be. How is the withdrawal coming?”
    Bren checked her patient and touched his arm again, helping to flush out any residual sedative.
    Polai smiled, his sharpened teeth extended. “It is accelerating now. I will be in fighting form by the time we land.”
    Tracker looked at the warnings flaring across his screens.