Bianca D'Arc by King of Cups Read Free Book Online Page A

a
voyeur, have you?”
    The doctor looked confused as he removed the sensor
on her neck, then bent to remove one from each of her ankles. When
he straightened, Alex was at her side.
    “ I believe Father Theos is waiting
for me,” he said, smoothly changing the subject. “And he said
something about Della being welcome in the off duty crew lounge. I
would like to see that area first, to be sure it is suitable for my
mate.”
    Mate? Oh,
she liked the sound of that, even if it did seem a little
barbaric.
    “ Of course,” Doctor Terva
responded as he removed the last sensor from her other wrist. “That
is only proper. I will escort you today. Tomorrow and in future,
the door will merely unlock at the appointed hour and you can make
your own way to your destinations. I am forced to warn you that
your life signs are being monitored from the bridge. If you stray
from your appointed paths, guards will be sent to redirect
you.”
    Alex nodded. “We understand. We won’t make
trouble.”
    “ Excellent.”
    The doctor led the way to the off duty crew lounge
and Della was relieved to see that even here, in a place designed
for relaxation, the military expectations of this ship were held in
high regard. It was a clean, orderly room with several men sitting
around a card table while others were reading or playing games of
skill or chance at various stations around the brightly lit
room.
    “ Will you be all right here, Del?”
Alex took her hand and she met his gaze. She read concern and
caring there that touched her deeply. She was moved to cup his
cheek in her palm as she moved closer.
    “ I’ll be fine.” She smiled softly
at him as his head lowered and he kissed her briefly, gently,
tenderly. The room around them had ceased to exist for just a
moment but came back into sharp focus when Doctor Terva cleared his
throat. “Go on. I’ll be okay.”
    Alex drew away. “I’ll hold you to that, Del. You
know I’d hate to have to kill anyone for upsetting you.”
    His voice was pitched just slightly louder so every
man in the room could hear the veiled threat. He might as well have
let out a yell and beat his chest. It was a very Neanderthal thing
to do, but it seemed to generate a new respect in the air around
the room.
    Some of these men, no doubt, had seen Alex fight on
the departure concourse. They knew he wasn’t bluffing. He could
kill with his bare hands and he moved faster than lightning. She
doubted any single warrior here could take him in a fair fight.
    She blew him a kiss as he gave her one last,
lingering glance from the door. Doctor Terva was already out of
sight when Alex followed. Della stared after him, a gooey feeling
in her heart and what she knew had to be a silly grin on her
face.
    Slowly, she became aware of the expectant air in the
room. She turned to the men, all of whom were watching her, and
smiled. She walked over to an empty card table, picked up a deck
that had been waiting in a holder at the dealer’s place and
expertly shuffled.
    “ Anybody up for a hand of
poker?”

Chapter Six
     
    Alex was surprised when Doctor Terva led him to what
looked like a gym. The padded floor and single, mirrored wall led
his gaze to another wall, this one stocked with old fashioned and
well worn weapons. Practice weapons. Sticks of every size, wooden
blades carved to mirror the real thing but unable to cut students
while they learned knife and sword techniques.
    Alex had studied martial arts in just such a place
both as a child and as an adult. He continued to hone his skills in
private and had made the fighting arts a lifelong study. He was
surprised to see Father Theos appeared to have done the same.
    “ You do not hide your surprise
well, young Alex. At least not to my eyes.”
    Alex bowed, removing his footwear before entering
the padded room, as was the ritual he had learned in human martial
arts studios. Theos’s smile and return bow made him realize these
jit’suku had more in common with humans than he