Page 76 of Lost in Barbarian Space

Colm nodded. “Aurina, you look far…rounder than I remember. My warlord’s baby grows big inside you.” Then Colm’s gaze lifted and settled on Honor.

Her entire body was tense and she held her breath.

He gave her a smile. “Hello. Are you part of my medical team?” There was no spark of recognition in his brown eyes.

For the second time in a few minutes, Honor felt like her insides had shattered into tiny pieces. She could almost hear the tinkle of the breaking pieces of her heart. She felt as though they were cutting her up inside. She fought to stay steady on her feet.

She found her voice. “I’m with security.”

He leaned back against the pillows. “I’m a warrior, I don’t need security.”

Her stubborn, protective warrior was gone. He was once again Colm Mal Kor, and he was no longer hers.

“I’ll leave you all to catch up,” she said.

Aurina’s face was pained and Kavon’s was stoic.

Colm frowned at her as she left, but Honor strode down the hall and didn’t let herself look back.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Colm walked through Kavon’s house, absorbing the smells of home. He’d come back from the spaceship that morning and he was glad to have his boots back on real ground.

The small rooms, narrow corridors, and sleek metal walls of the ship had made him feel claustrophobic and yearn for open spaces.

People bustled around the house, busy with preparations. Tonight, there would be a goodbye feast for the skyflyers. He shook his head. It was strange, since he didn’t even remember their arrival, or subsequent visit.

Apparently, he’d been a hero. He’d been lost on the icy moon of Ansar, helped defeat space pirates, and discovered a second ship that had traveled with the First Warriors, and saved the treasure still loaded in its wreck.

Not bad, considering he didn’t remember a single part of his adventure.

Colm’s steps slowed. Added to that, was the far more momentous fact that his nanami sickness was cured. He pressed a hand to his chest, felt the steady beat of his hearts, and the steady hum of his nanami.

He should be feeling on top of the world.

But the truth was, he felt…unsettled.

His nanami were also unsettled. Not the out-of-control edge that he was used to, it was as if something was upsetting them.

He moved to the end of the hallway and out onto a small balcony. The courtyard below hummed with activity. A team from the Institute was stacking boxes of treasure off floating carts, while some of Kavon’s warriors moved the boxes into the house. Most of the treasure was staying here, along with a small team of archeologists, who would stay to analyze it. The people from the Institute would be heading off to take the remainder of the treasure back to their museums.

He watched the people in the black-and-gray uniforms moving back and forth. Then he caught the glint of gold.

The security officer who’d visited him in the med bay.

He’d asked around, and he knew her name was Agent Honor Brandall.

He leaned his hip against the railing and watched her. There was something about her…

He listened to her giving crisp, clear orders, as she helped her team. He liked the way she moved, with an athletic efficiency. She was certainly attractive, with intriguing curves combined with a warrior’s strength. He liked the entire package and wondered if she’d be interested in a night in his bed.

Then he frowned. But it wasn’t just the way she looked that made him curious, it was the way she had looked at him in the med bay…

Kavon strode out onto the balcony and stood beside him.

Colm raised a brow. “Feast organized?”

“Yes. There’ll be no wulver beast, though, like at their welcome feast.” His friend looked at him. “You brought one down the day they arrived. All alone. Didn’t even wait for your friend to aid you.”