Grim Read online

  "Veron, the other females...." Callen tries again. "They are extremely agitated by this situation. They say they will not join with our warriors if it is not corrected."

  "What?” Veron can’t believe this is happening. “All because this one claims to have offspring?" Veron angrily points at Lisa.

  "Yes."

  "Your females must be real bitches." Lisa tells Veron softly. "You have no concept of how far human females will go to protect our offspring, or what we will do to those who threaten them." An uneasy silence meets her statement.

  Grim enters the control room unbeknownst to the three arguing and is as stunned as the other males. That this small female would dare to order a Tornian warrior, let alone one of the Emperor’s Captain’s is unheard of. What would she do if truly challenged?

  “I will accept and protect her offspring,” He finds himself says. “Provided she agrees to join with me and no another.”

  Lisa slowly turns to find the source of the deep gravelly voice that’s giving her goose bumps and pales. The male standing just inside the doors towers over the others, easily seven foot tall and where they are large he is massive. Where they are jewel tones he is bronze, his skin glimmering over hard muscles, but it’s his face and neck that capture her attention. The bronze is striated with thick dark scars starting just below his ear working their way across his face, throat, neck, and chest.

  “If she can explain why she carries no male’s scent.” His dark grey eyes glitter dangerously. Lisa swallows trying to make her suddenly dry throat to work but before she can answer Veron speaks.

  “You cannot do this Grim you are not suitable for joining.” Veron argues.

  “That is not your decision Captain. It is hers.” Frigid eyes look to Veron. “Wray will support my claim if it is her choice.” All eyes turn to her waiting.

  “Mark died." She fights to get it out. "Nearly a year ago.”

  “His joining scent would still linger.” The raspy voice accuses.

  “He became ill, while I was carrying our second child, nearly four years ago.” Grim watches as her eyes take on a sad look.

  “You expect us to believe you stayed with him!” Disbelief colors Veron’s voice.

  “Of course I did!” Outrage drives away the sadness as they bore into Veron. “He was my husband! We took vows!” She sees the shock on the warriors faces.

  "Vows?" Veron questions, warriors give vows not females.

  "Promises." She looks around the room not understanding their confusion. "To love, honor and cherish each other, for better or worse, in sickness and in health until in death we do part." Her revelation is met by stunned silence.

  “You expect me to believe that you kept this...vow. For nearly four years, receiving no relief.” She easily sees the disbelief in Grim’s eyes.

  “That is none of your business!” She retorts angrily.

  “It is if you want my protection for your offspring.” Grim watches intrigued as the female’s pale skin begins to turn rosy.

  “Fine. No. It’s been over four years since my husband has been able to relieve me, as you put it." She forces out through clenched teeth. "It’s what made him realize something was seriously wrong, but by then it was too late.”

  “Yet you stayed.” Grim wants her to say it.

  “Of course I stayed, I loved him. He would have done the same.” Her simple statement, said with absolute conviction, is met by silence.

  Grim looks at the small female, not knowing what to believe, his brother had informed him that they were different then Tornian females but surely no female would stay with an unfit male for so long. She would seek out another's protection, leaving her offspring with the male.

  “I am not a Tornian female." She interrupts his thoughts softly. "Don’t judge me by what they would do. You don’t know me.”

  Grim moves to stand in front of her, trying to assess her truth he crosses his trees for arms over a massive chest. “You will join with only me.”

  “What does that mean?” She whispers craning her neck back to maintain eye contact.

  “That only I will relieve your need.” Hard eyes bore into hers. "No matter what.”

  “What does that mean?” If possible his eyes become even harder his voice rougher.

  “You cannot become upset with me, with my appearance and join with another male, leaving me to protect your offspring.”

  “Your appearance….." She eyes travel to his scars seeing them darken as his jaw tenses. "What does that have to do with anything?” She asks honestly confused and he is stunned. “Will you harm me? Harm my children?” Grim hears the fine tremor in her voice telling him she is frightened but still she challenges him.

  “Never.”

  “They will stay with me." She forces herself to continue. "I will be in control of what happens to them.”

  “They will be under Tornian law.” Grim informs her.

  “They aren't Tornian. I will have control.”

  “Of your offspring. Of ours I will.” Lisa continues to meet his gaze trying to see the truth, to decide if she can live with it. She isn’t even sure she can have children with this man…male…to risk the children she had being left behind, on the life of a child that may never be conceived….

  “If you're being honest with me then once we retrieve my children I will willingly join with you.”

  “With only me.” He demands.

  “With only you.” She agrees, after a moment he nods, pushing a button on the console.

  "Then it is agreed."

  "I protest!” Luuken’s suddenly outburst has Grim spinning to face the smaller male. “She is to be delivered to the Assembly to join with a worthy warrior, not an unfit one!"

  "Then you should have done what was necessary to secure her. She has willingly agreed to join with me. It has been witnessed and recorded. It's done!" He turns back to the small female. “Come, we will retrieve your offspring.”

  Grim's mind is racing, why has the goddess suddenly smiled upon him? A female. He has a female. He glances down at the small creature walking beside him. She doesn't even come up to his shoulder. How will she ever be able to give him offspring? What had he been thinking?

  Seeing her stand up Luuken, fearlessly challenging the larger male, stirred something in him. She is fierce, a warrior in her own right. If she spoke true, she remained with her male even when he was unable to give her pleasure, was unable to protect her. She refused to abandon her offspring. No Tornian female would do this. They were female. They were all that mattered, yet this small Earth female acted as if it were normal, expected even. She must be lying.

  Another male's offspring…he grimaces. He doesn’t want them especially Earth ones. They have enough males on his planet. It is females they need, but if accepting them is what he must do to not only join with her but also maintain his position, then so be it, he will tolerate them.

  Lisa can’t believe what she just agreed too. What was she thinking!?! She’s going to be a sex slave to a nearly seven-foot alien. She’s entrusting him with not only her life but also the lives of her girls and possibly those of any future children. What could she have been thinking…except…something about him pulls her…maybe it is because everyone in that room acted as if he was defective, said he was unfit. What do they know about Grim that she doesn’t? He said he wouldn't harm them, is she a fool to trust his word.

  Sitting quietly next to Grim, Lisa watches him skillfully pilot the ship he’s led her too. Her acceptance of this sudden change in her life should surprise her, but it doesn’t. It’s happened to her before, when she went from happily expecting her second child to being the pregnant wife of a cancer patient with a toddler. She’d been forced to change, to adapt, if she wanted to survive. She could do it again. She’d make this work for her girls.

  "What is your name?" Lost in her thoughts she jumps when Grim speaks.

  "Lisa...Lisa Miller."

  "Lisamiller." Grim repeats the strange name.


  "No." She waits until he looks at her. "My first name is Lisa. My last name...my husband's last name is Miller. It is his family name."

  "You took his name when you joined?" Grim frowns at her.

  "Yes. Many females on my planet do. It is a designation of who you are..." She hesitates searching for the word. "Joined with. Is it not that way on Tornian?"

  "No." He replies abruptly. "Where are your offspring?” Looking from him to the view outside the ship, she's surprised to find them over Mark’s grave, the sandwich and drink where she’d left them, the blanket having blown away. Giving the grave one last look she focuses on Grim’s impenetrable face and her future.

  “Go that way.” She points left into town, directing him to her home. “There…at the end of the street.”

  Grim scans the dwelling she’s pointed too. “I detect three beings in the dwelling.”

  “That’s them. I need to get to them. They’ll be scared.”

  “The area behind your dwelling is adequate for landing.” He maneuvers the ship closer.

  “You’re not worried it will be seen?” She can’t hide her surprise.

  “The ship is shielded.” He tells her landing.

  “Grim….” He looks at her waiting. “This ‘learning program’ that allows me to speak to and understand you…”

  “What about it?” He asks gruffly.

  “Will my children still be able to understand me?” He sees her fear but doesn’t understand it.

  “You know they will.” He replies impatiently.

  “How would I know that?” Grim eyes her suspiciously, what game is she playing?

  “The Guide explained this to you.”

  “Guide?” She grabs his arm when he would have turned away. “What Guide? What the hell is a Guide?”

  “He is the male that was there when you finished the program. He removed the educator and explained things to you.”

  “I woke up, pulled off whatever that thing was covering my eyes and Rebecca was there. There was no one called Guide, just the other women until Callen opened the door.”

  The growl that escapes Grim has Lisa quickly pulling away. His look freezes her. “You removed the educator yourself?” He quickly lifts her into his lap, holding her head immobile between massive but gently hands. “No Guide was there to assist you? Calm.” He orders as she starts to struggle. “I need to be sure you haven’t damaged yourself.”

  Carefully he threads his fingers through silky auburn hair, the strands curling around them, as he slowly inspects her scalp, watching closely to see if he causes any pain. Soon his fingers trail along her jaw, lightly touch lips that have parted at his touch. Desire flashes in his eyes before it disappears and he removes his hands.

  “I find no damage.” He says roughly.

  “Good.” She whispers. “That’s good.”

  “When we return to the Searcher this will be corrected.” His eyes harden at the thought of how badly she could have been damaged. “Your offspring will understand you, not me.” He answers her original question. “I will understand them only if we are physically connected.”

  “Physically connected…you mean touching.” He nods. Rising, he keeps her close before he slowly lets her slide down his hard body, making her aware of every bulge, before he finally steps away.

  “Let us get your offspring and be gone.” He orders.

  Chapter Two

  “Stop crying you whiny brats!” A harsh male voice has Grim stepping protectively in front of Lisa as they enter the dwelling, but Lisa shoves him aside, rushing past. Inside she finds her brother-in-law standing over her babies, yelling. “She’s gone! She’s never coming back! She never loved you anyway! Now let’s go!”

  “Peter! What the fuck are you doing?” Grim watches her fearless shove the larger male aside, dropping to her knees to wrap her arms around her sobbing offspring, who immediately dive into her arms.

  Peter pushes himself away from the wall. That little bitch! Did she really think she could do that to him…to him! He’d make her pay, make her brats watch, then they’d know what to expect if they ever disobeyed him. Raising his fist, he moves towards her, ready to show her how a real man controls a woman. A deep threatening growl freezes him, his eyes flying around the room in a panic. What was that? Grim steps out of the kitchen shadows and his jaw drops.

  “What the fuck!” He stumbles back sinking into the wall, as a menacing seven-foot giant slowly approaches, his growls growing louder. Once he is at Lisa’s side, he stops. Lisa looks up from consoling her children to see Grim’s eyes widen as he looks down at her girls before narrowing at Peter.

  “Who is the male?” He demands pressing his leg into her back.

  “Peter. Mark’s brother, Peter.” She whips her head around locating him. “What the fuck are you doing here Peter? Where’s Trisha?” Peter’s mouth opens and closes like a guppy but no sound comes out as he stares at Grim.

  “He hurt Miki mommy.” Carly whispers.

  “He what?” Lisa stares in horror at her oldest. “Miki….” Her hands fly over her baby finding bruises on her arms. “You bastard!” Her fury is easily heard and Grim knows if she didn’t have an armful of trembling young females she would attack, so he will take care of it for her.

  Grim’s eyes stay on the male as he reaches down to help her rise. “Gather what your offspring require, we need to leave.” With one last glare at Peter, she nods and they move to the stairs.

  “Mommy who is that man?” Carly whispers, looking over her shoulder at the large man moving menacingly towards her Uncle who is sliding to the floor.

  “His name is Grim.” She says taking them to their room where she sits them on a bed. “Shhhh baby.” She soothes the still crying Miki. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “Where were you mommy? Did you go to be with daddy?” Miki whispers. “Don’t you love us anymore?” Her lost amber eyes breaking Lisa’s heart.

  “Of course I still love you! I will always love you!” She pulls her daughters close. “I told you I was going to visit daddy’s grave baby. Remember? You’ve gone there before.”

  “The stone?” She sniffles.

  “Yea baby, the stone. I was stuck there honey and it just took me a while to get back, but I did, Grim made sure of it. I’d never leave you.”

  “He’s scary mommy.” Carly whispers.

  “What? Who?” Suddenly she realizes she’s talking about Grim. “Why would you say that baby?” Lisa looks at her oldest.

  “He looks scary." Carly tells her. "He sounds scary.”

  “You know better than that Carly Marie, we don’t judge people on how they look.”

  “But mommy….”

  “No! I know how he looks, but has he hurt you?” They shake their heads. “Didn’t you hate how your friends would look at daddy?”

  “Yeah.” She whispers, dropping her head.

  “They thought he was scary didn’t they.” She nods. “Was he?”

  “No mommy.”

  “Then don’t judge Grim.”

  “But mommy he growls.” Miki whispers.

  “Growls?” Lisa looks at her girls totally confused until she remembers they can’t understand Grim. “It’s just his language baby. I promise, soon you’ll be able to understand him, then you’ll see he’s not scary.”

  “Promise mommy?” Both girls look at her with trusting eyes.

  “Promise, now Grim is waiting so we need to pack." She smiles encouraging at them. "We’re going on an adventure girls.”

  “An adventure?” She can see she’s managed to distract them from the trauma Peter’s caused.

  “Yes an adventure. We’re going to go live with Grim…somewhere far away from here, a place called Tornian.”

  “When are we coming home mommy?” Lisa has to take a deep breath before answering.

  “We won’t be baby. We’re going to live there.”

  “But….”

  “Enough, Grim is waiting, go find your back packs.” Nodding
they go into their closet.

  Grim watches the three females from the doorway, while he doesn’t understand what the little ones are saying, he can sense their fear. Fear of him, fear of the unconscious male down stairs. For some reason their fear of him hurts but Lisa defended him…to her own offspring. Why? He’s done nothing to deserve it. He's forcing her to be his.

  His…. Grim frowns at the thought. When he demanded she join with him and only him he assumed her offspring were male, they all had. She’d given no other indication, if she had, Luuken would have immediately claimed her and her offspring, and that bothers him.

  She hadn’t completed the education program, Luuken should have been there to instruct her on how to access the information her brain now contained and because he hadn’t, she didn’t understand her value on Tornian or the value of her offspring. Once she did, she’d understand that every warrior on Tornian would want to join with her. The power she represents is immeasurable, a male with three females…it hasn’t happened since the infection.

  He will be challenged once it is discovered. Grim's jaw tightens at the thought. Challenged for the right to keep her and there is nothing his brother can do to stop it. They will claim he’s unfit, that Lisa has the right to join with another, because of her lack of understanding, only Lisa could stop it. She will choose another, for no female would willingly join with one such as him, unless forced and he can’t lie to himself, he's forced her. A vicious growl erupts before he can stop it. Lisa jumps as she turns to face him.

  “What’s wrong?” She asks her voice trembling.

  “We must hurry.” Is all he will tell her. Nodding she backs away, bumping into a dresser, before turning to hurry into the closet.

  Grim releases a deep growl, angry at himself, he hadn’t meant to frighten her, never her, but the thought of her joining with another male…already he considers her his and his alone. He hadn’t expected that, that he’d become possessive. A warrior couldn’t allow himself that luxury. If he is blessed with a joining, he knows his time is limited. A female can choose to leave her male at any time…for any reason. A warrior's only hope is that she will present him with offspring before leaving, a male child cementing his place or a female elevating it. Grim’s own place had been at risk since no female would join with him and without that joining he would have no offspring to maintain his position, so it would be given to another, Wray would have no choice, not now that Van was dead.