Johanna Lindsey - Warrior’s Woman

“It’s safe, but fresh is healthier.”

“But fresh is so-fresh,” Tedra said in disgust. “It bleeds, Martha. And I was looking forward to some normal food.”

“Like I said, it won’t hurt you, but the warriors’ supplies would still be healthier for you.”

“And I suppose you’ll tell Challen that?”

“Certainly.”

“Thanks a lot,” Tedra grumbled, heading for the utility wall to dial the closet.

She made her selection, but frowned when the ship’s uniform came out on the rack, for she’d dialed it automatically. She’d never get away with wearing it, even if she was back in her own territory, so she sent the one-piece suit back and dialed a skirt and blouse. Her humor returned at seeing how really skimpy both pieces were. And while she was at it, she changed her eye and hair coloring to look more Sha-Ka’ani.

She laughed then, picturing how surprised her warrior was going to be when he saw her made over. Her shiny gold-and-black skirt was only about a foot long, in the design of a wide belt, and just barely covered her from hip to mid-thigh. The sleeveless blouse stopped just below her breasts, though the top of it dipped enticingly low and, like the skirt, buckled together. Her hair was as golden as Challen’s and swept up and out of the way in a hair-tail. Her eyes were a soft amber and still filled with laughter when she removed the bathroom walls.

“What is so amusing, Tedra De Arr?” Corth asked, coming up behind her.

“Do I look warriorlike to you?”

“You look like you should be in bed.”

Tedra’s mouth dropped open just before she yelled, “Martha!” but as she might have expected, the troublemaker didn’t answer.

“Was that not an appropriate response?”

“No, Corth, it was not,” Tedra gritted out. “Didn’t Martha tell you that I have a man now, one of the warriors?”

“Yes. Challen is his name.”

“Well, if she told you that, why in the farden hell didn’t she adjust your programming while she was at it?”

“I would not let her.”

“You what ?”

“That was a joke.” Corth grinned. “The Martha has given me humor.”

“Oh, the metal lady is having a grand old time experimenting with you, isn’t she? But I don’t like it!”

“You wish my new humor removed?”

“Don’t play dense, babe. You know what I want removed.”

“But my drive to satisfy you will not be a problem, as long as the Challen satisfies you.”

She might have laughed if she weren’t so exasperated. It wasn’t easy arguing with perfect reasoning, but she’d been doing that ever since she’d brought Martha home. But Martha was the one who needed arguing with over this fiasco, not Corth. What could that warped computer be thinking of, to deliberately leave the android in his new, sexually aggressive mode when she knew the situation with Challen?

“All right, Corth, it’s not your fault.” Tedra moved over to the dining area that had been ordered up, but the several selections waiting for her didn’t look all that tempting just now. “I think I need to work up an appetite, babe. Come and defend yourself. With a full ship, it might be better if we do our workouts in here for the time being, and I’ve missed them.”

The android obliged and Tedra attacked. The fembair ran for cover when the first body hit the floor. Tedra rebounded quickly, grinning. Corth had the strength to demolish her, but he wouldn’t use that strength against her. For workouts, he was programmed to her skill level, which meant she took as much punishment as she gave. She couldn’t beat him, but that wasn’t the purpose of the exercises.

When the door slid silently open, Tedra was in the process of blocking a high kick and swung around for one of her own. Seeing Challen standing there looking like something a thunderstorm might deliver threw her timing off, and the arm Corth raised to block her caught her in the back instead. She went stumbling, Challen went berserk, and Corth, naturally, defended himself. By the time she turned around, her barbarian was fighting for breath. Corth had him in a bear-hold, and was having to expend extra, strength to hold him. But hold him he did, much to Challen’s confusion.

“Release him, Corth.”

He obeyed her instantly, of course. Challen, on the other hand, couldn’t be controlled like that. No sooner was he released than he drew his sword. Tedra had never moved so fast as she did to get between them.

“He’s a machine, Challen. You’re not going to kill another machine, are you?”

That didn’t do it, if Challen’s expression was any indication. Corth didn’t look like a machine, that was the problem. And Challen wasn’t looking at her, but at Corth, still with every intention of hacking him to pieces, which would have been done already if she weren’t in the way.

In a firmer tone, she tried explaining. “Now, look, warrior, you can’t go around destroying things just because you don’t understand yet how they work. Corth wasn’t doing anything I hadn’t told him to do. We were exercising, something I like to do daily. You understand practice-makes-perfect? You exercise with your sword, don’t you? Well, I have to exercise my skills, too, and Corth’s the only one I can do that with where no one gets hurt.”

He took his eyes off Corth only long enough to say, “You were getting hurt, woman.”

“No, I wasn’t. And you’re wasting that look on a machine, Challen. He couldn’t care less that you’re angry. He’s programmed only to please me. And since when do you show anyone that you’re angry? Where’s your control gone lately?”

That got her a grunt and a disgusted look, though he did sheathe his sword. “A warrior cannot be expected to maintain his control when he has such a one as you for his woman.”

“Oh, that’s cute. Blame me for every-”

His hand caught her face suddenly. “What have you done to yourself?”

“I changed-”

“You will change back, and you will do it now.”

“Now just a-”

“Now, woman!”

“And leave you two alone in here? Not on your life,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest in an I’m-not-budging pose.

He looked around until his eyes caught the bed. “Is this not the place where I will sleep?”

Her arms uncrossed. “Challen!”

“You will do as you are told, kerima , will you not?”

“All right!” she snapped. “I’m going. But I’d like to know what you’re going to do for kicks when my challenge service is over and I no longer have to jump when you say jump.”

“In a lifetime, think you that you will never challenge me again?”

She started to deny it, but what was the use? At the rate they were going, she’d be challenging him every other month at least!

Fortunately, it didn’t take but a few minutes to get her own coloring back. She decided Corth could hold his own that long, especially since Challen got distracted by his first encounter with movable walls, walls that enclosed completely and were without doors. By the time he had figured out that there was no way he could get into the room that had just formed itself, Tedra sent the walls back out of sight.

“Convenience, Challen, remember? Getting a lot out of a little space is just another aspect of it. And don’t worry, we’ve got lots of time to show you everything so things like this don’t throw you when we get to Kystran.”

This got her another grunt. “Best you bring those walls back, woman. You have not finished changing.”

“But I did,” she protested.

“You will also remove those clothes and wear what is appropriate.”

She smiled now. “I didn’t bring any chauri with me, babe.” But an “I did” got rid of her smile. “If you think I’m going to step one foot on my world wearing one of those-”