Sheila gasped. When had he shown up? Did he see Julian chasing her? It didn’t matter; she knew from the look on his face that he was about to kill Julian. “K’avir! K’avir, don’t...”
K’avir didn’t speak. He took a step and got between Sheila and Julian. Julian looked at him as if K’avir’s imposing stature was nothing to fear. “So now what? We fight? We duel? Your girlfriend is a fucking bitch! She led me on!”
K’avir didn’t say anything, but Sheila could see his muscles ripple under his uniform. She tried to reach for him, but when she tried to, her arm ached. “K’avir, it’s all right. I’m fine. I’m okay. Don’t kill him! Please!”
Her arm throbbed. Julian yanked it hard enough that she thought he might have pulled the skin apart. Sheila held her bicep and felt fear rising in her throat. K’avir was going to kill Julian and he was too stupid to realize it.
K’avir took a step towards Julian. Julian didn’t back down.
“Julian, you need to get away from here!”
“I’m not scared of this guy. He may have everyone else here punked, but I’m not scared.”
“You’re a damned fool! Don’t you understand? He’s going to kill you!”
“And you’re a lying bitch, so—”
K’avir flattened him with a punch to the face. Julian’s nose broke, his lip split, and three of his front teeth went flying. The blow sent him stumbling and he landed on his ass. K’avir went towards him, fists clenching and unclenching. Sheila grabbed his arm, not caring about her own. Blood soaked her uniform sleeve.
“K’avir, baby, please don’t do it. Don’t kill him! I’m all right, let’s just go!”
He turned to look at her. The look in his eyes was wild and dangerous and it frightened her a little but also aroused her. She let him go, confused. Julian got to his feet and put his hands to his face. Blood ran out of his nose and mouth and covered the front of his uniform. Sheila turned her attention to him.
“Julian, get the fuck out of here before he kills you! HE WILL KILL YOU! Don’t be stupid! Don’t you get it?? He’s going to kill you!”
Julian didn’t have a chance to take two steps before K’avir’s hand was around his throat. He lifted the bleeding man six inches off the ground, staring into his eyes.
“K’avir, please!” Sheila went over to stand beside him. She put her hand on his arm. It was like iron. “Baby, please…please don’t…”
Julian realized that he had committed a major mistake and tried to speak. “Muh…smorry… ”
Sheila looked at him and then back at K’avir. “K’avir, please!”
Julian was trying to break his grip and struggling to breathe. He kicked and brought his fists down on K’avir’s arm, but the Vulcan was an immovable object. K’avir stared at him, impassive, but raging inside. Julian had dared— dared—to put his hands on Sheila; he had the testicular fortitude to actually grab her and re-injure her arm. He insulted her and called her offensive names. The line hadn’t just been crossed; it had been leapt over. Julian’s behavior was unacceptable. He was going to kill him.
“You were warned,” he said, his voice low and cold. “I told you to stay away.” He continued to squeeze, so angry that he didn’t feel Sheila’s hands on his arm.
Julian’s face was darkening and he had stopped struggling. Sheila kept begging. “K’avir, please! Please stop! Please stop! For me, baby, for me, please don’t kill him! I’m fine, I’m all right!”
“He touched you,” was his response. “He insulted you.”
“It was my fault, K’avir. He thought I was single!”
“It does not matter. He was warned. He will never harm you again, Sheila.”
Sheila put her hands to K’avir’s face and turned it towards her. “Don’t do this. Please don’t do this. I love you. I don’t want you to face disciplinary measures over him. He’s not worth it.”
“The captain understands, Sheila.”
“He also told you to avoid it if possible. I’m begging you to stop, K’avir. I understand now. I understand you. Please let him go!” She stared into his honey eyes, imploring him to stop.
K’avir didn’t take his eyes off Sheila. She stared back at him, taking in the whole of him, breathing in his unique scent. There was a moment of heat between them, a spark of something deep, primal and raw; some ancient force that drew them together and she found herself quite aroused. K’avir stared back at her, allowing his gaze to slide down her body and back up again to her eyes and he took a deep breath. He relaxed his grip and lowered Julian to the ground. Julian fell down, coughing and sputtering, rubbing his throat. Sheila spared him a brief glance and tapped her communicator.
“Shawn, emergency medical team to my quarters, stat!” she said.
Julian was curled in the fetal position, moaning and covering his face. Sheila wanted to help him, but knew she could not go near him, lest K’avir finish what he started. In moments, she heard members of the paramedic squad in the halls. When the team leader arrived, she told them what kind of injuries Julian had and ordered the squad to beam him to sickbay. She felt the need to inform him: “Shawn will take care of you and don’t you ever come near me again.”
Then she turned her attention back to K’avir, who was staring at her, breathing slowly and deeply. That wild, dark look was still in his eyes. Sheila couldn’t believe how turned on she was. She met his gaze and swallowed, holding her arm. Julian had indeed pulled her wound open; she could feel the blood trickling out.
K’avir stared at her, lowering his dangerous gaze to her arm. He sniffed.
“Come on,” she said. She grabbed his hand and led him to her quarters. Once inside, she informed Shawn to expect a patient with throat injuries and a broken nose. Shawn confirmed.
K’avir stood at the door, staring at her. Sheila winced as she held her arm. Slowly, she began to remove her coverall, being careful not to make the bleeding worse. Then he was before her, helping her to remove her clothing. She was still very sore and she took her time. Sheila turned to look in her mirror as K’avir pushed her coverall over her hips and down her legs. Slowly, she stepped out of it and kicked it to one side.
Then he was behind her. Sheila stared into the mirror, at their reflection. He was still breathing deeply, standing directly behind her. She could feel his body heat. He was calming down. Sheila’s body was covered with large bruises from combat last night. She took a painkiller right after she got dressed, but it was starting to wear off. She sighed. She was the girlfriend of a Vulcan warrior. It was logical that he sought her protection above all else, even if he had to murder another man to ensure it. She knew it was an expression of love and she could live with that.
Her arm was bleeding again. She would have to get Shawn to repair her injury. Sheila removed the bandage carefully and examined it. It wasn’t too bad, but it was going to start throbbing if she didn’t take another painkiller soon. To her surprise, K’avir carefully took her arm and raised it to shoulder level. He began to kiss her wound tenderly and moved her so that she was between him and her mirror, caught in his one-armed embrace. Sheila moaned. The room was getting warm and she was standing in front of the mirror in her dark red lingerie and black boots with her knife still in its sheath.
He was licking the trickle of blood that oozed from her wound. And to her surprise—not complete—she found herself getting aroused. It seemed only natural that he would do this; after all, he was turned on by the sight of her body after they fought. Aroused by her bumps, bruises and cuts. He was a fighter and he preferred a woman who would fight back and his reward was the evidence of their combat. That she was proud to walk around the ship bearing said evidence, with everyone knowing who gave them to her, pleased him. She was really beginning to understand the dark beauty behind her, as well as herself. She was learning what she wanted, what she craved and what made her come alive. She had been dead for all those years before and with Lenny, but her Vulcan lover brought her back to life.
K’avir moved her hair to one side and his kisses went to her neck and shoulders. His arms came around her to pull her to him. “T’nash-veh vak-sur. T’nash-veh vaksurik k’diwa.”
Sheila leaned into him, surrendering herself. She was way too sore to make love to him, but it didn’t matter. They didn’t have to. She could tell him that there were other ways to show her that he desired her.
“K’avir,” she murmured. “K’avir.”
“Sheila,” he breathed, turning his head to look at her reflection.
“I understand now. I know what you want.”
“All I want, k’diwa, is you.”
“I know.”
“I have to learn your language of expression, but I will do it because I wish to please you. I will not have you dissatisfied with me.”
“You don’t have that to worry about, baby.”
“I would have you right now,” he murmured, “but I know that you are not up to it. I wish to remind you of my desire.”
“We don’t have to have sex for you to show me, K’avir. And I understand that it is not something that you would say. I just would like to have open, tangible reminders that you care for me. I want to be seen with you, to hold your hand, to take meals together, or anything like that and I want you to be comfortable with it. I understand that you are expressing your love in the way you know how, but I need a little more than that.”
“I do not know how.”
“I will show you if you trust me. It will require you loosening your strict hold on your Vulcan disciplines, but surely you knew that when you chose me as your mate.”
“I am willing.”
“And I will learn how to speak your language so that our communications are always clear from now on. You must teach me that.”
“I will.”
She smiled and rubbed his hair. “Would you get me a painkiller hypo out of the drawer over there? I’m going to be hurting in a little while.”
K’avir grabbed the hypo and handed it to her. Sheila injected herself and turned to face him. She cupped his cheeks and kissed his lips. His breathing increased and he grabbed her ass. “I do not wish for another to have you, Sheila. I do not want you with anyone but me.”
“I don’t want anybody else, K’avir. I didn’t really want Julian, but he paid attention to me in a way that you didn’t, or couldn’t. He took meals with me and talked to me. I recognize that he was trying to initiate a relationship with me, but I told him that I didn’t want that. I’m sorry I put you in that position.”
“It does not matter,” he said. “I will protect you and defend you with my life.”
“I won’t have a life if you’re not here, K’avir. I’m crazy about you.”
He caressed her bruised back, staring at it in the mirror. “You must lie down,” he said. “You are sore and I can feel your tension. I will attend you.”
“All right.”
She started to walk to the bed, but he picked her up and carried her. She let him, staring into his amber eyes, which were filled with so much tenderness that it made her breath catch. He laid her on the bed and sat beside her and began to remove her boots. Sheila let him, realizing that he was making an attempt to show her his feelings outside of sex. Normally, he tore off her clothes.
“I want you to be content with me. I do not want you displeased. I will do my best to give you what you ask for, Sheila, but I am Vulcan and we do not let our emotions come to the surface.”
“But you almost killed Julian.”
“He hurt you. He put his hands on you. I will not have another man claim my woman. You are my chosen mate. Vulcans do not share and violence does occur when such circumstances arise.”
“I understand that you will undergo a period of illogical behavior soon and that I must be bonded to you before it takes place.”
“We do not discuss it, but you are correct.”
“Will you talk to me about it before it happens?”
“I will make every attempt because you must be informed. It is not pleasant. I could hurt you, hence the reason for your advanced training. You may find it necessary to fight me off.” He removed her stockings, one at a time and began to massage her legs.
Sheila gaped at him. “Fight you off?”
“It can be violent. Combat helps to alleviate some of the tension, but I will be insane and driven by a singular act: to mate with you. I am not a small man and you will require periods of nourishment and rest, which I won’t allow. You will have to fight me off in order to have it. You will have to run from me, Sheila. You will have to hide from me. In this instance you will want to keep yourself from me, but you will not be successful, for I will hunt you down and I will have you.”
Sheila closed her eyes and felt two things simultaneously: a finger of fear and a hand of excitement.