Perhaps.
But then again, there had been possessiveness in his behavior before and Ryne did not think it was only about protecting her because it was his job to watch over all of the people.
* * * *
The news that a group of aliens had appeared at the gate demanding to speak spread like wildfire throughout the settlement and Belle was instantly caught up in wildly divergent emotions. Dominant among them was a thrill of excitement, anticipation … hopefulness.
She didn’t really want to acknowledge the source, but was impossible to lie to herself about it when her mind leapt instantly to the one she’d met in the woods.
She didn’t resist the urge to hang around and see what could be seen, or hear if there was nothing to see.
But then again, she was certainly not the only one.
Although, she thought she was probably the only one that felt a thrill at the possibility that she might catch a glimpse, at least, of the alien man she’d met before.
Even so, she tried to convince herself it wasn’t likely that it was him--or that he was even one of those outside once she heard there was a group--which seemed to include an Earth woman.
So it came as a shock to discover he was actually among them when they were finally allowed to enter.
And it totally threw her for a loop when he scanned the village, as if merely studying it, and met her gaze.
It almost felt like … a touch.
Because it thrilled her all the way to her toes.
Because she was undoubtedly insane or she wouldn’t find it exciting in a totally thrilling way to have an alien barbarian look her over as if she was prime beef.
* * * *
Connor had mixed feelings as he led the group to the only place they had to ‘entertain’ guests--the food tent they were using as a commissary. Tables and chairs were set up there, at least, and it was covered--not a lot of privacy, but some. Whereas they would have none if they simply stood in the middle of the camp--where anyone not close enough to hear the entire conversation could walk by and pick up tidbits that might well be worse than hearing everything.
He wasn’t particularly uncomfortable about the poor show they had when it would have to be clear to a brick that they had only just arrived and were working on setting up camp.
And he knew damned well that the natives had a pretty good idea of what was going on and what had been done.
Since they had flight capabilities nobody had anticipated.
Mostly, however, he just didn’t fucking like it that the bastard panting over Belle had shown up not two days after he’d caught the son-of-a-bitch checking her out in the woods not twenty feet from their ‘backdoor’.
He was no great believer in coincidence to start with.
Not that kind, for certain.
Maybe it was nothing but the truth--from Noely’s viewpoint--that she just wanted to see people from home.
But he had doubts that was what had brought the natives who had arrived with her.
And, unfortunately, they had no way to separate her from the males so that she would feel comfortable enough to talk freely--if she was a captive.
“We found no sign of the colony ship that came before us,” he said when everyone had settled and he’d sent one of his men to arrange for refreshment--as little as they had that they could afford to offer. “You came with that ship?”
Noely nodded. “The Huntress. The sister ship, The Artemis, wasn’t expected to leave directly behind us … They’d expected it to be at least two decades before it would be completed and ready for launch. But, unless your colony ship is one I never heard of, you must have left very quickly after we did. And I still can’t figure that out. We only arrived a few years ago ourselves.”
Connor mulled that over, trying to decide if it was possible she could’ve gotten that information other than the one professed--as a colonist on the sister ship. Nothing came to him when he knew for a fact that they’d lost contact with the Huntress before they were much more than halfway to the target planet.
He was nearly as surprised as Noely professed to be that they’d arrived practically on the heels of their ship, though. Granted, there’d been significant advancement in the flight technology since the Huntress had left, but no one anticipated the Artemis to arrive so quickly behind the Huntress. “We had expected to find a well established colony,” he said slowly.
Noely flicked a look at Roque and Terran, but she didn’t think launching an explanation at that point was a good idea--especially when they’d come for answers themselves. “The Huntress didn’t actually arrive--not intact. It was … struckand suffered a catastrophic failure. Only a handful of survivors escaped in the lifepods.”
