Vareen & Mica (The Alliance Book 2) Read Online Free

to avoid me,
and block my attempts to see you.” Taking a deep breath to clear his mind he went
to leave. “I need to speak with Drake and then I’ll return. I’ll bring us
something to eat. You must be hungry by now.”
    He strode quickly from the room. The sooner he talked with the others,
the sooner he could return to her.

Chapter Three
    Vareen watched Mica go out the door and returned to her slouched spot on
the bed. He was probably right. If he didn’t keep her locked in here, she
wouldn’t hesitate to find a million reasons to avoid him. It was a part of her
childhood that she hadn’t been able to overcome. The feeling that she didn’t
belong. The orphan looking for someone or someplace to call her own but not
feeling good enough when she found it.
    She’d befriended Cali, and the others but it hadn’t been easy to trust
them. When it came time for dating, she’d been introduced to a new nightmare.
She always wondered at the ulterior motives the males had for initiating
intimacy. She enjoyed the physical nature of having a lover, it was the
emotional side effects she tried to steer clear of.
    With Mica, she was drowning in
uncertainty. Against her better judgment, he was already worming around in her
thoughts. Why did he want to talk with her? Why had he kissed her as his
concession? What was his purpose for being in the Buffer Zone?
    Silently kicking herself Vareen wondered why she’d failed to ask him what
it meant to be claimed? A part of her answered back because she might not like
the answer. Vareen touched a finger to her lips. Reflecting on the moment his
lips brushed hers, she’d felt holes pop open in her carefully constructed
protective walls. Perhaps Mica offered her something so tempting he could break
through them completely.
    Vareen got comfortable on the bed and closed her eyes. She always thought
better this way. After a moment, she
heard Mica return.
    “Are you sleeping?” a soft voice called out and Vareen opened one eye to
see Mica standing with some food.
    “No, I’m awake.” Vareen didn’t get up, just rolled onto her side. “You
couldn’t possibly have met with Drake, talked, gotten the food and made it back
already.”
    “I met Dak in the hallway. Drake and Cali are…talking things out and
don’t want to be disturbed. The food was something Dak was bringing us, so I
grabbed it and came right back.”
    “So if Cali and Drake are talking, that means you can tell me the reason
for your being in the Buffer Zone.” Vareen pushed up from her side and sat up.
    “I think it will be safe to do so.” He released the barrier and entered
the room with her. Taking a blanket, he shook it out and placed it on the
floor. When it was arranged to his satisfaction, he put the food down and
gestured for her to join him. “We can have a picnic.”
    It did smell good and she was hungry, so instead of arguing, she moved to
the edge of the blanket and started picking at the food.
    Swallowing a bite of meat, she washed it down with water from a canister.
“So what were you doing in the Buffer Zone?”
    “Are we doing the give and take for a concession or just talking?” there
was a challenge in his eyes and Vareen hesitated.
    “Just talking.”
    His disappointment was obvious, but he answered her anyway. “We were
testing our warship, The Maxon . With
the help of Atheon, we have become spacefaring.”
    “Atheon?” Vareen raised an eyebrow at this news. “They helped you build a
spacecraft? Aren’t they difficult to work with?”
    “Not at all, they are very easy to deal with. They helped us with some
technology we needed, in return we supplied them with trianium. It is an ore we
use on Titus that seems to be valuable to others.”
    “That is what you call the metal your pods are made from?”
    “Yes. The Maxon was also made
from that ore.”
    “Very impressive.” Vareen couldn’t help but admit. The pods were very
well built. She had to assume The Maxon had been as well. “What