"As with the rabbits, the birds and the flies. Joined. Just for each other and no one else."

Taylor smiled as happiness bubbled inside him. "Yes, Kayla and I are mates." He liked that word.

A moment later, the squall of a crying babe ripped through the air and Taylor sighed in relief. Jarod nodded toward the hut where two of the three brothers stood staring at them.

"She has delivered," he said. "Come. Let us go and see if it is a boy or a girl. And then we will celebrate."

Jarod stepped forward then stopped when Taylor didn't follow. He tracked Taylor's gaze to the Hero brothers.

"Do not let them frighten you. As Piper says, their bark is worse than their bite."

"Another term I do not understand," Taylor admitted.

"They are a protective breed, these men from Earth. They do not wish any harm to come to their sisters or their mated women."

Taylor brightened. "Then we have something in common. I do not wish any harm to come to Kayla."

This time when Jarod began walking toward the brothers, Taylor did not hesitate. He understood now. He would protect Kayla as much as her brothers. And he would fight them fiercely, if need be, to show them she belonged to him.

Annie's childbirth had been a difficult one. The baby was a breech and a bit too big to come out. Thankfully Annie was a doctor and, through her gasps and grunts of pain, she instructed Piper and Kayla on what needed to be done. A couple of small incisions in the right area and the baby popped out quite nicely.

"Gosh, I'm so glad we found Kayla when we did," Piper chuckled to Annie as Kayla wrapped up the cleaned baby and gave him to his mother.

Perspiration dotted Annie's forehead and her curly auburn hair dangled with moisture as she accepted her newborn. In the way her soft blue eyes twinkled with love, Kayla suddenly ached to have a child of her own. With Taylor.

Their brother Joe grinned happily as he tucked a finger beneath his newborn son's little chin. The baby's pouting pink lips turned upward in a smile and his tiny fingers curled into fists.

"He acts like his mamma, doesn't he? Defiant and cute at the same time." Joe winked at Annie, who smiled warmly back at him.

Kayla's heart burst with a fluttering she found to be really neat. Her brother was in love and never looked happier. Heck, all her brothers had never looked happier.

Upon arriving at the village, she'd barely been able to hug them all before being pushed into this hut to tend to the anxious mother-to-be. She'd wanted to remind everyone she was a veterinary student and wasn't qualified to practice on humans, but she was the only chance that Annie had and so she'd set to work.

"Thanks so much, Kayla," Joe said. He pried himself away from his baby and embraced Kayla in a bear hug that almost had her pa.s.sing out he squeezed so tightly.

"All in a day's work, big brother," she replied as he finally let go. He was beaming so brightly she was surprised his ear-to-ear smile didn't hurt.

"Hey! When can we come in and see the baby? Is everything okay?" Ben's cry came from outside the hut. Other voices echoed his concern.

"Everything is fine," Kayla called back as Joe hugged Piper.

"Give us a few more minutes and then only two come in at a time," Joe said quietly as he let Piper go. "I don't want the kid to be scared with so many faces coming at him all at once."

"Will do," Kayla replied. She waved to Piper to follow.

When they stepped into the bright sunshine, questions bombarded them. Piper and Kayla answered as best they could. Yes, Annie and the baby were fine. Yes, it was a difficult birth, but there didn't appear to be any lingering problems. Yes, Joe and Annie were very happy.

"And it's a boy. Another Hero to add to the family," Kayla gushed.

"Speaking of another member of the family, is there someone new in the picture for you, Kayla?" Jacey, the woman Kayla's brother Ben had hooked up with, asked as she pointed into the crowd.

Suddenly, everyone grew silent and the crowd parted to where Taylor stood, studying Kayla intensely.

"Taylor," she whispered as he threw her a sheepish smile. He didn't come any closer and Kayla suspected he was hanging back because he was intimidated by her overprotective brothers. They certainly had scared away a couple of guys who had been interested in dating her through high school. But they hadn't scared this one totally away it appeared.

She ignored everyone's surprised gasps and strolled toward Taylor, took him by the hand and pulled him away from the crowd toward the area where the boats had been pulled up along the riverbank.

"Kayla, where the h.e.l.l are you going?" Buck called out, a chuckle of amus.e.m.e.nt in his voice.

"I'm going on my honeymoon!" Kayla shouted back.

"It's dangerous out there!" Ben snarled.

"There's another storm coming. Don't stray too far!" Jarod hollered.

More concerns were voiced, but she ignored all their warnings as she continued to lead Taylor into the woods toward the river.

"Honeymoon?" Taylor questioned as, moments later, they found a quiet, sandy spot to sit near the river, out of sight from the occupants of the village.

"It's when we spend time getting to know one another. Intimately."

He moaned softly as she palmed his clothed, thick member. Holding his heavy erection in her hands, she leaned against him and took his mouth hard and fast, her lips melting over his in a desperate need to show him how much she'd missed him.

When she'd woken up after that wild night of s.e.x to discover he'd left, she'd been furiously angry. She'd also been angry at him for leaving without saying goodbye. Despite Jarod's rea.s.surances that Taylor knew what he was doing and wouldn't get caught, fear had crawled inside her, pushing away her anger. She'd kept voicing her concerns as Jarod and Piper had paddled her through the creepy swamp and up along the river toward the village where they said her brothers lived. She swore if Taylor hadn't taken their boat, she would have paddled right after him.

But now that his arms were sliding around her waist, all her fears, anxieties and anger slipped away. He kissed her, nice and hungry, giving just as hard as she gave. When they both became breathless, he pulled away.

"I like this honeymoon. I wish more." Taylor chuckled, but then he tensed. His eyes narrowed as he looked down the river. Kayla followed his gaze, but nothing was there. The intent way he stared unnerved her.

"What is it?"

"Someone comes," he whispered.

"What? I don't see anyone."

"It looks as if our honeymoon is over before it began."

He was deadly serious. He pointed to where the river disappeared around a bend about a half mile away. "There, coming around the bend. Two figures."

From that distance, a man and a woman's silhouettes caught her eye. The man appeared to be naked from the waist up and as heavily muscled as Taylor. Although she couldn't make out the woman's face, there was familiarity in her pet.i.te profile.

"Go, warn Jarod and your brothers there may be trouble. Tell him Blackie is coming."

"Blackie?"

"Go. Now!" Taylor snapped as he hauled her to her feet.

His sudden burst of anger had Kayla spinning around and running back up the embankment.

Everyone had already disappeared. Laughter came from Joe and Annie's hut and Kayla figured another couple had gone in to visit.

"What are you doing back so soon?" Buck chuckled as he came out of a nearby hut.

"Where's Jarod? Taylor says there's trouble. Someone named Blackie is arriving."

Concern flooded Buck's face. "Blackie? Isn't he one of the Death Valley Boys?"

Oh sweet mercy!

The Death Valley Boys had followed them here? How could that be possible?

"Where is he?" a woman named Virgin asked as she suddenly appeared from behind a nearby shelter.

"In a canoe. With a woman. Heading this way."

"Okay, we need to sound the alarm," Buck said. He started toward some wooden structure in the middle of the square that housed what looked like a bunch of wind chimes when the chimes began clanging.

Jarod had appeared out of nowhere and was beating a stick against the chimes. He must have already seen the intruders approaching. Within seconds everyone appeared in their doorways, carrying makeshift weapons such as spears, and a couple of her brothers had guns.

"This is not a drill. Take your places," Jarod called.

"Kayla! Come with me!" Piper ran up to Kayla and tried to grab her hand, but Kayla pulled away and began heading back to the river and Taylor. She would not leave him alone down there without a weapon.

"Taylor needs protection!" she shouted and, within seconds, a gun was thrust in her face.

Jarod followed her. "Get this gun to him and then get him back here. Now! He doesn't know the drill and he could be a liability."

Kayla nodded, accepting the heavy weapon. Her heart thundered as she jogged down toward the river. Whoever this man Blackie was she would not be afraid of him. Especially if he was a member of the Death Valley Boys. He should be ashamed of himself, treating women the way he did. And if this Blackie fellow had arrived with whom she thought he was with, then she needed to be there.

Fear raced through her as she ran. Curses followed her from the village. She a.s.sumed they were from her brothers and were directed at her for leaving, but hey, she had a mind of her own.

As she picked her way through the trees and the sudden overwhelming silence in front of her, she wondered why the others were so afraid of only one man. That is, unless he was a scout? And there were tons more coming in canoes behind him?

s.h.i.t.

Up ahead near the river came the voices of two men and a woman. Kayla's heart slammed against her chest as she recognized the woman's voice. She ran faster then burst through the tree line and stopped abruptly as she almost crashed into the tall, hard body of a man.

"Kinley?" she asked.

The woman who stood beside the black-haired man appeared to be her sister, yet she didn't. She seemed different. She was quite nicely tanned. She wore her hair differently than usual, all wavy and with a bad blonde color job. She looked wild yet very s.e.xy, wearing sandals, a pair of tan shorts and a dark blue shirt that had a NASA emblem emblazoned on it. But there was something about her eyes when she gazed at Kayla. There was no recognition or happiness to see that Kayla was alive.

Kayla's gut knotted in anxiety. Kinley was staring at her as if she were some stranger. "Kinley? Where have you been?" she said as softly as she could.

She sensed she should tiptoe around Kinley as if she were on eggsh.e.l.ls, but then suddenly she didn't care. She threw her arms around her sister and to her horror, Kinley stiffened against her. She loosened her hold, gave Kinley a gentle squeeze and forced herself to move a bit away, but she held tight to Kinley's hands, holding her at arm's length. "What's wrong with you? Why aren't you happy to see me?"

"I'm sorry, but what's your name?"

Chapter Fourteen.

Kinley was very uncomfortable over the whole bunch of eyes studying her every move as she helped Blackie set up a tent the Hero brothers had given them.

The Hero brothers? They said she was their sister, but she didn't remember them. In the way they'd looked at her with such concern, it almost broke her heart. That she was hurting them because of her memory loss was almost killing her.

"Are you all right? You are very quiet," Blackie said as he pounded a tent peg into the soft ground. Worry laced his dark eyes as he studied her.

Oh great, now he was concerned too. She hated that everybody was fussing like this.

"I feel like I want to get out of here," she admitted as anxiety raced through her like a bullet. "I want to run away and keep running and not remember who I am."

His brows furrowed into a frown. "If another storm weren't coming, then I would whisk you away without hesitation and we could return to the s.p.a.ceship, rebuild the f.u.c.king machine and you could replicate more of this s.e.xy clothing you currently wear. But it is dangerous. As you could see by the flickering white lights in the sky last night, we will need shelter tonight and perhaps for the next several days."

He pounded another steel peg into the ground and pulled the tent straighter and tighter. The muscles in his arms bunched so perfectly she had to inhale a breath at how much power he had over her. Holding her down. Stripping off her shorts. Impaling her.

She blew out a tense breath and swept her gaze toward the other huts. Most of the people continued watching them. Watching her. Worry creased their faces and, once again, she didn't like the fact that everybody was making such a big deal over her memory loss.

The instant she'd stepped off the canoe and onto land, the woman named Kayla had practically knocked her off her feet with a fierce hug. She'd been so excited to see Kinley that Kinley had been frightened by the happiness and relief on the woman's face.

Devastation had flooded Kayla's eyes and guilt had slammed into Kinley like a sledgehammer. She wished she could remember Kayla but she didn't. Even the man named Taylor had looked at her funny, as if he'd seen or knew her.

Taylor had appeared extremely tense until Blackie rea.s.sured him they had come alone and in peace. Blackie said he was here to return Kinley and he would stay with her. Taylor had led them into their tiny village of hide houses and told the others that Blackie would wait out the storms with them. The fact he was remaining didn't sit well with the others. They'd brandished weapons at Blackie, making Kinley very uneasy. Unfortunately her unease had only skyrocketed when several people she did not know seemed to know her quite well.

Yet she couldn't fathom one name or place their faces. These people knew her. They wanted her to remember them and she had read the disappointment in their gazes when she admitted she had amnesia.

Even the woman who was supposed to be her twin...what was her name? Piper? Yeah, Piper...especially her. She'd been quite upset at Kinley for traveling with Blackie, saying Blackie treated woman badly. She'd seen the intense signals pa.s.sing between Blackie, Piper and this man who wore a black patch over one eye. They'd shared something, but she hadn't had a chance yet to ask what.

"This hide house appears to be very st.u.r.dy and waterproof. It will serve us well," Blackie said as he pounded another peg.

"I wish they would stop looking at me," she blurted.

"You are beautiful. What's not to look at?" Blackie whispered, a sensual smile tilting his lips, but the smile dropped away when she didn't return one.

"Perhaps you should speak with them? Or with Dr. Annie as they suggested earlier?"

Dr. Annie. She hadn't met that woman yet. They'd told her she was Joe's bride or mate or whatever these women were calling themselves. She had to admit the village of small huts did look quaint. The houses were well-hidden beneath the lush foliage of tall trees. The same type of creepy trees with those long spooky strands of brown moss that dangled from thick branches. She hadn't liked the trek through the swamp because of those trees. At least being surrounded with cute, little houses gave those trees a less ominous look.

The shelters were strewn just behind the tree line and a meadow was everyone's front yard. In the middle of the meadow was a wooden structure with wind chimes that apparently was the alarm bell for intruders. Beside that stood one large, stone fireplace with an iron pot hanging over a smokeless fire.

The people all looked healthy and happy. The children were all young. Four in total. There were toddlers, maybe two years of age. One was older, perhaps four. But Kinley wasn't good at guessing ages. The children looked to be almost euphoric in the way they wobbled on their chubby legs and tried to chase each other in tag games and hide and seek. Every once in a while someone would admonish a child, telling him or her to keep it down with the noise and not to stray from the meadow. For the most part, the children listened. But hey, kids were kids and sometimes they forgot the rules.

Forgot the rules...