The Marine's Queen by Susan Kelley

curve of her hips.
    She put a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll stand watch.”
    He froze, wanting to prolong the contact. “Go back to sleep.”
    “ I can’t. I know you’re exhausted. Let me take my turn.” She stepped closer, warmth and something soft in her eyes, reminding him of the look Riba often gave her child.
    Agile thought deserted him as always when she spoke to him. She licked her lips and called his attention to her mouth. The first woman paid to bed him had spent hours teaching him the pleasure of kissing, among other things. She’d found amusement at his complete ignorance. Joe wanted to kiss Callie more than he wanted his next breath.
    “ Go back to your bed, my lady.” He couldn’t help the roughness in his voice.
    “ Joe, I’m sorry about what I said before. I don’t think you’re a robot.”
    Her reminder cooled his undisciplined thoughts. She owed him no apology for her harsh words.
    “ I was shocked you had no family name but later when I thought about it, I understood.”
    Unusual anger rose in Joe but he kept his voice quiet and even. “Lady Callie, you understand nothing about me as I comprehend little about you.”
    “ But we need to change that.”
    “ Why?” Joe turned away from the questions in her eyes. “We’ll be soldiers, protecting and hunting for you. You will be … women, and do whatever that entails.”
    “ Being a woman isn’t an occupation. Together….”
    Joe spun back to face her. “Not together.”
    Her hand went to her throat and her eyes widened. Fear? Of course she feared him. Why did he expect different? Should he forget her disdain and distrust because she sometimes spoke to him as a person instead of a piece of expendable hardware?
    “ Callie.” He couldn’t find words to dispel the tension suddenly between them.
    She moved back quickly. “You’re right. I should go back to sleep. You stay here and be a soldier.”
    Joe watched her settle back onto her bed. She turned her back to him. He’d been trained in enemy tactics and even psychology but had never turned his lessons on himself. Why did this woman tilt his emotions off kilter? He’d been taught to feel nothing, his emotions schooled out of him. But now foreign feelings plagued him.
    “ Help me, Unon,” Joe murmured as he leaned back against the wall. The idea of prayer to some superior spiritual being discomforted him even after all these months, but he needed help. “I’m so lost.”
    * * * *
    “ They drilled a hole in the ceiling through yards of stone so smoke wouldn’t fill the cave. Then they stocked it with coal from another rock formation not far to the south.”
    “ How do you know all this, Yalo?” Callie sipped water from one of the metal mugs. The spring water remained achingly cold even now with the sun glittering on its surface.
    “ Vin told me.” Yalo shot Callie a puzzled glance. “How else would I know?”
    Callie shrugged. “I didn’t know the two of you were sharing information so freely.”
    Yalo looked toward the pool. The other women worked at washing their clothing, wearing loose shirts and too-long pants borrowed from the marines. Glory splashed in the shallows, chasing the silver fish darting around her legs. “It wasn’t a secret. I need to learn everything I can in case something happens.”
    “ What do you mean?” Callie wondered at the lines of worry creasing Yalo’s forehead.
    “ Someone might come after us or something could happen to the marines. I need to be able to take care of us.”
    “ You’re right, of course. I guess I’m surprised Vin volunteered all this.”
    “ He only told me about this wing camp.” Yalo’s gaze shifted to Vin. He stood on the other side of the pool, using a short pole and line to fish. “He’s opened up a little since the first day.”
    “ You mean he’s less rude?”
    They both laughed drawing Vin’s gaze. It lingered on Yalo for a moment before returning to his fishing.
    “ Did Vin tell you how long