by Ivy McAdams
I lift a finger. “I didn’t say innocent.”
“But you meant it.”
His smile grows wider and the warm glow in his eyes tickles through me. He’s a tease, and I’m not altogether sure I don’t love it.
“Well, in my instance I do.”
“I don’t write the warrants or the tickets. I only bring people in.”
“But don’t you ever wonder if they’re guilty?”
“One time I brought in a gormodo who stole a cargo load of nyprium. Enough to blow up an entire planet. He planned to poison his village with it.”
I grimace. “That’s horrific.”
“Another time I picked up a human who hyperjumped all the cryofreeze pods on his ship. Killed four hundred and thirty-two people.”
My stomach turns over and clenches.
“No wonder you don’t like humans.”
His smile saddens slightly and he shakes his head. “I’ve seen plenty of examples of bad people, human and not. I don’t judge a race by individual crimes.”
I frown, leaning over with my elbows on the table to give him a closer look. “Are you telling me the entire human race did something to tick you off?”
The hard muscle in his jaw flexes and he finishes his drink. It’s not difficult to see I’ve hit a nerve, but I need to know. He sets the mug down—a little harder than I expect—and stares at it as he speaks.
“Some of the first human explorers that made it as far as Praezoria weren’t exactly cultured. They were still running around the galaxies in disbelief. Exploring everything. Never seen a Dragna, or a Tamonite. Gormodo. They were like naive children.”
“Life beyond our planet is so foreign. Most of us still don’t even know. I didn’t.”
“I know. We gave the humans a lot of grace. Until they began kidnapping people.”
My heart drops into my stomach.
“They had to know all the answers. How each unknown race worked. How we spoke and reproduced and survived. They ran experiments. Without permission. Praezoria took a big hit. They wiped out so many of us. Including my mother.”
My heart turns to lead in my gut. “I’m so sorry. I—” But I don’t know what to say. The way the glow in his eyes dims is like a stab in the chest.
My body aches, and I slide my fingers through his and bring his hand to my lips, brushing a kiss over his knuckles. “No wonder you don’t like humans.”
The glow in his eyes flickers as they lift to me. “I like one.”
My cheeks warm under his gaze. He’s silent for a moment before speaking again.
“Most of the Dragna left Praezoria. My father stayed to care for me and my three siblings that survived. We took in a few others whose parents were gone. We formed the League.” He shrugged a shoulder. “It’s not the most holistic system, but we did what we had to to survive.”
His eyes drop to our hands. His straight nose and strong jaw are beautiful. I study his eyelashes for the first time, finally out of the dim ship light. They’re a black that’s so dark they’re nearly blue. They look so soft I want to lean in close so that they touch my cheek.
I can’t believe I’ve allowed myself to get mixed up with an alien. The universe is so vast, full of so many people of all shapes and sizes. Good ones, bad ones. Though I don’t know who are monsters and who to trust. Demonic giants or space-traveling humans.
But what I do know is that both my head and my heart have expanded and wrapped themselves around Dax. Whatever is going on out here in this massive place, I’m drawn to him like a beacon. If there’s anyone out here to put my trust in, I’m glad it’s him.
“When I’m around you I feel as if I’ve been bitten by a red fever beetle,” he says, pulling my hand over to kiss it in kind. “Nervous. Happy. Feverish. It’s a power unlike any I’ve ever experienced.”
I give him a flirty smile as his hot lips touch my fingers. “It must be a contagious bug because I’ve gotten it too.”
His eyes pulse in delight as he lowers his face to mine. My heart flutters as I close my eyes to kiss him.
The ping over my head is loud, and I jump back with a yelp. Dax jerks up with wide eyes, and I see it before he realizes what’s happened. The blue burn staining one of his horns. The sizzle and smell of bone. It takes only a second to realize that it’s a blaster bolt, and only a half a heartbeat later for Dax to pull me from our bench seat and tackle me to the floor.
I huddle beneath him, trying to control the scream that’s burning my throat. He’s crouched on all fours above me, eyes darting back and forth and tail flicking in the air. He has a small pistol-looking gun in his hand near me. I don’t even know where he pulled that from while wearing his fitted flight suit.
The few other patrons of the restaurant scream and run as another blaster goes off. I can’t tell where it went, but I can’t see much either. Everything’s a fog of confusion.
Dax’s free hand slides under my back, supporting me off the floor.
“Who—” I start, but then his face contorts and he lifts his gun higher.
A few rounds of blasts go off, some in our direction and some away from us. I cower into his chest. I’ve never hidden from gunfire before, and I don’t even know who’s shooting.
“Get ready to run,” Dax hisses.
“Run?” I choke. We’re still hundreds of feet in the air on this restaurant ship. I don’t think there’s exactly anywhere to go.
“Just follow my lead.”
I take a long breath, though it’s shaky and strained. Sure, I’ll just follow him as we jump to our deaths. I know the guy isn’t hiding any wings or anything. I’ve seen the beautiful beast naked.
There isn’t enough time for my mind to run too wild. After the next blast over our heads, Dax pushes us off the ground. He blades his body in front of mine and moves around the side of the restaurant. Most of the other patrons have piled inside the kitchen next to a small yellow alien with four big eyes, and they all watch us as we skirt around the structure on the deck.
Whoever was shooting is nowhere to be seen, and I narrow my eyes. He must have ducked behind the kitchen corner. His disappearance is even more stressful to me than staring at him dead on. I want to know who he is. What he wants.
Why is someone shooting at us?
I continue to sidestep behind Dax until he puts back a hand to stop me. Without removing his gaze from the danger in front of us, he forks a thumb back over his shoulder.
“We climb down here.”
I’m afraid to look and take a couple of deep breaths before taking a peek.
A thin metal ladder goes off the side of the platform. The very idea of climbing over the edge of the airship makes me feel queasy, though it’s nothing compared to the thought of stepping onto the swaying rope ladder hanging below that. Hundreds of feet of ladder dangling in the air.
I’m so sick at the thought that I’m seeing double.
“I can’t climb that,” I squawk.
Dax jerks a look back over his shoulder. “If you don’t want to die, you can.”
The flutter of fear in my veins hardens a touch at his uncouth response. Looks like I’ll be going down the ladder.
Quick movement across the deck catches my eye and I pause. The gunman ducks out from behind the restaurant corner. His neck is twice as long as a human’s and he has huge pointed ears on either side of a white mohawk. Gold piercings decorate his scowling face, and he fires twice in our direction.
Dax ducks around one and I gasp. He fires back as he growls, “Go now!”
My body trembles as I drop to the deck and swing my feet over the side.
Holy shit, this is insane. For a second, my feet are dangling in the air and I just know I’m going to die. Then they touch the metal rungs and I climb down.
Just before I duck below the platform, I see another figure. A second guy with a blaster. They both pop in and out from around the corner, and I climb faster.
The ladder swings as I snap down the rungs. It isn’t
actually made of rope, and that makes me feel a little better. It’s held together with thick braids of some sort of metal twine. It’s cold and creaks as I clamber down.
Blasts continue to go off above me and my heart thunders against my ribs.
Dax’s tail swings over the edge as he backs up, then drops to his knees to follow me.
“Hurry!” I shout up at him.
Once he’s down below the platform, he twists to peer down at me. “You focus. I’ve got this up here.”
“Who the hell are they?”
He grunts, face hard. “Bounty hunters.”
Chapter 13
More fucking bounty hunters? How many do I need?
I do my best to focus on my hands because it’s not the time to debate things, even though my mind is spinning.
I’ve already been stolen from my home planet and carted off into the middle of Nowheresville, second star to the right and straight on until death row. I kinda hate that I’m not more miserable out here, but Dax has changed my perspective on things.
Although this is a bit of a wakeup call.
Why are these so-called bounty hunters shooting at me? It’s like being in the wild west, trying to get back to my spaceship. I don’t even know what’s real-life anymore.
Above my head, Dax’s feet are getting closer by the second. He’s so fast. I speed up as much as I can until my foot slips off a rung. I scream in that half-second of free fall before my arm catches in a foothold. It jerks my shoulder hard in the socket and I cling to the cold metal.
“Esme!” Dax roars, nearly doubling over to reach me, but he’s too far away.
Black and gold stars dance in my vision as I stare up at him, praying for my life. The movement over his head makes my heart stop. My knee-jerk reaction is to sacrifice a handhold to point.
“Dax!”
His horns cut through the air as he spins. His small blaster swings wide and he fires three shots. The pierced alien’s head is barely over the edge before it gets zapped. The face is a burnt, sparkling blue for a moment before the head pitches forward, followed by a short stocky body. I scream when it falls toward us.
Dax lunges into the ladder, swinging it forward. It whips and sways, just enough for the body to miss him. I hug the metal twine so tight to my face that it bites, and the fallen bounty hunter flies by behind me with a whistle.
Once he’s cleared us, I pant out a gasping breath.
“Holy shit,” I cough.
Dax’s tail smooths over my head and I look up. His eyes are wild, flaring green.
“Are you okay?”
I nod, though my fingers are shaking.
“Don’t move,” he orders. His voice is strong, solid, and I freeze without even thinking.
He crosses to the back of the ladder to climb down the rungs in front of me. When we’re face to face, he puts a hand to my cheek.
“We’re going to be okay,” he breathes.
I try to latch onto his words, but all I can think about is the second bounty hunter up on the platform.
“Here,” he says. “You swing around to my back.”
He takes my hand, waking me up, and helps me climb around the side of the ladder. I duck to avoid his horns and slide over his back. His body is warm against mine and it calms my nerves. I wind my legs around his waist and cling to his wide shoulders. He grabs my arms with a strong hand until I’m secure.
“Hold on tight,” he calls back, then begins to climb down again.
He moves fast and I tighten my grip. Up above, nothing moves. I watch the edge of the platform like a hawk. Until I see a pair of hands curl around the rim.
“Dax, he’s coming,” I hiss and press in closer to him, my heart trying to beat right out of my chest and into his body.
He stops long enough to hand me his small blaster before continuing to jump down the rungs. We’re moving so fast I’m afraid to let go of him with one hand to hold the gun, but I manage to grip it.
Above us, the hunter shoots. A blue flash flies by my face and I jump back with a gasp. It pings off part of the ladder next to us and Dax twists away from the hot light.
“Just hang on,” he says. “We’re almost there. He’ll never catch us.”
Thank God. I duck down against his neck and my senses are flooded with his normal musky scent spiked with adrenaline. When another shot whizzes by, I turn and fire back. My bolt flies wide and pings off the underside of the platform but it at least sends the alien ducking for cover.
We jolt when Dax’s boots hit the ground. I feel suddenly so much heavier as he lowers me into the dirt. We’re back in the restaurant’s parking lot, where we booked our dinner spot just an hour before.
It was fun while it lasted, but now it’s time to run.
Dax’s hand slips into mine as we step around the fallen hunter and dash away, putting more distance between us and the airship. I can just make out the other alien up on the platform, but he’s far less threatening way up there.
Until he leaps off the edge of the ship and buzzes toward us with a damn jetpack.
I squeeze Dax’s fingers like my life depends on it. “He’s flying!”
Dax doesn’t slow as he glares over his shoulder, green eyes following the alien as he swoops through the air.
The ship is sitting just a few dozen yards away. The door is open, waiting. If only we can get there before—
Blue flashes over my head and Dax grunts. I gape at the sizzling fabric at the shoulder of his suit. Blue embers burn and eat through the tight weave. He smacks it once with an open hand, then reaches for his blaster. I pass it over, trying to tear my gaze away from the teal smoke that curls up from the small hole in his suit.
The bounty hunter dips and dives with his jetpack, dodging back and forth as he comes at us. He evades two of Dax’s shots. The third, however, strikes him in the chest, severing his rocket strap. He jerks loose from half his harness and the contraption spins, propelling him toward the ground. He manages to grab hold of the flying pack long enough to keep from slamming face-first into the ground, but his feet catch the dirt and drag. Something must snag one because it pulls and he’s ripped clear of his strap and slams into the ground.
We hurry to the side of Dax’s ship while the world around us falls silent. At the base of the ship’s ramp, Dax ushers me ahead of him. “Inside, go.”
The bounty hunter is still on the ground, but I can see him moving. I can’t believe he can even lift a hand right now.
Dax dips into the doorway just enough to snatch a rifle stashed inside the hatch. I hadn’t even seen it hidden there. Then he stalks halfway down the ramp and waits. With the big gun cradled in both hands against his abdomen, his body tight and engaged, he becomes a threatening wall if I’ve ever seen one. He’s so big and menacing. I no longer fear for my life. I’m overwhelmed with deep appreciation for the giant man standing between me and the violent maniacs that have attacked us.
My fear doesn’t dissipate completely, however. As the bounty hunter gets to his feet, I find my stomach clenching and the breath in my lungs short. Dax is in a direct line of fire. We need to move. To run. There’s no reason to risk our lives.
I step toward him but I’m pulled back in the other direction.
Zeus whines and growls as he pulls back on the sleeve of my jacket. His eyes are big and earnest, teeth bared and ears back. His jerks have me toppling back through the doorway. I fall to my knees and he lets go, whining and moving his mouth in loud whimpers. The ferocity in his face is gone. His eyes plead with me. Classic brown puppy eyes, but so much more.
I recognize the emotion there. It’s the same pain and begging I feel eating up my heart.
I jerk my head back toward Dax. He’s still standing there, the rifle fit to his shoulder, and he curls around it to aim. The beautiful black and gold horns smoothed back over his head catch the emerging starlight and dancing space clouds overhead.
Fear races through me like a dry forest catching fire. Especially when a smal
l spaceship lowers from the sky behind the bounty hunter and he limps to it, pointing in our direction.
Oh fuck.
“Dax!” I screech, scrambling away from Zeus’s grasp and throwing myself back down the ramp.
The huge man shifts slightly to peer back at me, but I don’t want that either. Pay attention and get out of there!
“Dax, we’ve got to go,” I plead, wrapping my hands around his strong elbow and pulling back.
He doesn’t budge, but his eyes are back on his target at least.
“The threat hasn’t been eliminated yet,” he grumbles, his voice deep and threatening. “I won’t let them take you.”
“You’re outnumbered,” I choke, tears stinging my eyes. “There’s at least one person in there driving that thing. We need to run.”
The bounty hunter is at the top of the ship’s ramp, peering out at us as the ship lifts from the ground again. Oh God, they’ll be on us in seconds. But Dax still hasn’t moved.
His body tenses under my hands. I can hear his deep breathing in the silence that falls around us. It’s the longest two seconds of my life.
Then he turns a fierce face on me. “You would have us run?”
My voice trembles in a mix of nerves and utter relief. “Yes!”
His jaw works and his lips bunch and curl. I think for a moment he’s going to bare his teeth at me, but then he nods.
“Let’s go.”
I almost can’t move with the wash of thanks that crashes over me. I tug back on his arm as he turns and we run back up the ramp. Zeus barks as we slide inside and Dax closes the hatch. In a flurry, we pile into the cockpit and Dax flips on lights and screens. The familiar hum beneath my feet grows.
I hover at Dax’s side, white-knuckling the dash as I watch the left side screen. The bounty hunter ship is approaching. It fires a shot that ricochets off the hull and the ship rocks.
Zeus barks and whines.
Dax bares his teeth as his fingers fly over controls. “I’m going.”
Then we’re off the ground, lifting slowly for a couple seconds. A second shot outside makes the ship shudder and the lights blink. I hold my breath and Dax puts a hand to my chest, fingers digging into my shirt, and pulls me forward. He plops me into his lap and puts his hands back on the console.