by A. R. Kayne
As Jess hiked, she mentally inventoried her equipment: a pack with water and other basics, bags for her harvest, and the knives she always wore. She’d also brought a blowgun and toxin-laced darts. There shouldn’t be any need for them, but it was always best to be alert and prepared. She’d be a long way from home. If she was caught out after dusk, the night creatures might be hunting.
The cool weather made her hike easy and pleasant. Jess made it to the meadow in good time but as she neared a break in the trees, a shadow darkened the woods. She froze, flattening herself against a tree, and peered upward. Was that a Ghul jumpship? She saw the ships now and then and always avoided them. Nothing good ever came of being seen. Those who wanted to live stayed well hidden.
This ship flew oddly, though, low and slow and wobbly. Jess saw sparking. She didn’t know much about ships, but sparks seemed like a bad thing.
Her instinct was proven right when the ship plowed into the great meadow, digging a long furrow as it slowed. Ghul boiled out, their bodies purple, lanky, oily, and somehow just plain wrong. They shrieked and bellowed and smacked at each other as they ran. Jess almost giggled at the sight. If they couldn’t get along well enough to exit a crashed ship, how had they managed to take over her entire planet?
Ah, well. She couldn’t harvest herbs with Ghul in the area. Clearly her trip had been a waste. She shrank back into the trees and prepared to leave, then she heard a cry that wasn’t like the others. A shackled, weeping human child was drug off the ship. He struggled against his captors and was rewarded with a slap hard enough to knock him to the ground.
Jess frowned. Why did the Ghul have a human child? No good could come of it. No good came of the Ghul having any human, much less a little child.
She still had nightmares about the sweeps the Ghul held after they first came to her planet. During a scavenging run she’d watched, paralyzed with terror, as a band of humans was herded into a pen. The adults had fought and tried to protect the children. It hadn’t mattered. The Ghul had weapons and human life was cheap.
Blood had been drawn and tested, then the children and some of the adults were forced onto a ship. The rest had been slaughtered, their bodies left to rot where they fell. Even worse, the Ghul were helped by another group of humans, cold-eyed men who wielded prods and ignored the cries and pleas of their own kind. How could they do that? How could they send other people off to horror and death?
After the Ghul left she’d walked down to the clearing, shaken the bodies, and looked for signs of life. There were none. She’d crouched beside the remains of a stoop-shouldered man who’d howled and wept as his child was taken away. What if she’d done something, anything, to help? What if she’d simply thrown some rocks and caused a distraction? Might this man and some of the others have gotten free?
“You did the right thing,” her grandmother had told her that night, holding her close. “You’re still a child. Some things are too big for even adults to fight by themselves. If you’d tried, you’d be one more on that ship. I’d be alone and weep forever, not knowing what happened to you.”
Probably. But things were different now. There was no one left to care whether she lived or died. She was also older and more capable.
Smoke poured out of the downed jumpship. Jess watched and followed at a careful distance as the Ghul took cover in the forest. They didn’t want to be seen, she soon realized, not even by other Ghul. They moved further and further into the woods as the sun sank low. Judging by their stumbling, they couldn’t see well in the deepening twilight. But she could.
She climbed high in the tree canopy and aimed her blowgun. The first Ghul went down quickly, slapping at a dart then keeling over. The little boy was in a state of shock, moving woodenly and long past crying. When the Ghul beside him fell, he looked high in the trees and gaped at Jess. She smiled at him, put a finger to her lips in the universal gesture for “be quiet," and unleashed another dart.
Despite being on alert, the Ghul were easy to pick off. They’d overpowered her planet with their technology, but perhaps that strength was also a weakness. They’d probably expected the likes of a firefight from jumpships, not a stealthy culling with toxin-laced darts.
The members of the group had scattered away from each other as they walked. That made her job easier. She picked off the stragglers on the outskirts then climbed down to the ground, led the boy behind a tree, and worked on the others. Half were dead before they understood they were being attacked. The ones remaining couldn’t see what she was doing. She hoped the boy couldn’t either.
Afterward she walked over to the child, who was trembling and wild-eyed, and hugged him until his shaking stopped. “I’m Jess,” she told him, pointing at herself, then she boosted him up on her shoulders and carried him away from the carnage. When they reached her home several hours later, she fed him and pried off his shackles.
CHAPTER FOUR
Pryce
Pryce listened to Jess’s account and nodded. “Ro mentioned the darts. He also said that you had to use a knife.” The child in question was now sprawled on the floor, playing a game on Pryce’s tablet.
Jess bowed her head. “I slit a few throats, yes. The Ghul weren’t prepared. I guess they didn’t expect to be attacked by a woman hiding in the trees. It was a bad night. I’ve tried to forget it.”
“He said you had to fight a bunch of them.”
“I don’t remember. I didn’t count bodies,” she said matter-of-factly, “I was afraid another ship might come, plus the night creatures were hunting. They started following me and taking the bodies as fast as they fell. I didn’t want them to come after me too. I just wanted to leave and get Ro to safety.”
“I understand.” Pryce was amused that she wasn’t eager to take credit for the kills. His security team would have exaggerated the amount of violence. So would most people, if they were trying to take credit for a rescue. “My team visited the site the day before they picked you up. The remains had been scattered but, for the record, they counted twenty-three bodies.”
She winced. “Oh. That many. I hate Ghul. I don’t like killing, though, and I wish Ro hadn’t seen it. But I doubt they would have given him up if I’d walked up to them and asked nicely.”
“No, they wouldn’t have. You did what was best. Ro didn’t seem upset by it. He said that you made the bad things stop hurting him and you took him someplace safe. It would have been better if they’d never had him to begin with, but considering what else could have happened, this is a good outcome.”
She shrugged wearily. “I guess. How did you find us? My home is hours away from the meadow where the ship crashed, and it’s well hidden.”
“Ro is wearing a tracker. An implant. The children in his family get them at birth. Once we realized he was on Draco and found the downed ship, we traced the signal to your home.”
Jess sat quietly for a moment, absorbing the information. “You mean he has some kind of little machine inside him so people can find him. He’s someone special, isn’t he?”
“Yes. For political reasons, I can’t tell you who his family are.”
She shrugged again. “I doubt I’d understand if you did. There’s much I don’t know. Will they be kind and love him? Will they keep him safe? That’s what matters. He’s a good, sweet little boy. I don’t know what the Ghul did to him, but he screams and pisses himself every night. They scarred his little body. I treated the wounds and they’ve faded, but the wounds on his mind are still fresh.”
Pryce was impressed by how quickly she’d adapted once the truth was in the open. She was calm and reasonable now that she understood the situation.
“Yes, he’ll be safe. His family loves him very much. They’re grateful to you for rescuing him and keeping him safe. They’ll be here to pick him up in a few hours. They’ve been terrified, afraid they’d never see him alive again.”
She nodded once, a jerky nod of acceptance.
“I suspect you’d like out of that chair now,” Pryce
said. “If I let you loose, are you going to try to kill me?”
She looked at him consideringly. Her lips twitched. “It’s tempting, but at this point I’m tired and I don’t want Ro to see more killing. Maybe I will later, if you annoy me again. I haven’t decided whether I want your spaceship or not.”
“Fair enough.” Pryce crouched behind her, hiding his grin, and released her restraints.
Jess rose from the chair, stretched, then lay prone on the floor beside Ro, watching him play with the tablet.
Pryce watched the two of them and realized that he was checking out the curve of Jess’s ass a little too much. He’d been doing that during the whole interview, staring at the sway of her breasts and the way the fabric of her gown was worn in interesting places. She didn’t seem to have anything on beneath it. For all that she was filthy and unkempt, she appealed to him.
He rubbed a hand across his face. Ah, hell. He shouldn’t do that. He shouldn’t eye-fuck her and take things she obviously didn’t know that she was giving. He was the captain of the ship; he was supposed to be better than that. She was brilliant and lethal, clearly, but also utterly guileless. From the way she behaved, it was clear she had no idea that a man would even want to stare down her neckline.
He stood. “Would you and Ro like to wash and have some clean clothing? Then we’ll get you some food. I’ll bet you’d both feel better if you had a meal in your bellies.” Maybe he could get both of them into medical for a checkup, too, now that they were calmer. Jess had taken good care of Ro, considering her resources, but he wouldn’t be surprised if both of them were hosting enough parasites to populate a microbial zoo. His own protections were current, but both he and the room should be sterilized immediately.
Two hours later, the Chief Medical Officer pulled him aside. “Their evaluations are complete,” she said, giving him a significant look.
“You want me to look at them right now.”
“I think you’ll find them interesting.” The corners of her eyes crinkled.
“They aren’t sick, are they?” But no, she wouldn’t be smiling if either Ro or Jess were ill. They’d still be in medical.
“Take a look.”
When Pryce pulled the reports up on his tablet, his jaw dropped. “Compatibility in excess of 99%? How is that possible? Are you sure there’s enough data?” He stared across the room at Jess, who was crooning to Ro and lifting a cup to his lips. “I guess it would explain some things.”
“Yes. We thought it might.” The doctor’s eyes flicked to the crotch of Pryce’s shipsuit, which he’d been concealing with the tablet.
Pryce grimaced and shifted in his seat. “Sorry. I’ve been having some issues today.”
She chuckled and patted his shoulder. “It’s quite alright. I understand, particularly in light of these results. You may want to get a bigger tablet, though.”
Pryce gazed at Jess hungrily. So she was his life match. She was his mate, according to the tests the shipboard computer had run, compatible at a cellular and personality level. He hadn’t believed that was possible, that there was someone for him. He’d always believed matching was more myth than reality. But now that he’d met her … yes. He could see it.
He’d always had his job, a few good friends, and bed partners whenever he liked. Until now, that had always been enough. His was a life of duty. Was it possible have more, though? What would it be like to bond with someone, to be with a woman who understood and fulfilled him?
Jess intrigued him. They’d meshed instantly. She had a quick, lively mind and, unlike most of the crew, she wasn’t afraid of him. It was refreshing. He’d relished arguing with her. No doubt the physical side would be good too; there’d been a spark between them, a dawning awareness in her eyes. He was aroused simply from being in the same room as her.
He didn’t know where the situation would go, but he wanted to find out.
CHAPTER FIVE
Jess
Jess spent the remaining hours cuddling Ro, playing with him, and trying not to tear up. Ro wasn’t her child, she reminded herself. She’d just been lucky enough to be there when he needed a little help. He had family, probably a very wealthy family, and they’d see he got the care he needed. Maybe they could even heal the scars on his mind.
When his parents arrived with hugs and tears and open arms, she was doubly glad she’d helped.
“Mata! Pitah!” he yelled. He barreled into their arms, babbling in that strange language of his. Jess sat back on her haunches and watched. What a horrible thing it would have been if they’d made this journey and found only his body or nothing at all.
Ro led them back to her. “Mata Jess,” he said, and babbled some more. She hoped he wasn’t telling them about something awful. She hoped he’d forget the bad things and just feel safe.
Ro’s mother smiled with tears running down her face, hugged her, and said things which flew straight through Jess’s brain. His father seized her hands and squeezed them, then he hugged her as well. Jess smiled up at them and didn’t say much. What was there to say? Their son was safe and had found his way back to his family. That was really all that mattered. This moment was the only overlap their lives would ever have.
Pryce handed Ro’s father a thumb-sized white rectangle. “The interrogation record,” he said, and the man pocketed it. Jess suddenly realized that the entire bizarre conversation with Pryce had been preserved. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Some of the lies she’d told were embarrassing. She’d been so desperate to keep Ro safe that she would have said and done anything.
Ro’s mother gestured toward her and said a few unintelligible words to Pryce. He shook his head and handed her his tablet. “Ohhh!” She inspected it, smiled broadly, and handed the device to Ro’s father. He glanced at it, looked at Jess, grinned, and slapped Pryce on the shoulder. There was more excited babbling. Well, good. It looked like they were happy about something.
Ro tugged at her hand, interrupting her thoughts. “Mata Jess,” he said, going on tiptoes and reaching to be picked up. She knelt so they could hug. He pressed a sloppy kiss on her cheek and patted her head, the way she’d patted him so many times before.
“Goodbye, Ro. Have a good life,” she whispered.
His father swept him up and his mother embraced her again, this time kissing her on both cheeks. “Sister,” she said, in heavily accented tones. The group left with much rustling of robes and last waves goodbye. The room felt incredibly empty afterward. Jess hugged herself, stared at a wall, and tried not to cry. Tears leaked out anyhow.
“Come here,” Pryce said, pulling her into his arms. “It’ll be alright. Saying goodbye hurts because you love him, but you’ve done a very good thing for that family. You’ve averted tragedy. Not only were the Ghul hurting Ro, but they were trying to pull my people into a war.”
She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest, absorbing the size and the solid feel of him. It was nice. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been held and comforted. It must have been years before when she was still a child and her grandmother was healthy. Ah, her grandmother. What would she think of all of this? Jess pulled away, laughing through her tears.
Pryce frowned, cradled her face with his hands, and gently smoothed her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. “What are you laughing about?”
“My grandmother. If she was still alive, she’d be scandalized. First I was hugging Ro’s father, now I’m hugging you. Grandma always warned me about men. I’ll bet she’s thrashing in her grave now that I’ve touched some.”
Pryce’s expression froze. “You haven’t been around men?”
“No, not since my father died. I’ve fought a few. My parents died when I was ten, when the Ghul came, so I spent most of my life alone with my grandmother.”
Pryce pulled away, rubbed his forehead, and walked toward his desk. “Jess, it’s time we talked about your future.”
CHAPTER SIX
Pryce
Pryce�
�s temples throbbed. So Jess hadn’t been around men. Of course she hadn’t; that was of a piece with everything else about this situation. Of course his life match, the woman he was drawn to like a gravity well, would have no experience with men. Naturally she’d be a cave dweller who’d singlehandedly slaughtered a shipload of Ghul with a set of homemade fingernail trimmers. It just stood to reason.
Fuck. She’d been in his arms only seconds before. He’d never felt anything so right. She’d melted against him and his cock had turned rock solid, doing its best to drill a hole through his shipsuit and into hers. Had she felt that? There was no way she couldn’t have. Did she understand what it was? Hell, did she even know what a dick was? Maybe not. Her head was full of nonsense about barbs and multiple ‘mating parts’. Or maybe she did know, after taking care of Ro for the past two months.
Shit. What a mess.
Pryce limped to the chair behind his desk, careful to hide his erection. His shipsuit was pinching the shit out of his crotch but he couldn’t just reach down and adjust himself in front of her. It wasn’t right. Hell, touching her at all probably wasn’t right. It might even be abuse of some kind; he should find out. How could she consent to anything if she didn’t understand what sex was?
Right. He needed to focus on his duties as the ship’s captain. That meant putting aside his feelings and doing what was best for her.
“We need to talk about your future,” he repeated, desperately trying not to eye-fuck her. It was damned hard given the way her new shipsuit fit. She’d cleaned up well once the top layers of dirt were off, with delicate features, pillowy lips and an amazing cloud of hair the color of coffee. If possible, she was even more lovely than she’d been in the frayed gown with her breasts swinging free. Not that he disliked that look …