by Elin Wyn
She had obviously been working hard. Strands of her hair had escaped its tight bun and clung to the sides of her face. And...
“Is that blood?” he demanded roughly, striding forward.
“What? Where?”
“On your sleeve.” He reached for it, but she drew her arm out of his grasp.
“No—I mean, yes, it’s blood but it’s not mine. I’ve been working at the field hospital around here, remember?”
How could he forget? He had been worried about her all day. It had been clear by her wide-eyed expression that this was her first taste of a new alien civilization—backwater and folksy as it was.
Sholan had not liked the idea of her wandering off alone, but there had been engines to fix. He calmed himself with the knowledge that there were more dangerous places to be than a hospital.
The mechanic gave a kind of snorting cough as if to remind him that he was still there. Reluctantly, Sholan pulled himself away to go arrange the payment. There would be some extra fees for the rush delivery, but it would be worth it to get his pod back in ship-shape.
He tracked Lyra’s movements out of the corner of his eye as she wandered around the interior of the pod, occasionally touching and examining different objects of interest.
Finally, the transaction was complete—Sholan might have rushed through the process and the mechanic probably made more credits than he would normally. It was worth it to have him out of the pod and Lyra to himself again.
Not that she belonged to him.
Unfortunately.
The front hatch had not finished hissing shut before Lyra turned to him.
“So? What is the status of the pod?”
“Broken,” he grunted, “But I’ve made enough repairs that we’ll be able to limp it out of orbit and to the lab.”
“And if we run into any more of the Snakes?”
He winced. “Let’s hope that we don’t. Assuming all goes well, we’ll deliver the bio-toxin and then I can finish repairs after the mission.”
Again, his gaze traveled down to the bloodstain on her sleeve. Did she look pale, too? “Are you certain you’re all right?”
“I’m a medic,” she said, annoyed. “I already told you it wasn’t my blood. Get over it.”
Why does she have to take offense to every little thing? Sholan wondered.
Even as he thought that, he found himself angling slightly closer to get a whiff of her. He had not noticed before, but she smelled like flowers in his favorite season of early spring near his home. The first rainbow blossoms that pushed through the snow. He and his brothers and sisters used to suck the nectar out of the plants—so sweet and delicate that it would evaporate on the tongue. He had liked to—
Lyra suddenly staggered in place, throwing her arms out for balance.
In a flash, Sholan rushed to her and caught her before she collapsed completely. She was so light in his arms—how could a woman so delicate contain so much inner strength?
The sweet nectar scent of her swept over him again. It was all he could do not to nuzzle into the crook of her neck and inhale.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his own voice sounding rusty.
Her amber eyes had slipped shut.
For a moment, he worried she had actually fainted. But no, she was only leaning against him to gather her strength. Opening her eyes, she nodded and stood back up.
“Dizzy spell,” she breathed, stepping out of his arms.
He wanted to gather her in close again, but resisted the impulse instinctively knowing she would fight him about it. Instead, he guided her a few steps to the closest bench. He sat with her.
“Thank you,” she said, massaging her temples with her hands. “I don’t know what came over me.”
It took everything he had to rise and fetch some water. Luckily, the life support and water filtration systems had not been damaged. He returned with a cup of cool water, condensation beading on the outside.
Their fingers brushed as she took it from him. She sipped slowly. “Thank you,” she said again.
He could not answer, finding himself staring helplessly into her wondrous amber eyes.
Lyra shook her head in self-recrimination. “I don’t care what my medical instruments say, I definitely have caught some kind of bug.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Just... sit here for a moment with me?”
He smiled. “I can do that.”
Lyra
Lyra drank the water in slow sips and felt Sholan sit next to her again, one arm coming around to wrap around her waist and draw her in close.
Normally, she would have slapped a man who tried to get fresh when she wasn’t feeling well, but there was something very innocent about the gesture. Lyra found herself leaning back, pillowing her head against his shoulder as she closed her eyes and just breathed.
The scent of him, male and musk and a little bit like aged leather flooded through her. This man was aggravating, but so very sexy. And his muscles. Wow. When he had caught her, she wanted to cling onto his arms and never let go.
“Feeling better now?” he asked.
“Yes, actually.” She hadn’t realized it until he said something, but her vertigo was all but gone. Well, perhaps her immune system was fighting off... whatever this was.
Then she frowned.
“What is it?” Sholan asked immediately.
She shook her head. “I just hope that whatever bug this is didn’t get the rest of my crew. It must have been in the air on the planet of the snakes.” She frowned, trying to calculate how much exposure they might have had to whatever they’d been exposed to. “I’m the only medic, and they don’t have the sense of two little green apples.”
He blinked his dark eyes. “That… must have translated incorrectly.”
“Never mind,” she said. “It’s an old saying. I’m just worried about my friends.”
“Ah.” He nodded. “Chances are, they were caught up in the same firefight we were, which makes it even more important we get off this planet and get the sample delivered.”
Straight to the point. A man after her own heart.
She quickly pushed that pesky thought away.
“So, we have to get there sooner rather than later.”
“Yes, I agree.” He gazed off to the distance for a moment or two. Meanwhile, his thumb traced a path up and down the back of her neck, from her hairline to the base of her spine. He had been doing this for a few minutes now, and she had not realized.
His gentle touch eased the headache which had started to take hold.
Finally, Sholan nodded to himself. “We should be leaving soon, and perhaps the doctors at the lab will be able to help identify what is making you ill. But the trip may be challenging.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You mean it wasn’t before?”
He flashed a smile. “They don’t have the resources to help us with full repairs here as quickly as we need. But we should be able to get to the lab. I think.”
“What about Thagzar patrols?”
“We will have to take a roundabout path through several different solar-systems, but I believe we can take the risk.”
She considered for a moment. “My people have a saying: You can get it done right, get it done fast, or get it done cheap. You can’t get all three.”
He tipped back his head and laughed. “We have a very similar saying on my planet: You can have two parts of the triangle, not three.”
Then he turned to regard her, his arm falling away. She felt a brief flash of cold at the loss.
“I think you are looking better, Lyra. The color has returned to your face.”
She resisted the girlish urge to put her hand to her cheek.
What do I care what he thinks of me? she asked herself sternly.
Instead, she nodded. “I think some real rest tonight will do me good. Probably dinner, too. Do you think there are any restaurants open around here, or do they only sell kibble?”
; He cocked his head, clearly not understanding.
Apparently, they didn’t have dogs on his planet.
What a shame for them.
It wasn’t that great of a joke, anyway, really.
“Never mind,” she said with a wry smile. “Do you think they have any eateries around here? Or will we have to deal with rations?”
That earned a grimace. “There are no doubt rations in the pod’s supplies, but you certainly don’t want to eat them. I saw some of my own Eiztar people around here—surely there is something worth eating.”
He helped her stand, and after a few careful steps to check her own balance—she felt fine, like the dizziness never happened—they exited the pod.
It was a short trip from the borderland forest to the outskirts of town—what Lyra would have considered to be suburbs if they were on Earth or Mars. There were families around, and young professional looking couples.
Power seemed spotty according to the block, but most buildings here looked undamaged.
It made sense. Most of the strikes from space had been centered in the more urban downtown regions.
Sholan was apparently able to read the local language. He directed Lyra to a small, out of the way eatery which looked not too far off from a cafe she would find in Paris, France.
Lyra was not usually the type to let someone order for her, but considering she could not read the menu, she let Sholan decide for them both.
To her surprise, Sholan took the duty as seriously as if she had offered him a quest to find the Holy Grail.
He frowned down at the menu. “Are there any compounds on your planet that you are allergic to?”
“No.” Her lip twitched as she tried to hold back a smile. His eyebrows were knit—she thought he might grow a wrinkle there someday, but it would only give his face more character.
“Still, best not to try anything too exotic,” he murmured to himself. “I think I have found one that you will enjoy.”
“I’m sure I will,” she said slyly and blushed when he glanced at her. What was she doing?
When the waiter came by, he ordered a type of soup for them. It arrived in short order, creamy, thick, and delicious. It reminded her of shepherd’s pie back on earth, with a flakey crust that was a little on the salty side and a chunky sort of white meat that had the texture of chicken but the taste of beef. The vegetables were incomprehensible to her, but it all tasted well together. There were even hints of garlic, oddly enough.
She and Sholan shared one plate, which was more than enough.
Lyra raised one spoonful up at him in a little toast. “To getting out alive and delivering the cure your people need.”
Curious, he copied the gesture. She winked and clinked their spoons together. “Now, we eat.”
They chatted back and forth for a few minutes about inconsequential things. He had always found weapons fascinating and offered to be his crew’s gunner the moment the opportunity came up.
Lyra, on the other hand, had found her calling quite accidentally. Her instructor at boot camp had been counting off one out of ten cadets to be the team’s medic. She had been lucky number ten.
She soon found she thrived at it.
Lyra naturally took things quite seriously—you had to when people’s lives were at stake.
She was calm under pressure and the sight of blood and injury didn’t bother her as much as she thought it would.
“I’ve considered returning to school and becoming a full doctor,” she confessed. It wasn’t something she had told anyone else, even Captain Taryn. Talking to Sholan was easy, however. She knew he would keep whatever she said private between the two of them.
“So, you will not continue on with your Captain’s crew?”
“Reenlist, you mean?” She shrugged. “I’m not sure, but probably not. My Captain is the best in the fleet, and our whole crew works well together... but I can’t help feeling my life is meant for more than space exploration, you know?”
He made a noise of agreement.
She quirked a smile. “Maybe I’ll try something planet-side for a change. I got offered an apprenticeship here. Xeno-doctor is a thing, right?”
She had been half-joking, but he took her words seriously.
“I do believe there are medical experts who specialize in several different alien races. They are in much demand within the Alliance.”
She pointed her spoon at him. “Well, then there you go.”
Their drinks had been delivered with the meal: some sort of orange drink, not sweet, and slightly carbonated. It must have been alcoholic because it left her feeling lightheaded... but in a good, effervescent way.
In fact, she realized she had felt rather good over the last few hours. All signs of her previous vertigo were gone. Perhaps she had only been tired.
As they made their way back to the pod, her arm slipped into his and they bumped shoulders companionably.
Every time they touched, she felt a frisson of desire shoot from the point of contact through her veins.
Why not? she asked herself. Sholan was a handsome man—more than handsome. He was breathtaking, strong and muscular.
And by the way he looked at her... Lyra was not stupid. She knew he felt this growing attraction between them.
They passed the local alien equivalent of an inn. Sholan stopped, pulling her to the side of the street.
“Perhaps we should sleep here tonight?”
“You mean, not at the pod?”
He shook his head. “The bunks are hard and small. I would much rather sleep in a bed tonight.” His dark eyes held weight.
Her breath caught. He means we should sleep in one bed, she thought, her heart picking up pace.
Yes.
“It’s been ages since I’ve slept in a real bed,” she murmured, not breaking his gaze.
“Then we are agreed.”
He took her arm more firmly and they made their way to check in at the front desk.
She wasn’t sure what he used to pay for the room, and she didn’t care. It wasn’t as if they would use any currency she had access to. Sholan had his back to her as he arranged the billing, and she took the opportunity to let her gaze sweep over the long lines of his back, the impression of muscle hidden under his clothing.
Her tongue darted out to wet her lower lip and a pleasant heat pulsed out from her groin.
She had tried not to think about it. They had an important mission to complete, after all, but they were grounded.
And Sholan was a specimen of a man.
Alien.
Whatever.
She had always gone for the smoking hot ones. One and all, they turned out to be possessive jerks so she had long ago resigned herself to the possibility of one-night stands, but...
One-night stands could be a lot of fun, too.
As if reading her mind, Sholan turned. His dark gaze met hers, knowing.
Her breath caught.
As if playing the gentleman, Sholan extended his arm out to hers. She threaded her own through his.
With the key in hand, they made their way down the hall.
“It’s strange... Earth and Mars both have this set up for travelers,” she said, heart racing and valiantly attempting to act as if everything was normal. “I guess some things are a universal constant.”
“He asked if we needed the room for the night, or only a few hours,” Sholan grumbled.
She laughed. “What did you tell him?”
“That I would have you all night long.”
“You did not.” She grinned, the pleasant anticipation sitting like a fizzy drink in her stomach.
“No,” he admitted and eyed her hungrily. “But I wanted to.” He paused. “Lyra, may I kiss you?”
“Sholan.” She stopped and turned to him. “I hope you intend to do more than that.”
Sholan’s smile made her heart stutter. He leaned in, one hand cupping her cheek. Their lips softly brushed.
It was a gentle touch, barely a hin
t of a kiss. Yet warmth seemed to blossom inside her. Lyra tilted her head, pressing in closer, harder.
Sholan huffed a laugh and pushed back, his mouth fully to her.
Lyra’s eyes slid shut. She made a small noise, parting her lips for him, and when he entered, the warmth inside only seemed to expand. She swayed, clutching his strong back as if to anchor herself.
Sholan’s breath hitched and he pulled back just enough to breathe, “Shall we continue this in our room?”
“Please.” She tried to make herself sound calm and in control, but it came out as a plea.
Lyra did not remember much of the room. It had a very human-like bed—only without a headboard or pillows—and a door that locked. That was all that mattered.
The second the door was shut, she found herself pressed against the wall and kissed within an inch of her life.
She clutched at him, her hands sliding up his shirt to grip that strong back. The skin was like silk, the muscles under it as hard as steel.
She wanted this man. Oh, how she wanted him.
One of Sholan’s large hands came up to cup a breast. She broke the kiss to let out a small sound, tipping her head back.
He took that opportunity to kiss messily down her throat. His hips, his erection, pressed against her, hot and ready.
“Sholan,” she gasped. “The bed.”
In answer, he lifted her up as if she weighed nothing at all. Making a startled sound of surprise that turned into a breathless laugh, she wrapped her legs around his waist. They shuffled the few steps to the bed, neither wanting to let go for the time it took to walk.
The strange warmth had expanded in her. Lyra felt wild with need. The moment she hit the mattress she tugged her shirt and bra up and over her head.
Sholan growled and dipped his head, taking one of her nipples in her mouth.
“Oh,” she breathed, fingers curling into his dark hair. It was just as soft as she’d imagined it. She moaned as he kissed one pert nipple, then the other, spending time laving his tongue over each.
“Oh... Oh, Sholan. Touch me. Please...” She lifted her hips, struggling with her own pants.