by Dixon, Ruby
He pushes away from the panel, sits down on a nearby seat, and draws me in for another kiss—this one on the mouth. He rubs his nose against mine in a playful manner. "Okay with you if I work on my project in here? I can wheel the cart in and spread out on this table. I need the space."
His “work” always makes a mess, but it's fine. I don't mind cleaning up after him—it gives me something to do instead of just stare at the ceiling. "Go ahead, babe."
Adiron grins at me. "You're welcome to lend a hand, you know."
I snort. "We both know where you want my hands, and it's not anywhere near your tools."
He draws me in closer, his gaze locked on my breasts. "I mean, I like to think of my cock as a tool—"
Something electronic chirps.
We both freeze, staring at each other. "Is that…" I ask.
"A ship," Adiron says. "Just came on the radar." His face lights up in the biggest grin and he tugs me into his lap and puts his hands all over me. "I told you my brothers were on their way."
59
ADIRON
I'm wrong. The moment I set Jade down and triumphantly hit the comm buttons, I know it's not my brothers. The “communication” that the Buoyant Star receives (if you can call it a communication) is nothing more than a ping sent to see if the ship receives it. That wouldn't be my brothers. They know we're here.
I keep smiling when Jade gives me a vaguely worried look, and punch a few more buttons. A visual of the incoming ship appears on the comm monitors, and I swear to myself. That's not the Little Sister. Nor is it Lord Straik's The Darkened Eye. It's a flash cruiser, designed for speed and stealth…and a favorite of pirates with a lot of credits to burn.
It sends another ping, and the system chirps at me.
"Shouldn't we answer?" Jade asks, looking at me. "If that's your brothers?"
"It's not them," I admit after a moment. "I don't recognize that ship at all."
"How…" She pauses. "How did they know we're here, then?"
It's an excellent question. The odds of someone finding the Buoyant Star without specific coordinates are extremely, extremely slim. Jade and her companions had a handful of visitors over the last three years, and only after they were sending out a distress signal to lure in pirates with supplies. This strikes me as highly coincidental. Either we've left a signal on somewhere, or someone's given away our location.
If I had a credit on me, I'd suspect it was Lord Straik. I know my brothers wouldn't sell me out…so it has to be the lord. But at the same time, it doesn't make sense. He acted like he was ashamed to find out his family was smuggling humans. Why would he turn around and give that information to pirates? He wouldn't.
Unless…he was forced to. I rub my jaw as the ping chimes again. This is definitely a problem.
I look over at Jade. Jade, who looks up at me with those big, beautiful eyes, as if she's trusting me to fix this problem. As if I can reassure her that everything's going to be all right. Jade, who makes my world better with a laugh, whose smile makes my heart feel as if it's coming out of my chest. There is nothing I wouldn't do for this female, and being with her in the last six weeks has only emphasized that feeling. It's easily been the happiest six weeks of my life. I want to wake up with her wild, kinky hair in my mouth and her tits plastered against my chest every morning for the rest of my days.
And I'm not going to risk her for anything.
"Do you love me, Jade?" I ask.
Her eyes narrow as she looks over at me. "This is an odd time for a declaration."
She knows me all too well. "Just answer. Yes or no?"
"You know the answer is yes."
"Fantastic." I gesture at the wall. "I'm going to pull that panel off and I want you to hide behind it until that ship is gone."
Jade stares at me. "Do…what?"
"It's a pirate ship. Probably not friendly. I don't want them getting anywhere near you, so I'm going to need you to hide." I'm already racing out of the room, heading for my blaster. I'll give her my weapon, so she can protect herself. If she's hidden, this ship has a lot of janky re-wiring now thanks to my efforts. Maybe they won't notice another bio-signature. I can play it off as something else.
At least, that's the hope.
As long as Jade is safe, I can take anything these pirates dish out.
I snatch up my weapon from the hook on the wall and head back toward the kitchen. Jade meets me on the way there, her eyes wide and frantic. "Adiron, what if you're wrong? What if they're friendly? What if it's one of your brothers?"
"One of my brothers would have sent more than a ping. This is someone that's testing the waters to see what bites." I reach out and touch her cheek. "It'll be all right, love. I won't let anyone harm you." I'll die first.
I put my blaster in her hand. She gives it a horrified glance. "Adi, no."
"Yes," I say firmly, and steer her toward the wall. "There's a fusion component hidden behind the food processor. Stick as close to that as you can. I'm hoping it'll hide your bio-signature. I don't want you to come out until I give you the signal."
I half-expect Jade to protest more, but she's smart and cool in a pinch, my girl. She nods and takes the blaster, pulling it free from its holster and priming it before hefting it, and then turning it off again. "What's the signal, then?"
Gotta be something they won't think to use in normal conversation. I consider for a few moments, "I'll work out a way to bring up my list of five favorite things."
Jade nods. She moves forward impulsively, grabs the front of my tunic, and tugs me down toward her. Her mouth is on mine, fierce and desperate, and she kisses me so hard that her lips will likely be bruised in the morning. She pulls back, just a little, her gaze meeting mine. "I love you more than anything," she tells me.
I smooth her wild, puffy hair. I adore this female. "I'm going to keep you safe," I tell her again. Maybe if I keep saying it, I'll believe it. "Don't you worry about a thing."
She pulls back, takes a deep breath, and then nods. "You want a signal word for me to shoot them?"
Kef, I love her ruthless streak. "If we have too many signal words, we might get them all mixed up. How about if I say 'shoot' then you pick off the most dangerous-looking one and we go from there?"
Jade nods. "I can do that."
"And if it's a Threshian crew, kill me and then turn the blaster on yourself," I say. "You don't want them taking you alive."
She stares at me. "You're…serious?"
I nod once. "Just trust me on that. I don't think it'll be a Threshian crew but…yeah." I kiss her one more time and then move to the wall. I study it, looking for a good place to rip it open, and then grab one of the flat, strong metal sticks that serve as eating utensils, and then wedge it into the wall. I use it to pop up one corner of the wall, along the baseboard, and then shove my hand under there, dragging the entire thing up along the seams as I do. My hands get a little ripped up and bloody as I work, but I can deal with that later. "Quick. Hide." I gesture to Jade. "We don't have much time."
As if the ship's aware of the situation, it chimes with an alert. "Unfamiliar vessel initiating ship-to-ship docking sequence," the computer intones. "Please advise."
Jade crouches and slides into the hollow behind the wall. There's a mass of tubes and near-empty bags from the food supplies, but she sticks close to the fusion generator like I told her, blaster clutched tight in hand. I replace the panel, trying to remain calm as the ship recites the alert once more. I use the flat of my palm to smack the metal panel back into the housing, then wipe the blood away. There's a vent near the bottom, and I lean in close. "All right in there, love?"
"I'm good and I can see out," Jade whispers. "I love you. Stay safe for me, all right?"
I plan on it. There's no way I'm leaving my woman alone to face these bastards.
60
JADE
I clutch the blaster in sweaty hands, peering through the grate as the ship's hull groans and I can hear the distant hum of what s
ounds like the same tool that Adiron used to seal the doors. I'm nervous and worried, and my stomach churns all over again. I bite my lip so hard that I taste blood, but at least I don't puke. Puking in the wall? In this tight space that I might have to be in for god knows how long? Not a good idea. Luckily, the nausea ebbs.
As the ship sends out a variety of alerts—all of them bad sounding—Adiron hums to himself. It's a jaunty little tune, all light and cheery, and as I crane my neck to try and see through the gate, I catch the scent of noodles. He's making himself food. The chair scrapes and then I hear him sit down. It's a hell of a time to eat, but as the little tune continues, my heart fills with affection.
Adiron always has a strategy to his actions, and I know what this is. This is both an effort to calm me and to disarm whoever shows up. He wants to make them think he's stupid, and sitting calmly and eating while his ship is being invaded will definitely put that thought in their heads. I know he's not stupid, though. He hides behind it like a shield. He uses that to his advantage, because the less the enemy thinks of him, the more room it gives him to outmaneuver them. I want to tell him I have him all figured out, but I remain silent and send thoughts of love from afar.
The door hisses open and every nerve in my body screams to attention.
A gruff alien voice barks out a few syllables. Don't move, the translator implant in my head says, and I realize how jarring it is to hear the Homeworld dialect. He's speaking mesakkah, and Adiron always speaks English around me so I don't have to listen to the translation. It's just another way that he's thoughtful and kind.
I peer through the grate, and I see big, muscular legs and twitching blue tails.
I also see the remnants of the door on the floor, and one of the strangers is holding a blaster to Adiron's head.
My heart stops.
And what is Adiron doing? He's got his mouth full of noodles, his cheeks puffed out with them. One long one dangles from his lips. He slurps it up and eyes the intruders. "You the rescue party?"
They look a little confused. The one with the blaster to his head hesitates, then pushes it against Adiron's brow again. "Who are you? What are you doing on this ship?"
"I'm Adiron." He stirs his food, unconcerned that his life is in danger. I want to shoot both of them, but Adiron hasn't signaled me, and he doesn't look worried. I have to take that as a good sign. "As for what I'm doing here?" He continues, "I thought it was pretty obvious. I'm stranded. My ride took off without me."
"What ship were you with?" the other asks.
"The Darkened Eye, captained by Lord Straik sa'Rin. Real pain in the ass. I was working on board and he got a burr under his tail. Left me here on this piece of junk. That was about six weeks ago." He tells them just enough that it all sounds incredibly legit—because it is. He's just omitting the parts about us humans or the fact that he chose to stay behind with me while his brothers jettisoned in the escape pods. He gives the men a bright look. "Say. You guys got anything better to eat than noodles? That's all this ship has."
"You the only one here?"
"One and only." He wiggles his fingers at them. "Hand's gotten a real workout, too. Nothing to do here but daydream about cantina girls, if you catch my drift."
"Disgusting," mutters the other.
The first one lowers his weapon. "We're going to check this ship for others. What's your family name again? We'll let the captain know you're here and she can decide what to do with you."
"Va Sithai," Adiron says, and goes back to eating his noodles. "You can check the records of The Darkened Eye, too, and you'll see she was here in this quadrant a few weeks ago. I'm telling you the truth." He takes another big bite and speaks out of the side of his mouth. "Tell your captain I'm happy to crew for decent food and a ride back to the nearest station."
The two men confer, whispering, and I can't make out what they're saying. I can barely see their faces, the vent preventing me from watching their expressions. I can see Adiron, though. He shovels his noodles into his mouth with grim determination and never looks over at me once. I have to give him credit—for a man that is an awful liar, he's holding his shit together really well right now.
Meanwhile, I'm sweating a blue streak here in the wall. It's not just that it's stuffy. It's that I'm absolutely terrified. My hands are so slippery Adiron's blaster could fall from my grip at any minute.
One of the men leaves, and the other casually walks toward Adiron, his hand on the weapon at his waist. "You know what this ship is?" he asks, voice all casual.
Adiron lifts his bowl to his lips. "Keffing death trap is what it is. I've had to rejig half the control panels just to keep the air flowing. You planning on towing her to port?"
"Depends on what the captain says," the man replies, voice cool. "She'll let us know her plans soon enough."
Footsteps echo on the floors, and I see Adiron's tail twitch.
"Captain," the soldier says, his body turning toward the door. A long, lean pair of legs and another blue tail enter the room. It's a woman, and judging by the whipcord strong-but-slim build and the tail, it's another mesakkah. I can't see her face, though.
At the table, Adiron starts to choke on his food.
"Thought you'd be surprised to see me," the woman purrs. "Imagine finding my favorite va Sithai in the ass-crack of the universe."
"Shaalyn," Adiron coughs, his expression stunned.
61
ADIRON
Well, if this isn't my worst nightmare, I'm not sure what is.
I stare at my old lover, unable to believe my eyes. Shaalyn vos Nimai is as beautiful as ever, her long, smooth ponytail high between her horns and flowing down her shoulders. Her ears are studded with hoops, just as I remember, and she's got a tiny one on her septum that glitters when she smiles. She doesn't look one bit different, despite the fact that it's been eight years since I saw her. Those bright eyes still sparkle with intelligence, her body is as lean and strong as ever, and her expression is just as hard and ruthless as the last time I saw her, when she had her knife in my gut and cooed an apology even as she left me for dead.
Funny how I used to find that ruthless nature of hers so exciting once. I loved that she was a bossy female who knew what she wanted and would step on anyone to get it. Now, though, I can't help but compare her to Jade, who puts the needs of others ahead of her, and who leads simply because someone has to, and she feels the weight of responsibility. Who cares genuinely for everyone and wants all of those she's in charge of to have a fair shake, even Crulden the Ruiner.
Shaalyn is nothing compared to Jade. Nothing at all.
"Hey there," I manage to choke out. "Crazy how we keep running into each other after you tried to murder me."
A smile curves her mouth, and she looks genuinely delighted to see me. "Holding grudges, darling? You really shouldn't. You know it wasn't personal."
The sad thing is, I know she's right. Shaalyn has always been all about herself. Even when I was madly in love with her and helping her rob others blind, I thought she didn't give a shit about anyone except me. Turns out, I was mostly right. She didn't give a shit about anyone, INCLUDING me. Ah well. That's what happens when you think with your cock. "Doesn't matter if it was personal or not. Can't say we left on good terms after you betrayed me, knifed me, and stole my ship."
She tuts, moving forward and brushing her long, graceful fingers over my cheek. "You would have done the same to me if you were in a pinch."
"No, I wouldn't have." At the time, I truly thought myself in love with her. I'd have done anything for her. Now, of course, I see that she was just using my enthusiastic obedience as another tool.
Shaalyn shrugs. "Then you're a fool. Speaking of fools…" She gestures at my surroundings. "What are you doing out here, darling?"
I pull away from her touch, though it might be smarter to let her think I still have a measure of affection for her. It takes everything I have not to look over at Jade's hiding spot. I can't give away her location. Even if she
manages to shoot one or two of Shaalyn's crew, there's more than she can safely handle. I can't risk her getting hurt. Time to bluff my way out of things. "On this ship? I could ask the same of you."
She leans over me, her tail swishing. I'm not surprised to see she's got a few rings on the tip of it. Shaalyn always did love a gaudy bit of jewelry. No wonder she's always keffing broke. "I'm not in the mood for games, darling. Tell me what I need to know, or my boys might have to pry it out of you."
I glance around the room. Six pirates other than Shaalyn, now. All mesakkah, all heavily armed. All younger than me and probably all in love with her fierce, dangerous ways and desperate to impress her. I have no doubt they'd get creative with torture in order to squeeze information out of me. Lucky for both of us that I excel at running my mouth. "Went out exploring. Ran into a bit of trouble with our ride, and so my brothers left me to hold things down while they regroup." I shrug, trying to seem casual. "They'll be back any moment now."
It's a bluff, of course. Yes, my brothers will be coming back, but I have no idea when. It might be another week. It might be three.
Shaalyn taps a finger under my chin. "Aw. That's sweet. You think they're coming back. Darling, how do you think I got here?"
My gut clenches. It's the answer I fear the most, but also the one that makes the most sense. But I have a role to play, and I'm determined to keep on playing it. I smile brightly. "How do I think you got here? Intelligent flying and sharp skills? But I guess not. Those haven't been your forte. You're best at stealing other people's toys and claiming them for yourself."
She slaps my cheek. Not enough to make my head turn, just enough to let me know she doesn't like my little dig. "We intercepted your brother's escape pod, you idiot. He didn't want to say anything, either, but when his little human was threatened, he sang like an avian." Shaalyn's fingers dig into my skin, her touch turning cruel. "They're dead now."