by Liza Probz
Turning to the shower, she debated the wisdom of climbing inside. Although the hot water would do wonders, she was fearful to make herself vulnerable. She was already afraid of the powerful attraction that she felt for the Vartik male. Before falling asleep, she’d been willing to surrender her body to him without a second thought. What if he came upon her in the shower and made a move? Would she be able to refuse him? Would she even want to?
Making the decision became unimportant when she heard his shout. Scared that they were under attack of some kind, Mayra hurried from the bathroom and into the main section of the ship.
She found him engaged in cooking what could only be described as a feast. They weren’t in danger, it seemed, unless the Vartik could be considered a danger to himself.
Seated at the table, she watched in wonder as he laid one delicacy after another before her eyes. There was some kind of soup that smelled sweet, a pile of lightly seared vegetables, a loaf of dark bread accompanied by butter with a hint of cinnamon, meat in sauce that smelled divine, and a small cake with chocolate icing.
It was the largest feast she’d ever been invited to. The only feast. Although she’d served the Vanfian princess at many state dinners, she’d never been allowed to taste the food. Damaiyra would sometimes sneak her morsels, but they’d been few and far between, perhaps a half dozen times in all of her years as the princess’s servant. The main staple of her diet had been stale bread.
To see the bounty put before her now, Mayra was hard pressed not to start weeping for joy. Nojan set an empty plate and bowl before her, accompanied by silverware. “Dig in,” he said, taking a seat across from her.
Mayra just stared, overwhelmed by the possibilities of the meal before her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his face wary. “Does something displease you?”
She shook her head, giving him a tiny smile. “No, it’s not that.”
“What is it then?”
Mayra shrugged a shoulder. “It’s just that… I’ve never had access to so much food before. I’m not sure where to start.”
A flurry of emotions crossed his face before he brought it back to a neutral expression. “I see,” he said, rising and circling to her side of the table. Picking up the bowl, he started to ladle soup inside it. Next, he placed a selection of every dish on her plate. Setting the dishes before her, he returned to his seat and began to serve himself.
Mayra took a deep breath and picked up her fork. Selecting a vegetable, she brought it to her lips. Here goes nothing.
The morsel was so succulent, it seemed to almost melt in her mouth. Mayra ate another, then another. Before she realized it, the plate before her was empty. “May I have some more please?”
The Vartik male chuckled, standing to pick up her plate and refill it. “Try the soup before it gets too cold,” he suggested as he selected portions for her.
The soup! How could I have forgotten? Mayra pulled the bowl in front of her and dug in with her spoon. The soup was dark, almost black, with a large round dumpling floating in the center. As the spoon made its way to her mouth, she fixated on the dumpling, so startlingly white against the dark backdrop.
Suddenly, she was out of her body once again, floating in the darkness of space. As it had before she’d fallen asleep, the blue and green orb of Territh stood before her. Although she couldn’t remember the planet from her own experience, she’d seen pictures of her birthplace, enough to know that it was Territh she was seeing now.
As she watched, a small white orb began making its way around the larger one, spinning in its orbit as it made its way around. Mayra’s eyes narrowed as she focused on the little white ball. Without warning, she was sailing closer, the white orb growing larger in her vision. It’s Territh’s moon, she thought, unsure of the importance of the little glowing ball.
All of a sudden, there was a flash in her mind. A flurry of images rolled past, moving too fast for her to make anything out for certain. There was a city of domes, a blue-crystal orb, an old woman, a book, and a pair of green eyes that seemed to be laughing at her.
“Mayra?”
At the sound of his voice, the vision cleared and she was back on the ship, her spoon hovering an inch away from her lips.
“Are you all right?” His face was concerned, his tone gentle.
Mayra nodded, settling the soup back into the bowl and pushing it away from herself. “Yes.”
The Vartik shook his head. “Oh no,” he said. “You’ll have to give me a little more than that.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, suddenly queasy. Mayra pushed back her chair and stood, making her way over to the viewscreen. Lights were flashing by all around the ship and she watched as worlds came and went.
She felt him move up behind her. “Was the food not to your liking?” he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
“It was wonderful,” she breathed, meaning it. His food was the best thing she’d ever eaten in her whole miserable life. “Thank you so much for providing it.”
“Of course,” he replied. “If it wasn’t the food that gave you pause, what was it? It seemed like you went into your own little world for a moment.”
Mayra nodded but wasn’t sure exactly what to say. Should she tell him about the vision? She knew he intended to use her powers as an oracle to his benefit. If she told him she’d already seen something, he might begin pushing her for more answers, answers she didn’t have. Never having had such flashes of insight before, Mayra didn’t know how to control them or whether there would be any more.
With a sigh, she decided she had to tell him. They were bound together now, whether either of them liked it or not. And although she didn’t entirely trust him, so far he’d been nothing but kind to her. Besides, the vision had seemed to pertain to her specifically and not just their journey together.
That old woman had seemed familiar, although she couldn’t place her. She hadn’t met many Territhians in her life, and certainly not an old woman. Alien female slaves didn’t live long lives on Vanfia. Had the old woman been calling to her, to Mayra specifically? Maybe the Vartik male would be willing to help her determine why.
“I had a vision,” she whispered, the words tumbling out. “I was floating above Territh, watching its moon in orbit. I think I’m supposed to go there.”
“Territh’s moon,” he mused from behind her. “You mean the lunar colonies?”
Mayra nodded. It sounded right. “I saw a city of domes.”
The Vartik turned her around to face him. “That’s the lunar colonies, all right. Do you know why you’re to go there?”
She shook her head in response. “I saw an old woman, a blue-crystal orb, and a book. That’s all I know.”
“Hmm,” he said, releasing her and moving toward the ship’s console. He extracted something from a container and brought it back to her. “Speaking of blue-crystal orbs,” he said, holding up her necklace before fitting it around her neck, “that one’s called the Eye of Tomorrow.”
Mayra clutched the charm in her hand. The Eye of Tomorrow. Could that be the orb in her vision? It seemed both like it was and like it wasn’t. She couldn’t be sure.
The Vartik had already returned to the console, and now he was tapping at it, entering something into the ship’s systems.
“What are you doing?” she asked, moving closer to him.
“I’m entering the coordinates for the lunar colonies of Territh,” he replied.
“You are? You’ll take me there?”
He nodded. “Of course. Whatever your vision was, it must have something to do with our mission.”
Mayra wasn’t sure he was correct, but she was glad he was willing to take the risk. “Thank you, sire,” she said softly.
He turned to her, putting a finger under her chin to tilt her face up and force her to meet his gaze. “The name is Nojan. Say it.”
His chestnut eyes bored into hers and she felt the weight of his will on her again. “Nojan,” she breathed, liking the feel
of his name on her lips.
He must have enjoyed it too because he gave a groan and leaned in, claiming her lips in a fiery kiss.
Chapter 14
Nojan couldn’t help kissing her. It was all he could do not to spend every second tasting those plump and beautiful lips. Her taste was like nothing he’d ever experienced, both sublime and addictive. When she began to respond, he knew it would be next to impossible to pull himself away from her.
Then the console began to buzz, and Nojan mentally groaned, deciding instantly to ignore the call. Unfortunately, the sound distracted his lovely companion. “What’s that?” she asked, pulling away from him when the sound repeated several times.
Nojan sighed. “I’m getting a call.” He turned to the console and hit a button, sliding into the seat and watching the screen as his older brother appeared.
“What do you want, Zelup?” he asked.
“That wasn’t exactly the greeting I was expecting,” his brother replied with a sharp laugh. “Too busy to talk?”
“I’d like to be,” Nojan growled, in the moment hating his brother’s grinning face. “What do you want?”
“Father said that you had the oracle in your possession?”
Nojan nodded. Mayra’s admission of her visions had further cemented his belief that she was the oracle they were seeking.
“Good. I’ve been monitoring the galactic chatter. You need to be on the lookout for the interstellar police. Rantel has sicced them on you.”
It was to be expected. Eventually, the Vanfian king would discover he’d been played. Still, this news didn’t worry Nojan excessively. The interstellar cops were numerous, but they were also notoriously stupid. There would likely be a way around them if they were encountered.
“Thanks for the heads-up,” he told his brother.
“That’s not all,” Zelup continued. “I’ve picked up reports of Evar Kange.”
Nojan’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Kange? Are you sure?”
“Unfortunately, yes. His ship has been sighted near Vanfia. It seems likely that he’s part of the hunt for the stolen oracle.”
Evar Kange was the galaxy’s most infamous bounty hunter. He’d been hired by the rich and powerful on countless worlds to track down treasures or mete out punishments. If you could afford his price tag, he always got the job done.
“You don’t know for sure Kange is on our trail?” Nolan asked, swallowing past the lump in his throat.
“No, I don’t,” Zelup replied. “But you’re the smart one. You know the odds are that Rantel has paid him to bring her back.”
“Fucking kitty-cat bastard,” Nolan muttered, earning a chuckle from his brother.
“Look, the best thing you can do is get back to Vartik quickly, and without anyone chasing you.”
“That may be so,” Nolan countered, “but it’s not what’s going to happen.”
“What did you just say, little brother?” Zelup’s expression was neutral, but Nojan knew that he hated being contradicted.
“I’m not coming straight back to Vartik. There’s somewhere we have to stop first.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. The mission is too important to go planet-hopping, Nojan. Get your behind back home.”
Nojan shook his head. “Sorry, big brother, but this is part of the mission. The oracle’s had herself a little vision, and I think it best to investigate.”
“Where are you headed?” His brother’s face was a mask, nothing more than simple curiosity showing through. But Nojan understood him better. Zelup was a know-it-all who expected obedience. He was a born ruler, bossier than all get out. And when one didn’t follow his lofty orders, his favorite phrase when things didn’t go as planned was I told you so.
“I’m not telling you where I’m going,” Nojan replied. “I don’t need you coming after me.”
“Dammit, Nojan, I could track your fucking ship if I wanted to.” The fact that Zelup had resorted to swear words indicated just how upset he was.
“No, you can’t, dear brother. I’ve been working on a little adjustment to our shielding system in my spare time, and now seems like the perfect time to try it out, what with that pesky bounty hunter on my trail. If it works, you and anyone else looking for me won’t be able to trace my ship.”
“Goddamn nerd,” Zelup growled. “Tell me where you’re going.”
“Tell our parents not to worry. I’ll be home as soon as I can.” With the push of a button, Nojan disconnected the call.
“Was that your brother?” Mayra asked from behind him.
“Yep.” Nojan didn’t bother to turn around. He got busy updating the shielding software. He’d been working on the simulations for the cloaking program before Marek left to sow his princely oats, but it hadn’t been quite ready then. Just last week, he’d finished debugging it, and his last six simulations had all shown it successful.
“Did he just say the cops are after us? And someone named Krang?”
“Kange. Evar Kange. He’s the one we should look out for and not the cops.” A few more entries and Nojan started the software running. The ship’s power fluctuated, lights dimming then almost bursting from brightness. A loud pop at the console, a small shower of sparks, and then a not-unpleasant hum started the systems running.
“There,” Nojan said, crossing his arms over his chest and smiling broadly. “It works.”
Mayra’s eyes were wide with doubt as she stared at him. “How can you tell?”
“Well, I can’t. Not exactly.” His grin started to fade. “The software is running, and it’s been successfully integrated into the shield matrix. However, I won’t be able to confirm its effectiveness until we know that someone is tracking us but not able to find us.”
“So we won’t know that it works until it works?” Mayra rolled her big blue eyes. “More like we won’t know that it’s failed until it fails.”
Nojan leaned forward, grabbed her by the hips, and pulled her onto his lap. “Have a little faith in my abilities,” he said while nuzzling her neck. “I got us off Vanfia safely.”
“And I still don’t quite understand how you did that,” she countered. “How did you convince the king to give me to you? And how were we allowed to launch? I heard the guards talking about locking down your ship.”
Nojan leaned back, his hands moving to brush her hair back from her forehead. It was like they had a mind of their own, unable to think of anything but touching and stroking her.
He wondered if he should reveal the full extent of his powers. Right now, she only knew about the healing abilities of his blood. If he told her he could read minds and about his powers of persuasion, she could think he might use it against her.
Or worse, she might realize it if—or when—he used them on her.
“I bribed the king,” he said, shrugging as if it were a matter of course. “He can’t say no to fine silks. And as for the guards, I bribed them as well. A few gems placed in the right palms can get you out of any scrape.”
Mayra’s eyes narrowed. “The king was furious. I doubt he could be so easily bought off by silks. And the guards planned to take all your gems, not just the ones you were willing to give. So I don’t see how—”
“Shh,” he whispered, covering her mouth with his hand. “It doesn’t matter how it happened. Just trust that I can protect you, beautiful.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but he kept his hand in place. “And before you tell me that you’re not beautiful, I’m going to insist that you are. Now, we’ve got,” he turned around to look at the console, “one hour and twenty-three minutes before we reach Territh’s lunar colonies. I suggest we spend that time getting to know each other a little better.”
Slowly, he removed his hand from her mouth. He was expecting her to protest, but instead, she sat looking at him, the faintest trembling in her bottom lip. “Don’t be afraid, gorgeous. I would never hurt you.”
He stroked her hair gently as if soothing an animal to prevent it from bolting. Nojan
saw her breathing become heavy and he took it as an invitation. Leaning in deliberately, he watched for any sign of distress. At last, he reached her lips and kissed her with a gentle pressure.
Nojan focused on a subtle seduction, even though it was all he could do not to rip both of their clothes off and carry her to bed to plunge inside her with everything he had. But he understood that they were still almost strangers. Yes, she had so willingly submitted earlier, but he wasn’t sure how much of that was due to his powers. For now, he would take it slow and gentle, to get her used to his touch.
Her stunning eyes grew heavy and finally slid closed, a small sweet sigh escaping her lips. Nojan responded to her instantly, his erection already verging on painful. He pressed his tongue between her pillow lips and began teasing her with little playful licks that soon had her panting.
One hand gripped the back of her head, his fingers buried in her luscious curls, while the other made its way to her breasts. He caught her gaze, wanting to be certain she welcomed his caresses. What he saw there was unexpected.
Mayra was staring steadily at him, her blue eyes like deep pools he could lose himself in if he wasn’t careful. Her skin was flushed, her breathing quickened. His hand hovered over her heart, feeling the steady beat against his palm.
It was as if she were willing to allow him his explorations but in a detached way. Like she was outside her body, watching the seduction happening. Earlier, she’d responded, had melted beneath him in the small bed in such a way that he’d known he could have her. He’d wanted to take her then, but his exhaustion had weighed heavily, and he hadn’t wanted her first time to be anything less than superb.
Now she was holding still for his touch but was holding herself back. Just what was going on in that pretty little head of hers? Maybe it was time to find out.
Chapter 15