by Tana Stone
Brok took her hand and pulled her to him, keeping his voice low. “I am not sorry about anything, are you?”
She looked up at him, pausing for a moment before giving him a small smile. “No.”
Warmth bloomed in his chest. It had been so long since a female had looked at him the way Madeleine did—like he was undamaged and worthy of being desired. Seeing himself reflected in her gaze, he knew he was worthy of being her mate. And he knew he would die for the right to claim her as his.
“Everything is going to be all right,” he told her.
She cocked her head at him, the corners of her mouth twitching up. “I like it when you use your forceful captain voice.”
He slapped her ass lightly. “Then I will be sure to use it more often to get you to do what I want.”
“Promises, promises.”
His cock twitched, but he steadied his breath and reminded himself what they needed to do. “This should be a good time to search for Serge. It’s still early, and most residents are probably recovering from the celebration.”
Madeleine touched a hand to her temple. “One thing I can say for that wine. It doesn’t give you a hangover.”
He unlocked the top door and led the way down the winding staircase, unlatching the lock at the bottom and activating the cloaking device he’d reattached to his waistband. He slowly pressed on the secret door, peeking his head out to make sure no one was walking by. They may be cloaked, but it would look pretty suspicious for a secret panel to open on its own.
When he saw that the coast was clear, he pulled Madeleine close to him and moved into the corridor, sliding the stone panel back in place.
“Where should we start?” she asked.
He thought for a moment. He’d checked the device that helped him pinpoint both Madeleine and Serge earlier, but the blinking dot had been faint, and he could only narrow it to the palace. Where would the Gatazoid go if he was also trying to hide? Perhaps someplace that was familiar to him. “Where has Serge been since he’s been here?”
“The same places I have. The tower rooms they assigned to us, and the main hall. Then the kitchens when he was sent to work down there. Oh, and the first day we arrived, the procuring agents—which is a fancy name for slave traders, if you ask me—brought us to a Spartos city administration building.”
Brok’s attention was piqued. “Where was that?”
“Near the landing pad where the ship set down, which I think was at the far end of the city.”
Brok nodded, even though she couldn’t see him. That made sense. They wouldn’t want ships landing in the middle of the city. “Was there a communication center at the administration building?”
“I think there had to have been, because the captain of the procuring ship had to get permission to land, and the voice that gave us the go-ahead was the same voice as the guy who met us on the landing pad.” Madeleine drew in a sharp breath. “You think Serge might have gone there?”
“No, Serge is still here in the palace, but I think I might be able to use the Spartosian communication center to get a message out to my ship.”
“After we find Serge, right?”
“Absolutely.” He squeezed her hand. “Now come on, I have a feeling Serge is hiding in plain sight, just like we were.”
They moved swiftly down the hall, their footsteps soft on the stone floors. As he’d expected, the city seemed to be recovering from the festivities. They didn’t pass a single Spartosian as they made their way back into the main palace hall.
Madeleine’s hand twitched in his as they entered the hall and saw the half-naked—and some fully naked—bodies sprawled across the ottomans. Luckily, they were all passed out, the exhaustion from the revelry making them dead to the world.
“You think Serge is in here?” Madeleine whispered.
“I might be wrong, but I think he is.” He walked forward and peeked under a draped table. “Serge.”
No answer, but his voice was so quiet he doubted the Gatazoid would hear him unless they were right on top of him.
Madeleine tugged at his hand, pulling him toward a long buffet table where a fountain still burbled a pink drink of some kind. She flipped up the skirting and peeked underneath. “Serge! It’s me, Madeleine.”
A small form scurried out, glancing wildly about. “Madeleine? Where are you?”
Brok reached out with the hand not holding Madeleine and grabbed his sleeve. “We’re right here. We came to get you out.”
“Thank heavens,” Serge said. “I’ve been cowering under that table all night. I should not have picked the champagne fountain table. It was like trying to sleep under, well, a fountain.”
“Ready to get out of here?” Madeleine asked.
“Definitely,” Serge said, as Brok pulled both of them toward the door. “Although I would not say no to a bathroom break along the way.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Are you sure we can’t manage to cloak Serge, too?” Maddie asked, as they hurried across a covered stone archway that stretched over a shimmering, blue canal.
Brok hoisted her up higher on his waist, one hand under her ass and one gripping Serge’s arm. “This device only extends the cloaking over someone who is very close to me.”
Her face warmed. They were close, she couldn’t deny that, since she was practically wrapped around his torso like crawling ivy. But it was the easiest way for him to carry her and also move quickly. She’d just have to ignore the fact that pressing up against his bare skin brought back flashes of the night before. Memories that caused her pulse to quicken.
“I don’t think our Gatazoid friend wants to ride on my head,” Brok added.
“I do not.” Serge sniffed and glanced over at the empty space where she and Brok were. “It’s bad enough that half of my arm looks like it’s missing.”
Maddie saw that he was right. The part of the arm that Brok obviously held was invisible, so the wedding planner appeared to have half an arm. “Let’s hope the Spartosians think you’re an amputee.”
Serge grumbled something about the indignities he’d been put through but kept bustling forward, his short legs taking two steps for every one of the captain’s. “Tell me again where we’re going.”
“Madeleine believes the city administrator you met when you first arrived in Spartos City has a communication center.”
They passed a pair of bleary-eyed residents in rumpled clothing who barely glanced up at Serge as they trudged toward the palace.
“I don’t know if I said ‘center,’” Maddie corrected, once they’d passed the couple. “But I do know he was in communication with the ship that brought us here.”
“That’s right.” Serge snapped his fingers. “These Spartosians may be famously xenophobic, but they clearly hire traders to acquire things for them. And you have to have off-world communication to do that.”
They wound down a wide staircase until they reached double doors leading outside. Maddie inhaled deeply as they exited the building, smelling a hint of salt in the air. It had been days since she’d stepped outside, and she lifted her face to the rising sun, even if it was less bright than the one she was used to on Earth.
“And why do we need to reach the communications hub? I thought our goal was to escape as quickly as possible.” Serge asked, keeping his voice low as they passed more Spartosians. Luckily, everyone was still in recovery mode, and no one gave the small alien a second glance.
“From what Madeleine said, the administration building is located on the edge of the city. That’s where my shuttle is waiting.” Captain Brok led them to the edge of a canal and jumped onto an empty hoverboat, pulling Serge with him. “I’d rather the Spartosians don’t have the capacity to send out requests for assistance in hunting down the prisoners I intend to take off their planet. Or contact the ships that patrol their planet’s atmosphere.”
Brok leaned down and fiddled with the boat’s controls as a sleepy-looking boat operator gaped at Serge, who stood in the mi
ddle of the gondola as the boat’s engine engaged and they shot forward.
“Hey!” The Spartosian ran along the narrow walkway at the edge of the canal as he watched them speed away. “That’s my boat.”
“Sorry,” Serge yelled, shrugging his shoulders and making a big show of looking around him and acting shocked. “I’m not controlling it.”
“So much for keeping a low profile,” Maddie muttered, knowing Brok could hear her since her face was only inches from hers.
“You had a better idea for getting through the city unnoticed?”
She didn’t respond. She didn’t have a better idea, but she hoped the startled boat owner wouldn’t send out a search party for his stolen boat and the tiny alien who’d ridden off on it.
They skimmed over the bright-blue water, sending a fine mist behind them, as they twisted and turned through narrow canals with alabaster buildings rising up on both sides. Stone balconies extended over the water with the occasional resident leaning over and peering below. Music drifted out from open windows, but it was soft, and matched the drowsy mood of the rousing city.
Maddie rested her own head on Brok’s solid shoulder, the warmth of him comforting. He shifted slightly, touching his own head to hers. The movement was subtle, but intimate, and her heart fluttered nervously.
As much as her rational self knew she should not be falling for the Drexian, she couldn’t help herself. He was everything she’d ever wanted in a man—and more. Fighting her feelings clearly wasn’t working anymore, and she didn’t know if it was the crazy alien planet, but her usual self-control had evaporated when it came to the captain.
The funny thing was, she had stopped caring. It felt good to be close to him and trust him. After years of relying only on herself, it was a relief to be able to depend on someone else. And if that meant caring about him and risking getting hurt, she’d just have to deal with it. She was tired of fighting the growing feelings she had for the bossy Drexian. Besides, what were the chances a tough Inferno Force captain would get killed?
“This is as far as we can go by water.” The captain straightened, as the boat slowed and finally drifted up to a dingy stone dock.
The area on the far end of the city was very different from the city center and the palace. Instead of gleaming-white stone, the buildings were yellowed, with green water lines marking their sides. The crisp scent of salt was now mixed with the sharp smell of fish and the stench of burning grease.
“I take it you parked in the economy lot,” Maddie said, even though she knew Brok wouldn’t understand the reference.
He grunted. “There was less chance of being seen here.”
“I can see why.” Serge stepped off the boat and onto the path that was strewn with bits of refuse. “You’re sure the administration building is here?”
“Does that look familiar?” Brok turned them both to face a building that towered above the rest and had a wide, disc-shaped platform extending from the top.
“A landing platform,” Serge said.
Maddie nodded. “That’s the place.”
Brok took Serge’s arm and started to move them all through the maze of streets leading to the tall building.
“What’s the plan for getting inside?” Serge asked. “I assuming this place will have security.”
“You still decline to ride on my head?”
Serge shot a look at the empty space that was Captain Brok. “I do.”
“Then you will serve as lookout while Madeleine and I locate the communication hub.”
“Lookout?” Serge looked affronted. “But how will I alert you to incoming danger? We don’t have any way to communicate with each other.”
“Can you do bird calls?” Maddie asked, trying to keep her voice serious. “A few loud caws should do it.”
Serge sucked in air, as he practically ran to keep up. “Bird calls? You expect me to caw up at a building?”
“It was worth a shot,” she whispered to Brok, as she felt his body shake with laughter.
“It will be safer to have you outside,” the captain said when he’d steadied his voice. “We can’t risk you being seen inside the building. There would be too many questions. But if you happen to see an approaching group of guards, you could always try to create a distraction to give us more time.”
“A distraction.” The Gatazoid tapped his chin. “Well, why didn’t you say so? Distractions are my specialty.”
After having known Serge for several weeks, she believed him.
They rounded a bend and the tall building loomed in front of them. Unlike the rest of the run-down section of the city, this building was pristine white, with a shiny, metal gate surrounding it topped with what looked like sharp tridents. A pair of guards stood outside the gates in sleek, green bodysuits that shimmered the same way their skin did.
“How do we get past them?” she whispered to Brok. “Or over that fence?”
He was silent for a moment, then he dropped Serge’s arm. “Stay here and be inconspicuous.”
Serge nodded solemnly, as he pressed himself against a nearby building. “You can count on me. I am the soul of discretion.”
Maddie cast a final look at the short alien with spiky, purple hair and hoped he would still be there when they returned. If they returned, she reminded herself.
As they approached the guards, she noticed that a Spartosian was talking to them and showing them a sheaf of papers. Brok tensed as they approached, getting as close to the blond man as possible without touching him. Maddie held her breath as the guards nodded and opened the gates, waving him inside and inadvertently allowing them to pass, as well.
Once they were inside the gates, Brok matched the Spartosian’s sharp steps as he marched up to the building and through the clear double doors. He fell back once they stood in the wide, gleaming lobby, letting the blonde stride forward and get into the glass elevator in the center of the open space.
Maddie let out a breath once they were alone in the empty atrium. She remembered being hurried through this space after arriving, but everything had happened so quickly, and she’d been so weary after her journey that she hadn’t focused on how bright and shiny the white-marble floors were or how the tall windows sent beams of light across them.
“Where do you think the communications hub would be?” she asked Brok, keeping her voice a hush as the hard surfaces seemed to echo every sound.
“I was going to ask you the same thing.”
She tipped her head back. The building must have been at least ten stories high. “I guess we should go floor by floor.”
He moved them quickly to the elevator, touching a flat panel to one side and stepping inside once the doors swished open. They surged up, and she shifted in his arms.
“Do you want to let me down?”
“Not particularly.”
She laughed, and the sound filled the compact compartment. “Aren’t your arms getting tired?”
He chuckled along with her. “You are very light. I could carry you all day and not tire.”
“Show off,” she muttered, earning her another laugh from Brok.
The doors slid open when they reached the top floor. There was a Spartosian male waiting to get on, and Brok sidled past him to get off. The building was constructed with rooms ringing the center, doors evenly spaced to form a circle around the soaring, open atrium.
They walked to the first door and Brok opened it, pushing it far enough in so they could see that it was an empty office and not the room they needed. He repeated the action as they moved around the perimeter, sometimes being met with confused faces as the door seemingly opened of its own accord. They’d almost opened every door on the floor when Brok pushed one open and they were met with consoles and the low static of incoming transmissions.
“This is it,” she whispered, although she didn’t see anyone inside the room.
Brok moved them inside quickly and pulled the door shut. “I need to put you down to work on the computers.”
>
Maddie slid down out of his arms and instantly missed the warmth of him. She stepped aside and saw her own body reappear again. “There’s no one here to see me, anyway.”
She couldn’t see him, but she heard Brok tapping at a nearby console and hoped he’d found what he needed. Before she could ask him, she heard the door behind her open and a tall, flaxen-haired Spartosian male stepped into the room, stopping short when he spotted her.
Fuck.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Brok stopped swiping his fingers across the smooth surface of the console as the Spartosian let the door shut behind him.
“You are not one of us.” The alien narrowed his gaze at Madeleine. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”
Madeleine gave the male a dazzling smile. “I’m the human that arrived a few days ago. Haven’t you heard about me?”
The Spartosian cleared his throat. “I have, but what are you doing here? This is a restricted building.”
“Not for a Spartosian prince, it’s not.”
The alien glanced around as if a prince might pop up from behind a console. “Is one of our princes here?”
Madeleine shrugged as she walked toward him. “Would I be here if I wasn’t with someone important?”
Brok was impressed by her performance, although he did not like the way she smiled at the alien, or the way she twisted her hips as she walked.
“No,” the blond admitted, his gaze still flitting nervously around the room.
“He went to check on something or talk with someone.” Maddie twirled a strand of her hair with her fingers. “He won’t be back for a while.”
The Spartosian glanced over his shoulder at the door, and Madeleine took the opportunity to shoot a look in his general direction and make a ‘hurry up’ movement with one hand.
Brok tried to focus his attention back on his task—disabling the planet’s communication systems. He scanned the lights and symbols on the flat panel, and attempted to ignore Madeleine’s seductive voice. Looking up, he noticed that she’d closed the distance between herself and the male with blond hair that hung loose around his shoulders.