She was far more athletic than he imagined. Every millimeter of her spoke of years of intensive training and discipline. He needed to shift lower to bring her calf close to his face. His feet sprawled past the edge of the bed, making it a little uncomfortable. Emboldened by the lack of reality, he leaned in and gently clamped his teeth over her Achilles. Continuing to nibble, he moved up her calf. There may have been a little drool.
“What are you doing?” She didn’t move or jerk away, and even her breathing seemed to have ceased.
He’d expected her to wake, and her reaction didn’t seem hostile. He mustered up a sleepy groan. “Hmm? What?”
Sparrow lifted onto an arm and twisted to look at him over her shoulder. The shirt rose a little higher, giving a hint of her navel. “You were biting me.”
“Was I? Must’ve been a dream. What are you doing in here?”
“I finished my shift, and pilots need sleep too.” She flipped around and resettled herself with her head near his. “So, were you eating a bularg leg in your sleep?” The twinkle in her eye and grin on her face looked like a green light to him.
He wrapped her braid around his hand a few times and tugged her closer. “My subconscious must’ve felt your pull.”
She let out a breathy chuckle, and he took the opportunity to kiss her. They clung together in an embrace that could’ve been an instant or an eternity. However long it lasted, it was warm and sweet and ended far too soon. Nose to nose, she gazed into his eyes. “I guess you can see again. How’s your head?”
“Still a little headache but it’s better with you here.”
Her laugh came out hard and long this time. “Wow. Just wow. Down boy. It was just a kiss.”
Releasing her hair, he wrapped an arm under her and pulled her mouth into another kiss. Overwhelming need rushed into him and took control of his body. It wasn’t long before his hands wandered from her back down to her butt. He squeezed as they gently writhed together. An endless thirty seconds or so later, his hands started to slip under the back of her shorts.
Sparrow pulled back. “Stop.”
“Hmm?” He grinned.
“Too much. Too fast.” She patted his chest. “I think you’ve gotten enough sleep. Sparky is probably getting up around now to do some filter maintenance. Why don’t you go let him teach you something.” It was more order than question.
“I’d rather you did.”
She quirked a smile and bit her lip. He watched intently for her to make a decision. When it came, it wasn’t what he had in mind. She shook her head and inhaled deeply, “No. I don’t think so.” She moved to allow him to get up.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No. Like I said, too soon.”
He blew out a breath of frustration. “Okay.”
Jason released the Mirre and went back to staring at the bottom of her feet. Tiny toes stuck out from hardened soles. The experience hadn’t been everything he hoped, but her reaction was encouraging. He shifted his body and began caressing her leg — smooth and taut with muscle. He leaned in and gently clamped his teeth over her Achilles. Continuing to nibble, he moved up her calf.
“What are you doing?” Reacting the same as in the Mirre, she didn’t flinch or move.
He let out the fake sleepy groan. “What? Hmm?”
Sparrow lifted onto an arm and twisted again. Jason made sure to watch the shirt pull up a little. “You were biting me.”
“Was I? Must’ve been a dream. What are you doing in here?”
“I finished my shift and pilots need sleep too.” She flipped around and put her head near his. “So, were you eating a bularg leg in your sleep?”
He wrapped her braid around his hand a few times and tugged her closer. It didn’t matter knowing what would happen, his heart raced with anticipation. “My subconscious must’ve felt your pull.”
She let out the same breathy chuckle, and he took the opportunity to kiss her. They clung together in an embrace. It was far more real than in the Mirre — he could touch and feel things in there, it wasn’t like a dream, but it always seemed muted somehow.
“I guess you can see again. How’s your head?”
He kept to the script. “Still a little headache but it’s better with you here.”
Her laugh came out hard and long. “Wow. Just wow. Down boy. It was just a kiss.”
Releasing her hair, he wrapped an arm under her and pulled her into the second. While his desire still consumed him, he kept his hands on her back this time. He didn’t want to go too far. Restraining himself was painful. When they broke for air, he asked, “So, want to tell me about the salmon?”
She grimaced and shrugged. “It was nothing.”
He ran a finger along her jaw and over her lips. “Seemed like more than nothing to me.”
Her mouth tightened into a line. “It was just something my parents used to buy for special occasions.”
“Used to?” His brows furrowed with dismay. “Did they die?”
“Huh.” It came out as a grunt. “Don’t be so melodramatic. I’m no orphan, Prince Enthralling.”
“Charming.”
“What?”
“It’s Prince Charming not… Never mind. So what happened?”
“Mom went out on a cargo run and took her chance to run out on her contract.”
“Just like that? She left and didn’t come back.” He kissed her nose.
Sparrow sighed. “Yup.”
“What about your dad? Did he try to find her?”
“Dad couldn’t afford to pay someone to chase her down. He never speaks about her anymore. As I got older, I got the impression their marriage wasn’t exactly perfect.”
He teased her nose with the braid. “How do you know she left intentionally?”
“The ship didn’t vanish, just her. The rest of the crew came back. They said she went down to Lurser while they were delivering and never came back. She even took her gear with her.”
“Oh. Sorry. How long ago was this?”
“Yea. Well, screw her. I was nine at the time.”
He put his hand behind her head and kissed her again. The mutual tongue lashing continued far longer this time but still ended too soon. She pulled back, but her lips still grazed his as she spoke. “I need to get some sleep.”
Jason nodded while inhaling her breath. It made him a little self-conscious about his possible stinky morning mouth. He turned his head but kept her body snuggled close to him. “Okay, we can sleep.”
“I won’t be able to do that with you in here and all—” she hesitated for a moment. “Excited.”
“Yea.” It came out as a sigh. Wasn’t she also excited?
She moved so he could get out of bed. He kept his back to her while putting his pants on, so he wouldn’t make the situation worse. “I guess I’ll go help Sparky with the filters.” As soon as it was out of his mouth, he knew it was a mistake.
“Excuse me?” Her voice returned to that spike of death she used when they first met.
“Umm. I’ll go see what Sparky is up to.”
Something plastic bounced off the back of his head and rattled to the deck. “You used your magic on me!”
“No. I—”
“Oh, my God. You disgusting little shit. I knew you were acting too confident.”
He turned to find her glaring at him and getting ready to throw. “I just—” A pillow smacked into his face.
“Out. Get out. Get out! Get Out!” Her screaming became a screech, and he grabbed his shirt and shoes as he dashed out the door.
For the first time in his life, he felt guilty about using his power. “You mucked it up this time dumbass,” he mumbled to himself as he fixed his pants.
He hadn’t really given it much thought before. It was a part of him. Something his father taught him how to do from his earliest memories. His training forced him to consider using it for almost every situation. Perhaps he needed to unlearn some of those lessons. If she gave him another chance, he promised
himself he wouldn’t use it with her again.
Jason found a control panel and accessed the ship’s computer. “Location of Sparky.”
“Crewman Sperkovachi is in the air recycler room.”
Having a vague idea of how to get to the area, he put on the rest of his clothes and glumly clomped down the corridor.
Chapter Eight
“Sparky?” Jason called into the dank room. “Sparky? You in here?” The section was hotter than the rest of the ship and every breath tasted like murky river water.
A bald head poked from a side room. “Ya.” Sparky came out, carrying a case of equipment. With boisterous fervor, he said, “He sees!”
“Yea,” Jason mumbled. “I see. Just not clearly enough.”
“What you need see? Close eyes with Sparrow.” He nudged Jason with his elbow.
Had she made an announcement before going into the cabin? Well, there was hardly enough room to keep it a secret. With a backhanded wave, Jason said, “Forget it. Sparrow wanted me to learn whatever you’re doing.”
The man considered him for a moment. “Ya. Here.” He shoved the case into Jason’s hands. It was more bulky than heavy. “Follow.” He led him down the long and narrow room until they got to the end. “Sparrow kick out?”
“Yea, Sparrow kick out. I deserved it.”
Removable panels lined the walls and went four high to the ceiling. “Drop.”
“What?”
Sparky patted the case. “Down.” His unusual accent drew out the “o.” Jason set the case on the deck while Sparky used a tool on one of the panels. “You make Sparrow mad?”
The question seemed mild, but Jason could vision one of those large fists slamming into him if he’d tried anything forceful with Sparrow. When Sparky opened the panel, a harsh light stabbed the room. Inside was a row of thin cylinders lined up against the light. A green fluid slowly bubbled inside.
“Mad.” Jason agreed. Furious was more like it. “So what are these things?” He ran a hand over one.
“Air maker.” Sparky’s head swung from side to side while he grasped for words. “Teria. Uhh.” He looked at the ceiling for answers. “Bac—teria.”
Perking up, Jason said, “Oh. Right. Some sort of photosynthetic stuff to convert our carbon dioxide back to oxygen.”
The man blinked at Jason’s explanation then shrugged. “Ya.” Sparky pointed to a gauge at the bottom of one of the cylinders. “Green okay.” Running his finger along the line, he stopped at one that had an orange indicator. “Change time.” He continued and stopped at a red one. “Overdue.” Most of them were yellow or green, and his fingers skipped those.
“So, how do you fix them?”
Sparky said with a grin, “Filter or women?”
“Both.”
Sparky flipped a switch on a cylinder that had a red indicator and then unscrewed it from its place. The slight pop of a vacuum seal releasing filled the air. The fluid inside was tinted brown instead of the healthy green. Waving the tube in Jason’s face, he said, “Fixed back home. We change.” He opened the box, removed a new one, and slid the old one into the case. Handing the fresh one to Jason, he commanded, “You.”
Jason locked it into place and activated the slot. The green light switched on. “That seems easy enough.”
Sparky slapped his back. “Ya, easy. Women not so easy. Can’t unscrew.”
Jason grinned but didn’t know if the man understood his own joke. “And Sparrow?”
Wide shoulders produced an even wider shrug. “What you do?”
“I used my Mirre.”
Sparky’s eyes scrunched. “Mirre? Not understand.”
“I used my magic.” Jason grimaced at the description.
“Ah. Right. Shabin magic. You play with Sparrow inside head?”
Already Sparrow was spreading information. His father would flip. “Yea. I played.” It came out with a groan.
“Who doesn’t play in head?” He shook a finger under Jason’s nose. “Bad man. No again. Apologize.” Then he pointed up the room. “I there. You here. Maybe two hours.”
Jason blew out a breath looking at the hundreds of panels. Sweat had already covered his back and brow. “Couldn’t a bot do all of this?”
Sparky walked away and waved a hand. “Bah. Then what I do?”
It didn’t take long before the task became monotonous. Within the first hour, the repetitiveness allowed him to concentrate on more important things. He couldn’t do anything about Sparrow for now, but he could grovel later. Well, maybe not grovel, but he could try to fix his mess. Buying that kitten for her seemed like a better idea to him now. He shook his head. No, he couldn’t buy his way out of this.
The twenty-five-billion-dollar question was centered on his father, his uncle, and a murder. What had his father said?
One, he claimed not to have murdered Martin. True or not true? Another panel popped open, and his fingers ran along the line of tubes while he squinted from the bright light behind.
Two, the Imperial Greatness himself claimed to be worried about his missing son. True or not true? That, Jason was sure had been true. Although, loving father versus concerned business owner who had a missing asset was up for debate.
Jason found an orange indicator and turned the cylinder. He needed to squeeze his fingers between the tubes to work. Condensation made them slippery. Three, the curve right under her butt felt wonderful to caress. It had a silky and smooth quality missing from her hands. He could still imagine her kisses on his lips. “Stop that,” he mumbled as he removed the tube and stepped off the ladder. Foam packaging surrounded the replacements, and he lifted one out. He went back to the vacant slot and glided the new one in place.
Three. Right. Dad problem. Focus asshole. Martin knew something was coming and didn’t want Jason around when it hit. Jason used his shirt to wipe his forehead, but since everything was soaked by now, it was a little pointless. The tube slid into place, and he twisted.
Four, her nose was adorable — tiny with a bump, hinting at an old break. “Stop that,” he berated himself again. His father had seemed honest about wondering why he left and if he was safe. It was that damned mechanical body which made gauging truth so hard. Had his father been in another rage fueled blackout? Or completely innocent? He still needed to send his promised message back home when they got to their next stop. Where the hell were they even going? He laughed at himself. He never bothered to ask Sparrow about that.
The way her hard nipples had pressed into him when they were in bed flashed through his brain. He could use the Mirre again and figure out the best way to get her to forgive him. Probably not the best solution.
He used a hand to shield his eyes as he ran a finger along the row. Another red one. He twisted. His father had been shocked by the description of himself over a dead Martin. Truth or lie? The brown tube came out. A dead Martin. Jason froze, and his mouth gaped at the idea. The container slipped from his grasp and clanked down the ladder until it landed with a crack. Slime dribbled from the broken vessel.
Martin had already been dead when Jason entered the Mirre. He stared at the broken mess while Sparky stomped closer. “No worry. Easy clean.”
Confused, Jason shook his head. “It couldn’t have been Martin.” His words came out in a whisper.
“Martin? No. You drop.”
What the hell was going on? Jason jumped off the ladder. “I need to talk to Sparrow.”
He started to walk past Sparky but was jerked back by his shirt. “Not now.” The man needed to look up at Jason, but that didn’t stop his menace. “You clean. You work. She sleep.” He moved in front of Jason and crossed his arms. “Sparrow no sleep, Sparrow grumpy pain.”
Right or wrong, Jason didn’t think he could get past the man if he tried. He nodded. “Okay. I’ll let her sleep.”
Sparky showed him to a clean-up kit and left him to finish the job. It took them more than another hour to go through all of the tubes.
After work, he got a bite t
o eat while spending Sparrow’s rest period trying to understand what happened to his uncle along with coming up with a way to make her forgive him. Both answers eluded him. It was a struggle not to use the Mirre for a solution.
He also hadn’t brought enough clothes. One shirt covered in blood from his cut and another stinky from sweat forced him to borrow a clean but ill-fitting company jumpsuit from Sparky.
Clean, pressed, and nervous, he sat in the corridor outside her cabin during the last hour of her sleep cycle, waiting for her to wake. A few maintenance bots wandered the corridor inspecting or fixing or whatever they were supposed to be doing. He made a game of tossing gribnut shells at them in an attempt to get one to successfully land cupped atop the antenna. They kept bouncing off.
When the door finally opened, she glared at him. “What?” she spat.
“I… Umm.” He stood. “I’m sorry.”
She shook her head and turned back to the cabin.
“No. Wait.” His pleading voice must’ve struck a chord because she froze. “Please, let me explain.”
She twisted around, but her face wasn’t welcoming. “Not before caffeine.”
“Okay.” It was a hopeful sign. “I’ll buy ya some coffee.”
A quick laugh escaped from her, and she shook her head. “No coffee on this barge. The company won’t supply it, and I can’t afford it. Only powdered nutrient mixes and caffeine tablets.” She headed toward the galley.
He hurried after her. “I bought coffee back on Porter.”
Her rapid stride hesitated for a moment. “You’re working toward my good side. Keep going.”
“I can make you breakfast.” He widened his face into a cheesy grin.
“Stop that, Lord Goofball.” She led the way.
He was relieved to find the galley empty. Dishes rattled, pans clinked, and appliances hummed as he made his way around, familiarizing himself with everything. “Sorry.” He handed her a mug. “They only had the instant stuff.”
She sniffed. “Still better than what I usually have in the morning.”
He continued his preparation, removing a package of frozen waffles and fauxbacon from the omega heater. “I know I screwed up.”
Shabin- The Reluctant Prince of Rhime Page 7