He shrugged. “With friends and family. A nice dinner at a nice restaurant.”
“Oh.”
She turned her attention back to the trunk.
“What about this celebration that you don’t seem too interested in? What’s going to happen there?”
She let out a sigh. “I wouldn’t know since I don’t plan on being there.”
“Tell me something about your world.”
“La—it’s beautiful.” She repositioned to face him and sat on her butt with her legs folded at her side. Her dreamy gaze looked off into the distance. “There are two sides to it. The rugged desert side with untouched beauty and then there’s the bustling technological side. We are the leaders in solar energy.”
“We were starting to get into that on Earth.”
Her eyes brightened as she focused on him. “Exciting, isn’t it? How far did you get?”
“Um…we were mastering of the use of solar panels.”
She slumped. “Oh.”
“I take it you’re much further than we were.”
Her eyebrows scrunched together. “Well…there was mention of panels or something of that nature thousands of cycles ago.”
“Of course your planet was more advanced than mine,” he mumbled.
“No, no, you had to start somewhere. It would have been only a matter of time before your species found a way to use your star’s energy to power your planet.”
“How can you harvest solar energy?”
She tapped her hand. “There’s a solar chip in there. If I stayed on this vessel forever I would never need to recharge it.”
“Because you harvested your sun’s energy.”
She clapped in glee. “Isn’t it great? Now imagine this kind of technology powering an entire planet. Well, not the entire planet. My ancestors declared a lot of my planet as protected. It means we can’t build on or disturb the natural landscape.”
“I know what protected means,” he said, sounding harsher than he had intended.
“I didn’t mean… What about Earth?” she asked, changing the subject. “Tell me about it.”
“Some other time.” He opened the maps in front of him. He thought about leaving. Maybe going to the bridge, but the princess wasn’t there. And again, he wasn’t smart.
“Well, what about…” She shrugged. “I don’t know. What did you do on Earth? Where you a captain of a vessel there too?”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “No. Far from it. I was a lawyer.”
“What’s a lawyer?”
“I worked to uphold the law. I argued my point all day.” He laughed again. “If someone broke the law, I fought to get them put in jail. Ironic.”
“You were the same as a Galactic Council member?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Sa’Mya turned back to her trunk and retrieved a nightgown. “I see your point. That is ironic.”
“Should I call Moira or Yazmine to help you get ready for bed?”
He had moved Moira and Yazmine into the cabin next to his. Since he had forbidden the crew from interacting with the females on a sexual level, they were pretty quiet. Now the crew saw the females only when they were on guard duty.
“No, it’s not necessary. I can handle it myself,” she said. He lifted a brow. “You’ve taught me to be pretty self-sufficient.”
He snorted as she trotted off to the bathroom with her nightgown.
While she showered and changed, he rolled the maps and tied them. After tossing them to the side, he stripped and straightened his pallet.
When she came out, he openly gaped. He was sure he actually moaned out loud, but since she hadn’t responded, he assumed it hadn’t happened. His dick sprang to life as he watched her lean over her trunk to put the clothes she held bundled in her arms there. The thin material clung to her, outlining every sensual and delectable curve.
He cleared his throat for fear his voice would crack. “Come here.” Sa’Mya’s head popped up. Her eyes widened in surprised confusion. “Let me take a look at your wounds.”
She hesitated but then came to him. She held her hands up. He cradled them in his and inspected her palms and each finger. Next he went to her knees. She silently held her nightgown up to her thighs while he ran his hand across her kneecaps. She was healing fast and well, with minimal scarring.
“Moira and Eli both think the healing tank will be up and running by tomorrow. We can get you in there to heal the rest of this,” he finally said after trusting himself to speak again.
Two days ago, he hadn’t known of the existence of a healing tank or that the vessel had one. None of them had known the purpose of the stark-white room on the other side of the vessel. They only saw wall monitors and controls, with three large metal tanks lined in rows in the middle.
Right after commandeering the vessel, Kyle had diverted all the power from the room because it had been draining too much energy. Moira was helping by giving them instructions on the healing bay and healing tank.
He tugged on the hem of her nightgown, letting it fall into place. “Good night.”
He pulled back his blanket and scrambled underneath, resisting the urge to carry her to his bed. But he couldn’t tear his gaze from her hips swaying as she walked away.
She slid into his comfortable bed. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.” He wrapped the blanket around him and tucked in all the sides, mummifying himself. There would be no late-night wandering.
“Why do you sleep on the floor?”
It’s where I should be.
His heart raced. “Because you have the bed.”
And I can’t trust myself to follow my part of the bargain and give you up.
“It’s not what I mean. I believe Taio and Eva slept in the same bed.”
“Princess, sleeping together is more intimate than we should get.”
On more than one occasion he’d had the urge to spring on her and bury himself inside her. But he didn’t. He chalked that up to self-control. On those occasions, he left his cabin and went to the training room and worked out. He now sported ripped biceps and abs.
She lay quietly in the bed. Her soft breaths were the only sound in the room.
“Lights off,” he said.
After a click, blackness filled the cabin.
“Kane?”
“Yes.”
“Are you bonded?”
“Yes.”
* * * * *
Three days later, Kane sat on the bridge as The Vengeance landed on the desolate water planet they had found over a year ago. They had stumbled upon it by chance after hitting a big payday. A species of overly-large barbarians had pursued them relentlessly, intent on killing them with their bare hands. Ryan had managed to find the water world by mistake and ever since they used the planet as a hideaway.
Ryan landed on one of the large, grassy floating islands. Different than Earth, the planet was composed of ninety-nine percent water, and the other percent consisted of floating islands sprinkled throughout.
“We’re good.”
“Good job, Ryan.” Kane rose from his chair. Before leaving he added, “Once we’re secure, you can all take a break.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Kane made his way to his cabin. Sa’Mya would appreciate being outside with fresh air. Mentally he’d been kicking himself for treating her the way he had. It wasn’t her fault he had lost his self-control. He would never lose it again. Night after night his will had been tested but he prevailed.
As soon as he entered, his breath caught in his chest. She had on a calf-length blue gown with intricate gold designs. A thick braid rested over her shoulder, ending at a knot by her waist.
Beautiful.
Sa’Mya turned from the port view. “Where are we?” she snapped.
Yep, she was still angry. She’d been acting this way since he told her he had a wife. As far as he was concerned, she shouldn’t be upset. Hell, the plan had never changed.
He was
going to collect his gold, drop her off and keep moving. There were no feelings involved in this. There couldn’t be.
There shouldn’t be.
Her arms were folded across her chest. Her well-manicured fingernails drummed on her skin. She leaned heavily to one side. Her hip jutted out as an impatient foot tapped at the floor.
The problem? She looked so damn cute.
“I can’t tell you what I don’t know,” he answered.
“Am I allowed to go outside or are you intending to keep me locked in this room?”
He shrugged. “I guess no harm could come from letting you out to enjoy the sun and water for a while.”
Sa’Mya coldly nodded in a regal manner and dismissed him with a disdainful sniff.
Chapter Fifteen
Sa’Mya smiled up to the sun. “We are on Thalassa.” She had recognized Thalassa immediately. The birthplace of the Great Ancients—a race of beings who had populated and enlightened the universe.
All the children of this galaxy were required to learn about Thalassa. She remembered spending hours looking at satellite pictures of the ancient planet. She had never thought to visit here in her wildest dreams. Now here she stood.
“Sacred Thalassa.” She clasped her hands together and glanced around in shocked elation. “Beautiful.”
Kane held on to her elbow and escorted her down the metal ramp to where the others were starting to congregate. As she descended, she let her gaze scan the horizon. Blue waters in front of her as far as she could see. Rays from the sun sitting high in the cloudless blue sky shined bright and warm.
“Captain, we’ll be over here.”
She turned to catch JB pointing to an area where he intended to let Yazmine and Moira relax. She briefly wondered if her aides recognized this place as well.
She looked around in wonderment, amazed with all the beauty. Finally reaching the bottom, she slipped off her shoes and let her feet sink into the cushion of grass. If her feet could talk, they would oh and ah their approval. After walking on the hard metal flooring of the vessel, they welcomed the luxurious feeling.
She noticed there weren’t any tress or bushes, nothing that needed deep roots. Small flowers of varying shapes and colors dotted land that was barely large enough to accommodate the spacecraft.
Supposedly, before Thalassa had become this water world, it had been known for its many modern cities. There had been kingdoms here that rivaled any in existence today.
“You know this place?” Kane asked.
She let her head fall back and closed her eyes. She welcomed the warm sun’s rays. She hadn’t been in sunshine or had fresh air since leaving Sonis.
“You’ve broken more laws than you can imagine, Captain.”
“If you would please enlighten me on where we are and on the rules I’ve broken, I would forever be indebted to your highness.”
The sun’s rays washed across her face. It really wasn’t the humans’ fault they sought refuge on an ancient and protected planet. In their defense, they came from a small remote planet and didn’t know the ways of the universe.
She angled her head to peer at him. “We are on Thalassa and you are in an insurmountable amount of trouble.”
He leveled his gaze with hers. “Explain yourself.”
How could she explain a sacred planet to a male who, for all intents and purposes, had just found out that other worlds existed besides his?
“By abducting me and my crew you would have earned imprisonment. By landing on Thalassa you have insured your death. The Galactic Council might not give you a trial, Captain.” She shrugged and walked past him toward the water’s edge. “You remember to explain to the Galactic Council that you forced me here and made me swim in its sacred waters!” she yelled over her shoulder.
Sa’Mya pulled her dress over her head and ran toward the water in her undergarments, all the while giggling as if she were a child.
She put all grace aside and plopped on the edge of land. She dangled her feet and legs in the clear, brilliant-blue water below.
Kane started to follow her. She held her breath and slid off the edge.
She let the weight of her body drop into the water’s depth. She opened her eyes, amazed at how well she could see. No, she didn’t see the remnants of any great cities. The water seemed to be a bottomless pit.
Wonderful.
She kicked off and swam farther out and explored her new surroundings. Nothing, she was totally alone.
She came up for air and took another breath to dive again. As Kane swam toward her, the splashing he made disrupted the calm and peaceful waters.
“Don’t ever do that again. You scared me shitless.”
“Do what?” she snapped.
“You know what I mean. You dropped into the water and when you didn’t resurface I thought you drowned.”
Is that worry in his voice?
She blinked in surprise. “I wasn’t going to drown. I know how to swim.”
“So far, Princess, I can count all the things you can do on your own on one finger.” He warily scanned their surroundings. “We shouldn’t be out this far.”
She ignored his retort and flipped on her back. “Why do we have to go so soon?”
The water instantly blanketed her body so only her face and toes broke through the surface. Her hair fanned out around her. She opened her arms and allowed the water to sift through her fingers.
“It’s beautiful. I can’t believe I’m actually here.” She glanced at him. “You might as well enjoy yourself.” After turning back to the sky, she added, “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“I’m sorry that once it’s found out you’ve breached the sacred planet, you and your crew will be put to death. If I had known you were coming here I would have persuaded you against it.”
“We haven’t been caught yet. I’m sure no one knows we’ve been here.” After a moment of silence, he added, “Is there a way to track who has come onto this planet?”
She tilted her head in thought. “There has never been a need for such a reason. Everyone is forbidden to land on Thalassa.”
“Good.” He slipped onto his back.
“May I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“Where is your mate? Was she sold in the slave market as well?”
He paused before answering. “No. She was killed.”
She caught her breath. “How did it happen?”
“Aliens.”
Whenever they docked here, the eerie waters put him on edge. He always had the feeling he was being watched. Since they’d yet to encounter any kind of life form, the creepiness made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
Sa’Mya floated quietly next to him, not at all worried about what strange creatures might be swimming around down there. He couldn’t imagine the princess would submerge herself in water where killer sharks and stingrays lived, so he too relaxed.
He floated on the water and tried to put Sa’Mya out of his mind. Something he had been trying to do since the minute he met her. In truth, he couldn’t. Even now.
The dreary lighting on The Vengeance did her no justice. With the sunlight on her skin she looked more golden, vibrant even. Light danced off the highlights in her hair. Her brilliant, sparkling eyes mesmerized and entranced him.
He closed his eyes and allowed himself to fully relax. His thoughts drifted to a time when Earth was still his home planet. A time when his biggest worries had been his credit score and paying the mortgage. A time well before the alien invasion and before his world fell apart. A time when he had a beautiful, loving wife. A time when he was going to be a daddy.
His once beautiful planet was no more.
With the varying extreme temperatures, Earth was unique, the same as the inhabitants who had inherited it. Humans had been so consumed with how different their appearances were from one another that no one focused on how alike they really were.
It all seemed like a cruel and si
ck joke now. When the Loconuist came, they hadn’t discriminated between people from affluent neighborhoods versus those from poverty-stricken ones. It hadn’t mattered if you were from America or from the Congo.
The Loconuist had enslaved them all.
As his thoughts saddened, his heart also lightened. The hatred and despair that had strangled and wrapped itself around it began to lessen and float away in the calming waters. As his heart became lighter, so did his body. No longer fully submerged in the water, he floated on top.
His home. Gone. His family. Gone. His former life. Gone.
He realized he had something billions of humans didn’t.
A new start.
He had survived.
“Let’s go.” Kane rolled off his back and waited for Sa’Mya.
“You’re right,” she said. “It’s time.”
He met her gaze. Her eyes sparked with renewed energy. Whatever had transpired in these sacred waters had forever changed them both.
Chapter Sixteen
The ridiculous note crumpled in Umar’s sweaty palm. Ransom demand! He would not meet the demands of common thieves. A transporter full of gold. How dare they ask that of him? He would never waste his precious fortune on an incompetent spoiled brat.
Oh, but she would return. Over their dead bodies.
“Idiots!” he yelled to no one in particular.
Those thieves were idiots if they thought to outsmart him. His plan had been in the works since his ungrateful sister had married the king. It would take more than an abduction and ransom demand to thwart him.
Umar barreled his way through the palace halls. The sounds of his aides scurrying behind him reminded him they were on his heels.
He stopped and turned. The three aides at his back tripped and stumbled over one another. “Great Ancients! Must I always be followed?” he barked.
“Sorry, sir. You don’t need us?” one of the aides asked.
“Does it look as though I need you?”
The aides shared looks of confusion. Umar threw up his hands. “Be gone! When I need your help or anyone else’s, I’ll call.”
Dangerously Yours: 2 (Loving Dangerously) Page 12