Fury unlike any he’d ever known filled Amos. “And what are you going to tell them when they want to know if you’re a virgin? Because we both know what any medical exam will tell them.”
The silence was deafening. No one spoke. They barely breathed. Other than the hum of the instruments, there was nothing.
Shit, he’d really stepped in it this time. “I’m sorry,” he began.
“No.” She shook her head. “Don’t be sorry. I’m not.” She offered him a small smile. “I’ll face the consequences of my actions, but you shouldn’t have to. I made my choice.”
“No one is fucking going anywhere.” Amos could have kissed Flynn when he made his declaration. “This is my fucking ship. Kal, tell the captain of the Gravas 3 they can send a small party. No more than four men.” He studied the huge viewing screen that showed both ships. “Tell the Astoferus ship they can go fuck themselves.”
Kal relayed the messages in a more diplomatic way, informing the Astoferus to hold their position and telling them a Gravas party was boarding the Abigail. Then he issued the invitation to board to the Gravas 3.
“Kal, you and Rory stay here. The rest of you are with me. We’re going to meet the boarding party.”
Flynn strode from the control deck with Garth right behind him. Amos brought up the rear with Angelina. “Everything will be okay,” he assured her. He wasn’t exactly sure how this situation could end well. The one thing he did know was that he wasn’t giving Angelina up, not without a fight. Yet his brothers’ lives were also on the line.
Amos didn’t know what in the hell he was going to do.
****
Angelina knew what she had to do. She had to throw herself on the mercy of the man who’d contracted to marry her—a man she’d never met—and give him the information she had about her uncle. It was the only way to save Amos and his family.
She wished she’d had time to actually be introduced to them, to get to know them. At least she knew their names now—Flynn, Kal, Garth, and Rory, who seemed to be Kal’s woman. It didn’t matter that they were strangers. They were important to Amos, and that was all that mattered.
Fortunately, she was wearing her own clothing and the document card with the information detailing her uncle’s plans was tucked safely away in the pants pocket.
They reached the viewing dock of the small shuttle bay. Garth immediately went to a locker and opened it to an impressive display of weapons. He lifted out the biggest blaster she’d ever seen.
Flynn’s gaze flickered to his brother, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. Was he smiling? Angelina wasn’t sure.
“Don’t you think that might be a tiny bit of an overkill?” Flynn asked.
Garth paused and actually seemed to consider the statement. “You think?”
She wanted to shake them both. How could they be joking at a time like this?
Amos strode to the locker and grabbed a smaller weapon. “Doesn’t hurt to show we mean business,” he pointed out.
Her stomach dropped when she realized they weren’t joking at all. Not really.
“We don’t want to antagonize the delegation from the Gravas 3.” Flynn jerked his head to the side. “Stay out of sight unless we need you.”
Garth nodded.
Flynn grabbed several weapons of his own. He hid one in each boot, tucked another inside his flightsuit, and wore one openly attached to a belt around his waist. Then he closed and relocked the rest of the weapon cache.
She swallowed hard. These men could all die because of her.
“Gravas shuttle approaching. Opening bay door.” Kal’s voice sounded over the intercom. The huge metal door opened inward, and a small gunmetal-gray shuttle docked. When the engines were cut, the hatch closed, and the area pressurized, Flynn hit the switch by the door and stepped into the landing bay.
Garth slipped in behind him and disappeared to the left. He slung his weapon over his shoulder and soundlessly climbed to a platform about ten feet off the floor. He disappeared from sight, and she knew he was finding the best vantage point to protect his brothers.
Amos stood slightly in front of her. She stepped up next to him, unwilling to hide. “Whatever happens, stay beside me,” he told her.
She didn’t agree or disagree. She’d do whatever was necessary to make certain he and his brothers weren’t hurt.
A metal panel descended from the side of the shuttle. One man appeared and began to walk down the ramp. Three others closely followed closely behind him. They were all very large and very intimidating. The one in the front was almost as large as Flynn. The other three were as big as Amos, maybe bigger. It was hard to tell, as they were all wearing heavy battle armor and thick-soled boots. There were no weapons in sight, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have any. Dark visors covered their faces. She couldn’t make out any faces behind the protective gear.
Angelina trembled. Was one of these fearsome men the one her uncle had promised her to? It seemed likely. She couldn’t imagine a warrior from Gravas would take the disappearance of his promised bride lightly. They were too proud a people.
Amos shifted closer until they were touching. She squared her shoulders. She would not let these men see her fear.
“Show yourselves,” Flynn demanded. His weapon was still holstered, but Angelina had no doubt that could change in the blink of an eye. The way the brothers handled them assured her they were very familiar with and skilled in the use of firearms.
The man in front stepped closer, reached up, and pressed a button on the side of his visor. It flew up, revealing a dark-haired, bearded man with a fierce scowl.
“You bastard,” the man thundered and jumped toward Flynn.
“You son of a bitch,” Flynn roared back and met the man halfway.
Shocked, Angelina jerked back and readied herself for a fight. She should have gotten a weapon. She’d never used one before, but surely now was the time to learn.
But neither man threw a punch. Instead, Flynn grabbed the Gravasian and yanked him forward and into a bone-crushing embrace. They pounded each other on the back so hard she feared they might unintentionally break something before they were done. Lesser men would have been on the ground writhing in pain at the enthusiastic greeting.
“What the hell are you doing here, Vaden?” Flynn asked the man.
Angelina started to relax. It was obvious the man was a friend. That had to be good. Then the unknown warrior shattered her fragile hope.
“I’m looking for my bride.”
Amos shoved her behind him and raised his weapon. Out of seemingly nowhere, weapons appeared in the hands on the men from the Gravas party. Only Flynn and Vaden were empty-handed.
Flynn raised his hands in the air. “Everybody, calm the fuck down.” He glared at Amos, who slowly lowered his weapon. The men from the Gravas boarding party did the same. “We need to talk.”
Vaden’s gaze flicked to her and then to Amos and back to Flynn. “That much is obvious.”
“Your men can stay here while we chat.” Flynn turned his back on the man and strode away, obviously expecting to be followed. Surprisingly enough, Vaden nodded to his men and trailed after him. Amos threw his arm around her shoulders and guided her through the door. It slid shut behind them. Garth didn’t join them. She assumed that meant he was keeping an eye on their visitors.
Flynn led them up a level and into a small lounge area. Angelina was curious to see more of the space but didn’t take her eyes off Flynn and Vaden.
“This is one hell of a mess.” Flynn threw himself down onto a chair and motioned to Vaden to do the same. The big man slowly lowered himself, seemingly unconcerned about being separated from the rest of his men.
“So it would seem.” His voice was deep, almost emotionless. He turned his black eyes toward her. “This, I take it, is my bride.”
She stepped forward. “I’m not anyone’s bride. I didn’t agree to anything.”
Vaden frowned. “That is no matter. Your uncle
is your closest male relative. It is his right to arrange your marriage.”
Angelina wanted to scream. The culture of Gravas was so backward it made her head ache just thinking about it. “Where I come from, my opinion is the only one that matters,” she informed him.
He raised one dark eyebrow but then seemingly dismissed her, turning back to Flynn. “You know I must take her.”
“That isn’t going to happen.” Amos tucked her close to his body. “She belongs to me.”
“I see.” Those two small words were laced with such hostility and fury that she shivered. Vaden understood exactly what Amos was telling him.
“I asked him to do it, to take my virginity.” Angelina boldly stepped forward. She was tired of living in the shadows, of doing what she was told. Tired of living someone else’s vision of what her life should be. “I know your culture well and knew you wouldn’t take a bride who wasn’t pure.”
Vaden leaned back in the chair, placed his elbows on the padded arms and steepled his fingers together as he contemplated her. “I might make an exception. The business deal is very lucrative, and a woman with your fire and courage would breed me fine sons.”
Her blood ran cold. It was unheard of for a man of Gravas to take a wife who wasn’t a virgin. It was prized more than gold.
Vaden’s gaze flickered to Amos and Flynn and back to her. “If no one is alive to gainsay me, then you came to me a virgin.”
“I’ll tell everyone. I’ll scream it from the rooftops,” she promised him.
“That is assuming you ever see anyone again.” The coldness behind his words froze her to her core. He’d imprison her on Gravas, seeing her long enough to get her with child.
“I’d rather die,” she told him. And she would. She’d been in a gilded cage her entire life. She wasn’t switching one for another.
Beside her, Amos remained a silent sentinel. She could feel him vibrating with anger. Whether it was at her or at Vaden she wasn’t sure.
“It’s not going to happen.” Flynn’s tone was mild, and he appeared totally relaxed, sprawled out in the big chair. “The question you’ve got to ask yourself is why Demarco Astoferus would offer up his only flesh and blood for a business deal.”
Vaden frowned. “It was a way for him to be able to do business on my planet. We do not open easily to outsiders.”
“I’m well aware of that fact,” Flynn told him.
“Do you trust him?” Amos asked. “Would you give your niece or daughter or sister to a man she’d never met?”
“If I trusted him,” Vaden replied.
Angelina was getting tired of his controlled answers and wanted to do something to shake the man’s infuriating arrogance.
“That doesn’t answer my question.” Like his brother, Amos kept his tone mild, but she’d come to understand him well in a short time and knew he was extremely angry.
Vaden proved he was no fool. “Is there some reason I should not trust him?”
Angelina put her hand in her pocket and drew out the document card. “You might find this interesting. I managed to copy some communications between my uncle and the Ruling Council of the Gaia System.” She tossed him the card.
His hand shot out and caught it.
He gave Flynn a questioning look. Vaden was obviously a man of few words. Flynn stood and motioned him to a console that was tucked away. It was locked down, but Flynn placed his hand over the palm plate and it hummed to life.
“Be my guest,” Flynn told him.
Vaden plugged in the document card and began to read. Angelina watched him, but the man’s expression didn’t change as he scrolled through all five documents. Amos put his left hand on the small of her back. That small touch comforted her. She noted he kept his right hand free. The blaster was tucked inside his flightsuit, but she had no doubt he could retrieve it in the blink of an eye if he deemed it necessary.
Vaden closed the document card, removed it and tucked it into his pocket. “This does pose a problem.” He studied Amos. “You would die for her?”
Amos stepped in front of her, blocking her from Vaden’s view. “If necessary, but I plan on living with her instead.”
The words were an inflammatory reminder that he’d already had what Vaden considered his. She peeked out around Amos and started to ease around him, but he reached back with his left arm and tucked her behind him.
No one had ever protected her the way Amos was. He was offering up his life for her.
“You planning on trying to kill me?” Amos asked. Again, his tone suggested he was mildly interested in Vaden’s answer but not overly concerned.
Angelina had been around businessmen her entire life. They were cutthroat and sly and didn’t hesitate to lie. But these men were something different altogether. They were strong and smart and willing to put their lives on the line for what they believed in, to keep what belonged to them.
She might not like Vaden, but she had to admire his honesty. He didn’t pull his punches or hide behind a glib tongue. You knew where you stood with him.
“Maybe,” Vaden replied. He pushed away from the console and stood. “But not today. Today, I owe you for what you’ve done for Gravas.”
“You owe Angelina,” Amos informed him. “If not for her courage, you’d be married to a woman who didn’t want you and giving access to your planet to her scheming, lying uncle. You owe her, big time.”
Something inside her splintered. The walls around her heart crumbled into dust. The emotion that welled up was one she hadn’t felt in a long, long time. She didn’t want to speak it even in her mind, but there was no denying that Amos had released the shackles from her heart.
“An unusual position, is it not?” Vaden studied her for a long time. She suspected his black eyes saw far more than she wanted them to. She wondered if he could actually see into her heart and mind. No one really knew that much about the people of Gravas. The men were calm and logical except when they were in a battle. Then they were known to be berserkers, killers with no equal. Relentless. It was that reputation that kept others from attacking their planet. They embraced all technologies of war and all males were warriors. No one wanted to get into a fight with a warrior from Gravas, let alone their entire world. Yet, that was what Amos and his brothers were prepared to do.
Vaden strode toward her. She had to look way up to see him. “You would be worth fighting for, I think.”
Beside her, Amos stiffened.
Vaden reached out his hand to touch her cheek, but Amos caught his wrist before his gloved fingers reached her. “You don’t touch her.” There was nothing mild about Amos’s voice now. It vibrated with anger and challenge.
Vaden slowly pulled his hand back and Amos released his hold on the man. “It seems you have a protector.” He canted his head to one side. “And one that has taken more than just your body.”
Her cheeks heated. She knew they were turning red, but she didn’t look away from Vaden. What was between her and Amos was their business. Where their relationship went from here was up to them.
The warrior met Amos’s gaze and nodded once. “You have claimed her as your own.”
“I have.”
“She is yours.”
Angelina felt like smacking Vaden. She wasn’t his to give. As if he knew her thoughts, Amos grabbed her hand and squeezed it, a silent reminder that they didn’t want to make an enemy of this man. She’d almost forgotten there was a warship off the bow of the Abigail.
Amos inclined his head to the warrior. Vaden turned on his heel and faced Flynn. “It is time for me to return to my ship.” He headed to the door with Flynn right behind him. She and Amos hurried after them. Their legs were so long she had to practically run to keep up. Amos banded his arm around her, lifted her off her feet, and carried her. Since he did set her down when they reached the shuttle bay so no one saw him dragging her around like a piece of baggage, she wasn’t too upset. She was too curious to know what Vaden was going to do next.
“
What will you do about Astoferus?” Flynn asked as he used his palm print to unlock the door leading to the shuttle.
“What is necessary.”
Angelina wasn’t sure what he meant by that and wasn’t sure she wanted to. But she wouldn’t want to be her uncle right about now. He’d brought this on himself with his deception, but she wouldn’t wish the wrath of the Gravas people on anyone.
Vaden walked to his men. They were still in the same position. She didn’t think they’d actually moved an inch. That spoke of the discipline that governed the men. Vaden glanced up at the metal deck above them. “Garth.”
Garth stepped out from behind a metal support pillar and saluted Vaden with one hand. “Vaden,” he returned the greeting. She noted the big blaster was still cradled in the other.
Vaden strode back to his shuttle, waiting until his men were on board before facing them one final time. “I owe you. All of you.” His black gaze washed over all of them. “But you owe me as well.” He glanced at Angelina before he turned and entered the shuttle. The door closed behind him.
Garth appeared behind them. “What happened?”
“Tell you later. We still have to deal with the Astoferus ship.” Flynn led the way back into the viewing dock. He hit the intercom button. “Let them go, Kal.”
At his words, the large metal doors opened, and the shuttle’s engines roared to life. Almost immediately, the smaller ship rose several feet, executed a perfect turn and slipped from the Abigail.
The door closed behind them.
Flynn strode away with the rest of them following close behind. “Kal?”
Angelina looked around. Flynn hadn’t hit an intercom or used a personal communication device. Was Kal monitoring them?
Her answer came as soon as he answered. “They’re all holding. The shuttle is almost back to the Gravas 3. That machine can fly.”
They all entered the control deck, and Angelina’s gaze flew to the viewing screen. The shuttle entered the warship and they all waited. Her palms were damp, so she smoothed them over her pants.
Garth slid into his seat in front of the weapons console. Amos pulled her over to the engineering console. She stood beside him as he tapped out commands.
Unexpected Angel Page 7