by Jillian Ashe
“I don’t mind. I’m waiting for a program diagnostic to run and had some free time.” He made a neat little stack of boxes and beckoned for me to scan them.
I started from the bottom and worked my way up. “Don’t you get tired?” I asked. The question was rhetorical, but I was curious.
“Sometimes,” he said with a grin. Then his expression grew serious. “I’m glad you’re all right. I was worried about you. It hasn’t been long since you were on the operating table, barely alive.”
My heart jumped as I remembered waking up to him next to my infirmary bed. He’d been there for hours from what Ricky had said. Then the kiss he’d given me when I helped him escape Lt. Donnelly…my stomach flip-flopped. I still wasn’t ready to talk about that.
I scanned the last box and looked up. Our eyes met and I froze. The green of his eyes seemed to glow in the low light. The air felt charged as neither of us said anything, but I knew he hadn’t forgotten about that kiss either. He was simply waiting for me to do something about it. I appreciated it more than I could ever express.
My breathing was shallow and I finally blinked, breaking the spell.
Wolfe put the boxes back without another word, and set up more for me to access easily, shoving others out of the way. I made my way into the back corner where he was and scanned the ones he’d finished organizing.
“I reached out to a contact of mine,” he finally said.
“Yeah?” We moved in a rhythm. He moved and stacked and I followed behind. It looked much neater the way he’d rearranged.
“Yeah he’s an old military buddy of mine, but he studies history and legends now in his retirement. I asked him to find me locations where runes have been used before and he sent me an entire list.”
Oh, he meant his treasure map he’d acquired the other week. It wasn’t in English or Japanese so it was difficult to translate. I’d managed to figure out one symbol thanks to the mythology and linguistics classes I’d taken, but Wolfe didn’t know the reason behind my knowledge.
We moved to the next stack and I eyed him. Maybe I should tell him the truth, everything I’d kept from him since the first time we met. We were closer now but the lie had gone on too long. Should I just blurt out I was born in the 21st century and I’d had cancer which brought me to some out-there experimental cure involving cryostasis?
He would be mad no matter what I said. Angry I’d lied all this time, but then there was always the constant worry he would one day find out and the length of time the lie had gone on would be exponentially larger.
I sighed as I scanned the last box. “Is the list promising?” I asked. Couldn’t tell him I wouldn’t know one planet from the next or their various different locations. The constant hiding was starting to weigh on me.
Wolfe put the last stack away and tinkered with the lift. “This thing got disconnected during the invasion,” he muttered as he crossed wires until the panel lit up again. “There’s a planet not too far from here, but it is way past the Federation border. It would be a good place to start; the name of it is very ‘Norse’ as you would say.”
I nodded and stepped onto the lift with him. The ride up was painfully slow and the space between us small. “It’ll be good to get back on track,” I said. “I really appreciate how much trouble you went through to help me with my brother.”
The sooner we were on the right path to finding Asgard, the sooner I would find my twin. I tugged on the crystal necklace I wore. Asgard would be able to decode it. Too bad it was a lost planet, unknown on any current database.
His jade-green eyes caught mine. “I promised you I would help you find your brother, Kat. I don’t ever go back on my word.”
His intensity made me breathless.
The lift reached the main cargo-hold and the captain locked the panel in the floor with a quick scan of his hand. I watched him and tugged on my necklace again. This man never failed to astound and confuse me.
“Why are you such a good person?” I asked. He never had to go back for me at the prison, or help me infiltrate the military base. Wolfe never had to keep me on his ship, but he’d offered me a home and a place among his crew.
He looked up in confusion and then caught my frown. “I have a lot to make up for.” Wolfe turned too quickly for me to decipher his expression.
“I couldn’t do this without you,” I told him. He needed to hear it and it was as close to talking about feelings as I could manage at the moment. Without Wolfe as my rock, I would have fallen apart a long time ago. I glanced down at my plex and sent him the inventory report. “Looks like the pirates made off with two boxes of crystals, one clear and one red as well as three boxes of protein cubes.”
Wolfe shrugged and headed up the stairs. I lagged behind, keeping a safe amount of distance between us. “We can restock on the protein when we reach Ishi. We’ll be there a few days longer than planned to repair the ship, but they’re good people. It should be a pleasant stay.”
It was still strange to me he didn’t care much about the cargo, but Wolfe was a man who didn’t care about things as much as he did people. We all made it through safe and sound and to him that’s what mattered. “I look forward to meeting them,” I said, smiling as I followed him. Despite our rocky beginning and the kiss lingering between us, I couldn’t have chosen a better person to end up on a spaceship with.
Don’t Miss out on this Series!
Did you like this story? Then don’t miss the rest of the Wolfegang series. If you’ve never read the series before you can go back in time to when Kat first meets Captain Wolfe in My Delicate Destruction. If you would like a peek at the first three chapters in the first book keep flipping :)
Or you can continue on to the next book in the time line When Elements Collide.
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Prelude
"I think he's alive."
"How? This place is a disaster."
He heard voices, but they were so far away.
"Let's crack it open, maybe there is something valuable inside."
"Like what?" The second guy sounded annoyed.
Kris got the sudden feeling he should open his eyes, but he wasn't sure how for some reason. Everything was so fuzzy and disconcerting.
"What he might know," he replied. "Knowledge is a valuable thing, Gus.”
A noise like a gunshot rang through Kris's head. His eyes snapped open, eyelashes ripping apart, and he still couldn't see. Everything was white, his breath forming into icy mist. There were two dark shapes behind the white film.
God, why couldn't he remember anything? His mind was sluggish and processed everything lethargically. He couldn't even get his body to move.
Another gunshot and the white sheet cracked and splintered. The cracks connected and formed an intricate web. Slowly Kris realized the sound wasn't a gun, but someone hitting the glass in front of him, and it was breaking.
The frosted glass in front of Kris shattered, and revealed two men a little older than him, maybe in their mid-twenties.
"Oh shit," one of them said. "He's awake."
The air was a slap across his face, and suddenly Kris felt so cold.
Quickly the men cut at the bonds holding him in place. Straps bound his wrists, and ankles. He fell as they cut at the last one across his chest, his body shaking and shivering. It was freezing and he felt like he was burning.
It hurt.
The strangers helped him sit up and eyed him with concern. Kris's eyes fell on something and the air was punched out of his lungs. He remembered.
Pushing off the two men, he fought to get to his feet, and then staggered across the room until his hand touched the glass to a cryogenic pod that was a mirror to his own. "Kat," he whispered, knowing she would never hear him.
/> "Hey, are you okay?"
Kris didn't answer the men behind him. He wiped the fog from the glass so he could see her face. Her vitals were on a holographic display over the glass and he could see her heart still beat. She was breathing. "Katerina," he said. Rarely did he use her full name, but he used it now. "I think we're in trouble."
Someone's hand touched his shoulder.
Kris wasn't stupid. The men who had let him out weren't doctors, and the room they were in looked like it had gone through a holocaust. "What year is it?" he asked.
The men shared a look before answering. "2510."
They were in so much trouble. "Five hundred years," he muttered under his breath.
"Who is she?" one of them asked, it sounded like it might be Gus.
They helped him to stand. The burning cold had reduced to an unpleasant tingling across his skin.
Kris checked her vitals. They were weaker than they should be. He would figure out what was going on, and he would come back to wake her up when he had a plan. They didn’t have a doctor they could trust, and if he ripped her out of there with her heartbeat so weak…he would never forgive himself if she died. No, he would come back when he had more answers and they would figure this out together. Just as they always had.
Kris splayed his fingers across the glass, wishing he could touch her to convince himself she was alive. Her face glittered like a thousand diamonds in the snow. "She is my twin sister."
Chapter One
The streets of L.A.'s underworld pulsed with neon colors. I leaned against my car and watched the people roam around as they waited. They waited for him, the man I wasn't sure I wanted to see, but I needed to. I couldn't deny his pull.
Surrounded by abandoned warehouses and empty streets, the orange and blue lights cast an eerie glow. Cars were parked and lines were drawn. A few people nodded and acknowledged my arrival, others came over and talked shop or talked trash with good humor while music pounded the street.
My partners and best friends, Trent and Victoria smiled at me. We happened to be a well-known trio among the underground elite.
Victoria left to prowl around, looking for someone to keep her company later that night. She found a dainty little girl in a skirt shorter than her own, black hair in a pixie cut and pretty blue eyes. They flirted shamelessly.
Trent headed over to some of his buddies and they went around inspecting engines, trading insults and compliments.
Everyone was in their element. I almost felt jealous - jealous of their complete confidence and surety in their place in the world. I never felt like I quite belonged, no matter where I was. Sighing and crossing my arms, I tried not to brood.
Victoria was there when I’d gotten the call earlier that day from my mother. My twin brother, Kris, was back in the hospital. His leukemia was in full force again, and the doctors didn’t like his odds. Ever since then, Victoria kept me busy to keep my mind off Kris as much as possible until we knew for sure what would happen.
I missed the old Kris, the one who wasn’t run down by his sickness, the chemo, and all the setbacks. Before the cancer, he had been on every sports team at our school. He was top of our class and quite the ladies’ man. I didn’t approve of the latter, but I would take that over his constant bitterness any day.
Somehow, despite everything, he still managed to look after me. My brother and I had a deep connection, something that went further than the natural twin bond. Maybe it was how we grew up.
I asked my brother why he did it once – why all the girls – and he told me he didn’t trust any of them, so he might as well have fun.
He was completely serious.
When our parents got divorced he helped me so much with the moving from house to house, the subtle asking to take sides. It drove me crazy, but Kris was always there for me. He whispered during one of their numerous fights how he thought love was impossible.
The roar of a particular engine snapped me out of my thoughts and I instantly knew whose car it was. I tried to keep from smiling.
He parked right next to me and got out of the car. The way he moved; that grace would give anyone pause. His girlfriend Crystal was at his side as always.
She looked trampy, par for the course, and her micro-miniskirt and barely-there top disgusted me. Crystal flipped her bleach blonde hair over her shoulder and shot me a look of contempt.
I held on to my temper, reminding myself it wasn't worth it and took a deep breath.
Kevin smiled at me and winked. I gave him my quirky half smile in response but didn't move from where I was. He had gorgeous black skin with large shoulders that rippled with muscles, and he showed them off with a wife-beater. His full lips seemed to catch my gaze every time he spoke, and his warm eyes looked like melted chocolate. He came over, leaving Crystal behind. She scowled at his back. His two wing-men, Derek and Anton, stayed behind with her.
"Hey, you."
"Hi, Kevin," I replied.
"You look amazing."
"Thank you." I was nervous, and wished he would stop looking at me like that.
"You racing tonight?" he asked, standing close enough to touch.
My skin tingled at his proximity and I tried to ignore how long his eyelashes were and how good his arms looked in that shirt.
"Of course," I answered, my voice teasing. "I'm bound to beat you eventually."
His face broke into a wide grin. Kevin and his S2000 had beaten me twice already. Third time's the charm, I figured.
"You really think so, honey?" he asked. Our legs just barely touched and I concentrated very hard on the ground to keep my head straight. It didn't work.
I looked up into his eyes – a dire mistake. They smoldered, difficult to read. It was extremely frustrating. I stepped back to put some distance between us and promptly ran into my car which pushed me closer to him. I realized I was staring into his chest and looked up again. Somehow I always forgot how tall he was. I was taller than average at five-foot-eight, but he still towered over me at six-foot-five.
"I do," I whispered into his ear, my lips brushing against his cheek as I tried to hide how flustered I really was. I watched his hands clench as his breathing quickened. Good. He needed to remember he wasn't the only one who could play this game.
"I'm having a party at my house after the race. I want you to come," he said. His deep voice resonated through me.
"And Crystal?" I asked.
Kevin shrugged. "We're not together anymore, although she likes to forget that."
I raised my eyebrows in surprise and glanced back at Crystal. She looked angrier than normal, her arms crossed and her eyes glared a challenge at me.
"We've tried this before, Kevin," I reminded him.
"I know," he said, putting an arm around my waist and pulling me closer.
"And it didn't work out." I tried to remember why I was bringing this up, but his body made it hard to think.
"I was wrong," he whispered in my ear as he nuzzled my neck.
I couldn't hide my shock; I had to be hearing things. Kevin Reed never admitted he was wrong.
"You were wrong?" I repeated, unsure.
"Yes, I'm sorry." His face was too close to mine. I couldn't breathe.
"Kat, you ready?" I vaguely heard Victoria ask. "Kat!"
"Uh yeah, let's go." I looked at Kevin one last time. He smiled and let me go, stepping back to his car.
"Are we playing teams tonight?" Victoria asked me.
"I'm thinking that would be a good choice," I replied.
Victoria knew my history with Kevin, knew he was my Achilles' heel. So when it came to racing against him, it was safer if all I had to think about was Kevin and not the other drivers.
Last time we raced I ended up totaling my car and spending a week in the hospital. I didn't really want to repeat the experience.
Trent appeared out of nowhere, a hat in his hand. "Two large to race, winner takes all," he said.
I dropped a roll of cash into the hat as did Victoria and
Kevin. The last racer was a friend of Kevin's who we didn't know. He threw his money in as well, a smug grin on his face. I snorted at his expression. Who did this guy think he was? To even presume he had a chance was ludicrous.
"I didn't know girls could race. This should be a snore," he said, laughing and shaking his head at us. The crowd joined in. He probably thought they were laughing with him.
I turned and took my time to appraise him. "You must not be from around here then, newbie," I snapped. Victoria stood next to me supportively. She looked every bit the sex idol.
I mentally shook my head at her. Sometimes her obvious sensuality didn't exactly help certain matters, like this one.
"Yeah? Well baby, you can eat my rubber," he said. Kevin just smiled at me, loving every minute of it.
"Really?" I asked, feigning interest. "Let your driving do the talking, because I guarantee all you will be seeing is my ass." Smiling I turned to my car.
"I got your back, girl," Victoria mouthed. She could definitely give him a run for his money while leaving me open to put all my attention on Kevin, who was unfortunately a fantastic driver.
A double-edged sword it seemed. It is part of what I liked about him and part of what drove me crazy. His arrogance was annoying yet well placed and hard to argue with.
Trent came to my window as I buckled into my racing belts and turned the ignition. He patted my shoulder. "Easy money," he said. He smiled and walked to the starting line.
Trent waved us forward and we pulled up to the spray-painted red line. Kevin was on my right and Victoria was on my left, with Newbie on Victoria's other side. I rolled up my windows and refused to look at Kevin. I booted up the computer and twisted the valves to let the nitrous oxide flow freely into the fuel system. Music blasted throughout the car, beating wordlessly in my mind and allowing me to concentrate. I emptied my thoughts and focused solely on my car, the race, and nothing more.