by Enid Titan
“I can tell I’ll enjoy getting into that body of yours. Slim. Attractive. And that cock…”
I feel like she’s undressing me with her eyes as they’re staring into mine. And they change. I’m looking into my eyes. Jisoo drops my arm and continues changing. She screams out loud and doubles over. She’s becoming me. Including my injuries. What the shapeshifter doesn’t realize is that I’m on enough painkillers to knock a horse into the 7th dimension and while she can perfectly mimic my identity, she can’t manufacture Jaen Nabokov’s “sedate-the-giant-alien” painkiller cocktail.
“What have you done?!” She shrieks.
“Nothing yet,” I snarl as I pull a knife from my waistband and drive it into the shapeshifter’s heart. I’ll never forget how she sounded as she screamed. It was my voice. My scream. My final moments. A black specter rose from my mouth and dissipated. My own body lay on the ground at my feet, grey, dry and covered in blood.
Chapter 73
Treasure
“Weapon down, shapeshifter!” I hear Garth’s loud voice behind me. Had that much time passed? I drop the weapon.
“Garth! It’s me. It’s Gavriel.”
I tap my body with my shoe. It’s a strange sensation. I turn to the captain.
“I killed the shapeshifter.”
“We’ll see about that!” Poke snarls, running over to me and holding my palm open.
“What on earth did you do with Jaen, you fiend?!” Garth snarls.
Poke slices into my hand, and blood spills out. It’s not a foolproof strategy, but it works most of the time. I grimace, but nothing hurts as much as the blast from the shapeshifter earlier.
“I saved her life,” I grumble, shaking the blood off my palm, “And I killed the shapeshifter’s body. She’s out there somewhere, but we’ll have enough time to get back to the ship unencumbered.”
Garth grinned.
“Lucky man.”
“How am I lucky!?”
“After we fought the creatures off, see what we found,” Nova chimes in, “Kazim’s leading the gamma crew with most of it. Before the ship crashed, three of the richest confederate officers traveled on it. We scraped all their data and anonymized it. We have 35 million more credits to share.”
“35 million!?”
“Aye. And we’ve solidified our position — the most successful crew money can find in this sector.”
Everyone who could hear Garth cheered. They were in a better mood than I expected. But Jaen was still out there either running for the ship and hiding on it. She’d have to run for hours to make it there, but she’d done it before. Running unencumbered allows you to travel much faster than making the trip as a crew.
“Jaen’s running for the ship. She must be there by now, but we ought to hurry.”
“We can’t make it back with everyone today,” Poke points out, “Do you have the energy to start ahead?”
I shake my head.
“I’m still healing.”
Kazim pushes his way to the front of the crowd and makes a strange sound when he sees my body.
“Now that is uncanny. Does he have the same cock?”
“Pervert!” Nova yells, elbowing him in the side before turning to me, “Don’t listen to him, Gavriel. It’s been a while since I’ve flexed my wings. It’s much faster than traveling on foot. I’ll find her.”
“And we’ll see you in a day or two,” Garth grunts, patting me on the back, “Find her, Nova. Gavriel… you’re going to tell me how on earth that human girl saved your life. I’d left you for dead.”
By the time we get to the ship, Jaen is in Nova’s excellent care. Kazim puts his hand on my shoulder as we approach and sighs.
“If I didn’t love her so much, I’d suggest we swap for the night.”
“Suggest one more time and I’ll chop your balls off.”
“Aye. Possessive, aren’t you? Old-fashioned.”
“Not old-fashioned. But definitely possessive.”
We’re close enough to the pair of them for Nova to ask, “Possessive over what?”
“Nothing.”
Jaen doesn’t move. Her gaze fixes on mine and her eyes soften. Then her face grows hard and stern and she yells, “YOU IDIOT!”
“Pleased to see you, Nabokov,” I respond sternly.
“You absolute idiot!”
“I’m not the shapeshifter,” I tell her, in case that’s what she’s getting at.
“I know. I know that, but…” she storms over to me and pushes me. Jaen’s a tough woman, but she couldn’t push an Odilian over if she tried.
“You… I can tell you apart from a shapeshifter, thank you very much. And you could do the same for me. We love each other. No shapeshifter could fake that.”
“Well, at least you aren’t yelling at me.”
“Oh, I’m yelling.”
“About what?! I survived. I saved the day. I temporarily disabled the stupid creature and now we can all get out of here. You’re welcome.”
“I should wipe that stupid cocky grin off your face.”
“I dare you.”
Jaen grabs my cheeks and kisses me. Hard. On her tiptoes. In front of everyone. Half the crew cheers. A few mutter amongst themselves. Garth clears his throat and I dip her low, letting her hair fall out of her bun and holding her body against mine. I don’t want to let go of Jaen. I never will.
“That’s enough,” Garth grumbles, “Let’s get off this planet before these creatures cause more problems than they already have. Nova, get the ships loaded.”
“Aye.”
“Gavriel. We need to have… a conversation.”
“Aye, Captain.”
I say goodbye to Jaen as Kazim mercilessly teases her. She punches back and Bonbon squeaks on her shoulder. Garth whips his head around and Jaen nearly runs into him.
“Nabokov?! Is that a pet…”
“Um…”
She tucks a curled up fist into her pocket and I hear Bonbon’s feet rustling around.
“Yes,” Jaen squeaks.
“How long have you had it,” Garth sighs, defeated.
“A while.”
“Hm. I ought to tighten security on my damn ship. The creature can stay. For now.”
“Thanks, Garth.”
“Hmm. Glad you survived. Though I had nothing to do with it.”
Jaen nodded, and they parted ways. I guess things were still… awkward between the two of them. I follow Garth to his quarters. We still have to make it home with all this salvage and hope we can keep word of our success to ourselves long enough not to have confederates pick us apart.
I meet Garth in his office, ready for him to rip me apart for my public displays of affection. Garth doesn’t have many rules, but with his ex, he’s bound to be a bit of a brute. The door shuts behind me.
“Captain.”
“We need to talk about Nabokov, Gavriel. And what happens next with her.”
Chapter 74
The Journey Home
“What happens to her?”
“When you get off the ship at Helios, will she be going with you?”
“Aye.”
“Is she aware?”
He asks with a twinkle in his eye, like there’s a chance I might hold Jaen against her will. I’m getting a clearer picture of why Garth might be single.
“Yes.”
“Good. I didn’t think she’d agree to go. But deep space is no place for her. She ought to have someone to look after her. She’s not like you or me. She doesn’t understand the dangers out there.”
“She’s made it thus far.”
Garth strokes his tusk.
“But I want you for another mission.”
“Captain?”
“We bring the technology to Helios as planned, but when we’re finished, I want you for a smaller job. No big crew. Just the senior crew. The mission will be dangerous but… there’s a huge reward.”
“Garth. I’m not doing another job. Not yet. I owe it to my family.”
>
“We all owe things to our family. But… could you really do it? Could you go back to a tiny village on whatever shit hole planet your people ended up on? I couldn’t.”
He knows what that’ll mean. He wants me to keep Jaen safe, but he wants me to do what he did: abandon her. I can’t.
“I can,” I respond firmly, “I’m in love.”
“I’ll tell you, then. Since you want to know so badly.”
And then, Garth Moray tells me. It’s the worst news I could have heard. Because this isn’t just a salvage mission. This has meaning. This could change everything. I walk into my quarters. We’re keeping the same ones on the way back but our journey will go faster without a saboteur so instead of curfews, there’s drinking every night and partying non-stop celebrating every penny we earn until we get to Helios.
Garth’s only rule is don’t show up to your shift drunk and if the confederates come, fight like you’re sober. We’ve never lost a salvage mission on the way back. So it’s safe to say we live by Garth’s rules. Jaen’s waiting on my bed as I enter.
“Surprise. I’m staying here tonight.”
“Good.”
“You look serious. What did Garth tell you?”
“It’s nothing.”
“I can tell when you’re lying to me, Gav.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I murmur, “I want to… kiss you.”
“Fine. First… let me look at your wound.”
“I’m doing better.”
“Still, that doesn’t mean you should do anything strenuous.”
I lean forward and kiss her forehead.
“Making love to you is never strenuous,” I murmur, “It’s invigorating.”
Her fingers brush my chest and she sighs.
“Are all Odilians this sickeningly romantic?”
“Yes.”
“Hm. Well, you look fine. But I won’t hop into bed with you until you tell me what’s wrong.”
“I want to know if you’d want me to give this up,” I ask her.
“Give what up?”
“Piracy.”
“I don’t want you to do anything. You’re the one who wanted to give it up. You asked me to come to your planet with you.”
“I’m not angry.”
“Neither am I. It’s a weird question, that’s all,” she says.
But I can tell she’s angry. Jaen wears her emotions in the flush of her skin. She can’t hide them from me if she tried. She wets her lips and then bites her lower lip like she’s holding back words. Words that’ll hurt, knowing her.
“I want to be with you. I want to take you to my home. But… I have a family to look after. I might have to come to space again.”
“He offered you a job, didn’t he?”
“Yes. But I turned it down.”
“It doesn’t sound like you turned it down,” Jaen snaps. She’s cross. Her lips purse into a thin, impenetrable line and she walks toward the door. I could stop her from leaving, but I want to see if she will. She turns around before the doors open.
“You’re the one who wanted a future with me,” she snaps, “You’re the one who made me think you wanted a normal life. If you want to stay out here with Garth and die at the wrong end of a blaster, it’s your choice. All I need is enough credits to make my way to the furthest free colony and you’ll never have to hear from me again.”
“Jaen…”
I grab her by her shoulders and hold her still while she wriggles. I didn’t realize I’d lifted her off the ground until she screeched, “Put me down!”
I rest her on the ground and sigh, kissing her forehead. She wriggles again like an insect, but I hold her firm.
“Stop,” I growl.
She stops moving, but she’s panting angrily.
“I hate you,” she snarls.
“I’m not going on this mission. But if I have to go on a mission, I shall. And you’ll stay on the planet. And I’ll always come back to you. I might have to come out here to make ends meet for all of us and to keep us free. But I won’t do more than I have to. And right now, I don’t have to.”
“I don’t want us to pretend we can be something we’re not.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t want us to pretend we aren’t damaged. Or that this life can’t be… addictive.”
“We’re not pretending,” I murmur, kissing her lips then her neck, “I’m well aware of how addictive space can get. And the alien women. Very addictive.”
She giggles as I hike her shirt up and my crotch yearns for her. She’s so tight and slippery wet, with a succulent round bum. I growl and she rakes her fingers through my hair and over my horns. I love her. I love this.
“Jaen…” I growl, “Slide those trousers off.”
She slides them down and my fingers find her mound. She gasps as I slip my strong fingers between her lips and finding my prize. Tonight, she’s mine. All mine. And we’re heading home. Together.
Chapter 75
L.O.S.T.
We’re 20 miles from the Odilian Land Reservation. Every Odilian on the planet pays hard earned credits for protection and the acreage our species occupies. The Odilians own most of the land here, but most of the money we bring in goes to paying the makeshift army to patrol our border and make sure the confederates don’t recapture our free people. There are other species, and we get along well enough in the city center. For residential reasons, even with species mixing, it’s easier to keep us apart. At least it’s better than slavery to the confederates.
Aside from protection against passing ships, we pay money to the Lunar Outpost 6-T de facto government for land leasing. We get a better deal than Lunar Outpost 6-S because the weather on this planet is terribly rainy all the time.
Odilians hate rain. We much prefer snow. Most of my nieces and nephews have never seen snow.
“This place is beautiful.”
“It’s a rainy swamp,” I murmur, glancing over Jaen’s shoulder at the familiar rolling moors, “But it’s our home.”
I never thought I’d see these Moors again, and I never thought I’d want to. I’d convinced myself that if I died out there, I’d never have to lie to my family again. No more lying. I had plenty of reason to return now, and even more of a reason to stay. Emotions from a teary goodbye with the crew gave way to the excitement of landing home. Knowing that we could wake up and — in theory — see the sunshine. The moon got little sunshine. Jaen might find the rain romantic now, but she’d change her tune, eventually.
We land at the reservation border. They recognize me and nod us along. Our hover taxi drops us off and disappears before we can say thank you. I wrap my arm around Jaen’s waist.
“This is it. Our home. Five brothers. Five sisters. A few in-laws. More nieces and nephews than I can count.”
“It’s a palace,” she gasps.
“It looks a lot less when you see how many we share it with.”
“You own all of this?”
I smirk.
“We own it. I’m not the only one with a knack of acquiring credits.”
“Your family… do they know we’re here?”
A piercing scream from across the grass alerts Jaen to something about my family I ought to have mentioned before. They’re a boisterous, enormous, and occasionally flatulent bunch of horned humanoids who love hard but hold on to grudges even harder.
My sister hurries across the grass, hoisting her skirts up into her hands. She’s never stopped dressing like an Odilian woman, even if she’s likely going to track mud all over these ridiculous long skirts.
“GAVRIEL!”
She wraps her arms around me and nearly squeezes me in half. I choke.
“Let go of me! Remiel! I can’t breathe.”
She pulls away from me and slaps me across the face.
“Never lie to them again!”
“Ow!”
“You’re here now and you’re staying and that’ll be the end of it!”
&n
bsp; “OW!” I repeat, in case Remi doesn’t hear me.
“I hear you,” she snaps, waving me off, “But what I don’t understand is… what’s this?”
She has her hands on her hips and eyes Jane suspiciously.
“I won’t have you parading whores around the children.”
“Remi! She’s not a whore. She’s… Jaen. Nabokov.”
“I see,” Remi sniffs.
“Nice to meet you,” Jaen offers.
I wonder why she’s not her usual sharp-tongued self, but realize she’s probably afraid of Remiel. Like most people who’ve had the misfortune of meeting her or getting on her nasty side.
“Where did you find her?”
“She’s not an object. We’re… together.”
Remi scoffs.
“Are you sure he isn’t paying you, love?”
“N-no,” Jaen stammers.
Remiel grins.
“Only joking. I can’t figure out why someone would want to date my idiot brother.”
“I can hear you!” I complain.
“Dolt,” she mutters, “Come on, then. If Gavriel’s brought you, he must have good reason. Your things arrived safely.”
Remiel turns her attention towards me again, “I assumed you were going to dress like a very slender girl as I unpacked them… You’ve mated her?”
“I don’t want to talk about it…” I mutter.
“She looks fertile.”
Jaen clears her throat and Remiel grins at her.
“Sorry, dear. Odilians speak frankly of such matters. I don’t know what the practices are on the Xanflora colony.”
“She’s not from that colony,” I mutter, “She’s human.”
Remiel cocks her head.
“Humans? I thought they wiped out all the humans years ago. There was one last colony but…”
Remiel realizes where Jaen comes from. It took me so long to find out the truth about Jaen, I couldn’t believe my sister picked it out so easily.
“Oh,” Remiel continues, “Come on in, dear. Gavriel, tend to the family.”