"Alix!"
She heard Devyn's call but didn't stop. Her thoughts tumbled over each other as she ran past the shops.
Devyn must never know her mother was a slave. No one must ever know. If anyone ever found out, then they could claim her for their own or sell her. She would never be owned again!
Alix choked on her sobs, but she refused to let her tears fall. All too well she knew how to control her pain, and she refused to cry.
She didn't know where she was going; she just had to put as much distance between herself and Devyn as she could. Heading down a narrow corridor, she slowed to fast walk. A hand grabbed her shoulder. Panicked, Alix turned around with her fist clenched to slug her assailant. She paused.
Devyn placed his hands on her shoulders. A deep, concerned frown lined his handsome features. "What's wrong with you?"
Alix stared up at him, wishing she could tell him the truth, but she knew better. The truth would destroy him. "I quit. I can't stay on the Mariah anymore. Just leave my stuff in a locker in the bay and I'll pick it up later."
Devyn's frown deepened. "Tell me what's wrong. If I can help—"
"You can't help!" Alix twisted out of his hold with a sob. "No one can." She headed away from him.
"Alix, dammit! Don't walk away from me."
In spite of all her common sense, which told her to keep walking, Alix stopped and turned around. Her tears gathered in her throat to choke her. Her vision blurred. "Take care of your shipment and forget about me."
Devyn came to stand in front of her. "I can't. I don't know what your problem is, but I'm not going to leave you alone. I was taught that problems are best handled with friends and family."
His warm hand cupped her cheek, sending a chill down her back. No one had ever cared before when she had a problem, and she found his concern a welcome change. But she had no right to it, or to him.
A small tear slipped past her defenses. Devyn caught it with his thumb and brushed the moisture away with the back of his fingers. "Sway and I are your friends. Let us help."
Her lips trembled. If only they could help, but she knew they couldn't. The HAWC Universal Law Code would require them to either own her or sell her. And if Devyn ignored the Code, he could be enslaved, too.
He tilted her head up to look at him. Concern burned brightly in his dark eyes. Alix wanted to stay with him more than she'd ever wanted anything else in her life, but she knew she couldn't.
"I have to leave," she whispered, the words stinging her throat.
A shadow of sadness passed across his face. He sighed. "I can't make you stay. But if you ever need us, call us and we'll come."
She offered him a trembling smile. They hadn't known each other long, but it had been the first time in her life she'd actually felt like she belonged somewhere, like someone wanted her to belong.
Devyn stroked her cheek, a sad smile on his face.
"You, there!"
Simultaneously, they turned their heads to see a group of Keepers approaching them. Alix bit her lip and hurriedly blinked back her tears.
Dropping his hand, Devyn moved away from her. "Is there a problem?"
The lead Keeper's gaze narrowed on him. "The two of you are wanted for assaulting the crew-members of the Prixie."
Alix clenched her hands into fists. "Irn," she mumbled under her breath, her anger returning at the treacherous beast's actions. If he'd ever had one decent bone in his body, he must have sold it to the devil. "I should have killed him."
She exchanged gazes with Devyn, who appeared amused by the turn of events.
Grinding her teeth, she wished she were as carefree about jail, but the thought of spending the next few hours in a holding cell didn't amuse her in the slightest.
The Keepers surrounded them. "We won't gyve you unless you cause trouble."
Devyn shrugged. "No problem. I've done my fighting for the day."
Alix scowled at him. "You're not funny."
He responded with a charming smile.
Without any more words, they followed the Keepers through the station to the security area. They were searched for weapons, then taken to a small holding cell in the rear of the security office to wait until the station's judge had time to hear their case and fine them.
Alix looked around the cell, grateful they were the only two in it. A single cot lined the left wall, but other than that, the room was empty. Not even a window broke the simple, solid lines of the room. With a sigh, she sat down on the cot.
Devyn joined her. "Guess you can't get away from me in here. Care to fill our next few hours with the details of what I interrupted?"
Alix leaned back against the wall, crossed her arms defensively over her chest, and closed her eyes. "Nothing terribly important. The man you grabbed in a headlock was the navigator on my father's freighter. We just had some unfinished business between us."
He grunted. "From the look of your cheek, I'd say it was more than business."
Instinctively, Alix opened her eyes, touched her throbbing cheek, and felt the bump forming over the bone. She clenched her teeth. Bruises had been a common enough occurrence while her father had lived.
Devyn took her injured hand in his. He unwrapped her bandage and studied the cut left by the crate. His warm touch thrilled her. She steeled herself against the emotions whirling through her body, the pounding beat of her heart. She mustn't forget who she was, who he was.
"So are you going to tell me the story?" he asked, wiping the blood away with her handkerchief.
"I can't."
He sighed and rewrapped her hand. The sudden silence hung between them like a pall. A knot closed her throat, and she wished for a time and place in which they could have met and been friends, or maybe something more.
"How long do you think it'll take before the judge can see us?" she asked.
"I hope not too long. There are few things I hate more than being locked up."
Alix widened her eyes in surprise. "For someone who hates jail, you seemed obliging enough with the Keepers."
A small smile curled his lips. "They're just doing their jobs. I don't take it personally."
"Is that why you don't use weapons on your ship?"
He nodded. "Keepers and Probers aren't paid enough to die for my political views. I've seen enough killing in my life. I hope I never see any more."
His low tone echoed in the room. Alix thought about Zarina's words and for the first time, she realized Devyn wasn't quite as carefree as he appeared. "You told me runners were motivated by a lot more than money. What's your motivation?"
He stared at the wall in front of him, his eyes dark and tormented. "Have you ever seen what a child looks like when it's starved to death?"
Alix swallowed the lump in her throat. She'd never seen a child die, but she'd seen enough on the verge of death. She took his hand in an effort to soothe some of the pain on his face, and gave a light squeeze.
Devyn sighed, a frown creasing his brow. "They're so little, you know. Frail. They don't look real."
With a fierce curse, he pushed himself off the cot. Emotions played across his face: hatred, anger, disgust. He raked his hand through his hair, his back to her. "I went marching in like some great god to help our wounded soldiers. We were supposed to be fighting for right and justice."
He faced her with a sneer. "We were supposed to be fighting men, not starving entire families! The supply lines we cut were for the soldiers, but that didn't stop them from eating. Instead, they took the food from the civilians and left their own people to starve. What the hell were they fighting for, if not their families?"
Devyn slammed his palm against the wall, turned around, and leaned his back against it. He crossed his arms over his chest, and Alix ached for him. "The worst part was, I wasn't really fighting for justice or right. All I wanted was glory."
An angry tick beat in his jaw. "Some hero," he whispered, closing his eyes.
Alix went to him. She rubbed his rigid shoulders. Never had
she seen anyone look so miserable. "It wasn't your fault. You were just doing your job."
He shook his head. "I took an oath to help the sick. To turn no one away from any medical care I could provide. You should have seen the mothers grabbing at us as we marched past, begging us for any tiny scrap of anything we could spare. My High Command wouldn't even let me give the starving children vitamins."
Alix's heart pounded in sympathy for him. She ran her hand over his firm biceps. "So you run blockades to feed the civilians?"
He nodded. "This way I know they get the food and supplies, along with enough weapons and ammunition to make sure they can keep the food for themselves."
She smiled at him. A warm rush filled her. "You're the only runner I've ever known who doesn't fly for profit. In my mind, that makes you more of a hero than anyone who's ever filled the history disks."
A tiny smiled played at the edges of his lips. He looked down at her with a strange expression she couldn't define, but one that quickened her heart.
"With the exception of Sway, you're the only person I've told this to," he said, his eyes liquid night. "He thinks I'm a fool for tossing away the HAWC."
Alix bit her lip. She stared up at him with all her admiration flowing through her body. "No one's foolish for following his convictions."
"Maybe, but I threw away six years of medical school for a tarnished reputation."
"Well, the universe is filled with competent doctors, but a decent runner is one in a trillion."
To her surprise, he placed his hands on her cheeks and tilted her head to look up at him. The care reflected in his eyes stole her breath and brought an ache to her chest. "You're the one in a trillion, not me."
Alix shook her head in denial. She wanted to tell him her secret, have him soothe her pain and insecurity away, but she was afraid to see hatred replace the gentleness in his eyes. She'd convinced herself that her father's disgust didn't really matter to her, but if Devyn looked at her that way, it would break her.
"What's wrong?" Devyn asked.
She blinked and shifted her gaze away from him. "How do you mean?"
"You look scared."
She tried to think of some excuse to keep from telling him the truth. She remembered Irn and decided to make use of the prato.
"Not scared," she said, glancing up at him. "I was just thinking about how my luck ran. Out of all the men in the universe, why is Irn the only one ever to give me a second look?" She gave a halfhearted laugh. "I wouldn't touch him even if he were made of taria stones."
Devyn leaned closer to her. She swallowed, her heart racing in response to his nearness.
"He's not the only man to take a second look at you." He traced his finger over the lines of her lips, causing chills to tingle her face. "Your biggest problem is that you never notice when a man does look at you."
Frowning, she refused to believe his words and what they signified. "What?"
"You're a very attractive woman, Alix," he said quietly, his breath tickling her lips.
Before Alix could think of a response, his lips covered hers.
Chapter Four
Alix's head swam at the contact. Firm yet gentle, Devyn's mouth caressed hers; then he slid his hands down her back to bring her closer to his warmth. She opened her mouth, welcoming the sweet taste and feel of him.
Never in her life had anyone been so tender. Never in her life had she hoped to receive a kiss from a man so handsome, so strong.
In that instant, she knew her fate. God help her, she wanted Devyn as she'd never wanted anything. Not her ship, not her mother. Nothing. Only Devyn existed, and only he could ease the longing that burned a pain in her heart sharper than any blow her father had ever given her.
Tears gathered in her eyes, and she knew she should pull away and run from him, but she couldn't stop. Besides, she would only be running from herself, and there was no place to hide from your own soul.
No, she needed this moment. She would not run. Sanity would return only too soon. For now she would be a creature of passion.
Suddenly, the door slid up. Devyn pulled back from her, his gaze narrowing as he rose to his feet.
Clearing her throat, Alix stood up to face the three Keepers entering their cell. Gyves dangled from the Keepers' hands, and they watched her and Devyn as if the two of them were monsters about to feast on their souls.
Alix lifted a brow. What in the universe would have three armed Keepers trembling so?
"Turn around," the captain said gruffly.
Devyn scowled. "Why?"
"Both of you are being extradited."
She and Devyn exchanged a puzzled look. In spite of the warm reassurance his eyes offered, Alix's mouth dried from her apprehension.
"Extradited?" Devyn asked with a hint of laughter in his voice. "By whom, and for what?"
"The HAWC. For murder."
Alix thought her legs would buckle. The HAWC? Devyn had mentioned having trouble with them in the past. But murder?
Coldness consumed her. This couldn't be happening. Everything had to be a dream. Definitely. Devyn wouldn't have kissed her. Any minute Sway or Devyn would buzz her room, and she'd wake up and laugh about it. Right?
"Turn around."
She stared at the Keepers, her cold hands trembling. "Devyn?" she asked, hoping he had an explanation.
Devyn shrugged. "Do it," he said, a note of resignation in his voice.
Alix opened her mouth to protest, to tell the Keepers that she knew nothing about the HAWC, but her voice wouldn't work. Her lips cracking from dryness, she allowed one of the Keepers to turn her around and cuff her wrists together.
She glanced at Devyn. A frown lined his brow as if he were trying to figure all this out, or remember what he had done to make the HAWC want him.
Please, she begged silently, let this be a huge mistake. She didn't want to die in prison for a crime she'd had no part in.
With a rough grip, a Keeper grabbed her elbow and swung her out of the cell and into the hallway. Alix took several deep breaths, warning herself to stay calm and trust in her innocence.
As they entered the main office, she came to a complete stop, her mouth falling open. Zarina lounged before one Keeper's desk like she owned the station.
Humor danced in Zarina's eyes as she met Alix's gaze and for a moment, Alix was certain
every Keeper in the room had to know the whole thing was a ruse.
"You!" Devyn snarled in a hate-filled voice that set her heart pounding.
Zarina curled her upper lip in a ferocious snarl. "So, Kell, you thought you could escape us. That was quite a stunt you pulled on Kildara. Three Keepers downed and half a million cronas in damage."
Zarina shook her head like an angry mother scolding a naughty child, then looked at the Keeper in front of her. "I can't thank you and your people enough. If not for you, he would have probably escaped us again."
The Keeper looked like Zarina had just pinned a service medal on his fat chest. "My pleasure, Agent Kyrelle. We are always delighted to help our HAWC counterparts."
It was working! Dear God, how could they possibly believe Zarina? Relief shot through Alix so rapidly she feared she might burst into laughter. Yet somehow she managed to control herself.
"Well, High Keeper," Zarina said, winking at the old Keeper officer who flushed a bright red, "we need you guys as much as you need us."
Her features hardening, Zarina turned and approached her and Devyn with the swagger of a trained killer. She stopped before Devyn and ran her gaze over his body in a disgusted manner. "I'm going to look forward to seeing you vaporized for your crimes."
Devyn lifted his chin and smirked. "Just try it."
"Agent Kyrelle," another woman said from behind Zarina. Alix looked over to her and noted the attractive dorjani female. "We'd better get our prisoners on board before they have another chance to escape."
There was no mistaking the warning in the woman's voice, and in that instant, Alix recognized the soft,
lilting accent as the one that belonged to Sway's wife, Claria.
Alix also agreed with Claria. They needed to get out of here before one of them made a mistake and the Keepers realized they'd been duped.
Zarina nodded, then grabbed Devyn by the arm. "C'mon, space scab. It's time to pay the shuttle fee."
Claria moved forward and pulled Alix out behind Zarina and Devyn.
As soon as the four of them had cleared the building and several blocks of distance, Devyn broke into laughter. "Jeez, Rina, your brother will have your ass over this stunt."
The League 3: Paradise City Page 5