by Juno Wells
Isla shook her head. "No. There's no reason. It's a civilian transporter. They wouldn't have fired on a civilian ship. That's ridiculous that you would even suggest —"
"We can review the information, and you can interpret what the squids said yourself." Vaant didn't look particularly angry that she didn't believe him.
Isla's stomach turned over, and not because of the food. If he was lying, she would have expected more of an argument, or at least denials and then condemnation of the Argo and everyone in the Alliance. Some effort to convince her he was right. But instead he just shrugged and leaned back, though his expression remained guarded. She put down the food and wiped her shaking hands on the sheet. He hadn't thought to bring napkins. "You can't be serious. Why would the Argo attack a passenger ship?"
"I don't know," he said, but she didn't believe him. "I was hoping you could help me understand that."
The spicy food just lit a fire in her stomach that boiled up to anger. "I am a loyal officer of the Fleet. I uphold the laws of the Alliance and —"
"The Alliance is corrupt," Vaant said. He glanced at a communicator near his belt, then looked over his shoulder at the door. "And they exploit the weak and less advanced. Everyone outside the Alliance knows it. They may have attacked this ship to distract us from following them."
"Says the captain of a ship who threatened to destroy a Fleet vessel and instead demanded Fleet officers as ransom and hostages." Isla shoved the tray away and sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed so she could storm away in a rage. She didn't want to look at him for another second. "Fine code of honor you have. And why were you following the Argo, anyway? So you could go back and finish them off, since you already got the cargo you wanted?"
He started to scowl, sliding his chair back to get a little distance. "I took you to save your life. Your captain offered you all in trade for us looking the other way from your last stop — where the Argo stole technology and valuable minerals from a planet in the Primus Major sector."
"Witz would never —"
"He offered us food, then fuel, then the women on his ship. In that order."
Isla's hands shook. She couldn't breathe. Witz would never do anything like that. He wouldn't. He was kind of a jerk and definitely didn't think much of women in general, but he was a Fleet officer and upheld the laws of the Alliance. He'd go to jail for the rest of his life for doing such a thing. "You're a liar."
Vaant's skin started to turn red and his scales rattled more as he got to his feet and loomed over her. "You don't want to see the truth. You need to open your eyes."
She lurched to her feet and staggered, knees weak, but still managed to jab her fist in his side. "Liar. You're a thief and a liar and a barbarian, and we will see you punished for what you've done."
"What I've done?" Vaant laughed, but there was no humor in it. "What I've done is save your life, and those of your crewmates, and then save a stranded ship. I don't know how that makes me a liar or a barbarian, but do please explain to me."
Isla could hardly see straight she was so angry. "You… you …”
She stomped her foot and tried to formulate the words to explain how he was so incredibly wrong and so incredibly infuriating, but before she could do more than stutter and think bad thoughts, he kissed her.
His smooth hands, as fiery as the food he'd brought, slid along her jaw and into her hair, drawing her lips to his in a motion so smooth it was as if he'd practiced before, or been thinking about doing it for quite a while. Isla braced her hands on his chest, starting to push him away, but his lips pressed against hers and sent electricity through every inch of her body. He tasted as spicy and wild as the food, and then his hair brushed her face in a soft cloud as she closed her eyes and surrendered. Vaant's tongue caressed hers, seeking entry, and Isla sighed as she opened to him.
She'd never been kissed like that. Ever. The infirmary disappeared as he became the entire world and his body moved closer, between her knees where she still sat on the bed, and Isla felt completely protected and a little overwhelmed with how much space he took up. He made a strange grumbled sound and she managed to open her eyes in time to see his hands and face swirl into a vibrant purple color that she'd never seen in nature.
He broke the kiss, but continued holding her face, his thumbs stroking her cheeks. After a long moment as his quicksilver eyes searched her face, Vaant smiled. His voice rumbled low and rough, so sexy it made every inch of her skin prickle. "So that's one way to get you to stop talking."
She stared at him, still stunned from the soft warmth of his mouth, and fumbled for something to say.
Chapter 12
Vaant
Vaant didn't intend to kiss her, but as Isla scowled at him and stammered and her face turned completely red, he couldn't help himself. And she tasted like spicy paste and all of his favorite things, and made a soft sound as his lips crushed to hers. He could have kissed her forever, and maybe wrapped his arms around her to ease her back to the soft bed. It certainly wasn't behavior appropriate for a captain in the Fleet, but luckily he was more of a pirate than anything.
When he finally let his lips drift from hers, he couldn't convince himself to let go of her face. He wanted to keep touching her, that soft and smooth Earther skin so fragile under his fingers. Her wide blue eyes blinked at him and she finally managed to say, "You shouldn't do that."
"I shouldn't?" Vaant's thumb brushed her lower lip, all plump and red from the kiss. His scales rattled in excitement. She smelled amazing, particularly after eating his food, and the barbarian part of him knew he'd fed her, protected her, and brought her to his home, such as it was. On Xarav, that was practically married. The kiss would seal the deal, if there had been witnesses. He leaned in so his nose could bump hers, and she closed her eyes again and tilted her head back, offering her mouth once more.
He grumbled and kissed her, tangling his fingers in her hair as it fell in a silky cascade down her back as soon as he tugged her braid loose. Isla sighed and her hands finally found his chest, sliding up to his shoulders and then his throat, hesitant as she felt his raised scales.
"It's because I like you," he murmured, then nibbled on her lip before twisting his tongue with hers.
The mating haze rose up around him, a purple and blue cloud of lust, until he lost all track of time and place and propriety. He didn't even notice when the doors opened behind him and that damn human security officer, Griggs, slid into the infirmary, wild-eyed. Vaant definitely noticed when a chair broke against his back, and turned with a roar that knocked her back a few steps.
Griggs stared at him, face red for some other reason, and hurled a stool at him. "What. The fuck. Are you doing?"
Before he could answer, three of his crew tripped over themselves trying to get through the doors and tackled Griggs right in the middle of the sick bay. Griggs, panting with the effort, threw one off and managed to get back up, though one of the crew grabbed her around the waist and tried to lift her off her feet so she couldn't run. She broke his nose and scrambled for the hall, grabbing handfuls of medical supplies from the shelf as she bolted — and slammed head-first into Vrix as he moseyed into the doorway.
Isla shook off whatever spell had gripped them and tried to get to her feet. "Griggs?"
The security officer, sprawled on the floor and blinking rapidly as she tried to banish what must have been a hell of a headache, managed to say, "I'm cool, Isla. Just… run."
"Where are we running to, exactly?" The interpreter gathered the sheet around her as the torn uniform gapped in a few very interesting places, and Vaant tried not to stare.
He also scowled down the three crew who slipped and slid in the spilled IV fluids when one appeared more than appropriately interested in what was under the human's uniform. Vaant waited to speak, hoping instead that Isla would convince her colleague to stop all the ridiculous escape attempts so he didn't have to create a brig and put her in it. Although maybe Vrix's quarters would do...
&n
bsp; Griggs held her shoulder as it hung in an odd angle and kicked away one of the crew as he stumbled and nearly landed on her by accident. "I really shouldn't say in front of, you know, our captors."
Vrix hit the communicator on his wrist and muttered something, though he hadn't budged from his stance blocking the doors. Griggs slid until she could sit and lean back against the wall, keeping them all in her sight. "I didn't want you alone and unprotected in here, and clearly I was right. He's taking advantage of you. Get up, Isla, and we'll go back to our jail together."
"No," Vrix said. "You're injured. You both stay here."
"Like I hell I am," she shot back. Vaant folded his arms over his chest and thanked whatever fates there were that his interpreter wasn't nearly so unreasonable and argumentative as the security officer. Not that Isla would make things easy for him. The color drained from Griggs's face as she tried to stand and failed, and her arm dangled uselessly at her side. "This is just a… just a bit of a bruise. Nothing to worry about."
"And I am not taking advantage of her." Vaant scowled at the three crew, who very quickly escaped past Vrix with scales rattling and skin turning pale yellow and silver in supplication so as not to anger him further.
Griggs bared her teeth in a near-universal sign of aggression. "You kissed her. She's injured and alone, and you, you dumb brute, decided to try and seduce her. So much for the warrior code. Lecherous piece of —"
"Stop there," Vrix said, keeping a close eye on Vaant.
Vaant's temper rose at the accusations and his skin swirled to reflect that, and made it a little easier for Vrix to get the hint. He leaned down to try and catch Griggs's good arm, though she pulled away and made a strangled sound as her injured arm jostled. The security officer sat on his heels next to her, still blocking the door. "You are in pain. You can both stay in the infirmary tonight. It will be guarded so you do not injure yourself further. Live to fight again another day, nixtava."
Vaant's eyes narrowed as he studied his second-in-command. Nixtava? That was an endearment usually reserved for mates — it translated to “beloved” or “my love” in Earther, though the Xarav word carried promises of protection and shelter, the two most important things on Xarav.
Griggs exhaled and her head thumped against the wall as she scowled up at the security officer. "I told you to stop calling me those ridiculous Xaravian curses. I don't care if it's a sign of equals. Don't do it."
Curses? Vaant opened his mouth to correct her and explain the true meaning, so at least the woman knew how Vrix appeared to feel, but Vrix shot him a dirty look and Vaant bit his tongue. There'd be no end of the teasing for Vrix later, of course, that he had to trick a woman into letting him treat her with affection, but every Xaravian on the ship would no doubt understand the unorthodox tactics necessary to woo the prickly human.
Isla wobbled as she tried to stand and Vaant immediately supported her. The Earther coughed and held out her hand to Griggs. "Come on, Cici. You dislocated your shoulder, so you can at least sleep here tonight."
"I can't," Griggs said. She tried to stand once more, and that time didn't push away Vrix when he helped her upright. She also pretended she didn't have to lean against the other security officer as she blinked and panted with pain. "It smells like a dumpster fire in here. What the hell happened? Did part of you die and try to come back as jet fuel?"
Vaant's irritation with the other woman grew. She clearly had no culinary taste or anything other than a dull Earther palate that couldn't appreciate the unique flavors — and smells — of Xaravian cuisine.
Isla cleared her throat and slid him a sideways look, clearly judging his expression accurately, but gestured for her friend to take the bed next to hers. "It was dinner, Cici. We'll vent the room unless you've got your own chemical warfare to wage?"
"You can go to hell, that hasn't happened in weeks." Griggs gave Vrix a fierce look over her shoulder as he half-carried her to the bed. "I can walk by myself, you know."
"I know."
"Good. Just wanted to make that clear."
"You clearly cannot walk by yourself," Vaant said. After the advice Vrix gave him to correct misperceptions, it seemed only fair to make sure the Earther knew they wouldn't tolerate that kind of deception. "The medic will be here to —"
Vrix's scales rattled in warning as Griggs puffed up and looked like she might haul off and try to deck him. Before anyone else could comment, though, the doors opened and the Xaravian medical officer arrived at a jog. "There's a problem?"
Vaant leaned back against Isla's bed, practically sitting next to her, to watch as the other woman bristled. "The Earther tried to run through Vrix and dislocated her shoulder. Put it back and wrap it up."
Isla shook her head and started to stand. "No. Get Maisy. She knows how to fix it."
"Mrax is well-qualified to handle a simple shoulder injury," Vaant said. He wished they would all leave so he could spend more time with his interpreter, and perhaps kiss her again. Feel her soft hands against his face as they soothed his scales.
Vrix folded his arms over his chest. "Perhaps the captain needs to return to the bridge while we sort this out. The Earther doctor may be able to assist, but the longer the shoulder is out of the joint, the more it will swell. We cannot wait much longer."
Vaant raised his eyebrows as he studied the security officer. "Maybe we both need to return to the bridge, Commander."
"Newton's boots, will both of you get the hell out of here?" Isla scowled as she got to her feet, and managed to wobble over to where Griggs sat and the medical officer gathered supplies and a sling. "I'll help this guy since we can't wait for Maisy, and I don't want to see either of you again today. Get out."
"You can't order me around on my own ship," Vaant said, even though he didn't mind the fierce little human stomping her foot and spitting nails. It was cute, in a way. Her face started to turn red again, and Griggs paled from the pain as Mrax gently examined her arm. So Vaant nodded at Vrix and indicated the door. "But we do need to review the procedures for docking with the waystation tomorrow. Vrix?"
The security officer briefly squeezed Griggs's hand before turning without another word and stalking into the hallway, Vaant on his heels. They both walked in silence until they neared the captain's quarters. Vaant hesitated at his door before going in, searching for words to describe the sudden change in his chest. His world expanded and narrowed at the same time the moment he kissed Isla, and she existed at the center of it.
Vrix nodded slowly and took a deep breath. "We're in trouble."
"Yes. Yes, we are." Vaant shook his hand and ducked through the automatic doors to his quarters, needing a workout or cold shower or something to get Isla out of his mind.
It didn't work.
Chapter 13
Isla
Isla buried Vaant's accusations against the Argo and the memory of his kiss so she could focus on Griggs, who had never been a very good patient when sick or injured. And the poor Xaravian medical officer ended up on the receiving end of some incredibly foul and surprisingly detailed cursing. He seemed cheerful enough, so Isla assumed he didn't speak Earther at all, and Isla let Griggs continue her diatribe since that seemed to be the only thing keeping her going.
Griggs ground her teeth as the medical officer carefully gripped her shoulder and elbow, and glared at him through narrowed eyes and held on to Isla's hand until her bones creaked. "Do it."
"I'll count to three," he said in one of the universal languages. "One, two —"
He wrenched on two instead of three, and Griggs hollered loud enough to deafen Isla's left ear before her leg shot out and nearly kicked the medical officer in the guts. Griggs fell sideways on the bed, holding her side and struggling to breathe through the pain. "You said you would count to three."
"I did," he said. He placed the sling and some stretchy bandages on the bed next to Griggs, and tinkered with one of the medical devices before scanning it over her arm and back. "But you'd tense on three, so we g
o on two instead."
"I don't like you very much," Griggs said.
The medical officer, Mrax, continued to smile, unperturbed. "I like you enough for both of us. Hold this here."
As she juggled a few items he handed her, Mrax whipped a needler from behind his back and set it against her thigh, and with a soft “pop” it injected her with something. Griggs's eyes widened as she sat forward, about to yell, but the sedative kicked in and she immediately slumped. Isla jumped forward to keep her from collapsing to the floor, and managed to get her back onto the bed.
Isla frowned at Mrax. "You could have given me some warning."
"With a patient like her, no warning is the only way to go."
Isla didn't want to admit he was probably right. So she bit her tongue and helped prop Griggs up so Mrax could wrap her arm and shoulder tightly enough it wouldn't get injured easily again. Isla tried to make her comfortable as the medical officer set up one of the machines to run quietly, directing warmth and healing energy at the injured joint. When Griggs rested peacefully in the one bed, Mrax pointed Isla back to hers. "I should check your lungs while I'm here."
She didn't want to, but her chest still ached and she knew there could have been permanent damage if they didn't get everything treated quickly. So she grumbled but acquiesced, sitting on her bed as Mrax aligned another device with her chest and listened to her lungs. He frowned, though, and checked the dials before running the test again. "We might need another treatment."
Isla sighed, though she knew she was lucky to have survived taking off her helmet. She didn't regret it, but the consequences were not at all pleasant. As Mrax set up another series of devices, he glanced at her and then back at the sleeping Griggs. "She is very fierce."