Vaant (The Galaxos Crew Book 1)

by Juno Wells

  But then they were on the eerily quiet Hawking, searching for additional crew. They found them on the bridge — four officers with sour expressions from being left out of the fight. All four of them reached for weapons as soon as they saw the motley crew of oddly-dressed officers, but Isla and Rowan and everyone else were already prepared. Isla motioned for them to move away from the controls and communications equipment. "You're all getting off this ship. Now. Don't make any funny moves or try to sound any alarms. This doesn't have to be difficult. Start walking."

  Rowan and Maisy relieved them of all weapons and communicators, and the three male officers grumbled as they held their hands up and obeyed the orders. The fourth officer, a woman, slowed her steps as she approached Isla, and dropped her voice. "Are you the six from the Argo?"

  "Yes," Isla said, feeling grim. She motioned for Rowan to stay on the bridge and get everything running, but walked with the others toward the dock. "We are. And whatever you heard is not —"

  "He sold you, right? The captain?" The woman gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. "It's unbelievable. We all knew it would happen, but... And then to blame you for everything here."

  Isla glanced at her, wondering if they'd found another ally or if it was just a ploy to remain on the Hawking and cause trouble later. "It's bullshit. And we're not going to put up with it. We've all come to accept that we'll be fugitives for the rest of our lives, or at least until the Alliance admits its misbehavior."

  She took a deep breath, hanging back still farther as the men complained about being kicked off their ship. "Can I go with you?"

  "I don't know." Isla kept an eye on Griggs as all the male officers were kicked off the ship. "It's kind of an odd request."

  "I can't turn a blind eye to what they did," she said. "Please."

  Griggs finished booting the men off the ship and turned around, waiting for the last officer. Isla took a deep breath and then gestured for her to close the passage to the dock. "She's staying with us."

  "Are you sure?" Rowan asked, eyeing the Fleet officer.

  "Yes." Isla nodded to the woman. "But if this is a double-cross, we can drop her off somewhere on the way out of here."

  "I can help you run the ship," she said. "And my name is Estelle."

  Griggs didn't look convinced, but she worked the controls to seal the air lock. "Great. Then let's get the hell out of here."

  Rowan headed for the engineering section along with Violet, and Griggs kept close to Estelle as everyone went to the bridge. Maisy tried to get Isla to go to the sick bay instead, but Isla knew they weren't free yet. But the moment she flipped on the viewing screen and saw a shape among the stars that looked like the Galaxos, a weight lifted off her shoulders. She'd wondered if the beacon she hit actually reached Vaant, and if he could really return to assist them, but there he was. Waiting.

  "There's a lot of chatter from the port," Jess said, taking up a position with the communication screens. "They're going to find out that they've lost control of the ship sooner if we can't shut them up."

  "Use the jamming frequencies," Estelle said. "We have enough power behind those to silence everything in the vicinity."

  "Can we broadcast over it?" Isla asked. When the other woman nodded, Isla motioned to Jess. "Let's do it. Jam everyone else. I want to broadcast to the Galaxos. Do you have voice concealment?" More nods. "Good. Tweak my voice so the Hawking crew won't realize it's me, but leave enough so that Vaant can figure it out."

  "He'll know it's you," Jess said under her breath. "Anywhere in the universe, he'll know it's you."

  Isla glanced back as Estelle helped fiddle with the comms equipment. "What do you mean?"

  The cultural attaché rolled her eyes, although her beleaguered expression could have been caused by Maisy's pushy medical attention. "You're his mate, dummy."

  Isla's cheeks heated. It wasn't exactly the ideal time to figure out what that meant, and certainly it wasn't a conversation she wanted to have in front of everyone, but Isla managed to order the Galaxos to surrender without losing her composure. Silence followed for so long she feared the voice disguise was too capable and Vaant wouldn't know, but his return message — that he was the captain on his own ship — made her laugh. "He knows. Disengage from the port and follow the Galaxos."

  As Griggs and the others worked through how to operate the ship, with a great deal of help from Estelle, Isla leaned over to look at Jess. "What the hell are you talking about? What's a mate?"

  "The Xaravians have one true love they bond to. Usually it takes a while, but apparently he digs you. All the purple and gold stuff in his skin — that's it. That means you're it. He'd follow you to the edge of the universe." Jess arched an eyebrow. "I hope you feel the same way about him, because I don't think we can outrun a bunch of rebel pirates."

  Isla's cheeks ached from the burning, and she cleared her throat to sound as dignified as possible. "That's something I have to talk to him about, I think."

  "Right." Jess sat back, shaking her head. "You better have a plan."

  "I do." Isla sank lower in the captain's chair, reveling in the feeling of piloting her own ship, and watched the Galaxos's half-hearted escape in front of them. She definitely had a plan.

  Chapter 32

  Vaant

  It took far too long for the Galaxos to lead the way through the asteroid belt, around a few planets, and into an uninhabited stretch of space where they could hide from any random ships passing through, and Vaant nearly jumped out of his scales every second he didn't hear Isla's voice. He wanted to be near her. He needed to be near her, to feel her soft skin and smell the intoxicating wild scent of her hair. Frrar and Mrax didn't dare make jokes, though Vaant heard the occasional giggle as they whispered to each other, but Vrix felt no such compulsion.

  The security chief lounged in the navigator's chair, having kicked all junior officers off the bridge so Vaant wouldn't kill them, and played with his ceremonial dagger as he studied Vaant. "What if it isn't her?"

  "It's her." Vaant gripped the arms of the captain's chair and scowled at the viewing screen and the empty space all around them. "Cut it out."

  Vrix grumbled and gestured with the knife. "Are you going to use the transportation arm, or the pods?"

  "The arm. I don't want to wait for the pod to transfer back and forth. As soon as I get her, we're coming back here." Vaant lurched to his feet and headed for the door. "This is far enough. Bring us to a stop and wait for them to get in range. Frrar, get to the dock to maneuver the arm. I don't know who's piloting that ship, but I don't want them to ram us by accident."

  "Not until you ram —" Vrix cut himself off as Vaant gave him a dirty look, and the security chief flopped into the captain's chair. "I'll stay here and make sure we survive if it turns out to be a ruse and the Hawking crew takes you captive."

  "I'll tell Griggs you missed her so much you're crying in your room." Vaant didn't wait for a response before striding for the dock. Finally he'd be able to see Isla.

  The Hawking moved cautiously and a little erratically, which only convinced Vaant further that a less-experienced navigator piloted the ship. Frrar and Trazzak opened a hailing frequency, since the Hawking had turned off their jamming equipment, and provided directions to the Hawking's new pilot to enable the connection between the ships. It took an eternity to finally get the transportation arm in place, and Vaant dragged on a survival suit only when Frrar insisted. He would have charged right through space to reach the Hawking.

  Despite Trazzak offering a lackadaisical note of caution, Vaant strode into the tunnel and started to disengage the airlock on the Hawking. Someone inside assisted, and Vaant focused on the equipment so he wouldn't explode from pent-up worry and lust. When he looked up, he faced Griggs and a pair of stunners.

  He pulled off his helmet. "Where is she?"

  "I don't know if we should let you board this ship," Griggs said, eyebrow arched. "Being rebels and all."

  "Let me by and I'll tell you Vri
x's weakness," he said.

  The eyebrow rose still more, and she tapped her chin with the end of the stunner, pondering. The lawyer lounged around in the dock area, observing their interaction, and started grinning as the security officer delayed. A growl rose in Vaant's chest, then Griggs nodded. "One physical weakness, one psychological weakness."

  "Done." Vaant nodded, shook her hand, and almost knocked her over when she finally stepped aside to let him pass. So close. He was so close.

  Both Griggs and the lawyer walked with him as Vaant tried not to run for the bridge like a lovesick fool. "We weren't sure you would make it off the port. Good job with the explosions."

  "A little bit of creative chemistry," Griggs said. "No permanent damage."

  Violet glanced at him and then away. "The Hawking crew murdered Dyrgic and his senior officers. Right there on the bridge. They'll blame it on you."

  Vaant stopped in his tracks. His hearts ached. Dyrgic had been a good captain, and he deserved a far more glorious end than betrayal at the hands of an Alliance asshole. Vaant put his fist over his chest, where his hearts beat, and his other hand held the hilt of his ceremonial dagger. "They will be avenged."

  "We already have a plan," Griggs said. "You're welcome to join."

  He started walking again, focused once more on the bridge. "There's time for that. We have a few scores to settle."

  Just as they reached the passage to the bridge, Griggs got in front of him once more and tapped the stunner against his chest. "Just remember, warrior of Xarav, if you hurt her — you answer to us. And we will make you pay."

  "I would never hurt her," he said. Vaant tried to appreciate that these women wanted to protect his mate, but it was hard to keep perspective when Isla stood only feet away and he couldn't yet touch her.

  From the look on her face, Griggs didn't entirely believe him, but maybe she just relished the idea of trying to kick his ass. Either way, she stood aside and he stepped onto the bridge.

  He didn't see Isla at first. The engineer sat at the navigation panel, but no one else was there. Until he saw a familiar dark head at the captain's chair, and his hearts surged to his throat. Isla.

  She smiled when she saw him. "Fancy seeing you here."

  "You have terrible timing," he said. "I was right in the middle of chasing down the Argo when you called."

  "I would have waited, but I thought you'd want an opportunity to play hero." Isla pushed to her feet and gestured at the ship around here. "But we did okay on our own."

  "A Fleet Darwin-class battleship? Yes, I'd say you did very well." Vaant reached for her, wanting to pull her tight to his chest, but froze when he saw bandages wrapped around her shoulder. "Are you hurt? What happened? Why aren't you in the sick bay?”

  Isla laughed, her fingers drifting along his arm. "I just got clipped on the port, that's all. Maisy put some crazy stuff on there, so it's healing. Just a little tender."

  Vaant couldn't take it anymore, watching her plump lips and listening to her heart beating. He captured her face in his hands and dragged her mouth to his so he could finally taste her lips. Isla sighed and leaned against him, kissing him back as his tongue explored her mouth. He could kiss her forever. His fingers worked into her hair until it fell like silk around her shoulders.

  He dragged his mouth away before he lost all control, his scales already turning blue and purple and gold in bright flashes. "Let's go."

  "Go?" A smile touched her face and Isla retreated a few steps so she could run her hand along the back of the captain's chair. "I'm the captain of this ship. I certainly can't abandon it."

  Vaant bit back a groan. Sandworms below him, the woman was going to drive him mad. His hands flexed into fists at his sides as he struggled for control, wanting to grab her and throw her over his shoulder so he could take her to his bed immediately. "I want you to come with me, Isla. I want you to stay with me, to be mine. I need you in my life."

  He refused to acknowledge the presence of the other women on the bridge, and instead only concentrated on those gorgeous blue eyes and the pink flush in her cheeks. "Tell me you'll come with me."

  "You're rebels," she said. "Outlaws. Pirates." She stalked toward him once more, and Vaant's vision went silver as his spikes started to rise. He'd lose control completely in a matter of minutes if she kept it up. Isla walked a slow circle around him, as if considering his proposal. "And right now I have my own ship, my own crew, and my own mission."

  Vaant caught her arm again and pulled her close, bending her backward so he could kiss her, devouring her words until she melted in his arms. He loved the challenge in her eyes, the attitude. And every word she said was true — her ship, her crew, her mission. His scales rustled and he set his teeth against her lower lip. "You're my mate. And you're coming back to my bed so I can show you exactly what that means."

  "Well," she murmured, stroking his cheek. "This is my ship. You can't tell me what to do on my own ship."

  "Then I've got to get you back to mine," he said, and straightened suddenly, catching her around the waist.

  Isla shrieked as he threw her over his shoulder like a conquering hero and strode through the Hawking to the dock. She didn't protest much, though Vaant thought his attention to her ass helped distract her from the long walk. He wanted to bite her hip, work his fingers against the soft flesh of her stomach and ass, until he marked her thoroughly and he'd be able to find her anywhere in the universe.

  He didn't bother with the survival suits, and instead ran through the tunnel until he finally reached the Galaxos. Trazzak grinned on the dock, mouth open to say something, but Vaant didn't even pause. Mrax called after them, "Welcome back, Isla."

  Vaant didn't stop until he was back in his quarters and dropped Isla on his bed. He stood there as she sighed and stretched in the rumpled sheets, her arms over her head, and gave him a sideways look with a hint of challenge. "Well?"

  He growled and reached for her ankle to drag her closer. "Now we're going to see how well you follow orders."

  She laughed, those blue eyes sparking, and Vaant ripped off his shirt. Thank all the fates that ever existed that he stopped the Argo and found this maddening Earther woman.

  Chapter 33

  Isla couldn’t pry her eyes away from her one and only — her mate standing above her in all his swirling indigo glory. The brilliant blues and purples flashed over his skin in equal measure, heat-lightning flashes of stark silver breaking out here and there as his eyes darkened. If she didn’t know better, he might’ve seemed predatory—especially considering the way he was looking at her.

  His mouth opened just slightly, flashing his teeth in response to her challenge. She knew exactly what she’d done, and couldn’t wait to feel what her words provoked in him. Having come through so much to get back to his bed aboard the Galaxos, it only seemed right that she take everything he had to give. Her voice went soft and teasing as she twisted away from his grasp just slightly, working herself further up the expansive bed. “And what if I don’t want to follow orders, hm? I may be aboard your ship, but...”

  She didn’t have a chance to continue. His hands shot out to grab her ankles, pulling her back down to the edge of the bed. A genuinely startled gasp passed her lips as she reached out to grab at the sheets, but she soon found herself loathe to fight his grip. She gripped the sheets as she stared down at him, his head close enough to her to obscure the lower half of his face from view. The heat of his huffing breath against her sent her squirming and whimpering, the playfulness she’d felt only moments ago fleeing in the face of the wave of lust he provoked in her.

  Vaant’s silver eyes pulled her in, and before she knew it, she shifted down the bed a bit further in an attempt to get closer to him. When he pushed her back up, it became immediately clear that anything that happened, at least for the moment, was going to be on his terms — exactly the way he wanted it.

  The rattling of his spikes and the deafening roar of the heartbeat thumping in her ears drowned out the
world around her, making her feel equal parts immobilized prey and desperately desired mate. Her lips barely parted to make some quip, perhaps to provoke him to action and relieve the desperate ache she felt for his touch, but the words were stolen from her chest by a sudden wrenching tightness.

  His tongue was unforgettable. The attention he’d shown her the last time she found herself in his bed, the curiosity and enthusiasm she’d seen from him had been entirely supplanted by a burning hunger. The growls were now nearly roars, the vibrations sending electric shivers through her thighs and belly as she tensed. His tongue dragged up slowly along her soaked slit, and though he seemed resolute on keeping their gazes locked, his own eyes drifted shut.

  Even if she’d wanted to, she couldn’t have managed to sit up to slide her palms over the spikes that stood out at his shoulders, to caress his face, to urge him deeper inside. Every twitch and twist of his tongue set her body on edge again, rolling tension surging through her and making any purposeful movement all but impossible. She clutched ever-tighter at the sheets as if the sublime sensation might send her floating from the bed at any moment. Zero gravity was something she was well accustomed to, and this felt all too familiar.

  Her own cry joined his growling roar the moment his tongue plunged deep into her slick folds, twisting and lapping inside as his lips sealed around her.

  Nothing in the universe could possibly come close to her taste, her scent. It was more exquisite than any meal Vaant could imagine, and while she lacked the spice he knew so well, her thick sweetness was nothing short of other-worldly.

  Just as much as he wanted to worship and love her, he needed to possess her in every way. Having her so helpless before him was unmistakably an expression of both — though that thought, and most others, were lost in the haze of mating lust that flowed unchecked through every part of him.