With a multi-layer corona and distinct spikes, the sun looked much more like a star than the blinding circle she was used to seeing. Images like this had been featured on TV and the internet for years, but this was more immersive, more breathtaking.
“I’m here.” She shook her head, unable to drag her gaze away from the captivating view. “I’m looking down on the world from a spaceship.” He didn’t rush her, allowed her to soak it all in.
As the awe mellowed to fascination, other thoughts crept into her mind, darker associated images that intruded on the tranquility. She didn’t want to taint the experience, but resentment and anger had a way of oozing through hairline fractures and widening even the slimmest gap.
She wrapped her arms around herself and stared out at the fantastical scene, no longer attune to its beauty. “I remember sitting in a locked ward, alone and shattered, feeling as if the universe had betrayed me. I knew what I’d seen. My father sure as hell knew aliens were real. But no one would listen. No one defended me.”
He moved up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You’re not alone now and I will lay down my life to defend you.”
She crossed her arms over his, drawing strength from his nearness. “Mom let those monsters lock me up and systematically dismantle my self-confidence. They made me doubt everything I said, everything I knew I’d seen.” She pressed back into his warmth, used his love to push away the darkness. “I began to wonder if they were right. Maybe I had imagined it all. Maybe I was just acting out because I knew my father was leaving.” She took a deep breath and let anger burn away the memories. “But I was right.” She sounded much stronger now. She was stronger now. “I was never crazy.”
“You were never crazy,” he stressed then hugged her as he pressed a kiss into her hair.
“Enough of this.” She turned around, twisting out of his arms in the process. “Are there shuttle pods or smaller transports? Is bio-streaming the only way on or off the ship?”
He pulled her back into his arms, face-to-face this time. “Plotting an escape already? I thought I’d pleasured you into submission.”
Tingling heat curled through her body, settling with predictable results between her thighs. Rather than give in to their smoldering attraction, she wiggled against him, feeling playful and bold. “I’ve been gathering intel like a good soldier. It’s always wise to know your enemy.”
He grasped her butt with both hands and slid her up his body until her face was even with his. “Are we still enemies?”
She wrapped her legs around his hips and locked her arms behind his neck. “You please me so well, I’ve decided to keep you. Commander Tarr, however, must be overthrown if he keeps being rude to me.”
Laughter rumbled in his chest and his joyful smile rolled ten years off his face. “If anyone could launch a successful mutiny on this ship, it would be you.”
She wanted to rub against him, feel desire spike until they were mindless and breathless, but she’d not yet seen much of the ship and she really was curious. She unhooked her ankles and he lowered her to the floor. His hands lingered with obvious enjoyment on her backside, making it even harder to step away.
“Come on.” He held out his hand and she took it, no longer sure where they were going.
He took her to a raised walkway overlooking the hanger deck. The sleek, two-person ships were obviously designed for speed and agility. “Have you ever flown one of those?”
He smiled. “I can fly anything on board, as well as the ship itself. But those are only used for battle and most of my tasks take place before the fighting starts.”
She knew he’d seen more than his share of action. Their memory sharing left her with no delusions about what his life was like. Bandar was a soldier. War was his life.
Hoping for a lighter topic, she asked, “Do you have nutri-gens on board or does someone cook the old-fashion way?”
“Nutri-gens are infinitely safer than conventional kitchens and much more flexible. Everyone can choose what they want to eat rather than being stuck with whatever the kitchen staff decides to feed them.” Then he looked down at her and asked, “Are you hungry?”
“A little bit. For some reason I’ve been too distracted to eat much lately.” Other than you, of course.
He chuckled and his hand dropped to the small of her back. “I can’t promise an actual hot fudge sundae, but I know our library contains several similar treats.”
“I’ll happily devour sweets of any kind, but make me eat something healthy first. I have no self-discipline.” She almost added “as you can plainly see”, but the impulse felt wrong now, untrue. Bandar thought she was perfect and that was good enough for her.
Her steps faltered as they reached the cafeteria or whatever the Rodyte equivalent was called. She’d expected a large, empty room filled with tables and chairs. Instead they entered a multilevel atrium with a massive transparent dome. Exposed hallways spiraled upward for three levels. The largest eating area was on the main floor, but there were smaller, semi-private dining rooms at regular intervals all the way up to the dome.
“Can we go up there?” Why was she whispering?
“Of course. This is called the central court, by the way, but you should never come here by yourself. We don’t just take our meals here. It’s a lounge and work area for those who would rather not be cooped up in their cabins. Many smaller planning sessions are held in the starlight lounge.”
She didn’t need to ask where that was. He took her hand and led her along the spiraling walkway. They’d only reached the second level when she noticed that every eye in the place followed their progress. “Do you need to kiss me or something? They’re making me uncomfortable.”
“I can back them off with a telepathic command, but I like your idea better.” He swept her into his arms and kissed her deeply.
She clung to his broad back and returned the kiss with obvious participation.
Rather than being cowed by the display, the room erupted in cheers and whistles. Ashley broke away with a laugh and took a bow, which made the crew cheer even louder.
The main doors slid open and Keyran strode in. The entire area grew deathly quiet. The commander growled a Rodyte word that translated to “carry on” then hurried after Bandar and Ashley.
“Shit.” She started up the walkway, but Bandar caught her hand.
“There’s nothing to fear. We’ve done nothing wrong.”
“I don’t think he sees it that way.”
“He always looks constipated. Once you figure that out, he’s not nearly as intimidating.”
She quickly fought back a laugh as Keyran reached them. “I thought you were taking her to your cabin.”
“She’s hungry. Is she not allowed to eat?”
“You could have ordered something from your cabin. I will not have her disrupting the crew.”
“This is a leisure area. We were not disrupting anyone’s work.”
Keyran looked at her, his eyes assessing rather than glaring. To her surprise he held out his hand, “Keyran Tarr. You might as well call me Keyran. Your mate refuses to use my title.”
She shook his hand and offered him a friendly smile. “I’m much more polite than my mate, Commander Tarr. Thank you for allowing me on board.”
One of his gray brows arched, yet his expression held far less rancor than it had a moment before. “I didn’t ‘allow’ you anywhere, but the damage is done. You might as well update me.”
They continued walking until they reached the starlight lounge. Her steps lagged as the view drew her gaze ever upward. “This is spectacular.” She stood transfixed by the beauty, velvet black pierced by countless dots of incandescent white. “I didn’t think you could see stars in space.”
“Common misconception,” Keyran told her, his demeanor continuing to warm. “We frequently travel faster than light so we lose the stars, but anytime we’re in orbit the stars are extraordinary.”
She smiled at him, hoping to encoura
ge the thaw. “I agree.”
“What would you like to eat, before your hot fudge sundae?” Bandar drew her attention back to him.
“Can it make a salad, maybe with grilled chicken breast?”
“Let me see what I can come up with.” He motioned toward the tables. “Find us a seat.”
As soon as Keyran neared, several parties suddenly finished their meals and vacated their seats. “Take your pick,” he offered with a lazy smile.
“Does everyone always scurry out of your way or am I the cause of their sudden hurry?”
“My crew knows I’m pissed at your mate and doesn’t want to get caught in the crossfire.” He pulled out a chair for her then sat across from her, more or less facing the entrance to the lounge. It was a defensive position. Were Rodytes always so paranoid?
“I’m sorry Bandar upset you. I’ll do my best not to be a disruption.”
He chuckled, folding his hands on the tabletop as he watched her carefully. “Is that what you were doing when I walked in? Trying to be inconspicuous?”
Something in his expression made her advance when she ordinarily would have retreated. Rodytes respected strength and exploited weakness. Was Keyran testing her? “The crew needed to know that Bandar’s claim was valid and final. With one kiss we sent the message loud and clear. It was probably the least disruptive thing we could have done, all things considered.”
As she’d hoped, he relaxed with another unexpected smile. “You might look like a princess, but there’s strength in you. Damn good thing too. If this thing with Bandar is serious, you’re going to need all the strength you can muster.” After another thoughtful nod, he seemed to consider the subject closed.
His hair was short and mostly gray, but strands of brown hinted at its original color. Numerous lines and creases etched into his face revealed character rather than just age. And his phitons were more purple than blue. Was that a product of aging or a reflection of his heritage? She’d have to ask Bandar about it when they were alone.
“I’m sorry to hear about your mother,” he said after a short pause. “Her rescue is now our top priority.”
“Thank you.”
Keyran looked at Bandar then back at Ashley. “I’m actually glad he’s busy. I wanted to speak with you alone.”
“Regarding?”
“Irron is still analyzing your father’s data, but he’s convinced you’re the perfect test subject for the new protocol and everyone is anxious for the research to resume.”
Tensing all over again, she nodded. “He told me.”
“Well, I want to make it perfectly clear that this is your decision and yours alone. Bandar and Irron, not to mention every other male on board, will try to convince you that there is no other option.”
“You don’t believe that?”
“Restoring magic to the battle born is one possible way of assuring us a vastly different life from what we’re allowed on Rodymia. However, we have other options. You need to think long and hard before you agree to let them make further adjustments to your genetics. It will change you in ways no one can predict no matter how many successful simulations they run.”
His vehemence was endearing. She hadn’t expected such compassion from this grumpy old man. “I appreciate your honesty.”
Before she could say more, Keyran’s expression went blank. He snapped out of the trance as suddenly as he’d been pulled in. “We’ll have to bring the food with us. Letos is awake.”
Chapter Eleven
Rather than subject Letos to repeated interrogations, Keyran had him brought to the conference room on the command deck. Bandar and Ashley ate quickly as they waited for the others to arrive. Ashley wasn’t even sure how many others had been invited to the impromptu meeting, but eating in front of a room full of people didn’t appeal to her, so she powered through her salad in record time.
“Sorry about the ice cream, angel.” Bandar finished his sandwich and wiped his mouth on a napkin before collecting their dishes and stuffing everything into the recycler. “I’ll add it to your list of rain checks.”
Morgan and Nazerel joined them a few minutes later, followed by Dr. Irron and Letos. Keyran sat at one end of the table, Letos at the other. Irron, Nazerel and Morgan sat along one side while Bandar and Ashley faced them. Except for the smooth control panels inset in front of each seat at the oblong table, the room looked like countless conference rooms Ashley had been in before. It was easy to pretend she was back on Earth rather than in a spaceship orbiting the planet.
Letos was dressed in uniform pants and a solid black T-shirt. He still looked a bit pale and dark circles shadowed his eyes, but most of the bruises and cuts were healed. Rodyte technology truly was magical, which made their obsession with magic confusing. At least to Ashley.
Without bothering with superficial pleasantries, Keyran dove right in. He folded his forearms on the tabletop and looked at Letos. “Who sent you to Akim and what were your mission objectives?”
Letos ignored the rudeness and smiled at Ashley. “Your mother is doing well. Though understandably frightened, she has not been harmed.”
“And how are you aware of this?” Keyran persisted.
“I touched her briefly during the abduction and was able to insert a com-bot. I haven’t risked sending my thoughts to her. If she started hearing voices right now, she’d likely think she’d gone mad. And her reaction might alert the others to what I’d done. It’s this link that will allow me to pinpoint her location.”
“Are you a technomage?” Irron’s tone was less confrontational, but his expression was just as suspicious as the commander’s.
“I’ve been unconscious in your infirmary for the past several hours. I’m sure you ran all sorts of scans. Why don’t you tell me?” Despite the obvious hostility aimed at him from all directions, Letos seemed almost amused by their surliness.
“You have more integrated tech than any person I’ve ever encountered, so my vote is yes.”
He inclined his head toward the doctor, neither confirming nor denying the conclusion.
Ashley wasn’t sure why the others were being so disagreeable. She was the one who’d been stabbed by the man and yet she seemed to trust him more than anyone else. “Why did Akim kidnap my mother and what does he intend to do with her?” Letos’s intense, blue-ringed gaze returned to Ashley and she shivered. The image of those eyes had been burned into her memory the night he broke into her house and confirmed the existence of aliens.
“Abigail is a distraction and insurance in case their primary plan falls apart. She is in no immediate danger.”
“And what is their primary plan?” Impatience made Keyran’s tone sharper than normal.
“I’m bugged,” he announced with an enigmatic smile. “They left me near death so you’d have no choice but to bring me aboard if you wanted the opportunity to question me. They’re as desperate to locate this ship as you are to locate theirs.”
Keyran stood so fast his chair toppled over and his hands slapped down on the tabletop. “You tell us this now!”
“I disabled the tracker moments after they streamed out with Abigail.” He crossed his arms over his chest, finally looking annoyed. “I’ve done nothing but assist you, Commander Tarr. Why are you harassing me?”
Bandar scoffed, speaking for the first time. “I haven’t forgotten what you did to Ashley. Her blood is still under your fingernails. Don’t you dare play the victim now.”
Again he ignored the hostility and looked at her. “I apologize for the pain, Ms. Kane. It was imperative that I prove myself to Akim and unfortunately you were the best way to do so. I was extremely careful when I injured you and I knew Bandar would be able to facilitate your recovery.”
“How did Akim know where to find my mother?” She could let go of the rest, but that detail had been bothering her all day.
“I had nothing to do with that.” He spoke with enough conviction to make her believe him. “Erkott was determined to beat it out of me, but I
couldn’t tell him what I didn’t know.”
“Why allow him to beat the shit out of you if you could have flashed out at any time?” Keyran’s antagonism had faded to mild suspicion.
“I had no choice. I knew what they intended and I knew no one else would get close enough to expose their location. By allowing them to abuse me, I created this opportunity. Akim is shrewd and paranoid. It’s likely the only one you’ll get.”
“Even if your com-bot can lead us to the Relentless, how do we penetrate their shields?” Keyran persisted. “I’m still not sure how we were able to do so before.”
With another enigmatic smile, Letos pulled a small device out of his pocket and placed it on the table. “This is a shield modulator. As you’ve seen, it creates a small opening in the shields without disrupting the entire field. Generally the effect is so minor the opening goes undetected.”
“You were naked when the guards found you.” Bandar shuddered. “Do I even want to ask where that came from?”
Letos laughed and shook his head. “I printed it from the pattern a friend transmitted to me a short time ago. Stop being disgusting.”
“If you didn’t give up Abigail’s address, how did Akim know where to find her?” Nazerel finally broke his silence. Morgan seemed content to observe and listen. It was likely she learned more by being vigilant than trying to wrest answers out by force. Besides, the men clearly had that strategy covered.
Letos rubbed his eyes and rolled his shoulders, his fatigue beginning to show. “Akim’s harbinger must have told him. It was obvious she was only cooperating because she—”
“She?” Keyran, who had righted his chair and was sitting again, sounded shocked and horrified. “Akim has a female harbinger? Why would Quinton award him such a prize?”
Quinton? She’d heard the name before but couldn’t place it. Wait, Quinton was the crown-something-or-other, the ultimate ruler on Rodymia. Shit, that couldn’t be good.
“He’s horribly cruel to her,” Letos told them. “If at all possible, you should include her in your rescue plans. She did her best to protect me, but her options were extremely limited.”
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