by Kait Gamble
“I didn’t even realize.” He gently sat her down on the chair while he went in search for his medical supplies. She watched with a bemused tilt of her lips as he pulled out a small emergency kit out of the drawer that held the cutlery.
That was Meri, always prepared.
“I would be surprised if you had,” he sighed heavily as he knelt at her side. “I really must advise against you going off on your own like that.”
Auri held back a sigh. This lecture was an ongoing one. There were no words in the English language she could combine that would stop him from saying his peace. Still, it didn’t keep her from trying. “As long as I have your wonderful inventions, I’ll be fine.”
He brushed his ever-wayward lock of hair out of his face. “But in constant danger. Is it a thrill you seek? Or are you truly looking to end your short life?”
Auri couldn’t help but squirm like a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar. “Meri—”
“It’s foolhardy, especially when you have a crew of able-bodied men here to assist. I think you ought to have your head examined.” There was a slight tremor in the competent hands that cut away the bloodied section of her trousers.
“Meri.” She ground his name through clenched teeth as he dabbed at the wound. “I don’t need my head examined. If I can do something on my own, I don’t see why I need to bother the others.”
“And I think you’re insane.”
“No, remember I’ve read your files. You are the insane one.”
“And yet you’re the one using my weapons, eating food I’ve prepared and letting me treat your wounds. So who’s crazier?” He pulled out an instrument Auri knew all too well. At first glance it looked like an ordinary metal tube with a cone of glass on one end. With the press of a button and a blaze of heat, it was able to heal most superficial wounds without all the waiting, or pain, usually involved with repairing torn skin. He held it over her leg for a moment before he seemed satisfied with how it looked. “There. I suggest you get some rest. It’s going to niggle you for a little while yet. None of your lunacy until you’ve properly healed.”
“Yes, sir.” She patted him on a craggy cheek. “Thanks, Meri.”
“’Twas nothing, my dear.”
Auri caught the slight sheen of perspiration on his brow. She took his trembling hands in hers and squeezed them. “You should go and take care of yourself now.”
He grimaced, dropping the façade. “I think I might.”
Auri noticed his stride, while quick, was unsteady. Her brows drawn, she forced herself not to follow.
As much as she wanted to help, he had to deal with his demons alone.
* * *
A long, bubbly soak in the makeshift tub the boys had put together for her in the cramped shower room in the medi bay was just what Auri needed before bed. It served two purposes. First of all, she needed it after her adventure. To tell the truth, she wasn’t sure if bathing in all the water they carried would help make her skin feel clean again. Second, it helped her bide her time until everyone else went to sleep.
Meri, in particular.
Not that she disliked the man; she just hated the lectures she got when she was caught sneaking a tipple.
On the almost trident-shaped ship, the medi bay was centrally located. Easily accessible from the exit ramp to move wounded on and off, and close to the galley, so she could nip in and sneak into the liquor cabinet that held the “unladylike” drinks.
Auri knew when and where to turn or angle herself so that the drink was unobserved by the cameras Everhard installed. The major hurdle was getting past Keys’ cabin, which was in the portside dormitory area with hers, without being heard. The man slept lightly and had ears that she was sure could hear the ultrasonic. Luckily, Auri managed to sneak past Keys’ room. She knew luck probably had nothing to do with it. It was much more likely that he felt she deserved a drink after what she went through. Once she made it past the empty room that buffered their cabins, relief curved a smile on her lips. With a happy hum she entered her sanctuary.
All she wanted was to get in bed and just relax.
Or just get into bed. Relaxation wasn’t something she excelled at.
That was the plan until she got to her room and found that the boys had left her a little present. Well, not so little. The metal crate was nearly as tall as she was and at least her arms’ span wide, which made putting the glass on her end table an exercise in flexibility. Auri snatched up the note she spied on the top.
Thought you would like this. X Bam
Curious, she pushed the lid off the crate and whistled in appreciation when she saw the fabrics almost bursting from it. She ran her fingers over cream silk near the top. The consideration in the act warmed her heart. Her whinging about her lack of clothing did register with them after all.
She was going to have fun going through all this tomorrow. But right now, she was too tired to do more than just have her drink, get in bed and maybe read a few pages of her favorite book.
Her leg wasn’t giving her much trouble, so she didn’t bother with it much other than to make sure she had pillows on either side of her so she wouldn’t roll over on it in her sleep.
Aurelia sighed blissfully as she sank back onto the feather pillows they’d stolen a week ago from a supply ship and reached for her well-worn copy of Alice in Wonderland off the side table.
She was about to follow Alice down the rabbit hole when she heard shuffling from the box.
The first time, she was sure it was her imagination. The second was more of a bang than a shuffle. It reminded her of a few years back when Bam got the bright idea of spying on her. After she caught him in her wardrobe, she ripped the hydraulics from his arm, leaving him with one working arm for a month. Neither he, nor any of the others, attempted it again.
Since the chances of one of the guys spying on her was very low, and they were onboard a ship in space millions of miles away from anywhere with any type of wildlife that could have crawled into her room—let alone a huge crate—it seemed prudent to check.
The gun under her pillow was quickly retrieved and trained on the crate as she crept toward it. She kept it on stun just in case it was Bam and his memory needed refreshing.
“I told you what would happen if I ever caught one of you peeping on me. Hope you got a good eyeful, because it’s the last thing you’re ever going to see.”
The crate stayed absolutely still.
“Have it your way.”
Aurelia kicked the crate and knocked it over, spilling its contents all over the floor. What she found sprawled on the floor nearly made her drop her gun.
“Please don’t shoot me!”
Aurelia stared back at the cowering girl. Her knotted blond hair and unwashed face made it a bit harder to judge, but she looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old. What Auri could tell was that she was gaunt and pale and in need of a few good meals.
Trembling with fear, the girl shuffled backward, retreating, until her back was pressed against the wall.
Jaw slack and with her gun still pointed at the intruder, Aurelia reached for the communication pad on the wall and pressed the intercom. No matter where in the ship he was, her first mate would hear her. “Keys. I need you in my quarters. Now!”
Everhard’s sleep-roughened voice came through first. “Are you sure it’s not me you want, darlin’?”
“Shut up, Everhard! She called for Keys! Anyhow, she’d call for me before you, and you know it.”
“In your dreams, kid. What she wants is a real man.”
“Why is it none of you will allow a tired old man get some rest?”
Aurelia ignored them, as she knew Keys would. It wasn’t the first time they’d heard it, nor would it be the last. Why they persisted when it was obvious nothing was ever going to happen between them, she
’d never understand. What she was worried about was how a girl managed to sneak onboard and into her room without her being aware.
She pressed the button to open her door, counting the few seconds it would take Keys to respond. Like clockwork, moments later her half-dressed first mate dashed in.
Auri’s attention was immediately drawn to the angles and planes of the taut skin exposed by his unbuttoned shirt. Not heavily muscled like Everhard or Bam, Keys was whipcord lean, inviting her fingers to touch and survey the intriguing shadows. It was almost enough to make her forget her little predicament.
“Auri?” Keys’ hair was wild and his fists clenched, more than likely ready to take on whatever it was that prompted her to call him.
Jerked out of her visual exploration, she felt a tiny pang of guilt for panicking him. He got so little sleep as it was. In his worried and sleep-addled state he didn’t seem to realize he’d addressed her less than formally.
Aurelia ignored that and pointed at the trembling girl. “Any idea who this might be?”
He turned, stunned, from Aurelia to the girl and back. “Unless she magically spawned from your clothes somehow, I’d have to say she’s a stowaway.”
“Please don’t hurt me! I swear I wasn’t doing anything. I was hiding from them!”
“Hush!” Aurelia tossed the gun to Keys. “Take her to the kitchen. She looks like she could use something to eat.” She was aware of how his stare was torn between the girl and the section of her own chest that was only just covered by her nightshirt. As the telltale heat rose in her cheeks, she cleared her throat and tugged the garment together. “I’ll meet you there.”
He blinked before his eyes met hers again. “And the others?”
Aurelia pursed her lips. “Tell them if they try anything, I’ll make sure they’ll be missing a few vital body parts.”
She could see his lips twitch up in a smile as he dragged the girl from the floor. “Yes, miss.”
So much for her nice, quiet night.
* * *
When she got to the kitchen, the vultures were already circling. They hovered over the frightened girl while she struggled to swallow a mouthful of water.
“Will you leave our guest alone? Can’t you see you’re making her uncomfortable?”
The girl looked at Aurelia for a relieved instant before ducking her head again.
“We only wanted to ask her a few questions, miss.” Bam helped himself to a heel of bread, using his gleaming artificial arm. He brushed the mass of metal and wire close enough to the girl to make her shudder. Auri could tell from his smirk that he was trying to get a reaction out of the girl. Judging from the look on her face, he got it.
Pure terror.
“I think I should handle this alone.”
“My dear, I must protest.” Meri’s glare was direct. Icy.
She glared right back. Did they really think this girl was going to bare her soul with them around? It was obvious she was terrified of them. “Maybe we’d like to have a little girl talk. Ever thought of that?”
Everhard laughed at that. The deep rumble made the girl jump. “Since when have you ever been interested in girl talk? Are you even capable?”
This wasn’t helping to ease the girl’s fears. “Get out. It’s not like we’re going anywhere.”
The group grumbled, but did as they were told.
Keys leaned in as he passed Aurelia. “We’ll be close.” He squeezed her shoulder and joined the others.
Aurelia sat down opposite the girl and helped herself to some of the food. The spread had Meri’s handiwork stamped all over it. “Hungry?” She pushed the pot holding the soup forward.
The girl bobbed her head up and down like a buoy in a solar storm, staring back at her with enormous blue eyes, but didn’t make a move toward it. Her pale cheeks were so sunken it looked as though she hadn’t had a proper meal in weeks. Her hygiene wasn’t much better. But her clothes said she should’ve looked otherwise. While they were dirty and torn, Aurelia saw the silk of her blouse and the suede of her boots. They were tailored for her. Not something one scavenged from derelicts.
“We won’t hurt you.” Curious, Aurelia offered her an apple. She wanted to learn more about her and that wasn’t going to happen unless she could get her to relax and talk. “Not unless you try to hurt us first, of course.” She kept her tone even and gentle.
The girl jumped in her seat and shied away from her offering, shaking her head.
“I’m kidding.” She took back the apple. Slowly, as she would before a skittish horse. She really wasn’t very good at this. She hadn’t spent much time around young women lately, being out in the dark. And having other women onboard was a rarity. Even before she found herself on a ship full of men, she took little interest in inane chitchat. “I could call them back in, if you’d like. I just thought you’d be more comfortable without them around.”
Her mouth worked uselessly for a moment before she found her voice. “No! Th—Thank you.”
Aurelia forced her lips to curve upward. What now? “Did you come from that ship we took?”
“Yes.”
Auri winced inwardly at the thought of this poor girl alone with the likes of them. It almost hurt her to ask, “Did they hurt you?”
The girl seemed to focus on something far off, but she shook her head.
“Thank goodness for that.”
They sat. Silent. Aurelia was happy with their progress and didn’t want to push the obviously traumatized girl too far. She was pleasantly surprised when the girl spoke first.
“I’m sorry.”
Auri cocked her head. “For what?”
“For hiding in your room. I was in the crate when your men came onboard and I was too scared to make myself known.”
“Just as well. If it was one of the men…well, it could have gotten messy.” She bit her lip when the girl paled again. Wrong thing to say, but it was the truth. She knew that outside of herself and Keys, the reaction would have been shoot first, ask questions later.
The girl gave her a watery smile. “I’m…I…I’m glad you found me first.”
Aurelia sighed. The adrenaline left from the discovery of the girl was starting to wane and fatigue began to creep back into her system again. “Look, we’ve both had a long day. Get some rest and we’ll talk more in the morning. Then we’ll figure out where to drop you.” Aurelia walked to the door ready to call Keys back in. “We have a spare bunk you can use and none of the boys will bother you.”
“Miss?” The girl was wringing the hem of her skirt, almost to the point of tearing it.
“What is it?” Auri wished there was a way to get the girl to just tell her everything without the wretched hesitation. All she wanted to do was get her off the ship so that they could get some sleep.
“I wish I’d known how nice you are.” The wringing started up again. “I—My name is Kateryn Castleton.”
The hairs on the back of Aurelia’s neck stood up. “What did you do?”
“I contacted my father. I sent them our location.” She pulled out what could euphemistically be called a communicator from her skirt. It looked like something pieced together with junk, but with a little luck and a larger transmitter like the one onboard to boost the signal, it could work. Auri couldn’t help but wonder if it might have even been capable of other feats as well.
“Who’s your father?” Aurelia tapped her boot against the door. “Everyone, get in here.”
“His name is Horatio Castleton.”
“Lord Castleton?” Bam asked. “What’s he done now?”
“You’ve heard of him?” She was still too busy trying to process the information to be worried about how the men were looking at Kateryn.
“You’ve never?” Her crew turned to her as one.
“S
hould I have?” Aurelia started pacing; her glare withered away the questioning looks from the crew. A dismissive wave stopped any questions.
Keys’ brow arched at that, but he kept silent. As did the others.
Aurelia paced back toward them. “Tell me in a minute. Right now, we have his daughter. And she sent him a distress call. And our location.” She looked at her dumbfounded crew and sighed. “I won’t even ask how a girl could have snuck aboard the ship. If he’s as important as he sounds, we need to do something before he blows us out of the sky.” She turned to Kateryn and bent over so they were eye to eye. “You have to tell me the whole story. Why you were on the ship with those idiots in the first place, what you told your father and what you plan to do to rectify the situation. Okay?”
Matted blond hair flew from the force of her nods.
“Good. Now, start from the beginning.” She stared pointedly at the men and they eased themselves into the chairs around the table while Aurelia went without a seat. She couldn’t sit now anyway. Nervous energy pinged through her system. She tapped the largest man in the room on the shoulder. “Everhard, I think it best you get to the helm.” At his questioning glance, she replied, “Just a hunch. I’ll leave coms open so you can hear everything. Just keep an eye out.”
“I will.”
Kateryn didn’t bother to disguise her awe as the huge man followed the orders of the woman across the table.
“So tell us what brought you to us,” Auri said to her.
She swallowed and shakily started her tale. “Months ago, I was at a party. My father throws them all the time to woo new business and finesse the contacts he’s already made. Only this time, he was going to announce my engagement to the son of one of his rivals.”
“He was planning a merger?” Aurelia had friends who’d been traded like chattel to further their parents’ agendas. She would have been next the moment her father found someone he wanted to sway for whatever reason. To be used as a pawn like that wasn’t fair. She swallowed down bitter memories from that world. The elite thought they were so enlightened, when their practices were downright archaic.