To her credit, she quickly recovered and charged for Alex. They tumbled down the corridor, stood, struggled then lurched over the ladder’s railing and fell eight feet below into the cargo hold and onto some rigging equipment. Metal coils and nylon netting broke their fall, but not entirely. Alex cursed when she rolled away to stand but collapsed back on one knee. Those damned metal plates weren’t worth shit!
Ebinay kicked her feet high and under her and flipped back onto her feet. A roundhouse kick, which would have decapitated Alex, came flying her way. She barely had time to roll and scramble away. From her position, Alex spotted Sekmeth on his back. She couldn’t tell if he still breathed but suspected so since Ebinay had intentions toward him. Annabelle’s form lay not far from him.
The dark woman chanced a quick peek back and grinned. “Isn’t he gorgeous? I can’t wait!”
Alex charged.
Ebinay tried to sidestep but misjudged and received Alex’s shoulder right in the middle. A great humph of air shot out. Grabbing her by the short tresses, Alex delivered a quick succession of hits—right hook, once, twice then uppercut. Ebinay’s head snapped back. But Alex wasn’t finished yet. Still clutching a fistful of hair, Alex forced the other to bend while she slammed her steel-plated knee into her. Blood dribbled on Ebinay’s chin. Alex groaned as the other grabbed her in a tight bear hug and tried to unbalance her.
Stars exploded in Alex’s vision when Ebinay elbowed her right under the jaw. She bit her tongue, tasted blood. Dizziness made her sink to her knees. The weight of Ebinay suddenly lifted. Alex clawed against the bulkhead to a standing position and spotted the woman rummaging through the hold. She bent and grabbed something. Turning, she advanced on Alex, one nasty piece of rigging apparatus high over her head.
Alex raised her guard but knew she’d never deflect three feet of metal, rivet-bristling tubing without sacrificing something else in return. She prepared to kick and hoped Ebinay wouldn’t aim for her knee.
“Hang on, Cap’n!”
Kim’s voice over the comms sliced the air.
Alex braced herself against the bulkhead just as a great lurch rocked the ship. Ebinay went flying sideways as though some great fishing line had reeled her in. The weapon clattered against the deck. A grin pulled Alex’s bloodied lips. They were jumping to hyperspace!
The lights dimmed, the very air seemed to roil in on itself. Creaks and groans echoed around the cargo hold, as though it was closing in on itself, imploding. Alex groaned as the jump plastered her to the bulkhead, its force pressing against her chest, her innards. She shut her eyes tightly and hoped to god Sekmeth wouldn’t be hurt. Ebinay screamed.
After a few seconds, the ship righted itself, seemed to swell back to its normal size and shape. Pops, clanks and clunks resonated. Alex shoved her battered body from the bulkhead and stumbled toward Ebinay who lay on the deck, her face bloodied, one of her arms clearly broken. Through strength she didn’t know she possessed, Alex grabbed the semiconscious woman and towed her across the hold, toward the landing pad. Sweat and blood dripped on her arms and hands. She didn’t care. This woman—this bitch—had killed Eva and Annabelle, tried to steal the Femme Metal, tried to sell them back to the Gorgosh. She’d tried to—no, did—hurt Sekmeth. No room for garbage like that on my ship. Not now, not ever.
While she held onto Ebinay’s ripped-open collar, she slammed her fist against the access panel. The hatch hissed opened. With a grunt, she shoved Ebinay into the airlock, pushed with the ball of her booted foot whatever was sticking out. She stepped back, pressed the access panel and watched the hatch close.
Alex stared through the porthole as Ebinay struggled to her knees, clawing against the hatch and yelling. Alex didn’t hear. She didn’t care.
The red light switched to green.
Steam hissed around the outer hatch when it opened and released what air pressure was in the airlock. The great vacuum of space sucked Ebinay out the airlock like gelatin through a straw. She went tumbling outside, head over heels, floating amid the immensity of space. The airlock closed.
Alex leaned her forehead against the porthole and let out a long sigh. Behind, small sounds alerted her. Sekmeth tried to roll onto his side, failed then laid back down on his back, his hands resting on his chest. His breathing came in short and shallow.
“Alexandra Novona?”
Alex snorted a tired laugh. “You can call me Alex, you know.”
She went to sit by his side just as Kim clambered down the ladder. “Oh…”
Alex could swear the girl’s eyes would pop out of her head as she came down beside Annabelle’s lifeless body. Kim looked so young, yet steel laced her gaze and Alex knew the girl would be all right. She’d had to grow up quickly in the past few days.
“Where’s Ebinay?”
“Space debris,” Alex said, hooking her thumb over her shoulder.
Kim stared at the airlock hatch. After a while, she nodded. “Gross.”
“Remind me not to anger you, Alexandra Nov…Alex.” Sekmeth clutched her arm and tried to pull himself up but flopped back down.
“You could tell something wasn’t right. You tried to tell me back on the bridge and I wouldn’t listen. Me and my goddamn pig-head.”
A look of mock horror flashed on his face. “You have a pig’s head?”
Kim rubbed his foot through the boot while Alex knelt beside him. “What did she give you?”
He shrugged weakly. “Something strong.”
“Kim, get me the medikit, would you? Good thing you’re a big guy,” she added for Sekmeth’s benefit. “The drugs won’t last too long given your size.”
When Kim returned with the box, Alex spilled it onto the deck, rummaging around the injection pellets until she found the right one. Sekmeth closed his eyes in silent thanks when Alex pressed the neutralizer pellet in the crook of his elbow and triggered it. A hiss announced the release of meds through tiny dermal jets.
Without checking with her brain first, Alex leaned over and hugged him fiercely. Her heart warmed in a pleasant manner when he returned the embrace twofold. The ring went from dull black to golden light in a matter of seconds. Alex wanted to ask, had meant to several times, but wasn’t sure she was prepared to hear the answer.
“We have to do something about Annabelle,” Kim said in a small voice.
They did, wrapping the large woman in a tarp, tying it as best they could and giving her a burial at “sea”. Alex had nothing to say, so they just stood around the crude wrapping for a minute’s silence.
After a while, they gathered in the galley, sat at the table, each in their own thoughts. Alex wanted to look at Sekmeth but couldn’t bring herself to.
Kim sighed and tapped Alex on the shoulder. “I don’t want to rub it in, but, like, someone has to fly this ship, you know. She won’t do it herself.” She stood, looking suddenly pensive. “But if, like, I rerouted the internal sensor systems, coupled that with recurrent navigations controls. It’d totally work…”
Alex grinned as Kim rushed off, muttering about such and such system she could take apart, strip or completely reinvent.
“She seems better,” Sekmeth said. He reached for Alex’s hand and stood. A look of pain crossed his angular features.
“Your shoulder?”
He nodded. “That, and my head, and my leg and my hands.” A big sigh swelled his chest.
“You poor dear. I’m going to have to take care of all that, won’t I?”
A predatory grin answered her. Then he sobered and cocked his head. “Why did you do it?”
“You mean save your blue ass? I’m not quite sure.” She pushed her chair back against the table to give herself something to do.
Good question. She could have double-crossed Ebinay, sold the Yithian to their customer and gotten rich. Yet retirement at such a price didn’t entice her. When she looked at the gorgeous alien, all she could think about was spending time with him. So, yeah, she’d saved his life. For not a single credit. Go figure.
He reached out and caressed her scarred cheek. “Whatever your reason, thank your god for me for letting us meet.”
Alex chuckled. “I’ll let her know, I talk to her all the time.”
They climbed up the ladder, arms linked, and made their way to her cabin.
She’d not gone two steps inside before Sekmeth rested his hand on her shoulder. “What now?”
“What do you mean?”
Teeth gleamed in the cabin’s dimmed light when he grinned. “You do not need me, Alexandra Novona. You have your ship back, your crew.”
“So you’re giving me my ship back, are you?”
“It has always been yours.”
She didn’t like the sudden seriousness in his eyes. Correction, she did like it, but just didn’t know what to do with it. She barked a mirthless laugh. “Yeah, my one-woman crew.”
“Do not avoid my question,” he replied, taking his hand off her. “What now?”
“I don’t know,” she lied, still staring at the black pearl. Did that mean…? Had she been mistaken when she’d seen it glow? The mere idea tightened her throat. She’d have to ask, she couldn’t go on like this.
“So what does that ring really mean? Does it… I don’t know, do something?” She just wanted to hear him say it. Please say it.
“It only glows when I feel strongly about something. Someone. Do not turn away,” he said, cupping her chin and searching her gaze. “It has only ever glowed for you.”
“It wasn’t doing anything when we first met. And it’s not now.”
Sekmeth shook his head. “It took all I had to keep it from betraying my emotions to you, as I am doing right now.”
Good enough for her. She tried to smile, felt tears coming instead.
“But you changed the subject again, Alexandra Novona.”
“What do you want to know? That I hope to god you’ll come with me, retire, spend hours looking at the stars, drinking coffee and talking? Is that what you want to know, Sekmeth?” Now why did it have to come out so damn harsh? She looked down at her feet.
“I do not drink coffee.”
Alex had to fight the urge to give him another bear hug. She just couldn’t take the chance she’d misunderstood what he’d just said, the implications of it. “No?”
“No. But the rest sounded totally good.”
His poor imitation of Kim made Alex laugh. “Was that a joke, Hunter?”
He shrugged. “You try to tell a Yithian ‘joke’ some day.” A grimace twisted his face when he tried to shrug his jacket off but stopped midway.
“Would you hold still for a moment?” she snapped as she pinched the garment and slid it off him. Blood had seeped through the bandages in some places, but on the whole, it didn’t look too bad at all. Especially considering what kind of injury it covered.
“We have to wash this. Here, sit there and don’t you move an inch.” She indicated the bunk.
He sat and leaned back until his head rested against the wall. Lines circled his eyes, and a twitch pulled at an eyelid. Alex went into the lavatory and pulled a washcloth from the rod, ran it under hot water then squirted some soap on it. When she was back by his side, he opened his eyes and watched her intently as she pulled his shirt off. The hot washcloth seemed to do him good for he sighed and let her wash his chest and shoulder. Some blood had dried and crusted over, but it came off right away.
The black orchid tattoo. She ran a finger along the twisted stem. “It looks all thorny and grumpy, that thing.”
Sekmeth only grinned.
Alex concentrated on washing him, though the sight of his naked torso produced an ache between her legs. Leave the poor guy alone, he’s barely conscious, for god’s sake. Yet the way he was looking at her made her very aware of how little space there was between the two of them.
“Does it mean something special when a human female washes a male?”
She grinned. “Yeah, that he stinks like hell.”
He didn’t seem to think she was funny at all. A shadow passed over his gaze. “For us, it does.”
She sobered right away. “Sorry. What does it mean?”
“That the male is valued enough for her to keep.” He wrapped his long hand over hers to stop her from rubbing the washcloth over his pectorals. A golden glow rapidly intensified inside the pearl ring. “It is a pledge.”
“Does the male wash her right back?”
A deep laugh shook Sekmeth. “When he is not incapacitated as I am right now, yes. The male washes her ‘right back’, as you say.”
To hell with caution and fear and doubt. To hell with keeping people at arm’s length and constantly being afraid they’d stab her in the back. For once in her life, she was going to follow her heart, not her head. Alex leaned over him and planted a fierce kiss on his mouth. As though he’d been waiting for just this invitation, Sekmeth pulled her to him and wrapped his good arm around her shoulders. God, it had to be the best feeling ever. She felt valued, cherished. Like a goddess. Alex laughed.
He pulled away and stared.
“Never mind, resume.”
As if he was seeing her for the first time, Sekmeth took his time letting his lips connect with hers. The fire it created low in her belly threatened to short-circuit her resolve to be gentle with the guy. All she wanted was to fist his hair and lick him and bite him and skewer herself to him like there was no tomorrow.
As if he’d felt her yearning, Sekmeth yanked her jacket off her shoulder in one quick move. Blood boiled in her veins. She was getting tunnel vision. Damn, she wanted him so bad it hurt.
“Kashaak,” he murmured between kisses. “My beloved.”
The word alone must have held some sort of power over her body, for Alex straddled his lap and pulled her jacket, shirt and bra over her head. She chucked the tangle of clothing away. A gasp escaped her when he leaned into her and bit her breast. Not hard enough to scare, but it definitely stung. Silver hair spilled over his face as he traced the bite mark with his lips, gently blowing on it and kissing the red skin. As she’d been yearning to, she balled both fists in his hair and pressed his face between her breasts. Soft growling sounds escaped him, rumbled in his chest.
Alex couldn’t suppress the urge to rub herself against him, even if in the back of her mind she was afraid to hurt his injured shoulder. It was as if nothing else mattered than being close to him, being one with him.
Pearl now bright as a tiny sun, he snaked his hand between her legs and rubbed her aching mons over the pants. The hard bud of his ring crushed her clit. He was good with the thing! Wetness seeped into her panties. Good god, she could come just like this. Charged to bursting, she dry-humped him as though her life depended on it. He responded by clicking her belt open, licking his middle finger and twisting the ring inside. Alex bit her lip when he squeezed his hand inside her pants. Adroitly, he followed her natural curves and wound his ringed finger along her drenched entry then slipped into her.
“Yesss,” she hissed, tilting her hips forward rhythmically. She planted both palms on the wall over his head and speared herself over his finger.
Thanks to his height, he was able to crane his neck and still reach her breasts, which he tormented with his long tapered tongue and sharp teeth. Alex rolled her hips, his finger nearly slipped out then stabbed back and took it all in until knuckles from his other fingers dug in her flesh. Cramps tightened her belly and thighs but she didn’t care. She rocked and recoiled and slammed back down again and again until the wave of fire tingling in her clit spread through her. Searing heat from the ring spread to her thighs and belly.
With his other hand, Sekmeth jerked his pants open and twisted his hips until his member bobbed out between them. She thought she was going to yell her delight at seeing the glistening blue organ. Spurred on, Alex raised herself from his finger and chucked her pants, then Sekmeth angled his shaft right under her. Already slicked with happy juices, she didn’t need anymore stimulation and bore down on him with all her weight. A hi
ss tore up his throat and he threw his head back, which connected against the wall.
A searing hot poker, his member plunged deep inside her and forced a long “oooh” out of Alex. As Sekmeth scooted down lower onto the bunk, Alex braced her palms against the wall and resumed her frantic thrusts. This time though, the sensations quadrupled as his long member rubbed along her clit and produced the fiercest pleasure yet. She squeezed her vagina as tightly as she could to accentuate the pressure, to grip him as if she was drowning, to hold on until nothing else mattered.
When the first wave hit, Alex cried out. Then the ripple effect burned a path in her flesh and waves upon waves of pleasure rolled out from her belly, up her chest and her spine. Holy hell!
“Look at me,” Sekmeth said through his teeth.
The commanding tone riled her for a split second before she understood what he wanted. Alex opened her eyes and stared hard into his. She realized with shock she’d never looked at a lover while they had sex. She’d never been interested in seeing the effect of the pleasure she was giving them. All she’d ever wanted was to take her own pleasure then kick them out of her bed so she could take a nap. Not this time. She wanted to see Sekmeth’s pleasure flash across his angular features, she needed to know he enjoyed himself—that she could do this to him, send him beyond the edge.
“Be with me,” he said, this time his tone much gentler.
Alex nodded, staring at him through his disheveled hair and hers, their sweaty bodies glistening and shaking. His whole body tensed, muscles rippled like metal bands. A low growl rumbled in his chest. He gave one mighty buck, which nearly sent her off the bunk. She would’ve enjoyed just staying this way as he came inside her, spilled his burning Yithian seed in her womb, but another wave hit her as well and she arched back to better savor it.
Sekmeth clasped both hands around her waist and pounded into her with all his impressive might. The bunk creaked and moaned underneath. “You are with me,” he growled, thrusting hard and fast now.
Alex nodded.
“I want to hear it.” His eyes darkened to slate gray. His fingers dug in her flesh around her waist.
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