by Kate Donovan
“They killed my father, you know,” she told her sleeping bodyguard. “Thank God they didn’t get you too. Dr. Annur says they might be able to send you and Jackson home in a few days. Lucky you.”
And unlucky me . . .
“Zia?” Rem’s voice behind her was hushed.
“Oh!” She jumped up and ran to him, wrapping her arms around his rock-hard chest. “You’re alive!”
“Yeah.” His hands moved over her back and shoulders as though taking inventory. “I can’t believe this.”
“Pao’s dead.”
“I heard. It’s a miracle they didn’t get you too. I can’t believe I let you out of my sight.”
She looked up at him. “I was glad you weren’t there. They might have gotten you too. It was a bloodbath, Rem.”
“Damn.” His face was contorted with emotion as he insisted helplessly, “I should have been there.”
“Well . . .” She licked her lips. “You’re here now.”
“Yeah. I’m here now.” He stared into her eyes, then cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her mouth. Once again, it seemed like he was confirming that somehow, by some miracle, she was still alive. It was a miracle to Zia too, and despite her vow never to let her guard down around him again, she looped her arms around his neck and eagerly returned the kiss.
Then Harada groaned, and Zia jumped free of Rem, alarmed and embarrassed. Studying the patient’s face, she confirmed that he was asleep. Then she grimaced in Rem’s direction. “I guess he’s still on duty.”
“Yeah.” Rem’s smile was shaky. “We obviously need to talk.”
“I agree. But not about that kiss. That was just a fluke.” She moved to the other side of the bed, then smiled across at him self-consciously. “We’ve got bigger problems. Like what do we do now? It’s not safe here, Rem.”
“I agree. You should definitely go home.”
She shook her head. “That was my first reaction too, but I’m past it. Those guys killed Pao. If I run away, they accomplished what they wanted, or at least part of it. I won’t let that happen.”
“Okay.” Rem hesitated, then asked, “Do you still trust Humber?”
“Of course!” She was shocked at the suggestion, but realized Rem was right to at least raise it. Humber had chosen the Malaran guards, and had encouraged Zia to rely on them. And he had assured her it was fine to leave the rec center without Rem. So it was a question that needed to be asked.
In fact, Humber himself had asked it, berating himself over and over during the ride from the hotel to the hospital.
“He feels just awful about this, Rem. He barely trusts his own judgment anymore. We can’t possibly hold it against him. It would be so unfair after all he’s done for me. And for the alliance.”
“I agree. It wouldn’t make sense for him to help the Vekzori. But he vouched for those guys—”
“And two of them were heroes who died protecting me. If we’re going to stay here—and we are—we have to trust Humber and the prime minister. They brought me here, remember?”
“Yeah. I just had to ask the question.” Rem walked over to her, then opened his arms, and said, “Come here.”
She leaned gratefully against him.
“Were you scared, Zee?”
“You have no idea.” Looking up at him, she added wryly, “Turns out I’m a coward. So much for Daniel Quito’s DNA.”
“The officer who picked me up at the practice fields didn’t give me any details. How did it roll out?”
“It happened so fast,” she said, struggling to remember the details she had been trying to forget for the last hour. “Harada and I were in the kitchen. The others were in an adjoining room. Two of the Malarans opened fire with gas blasters. They focused on me and the good Malarans first, but like I said, I’m a pretty talented coward and managed to hide really fast. I don’t think Pao had a chance, but Jackson did some firing, and Harada was fantastic. The good Malarans fired some rounds of gas fire too, but they were caught off guard, obviously. I tried to help with Harada’s spare gun, but I’ve never fired a weapon before and had no idea what I was doing. Plus, it didn’t matter, because it was over within seconds.”
“Man . . .” Rem’s expression grew stern. “From now on, you need to stay close to me. And by close, I mean inches. Don’t forget, I won a frigging medal for marksmanship. I can protect you, but only if you cooperate. Otherwise, I’m putting you on the transport with Harada and Jackson.”
“Who would ride in the escort chamber with me?” she demanded teasingly. She knew his bossy attitude wasn’t just bluster. This guy wasn’t going to let the Vekzori near her. Not ever again. And that suited her just fine.
“Good point. So just stick close to me.”
“Or we could both go home.” She gave him a mischievous smile. “Unless you enjoyed playing Malaran pilot today.”
“It was un-effing-believable,” he admitted. “They have this simulator that makes you believe you’re in the middle of a real mech battle. I need to get past one more level, then they’ll let me try the real thing. For practice, I mean. It’s going to take a lot more to convince them to let me pilot a mech in a challenge, though. Carrak’s unbelievably tough.”
“Really? She seemed so sweet.”
“Huh? Oh . . .” He grinned. “Don’t worry. She’ll warm up to you. Everyone does.”
“I don’t really care. I’ll probably be more popular with the pilots if she hates me.”
Rem nodded. “She said she’d let you try some simulations tomorrow.”
Zia rolled her eyes. “Just for show, right? What I really need are lessons on how to shoot a weapon, in case the Vekzori come back. You’ll teach me, won’t you?”
“Yeah.” Rem glanced toward the door, which was opening slowly. Pulling Zia behind him, he rested his hand on his blaster, then relaxed when young Annur stepped into view. “Hey, Doc. How’s Jackson?”
“He is out of surgery and will recover completely. It is good to see you here, Captain Stone. You should take Captain Quito to the hotel so she can rest. She has had a long day.”
“I want to be here when Lieutenant Harada wakes up,” Zia protested.
“He will sleep through the night. If you visit in the morning, they will both be awake and eager to see you.” Annur’s tone grew solemn. “Our minister has sent a new team to protect you. I am sure you feel less than trusting, but he has assured Ambassador Humber and me that these five warriors are true supporters of the alliance.”
“They can guard my hallway, but I only want Rem in the suite with me.”
“That’s not negotiable,” Rem agreed. “No offense to your guys, but we’re not taking any more chances.”
Annur nodded. “I understand. I only hope that we can eventually re-earn your trust.”
Zia could hear the humiliation in his voice, so she assured him, “That’s not necessary. Two brave Malaran warriors died today protecting me. And the Vekzori who killed my father twenty years ago were human. So no one’s making any judgments. It’s just that I feel safest with Rem. And so that’s how it’s going to be from now on. Until we go home.”
It had sounded more dramatic than she intended it, so she laughed at herself and added lightly, “Or until Rem and I have another argument. Then I’ll just hide inside the Quito colossus with my helmet on. I’d be pretty safe there, right?”
“Untouchable,” Annur agreed with a smile. “But for now, Captain Stone is a more practical choice. Go back to the hotel and get some rest. I suspect you will need it.”
Rem stepped forward and shook the physician’s clawed hand. “Thanks, Doc. We’ll see you in the morning.”
Zia leaned down to pat Harada’s cheek one last time and whispered good night to him. Then after reminding Annur to alert them if anything changed with either patient, she gave the doctor a wistful chest-fist salute and followed Rem into the hall.
* * * *
They didn’t discuss their kiss on the ride back to the hotel, but Zia guesse
d from the sparkle in Rem’s eyes that he was thinking about it as much as she was. Of course, part of his excitement came from his experience at the rec center. His tone was almost breathless as he shared the details of his three hours in the Malaran simulator, fighting fake giants with fake skirmishers, and apparently taking it all very seriously.
It was touching when he described how great he had felt after surpassing level seven and exiting the simulator, only to be told by a tight-lipped Carrak that the Vekzori had just tried to assassinate Zia. He hadn’t even known she had returned to the hotel, and was stunned and furious—with himself as well as the Malarans—for allowing such a thing to happen.
She realized he was as exhausted as she was, but when they were finally alone together in her cleaned and sanitized suite, he spent a full hour methodically securing the rooms and double-checking his weaponry. Then he dragged a Malaran cot into Zia’s bedroom, positioning it right by the door so that no one could enter without going through him first, almost literally.
When he finally relaxed and joined her for the protein shakes the hotel had sent up for supper, they were both too tired to talk about anything important or controversial, so they chatted about the Malaran pilots—Maryak, who had been so welcoming to Zia; Gannor and his buddies, who had reportedly continued putting Rem in his place as “just an Earth pilot,” even going so far as to laughingly call him a hairless mono-gut. Rem didn’t seem bothered by it, and Zia sensed that he had probably hurled a few choice insults of his own. Plus, he had had the ultimate revenge: Carrak’s approval, which had been impossible for most of the pilots to obtain even after years of trying.
Finally it was time to go to bed, and Zia actually felt a little shy when she changed into her nightgown in the bathroom. She wasn’t quite sure how to act around her bodyguard, given the occasionally romantic element of their relationship. But she had to admit, the situation was more comical than sexy, at least in terms of her appearance. She had only brought ankle-length nightwear with long sleeves on this trip in case any Malaran guards were posted in her quarters, so the chance of provoking any dangerous urges on Rem’s part was pretty slim.
Still, she brushed her hair until it was lustrous before exiting into the bedroom, where Rem was seated on the cot, rechecking his blaster for the umpteenth time that evening.
He gave her a teasing smile. “Nice outfit.”
“Be quiet.” She edged over to her bed. “Aren’t you going to change?”
“No, I’m fine like this.”
She winced. “Do you really think something will happen? Maybe I should wear my uniform too.”
“No, that thing’s perfect. It’ll scare any intruder away.”
“Funny.” She eyed him intently. “Anyway, thanks again for being here.”
He stood and walked over to her. “I don’t think they’re coming back tonight. Humber has a small army in the lobby, remember. So just try to get some sleep.”
“Okay.” She smiled. “Good night.”
His hand shot out and he grabbed her, pulling her close. “How about a good-night kiss?”
She hesitated, then nodded and slipped one hand behind his neck, responding carefully to the touch of his lips to hers, then relaxing as he pulled her closer and began kissing her with a sexy playfulness that made her heart pound.
Finally she pulled away. Then she admitted, “That was more like it.”
Rem gave a frustrated laugh. “More like what?”
“Like the dreams I had during suspension. Every time you kissed me, it was just like that.” She bit her lip. “What about you? You said you had dreams about us too. Was it like this? Or like the kiss at the hospital?”
“I don’t remember the details.”
“Oh really?”
He grinned. “I don’t remember the details of the mech battles either, so don’t take it personally. I guess that shot of adrenaline from the escort chamber chased everything else out of my brain. Anyway—” His voice lowered a bit. “I like real kisses, not imaginary ones. Especially with you.”
“So do I. Even when I don’t know what they mean.”
Rem winced. “Do they have to mean something?”
She nodded. “At the hospital, it just meant we were glad to be alive. And this one just means good night. So . . .” She felt her cheeks start to burn. “Good night, Captain. Thanks for being here.”
“Yeah. Good night.” He walked over to the wall switch and turned off the light. Then he added in a reassuring voice, “Sweet dreams, Zee. See you in the morning.”
* * * *
When Zia woke up the next morning, Rem was seated on the cot watching a news vid with the sound muted. One glance at the screen told her it was pre-challenge propaganda featuring battles from past engagements, and from the look on Rem’s face, he was loving it.
“Hey.” She slid out of bed and stretched. “How was that bed? Did you get any sleep at all?”
“It was fine. These Malarans are so huge, a cot for them is basically luxurious for us. How about you? Any nightmares?”
She shook her head, then eyed his wrinkled flight suit. “Go ahead and shower first. I can wait.”
“I need you in there with me.”
“Hmmm?”
He laughed. “That’s why I waited. I didn’t want to leave you unguarded. So you’ll have to sit in the bathroom and watch a mini-vid or something. Then you can get ready and we’ll head to the hospital. We can get coffee and something to eat there.”
She smiled, impressed that he had thought of everything. Humber had told them there would be a transport permanently available to them on the roof of the hotel. The pilot was Humber’s nephew, so there was virtually no doubt about his politics and clearance level. All in all, she felt pretty safe considering that armed warriors had attempted to assassinate her so recently and would probably try again.
She decided to follow Rem’s instructions, even though she felt silly watching a mech vid on a mini-screen in a misty bathroom, especially since there was a much better show going on a few feet away. Rem didn’t seem to care about his privacy, lathering his lean, naked body as though oblivious to the transparency of the shower door between them. In contrast, when it was Zia’s turn, she kicked him out into the bedroom and closed the door between them firmly.
By the time they were both clean and dressed in their flight suits, she decided they looked impressive—two Earth pilots on an important mission. To the Malarans at the hotel, they were also celebrities, and as they walked down the hall and took the elevator to the roof, warrior after warrior gave them the fist-chest salute. A few even offered hurried assurances of loyalty, or apologies for what the Vekzori had done. Zia found it charming, but noted that Rem didn’t relax. His hand was on his blaster, his eyes narrowed and observant, until they were safely delivered to the hospital.
Harada and Jackson were sharing a heavily guarded room, and while Jackson was groggy, Harada seemed almost chipper, and immediately informed them he expected to resume his duties in another day or so.
“That way, you can get back to what you do best. Piloting,” he told Rem.
“We’ll see,” Rem replied evenly.
Zia bit back a smile, enjoying the competition. “You need to take it easy,” she informed the lieutenant. “You already put your life in danger once for me.”
“And then you saved it,” Harada murmured. “That’s not how it’s supposed to work. You have to give me a chance to redeem myself.”
“What’s he talking about?” Rem asked her. When she shrugged, he turned back to Harada. “Zee saved your life? How?”
The lieutenant started to answer, then just motioned to an overhead screen instead. “Watch. This is the security vid from the hotel suite.”
“Oh, no.” Zia grimaced and turned away. “I can’t go through that again. Did they really think this was good viewing for an injured man? Ugh!”
She realized too late that she should have covered her ears too. Instead, she heard herself scream “No,
” and then the air was filled with the sound of blasters blasting and men snarling. She kept her gaze fixed on Rem’s face, and through his expression relived the horror of those terrible moments.
When he finally turned to her, she said sadly, “A bloodbath. Just like I said. Right?”
“Yeah, but . . .” He licked his lips. “That was—well, it was really something, what you did.”
“Cowering behind the furniture?” she murmured. Then Rem told her to watch the vid, and she did so—reluctantly at first, and then in confused amazement. What she remembered as panic looked like heroism—or at least quick thinking, as she pushed Harada to the floor an instant before a stream of fiery gasses shot through the area where his head, and hers, had been. Then she was standing at his side and firing at the Malarans—not wildly and ineffectively, but helping him bring down the final villain.
“All I remembered was chaos,” she said with a sheepish smile. “Isn’t that weird? Maybe I just didn’t want to remember that I killed someone—even a traitor like that Vekzor.”
The concept intrigued her, and her thoughts flashed to Rem’s father. As strange as it seemed, she wondered if this might be a possible explanation for his testimony at the trial. Aengus didn’t want to remember killing that guard. He had never intended to hurt anyone, but the stress of the situation, combined with panic—
“I guess our minds play tricks,” she said, half to herself. Then she noticed that Rem and Harada were staring at her. Even Jackson seemed to be trying to figure out what she was talking about, so she laughed and added quickly, “I like this version better. But in both versions, you two hunks saved my life. You did your jobs with such bravery,” she continued softly. “If Dr. Annur decides you’ve done enough and you need to go home, you’re going to have to accept that. Maybe we should get him in here and ask him.”