“First I get dressed. We wait until dark. Then we head out. You’ll stay here where it’s safe.” Her stomach roiled in a mix of fear and anger.
“The hell I will.” The rage in his voice had Reeva’s eyebrows rising to her hairline. Mase ignored the Valorian.
Kendra went to the service lockers lining the wall. She opened hers and dragged out a clean uniform. For a moment she considered not going back. It would have been nice to spend another few days with the Valorian. Pretend there wasn’t a hostile target waiting for her back at the Palace. Fate, it was so tempting.
She was unsurprised to find Azros right behind her. He eyed the security patches on her folded uniform. “You keep your clothes here?” Azros leaned against a closed locker.
She slammed the locker door. “I told you. Someone has to maintain this facility. I always have extra gear stowed here.” She gestured around. “This area holds clothing for most of my security personnel. Just in case.”
“Who is waiting for us?” His arm blocked her path. A smile touched his lips.
His eyes blazed with emotion she couldn’t read. She looked away from the familiar smile and gave her crew a once-over. “You both look exhausted. We have a little less than an hour before we can move out. Catch some rest in the lounge. I’ll fill you all in on the way back to the transport skiff.” She met and held Azros’ gaze, staking a challenge on a primal level. “You’re not going.”
She moved away from him and stalked across the room. Fear was riding her. Fear and anger.
“Are you really going to tie me up?” She didn’t appreciate the humor in his voice.
“If I have to.” She palmed into a side room.
“Well that might be something we can explore later.” His voice dripped with sexual innuendo.
“What are you talking about? Don’t you understand? I’m serious.”
He grabbed her arm and turned her so that they were face-to-face. “I am deadly serious. I enjoy flirting with you, but make no mistake, I take my freedom and your safety very seriously.”
Ice-cold fear knotted in her gut. “That’s why you have to stay.” She’d lost her family, her friends, her heritage…and the woman responsible for their executions might be waiting at the Palace. She’d be damned if she let that bitch take Azros too. Even if he was being an arrogant and overprotective jerk.
“That’s why I’ll go. Who knows how much trouble you’ll get in without me?” Pure male arrogance stared back at her. He wasn’t as relaxed as he appeared. There was an edge of danger to his movements, wariness to his eyes that spoke volumes.
She didn’t trust Azros’ crash and the return of her aunt’s people to be a coincidence. She had no proof of immediate danger, but a part of her wondered if Azros was bait. Her gaze scanned his face for any betraying emotion. He was giving nothing away. Come on, Kendra. It’s not like you really know the guy. Kendra smiled and poked his chest.
“Without you? You’ve been nothing but trouble since I found you.”
He captured her hand against his chest. “Lucky for you, you did.” He leaned close. “I might not have become addicted to your taste, otherwise.”
“Always the charmer.”
“I’m coming with you. I’ll only follow, so you might as well accept the fact that you’re stuck with me.”
“I don’t know whether to say thank you or I’m sorry for that.”
“It’s definitely a compliment to your character.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think it’s my character you’re chasing.”
He brought her wrist to his lips and nibbled gently on the skin. Pleasure slid up her arm in a light shiver. Her body’s responses were interfering with the ability to think.
“I need you. My mating cycle isn’t over, yet. The beginning of the cycle is critical. Being apart could kill me.” He kissed the palm of her hand. “Quite literally.”
She couldn’t stop the warmth of his kisses from spreading through her body. “You couldn’t have told me this sooner? Is there a way to speed it up?”
The sincerity staring down from his eyes couldn’t be faked. “Not that I know of. If we don’t mate often enough, the pain will become unbearable. We don’t know what it’ll do to you, and I can’t allow you to go through that kind of agony.”
She shook her head and smiled. “You and that mating thing. You know, eventually you’ll have to stop using that as an excuse.”
“Don’t bet on it.” He nipped a bite on her wrist.
“We don’t have much time. I’ve got to change and get ready to move out. Get some rest, if you’re determined to go.” She tugged her wrist from his tempting mouth.
“I’ll stick by you, sweetheart.”
“Fine. I’ll meet you in the lounge.” She dragged off her shirt and shucked out of her pants.
His hands stroked down her back. “Kiss me.” His breath teased her lips. “This time I’m asking. Please.”
She shook her head. “Even your requests come out like demands, Azros. I will not be humiliated in front of my team again.”
“Humiliated?” He looked genuinely confused.
“Your kiss. Staking your claim. I understand this mating thing is intense, but do we really have to destroy all credibility with my people in the process? Remember, Azros, long after you’re gone, I’ll still be here.”
Shock, then pain registered in his gaze. “You’re right. I will try to control my baser urges.”
She’d hurt him. Somehow. She watched some of the light die in his eyes, and she did the only thing she could think of.
Her fingers gripped his hair, and she reveled in the silky slide of hair through her fingers. She brushed her lips across his in a caress that tickled. His thumb brushed against her lip before stroking his tongue lightly over the sensitive curve. Clever lips worked their magic against hers, and her mouth opened beneath the sensual onslaught of his kiss.
His hand fisted in her hair, tugging her head back. Sparks of pleasure shot down her spine. She nipped his bottom lip. He broke the kiss with a lingering touch of his lips against hers.
“You are so confusing, Kendra St. Thomas.”
“I’m easy to understand. The life I lead is a complicated one.”
“Are the invaders Sheon?” His fingers trailed down her cheek.
She gave him a half-smile. “Yes. They are.”
His fingers stopped their trek, and the light in his eyes turned barren, cold.
She grabbed his fingers and gently pushed them away. “You don’t have to seduce me for answers. All you had to do was ask. I won’t let them take you.” Where did that come from? It wasn’t her way to get involved. Sheon or not.
He brushed his knuckles against her cheek. “What can one person hope to do against a legion, kitten?” Regret flickered deep in his gaze.
She moved away from his addictive touch and dragged on the rest of her uniform. The door opened and closed quietly behind her. She drew in one ragged breath after another, trying to keep down knots of emotion twisting deep inside. There would be no further messages coming. No way to find out if they were walking into a trap until it was too late.
She had less than an hour to come up with a battle plan and two contingencies. One for Azros if he was the Sheon target. The other for Azros’ capture should he be working for the enemy. This was definitely not her day.
* * * * *
“What are you doing?” Reeva walked into the medlab, looking a little less like the walking dead.
Azros leaned against the far wall, eyeballing Kendra’s every move. Her senses were set to hyperawareness every time he was around. This mating thing needed to get over and done with so she could go back to normal. Her body hummed with the need to touch him, stroke his skin.
Reeva walked over to the control panel and stared intently at the monitor.
“I’m downloading our medscans. The weather reports are already downloaded and stowed. Looks like we’ll have one helluva winter this year.”
�
��You look like you could use a week of sleep.” Reeva shoved her hands deep in her pockets and leaned against the counter, back to Azros.
Kendra scrubbed her hands over her face and sat heavily in the chair. “Yeah.”
“Is there anything about what we’re facing that we should know?”
Kendra rolled her neck to ease some of the tension building in her muscles. “We are likely walking into a trap. Members of the Sheon regime are invading our facility. They will be armed and dangerous.” She leaned over and strapped her weapon holster on her thigh.
“You got all this from one little message?” Reeva shook her head. “Chief, you never cease to amaze me. So why are we waltzing right into a trap?”
“Because David recalled us.”
Reeva snorted her disbelief. “You listen to David about as often as you listen to me. I’m not buying that.”
Kendra glanced at her long-time friend. “Because they won’t stop looking until they find what they’re looking for.”
“Which is what?”
Kendra shrugged. “It could be anything. They may be after the Valorian.” Kendra removed the clip in her pistol and ran through a functions check.
“Ah. Slave trade?”
“More like invasion of his people.” She reinserted the clip, verified the safety was on, and slid it into the holster. It was like coming home. A spike of pain shot up her legs. She cursed. Too much strain on the feet in the past few days.
“This from the Valorian?” Reeva’s expression turned speculative.
“Yeah.” Now more than ever, Kendra felt naked without her knives.
“Chief.” She hesitated. “We don’t really know anything about him. The little bit of information I do know about his people could fill up a single report page. I can’t even get solid linguistics.”
Kendra watched Azros. His attention didn’t stray from her, not for a second. “I know.” She dragged her attention back to Reeva. “You should know me better than that. I have enough paranoia for all of us combined.” She forced a smile she didn’t feel.
“That’s why I’m concerned. He’s compelling without even speaking. I find myself wanting to trust him immediately. That’s not like me either.” Reeva looked irritated.
“No doubt about it, this situation requires diplomacy and discretion.”
“Speaking of the Valorian, I see you two have enjoyed each other.”
“What makes you say that?” Kendra fidgeted with her holster, tightening the strap just so.
“He didn’t rip Mase’s head off when we poached on his property.”
Property. Kendra curled her lip in disgust of that word. “I’m no man’s property.” Her stomach cramped into agonizing knots. She dragged in a breath, and a spike of fear shot through her body. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Dammit. What the hell? She immediately thought of poison, but disregarded it immediately. She reached for Reeva but she was striding away from the console.
“Well, you’ll have to tell him that.” Reeva spoke over her shoulder. “It’s almost time.”
The cramps eased and Kendra nodded. She dragged in a breath and swiped the back of her hand across her forehead. The medscan download had already finished. She removed the memory crystal and dropped it in her thigh pocket. Kendra stood and stretched out the kinks in her back. The armless uniform gave her full range of motion, but it felt unusually itchy against her skin.
She walked over to where Azros sat, and couldn’t stop her fingers from touching his face in a gentle caress. His eyes gleamed with pleasure. Her cold fingers grew warm at the touch. The residual pain in her legs and stomach became a distant memory. “It’s time to go.”
* * * * *
“Sounds like you two had a time of it.” Reeva paced Kendra in the hike back to the skiff. The eerie glow of their torches lengthened shadows, giving the already disturbing flats a foreboding appearance. Mase ranged ahead, scouting for treacherous terrain, and Kendra couldn’t help but hope that the moonless night provided further cover for the return to the Palace. The lights made her uncomfortable, but she didn’t have Mase’s night vision capabilities or Azros’ affinity with nature to rely on.
“How close did the slimes get to you guys?” Kendra scanned the edges of the light, searching for a very specific shadow. Sweat broke out on her forehead, and the strong scents of the night rose in an overwhelming tide. She paused, dropping to a knee. Reeva dropped as well, eyes on the perimeter. The stench of rot overpowered the others, and Kendra gagged.
“You okay, boss?” Reeva glanced around their circle of light. Kendra dragged a breath through her mouth. She scraped the back of her hand across her lips. Another breath followed. Then another. She gagged again, and tears welled up in her eyes.
“Kendra?” Shadows slipped from Azros’ body like the hands of a lover. Kendra nearly choked on a laugh. She was definitely romanticizing the man, which was ridiculous when he was the cause of her sensory overload. His fault.
“You.” She stood abruptly and clenched her fists in an attempt to keep her stomach from rebelling. “This is your fault. You mentioned a heightened sense of smell. You did not, however, mention that every single scent on the flippin’ planet would attack me at once.”
“A heightened sense of smell from what?” Kendra didn’t like the way Reeva was looking at her.
Humor wiped the concern from his face. He even grinned. She was going to kill him. “I had forgotten all about that. It happened to me the first time too. You get used to it after a while.”
“The first time for what?” Reeva showed more than mild curiosity.
“The first mating.” Azros was openly smiling.
“This isn’t a mating.” Kendra’s fists clenched, and for a moment she was tempted to shoot him. “It’s just temporary.”
The humor in his eyes died to be replaced by something darker, more intense. It had the hair on the back of her neck rising. “Of course. My mistake. I guess time will tell.” He flashed a smile that was more fang than necessary, and slid back into the shadows.
“It is damn creepy how he can do that.” Reeva grinned appreciatively.
“Yeah, you sound really creeped out. Men are all alike. It doesn’t matter what race they hail from.”
His laughter slid from the darkness like a beacon against the chill. Damn him.
“Yeah, but the different races make them all the more interesting. Like different flavors of ice cream.”
Kendra reluctantly smirked. “Or different poisons to die from.”
“You’re such a pessimist.” Reeva sighed dramatically. “But what a way to go.”
Kendra shook her head and gave Reeva a clap on the shoulder. “You are a glutton for punishment.”
“You’re only sore because that little hottie is keeping just as many secrets as you are.”
Kendra snorted. There was nothing little about Azros. Swampland bled into the rising slopes of the crater. Kendra and Reeva both breathed easier. They were leaving the slimes behind.
“I think you’ve met your match, boss.”
Kendra sighed. At some point her team had taken it upon themselves to meddle in her life.
“You look better. The sense of smell back to normal?”
Kendra tentatively inhaled. Rot still overpowered the other scents, but wasn’t overwhelming. “Yes, it is.” She sighed in relief. “So tell me about the slimes.” She looked forward to being far away from the swampland stench.
“We saw them from a distance. Our trip to the cliffs was pretty uneventful. You were right about the caves, of course. We found plenty of water, food and fuel for a fire. It would have been nice to have a bed though.” Reeva and Kendra watched another personnel transport fly overhead.
Kendra wondered if Mark and his Sierra Team had run into any trouble with the Sheon. They reported to base while she was in the field.
“That’s not one of ours.” Reeva’s fists clenched. Both were quiet until it disappeared into the upper atmosphere. “How bad is this going
to be, boss?”
Kendra’s chest tightened with fear and expectation. “It depends on the welcoming committee. The Sheon I’ve known in my lifetime are from two extremes. One group believed in the serenity of the sciences, complete pacifists. They wanted to split off from the main world and start their own colony, one that lived on a planet’s surface.” This planet’s surface. “The other group was bent on aggression, determined to bring change their way. This group is probably the one we’ll be facing. They tend to shoot anyone who disagrees with their ideals.”
“Sounds like one of my family reunions.” Kendra looked at Reeva in surprise. “There has to be a middle ground between the two.” Reeva slid down a small trail with Kendra following close behind.
“There always is, but I wouldn’t count on this little welcoming committee to be anything but hostile.” Kendra wondered whether they were here for the lost princess or the escaped prisoner. Either way this could turn into a bloodbath.
“Do you really think they’re here for your Valorian?”
“He’s not my anything, Reeva. And I really don’t know.”
“If they’re after him, what will you do?” Reeva’s steps slowed.
“I’d like to avoid dealing with them at all costs.” Kendra recognized the shadowed outline of the skiff.
“We’re not alone, ladies.” Mase’s voice came over the comm, quiet and full of caution.
Three things happened at once—her senses dropped into hyperawareness, she turned off her torch, and her weapon was drawn with safety off. Reeva continued on while Kendra moved quickly to the dwindling tree line. “Friendly?”
Every footfall sounded clumsy and loud, and she tried to adjust her movements. She was prepared, this time, for the pungent odors threatening to overwhelm. Kendra didn’t need to see him to feel Azros moving around the perimeter. This was kind of amazing. For a split second she considered the benefits to mating.
Before Mase could answer, the sounds of a scuffle came from behind the skiff. Kendra dropped to a knee, scanning the perimeter. “Kill the light.”
Reeva complied. Kendra resisted the urge to run to the skiff. There was no telling if it was a trap.
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