“Relax princess and just enjoy it for now. We do not have to figure things out right this minute,” Jayden tried to lighten the mood.
“See that is another thing. You keep calling me princess. I hate that,” she stated firmly.
“I have news for you, you are a princess.”
“Maybe. I don’t feel like one though. Shillidon’s Princess died a long time ago. I’m what came from that death. I don’t think they are going to know what to do with me or me them. Idris is so Royal and dignified. I’m not,” she shrugged one shoulder.
Jayden burst out laughing, “Blue you are one of the most Royal people I have ever met. It is a part of you. The way you carry yourself. The way you speak. You have an innate goodness about you that shines through. Shillidon will love you.”
“Ha!” she said pulling out of his arms to pace back and forth. “Innate goodness my hinny. I have killed people Jayden. Granted they needed killing. But I don’t regret a single one. Odds are good that I will kill even more people. I’m good at it.” She stopped pacing and placed her hands on her hips and dared him to argue with her.
“First, you are not going to get any argument from me. I have killed people too and I plan on killing a lot more. I am good at it too. Second, if you think that Shillidon holds their position as one of the heads of the Alliance by being weak, you are mistaken. They are as ruthless as the rest of the universe. They just hide it better than most of us. Third, I do not think you are worried so much about Shillidon as you are about meeting your parents.”
Blue let out a huge sigh, “You are right. The closer we get to them the more it becomes a reality. I have no idea how to deal with parents, any parents. Ask Riley, well since she is not here you can’t, but if you could she would tell you I’m not any good at dealing with parents. That is why she dealt with them as much as possible. I have no patience with them. I threatened to slice one mother to pieces because her whining got on my nerves. You saw Janie after we returned Scotty to her. Wait, no you didn’t you showed up afterwards. I know how parents react when missing children are returned after a few days let alone years. What if she tries to hug me and I punch her.”
Jayden laughed at her restrained rant. He could not help it. The thought of her punching her mother was funny.
“I will make sure that Idris tells your mother not to hug you the minute she sees the daughter she thought dead for twenty two years returned to her.”
Blue threw up her hands and turned to walk out of the room. “I know I am being absurd you don’t have to point it out.”
Chrystal Bones Billie Jo Hanlin
Chapter 23
A few days later Blue and Leo had explored almost every inch of Krakin’s ship. She was even more impressed than she had been when she had first seen the inside of it. Every nook and cranny was spotless.
She had found several good hiding places where she assumed Krakin hid the goods he smuggled. She had also found weapons of every kind imaginable and some that she had no idea what they were stashed all over the ship. No matter where he was on his ship Krakin had access to a weapon. She was really beginning to like this guy and couldn’t wait to meet him.
She was currently crawling through the vents and while they were not as spotlessly clean as the rest of the ship they were still pretty clean. She knew something was up here. The dimensions were off in the engine room by a few feet and the internal scans she ran showed nothing. It was as if those few feet didn’t exist and she was determined to find the missing area. Most people wouldn’t have noticed the difference, but what could she say, she was a little OCD and she had noticed. Which was why she was now crawling through the cramped vents.
She inched her way another ten feet before the vent branched off to the right. She started to follow it when a shadow caught her eye. She studied it. It wasn’t really a shadow, more of a darker spot than the surrounding area. There was a faint seam that she couldn’t see only feel with her fingertips.
She found no hidden levers or panels to magically open the door she knew was there. This would be easier if she went astral, then she could just float through the wall, but she liked exploring the old-fashioned way, using all of her senses. That meant staying in her body. She would only go astral as a last resort and she wasn’t there yet.
Twenty minutes later Blue was ready to give up. She had pushed, prodded and poked and was no closer to getting the door open. She sat back on her heels and stared at the wall, willing it to open. If her fingers could not find an opening maybe her mind could. She closed her eyes and pushed out opening her mind.
She heard Jayden in her mind. “Blue what are you up to?”
“I’m exploring. Now go away and let me concentrate.” She closed him out.
That damn golden thread connecting them together was going to be a problem. She just knew it. Being able to send and receive his thoughts was one thing but she didn’t like the feeling of being constantly monitored. He was there in the back of her mind, always. She was used to knowing how everyone around her was feeling. Even if she didn’t like it, she did count on it.
She definitely didn’t like knowing he could feel her. Now she knew how the people around her felt and she didn’t like it at all. He was not intrusive but just knowing that he could feel her was unsettling. She was gong to find a way to cut the thread as soon as she could.
She went back to probing the wall. There, just to the left was a faint buzzing. When she touched it with her mind she heard a click and the door she was so sure was there opened with a faint swoosh. Ah Ha! I knew it was there, she thought in satisfaction. It was a small six foot by five foot room. There was a cushion on the floor, a toilet in the corner and a box of water and energy bars. That was it. A bare bones room that was heavily shielded to hide it from any scan. Everything you needed to smuggle a person or alien, Blue thought. Or hold someone prisoner. This Krakin guy got more and more interesting.
“Hey Jayden,” Blue sent out a mental call as she crawled into the room and stood. “Did you know your friend smuggles more than inanimate goods?”
“What are you talking about and where are you? You sound like you are a million miles away,” his mental voice was very faint.
“Hold on a minute,” she sent and moved back out into the vent. “How’s this? Can you hear me better?”
“Yes. Where are you?” he asked.
“I’m in a small room that is apparently shielded from both mental and electronic scans. I’m pretty sure your friend uses it to smuggle people.”
“Tell me where you are and I will join you.”
Blue thought of Jayden’s large muscular frame trying to squeeze through the vent and smiled, “I am in the vents above the engine room and while they are roomy enough for me to crawl around in I don’t think you will fit. In fact I am not sure how your friend fits through them.” Blue told him the humor coming through in her voice. “Give me a couple of minutes and I will meet you in the engine room.” She went back into the room and looked around.
Between the cushion and wall she found a little stuffed doll with faded green hair that reminded her a Raggedy Anne doll she had once seen in a store window, shortly after her escape from the labs. She was living on the streets of Vegas and spent her days wandering the city streets. Until she had discovered the Public Library and taught herself to read the unfamiliar written language. She learned what she needed to make her way west.
For some reason that doll with the red yarn hair had captured her attention and she had wanted it. Now, here was this doll. Worn thin in places, it had a much loved appearance. Some little girl was missing her favorite doll.
For a minute Blue imagined she could feel sadness coming from the doll. She shook her head to dispel the feeling and took one last look around the room. It didn’t feel like a prison, it felt like a refuge. Yes indeed she couldn’t wait to meet Krakin.
Blue came out of the vent, startling Jayden who was not expecting her to just appear out of nowhere like that. He should have, she had been popping up al
l over the ship as she explored. Jayden had never seen someone so intent on knowing every single thing about her surroundings as Blue was. She probably knew the ship as well as Krakin did at this point.
“I am not so sure Krakin is going to appreciate how throughly you have gone through his ship,” he said.
“Tough he shouldn’t have let his ship be used as bait then,” Blue replied in complete unconcern. “Did you know about the hidden room?”
“No, but there is a lot I do not know about what he does. If I knew I might have to take him in and he is doing what he needs to. As long as he does not smuggle weapons or chrystals to the enemy I do not want to know.”
“That’s very zen of you.” At the confused look on his face Blue said, “Never mind. It is an Earth saying. How come he doesn’t have any chrystals on board?”
“Contrary to what you may think chrystals are hard to come by off Shillidon and the Ice Blue ones are even harder to get. If there were more of them we would not have to worry about the Ragillians so much,” Jayden said.
“But he said he had a small ice in his message. I haven’t found it and I think I would have sensed it if it was here.”
“True, I had forgotten that part of his message. I wonder where it is?”
She stood before him dressed in another borrowed shirt paired with her own jeans with her feet bare. Her hair was neatly braided and hung down her back like a thick rope. Their time alone was coming to and end he was not ready to share her with others. The past two weeks of getting to know her and making love with her had been the best time he could ever remember spending with a woman.
If he had to spend any time with a woman outside of the bedroom they usually drove him crazy with the need to cling and fill every minute with talk. Not Blue. She was as comfortable with the silence as he was. He was just as interested in the way her mind worked as he was in her delectable body. They had long conversations about everything but her first two years on Earth. Those she flat out refused to talk about.
Jayden found himself opening up to her and talking about his home world. His thoughts turned to when he had told her about the dragons inhabiting Haldairia. For the first time, except when they were making love, she had lost the guarded look she always wore. Her face had lit with wonder and she had been filled with questions.
The conversation started when she asked about the dragon painted on his ship the Trilleion.
“I have been meaning to ask you about the dragon painted on your ship. Earth has a lot of legends about dragons. Any connection?”
“As far as I know dragons only exist on my world. We have never come across another species that have them. I do not remember seeing any when we scanned Earth looking for you.”
“There are no dragons there. Just lots of stories. Do you think some of your ancestors landed on Earth and that is where we get the stories?”
Jayden thought about that for a minute before answering, “I would not be surprised. My people have been exploring space for a long time and we have had ships disappear without a trace. Considering just how many different species that have landed on Earth and integrated into your society it is not a stretch to think that some of my people have landed there.”
“I would love to see your dragons sometime,” Blue said wistfully.
“You will,” Jayden had assured her.
He had every intention of taking her home with him. She had gotten excited about visiting Haldairia then had withdrawn into herself and gone quite. He knew she was trying not to think about if she had a future or not when she went to Shilliidon. He too was worried about what would happen to her when she tried to heal the planet.
Dro was sure it would kill her and Jayden was inclined to agree after what had happened when she had healed the large Ice on his ship. He did not know how but he would do everything in his power to prevent her dying.
“Earth to Jayden.” Blue waved her hand in front of his face. “Maybe I should say Space to Jayden.”
“Another of your Earth sayings?” he inquired, pushing painful thoughts of her death aside.
“Yes, now what did you need me for?”
He flashed his wicked grin at her and slowly ran his eyes down her body before meeting her eyes again. She had no doubt where his mind had traveled. Even if she couldn’t feel his emotions the heat suddenly pouring from him would have told her.
Her face flushed and she clamped down hard on the golden thread between their minds. Hoping to keep the knowledge that he could make her knees weak with just a look from him. “Besides that,” she said, trying to project aggravation in her voice and not succeeding very well if the knowing look he gave her was any indication.
After a moment he said, “I just wanted to let you know we will reach Farpoint late tomorrow.”
“Oh good. I want to meet Krakin.”
“He might not be on the station any more,” Jayden pointed out. “If you will remember we are supposed to meet your brother and the guys there, not Krakin.”
Jayden was becoming irritated with the fascination she had developed with his friend. He was not used to feeling jealous of anyone. He was going to punch Krakin when he saw him, just for the principle of it. Blue was his. Shalla help the man who tried to come between them.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He was going to spend the time they had left alone making love to her and imprinting himself on her so deeply that she would not be able to think of another man. Jayden heard Leo give a snort before the door slid open then closed. There were no more thoughts just the need to devour her, make her his in every way.
Blue stood on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around Jayden’s neck. The difference in their heights never seemed to matter when she was in his arms. The heat they generated should burn them up, she thought. She had read a couple of the romance books Riley left laying around the beach house and thought it was all a bunch garbage.
She knew different now, the right man had never crossed her path. This man was the right one for now. She still didn’t believe in a great love or a fated love but he made her feel things she had never thought she would. Making love with Jayden was better than flying through space in her astral form.
Chrystal Bones Billie Jo Hanlin
Chapter 24
Blue sat in the co-pilot’s chair with Leo sitting on the floor next to her. They both watched the space station Farpoint get closer and closer. It looked like a giant spider with too many arms to count. Ships of all shapes and sizes were attached to those arms. There must be dozens of them she thought in awe.
Each arm was a docking station and ships were coming and going at dizzying speeds. Ships that were too big to dock had shuttles flying back and forth. The sheer volume of traffic was incredible considering that nothing was out here but the station. The nearest inhabited planet was eight weeks away and beyond the station was a jump gate to relatively unknown space. It was the last chance to resupply before entering the gate.
Several Races had sent out exploratory ships looking to expand and according to the information she had been able to find only a few had actually established small colonies on the planets they had found beyond the gate.
Jayden flew around the station. Dodging ships and shuttles to one of the arms reserved for the largest ships able to dock after he received clearance from the station. She listened as he made arrangements to have the dock next to them reserved for The Trilleion when it showed up.
Blue watched Jayden’s every move as he lined the ship up with a large metal tube coming from the docking arm. There was a hard bump when the ship connected then a loud clang as the clamps latched on holding the ship firmly in place. Jayden powered down the ship and turned to her, “Ready princess?”
Blue swallowed her apprehension and excitement and looked back at him with a calm expression. “Let’s do it,” she said giving Leo a scratch behind the ear. Not for him but because she needed the comfort of his familiar touch. She told him, “Let me get a feel for the place then I’ll come ba
ck for you.”
Jayden cleared his throat before saying, “I am not sure that the station officials will allow Leo onboard.”
Blue gave him the same look she had given him when he had tried to talk her into leaving Leo on Earth. He decided not to have the same argument again. She could take it up with the officials if they objected to Leo’s presence. He would not get in the middle of that conversation.
Farpoint was a large bustling mall bursting with color. When Blue exited the docking tube following Jayden the barrage of emotions from so many people enclosed in a confined space hit her hard almost bringing her to her knees. Hastily she stumbled several steps back into the docking tube, all of her natural grace deserting her under the weight of emotions pouring into her.
She leaned against the wall breathing deeply. She couldn’t believe she had gotten so comfortable around Jayden that she had forgotten. Painstakingly she rebuilt her shields layer by layer until the emotions were no longer beating her down but were instead muffled behind the wall in her mind.
She could still feel them but they didn’t overwhelm her. Using the techniques Dro had shown her, she built in a small window that when opened could be used to arrow in on a single person. Allowing her to feel their emotions without letting in everyone else’s at the same time. When she was done Jayden was still there behind the wall with her and his concern came through loud and clear.
Jayden had never experienced anything like what had just happened. One moment everything was fine and the next his head had exploded with feelings not his own giving him a blinding headache. He turned to Blue only to watch her face pale and she stumbled back.
Of course, he thought when he had figured out what was happening. If he was getting just the backlash of emotions from their connection she must be overwhelmed with them.
Gradually the noise in his head was dampened down enough that he no longer felt anything but Blue. He brushed his knuckles down her cheek. “Are you okay now?” he asked her.
Chrystal Bones (Finding Home Book 1) Page 18