by Liza Probz
At least she hoped she could. She longed for the day when she could let herself be free to just feel.
But that day wasn't today.
Suddenly his hands were moving, slowly sliding up from her shoulders to her neck. He held her throat, loosely, in his hands. His fingers caressed her gently.
"What's the matter, Kat? Afraid I might put some cracks in that icy exterior of yours?"
"Hardly," she said with as much disdain as she could muster. Unfortunately, her voice was soft, her words unconvincing.
"That's right, you'd never stoop to enjoying a human as a bedmate, now would you? Such a primitive, backward race that you've so easily outgunned and outmanned?"
Kat'Chinna closed her eyes. She didn't want to look into the piercing blue of his gaze any longer. His words had too much bite.
As handsome as she found him, he was absolutely right. She could never act on her attraction to him or she'd be the laughingstock of her planet. Sure, it might be acceptable for the Supreme Regent to take a human as a consort, but she wasn't the regent. She was just another cog in the Zantharian military's wheel, and being friendly with an alien who might be conspiring to plot the downfall of her planet would be career suicide.
"Look at me, Ice Queen," he said, his voice guttural with some emotion she couldn't name.
Kat'Chinna shook her head, her eyes remaining firmly shut.
He gave a soft laugh, and she tensed in his grip. "Shhh..." he said, his fingers massaging her shoulders, tempting her to relax. "Let this primitive human show you how good it could be."
His touch was like fire across her skin. The warmth he created caused her muscles to lose their tension. Her breathing evened out. Slowly, without her control, her eyes began to slip open.
He was staring at her face, a look of hunger in his expression. Kat'Chinna shivered, wanting to surrender to that hunger.
She'd never had a man look at her like that, as if he wanted to devour her. For a moment she let herself imagine what that might feel like, to fully give herself over to him. Her knees started to give out as her pulse spiked.
"That's right, Kat, just relax." He maneuvered them around so that her behind touched the table. His hands moved up from her shoulders, along her neck with a teasing sweep, and then buried themselves in the tightly-wound tendrils on her head.
"Amazing," he said, his voice soft with astonishment. "I've never felt anything like this."
She saw the wonder in his eyes and it eroded the last of her strength. She leaned back against the table, needing the support.
Jeffrey returned his hands to her shoulders and pushed, forcing her to lean back against the tabletop as his breathing got a little off.
He stared down at her for a moment, and she noticed how flush his skin was. He wanted her, and Kat'Chinna had to admit to herself that she wanted him too.
"So magnificent," he said, running his hands over her bare skin, down her shoulder, onto her stomach.
She closed her eyes and let herself feel for the first time in a long time. His touch was like wildfire and her body was ablaze, her pleasure points humming with energy.
"Your skin," he murmured. "It's changing."
She opened her eyes and looked down to see what he meant. As she watched, a faint purple glow began to mix with the green, soon overpowering it.
"You're turning violet," he said with wonder. "Why?"
Kat'Chinna shook her head, not willing to admit that she was aroused and her skin had betrayed her. She sat up before pushing his hands away.
"Oh no, no no," he said with a chuckle, using his strength to hold her down. He climbed up on the table and covered her body with his, trapping her beneath him. "We're not done getting acquainted."
"Let me go," she said, trying to put some power into her voice. The pressure of his strong chest pressed to hers left her faint. She was afraid she failed.
"I don't think so," he said with a charming smile. "We're friends, right? Let's become even closer friends." He dipped his head down to her neck and brushed his lips across her skin, causing her to shiver.
“Please,” she whispered and ran her hands down his back, memorizing the thick muscles that lined each side of his spine. She had no clue what she was asking for, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t moving, and if she were being honest, she didn’t want him to.
"You taste like nothing I've ever known," he murmured against her neck. "Delicious."
His words made heat flare through her center. When he licked his way up to her ear, she thought she would burst into flames and scorch them both.
"So beautiful," he murmured. "Your body is the most perfect I've ever seen. Who cares if human females are more plush? You are exquisite."
“As are you.”
He put his hands on either side of her face, forcing her to look at him. "You're the loveliest thing in the galaxy. How could I resist you?"
He leaned down and pressed his soft lips to hers, and she understood for the first time in her life how it could be between a male and female. Her body felt like an exploding star as he claimed her lips. As he nibbled the bottom one, moisture pooled between her legs. Her surprise caused her to open her mouth, and his tongue took the opportunity to explore.
Although Kat'Chinna wasn't entirely inexperienced, she'd never been kissed like this before. He kissed her like he owned her, like she belonged to him.
And for a moment, she wanted to belong to him.
And then the sensation was gone. He lightly kissed his way across her cheek and over to her ear.
"Kat, I can see that you feel the way I do. I'm not your enemy, and I do want to be your friend. So how about a show of good faith? Let me call my ship, and once that's out of the way, we can get down to the business of really getting to know one another."
It took a moment for his words to penetrate the fog of desire that had wrapped itself around her. He was nibbling her ear, making it almost impossible to concentrate. But in a flash, she realized he could play the seduction game far better than she ever could.
"No." Kat'Chinna mustered all of her strength to shove against his shoulders.
He could have fought her, but instead, he let her push him and rose up. His hands on either side of her, he held his weight above her.
"What's wrong, precious?" he asked, his voice like gentle ocean waves.
"You. You're wrong. Now get off of me!"
His eyes turned cold suddenly, and his grin was feral. "So I am too barbaric, is that it? Can't mate with a dirty Earthling?"
"I don't even know what you're saying but it doesn't matter," she said, turning her face away. "I tried my little ploy, and you tried yours. Neither of them worked."
"Oh, I think they both worked pretty well," he said, his mouth coming down all of sudden to steal another kiss. "In fact, I'd call both efforts a success."
She turned her face from him, taking several deep breaths to regain her composure. "You're being ridiculous. Now let me up and we can continue this conversation like civilized beings."
His eyebrow quirked upward. "Civilized huh?" His gaze burned into her, so she made her expression as calm and cool as possible. Jeffrey shook his head and made a strange tsking sound with his tongue. "It's a shame, Kat. Such a beauty like you committed to being made of ice."
Her eyes narrowed, and her skin flashed yellow. She was tired of his baiting, tired of his words that aimed to break her down. "Get off of me, you ignorant creature," she said, then pulled up her knees and kicked out her legs while pushing with all of her might.
The human tumbled off and onto the floor. She leaped off the table, planting her feet on the bulkhead and readying herself to do more damage if necessary.
Suddenly, the world shook around them and she almost lost her footing. The human on the floor slid until he hit the wall with a dull thud.
"What the fuck is happening?" he yelled with a groan.
"The ship," she said, her cool shattered. "It's moving."
"What?" Jeffrey stood, rub
bing his arm. "Where's it going?"
Kat'Chinna shook her head. They wouldn't be moving the ship if it were still attached to the human vessel. She hurried over to the room's console and brought up the display.
Hitting the button to display the ship's exterior, she let out a heavy breath. The flagship was moving away from the human ship, which already appeared to be a small toy in the distance.
Hands grabbed her suddenly and pulled her around. "Where are we going?" Jeffrey asked, his face full of anger.
Kat'Chinna's eyes widened. "I don't know."
Chapter 6
Jeffrey let out a ragged exhale and ran both hands through his hair. Out of the fucking frying pan, into God knows what. But it’s definitely worse.
He stared at the alien female before him. She tapped at the station in front of her, a flush of red creeping into her mint-green skin. The station most resembled a rugged outcropping of coral, but a holographic display screen had risen from the rocky surface when she’d touched it.
“Damn,” she muttered, hitting the button with more force and speed. “I can’t get into the navigational display. It’s been locked to Tier 1 access.”
“What does that mean?” He stood behind her, leaning in to try to decipher the screens that were cascading in front of them.
“It means I can’t see where we’re going.”
“But you’re the second in command. You don’t have this…this Tier 1 access?”
She turned to him, a slight frown pursing her lips and causing a small wrinkle to crease her otherwise smooth forehead. “No. Only the Flagship Commander has Tier 1 access.”
Jeffrey couldn’t help his hands from balling into fists at his side as his anger spiraled. Kat’Chinna noticed his reaction and blinked, then her expression became neutral, her skin tone once again evening out.
Keep a level head, his inner voice counseled. His counterpart seemed able to calm herself, but his own equanimity was hanging on by a thread.
He glared at his companion. She was back in Ice Queen mode. He did his best to match her frigid demeanor, bringing his logical mind back online. “Is this standard operating procedure for missions of this sort? Like your energy exchanges?”
The female’s eyes narrowed, as if she was debating her answer. “No,” she said at last, turning back to the console. “I’ve never been locked out like this before.”
In that moment, Jeffrey’s gut twisted. Something’s wrong. A conspiracy at the highest level.
He was distracted when a face filled the screen in front of them.
“Yes?” It was Major Ontarii, and he seemed to be staring daggers at his second.
“Sir, we’re moving away from the human ship.” Kat’Chinna’s voice was level, giving away no hint of the emotions she must be feeling.
“And?” The Zantharian commander had the appearance of a picnicker annoyed that an ant had crawled up his arm.
He saw Kat’Chinna swallow. The major was intimidating her, even if she was doing her best not to show it. “I’ve been locked out of the navigational display. I wondered…what is our current heading?”
An eyebrow arched and the major’s face tightened. “That’s a need to know right now, Lieutenant. Have you gotten the information I need from the prisoners?”
“Not yet.” Her voice sounded smaller to Jeffrey, less sure of itself.
“Then stop worrying about things that don’t concern you. You have your orders.”
The screen went blank.
“That guy’s an asshole,” Jeffrey muttered.
Kat’Chinna turned to him, her eyes narrowing. “He’s right. I haven’t done my job.”
“Are you serious?” Jeffrey threw his hands into the air and turned around, slamming himself into his seat. “He knows I don’t have any information for you. He’s stalling you, keeping you distracted while he makes his move.”
“That’s ridiculous.” The alien female stalked to the table, putting her hands on the surface and leaning in, giving him a delicious view of the cleavage between her tightly-bound breasts. This time, though, it was an unintentional display, and not an attempt at seduction. “Major Ontarii doesn’t hide things from me.”
“Except our current course.”
She frowned, but then quickly blanked her face. “There is no need to argue. I trust the commander. And I’m going to follow his orders. So start talking.”
“Look,” he said, leaning his chin on his hand. “I’ve told you absolutely everything I know. I haven’t heard of the Hareema until your crew invaded my ship. We were on a rescue mission. I’ve been with the same crew for years now, and I trust each of them implicitly.”
“Then how do you explain the Hareema DNA?”
“I can’t.” Jeffrey rubbed a hand across his face. “If, like you say, they could be anything, then maybe they’re masquerading as a table. Or a lamp. Or a goddamn peanut butter sandwich, for all I know.”
“Or a member of your crew,” she fired back.
“Yes,” he said with a sigh. “If these things exist and they can take any shape, then I suppose they could be disguised as a member of the crew. But if the enemy has infiltrated my ship, I have no knowledge of it.”
“Oh, they exist, Lieutenant Brunt,” she said, leaning closer, a sinister cast coming over her face. “They’ve taken control of seventeen planets in the systems around Zanthar. Seventeen that we know of.”
“And you think Earth has been infiltrated?” Jeffrey countered. “Why? We’re a backward, primitive planet, according to you Zantharians. Why bother with Earth?”
“That’s what I’m here to find out.” Her features hardened. She slid into the other chair, leaning back and pinning him with her glare. “Who gave you your orders? Who sent you to find Dr. Sylvia Cohen?”
Jeffrey shrugged. “NASA HQ. Likely at the insistence of the government, and the public. Everyone wants to know what happened to the scientist in search of life on other planets.”
“Your HQ, is it possible that they’ve been infiltrated? Couldn’t your orders have been a front, a means of getting more Hareema onto Zanthar?”
Jeffrey gave her words consideration. Could NASA have been infiltrated by some alien menace?
The command for the rescue mission had come from the top. From NASA director Danner Thompson himself. If the director had been compromised, then who else could have been taken over by the shapeshifting jellies?
All of this is conjecture, he told himself. “We could sit here all day debating whether the command back on Earth has been taken over by the enemy. It won’t help us out of our current situation.”
He stood, circling the table and approaching the alien female. “Right now your ship is headed God knows where, and my ship is gone too. Things are spiraling out of control, and command personnel from both ships are locked in this room bickering.”
He leaned in close. “Don’t you think that’s strange? Doesn’t it worry you that your commander no longer seems to trust you with vital information? Can’t you consider for a moment that your orders might be a distraction, a tactic to get you out of the way while your ship is diverted?”
Kat’Chinna looked up at him, her widening eyes the only hint that his words might be getting to her.
Jeffrey had to press his advantage. Instead of continuing to loom over her, he squatted, bringing his face level to hers. “I know you think my crew, my ship, hell, my entire planet has been taken over by your enemy. But, just for one moment, please consider that your ship is in just as much danger of infiltration.”
His voice lowered, his tone earnest. “And who better to impersonate than the commander of the Zantharian flagship? Who could question him?”
The alien female shook her head, but he saw the red flush from earlier begin creeping into her skin again. He took her hand, clasping it in both of his. “What is this?” he asked, momentarily distracted by the change in her skin color. “Why does your skin change like this?”
Kat’Chinna seemed to be staring at th
eir hands. He felt a faint tremor in her body. “Our skin changes with our emotions,” she said, her voice small. “Green is calm. Yellow is anger. Red…well…”
“Fear,” he murmured. It made sense now.
A flash of memory hit him then. The gorgeous alien female underneath him as he kissed her. Her skin has changed then, too.
“And purple,” he asked, his voice gruff. “What does purple mean?”
She blinked at him, then turned away, standing up suddenly. “Stop wasting time.”
The spell was broken. Once again, he’d tried to get her to open up, to let down her guard and relate to him. And once again she’d turned away.
Jeffrey stood from his crouch and crossed his arms across his chest. “Stop pretending that my idea has no merit. You’re just as much a pawn as I am right now. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We could work together, figure out what’s going on aboard your ship, confirm for ourselves that the enemy hasn’t taken over.”
“The idea is ludicrous. You saw yourself on the bridge. Major Ontarii exchanged energy with another crewman. He can’t be Hareema.”
Jeffrey’s brows furrowed. “Are you absolutely certain? Couldn’t the energy exchange be faked somehow?”
Kat’Chinna shook her head. “No. Not that I’m aware of.”
“You said the Hareema were on seventeen planets. Surely all of those planets weren’t entirely defenseless. They must have found a way around those defenses, so why not a way to fake the energy exchange?”
“Our energy is bioelectric. It’s a part of our genetic makeup. Although the Hareema can impersonate solids and liquids, they still have substance. They can’t create energy where none exists.” Her tone was matter-of-fact, but Jeffrey thought he detected a hint of doubt underlining her lecture.
“I assume your people have studied the Hareema. Have you done a full genetic analysis?”
He saw her lips purse slightly. She didn’t like what she was about to say. He held his breath, paying close attention to her answer.