“Either way, I am happy to finally know how you feel about me.” He placed a gentle kiss between her eyes. “Tell Glitch to bring the Denobola back.”
She sent the signal without taking her eyes off him. The crew was already heading toward them.
“I don’t wish to crawl through the tunnels again, Liaison.” Koche returned her to reality.
“You’ll do it even if I have to place Nual behind you with his motivating staff.” She translated as she stood, and the hip pain shot down her leg.
It took all her self-control to stifle her cry. Something ground in the joint, she must have chipped a bone. It hurt too much for just a flesh wound. Lightheaded, she stumbled before Koche lifted her into his strong arms. Her leg and arm felt sticky with blood. The crawl back through the tunnels would make her wounds bleed even more.
A hiss flowed from behind them. The Denobola had arrived.
Koche spun to face them.
She raised her hands. “He’s with me.”
They accepted her order much easier than Nual, but then again they’d been exposed to Liaison authority much longer. Red blood stained their golden fur, each bore gashes in their hides.
Glitch came to hover above her head.
“Are we ready?” Nual called out from the bin. “Once I set this to overload, we’ll need to run.”
She glanced at Koche’s stern face. They were about to kill hundreds of his people.
With the tips of her fingers she drew his snout to face her. “I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” His voice clicked with emotion.
“Let’s go.” Nual raced out of the bin. “Glitch, lead the way.”
Her POD left her and followed Nual’s order. She hoped in the future to have a conversation with her POD and its apparent fondness for Nual.
The predators ran with natural speed, and Nual kept pace. Even at full health, she doubted she could keep up. Why would plants evolve the need to run so fast? So many unanswered questions, so much to explore and experience before she died.
To bear a baby and hear it call her mama, to see the Earth once more and be surrounded by her own kind. She watched the petal capped head bob and weave in front of her. She might have found true love though. Something most sentient life forms never discovered.
They reached the hole in the wall where the vent grate had been before Koche tore it to shreds.
Maol went to crawl in first.
“Wait, send Koche in first. Trust me, I learned the hard way.” She turned to him. “Follow Glitch, no matter how panicked you get, keep that focus.”
He took a huge breath then set her down. The vent shaft rattled under his weight as he followed her POD.
Maol and his sons went next to keep the Zair motivated.
“You first, Nual, I’ll just slow you down. You can clear a path for me.” She hoped he’d take the excuse to leave her behind. Her hip wouldn’t let her move fast enough to make it to the shuttle in time.
“Nice try. In you go, bing-ta.” He shoved her head inside the vent and pushed. “Don’t make me use my shaft to motivate you.”
The end poked her ass.
She laughed under her groans of pain as she dragged herself forward. Luckily, her blood made it easier to slide along the smooth cool metal. Whenever necessary, Sudu would wait at a turn to ensure they didn’t get lost. The return trip seemed ten times longer. After the fifth turn, she ran into a Zair snout.
She screamed. They probably heard her at Central Station two hundred light years away. Braving the claustrophobic tunnels Koche had come back for her. His tusks flared out as he panted and flinched at her reaction.
“Are you trying to make my heart stop?” She clutched her chest.
“You are taking too long. I returned to pull you the rest of the way.” His talons grasped the front of her suit.
“Gently.” Her word turned into a groan as his initial jerk made tears well up in her eyes. She clasped her leg, afraid it might fall off from all the abuse. Each pull took her breath away. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine a barrier between the pain and her mind as he dragged her like a sack of garbage. The CHIP couldn’t block the pain anymore. It wasn’t meant to deal with such dire injuries. Her only solace was the sound of Nual scurrying to keep up.
She tumbled out of the wall but landed softly into a set of big Zair hands. A fast glimpse of blue was all she had of Nual before they started climbing the stairs to the escape shuttle bay.
They slammed open the door on their level and ran out into the hall, right in front of a swarm of Zair.
Time crawled in those split seconds. Amid the roars, shouts, and cries she saw Maol grab both boys by the scruff and propel them toward the shuttle’s entrance.
Shocker fire filled the air with jagged green electrical lines around them, but Koche turned his broad back to the assault and absorbed most of the electric current with his resistant skin.
Some still passed him and caught Maol in the center of his back sending him head over heels through the doorway she had defended earlier.
The word no poured from her mouth, but for which atrocity she didn’t know anymore.
Nual’s face blocked her view. Koche handed her to him and they followed the Denobola.
She twisted in his arms to watch over his shoulder as Koche drew his Ragnars and shouted to her in his native tongue.
“Keep your promise.”
With a frustrated cry, she reached out to him as he turned to fight the raging warriors barreling down the corridor. He wouldn’t survive, but he’d buy them the precious seconds they needed to lock themselves in the escape shuttle.
To give her a chance to survive.
For his people.
“Sadie. Sadie.” Nual shook her. “Get through the door.” Nual carried her part of the way and then pushed her the rest.
The boys were tending to their unconscious father who lay on the shuttle floor.
She crawled and dragged her left leg, getting to the console. With the picks she’d stored in her pocket, she opened communications to the other shuttle.
“Go Len.” Then she shouted at the boys, “Do either of you know how to fly this thing?”
Sudu left his father to Jed and started to poke at the console. “What coordinates?”
“Anywhere fast.”
Nual set Maol in a chair and strapped him in before tending to himself.
The shuttle left the dock under the anxious hands of a teenage Denobola. No Zair fighters appeared. Once they captured the Traveler, their captain must have called them back into the warship.
They flew away and she couldn’t see the freighter out the only window at the front of the shuttle. Each minute that passed meant a better chance at making it far enough.
She reached for Nual’s hand, needing to feel its solid reassurance.
He squeezed it.
The black void of space became a bright, hot red.
Chapter Eleven
Sadie awoke flat on her back with a sterile white ceiling of a shuttle above her. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth as if glued there.
She glanced next to her. A Denobola lay on each side. Memories of the Traveler rebooted themselves in her CHIP, and Glitch came to hover over her chest. The glyphs it displayed informed her that both ships were destroyed.
They were safe.
All those lives gone because of a religious diet where they thought eating sentient flesh would make them more intelligent. It would destroy them instead.
Her promise to Koche would not be in vain. She’d return to Zairan and preach the words of peace and tolerance Liaisons have spoken across galaxies. It would probably be the last thing she did.
Red light poured through the window. Nual stood with his petals in full bloom. Eyes closed and lips parted as he fed. The burn on his back was half the size. Even the gash in his arm looked mostly healed, another amazing ability of the Cyngi race.
She checked her own hip wound through the rip in her suit to find it h
ad a new bandage. A significant amount of time must have passed. The pain throbbed at a tolerable level after she sat. Her motion drew Nual’s attention.
The petals moved to obtain the maximum exposure to light as he knelt next to her. “You should rest and conserve your strength. Who knows how long we’ll be out here.”
“Have you heard from Len?” she croaked.
“Not yet. The explosion knocked everyone out in this shuttle, so I assume the same happened to them. You’re the first to wake.” He handed her a nutrient pack.
With the edges of her teeth, she tore into the pack and gulped the foul contents. “Any damage that you know of?”
“From what I can assess, life support is working well. Otherwise, I thought to wait for Maol to rouse.”
“I want to see the light.” She pointed at the window.
He helped her limp to it and sat next to her.
A small red sun, not much bigger than the Earth’s moon, burned where the ships used to be. “How is it possible?”
“It won’t last long. Once the mass of the ships are gone, it will extinguish.”
“Nual’s star.”
He leaned close and kissed her on the cheek. “You are my star.”
“You say the sweetest things.” Despite recent events, she chuckled.
The sensors alerted them of a Jump gate opening on the edge of the system. It sparkled then a huge maw gapped in the stars before a large triangular fleet ship appeared.
“We’re rescued.” He squeezed her shoulders and kissed her cheek again.
* * * * *
Maol stared at the commendation papers in his hands. His ears stood on his head, spread open. “A new ship?”
She grinned at him, then quickly hid her teeth.
“You have the power to do this?”
Not really. “When I deem it necessary, I can accomplish anything.”
It would take pulling some string and a few threats, but her office would concede to offering compensation to the freighter’s family. After the Zairan debacle, now this, they owed her.
His ears quivered, and he licked his muzzle. He kept staring at the paper, an IOU. “I have to admit to wondering how I could continue to support everyone.” Liquid gold eyes met hers. “I’m forever in your debt.”
“No, I don’t want that.” It was a Denobola version of a pledge of allegiance. The last thing she needed was more responsibility. “Family is a precious thing, if I can protect yours then I will.”
Glitch rested on the bed next to her. The fleet ship captain set her up in a stateroom next to Nual’s after their doctor released her from medical. By the time both shuttles landed on the ship, Nual’s injuries had healed. Not even a scar.
“I understand you and your sons have been unofficially debriefed about the attack.”
His eyes narrowed. “Yes, the captain came to medical to speak with us. An official recording will be done at Central Station.”
“I would be grateful if the machine used to destroy the Traveler was omitted from the report. Say something else triggered the explosion.”
“But they already know, we told them, and nothing I know of would make that molten ball.”
“Tell them you were still under the influence of being knocked unconscious when they originally interviewed you. Maybe something on the Zair ship could have caused the explosion.” She waited a moment as her suggestions sank in. “I would hate for a misunderstanding between the Cyngi and your people. Please know I am offering the best solution to make everyone happy, not only as Liaison but as a friend.”
He glanced down at the promise of a new ship. “Is the machine a weapon?”
“No.” She didn’t know this for sure but suspected if the Cyngi wanted galactic domination they’d have had it already. Her hip ached and she shifted on the bed to relieve the pressure.
“The Denobola have transported goods for the Cyngi for decades. I will not be the cause for a break in that relationship.” He rose from the chair.
“You’re a wise captain and father.”
He bowed to her. “And you are a fine friend.” He then exited the room.
The doctor said she needed a week of rest before the bone regenerating medications finished healing her hip. One of the cross-bolts had caused a bone chip to jam itself in her joint. All the other damages were superficial.
The room felt too warm, so she threw the blanket off and rolled onto her good side to look out the small window by her bed. A white bandage contrasted on her dark skin. Her high-cut underwear didn’t press against it, and the camisole clung to her like cream. She counted her small blessings.
They would be departing for the Cyngi home world first before returning to Central Station. A new sunlight machine awaited Nual at their space station.
She wished she could have given Maol the ship unconditionally. Even if she weren’t contracted to protect the Cyngi interests, she’d have done it for Nual.
Someone buzzed the door. Who is it? She sent Glitch, not wanting to be disturbed.
It sent her an image of blue sexiness.
Unless, of course, it was Nual. She smiled and stretched as the door slid open for him.
He sauntered in looking like he had the first time she set eyes on him. Tall and slim, his taut muscles slid under his skin as he drew closer. The white wrap around his waist left little to the imagination and the petals folded to make a cap on his head.
Her narrow bed dipped as he sat on the edge. He touched her dressing. “You heal slowly.”
When she looked at him, she saw a faint light of happiness shining in his eyes. For her. The smirking little smile hovering near his mouth made her want to kiss him.
“No magic light for me.” She moved over to make room for him and couldn’t hide the grimace the pain caused.
“I hate seeing you hurt.” He laid next to her and pressed himself along her back. “But I do love seeing you alive.”
A trail of small kisses along the side of her neck sent shivers down her spine. He settled his cheek on hers and they gazed out at the distant stars. His large hand slid down her arms to rest over hers. The blue went well with her complexion.
“You’ve proven yourself to be most resourceful. I researched your profile and I saw you only signed temporary contracts as a Liaison.”
She twisted to face him. Her heart skipped a beat. This type of conversation had always made her nervous in the past, but today anticipation filled her.
“Would you consider accepting a permanent contract with my people? With me?” An unfamiliar seriousness touched his eyes as he directed them at her, the usual teasing in his voice gone.
Most Liaisons would sell their right arm for such an opportunity. “You don’t know me well enough to make such a proposition, Nual.” The temptation wrung her soul, to work for the elusive and mysterious Cyngi for the rest of her life.
“After what we experienced, I know you, Sadie Beckit. We would be lucky to have such a Liaison represent us.”
Business, he spoke of it but not of anything personal. She shouldn’t allow any of this to bother her but it did. His behavior on the Traveler led her to believe he wanted more. The number one rule of dealing with aliens—never fall in love with one, she had shattered this rule, let alone broke it.
“I would be so happy to have you at my side, to guide me and explore with me. I couldn’t ask for a better companion.” He drew closer. His voice soothed more than his words, brushing over her like silk, enveloping them with an intimacy that brought tears to her eyes. He really did care.
She placed a kiss on his lips and enjoyed the feel of him, the solid weight of his body on hers, the smooth skin under her hands, and the wild, fresh taste of his mouth.
Reluctant for it to end, she pulled away. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do a permanent contract.” Her promise to Koche hung over her head. “I need to help the Zair, those who are like Koche that wish to join Central Worlds.” Her heart shifted uneasily, meeting Nual had her emotions ping-ponging a
ll over the place. She didn’t like the feeling, the loss of control.
“What about a permanent contract with permission to work on special projects?” His words released a knot inside her.
Everything she could ever want given to her. She felt vulnerable right now. Injured, raw inside, and exhausted, she waited for the universe to open and take it all from her, like the void would.
She took a breath.
Then another.
Nual still held her, the ship didn’t go on alert, and Zair weren’t breaking down the door. Could this be her happily-ever-after? Did they really exist? She honestly didn’t know.
His lips touched hers. Cool. Firm. Velvet soft. All doubts slipped from her mind, and she allowed her heart to rule. He trailed tiny kisses from the corner of her mouth to her neck, between her breasts, then lower still at her navel. Pinpoints of fire danced over her skin.
“This is where we left off in the storage bin.” He brushed the edges of her panties then eased them over her injury. His fingers tunneled through the tight curls between her thighs. “Soft.”
She wanted his touch, needed it, and showed him the spots to caress.
He explored with enthusiasm as he leaned in to taste her.
Lust sizzled through her veins. With each suckle and lick, her body went into overdrive, weeping with need, coiling tighter and tighter until she pleaded with him for relief.
The camisole restricted her breathing, and she yanked it over her head. She wanted to be under him, his body slamming into hers, hard and fast, filling her emptiness.
She arched her back and white-hot pain exploded from her hip.
Nual rubbed around the wound. Enormously strong. Incredibly gentle. His touch drew out the pain. “Easy, bing-ta. You will have your chance to do with me as you please. Once you’re healed.” His hands crept to fondle her breasts. To run the tips of his fingers around her nipples so they’d hardened. “Until then, you’re mine.”
He settled on top of her and thrust into her, a long, deep stroke.
Slow and easy, he pushed inside. His mouth found hers and kissed her with intense zeal.
Silken heat poured over her. Every nerve ending came to life. She felt but couldn’t move, and he drove her crazy.
Boarded: Alien Romance Page 8