Sunscapes Trilogy Book 1: Last Chance

by Michelle O'Leary

"Oh, terribly. You're grounded.” Cassie took that as seriously as it was meant, flashing her a grin, as Sin continued, “He was going to find out soon enough. His brother was at the temple when we left."

  For some reason, Cassie's grin faltered and she looked away, sipping her coffee. “Well, no harm done, then."

  Sin tilted her head in keen curiosity, but before she could ask her friend what was wrong, the subject of their conversation entered. Her heart kicked in her chest at the shock of Del's intense dark gaze, and she felt the inevitable flood of heat spread through her as she watched him move into the room, his muscles tensing and sliding with smooth strength. She heard herself respond politely when he greeted them, but knew that if she stayed in the room, she was bound to give herself away somehow.

  Making some excuse, she stood, far too aware of her clothes whispering over her sensitized skin. At least she had enough presence of mind to take the coffee cup with her, but she felt his gaze burning into her the entire way out. When the door closed between them, she breathed a sigh of relief and went to find the steadying presence of her brother.

  She found him reclining indolently in the hatchway of the Rock, one foot propped up to keep the door open. He was studying a viewer with a bored expression that didn't fool her for a second.

  "Something wrong with the air recyclers?” she asked as she approached, flicking a questioning finger at the open hatch.

  "Just waiting for you to get your lazy ass up,” he answered, not looking up from his viewer.

  Crouching next to him, she snatched the viewer from his hands with cat-quickness. Ignoring his warning growl, she took a look. He'd been studying the schematics for the Cortecan mining facilities. Giving him a sardonic smile, she handed the viewer back and said, “Good morning to you, too. Nervous, brother?"

  He gave her a look that should have shriveled her to dust and snagged her cup, draining it in one swallow as she made a wordless exclamation of protest. Handing the cup back, he said, “I'm about as nervous as you are. Ready to go?"

  "My coffee's gone—I must be,” she muttered, giving him a raised eyebrow.

  He grinned and rose to his feet smoothly, pulling her up with him. Once standing, Kai lost his playful edge, eyes meeting hers in serious contemplation. Sin knew what he was thinking. This was the last time they'd be face to face until it was over.

  Pulling him to her for a hug, she murmured in his ear, “Be careful."

  "You, too, Sissa,” he said in return, giving her a squeeze that made her ribs creak.

  Letting go, she gave him a quick smile before she turned and walked away.

  "Good hunting,” he called after her.

  She glanced over her shoulder to see his wolf's grin make its inevitable appearance. She couldn't help but respond with her own grin of predatory anticipation. Dangerous as this game was, it also held an attraction that was hard to resist.

  Entering the Tank, she made her way to the control room, which was empty. Settling in the pilot's seat, she went through start up procedures and notified the refinery of their departure. Getting the all clear from the refinery, she clicked on the ship-wide com and said, “Good morning, crew. We're heading out—brace for launch."

  Heavy with cargo, the Tank and Rock were more sluggish and less maneuverable than usual. Neither Sin nor Kai were inclined to risk the cargo in a dash for open space, so their departures were much smoother than the haulers’ exits from the station the previous day.

  Not long after they'd left the refinery, Jinx entered the control room with a jaw splitting yawn. “Sorry, overslept,” he mumbled as he shuffled over to stand at her side.

  "The ninth hell again?” she asked with a grin to show that she wasn't upset.

  "Tenth,” he corrected, giving her a look of youthful contempt.

  "Had breakfast yet?"

  "Uh, no."

  "Go eat. Take your time. I've got this first part of the run."

  "'Kay. Thanks, boss."

  He left, and Sin settled back against the pilot's chair with a sigh. She knew the rest of the day would be one long stretch of waiting on the razor's edge of alertness when they went off-lane, so she should enjoy this quiet time as much as she could. But the tedium of waiting grated on her, and the inactivity didn't help her weariness.

  She was considering telling Jinx to bring her back some coffee when the door opened behind her. She knew without looking who it was—his powerful presence filled the room and seemed to raise the temperature around her a degree or two. “Del,” she greeted without looking around.

  "Sin,” he said in return, the deep tones of his voice making her name a sensual weapon.

  She gritted her teeth to hide the shiver that slipped down her spine.

  He was dangerous, this slicer pilot of hers, for more reasons than the possible exposure of their plans. Duty and her father's demanding shade had made her snag Del out from under the Core's brutal claw. But they also required her to treat him with impersonal respect and not take advantage of the interest she saw in his eyes when he looked at her. It was harder than she'd imagined it would be, ignoring his attraction. Even harder to hide her own response.

  But she hadn't spent long years under her father's tutelage for nothing. “Did you sleep well?” she asked with cool politeness and cast him a faint smile over her shoulder, disciplining her voice and face to show nothing of how he affected her.

  He was leaning against the wall next to the door, arms folded and eyes shrewd. He hadn't come just for the pleasure of her company. She could almost smell the challenge on his golden skin and had to bite the inside of her lip to quell a hungry grin. Dangerous indeed.

  "Not really,” he replied. “Too much to think about."

  Turning away from the dark challenge in his eyes, Sin made a pretense of checking the control panels. “Like what?"

  "Circles and Red Suns."

  Sin let her amusement show, as she swiveled the chair around to face him. “Cassie confessed that she'd told you."

  His eyes dropped from hers, a faint quirk to one corner of his mouth. “Figures. But the Red Order, Sin? Do you know what they say about them?"

  She gave a snort of amusement. “I've heard my fair share of critiques and jokes about them, yes."

  His smile widened, and he slanted a look at her that was devastating in its unintended sensuality, the corners of his eyes crinkling with mischief. “What's the S stand for in sun?” he asked.

  In self-defense, she turned the chair partially away from him, breaking eye contact and propping her feet on a panel while she grinned cynically. “I've heard this one. For the orders, White, Gold, Blue, and Red, the S stands for sober, social, sensual, and ... savage."

  He grunted. “I've heard it different."

  "Sullen? Sinister?” she asked with raised eyebrows.

  "Screwy,” he said, meeting her eyes with a wry twist to his mouth. “And suicidal."

  She chuckled. “Some are. Religion can make fanatics out of the most ordinary people."

  "You're not ordinary,” he murmured, dark eyes intensely vibrant.

  Keeping a faint smile on her face by sheer force of will, Sin pulled her eyes away and gave him her profile. She could still feel the heat of his gaze on her skin, though, and was hard pressed not to stretch and shift languorously. “I'm also not part of the Order."

  "Does that make you less of a fanatic or more?"

  His quick wit delighted her more than it should, and she laughed softly. “Only the Suns know for sure. But you wanted to know why. It's not that complicated. Our father wanted us to be able to protect ourselves, so he had us trained by the Red Order.” She spread her hands with a slight shrug. “Simple as that."

  "With you, nothing is as simple as that,” he said in a dry tone as he stepped over to the second's seat and lowered into it. Taking a relaxed stance, he crossed one ankle over his other knee and studied her with obsidian sharpness. “I've never heard of the Reds training somebody who wasn't an initiate. Why'd they train you two?"
>
  "I've often asked them that myself. Have you ever noticed that religious sects have a knack for avoiding questions that they don't want to answer?"

  "Much like my bosses,” he answered sardonically, giving her a pointed look.

  She smothered a grin and lowered her eyes, hiding her amusement but not bothering to protest. “It's a learned skill,” she evaded, plucking nonexistent lint from the fabric over her knee.

  He made a rude noise in his throat. “And who taught you that?"

  "Who do you think?” she retorted, not needing to force the coolness in her tone this time.

  His eyes flickered away from her for a moment, and when he looked back at her, his gaze had a softer edge. “What was he like?"

  She blinked at him in confusion for a second. She had meant Griffin, but she didn't think that's who he was asking about. “Who?"

  "Your father."

  Sin looked away, feeling a slow tension seep through her to her bones. Speaking of her father was never going to be easy, and with anyone else she would have changed the subject. But with Del ... well, she'd already decided that he was dangerous. He was just proving it again.

  "My father was a great man,” she said firmly. “He loved us very much, as we did him. He did his best to protect us."

  "But?” Del asked in a gentle tone that cut through her like a cold wind. It was more than enough to bring her to her senses, and she wrapped her defenses around her again.

  With a cool smile, she met his eyes unblinking. “But nothing. He was a wonderful father and a tremendous businessman. He made this company what it is today. My brother and I were very lucky to have had such a strong foundation.” Tilting her head to one side, she went on the offensive. “And your father? What was he like?"

  It was his turn to look away, and Sin felt both triumph and shame to see it. “Dad was ... flawed,” Del said in a low voice, and Sin winced.

  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

  "Yeah, you did.” He looked back at her, his eyes holding both resentment and a hard resolve. “But it doesn't matter because he didn't pass it on."

  Guilt made her face flame as he rose to his feet and headed towards the door. Putting her feet down, she swiveled the chair to follow his movements. “Del, I'm sorry."

  He didn't look at her as he said, “Me, too. Touchy subject for both of us, I guess."

  Then he was gone, and Sin settled back in her seat with a sigh of regret. The training that she'd received for most of her life, the lessons that she'd learned to become a capable businesswoman and formidable opponent for Griffin, were hard to put aside, especially when she felt threatened. And Del was a threat, not so much to their company, but to her peace of mind. Without even trying, he was able to reach parts of her that she thought were safely enclosed in layers of protection. Suns help her if he did start trying.

  With another deep sigh, she forced herself to concentrate on piloting the hauler, doing her best to ignore the ache in her chest.

  Chapter 16

  "I can't believe they're payin’ me for this,” Del muttered for the hundredth time as he scanned the surrounding space yet again. As they had every other time, the Shadow's sensors showed no indication of any other vessels besides the two haulers with the other Shadows hiding on their surface. It had been the same for hours.

  Every once in a while, Sin would order one of them back into the Tank for a break. It was the only thing that kept Del from going nuts. It would be different if he could ease the boredom by talking with the others, but they were supposed to stay off the com so that they wouldn't give the Shadows away. The enforced solitude and inactivity gave him too much time to think. And of course, what he thought about was Sin.

  He'd seen that he'd struck a nerve that morning when he'd asked about her father. His curiosity had gotten the better of him, though, and he'd pressed her on it. He should have known better. He'd watched her turn and attack with the smooth ease of long practice. Avoiding questions wasn't the only skill she'd learned, he thought bitterly.

  It had been an effective attack, too. She'd painted a heroic picture of her father and then had dared him to do the same with his, knowing all the while that he couldn't. Reminding him yet again of his place in her world. Broken. She'd said she didn't think of him that way, but he was having a hard time believing her now.

  "Picking up a Krell pack on long-range scanners,” Jinx said, breaking into Del's reverie. His young voice had aged with tension, and Del felt his heart begin to thud in his chest. “Heading this way fast."

  "Type and count?” Sin's brisk voice queried.

  "Vega class, looks like plasma cloud skippers. Count, ah..."

  Lynch's voice picked up where Jinx's trailed off, “Seven, in wedge attack formation. Pirates."

  "Play dead,” Kai said in a casual tone, as though he was sitting with his feet up and drink in hand. Del wondered how many times he'd done this to be so calm about it.

  "Aye, playing dead,” Lynch rumbled as the haulers slowed, powering down.

  "Be easy, everyone,” Sin told them. “Skippers are no match for Shadows."

  "Silence is golden,” Kai added. “Watch and wait."

  They watched and waited, Del listening to the pounding of his heart as the pirate pack bore down on them. He wished he could say it was only fear, but that wasn't even a tenth of what was rushing through his veins. After the long boredom, he was eager for action, but his anticipation held a suspiciously carnivorous edge and he was afraid that the Shays were starting to rub off on him. Was bloodlust contagious?

  "Stand to and prepare to be boarded,” a rough voice announced over the com as the ships approached. “We're declaring your cargo forfeit."

  "What, no introduction?” Kai asked in a lazy, amused drawl. “Damned rude pirates. How does ‘kiss my ass’ sound to you?"

  Del grinned, watching the skippers come on without slowing. He could see that they planned to do a flyby as a show of strength. He readied his Shadow for that moment.

  "You best be civil,” the rough voice snarled in response, “or we might be minded to leave nothin’ behind. Catch me?"

  "Catch you?” Kai mused, as they began their flyby. “Don't mind if I do. Shadows scatter."

  As one, Del and the others launched away from the hauler with ferocious ease, bursting through the pirate's formation like black cyclones. The dismayed cries of the pirates were more than enough compensation for the hours of drilling he'd gone through.

  They'd been told not to fire on the pirates until fired upon, though, and Del mourned that with a keen regret that would have been disturbing if he wasn't so busy chasing skippers. The pirates had been completely disorganized by the sudden appearance of the Shadows, and there was mass confusion until someone fired.

  It was enough for Del. Whatever fear was left disappeared, and he settled into a cold rage that could not be denied. Unaware that he was baring his teeth, he bore down on one skipper with reckless vengeance. Unfortunately, the pirate wasn't just going to sit there and let him shoot. His first burst of weapon's fire went wide as the pirate twisted out of the way, returning fire.

  Intent on catching him, Del was startled to hear someone cry his name in warning. That, plus the weapon's fire scattering past him, brought his attention to the pirate coming at him from his starboard side. With a curse that was also a prayer, he spun away, dodging the slower skippers with a Shadow's ease. But because he was caught in their crossfire, one of their shots got lucky, catching his Shadow down her right side.

  No pain was translated to his nerve endings, but he felt the wound anyway, like a mental stab. It enraged him, and he turned on the pirate, firing in a blaze of red fury. Sin had told them to try to make their hits nonfatal if they could.

  He couldn't.

  The skipper exploded with a soundless burst of light, the shock wave buffeting Del's Shadow until he turned into it. The stunning flare of light was enough to snuff his anger, and he realized that he was removed from the fighting for the moment. Br
eathing hard, he ran a quick diagnostic to make sure all his systems were functioning. While that was running, he kept a wary eye on the fighting, coming to the slow realization that he'd lost control during the battle. He watched the other Shadows dance with cool precision and felt a dull flush of shame climb his neck.

  It was especially embarrassing to see them working in tandem, as he should have been doing. He watched as one Shadow culled a skipper from the pack with the ruthless delicacy of a surgeon, chasing it towards another slicer. The second Shadow scored the skipper with a precise burst of fire, destroying its weapons array, and the skipper fled. That pirate was followed by the rest, except for the one that Del had destroyed.

  The diagnostic reassured him that the hit on his Shadow had been superficial, and Del headed back towards the haulers reluctantly. He'd never lost control in a slice before, and he was feeling more than a little humiliated. But that feeling was sidelined when he saw a Shadow speed after the fleeing skippers like a black arrow. He did a swift scan—it was Sin.

  "Sin, what the hell are you doing?” he exclaimed, his voice made rough by alarm and not a little horror.

  "Stay with the group,” she answered in a cold, distant voice. “I'll be back shortly."

  He didn't hesitate, turning his Shadow to follow her. “Are you nuts? You can't take on the whole—” He bit off the rest with a curse as another Shadow cut close across his nose, heading him off.

  "Let her go,” Kai said, his voice a diamond hard command. “She knows what she's doing. What's your damage?"

  "On a simple diagnostic, minimal. No main functions affected,” Del muttered, watching Sin disappear with an agonized tightening in his chest. “You can't let her go alone."

  "Can't catch her now,” Kai said wryly.

  "Watch me,” Del growled, dodging Kai to speed after her. A flare of weapon's fire, deadly close, made him suck in a hissing breath and wrench the Shadow to a halt again.

  "I'll watch you get your ass in the Tank and run a full diagnostic. I'd rather not have to disable you and drag you back myself, so move it, Giv. I won't say it again.” Kai's voice was grim with authority as he settled in front of Del's Shadow, blocking any avenue towards Sin.