by Pearl Foxx
"You okay?” she asked, and he was certain his heart stopped.
The thought of her as his rider, on his back, forever … as his mate?
He’d never wanted anything more.
But he waved off her concern. "Yeah, yeah, completely fine. That was amazing.”
Veronica quirked an eyebrow at him. He was a terrible liar, but she gave him an out—a moment of privacy when he needed it. She climbed off and excused herself to go to the bathroom while he lay silent, throwing his arm over his eyes as he contemplated the idea of a rider.
A mate.
He'd never thought he would find one. Never thought it possible, let alone with a non-Draqon. But Niva had taught them all that anything was possible when it came to finding the right person.
Maxsym looked at the door Veronica had disappeared behind and cursed himself for further complicating things. He hadn't even flown with her. There was no way she was his rider. This was just a good fuck with someone he liked and respected. The rarity of that alone had rattled him, that was all.
Besides, she was the daughter of Commander Gideon. He doubted she was about to give up her plush life on a space station to come live at the hive with him. He had few luxuries to offer, not that he wanted to.
Veronica returned and climbed back into the bed. She wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled in close, nosing at his shoulder and neck.
"You smell good in the morning," she sighed happily.
He grunted. "We should get going. If we time it right, we can get to Maeve’s office before the first guard shift. Hopefully, she’s worked out how to meet up with Noaz by now."
He stood and began to pull his clothes on from where they had been left in a tangle on the floor the night before.
"So, you're going to be that guy?” Veronica asked, piercing him with her dark brown eyes.
"I don’t know what you're talking about." He pulled his shirt over his head, covering the scales that betrayed his Draqon genetics.
She sat in the middle of her bed with her arms crossed under her breasts, lifting them up so he had a hard time not staring at them. That would be the best way to make this moment worse: ogling her while she yelled at him. And he was confident he was about to get yelled at.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Men like you do this to girls all the time. Apparently even Kladians or Draqons or whatever the hell you call them. I don't know if you forgot, but I'm not one of them.”
Maxsym snorted. "You sure as shit aren’t.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew it had been the wrong thing to say.
She stared at him in disbelief, frustration and hurt radiating from her body. "So, you’re going back to acting like this was just a fuck?"
"I never said that."
"You're certainly acting like that. I thought after last night …”
He approached the bed, but she shuffled back. Tears welled in her eyes. He felt like a piece of Katu shit. But she didn't understand what she was asking. She didn't understand what him having real feelings for her would mean. How the situation wasn't just about a broken heart. It was life or death. It was about his sanity.
He wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat. As he looked at her, her cheeks flushed and tears welling in her eyes, he wanted to fix this, but he didn't know how.
Moving stiffly, Veronica pulled on a dress that displayed her ample cleavage.
Maxsym wanted to make a comment about the revealing dress, but for the first time in his life, he decided to keep his mouth shut. Better not to test her. At this point, she held all the cards. If she changed her mind, she could turn around and tell her father what he was, and it would be his body lying on a slab.
He was still a terrible liar. Even to himself.
And somehow that made things worse.
Chapter Fourteen
Veronica
In the early morning, Veronica walked down the hallways with Maxsym dressed in his guard uniform. She felt utterly ridiculous, but it was the best way to keep from drawing attention. It wasn’t like they could stroll down the hall and laugh and joke and touch each other’s hands in public. Not that she wanted to after the way he’d behaved this morning.
She wore a low-cut dress with a sweeping cape that wrapped around her entire body. It allowed her to carry the Katu low in her arms and keep it completely hidden.
The little creature purred softly against her belly, its warm fur tickling against her thin dress. The notion that she was holding a child—an alien, a shape-shifting child—in her arms was almost laughable.
When had she gone from the beautiful, obedient daughter of the space station’s commander to enemy number one carrying contraband aliens through the halls?
Veronica shuddered. She knew what she’d seen. She knew her father was responsible. But it still felt like a terrible nightmare. And when the horribleness of the situation became too much to bear, she switched her thoughts to Maxsym, wanting to bathe in the warmth of the morning’s afterglow.
But he’d ruined that by acting like an utter ass.
She smiled at guards who lowered their eyes to her barely concealed breasts. She flirted and even stopped to chat with those who expected her to. Every time she so much as said hello to a man, she felt Maxsym’s irritation come off him like waves of heat.
She ignored him, and if anything, became more daring with her flirtation, going so far as to kiss a guard on the cheek as she passed by.
What had she been thinking being so open with her emotions and expecting anything from a man other than to cut and run? She thought since he’d shared something intimate with her, since they were partners in this clandestine escape plan, it meant he’d let down his guard and felt the same unexpected connection she did.
She stood straighter as she walked, her arms aching from the weight of the Katu. She wouldn’t allow her fluctuating emotions to show. She remembered the look of fear Maxsym had given her when she’d first exposed his scales. She’d known he was hiding something from her; it wasn’t hard to tell. She’d thought he was either a complete creep who didn’t take his clothes off or there was something more serious going on.
There was something serious going on. Maxsym’s people were being tortured by her father. It was important that he knew she was on his side. When she saw the green and purple scales decorating his body glimmer in the light, reflecting the soft glow of her room, she’d found herself drawn to them like a magnet. And his wings … they were unbelievable.
What was wrong with her that she found them so intoxicatingly sexy? She wanted to run her fingers along his back as he extended them and lost control, plunging his cock deep inside her.
She shivered and looked back to find Maxsym’s familiar scowl.
She’d almost forgotten. He was just another asshole.
“Up here to the left,” he muttered under his breath.
He pressed his hand over the control panel and held the door open for her. She stepped inside and found the workroom in a state of complete chaos. What she hadn’t expected to find was the smoking hot blond-haired giant pacing the room with a look on his face that could frighten away a thunderstorm. He wore a guard’s uniform just like Maxsym’s, but the clothes looked too tight and poorly tailored, clearly not intended for the wearer, meaning the man must have stolen them.
As soon as Maxsym closed the door behind them, the man turned, and a smile broke out across his features that whisked away Veronica’s hesitation.
“A pleasure to meet you,” the giant man said, stepping forward as if to embrace Maxsym and then stopping short. “Draqon,” he nodded.
“You must be Noaz, the Vilka I’ve heard so much about,” Maxsym said with that authoritative tone that made the most tender parts between her legs tingle.
“Indeed. From what I understand, neither of us is prone to following orders.” The large man reached out for a handshake. “It is a pleasure to officially meet the Draqons’ Swarm Master.”
Maxsym sho
ok his hand and stood a little straighter.
Veronica stared at him until she caught his eyes and raised an eyebrow. She wanted to ask what the larger man had meant, but it didn’t seem like the time to corner him with questions.
“Is the Katu safe?” Noaz asked.
Veronica shrugged her cape off her shoulders. The Katu curled up in her arms, but her biceps burned from carrying the cat at such an awkward angle. She cradled it against her neck, and Noaz did a double take.
“You’re Gideon’s daughter?” he asked. The revulsion in his voice made Veronica wince.
She nodded and stroked the soft cat for reassurance.
“Humans do not usually show Kladians such kindness,” he said.
“Hey.” A strong voice came from out of nowhere. A small woman with wild hair appeared as if she had materialized from within the chaos of the room itself. “What’s all this ‘gross human’ talk I’m hearing?” The woman smacked the monolith of a man on the chest.
The Katu wiggled in her arms, and Veronica let it jump down to explore the room.
“I’ve always thought you were the miraculous exception, my love.” Noaz leaned his hulking body down to take Maeve’s lips in a tender kiss.
Veronica had to look away. The moment of intimacy was so sweet and unexpected in the midst of the danger they faced. And without being too girly about it, she wished Maxsym would look at her with the same reverence.
“Moons, you two,” Maxsym said, rolling his eyes. “You’d think someone was running an alien dating agency off this space station, considering how many Kladians I know who are now involved with humans.” He chuckled, and Veronica leaned into the sound. She wanted him to place his hand on the small of her back, confirming he wasn’t just talking about the other people he knew on his planet, but about the two of them as well.
His hands remained at his sides.
“My ship is cloaked in the docking day,” Noaz informed them.
“We should go before the shift change,” Maeve added, taking his hand. “I set up an auto-maintenance shutdown so we can slip the ship off the station without anyone registering it on the sensors, but we don’t have much time.”
Noaz knelt and reached out a hand for the small cat. He waited while it sniffed him and wrinkled its nose.
“I probably smell like wet dog to you,” he said, and the Katu came closer, reassured by his steady voice. “Your friend had a good idea with her cloak, but I think we’ll move faster if I carry you to the ship. Plus, you and I have the flight back home together, so we might as well become friends now.”
The small cat rubbed its face along the man’s giant hands. He scratched the creature behind its ears.
“Who knew a Katu could be so friendly.” The Katu glared up at him with yellow eyes, and Noaz laughed again. “No offense, little guy.”
He lifted the Katu into his arms and looked at Maxsym. “All right, Swarm Master, this is your show. Lead the way.”
Maeve strode forward in front of the group, her hands poised above the control panel. “Maxsym may be a warlord with his Draqon friends, but this is my station. You follow me.” The spunky woman opened the door and looked out into the hall.
“Yes, ma’am.” Noaz grinned.
Maeve blew him a kiss over her shoulder before turning back to check the hallway. After glancing both ways, she whispered, “All clear.”
Veronica felt like she really was staring in a murder mystery movie. Two human women, one massive wolfman, a baby panther, and a real live dragon made their way down the main maintenance hall.
They reached the elevator, and Maxsym quickly placed his hand on the access panel and entered his security code. The quartet clamored on, and the doors slid shut. The Katu wrapped its paws around Noaz’s wrist as if holding on for dear life.
Veronica stroked the creature’s tufted fur under its chin. “It’s okay. This is how we will get you back to your family.”
The Katu nuzzled into her touch.
As the elevator made its way to the flight deck, she held her breath. Now would be the absolute worst time to get caught. It would be impossible to explain what was going on to anyone who boarded the elevator with them. She wrapped her cloak back around her, cuddling deeper inside it for reassurance.
Maxsym gave her a strange look, but she was done trying to decipher him. Every time she thought she had him figured out, he did the opposite of what she expected. And she’d thought human men were irritating.
The elevator came to a smooth stop, and the doors slid open. Noaz stood behind the rest of them, unable to hide his presence but minimizing the chances of someone seeing the creature in his arms.
The docking bay bustled with activity. As always, flights were coming in and going out between the various Falconer explorers, service shuttles, general transport, and diplomatic missions. There was even a new batch of trainees following around an instructor as he barked orders at them. A portion of the activity centered around the massive burnt out section of the bay, where parts of the Falconers that the human resistance group had blown up were still being disassembled and moved off. The noises from the cleaning crew in conjunction with the bustle of the shuttles overhead made the massive room absolutely manic.
As they swiftly moved along the edge of the flight deck, the plasteel ceiling showing the emptiness of space above, a guard approached.
“Hey, who are you?” the guard called, his hand on his blaster.
Maeve maneuvered them behind a small Falconer shuttle, but it was large enough to hide a confrontation from the rest of the room should anyone glance over.
“Hey, I asked you a question.” The guard followed closely and reached for Veronica.
Dodging the guard’s grab, she heard a rumbling growl behind her. She glanced back at Maxsym and found a familiar look on his face that made her knees tremble. His eyes had gone completely black, no more green irises, no more whites, only the full black of his inner beast.
She placed a hand on his chest. “Let me handle this.”
Veronica flashed her brightest flirtatious smile at the guard. “Hi there! I’m just showing my guard and his friends the new Falconer models,” she said, batting her eyelashes. She swaggered closer to the guard, dropping her grip on the cloak revealing the full display of her cleavage.
“Miss Gideon.” The guard stuttered over her name, his eyes locked on her breasts for a split second too long. But his hand quickly moved away from his gun, and with his focus on her cleavage, it wasn’t on Noaz. “I didn’t recognize you. I apologize.”
“You’re just doing your job! And so bravely.” She giggled and twined her fingers around the guard’s bicep. “I’m sure I have clearance to be here. I mean, what are all these big, new ships for if we can’t even look at them?”
“Yes, Miss Gideon. I’m sure that’s fine. And it’s no bother, having you here on the dock. We could use such a pleasant distraction more often.” The guard placed his hand on her hip, and Veronica once again felt the growing rumble of Maxsym’s growl.
This time, instead of placating him, she played into it. She leaned up, her breasts brushing against the guard’s chest, and whispered in his ear, “If you’re looking for a distraction, you can stop by my suite this evening. I’m sure we could come up with a way to take your mind off work.” She pulled away with a seductive smile.
The guard nodded, a familiar glazed look coming over his eyes.
Veronica stepped away and bumped directly into Maxsym’s solid wall of a body.
“You done?” he snarled softly in her ear.
“Why? You care?” Veronica whispered before waving at the guard and turning away, hoping to get out from under his attention before he noticed anything out of place.
“Wait, I don’t recognize you.” The guard squinted at Noaz, his size alone drawing attention.
“He’s just a friend,” Veronica tried, but she’d completely lost the guard’s attention.
“Turn around,” the guard commanded, pulling his blaste
r.
“Fuck,” Maeve said under her breath.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” The guard’s voice rose.
Noaz turned around, the Katu cradled in his arms, his blue eyes blazing. Maxsym stepped up next to him, his eyes black through and through.
The guard hesitated, and Veronica stepped in front of him.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” she said, pulling the guard’s attention onto her long enough for the others to run. She had the luxury of knowing he wouldn’t kill her.
Instead, Maxsym’s growl grew behind her, and she knew if she turned, she would see two Kladians ready to attack.
The guard’s hands shook.
“Get out of the way,” the guard said again, but this time his voice trembled.
Veronica tried to step forward, but as soon as she was within his reach, the guard shoved her aside and drew his gun.
“No!” she screamed.
He shot his blaster.
She turned in time to see Noaz stumble and fall, the Katu still in his arms.
The giant man scrambled to his feet, calling for the others to follow. Blood dripped down his arm, leaving a trail on the otherwise pristine docking floor.
Maxsym rushed forward and hit the guard on the side of the head, knocking him to the ground before he could fire again. He lifted the guard and threw him over his shoulder, then grabbed Veronica by the arm. “Keep going,” he hissed.
They ran with Noaz bleeding and Maxsym hauling an unintended hostage over his shoulder. They kept behind the ships, ducking and dodging around the biggest shuttles to stay hidden. In all the activity of the docking bay, with the constant take-offs, landings of ships, and repairs, no one had heard the guard’s gun go off.
Noaz struggled as he ran, and Maeve came up beside him, throwing one arm around his waist and letting him rest a bit of his weight on her shoulder. It was almost comical how he was so big and she was so small, but he clearly drew strength from her assistance. He reached into his pocket with his good arm and pulled out a device. He pressed a button, and a soft shimmer appeared in the air, too subtle to notice if they hadn’t been standing right in front of it.