Gigi climbed on top of the table then reached back for Pax. Once Pax was on the table next to him, Gigi started looking around, moving from one side of the table to the other. “Where’d they go?”
“They?” Pax squeaked as his head swung around frantically. “There’s more than one?”
“I saw two.”
“We’re going to die.”
“Just don’t get off the table, and we should be fine. I don’t think they can climb up here.”
“You don’t think?”
Gigi yelped and grabbed the back of his head when Pax smacked him. He looked at Pax in confusion. “What in the hell did you do that for?”
“Because you got us into this freaking mess. I was happy sleeping next to my mate, and you had to come up with this harebrained idea.” Pax waved his hand around the dark room. “And look at us now.”
“Well, I couldn’t sleep,” Gigi snapped. “I kept—” Gigi shuddered. “I kept thinking about one of those things getting into the room.”
“Well, now we’re stuck in the mess hall, without our mates, mind you, and we’re surrounded by the damn things. Is that any better?”
Gigi shrugged, grimacing. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“And it’s all over my freaking sock!”
Chapter 7
Colt woke to find his mate missing. He immediately rolled out of bed and stood straight up, grabbing his pants as he headed toward the door. Why in the hell would his mate be gone in the middle of the night? All kinds of scenarios played in his mind, Colt liking none of them.
He grabbed a phaser off of the table in his quarters before heading out to find his little bird. Colt saw Livewire in the media room and headed toward him “Have you seen Pax?”
Livewire jumped as he grabbed his chest. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again! I thought you were the damn slug.”
Colt felt incredibly confused about the man’s reaction. It was a damn bug. How the hell could it scare a grown man? Colt looked around the room and then back at Livewire. “Why are you sitting in the dark?”
“My horoscope said I should,” Livewire answered a little too quickly. The mechanic jumped up from the sectional sofa and looked past Colt as if looking for someone. “Are you alone?”
Colt looked over his shoulder, his eyes scanning the dark corridor. “Last time I checked.”
Livewire seemed to be relieved by Colt’s words. Colt didn’t have time for Livewire and his strange ways. “Have you seen Pax?” he asked again.
“Not lately. Do you want me to help you look for him?”
Colt felt like the question was cocked and loaded, but two sets of eyes were better than one. “Come on.” Colt turned on his heel and headed away from the media room. He picked up his pace and began an all-out run when he heard Pax screaming. Colt’s heart was in his throat at the sound of fear in his little bird’s voice.
“Pax!” Colt shouted as he burst through the mess hall doors. He came to a skidding halt, Livewire crashing into his back, both of them falling to the floor.
“What the hell did you stop like that for?” Livewire asked as he sat up and shook his head.
Colt ignored him as he watched his mate jumping around on top of the bench table, tearing at his sock. Colt pushed to his feet and ran to the table. “What’s wrong?” he asked as he tried his best to assess his mate for injury.
Remy and Imlay came barreling into the mess hall, Blade and Crank close behind.
“My sock!” Pax shouted as he continued to hop on one foot, his hands struggling with the other foot, pulling at his sock, trying to yank it off without touching it as much as possible.
Colt grabbed his little bird and sat him on the table then he dropped to his knees. He lifted Pax’s foot up to look at the stretched out sock and wondered what all the fuss was about.
“Get it off!” Pax shouted in panic.
Colt quickly pulled it free and held it up to his mate. “Would you mind telling me why you’re so desperate to part with it?”
Colt saw Pax cringe back and then slowly sat forward. Colt held up the sock. It was dry. There was nothing on it. He couldn’t figure out why Pax was freaking out. It was just a sock.
His mate’s head slowly tilted to the side as a full-blown blush heated up Pax’s face. “Not really.”
“We’ve got to do something about these damn worms,” Remy said as they all sat around the table later that morning. “Imlay seems to believe they could be Uryclian Mucus Slugs, in which case, they could be deadly. We can’t have them running all over the ship.”
“I found one of the little fuckers in my shower last night,” Crank snorted. “The damn thing was soaking like he was in a mineral bath on Lost Star Three.”
“Is it just my imagination, or are more of them showing up?” Colt asked as he looked around the table. “Pax and Gigi saw two in here last night.”
Pax shuddered at the idea that there could be more than one of those slimy creatures. How disgusting. He squirmed until he could bury his face in Colt’s neck then breathed in the man’s strong scent. He felt like he was going to be sick.
“Maybe there’s a nest of them on the ship,” Tank said.
Yep, Pax was going to hurl. He covered his mouth and swallowed hard, his stomach rolling. Just the thought of those slimy creatures slithering across the floor, his sock, on every available surface was enough to send Pax over the edge.
He wiggled out of Colt’s arms and went running down the hallway to the bathroom in their room. He heard heavy footsteps following him as he dropped to his knees and threw up in the toilet over and over again until there was nothing left in his stomach.
“Here, little bird,” Colt said as he wiped a wet cloth over Pax’s face.
A moment later, a glass of water appeared in front of him. Pax grabbed the glass and took a large gulp, rinsing his mouth before spitting the liquid out in the toilet. Once his mouth was all cleaned out, Pax handed the glass back to Colt and leaned his head back against the wall.
“I really hate those damn slugs, Colt.”
“I know, little bird.”
“I want them gone.” Pax swallowed hard. “I don’t feel safe anymore.”
Colt grimaced. “Okay, little bird. I’ll make sure they are gone as soon as I find them.”
Pax frowned as a sudden thought filled his head. “They are drawn to water and food.”
“What?”
“Think about it. Except when we first saw them, every time one has been spotted it’s been near food or water. Tank’s shower, the mess hall—both places that have food or water.” Pax cocked his head to one side. “I think they are just trying to survive.”
“Does that mean you don’t want me to get rid of them?”
“No!” Pax snorted. “I want you to get them the hell off this ship. I just don’t think you need to kill them.”
Colt chuckled as he lifted Pax into his arms and carried him back into the bedroom. He carefully laid Pax down on the bed then drew the blankets over him. Pax puckered up his lips when Colt leaned over to give him a kiss.
“Okay, little bird, I’m going to get a search party together. You stay in here where it’s warm and safe.”
Pax bit his lip for a moment then tried to smile. “Could you check under the bed before you leave?”
Colt gaped for a moment then chuckled as he dropped to his knees. “Sure thing, little bird.”
Pax pulled the blanket to his neck, wondering if the nasty things would crawl into his bed. He sat up as he tucked the edge of the blanket in tightly around his body. No slimy things were going to crawl over him. No sirree.
“There’s nothing under there that I can see. Get some rest while I grab my shining armor for you.” Colt winked, and Pax once again didn’t get it.
“That you can see?” Pax asked in a trembling voice. “What if there are a few in here that you didn’t see? What then? I don’t even have a spatula.” Pax bit his lip as his eyes darted around. “What if
they crawl into bed with me?” Pax whispered as if the worm-like slugs could hear him.
Pax could tell Colt was biting back a smile, and he wanted to throw a pillow at the shifter.
“I’m sure you’re safe. If your theory is true, you have nothing to worry about. There’s no food or water in here.”
Pax nodded, only feeling half reassured as Colt left their quarters. There may not be anything in here for the slimy things to survive off of, but Pax still kept one eye open as he slept. What if the bugs were carnivores?
Pax crept along the corridor with a ship manual in his hands. If anything jumped out at him, he was going to whack it to death. It might be easier if he was allowed into the weapons bay, but he wasn’t. That meant he had to use what was handy. The ship manual was handy. It was also all he could find besides Colt’s boots, and Colt would kill him if he used the black leather boots to defend himself.
It had been a few hours since he’d seen Colt, and Pax was worried that something bad had happened. What if those worms had attacked Colt and his mate was crying for his help at this very moment? What if—
“Ahhh!” Pax screamed as he jumped back. He started swinging the manual at the large figure behind him. “Worm, worm, worm,” Pax chanted as the manual flew through the air and repeatedly hit the figure over and over again.
“I’m not a damn worm,” Tank shouted as he held his arms up in a defensive gesture.
The manual stilled as Pax took a closer look. Nope, not a worm. “Have you seen Colt?”
Tank rubbed his arms and then pointed over his shoulder. “Engineering.”
“About the worm thing.” Pax clutched the manual to his chest as his eyes darted around. “Uh, sorry.”
“Just go find your mate before you kill half the crew,” Tank grumbled as he walked past Pax and continued down the corridor.
Tank didn’t need to be so upset. He could have been a worm.
Pax walked down the two flights of stairs to engineering, watching every step he took. The only things on his feet were the socks he borrowed from Gigi, so he had to be extra cautious. They were no protection against the goo, and Pax didn’t want his feet to fall off if a worm crawled over them.
“Ahhh!” Pax swung the manual, whacking the figure beside him when he was grabbed. He gave his arms free reign as he defended his feet from the slime of the worm.
“Damn it!” Crank yelled. “Stop hitting me.”
Pax’s arms stilled as he looked at the cougar shifter. He could have been a worm.
Really, he could have.
“Uh, sorry.” Pax hurried down the stairs, praying he came across Colt soon. Where the heck did the worms come from? Could they have been hiding in the soil Gigi bought for his hydroponics?
Pax stepped off of the stairs, his head snapping around as he looked for Colt. Tank had said he was down in engineering, but so far, nada. Pax held the manual over his shoulder, ready to swing at anything that slithered. He walked into the cargo bay, glancing around for his mate.
The medical supplies that didn’t need to be in cold storage sat stacked on one side of the bay. Pax looked around the crates. “Colt?”
When no one answered, Pax kept walking, heading to the far end of the cargo bay. He’d never been down here, this far back. Pax looked at all the supplies sitting to one side, walking around them until he was at the far right of the lower deck of the ship.
The manual dropped from Pax’s hands as he stared at a large jar lying on its side, the discarded lip next to it. That wasn’t what scared the hell out of Pax. No, it was the hundred little broken pearl-like eggs that made him run screaming from the cargo bay.
Colt froze when he heard Pax screaming—again. He cocked his head to one side and listened carefully, trying to find the source of the sound. Pax had been freaking out so much lately that Colt was never sure where the little man was located.
“Colt!”
Colt ran for the stairs. He caught Pax in his arms as he came flying up from the lower deck. “What’s wrong, little bird?”
“Worms!” Pax screeched.
“Pax, we haven’t found the worms yet. Did you see another one?”
“Broken glass,” Pax panted.
Colt frowned. “Broken glass?”
“Little white gooey eggs.” Pax shuddered. “Cargo bay!”
Colt blinked when Pax pulled away and went running down the corridor with his hands in the air and screaming about an invasion of worms. He took a moment, breathing in deeply as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. He adored Pax, but no one could freak out like his mate.
Colt walked over to a communication pad on the wall near the stairs and hit the button to connect him to the bridge. “Remy, I think I found the bugs’ nest. Pax saw something in the cargo bay.”
Remy sighed. “I’ll be right down.”
Colt knew how the commander felt. He decided to meet Remy in the cargo bay. Colt descended the stairs and walked around looking in every corner and into any sliver a worm’s nest might be located.
His step faltered when he saw what Pax was talking about. Holy hell! How many live births were there? If they all survived, then they had hundreds of worms on board. Colt shuddered at the thought of just one worm, and there were more?
“What do we have?” Remy asked as he walked into the cargo bay, a look of amusement on his face. The look dropped quickly when the commander’s eyes followed Colt’s finger. “Shit. We’re going to need an exterminator.”
“Exactly.” Colt nodded in agreement. “What I don’t get is that if we have so many on board, where are they? Have you seen any?”
Remy shook his head as he stared at the frightening sight. “None so far.” Both their arms shot out when the ship took a slight dip to the left. “What the hell is going on?”
Remy and Colt ran from the cargo bay, down the corridor, and into the engineering room. Livewire was cursing and throwing tools at the propulsion system. “You fucking little buggers. How dare you eat my lady!”
“Livewire!” Remy barked out. They waited until the mechanic stopped throwing things and turned around to look at them. “What in the hell are you doing now?”
“What am I doing?” Livewire asked, incredulity dripping from his words. “I’m not the one eating Lady Blue, now am I?”
Colt felt a massive headache coming on. He lifted his hands and rubbed his temples, wishing it away. “Please be a little more specific.” Colt blew out.
“Specific? How can I be any more specific? The damn worms have eaten through the wires of the propulsion system. If we don’t kill our little buddies and get me some new wires, Lady Blue is going to sit on her ass for a very long time.”
Massive headache, full steam ahead. Colt walked away, needing to down a stiff drink and a few aspirin. A hell of a lot of aspirin. Colt walked into sick bay, looking for the doc. He found Imlay at his computer.
“I need a sedative.”
Imlay sat there absorbed in his work. Colt ignored the preoccupied doctor as he walked over to the supply closet. Unlocking it, Colt reached in and grabbed a white bottle, popping the lid.
“If you ever want to copulate again, I suggest you not take those particular pills.” Imlay said from behind him. “They have a very nasty effect on the male reproductive organ.”
Colt’s hands opened wide as the pills hit the floor. He’d keep his headache, thank you very much. If there was one thing he lived for, it was copulating with Pax.
A soft chuckle sounded behind him. “I thought so.”
Colt rolled his eyes as he replaced the lid and shoved the bottle back into the closet. He turned to the smug doctor as a brow rose. “Mind telling me which bottle is the aspirin?”
Imlay pushed Colt aside, reaching inside for the correct bottle. There was a slight smirk on his face when he held the bottle out to Colt. “If you don’t know what you’re doing, never go into a doctor’s closet.”
“And a certain doctor needs to come out of his,” Colt grumbled as he swallowed the
pills but not before reading the label to make sure he was taking aspirin and only aspirin.
“I heard that,” Imlay complained as he walked back over to his desk and sat down.
“Good,” Colt said as he walked out of the infirmary. Now to go find Pax. With all the talk of copulating, he was fucking hornier than hell now. Besides, just on the off chance, he wanted to make sure the equipment still worked properly.
Colt found his mate sitting on the mess hall table, a spatula and tongs in his hands. He frowned as he rested his hands on his hips. “Little bird, what are you doing?”
“Watching for worms.”
Colt glanced around at the floor then back at his mate. “I don’t see anything, Pax.”
“But they’re there,” Pax said quickly. “I know they are. I’ve seen them. They’re just waiting for us to let down our guard, and then they will attack. It’s how these things work. Gigi told me. He said they’ll jump you from behind and beat you down like a hooker in an alleyway. Whatever that means.”
Colt groaned. He so did not need Pax listening to Gigi. That had disaster written all over it. Colt walked over and ripped the spatula and tongs out of Pax’s hands.
“Hey!” Pax shouted. “I need those.”
“No, you don’t.”
Colt reached over and grabbed Pax, tossing the smaller man over his shoulder. He carried Pax out of the mess hall and down the corridor toward their quarters. When Pax started squawking, Colt smacked him on the ass.
“What’d ya do that for?”
“Because I’m tired of you freaking out, Pax.” Colt stopped in front of their quarters and tapped in the code to open the door. Colt quickly closed the door and locked it once they were inside the room.
Colt was in a mood, and he knew it. He needed to see Pax naked, to forget for a little while that they had slimy green worms like slugs invading the ship. He walked over to the bed and set Pax down on his feet. Pax started sputtering when Colt stripped his shirt off and tossed it through the air.
Colt pushed Pax back until he fell backward and landed on the bed. Before Pax stopped bouncing, Colt was pulling his mate’s pants down his legs and tossing them over his shoulder. Colt stepped back and began stripping his own clothes off the second Pax was naked. Once they were both naked, Colt advanced on the beauty lying on the bed.
Glenn, Stormy and Hagen, Lynn - Pax's Blues [Lady Blue Crew 2] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Page 8