Rayn . . . They’d known each other for such a short time on Exodus, but she’d fallen in love hard. He was an outlaw, a “dark outworlder” banned from her home world of Glacia and all Synergy worlds, and he was a dens, a member of a race she’d hated from childhood. They’d stood on opposite sides of the law, and yet Rayn had proven himself to be all she could want in a man. He’d been deported back to his home world as soon as she’d wrapped up, with Rayn’s help, her assignment on Exodus. She’d gone back to Glacia to spend some time with her father. Now she wished she’d left for B’harata sooner. And she wished she’d taken a passenger transport.
The hatch opened, interrupting her private thoughts, and she slitted her eyes. The young man entered, carrying a drinking container. “Not feeling right, are we? Well, if it’s the sleep, I can help.” He leaned down and gave her a conspiratorial wink. “If it’s Kylariz, I’m afraid there’s no remedy.”
She glared at him.
“Here. This’ll help. The main thing is to get fluids into you, so drink up.”
Dina took the container, but hesitated before putting it to her lips. Her gaze met his uncanny blue eyes, and she shivered. How much harm did they wish her?
He seemed to know her thoughts. “If you want your strength for Kylariz, you’d better do as I say.”
But it was his captivating eyes more than his words that convinced her. There was a pull to them, a power beyond mere beauty that swayed her. It was as if his eyes had the same ability as her mind did to probe the secrets of another. She sipped the drink, then gulped the sweet liquid.
“Slowly, now. You want to hydrate your body, not shock it.” He reached out and lightly held her arm to slow her, using his other hand to retrieve a sealed packet from his belt. “Here. When you’re finished, use this to clean yourself up with. It’ll neutralize the odor.” He tossed the packet to the bunk.
After a few seconds, he released her and gently took the container from her. “Enough for now. I’ll bring more later. Is this your first time in the sleep?”
Dina shook her head. “Second.” Feeling better, she looked at the young man and studied him closely for the first time. He was about her age, with long straight brown hair and cobalt eyes as deep and bright as thick ice. Like Kylariz, his face was pale and scarred, but rather than giving him a fierce appearance, the two small scars merely gave the boyish good looks a needed dash of ruggedness. A finely wrought silver neck torque gleamed at his throat above an unembellished metal breastplate, and silver arm bands encircled each arm, drawing attention to biceps that bulged with youthful strength. Dina reminded herself that charm and looks aside, he was nothing more than a raider and abductor of women.
“Will you answer my questions? Or are you merely a watch dog until the master arrives?”
He smiled, seeming to take no offense at her words, and she wondered if anything she could say would ruffle him. “Your words are half true. Kylariz is indeed the master of this ship, but he’s not my master. So ask your questions.”
“Who and what you are will do for starters,” she said.
“Rhoan Sandjan, Pilot. Kylariz calls me Sandy, but it’s Pilot to you,” he replied, still smiling.
“Very well, Pilot. I think I can fill in the rest. It’s not too difficult to mistake a raider ship.”
Rhoan’s face became serious. “No, miss. We’re Roven.”
Dina snorted. “Roven? Doesn’t that mean ‘to rob’? Like your captain says, it stinks by whatever name you call it.”
Rhoan started to protest, but she cut him off. “Tell me, what will you do with Captain Bhrenth?”
The young man seemed surprised at the question. “Do? Why, thank him for his cooperation, of course.”
“What about me? What if I don’t choose to cooperate?” But even as she asked the question, she knew the answer, and the quick look of regret that sobered Rhoan’s features told her she was right. Suddenly she was not so inclined to be friendly.
“So, is that what sets the Roven apart? That they sell women into slavery?”
“No, miss, that’s not the Roven. And that’s not Kylariz, either.”
“Then tell me about him.” Dina had a sudden overwhelming curiosity about her captor.
Rhoan shook his head. “Sorry, miss. That’s for him to let drop, or not. Besides, I think I’ve answered enough of your questions. What name did Captain Bhrenth call you? Mondina?”
She let out a ragged sigh and nodded her head. She saw no value in refusing to answer Rhoan’s question. “Yes. Mondina Marlijn. That’s Miss Marlijn to you,” she said, giving him a wicked smile.
“Touché, Miss Marlijn.”
“Sandy! Get up here. Time to go!”
“Hmm. His master’s voice, I presume?” queried Dina.
“Later, miss,” said Rhoan, grinning as he left.
As the hatch closed behind him, Dina’s brave smile fell. Clearly she wasn’t going to be taken back to the Palladia. She was a captive, and the fact that one of her captors had showed her kindness didn’t lessen the simple fact. She, Mondina Marlijn, ex-agent for the Interplanetary Investigative Bureau, who had just months before helped take into custody some of the worst criminals this quadrant had ever known, was now a prisoner herself. Those men had become notorious celebrities overnight, but no spotlight shone on her. She was a civilian now, for she’d resigned her IIB position as soon as her assignment on Exodus had ended. She was a civilian so she could follow Rayn and make a life with him. But now she was alone and on her own. No longer did she have a bureau of fellow agents invested in her well-being.
She was more alone and forsaken than anyone she’d ever arrested.
Dina found a blanket in one of the stowage lockers and wrapped it around her. If she panicked, she’d do herself no good, and if she thought about Rayn, she’d go crazy. To ease her mind, she performed her basic relaxation technique, as she had daily for so many years. She breathed slowly and deeply, holding her breath before exhaling with a sigh. But just as she felt the tension in her body begin to lessen, she heard the soft metallic clicks that presaged the opening of the hatch. As much as she already hated Kylariz, she was looking forward to his appearance. She wanted to know exactly what he had in mind for her.
It was Rhoan. Disappointed, she sat up and waited.
“Feeling up to fighting strength yet?”
Oh, sure. “I’m better, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“No dizziness?”
Her head still swam. “No.”
“Still thirsty?”
Her tongue felt like it was coated with sand. “Not especially.”
“Hungry?”
Did a stomach tied in a knot mean hunger? “Pilot, what I would like are some answers.”
“I understand, miss. The Phoenix waits on your full recovery.”
Bastard. “How solicitous. He doesn’t want to upset me on an empty stomach,” she said, her anger rising. Seeing that the hatch was still open, she stood and raised her voice. “Tell your captain that if he wants me to eat, he’ll come down here and talk to me first. If he doesn’t, I won’t eat or drink a thing, and soon he’ll have a sick woman on his hands instead of a valuable commodity.”
Her outburst had the desired effect. She heard a metal clang, as if some object had been thrown, and a moment later the captain’s tall form filled the hatchway. The breastplate and utility belt were gone, and he wore a loose white shirt instead, the sleeves pushed up above his elbows and the front of the shirt open to the base of his sternum. Without the breastplate, she saw that he wasn’t as massive in girth as she’d thought, simply lean and hard. The shirt revealed well-muscled forearms and a smooth chest. Silver buttons down the front of the trousers were the only embellishments to his outfit and drew her gaze to the lower part of his body. Narrow hips and long legs with well-muscled thighs br
ought a quick flush to her face.
“Leave us, Sandy.”
Rhoan raised his eyebrows and, with a shake of his head, left.
“Sit down,” he commanded, nodding toward the bed.
She wondered if he meant to rape her, and though an order to sit didn’t really seem like a prelude to ravishment, she decided it was better to avoid the bed altogether. She was silent and remained standing, her feet slightly apart, her shoulders back, and her arms held clasped behind the small of her back. He was a head taller than she was, but she wasn’t afraid. Her long-ago training gave her confidence, and her present anger gave her strength.
A quirk of one masculine brow told her that the parade-rest stance was not lost on Kylariz. She quickly regretted her mistake. He would think her military, or para-military at the very least. His long sigh seemed to acknowledge that she would be nothing but trouble, and Dina had no intention of disappointing him.
“If I have a choice, I’ll stand.”
Kylariz let it go. “You tease the mind as much as the senses, girl. But then you know that, don’t you?” His voice was surprisingly soft.
Well, it was better than “take off your clothes, or I’ll take them off for you,” but not by much. Did he already know she was a telepath? How could he, unless he was one himself? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He sighed. “Why is a girl like you all alone on a freighter? And of all the stars in the sky to reach for, why Deorcas Tron?”
She relaxed, just a little. Perhaps the secret of her gift, as well as her virtue, was safe after all. He seemed interested in nothing more than her destination. Still, she’d be damned if she’d cooperate. “The Palladia was the only passage available. As to why I’m going to B’harata, I already answered that question. It’s none of your business. And as I doubt very much you’ll take me where I want to go, I see no relevance to your question.”
He took a step to the side, and his eyes appraised her as if she were standing for inspection during roll call. He lifted his head and eyed her with the look of a sergeant who had just found lint on her uniform. “Sandy may find your sharp tongue entertaining, but I don’t. These questions aren’t for my amusement. They go to that small matter of fate you were so worried about. You can be smart about this—or not, as you like,” he said evenly.
She closed her eyes. How many times in the past had she taken an angry subject into custody, and how many times had she asked for cooperation, only to be spat upon or cursed at? The tables were now turned, and she was the one who felt like spitting on her captor. That would be foolish, but she didn’t care. She was no criminal and didn’t deserve this.
Her eyes fluttered open. “You mean I have a choice of fates? Let’s see, what could those be? You could sell me to a slave broker. Or perhaps you owe someone. Maybe I’m a prize in a treasure hunt. Or is it simply that you and your partner crave female companionship for your long journey? No, you’re nothing but raiders, greedy raiders out to turn a profit any way you can. The first guess is the correct one, isn’t it?”
He was quiet for a moment, and though she looked him in the eye, she couldn’t read what lie behind the gray shadows.
“Your silence is preferable to your ignorant barbs. When you can speak without running at the mouth, and more importantly, when you can listen, I’ll return.”
He left. The hatch clanging shut behind him was like the period to his final statement.
Dina slumped on the bunk, leaned back against the bulkhead, and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stem the welling anger and frustration. She felt like he’d gotten the better of her in their brief exchange, but she couldn’t figure out how. She was a trained investigator, used to dealing with obstinate people, and he was just a damned pirate. Trained investigator? No, just foolish . . . again.
A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as a memory from the past year rose in her mind. When she’d first met Rayn in the desert on Exodus, she’d tried to gain his cooperation for her investigation, but her free-spirited tongue had gotten the better of her then, too. He’d vexed her and challenged her, but somehow they’d found common ground. Eventually, they’d found so much more.
With her eyes still closed, she snagged at the chain around her neck and carefully pulled the pendant up to the opening at her collar. She fingered it reverently, feeling the warm smoothness of the oval stone, then opened her eyes and looked down at the golden cabochon mounted in a circular cut-out at one side of the oval. She tilted the pendant slightly, and her smile grew as she saw the silver star wink in the golden stone.
The pendant was a mother-and-child and had belonged to Rayn. He’d given it to her when they’d parted on Exodus. In return, she’d given him her favorite ring, the ring given to her by her father. Rayn. Her mind filled with his image, and she saw him as he’d looked when they had said their good-byes. His golden eyes had no longer danced with deception, but had radiated a love deeper than any she had ever hoped to find, and his full mouth was no longer cocked with amusement and disdain, but smiling in gladness that he, too, had ended his quest. The picture of his lean, tanned body, hard and strong, and the dark hair that framed his face from either side of a sharp widow’s peak, was as clear as if she’d seen him yesterday.
But the memory of Rayn was more than the image of his physical being. It was the memory of his quiet strength, the cool aura of his power, and, perhaps more than anything else, his Voice, the voice of his mind and heart and soul that had permeated every crevice of her being.
The golden star-stone was the most precious thing she had. Aside from her memories, it was all she had of Rayn’s. At that moment, she feared losing the pendant more than she feared her own fate.
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