Pirates of the Dark Nebula (Hearts in Orbit Book 2)

by S. C. Mitchell

  He’d pushed her up against the wall of the bedchamber, giving her a kiss that left her head spinning. Somewhere between there and the shower chamber doorway they’d lost the rest of their clothing.

  Rik soon had the large shower stall steaming, but it was nothing compared with the passionate storm brewing in Luna’s core.

  The shower was everything she’d imagined and more. Luna reveled in the splash of the warm water and the touch of slick skin. Rik stared down at her with eyes flaring hot, his soapy hands slowly slid across her body, caressing her most intimate spots. Sinful sensations cascaded through her core.

  Her lather-slicked hands skated seductively over the plains of his broad chest, working in circles down toward the ridges of his amazing abdominals. Toned muscle danced under her touch, and she reveled in the feel.

  Rik’s cock stood rigidly at attention, drawing her eye, her hand. She wrapped her fingers around his thickness and slid her hand up and down his length, reveling in the sound of his groan.

  “Keep that up and this could be over very quickly,” he warned, but his rapturous smile reflected his intense pleasure.

  He dove in for yet another kiss, crushing her against him passionately as the water gushed over them. Heat, like she’d never felt before, from deep within her . . . within him.

  He had her against the shower stall wall, his tongue plundering her mouth, his cock pulsing against her stomach. Need and desire flowed hotter than the surging water around them.

  The world shook, her ears rang with explosive concussions.

  Rik pulled back. “Frack!”

  It hadn’t been just her. The building shook with another round of explosions.

  Rik shut off the water and grabbed up some towels, tossing one to her. “Get dressed.”

  He pulled on his pants and jammed his feet into boots, then strapped on his blaster as he headed toward the front doorway.

  Luna toweled off quickly and fumbled into her clothing. “What’s going on?”

  “I figured it wouldn’t take Zartos long to find out who stole Doctor van Alderamin.” Rik drew his blaster and edged open the door. “He’s probably sent a force to retrieve his property.”

  Rik’s head swiveled as he checked out the hallway, then he glanced back at her.

  Luna was just attaching the top magna latch of her blouse.

  He shook his head and sighed. “Worst timing ever.” Passionate regret shined in his eyes. “We need to get to the others. See if we can use the distraction to escape.”

  Luna followed Rik out and down the hallway toward the laboratory where she’d left Ian, Magda, and Harvey.

  Talk about distractions.

  Her gaze was continually drawn to the way the muscles on Rik’s bare back and shoulders rippled attractively as he moved. Torn between he should put a shirt on and he should never put a shirt on . . . ever, she struggled to keep her mind on the here-and-now.

  Gods, that shower . . .

  Her body still yearned for his touch. But the explosions and blaster shots increased in intensity and number as they moved, and Luna forced her thoughts away from the sexy man ahead of her, and to the dangerous situation at hand. She was about to enter a battle zone without any weapon at hand.

  Chapter 15

  Rik put his back against the wall and motioned Luna to the side as well, then slid his body slowly around the corner of the hallway, keeping his blaster at the ready.

  Three men stood just beyond the doorway to the laboratory. Their backs to him, but he recognized Narko Holdine among them. Friendlies, at least for now.

  They’d thrown up a hasty barricade across the hallway and stood fidgeting, blasters in hand. Their gazes were all fixed further down the hallway, and not back at Rik. He could have taken them all out before they knew he was even there.

  Rik pulled back around the corner, against the wall for protection. “Narko?”

  Narko was just jittery enough to fire first and ask questions later.

  “Rik, that you?”

  Rik took hold of Luna’s arm and stepped out. “What’s going on?”

  “Zartos’s men.” Narko scowled. “Probably come to take back his squints.”

  Rik pulled Luna into the hallway. She affected a struggle that was more show than force. Good girl.

  She was quick, and cool under pressure. He appreciated those attributes as well as the dozens he didn’t dare dwell on at that moment.

  “Can we hold ‘em off?” Zartos would not be pleased with the loss of Doctor von Alderamin, especially if Kristin had been able to tell him that Luna was also close at hand. And with spies hiding within every faction, word must have trickled out among the other pirate factions. Frack this! I need to get everyone back to The Starboard Mist and the hell out of the Dark Nebulan system.

  At least now the pirate factions were only fighting amongst themselves.

  “It’s a big force, Rik.” Narko’s eyes darkened. “I don’t know if we can hold ‘em off.”

  Rik drew Luna close. The heat of her body caused his to harden instantly. “I’ll get this one back to work and come out and help as soon as I can.”

  By which I mean I’ll get everyone ready to move out, then come out here and look for an opportunity for escape.

  He pulled Luna into the laboratory. The guards had been drawn outside, so there was only Doctor von Alderamin, Magda, and Harvey in the room. He noted Magda sweating profusely in the heavy assault jacket as she scurried around the lab. “Did you really need that coat?”

  Magda nodded while fanning herself with her hand. “It’s necessary.”

  Rik shrugged. “Okay.” He trusted the woman’s instincts.

  Another explosion rocked the building. Shelving rattled along the walls and expelled a cloud of dust into the room.

  Doctor von Alderamin looked up from his worktable. “What’s going on?”

  Rik had to give the man credit. His eyes remained calm, with no hint of panic, as if he were analyzing the situation. “Another pirate faction is making a play for you. Get ready. We may have to move fast.”

  His statement was punctuated by a hail of blaster shots and concussive explosions in the hall outside. The floor of the lab shook, and items fell with a clatter to the floor from workbenches and shelves.

  Rik spun, bringing his blaster to bear on the door.

  Heavy footsteps and muffled speech.

  We’re too late.

  An explosion blew the door from its hinges, and a hulking figure appeared in the haze beyond the shattered door frame.

  Rik fired, but heard the blast ping off metal.

  Through the doorway strode a man in a titanium-armored exoskeleton. Rack-mounted Gatling blasters on each shoulder swiveled toward him. “Drop it,” the man commanded.

  Frack. There was no other choice. As Rik’s blaster hit the floor all hope of escape drained from him. Now what?

  “Room secure,” the armored pirate said.

  “Excellent, Tandon.” The feminine voice sent a shiver down Rik’s back and goose flesh creeping up his arms.

  Five other pirates scrambled through the doorway to take up positions guarding, blasters held at the ready.

  Then she strolled in.

  “Ah, Rik, we meet again.” Kristin Devenport’s eyes reflected malicious glee. Her hand patted the blaster resting in its holster at her hip. Black tarsk leather leggings and high black boots played off the blood-red hue of her loose blouse. Feminine and sultry, yet all business.

  Kristin at her worst.

  She ran her tongue along the underside of her top, ruby-painted lip, her eyebrows raising slightly in a way that told Rik she was considering her options.

  Then she snapped her fingers and a pirate stepped up on either side of Rik, taking his arms and
holding him in place. Kristin advanced. “You’ve led me on a jolly chase, Mazar. But don’t you know, I always win in the end?”

  As she ran her index finger down his bare chest, a pout twisted her lips. “We could have been so good together.” The burgundy painted nail must have been filed sharp, because as she turned her finger to the side it easily sliced a line through the skin on Rik’s abdominals.

  Rik stood firm, refusing to let her see his pain, as blood trickled from the wound down his stomach.

  Kristin turned from him toward Luna. “And you . . .” She motioned for one of her men. “Hold her.”

  The pirate stepped up behind Luna, taking her arms and holding them behind her back.

  Rik struggled with his captors. “Leave her alone.”

  Luna raised her head. Her eyes blazed defiance.

  Kristin’s backhanded slap resounded in the quiet room. “That is for blasting me, bitch.”

  Luna’s head snapped to the side and blood beaded at the corner of her mouth.

  Kristin pulled the communication device from Luna’s belt, and tossed it to a workbench. “Search them. Any weapons or com units stay here.”

  Rik struggled in the grip of the two pirates restraining him as they pulled his com device, adding it and his blaster from the floor to the table with Luna’s and Magda’s coms. His gut boiled with anger. “I should have killed you when I had the chance.”

  Kristin turned to him. “Yes, you should have. But you’re a weak, insignificant maraleach. Certainly not pirate material at all. So what are you Rik Mazar?”

  At least I’ve taken her focus off Luna. “Your worst nightmare, Kristin.”

  It was all bluster. But he was determined to keep her attention, so if she lashed out at anyone, it would be him.

  Kristin took his face in her hand, squeezing his cheeks hard and yanking his head up so their gazes met. Cold, emotionless and cruel, Kristin’s eyes reflected her nature. She pressed a hard kiss to his mouth. Rik kept his mouth pressed firmly shut. Releasing his face, she snarled, “Nightmare? Ha. I’ll show you nightmare.”

  She spun around to address her guards. “Take them all to the rocket sled.”

  Her gaze swept the room, then stopped. “No not all.” She pulled her blaster and shot.

  Rik’s eyes went wide as he watched the beam streak across the room, striking Harvey in the chest. The droid exploded in a shower of sparks and metal fragments. His arms flew wide in two different directions and his head dropped with a clank into the pile of twisted metal that had been his torso and legs.

  “Harvey!” The anguish in Luna’s cry wrenched Rik’s gut. Harvey had been more than just a service droid to her.

  Luna struggled and fought, kicking the pirate holding her.

  Kristin’s smile was pure evil. “Get them out of here.”

  Gods, Harvey . . .

  Tears leaked from the corners of Luna’s eyes. The sense of loss made her chest tighten and her stomach hurt.

  He was just a machine, not a person.

  But she ignored the logical side of her brain. Harvey had been her friend. He’d known her like no one else had. Now he was gone.

  Her last view, Harvey’s powerless head lying in the ruins of his metal body, reverberated in her memory as she was hustled out of the room and down long hallways.

  The man holding her pushed her forward with a rough shove. “Keep moving.”

  She found herself between Ian and Magda as they were herded down the hallways. Magda put a comforting arm around her shoulder, supporting her. “His soul was strong,” she whispered.

  “No talking,” the guard behind answered.

  His soul? Harvey’s soul? Could a droid go to the Vestal Heavens? Luna wanted to believe it was so, though she barely believed in the Galactic Gods.

  Was she just being conciliatory or did Magda know something about Harvey? Luna would definitely have to question the woman when she got the chance.

  Outside the building a humid fog drifted across the landing pad. Gandasol fumes filled the thick air with a nauseating stench. Security lights in the pre-dawn dimness cast long shadows across the tarmac. A huge rocket sled stood ready for takeoff, vibrating as ion drive energy pulsed through its titanium frame.

  The rocket sled was made for planetary travel, not spaceflight. This sled was similar, yet larger than the one that had brought her and the others to this domed city. Would they now be heading back to Xio?

  “Get in.” Kristin, blaster in hand, directed the four captives into a row of seats in the middle of the compartment. Pirates sat in front and in back of them, eyes alert and blasters ready.

  Kristin sat in front of them, swiveling her seat so she faced them.

  The rocket sled rose from the launch pad, hovering a few meters above before lurching forward. They were staying close to the ground, skimming across the roadways and out, through the hatchway of the domed city.

  Luna forced her gaze out the window. Even the icy barren planet was easier to look at than the leering pirates. The frozen surface of the primitive planet slid by, mere meters below.

  “You wouldn’t last an hour out there.” Kristin’s sultry tones were filled with malice. “If I didn’t need you, I’d throw you out right here.”

  A chill crept up Luna’s back as Kristin rose from her seat and strode to the hatch. She keyed open the door and the compartment was flooded with chilling air.

  Rik was seated two seats down from her, still shirtless. Luna saw gooseflesh rise on his arms.

  As the wind whistled throughout the cabin, Kristin sauntered back toward her. “But I need you right now, Luna Callista. So you get to live.”

  She moved to Ian, who was sitting next to Luna. “And I need you, Doc, you lucky devil.”

  Malice danced in her eyes as she moved down the line toward Rik and Magda. Her gaze swept between them. “You two . . . I don’t need.”

  A chill ran through Luna’s gut, colder than the planetary winds.

  Kristin placed the barrel of her blaster against Magda’s head. “Now, I could just shoot you. Your deaths would be clean, quick.”

  For her part, Magda remained calm, serene. She straightened her shoulders and kept her head high. If Kristin had expected the woman to whimper and beg, she was sure to be disappointed.

  Still, Kristin continued playing her game. Taunting and teasing. “No, a quick death isn’t very satisfying.” She moved the blaster to point it at Rik. “And some of you have earned a colder, much more painful death.”

  Rik must have seen what was coming. He lurched up at Kristin, but the pirates behind him still had a hold of him and wrestled him back away from her.

  Kristin stepped back, clearing the path to the open doorway. “Throw these two out,” she instructed her pirate allies.

  Rik fought, struggling as three burly pirates pushed him toward the door. A forth pirate made a move toward Magda, but she stood and confronted him. “I will go without struggle. But touch me and I will cause your penis to shrivel and fall off. Mark my words.”

  The pirate’s eyes went wide, but he backed up a step.

  Luna rose to help Rik as he passed by her, kicking out at the nearest pirate, but thick hands grabbed her from behind, pushing her back into her seat, and holding her down.

  “Rik.” She had to stop this.

  Her heart beat wildly in her chest, her breathing ragged as she struggled to go to him, praying that somehow he’d escape, defeat these villains, make everything all right.

  Rik’s gaze locked with hers for a split second, just long enough for him to mouth, “I’ll find you,” then he was gone, thrown out of the rocket sled by the pirates. Magda didn’t hesitate at all, flinging herself out of the doorway after him.

  The crushing force of what had just happened, sickene
d Luna. Rik . . . Magda . . . both gone. How could he find her if he was dead? Had Magda seen her own death coming and just calmly accepted it? The questions rattled around in her shocked mind as she stared at the now empty space where Rik had stood just seconds ago. A sob clutched at her chest, but she refused to allow her captor the satisfaction of seeing her pain, choking it back.

  The rocket sled’s door slammed shut and an eerie silence invaded the cabin, broken only by a cackle, then a bold-faced laugh . . . from Kristin.

  Chapter 16

  The piercing cold was the least of his worries as Rik rolled down the rocky, snow-draped hillside. The thin covering of frigid flakes did little to cushion his fall, and the momentum of being pushed out of a moving vehicle had him careening out of control. He tucked as he rolled to minimize as much of the damage as possible. Still, the shoulder he’d landed on sent spikes of pain shooting each time it came in contact with the landscape.

  Then he tried stretching out his legs, seeking any purchase in the rocky terrain he’d tumbled through. His right foot caught, sending blinding agony through his ankle and up his leg. The action did little to slow his movement.

  Too much momentum. Relax. Roll with it.

  He’d caught a glimpse of the dark shape plummeting out of the rocket sled after him. That had to be Magda. But he’d lost track of her.