by Nina Croft
She frowned. “I’m not sure. It makes me feel…” A shiver ran through her. “I don’t know.” She wasn’t sure how to put it into words that would make sense. It made her feel like the world might spin out of control at any moment.
“Do you want to find out?” he asked. “All you have to do is ask.”
And now she felt as if she were standing on the edge of a precipice and she could back away, or she could jump. She knew then that if she said no, he would stop, and he would turn around and walk away. And she also knew, with a certainty she had never felt before, that she didn’t want that. She wanted to jump, she wanted to fly.
“Show me.”
His nostrils flared, his eyes narrowed, and his mouth curved into a small smile. His finger stroked down over her cheek, along her chin, leaving a trail of sensation.
This time she lifted her chin and moved toward him, touching her mouth to his, parting her lips, and her tongue slowly slid into the warm cavern of his mouth. He went still, and then a shudder ran through him. For a moment, he tensed, and she was sure he was going to pull away, then his hands tightened, holding her against him and his tongue moved against hers and it was really very strange.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on analyzing what she was feeling. It was all so new and different and…unhygienic? She was sure Dr. Yang wouldn’t approve.
His tongue stroked along hers, then the roof of her mouth. He retreated and she heard the words. “Stop thinking, Destiny?”
So she did, because she’d told the truth—she was obedient. She felt the first flicker of rebellion, but now was not the time to rebel. She cleared her mind, and he was back, and she welcomed him, and heat stole over her body. Her hands came up without conscious thought and she mirrored his actions. Threading her fingers through his short, silky hair, she pulled him harder against her, thrusting her tongue into his mouth, tasting him…sharpness and spice. The heat sank down through her body, settling in her breasts and her belly and between her legs. She pushed herself closer to him, needing something but not sure what. With his mouth still on hers, his hands slid down her back and pulled her against him. Something hard stabbed her in the belly.
She didn’t want him to stop, so she pressed herself closer. He went still. His hands were on her bottom and he squeezed once and then let her go. Part of her wanted to protest, but more of her needed time to assimilate this new interaction.
What had just happened? Was this really what normal people did? But then he’d said nothing about this was normal.
She raised a hand to her face, touched her lower lip; it was swollen and sensitive. Then she forced her gaze upward to find him watching her out of narrowed eyes. “What was that?” she asked.
“That, Destiny, I believe was your first kiss.”
She blinked. “Will there be more?”
“Christ knows.” Then he turned around and was gone.
Chapter Seventeen
“Learning does not make one learned: there are those who have knowledge and those who have understanding. The first requires memory and the second philosophy.”
—Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo
In hindsight maybe kissing Destiny hadn’t been the most sensible of decisions. Though at the time it had seemed the only thing to do. He’d been thinking about it since that first sight of her, which was maybe a good enough reason to stay the fuck away. But he had kissed her, and it had been on his mind ever since, playing havoc with his concentration.
Dylan prodded him in the side. “Have you heard a word I’ve said?”
“Nope.”
“Got better things to think about?”
Hell, yeah. She’d tasted sweet and hot and that mixture of innocence and curiosity was a huge turn-on.
Maybe he just needed to get laid and he’d stop thinking about Destiny’s kisses. There were a few women around, likely looking for suitable mates to start populating the planet with a new generation of humanity. Except he wasn’t human, so he didn’t qualify, but they didn’t need to know that.
“This has the potential to be a complete clusterfuck,” Dylan said.
He sighed. “What has?”
“Our new friend, Destiny. She’s trouble.”
After the pointless meeting, they’d wasted a few hours trying to hack into Luther Kinross’s computer system. When it became clear that neither of them had the skills to do that, they’d spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the colony, talking, watching, having a drink at the bar that had popped up in the collection of buildings forming along the edge of the lakeshore. The customers comprised the guards and the crews and the representatives. So far, he hadn’t seen any of the “workers” except when they were working. No doubt they were being kept somewhere “for their own safety.” Just like Destiny.
From the talk they had picked up, it had become clear that, while it was not being publicized, there was an intense search going on to find her. Everyone was being questioned. Had they seen a blonde woman in a yellow jumpsuit? Milo had asked who she was but hadn’t got an answer. Just that she was ill and needed medical attention.
Could it be true?
Destiny had said she was in the cell for her own protection. She didn’t look ill, though, and he figured it was just an excuse. So who was she really?
“If they find her and they find out we got her out of that cell, then my guess is we’ll be well and truly fucked.”
“Then we’d better make sure they don’t find her.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t take the risk. Maybe we should…dispose of her.”
Hell no.
He kept the words in but paused and turned to look at the other man, trying to gauge the seriousness of the suggestion. He was pretty sure Dylan had killed plenty of people in his time. Why should Destiny be any different? Except she was. And that thought almost made him tell Dylan to go ahead. Get rid of her before she became a problem. But he couldn’t do it.
“No.”
“I’m just putting it out there as an option,” Dylan said. “And since when did you get so squeamish?”
“I’m not being squeamish.” Well, maybe just a little. Those big, trusting blue eyes. He couldn’t bear to think of the light going out in them. She was so full of life. And he was in trouble.
“You want into her pants. I’ve seen the way you look at her.”
“No, you haven’t.”
Dylan ignored him. “It’s sweet really. If a little inconvenient.”
“Fuck off.”
Dylan snickered. “And we need to address the problem. Before it becomes a bigger problem. Uncle Rico won’t be happy if you mess up because you’ve got the hots for a pretty little blonde bit.”
Milo moved quickly, lunging forward and flattening Dylan against the tree behind him, a hand across his throat. “Which part of ‘fuck off’ don’t you understand?”
Dylan grinned, though his eyes flashed feral and a growl rumbled in his throat. Milo was sure he could take the wolf, though Dylan was alpha and stronger than most. Maybe a good fight was what he needed. If he wasn’t going to get a good fuck.
For a second, he stared into the other man’s face and saw the wolf stir behind his eyes, but the grin remained in place and Milo released his hold and stepped back. “Asshole,” he muttered, then shoved his hands in his pockets and walked on. “We’ll talk to her. She won’t give us away.” At least he didn’t think so. “And I can put up a few concealment spells, so if they do search this side of the lake, they won’t find her.” His magic should be good enough for that, though it was a little…unpredictable at the moment. The next bit he wasn’t so happy about, but it was sensible. “And we stay away for a few days. Stay where we’re supposed to be and visible. Do what we’re supposed to, and we find out what’s hidden beneath Luther’s castle.”
“Okay. Sounds like a plan.”
&
nbsp; His eyes narrowed. That had been way too easy. “Would you have killed her?” he asked.
Dylan chuckled. He had a really annoying sense of humor. “Nah. Just wanted to see your reaction. Actually, I like her. If you don’t want her then I might just make a play myself.”
He was such a tosser. “I wouldn’t do that if I was you.” The words actually sounded quite reasonable.
“Why?”
“Because I’ll turn you into a fucking toad.”
Dylan laughed again.
Ha ha. He was so funny. “It’s not a joke.”
They arrived at the entrance to the tunnels and came to a halt. He’d been expecting Destiny to be waiting and something tightened inside him. Maybe she was at the spaceship. He hadn’t told Dylan about that—he was going to let Destiny show him.
He took a step toward the entrance, but Dylan stopped him with a tap on his arm. He nodded his head toward the trees. Milo looked closer and there she was, sitting with her back against a large boulder, concentrating on the ereader in her hands, seemingly totally oblivious to their presence.
Dylan tiptoed up and grabbed the device. She gave a squeak and looked around, her eyes flashing past Dylan and settling on him. They were wide and wary. And she bit her lip.
“So what has got you so engrossed?” Dylan asked, glancing at the screen. A smile spread across his face and he looked at Milo and winked. “Fifty Shades of Grey.”
“She’s reading Fifty Shades of wanking Grey?”
“Hey, it’s educational and one of the bestselling books of the twenty-first century.”
Milo hadn’t actually read the book, but he’d heard enough about it. Some sort of BDSM crap. He cast the other man a dirty look, then turned to study Destiny. She was watching him, her eyes wide and her lips turned up in a smile.
“You kissed me,” she said. “And I felt strange. But now I know what it was. Desire.”
Behind them Dylan sniggered.
Milo had been feeling a little strange himself. His dick twitched at the memory.
Her smile widened. “I like reading. It is very educational. Thank you, both of you.” She held her hand out to Dylan. “Can I have my reader back? I want to finish my book.”
Dylan handed it to her. She gave a regretful look at the screen and then closed it off and slid the reader into her back pocket.
“What else have you read?” Milo asked.
“Brave New World. I enjoyed it. And Harry Potter. I want to meet a wizard.”
“It’s not true, Destiny. Wizards don’t really exist.”
Dylan sniggered again. Milo ignored him.
“I know. I think I understand what stories are better now. Not truth, but also not lies. I think there is some small truth in all of them. Anyway, I also read A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking, which was interesting. And The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats.”
“You read fast,” Milo said.
“Do I?”
“It would take Dylan a year to read that many words,” Milo said, “and he still wouldn’t understand half of them.”
She turned to look at Dylan. “Really?”
“A slight exaggeration. But you definitely read faster than the average human. So what did you think about them?”
She frowned, then nibbled on her lower lip. A new habit? “I don’t know. It’s too…much. Too much information. I need to think about it. Get it straight in my mind. It’s all jumbling up and…” She gave a small shrug. “It’s different than what I thought the world was. Different from what Dr. Yang told me.” She gave another shrug. “Why didn’t she tell me the truth? There’s so much more than…”
“Duty?”
“I don’t know. I need to think. Read some more. Maybe there isn’t more in the end. Maybe duty is the same as honor and that’s what’s important.”
“I could not love thee, dear, so much, Lov’d I not Honour more,” Dylan murmured.
“What’s that?”
“A poem by Robert Lovelace,” Milo replied.
“I don’t understand love yet. But I will. The answer is there.”
“Well, don’t expect to find it in Fifty Shades of Grey.”
She studied him. “I think you should kiss me again. I think desire and love are connected and I need to understand.”
“A word of warning,” Dylan said. “I suspect our friend Milo here might be okay with the desire part, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t do love. You’d be better off with me if you’re wanting to experiment. Don’t you want to kiss me, Destiny?”
She looked at him, her head cocked on one side, a slightly puzzled smile on her lips. “No.”
Milo chuckled but decided that was plenty of talk about love and desire. He was supposed to be keeping his distance. “We’ve brought some food,” he said to change the subject. “Let’s eat.”
She sank to the ground and leaned against the boulder. Milo sat across from her, and Dylan stayed on his feet, keeping watch though Milo thought they were safe right then. He rummaged in his backpack and brought out some containers of food. Vegetable curry and bread. And donuts.
She took a spoonful of curry and closed her eyes, concentrating on the taste he guessed. “This is good.” Opening her eyes, she smiled at him. “So what have you two been up to?”
There was no reason not to tell her. She already knew they were looking into what Kinross was planning. “Wasting our time trying to hack into Luther Kinross’s computer system,” he said.
“And failing,” Dylan added.
“Why do you need to get into his computer system?”
“We just want to know what his plans are,” Milo replied. “And how he intends to implement those plans. Right now, he’s not sharing much of anything.”
“Like Dr. Yang not sharing my role,” Destiny said, a small frown between her brows. “Maybe you’ll know when the time is right.”
“And who decides that?” Dylan snapped. “I’m betting on Luther fucking Kinross. But who put him in charge?”
Destiny’s frown deepened. “I don’t know.”
“Me neither. But this is my life, and no asshole, self-imposed dictator is going to tell me how to live it.”
Destiny finished the curry and then examined the donuts. They had pink icing and sprinkles. “So pretty.” She took a bite and her tongue swiped over her lips and heat shot to Milo’s groin. He wanted to kiss her again and a hell of a lot more. And teach her what desire was. Dylan was right—he didn’t do love.
Destiny popped the last of the donut in her mouth, wiped her hands down her pants, then glanced between him and Dylan. “Would you like me to help? I’m good with computers.”
“Why not? You can’t be worse than the two of us.” Milo reached into his pack and pulled out a tablet computer. He swiped it on and then handed it to her. She stared at it for a few seconds and then her fingers started moving.
“What are you doing?” Dylan asked.
“Looking for signals. I think your Mr. Kinross likes to be in control. He would want to be able to access all the other computers. Which means his system must be sending and receiving signals.”
“And have you found any?” Dylan asked after a few minutes of silence.
She glanced up and grinned. “Of course. I told you I’m good. I’m just tracing the signals back to where they came from.” She tapped the screen. “This seems to be the main hub. Everything goes through here. Kinross’s Castle.”
Milo snorted. “The man has delusions of grandeur. But can you get in?”
“Give me a second.” Her fingers were flying again. “I’m in. Though there are some areas I can’t access. I’m sorry.” She handed him the tablet and picked up another donut.
“Don’t be,” Milo said. “You’ve gotten much further than us.” He scanned down the information on the screen. “There’s a big s
ection here called Stellar Recruitment. Does that mean anything to you?” he asked Dylan.
Dylan moved to stand behind him so he could see the screen. “It was the company that organized the recruitment and training of the ships’ crews.”
“And can you guess who owns it?”
“Kinross? Well, that explains a lot. It would have given him access to the ships before they left Earth. He would have been able to put his own people in place.”
“And access to the crew families. You think that was Kinross?”
Dylan shrugged. “It makes sense.”
“There’s a whole load of information here. Manifests for all the ships. Crew details. And guess who’s got a big red flag next to his name. Captain Ricardo Sanchez of the Trakis Two.”
“That’s not good. But again, it makes sense if Kinross was in charge of recruiting the crew members.”
“Is it useful?” Destiny asked.
“Very.”
“I’m glad.”
Milo guessed she liked being useful. Otherwise why would she want to return to a situation where she was a virtual prisoner? To perform a mysterious role that she knew next to nothing about. It seemed crazy to him. “Do you want to go back, Destiny?”
She thought about her answer. “I want to do my duty. But just not yet.” She glanced away for a moment and he could almost see the thoughts warring in her head. Dr. Yang had done a real number on her. Brainwashing her into this role-to-play crap. “I have lots of books still to read and I don’t think Dr. Yang would approve of Fifty Shades. And I have six more Harry Potter books. And the Bible and so many more. But I will go back.”
“If you do, you can’t tell them about me and Dylan.”
“You’d be in trouble?”
“Big trouble.”
“I should lie?”
“We’ll go back to Trakis Two at some point. After that, it won’t matter. So maybe just stay with us until then. And you can finish your books and maybe we can get you some more.”
“Can you get me books on how spaceships work?” she asked.
He didn’t think there were many books on that particular subject, but maybe there would be engineering manuals on the Trakis Two. “I’ll see what I can do.”