by Nina Croft
They were at the bottom of the small bank where he’d pushed her when he’d identified the drone.
Had they been seen? He didn’t think so. There had been no pause in the drone’s speed or direction. If it had picked them up, it would have come in closer for a better visual.
He sat up, hands resting on his knees, breathing deeply, while he decided whether to rip the werewolf’s throat out. Beside him, Destiny was tugging the sides of her jumpsuit together, pulling up the zipper with fingers that trembled slightly.
“You want me to go away again?” Dylan asked.
Yes. “No.”
He blew out his breath, then got to his feet and held out a hand to Destiny. Her lower lip quivered, but she placed her palm in his and he pulled her to her feet. Her nipples were clearly visible against the thin material of her jumpsuit and he could almost scent her desire on the air.
She ran her hands down her sides and cleared her throat. Licked her lips and heat shot through him—was she doing it on purpose? Just what had she been reading? He was so fucked.
“I came to warn you there are drones in the area,” Dylan said, and pushed his hands into his pockets as he glanced between the two of them.
“I know. We spotted one.” He waved his free hand around the area. “Hence the hiding place.”
Dylan smirked. “Ahh. So that’s what you were doing down there. Hiding from the drone?”
Milo tugged her up the bank. She still hadn’t said a word. “We’d better get back to the tunnels.” She was hardly inconspicuous in that bright yellow outfit. They should get her some different clothes.
He held her hand all the way back, as though she might vanish. They’d sent hunting drones to find her. They must really want her back. And he wasn’t quite ready to let her go.
She wanted sex.
Stop thinking with your dick!
Even from the short conversation they’d had tonight—before they’d gotten sidetracked—he could see that she had changed beyond belief from the woman they had taken from the cell. All her life, she’d been kept in total ignorance of the world around her, denied any normal human interaction. Now reading had opened her world and she was soaking up all the vicarious experiences and rebuilding her world almost from scratch. Dr. Yang had a lot to answer for.
They headed back to the spaceship. The suns had gone down. Dylan led them through the dark forest, though he looked back once or twice, his gaze resting on where Milo still held her hand. Destiny was quiet, and when they reached the bridge, she tugged free of his hold and sat in the pilot’s seat, then loaded her new books onto her ereader and was soon engrossed. Or at least pretended to be.
He stood at the back with Dylan. They needed to talk, and he didn’t want Destiny to hear.
“The drone had to be looking for her,” Dylan said. “They clearly want her back. But what for? I don’t get it.”
“Neither do I. We could ask some questions, but that might alert them to the fact that we know of Destiny’s existence.”
But maybe he could somehow get the information from Dr. Yang. He could tell her that he had news about her family. That he could get them awakened and brought here—which would of course be a lie, but he didn’t feel as though he owed that bitch anything.
First, he needed to find out what was beneath Camelot. If there were weapons that could be a threat to Trakis Two, then they needed to work out a plan to destroy them and get the hell away from here.
“But perhaps it could work in our favor,” Dylan said. “We could use her as a trade if things get iffy and we need to make a fast getaway.”
Milo bit back his instinctive response, which was no way. After all, Destiny had already told him that she planned to go back. That she planned to perform her mysterious duty. And to hell with him. A familiar wave of bitterness washed over him. “Maybe,” was all he said.
“In the meantime, I’ll fix her up a locator device that will give some warning if there are drones anywhere near. I’ll come back with you now, pick up some stuff from the shuttle, and bring it back tonight. Otherwise she’ll be stuck in the tunnels.”
Dylan was being…kind. Not a trait you expected from an alpha werewolf. “You like her, don’t you?”
He shrugged. “And what about you? You hardly strike me as the hand-holding type. It’s sweet really, but perhaps you need to keep a little distance.”
No point in arguing with that, so he didn’t answer at all. “We need to go.”
He headed back to where Destiny sat, her head stuck in her ereader. She didn’t even look up as he came to a halt in front of her, just stared at the screen, her lower lip caught between her teeth. Playing hard to get. He was going to start vetting her reading material. But he was finding this new emerging Destiny too intriguing. He cleared his throat and heard Dylan laugh behind him. She glanced up, eyes widening. “Yes?”
“We have to leave.”
“Okay.” She turned her attention back to her book. She was clearly not happy with him. Hell, he wasn’t happy with himself.
As he turned to go, she jumped to her feet and reached out a hand and rested it on his arm. “Be careful, Milo. Those men have guns.” She turned to Dylan. “And you look after him.”
Dylan grunted. “I think he can look after himself.”
He parted with Dylan at the looming bulk of the Trakis Four and headed to the lake. He took one of the boats and crossed the small body of water, tying up on the other side. The first thing he noticed was the large number of soldiers about the area. They’d been out searching for Destiny, now they must have been replaced by the drones. The skin of his back prickled.
There were guards in the large hallway, and he recognized the man who had been out with Destiny. Silas Wynch, Kinross’s second-in-command, although not in any formal sense of the word. Milo crossed to him.
“How is Mr. Kinross?” he asked.
The other man’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?”
He shrugged. “I spoke with Captain Sekongo earlier. He said Kinross was indisposed.”
“He’s fine.”
Hmm. The man wasn’t very chatty. “There seem to be a lot of…soldiers around.”
“So?”
“I’m just curious. I wasn’t aware there was a military presence on any of the ships other than the Trakis One.”
Another shrug. “I wouldn’t know about that.”
“What would you know about?”
“That you and your friend ask a lot of questions.”
“Is that a problem?”
“It depends what you do with the answers. But there’s no place for going your own way on Trakis Four. We work as a team.”
“It’s my way or the highway,” Milo murmured.
Amusement flashed in the other man’s eyes. “Something like that.”
“Well, give my regards to Kinross.”
“I will.”
He turned to go. It was unlikely he was going to get into the tunnels from this direction tonight. Were they suspicious? Likely they were suspicious about everything. Instead, he would find the route back from Destiny’s end of the tunnels. Maybe they needed to spend some time mapping out the place.
But when he left the castle, he was aware of someone following him, and they weren’t trying to hide. Maybe Wynch was sending him a message.
We’re watching you.
His tail followed him back to the shuttle, two men in the green uniforms of Kinross’s private army. Dylan wasn’t there; he must have already gone back to Destiny. Milo should have felt happier about that. He didn’t.
He sat in the doorway of the shuttle and raised a hand at his watchers. Looked like they were in place for the duration.
Heading back inside, he got a bowl of water and sat cross-legged on the floor in front of it. Scrying was a method he had often used successfully on Earth whe
n he’d wanted a glimpse of some possible future. He wasn’t sure how it would work here, but it was worth a try. Swirling his finger in the water, he concentrated, trying to see what was to come.
But although the water darkened, went opaque, it refused to give up any secrets.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“I am hungry, feed me; I am bored, amuse me.”
—Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo
Destiny decided that she wasn’t going to think about Milo right now. She wanted him too much, and she couldn’t see clearly. But his hands and his mouth had felt so good.
Concentrate on something else.
While she didn’t want to be fickle, she actually found it quite easy to not think about him once she started reading. The books were fascinating. Spaceships were just as interesting as romance, and she soon lost herself in the world of quantum physics. And power drives, solar and wind power. The books included the engineering specs for the Trakis fleet. The life support, the power supplies, speeds…the controls.
She came to the end of the book and studied the console in front of her. While obviously this ship was much smaller than the Trakis ships, she suspected that they functioned on the same principles. Whoever had left this ship behind was humanoid. Who had they been? What had happened to them?
Maybe she would find a ship’s log.
There was a big red button in the center of the console. She bit her lip.
Should I?
She was still staring at the button, her hand reaching out slowly…
What’s the worst that could happen?
Her mind flooded with a whole lot of possibilities. She inched a little closer, then went still as someone called out to her.
Dylan this time.
It was probably for the best; she wasn’t ready to face Milo again just yet. He wanted her, she was sure of it, but he was wary, so she had to find a way to let him know he could have her, and she wouldn’t be a nuisance—she hoped. She knew what she wanted; she just wasn’t sure how to get it yet. Before she spoke to him again, she needed to work out a strategy. She’d do some more research and maybe Dylan could help with that. Plus, she liked Dylan, maybe because she could relax more with him. He didn’t make her go all shivery and tongue-tied and…needy.
Dylan appeared in the doorway and tossed her a black duffel bag.
“What is it?” she asked.
“More food and clothes. I stole them from some woman’s cryotube on the Trakis Four. She looked to be about the same size as you.”
“But stealing is wrong.”
“So are a lot of other things, sweetheart, but needs must. You’re like a beacon wandering around the forest in that yellow outfit.”
“That thing we hid from in the forest—”
“The drone.”
She nodded. “Yes, the drone. Was it looking for me?”
“I can’t think of anyone else it could have been looking for.”
“And will the two of you be in trouble if they find out you were helping me?”
“Definitely. So best they don’t find out. Which means you stay out of trouble. Here, I’ve got something else for you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver bracelet. “Put this on your arm,” he said, handing it to her. “It will flash and beep if there’s a drone anywhere within a mile of you. If that happens, you get under cover. Back here if you can. If not, just somewhere you’re out of sight.”
She slipped the bracelet on her wrist and raised her arm. It was pretty. “Thank you.”
Dylan propped himself against the console, crossed his arms over his chest, and studied her. So she studied him back. He was as handsome as Milo. They were both tall, with broad shoulders and lean hips. His hair was longer, and his eyes a beautiful dark gold.
“Like what you see?” he said, the amusement clear in his tone.
“Yes.”
“But not as much as you like our friend, Milo.”
“No.”
He laughed. “At least you’re honest. But unrequited love is tough, and you’ve picked a hard case to crack there. The man is clearly terrified of commitment.”
She sniffed. “I don’t love him. I have no intention of falling in love with anyone. I told him I just wanted him for sex.”
Dylan’s lips twitched. “Maybe he was offended.”
Had she been wrong? Every hint and indication had told her that Milo was one of those heroes who was scared of commitment. The ones with the serious trust issues. She had no clue why, and she really wanted to know, but somehow doubted he would share. But maybe she had read him all wrong. What did she know? Nothing apart from what she had read in what she suspected were some seriously trivial books.
“Don’t look so worried,” Dylan said. “I was joking.”
“I don’t really understand humor yet. But I thought all men wanted sex.”
“You should have picked me, darling. Then we’d be fucking hard and dirty right now.”
“Oh.” She considered the idea. Trying to imagine kissing Dylan. But it wasn’t going to happen. She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think so.”
He laughed again. “I’d be hurt,” he said, “except I think Milo has it right. You are trouble.”
“I don’t mean to be.”
“Some women are just born that way. But persevere with him. I suspect he’s not too far from his breaking point.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “Really?” Though she didn’t want to actually break him.
“I have to head back,” Dylan said. “There are some people I need to see. But we’ll be back tomorrow. Are you going to sleep?”
“I might go for a walk first now that I have my bracelet. Or a run. Or a swim. I’ve always wanted to swim. I need some exercise and some fresh air.”
He studied her for a moment. Was he going to tell her to stay inside? Would she take any notice? But he just nodded to the bag. “Perhaps not the swim. Not alone. We don’t know what might be in the water. And get changed first and keep an eye on that alarm. Don’t be caught out.”
“I won’t.”
She waited until he disappeared and then emptied the bag onto the chair. There were blue jeans like Milo wore and a couple of dark, silky tank tops. She kicked off her boots and stripped off the jumpsuit and pulled on the new clothes. They fit perfectly.
She gave the red button a last look and then headed out. As she walked down the ramp, a dog barked somewhere close by and she stopped. She’d seen pictures and films of dogs, but she hadn’t known there were any on the planet.
She moved cautiously forward as it barked again. As she reached the entrance to the outside, she saw it and stared. It was huge, black and shaggy, with golden eyes. Much bigger than she’d imagined a dog would be. Its head was almost level with her shoulder. It sat on its haunches, head cocked on one side, tongue hanging out. It didn’t look vicious. As she slowly approached, it lay down and then rolled over on its back, waving its paws in the air, and she grinned.
Crouching down beside it, she reached out with a tentative hand and rubbed the soft, silky fur of its—his, she could see that now—belly and he whined softly. Then rolled onto his feet and shook himself. He walked away, and she felt a moment of regret, then he looked back over his shoulder, gave a small yip. He wanted her to follow and she hurried after him.
They walked side by side through the trees until they came to the edge of the forest and onto the sandy beach of the lake. Everything was quiet and dark, just the starlight to guide them. Then he started a slow lope along the edge of the water, and she broke into a run to keep up. Then they were running on the hard-packed sand. She’d missed running, the stretch of her muscles, the quickening of her heart, and this was so much better than on a treadmill. He sped up and she was racing flat-out until her lungs burned and her legs ached, and she felt so good.
“Stop,” she called out.
The dog glanced back and then halted. He gave her a considering look, and she could swear she saw intelligence in his eyes. Then he turned and headed straight for the water. And he pounced, submerging under the surface and then coming up, swimming along parallel to the edge.
Longing filled her. She glanced down at her jeans. She didn’t want to get them wet. She stripped them off, leaving her in panties and tank top and then she moved slowly to the water. She dipped in a toe. It was chilly but not too cold. She stepped in, then looked up and found her new friend watching her as he trod water a few feet away. She waded in until she was knee deep. Then, taking a deep breath, she dived into the water. As her head went under, she panicked for a second. Then she pulled with her arms and kicked with her legs and she was swimming.
She broke the surface and laughed.
Something nudged her in the side and she panicked again, twisting around to find the dog swimming circles around her.
Reaching down with her toes, she found she could stand, the water only came up to her shoulders and she stood almost submerged. Then she kicked back and lay faceup, floating, staring up at the countless pinpricks of stars in the sky.
She didn’t know how long she lay, letting the water carry her. Then the dog nudged her again and she turned and half swam, half waded to shore.
The dog licked her thigh and gave her a sly look and then turned and headed into the forest.
“Good night,” she called after him. “And thank you.”
Gazing across the water she experienced a moment of real happiness. Gone in a flash. How much longer did she have before her freedom was nothing but a memory? And duty was her life.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“In every country where independence has taken the place of liberty, the first desire of a manly heart is to possess a weapon which at once renders him capable of defense or attack, and, by rendering its owner fearsome, makes him feared.”
—Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo