He swiped a hand over his face, feeling tiredness tug at him. He’d caught a few hours of sleep in his office off the bridge. With his ship in upheaval, there had been too much to monitor and check in on.
“They should have the bulk of the work finished over the next two shifts,” Airen said from beside him.
He nodded. He’d been busy, but it hadn’t stopped him thinking of Wren.
Or the flicker of hurt and confusion on her face when he’d all but ignored her on the bridge.
Malax rubbed his temple. He had a job to do. He had to keep reminding himself of that. Not this growing obsession with an Earth woman.
“You’re thinking of her again,” Airen said.
He speared his second with a look. “Don’t start, Airen.” He took a deep breath. “Do you know where she is?”
“With the engineers next door helping repair the cargo bay systems.” Airen smoothed a hand down her braid. “There is no doubting that she’s talented with a comp and equipment.”
“Yes.”
“We’re a day away from reaching the Desteron.”
And then she’d be gone. Malax stayed silent, his gut turning into a hard knot.
Airen paused. “Her helian, Sassy…”
“One problem at a time, Airen. We’ll deal with Sassy later.”
His second nodded. “I’ll be on the bridge if you need me.”
Malax walked along the line of repairs, then strode through a doorway to the neighboring cargo bay. A wall of sound hit him, music blaring through the bay.
It wasn’t like any music he’d heard before. His gaze fell on Wren, who was swinging her hips to the music as she held her tablet. She looked at one of the engineers and raised a thumb at the man.
“You like it?” she called out to him.
“Earth music is…lively,” the engineer said.
Then Wren turned and spotted Malax. A huge smile broke out on her face.
Malax felt it in his gut. He didn’t smile back, just nodded. “Thank you for helping with the repairs.”
Her smile slipped. “Sure. Did you get any sleep?”
“A little. It’s been busy.”
She tucked a curl back behind her ear. “Well, let me tell you, my first night in a real bed was awesome.”
He wanted to smile, to touch her, to hold her. But instead, he forced himself to recite the names of his lost warriors on Dalath Prime.
“I’ll leave you to your work. We have a day until you’ll be back with your sisters.”
He saw her face fall, the spark bleeding out of her eyes.
Gritting his teeth, Malax turned and headed for the doorway. Halfway there, he heard a strident beep.
“Malax, wait up.”
Turning, he saw Wren rushing over to him. She was staring at her tablet and about to trip over a pile of tools. He caught her arm before she fell.
“Oops, thanks.”
He felt the heat of her and instantly, his body responded. “What is it?”
Her brow was creased. “Sassy is picking up a heat signature in the conduits. It isn’t any of your warriors and—” she sucked in a deep breath “—it looks like it’s headed toward the helian core.”
His pulse jumped and he looked at her tablet screen. He saw the glowing blotch of color on the map and touched his communicator.
“Airen? Wren is picking up a heat signature in the conduits. Run a scan.”
“On it,” Airen replied. “There is nothing showing on scans.”
“No bio-signatures? No Kantos?”
“I’m running the scan again.”
Wren bounced on her toes, her teeth biting into her bottom lip.
Stay focused, Dann-Jad.
“Nothing,” Airen said again.
“Thanks.” He met Wren’s gaze. “It must be a false alarm.”
“I do not do false alarms,” Sassy snapped.
He kept his gaze on Wren’s face. “Thank you for your help, but my team have confirmed the scans are clear. We know our ship better than anyone.”
Wren pressed her tongue to her teeth. “Are you going to pat me on the head now and tell me to have a nice day?”
He stilled. “What?”
“I’m not really liking this cool, distant version of you.”
“This is me.”
She shoved a hand on her hip. “It isn’t the man I’ve gotten to know the last few days.”
“That man has been distracted by you, and he has a job to do.”
Her head jerked. “So, I’m a distraction now. Right.”
He curled his hands into fists. “Wren—”
She shook her head, her curls flying. “No, I get it. I’m a distraction, I’ve messed up your orderly ship, and I don’t belong here.”
Malax didn’t respond.
Wren sucked in a breath and he saw the glimmer of wetness in her eyes. It was like a blow to his stomach. He lifted a hand to reach for her, but she quickly stepped back.
“God, why is my douche-radar so broken?” she muttered.
“I can’t afford to lose focus, Wren. Lives depend on me doing my job.”
Alarms started blaring and Airen’s voice cut through their tense conversation.
“Malax, Wren was correct. I recalibrated the scanners to scan more than just bio-signatures or Kantos. There is something near the helian core, but it isn’t biological.”
Malax cursed, his gaze met Wren’s again.
Then together, they sprinted out of the cargo bay.
* * *
Wren and Malax ran down a corridor. The thunder of boots came from a side corridor, and Sabin and his security team joined them.
Sabin held a small scanner. “We’re close.”
“Get us in there, Sabin,” Malax said.
“Here.” Sabin thumped a conduit cover in the wall.
Malax gripped it and ripped it off. Sabin and his warriors rushed in first. Malax went next, and Wren followed. As they hurried through the tight space, she managed to thump her elbow on the wall.
Ow. Malax turned and grabbed her arm.
She pulled away and brushed past him. He’d called her a distraction and given her the cold shoulder. She was equal parts pissed and hurt. Dammit, she barely knew the man. He shouldn’t affect her like this.
Turning sideways, she squeezed through a narrow part of the maintenance conduit. At least she wasn’t crawling.
Then Sabin and his team came to a halt. Curses filled the space. When the warriors shifted, she saw the conduit ended, and ahead was a small, horizontal tunnel. It was too small for Eon warriors, but not for a Terran woman.
Yay, more crawling.
Wren shoved forward.
“Wren, no.” Malax gripped her shoulder.
“Whatever it is, we have to stop it before it reaches the helian core,” she said.
Malax looked away and muttered something.
“We can circle around,” Sabin said. “The tunnel opens up again not far from the core.”
“I’ll try to slow it down until you get there,” Wren said.
Malax grabbed her arms again. “You stay safe. Don’t take any risks.”
His face was filled with emotion, the strands of gold in his eyes glowing, and she felt something in her chest crack. “See you soon.”
Turning, Wren got crawling. Thankfully, the tunnel wasn’t too long. Being cautious, she climbed out the other end into an octagonal-shaped room. Several conduits opened up onto the space.
“Weird alien signature, where are you hiding?” she whispered.
“Incoming from the left,” Sassy said.
Wren swiveled, just as a…thing came out of the doorway of another tunnel.
She blinked. It didn’t look like anything she’d ever seen before. It was about the size of a dog and made entirely of gray, shiny metal spikes. It looked like a bunch of metal shards had stuck to a magnet and started walking around. It turned in her direction and stopped.
“The creature is an iron-based lifeform,” Sass
y said.
“Seriously?” She’d heard that SpaceCorps had a record of some non-carbon-based lifeforms they’d encountered, but she’d never seen one before.
“Be careful, Wren, it is sentient, and its core temperature is extremely hot.”
Okay. She held out a palm. “Nice alien.”
The alien darted toward her and Wren backed up a step. It rushed her again, aiming for her legs. She squeaked and she kicked it.
It scuttled backward, its metal spikes quivering.
Uh oh.
Before it rushed at her again, there was a thumping sound and a wall panel nearby vibrated. Wren sucked in a breath and then the metal tore open and Malax’s big body burst through. He was wearing his black armor.
His gaze fell on the metal creature and a sword formed on his arm. “Xukra.”
“You know what it is?”
“An iron-based lifeform from the planet Xukrana. They live in seas of molten iron. Highly aggressive and very dangerous.”
Wonderful. The alien bristled and Malax attacked.
She watched them circle each other and Malax slashed at it with his sword. Then the Xukra leaped into the air, aiming for Malax’s throat. The next swing of his sword cut the alien in two.
It fell to the floor and Wren saw the glowing, red-hot insides of the alien.
“They are an ally of the Kantos,” Malax said.
Something clicked inside her head. “Oh, God, the Kantos wanted us to enter that asteroid belt.”
Malax nodded, face grim. “They had Xukra in the molten iron on the asteroids, waiting to board the Rengard. This came aboard through the damage to the cargo bay.”
“To try and get the helians,” she finished.
“Yes, the Kantos are proving to be more cunning than the Eon High Command guessed. For years, they’ve just swarmed, with little strategy, but now…”
Suddenly, the sound of metal scraping on metal made them both turn. The Xukra’s severed parts vibrated, then snapped back together.
What the hell? Wren backed up a step. She watched in horror as the alien started increasing in size, its spiky shards multiplying.
“Wren!” Malax dived at her, taking her to the ground.
She hit hard, with most of his weight on top of her. Her tablet went flying out of her hands and the air rushed out of her. Then she saw metal shards whizz over their heads. The deadly projectiles sliced into the wall behind them.
Shit. Her pulse jumped. If those hit their skin…
“Crawl.” Malax urged her up on her hands and knees.
More shards shot from the Xukra. As Malax used his sword to deflect them, Wren crawled toward the closest conduit.
“Go.” Malax was right behind her. “Move faster.”
She scrambled into the conduit. Damn, they needed somewhere to hide. She spotted a panel down low and quickly yanked it open. Beyond it was a tiny space, only about a meter high.
“In here.” She ducked inside and a second later, Malax moved in behind her.
Suddenly, the small space got very cramped. He rammed the panel closed, locking them in the darkness. She was plastered against his body and he was bent over to fit in the space. The sound of their breathing echoed in the tight confines.
Then she heard a metallic clanking outside.
The Xukra was right outside their hiding place.
Wren reached for Malax’s hand. His fingers closed around hers and squeezed.
Then a glow flared in the darkness. She heard Malax curse.
“What?” she whispered, shifting to see past his broad back.
The panel was glowing red around the edges.
Her eyes widened. “What’s it doing—?”
Malax kicked at the panel. It didn’t budge. He kicked again and again.
“By Ston’s sword.” With a final, frustrated slam of his boot, he slumped back. “The Xukra welded the panel shut.”
Her heart lodged in her throat. “So, we’re—”
“Trapped.”
Chapter Ten
“Sabin? Airen?” Malax’s communicator stayed stubbornly quiet.
“Sassy?” Wren tapped the blue band on her wrist. “God, I hope my tablet is okay.”
“My warriors will find us.” He shifted, feeling very cramped in the small space. “It might be more comfortable if we lie down.”
They maneuvered around, and with each brush of her body against his, Malax felt desire ignite. She pressed her hand to the floor, right between his legs, brushing his thigh.
“Oh, damn, sorry.” She pulled her hand away and finally managed to lie down on her side. Malax shifted as well, spreading out to face her.
Their gazes locked in the dim light from her wristband and his armor.
Then they heard running footsteps and shouting in the conduit outside. Malax heard the sounds of fighting.
He kicked the wall. “Sabin! In here.”
“Malax?” Sabin’s muffled voice.
“The Xukra trapped us in here.”
There was the sound of banging, then it stopped. “The panel is welded shut, we’ll need some tools.” The sound of more shouting and fighting. “Malax, the Xukra is headed for the helian core—”
“Go!” Malax ordered. “Wren and I are fine. Stop the Xukra, then come back for us.”
“I’ll be back.”
Soon the sounds of the fighting and footsteps faded.
“You think they’ll catch it?” she asked.
“Yes. The Xukra can’t survive in cooler temperatures for extended periods of time. They’ll catch it or keep it from leaving.” The Kantos were getting too bold and Malax didn’t like it. Especially not on his ship. “The Kantos will never get my ship’s helians.”
Wren shifted and bumped her head on the top of their hiding place. “Ouch.”
He reached out and helped her lower back down to the floor. He gently rubbed her head and watched as she went still and wary. Her pretty scent filled the space, seeping deep into his senses.
“I can’t ignore you,” he murmured.
Her chin lifted. “That’s what you were trying to do? Because I’m a distraction?”
“I’m sorry.”
“If you don’t want to be around me, just say so, Malax, I—”
“I do want to be around you. That’s the problem. That’s all I want, all I think about.”
Her chest hitched.
“I like touching you.” He stroked the side of her face and heard her breath hitch again. “I like looking at you, hearing your voice, I want to see your smile.”
Because he couldn’t stop himself, Malax dropped a kiss to her lips. He kept it light, gentle, torturing himself with the taste of her. Her tongue darted out and licked his lips.
He groaned.
“No one’s ever said anything like that to me before,” she whispered.
He frowned. “Then the men of Earth must be stupid.”
Her smile faded. “My parents mostly ignored me. I wasn’t quick and athletic like my sisters.” She moved a shoulder. “I was the geek among the badasses. And after my father died, I was invisible to my mother. Then there was this guy—”
Malax growled. “Who?” Did she love a man back on Earth?
Wren sighed. “My ex. He owned a gym, although his body was nothing like yours.”
“Not a true warrior, then.”
She giggled. “No. He liked to show off his physique, but I’m pretty sure Lance would run from a fight.” Her face turned serious. “He cheated on me.”
Malax grabbed her hand. How could any man not see what he had with a woman like Wren: beauty, strength, intelligence, love, and loyalty? “He was incredibly stupid.”
“No, I was the stupid one. After I caught him, I realized how much he’d spoken down to me. He was always telling me not to eat that or to exercise more. Dress more sexily, Wren. Don’t talk about your work so much, Wren, it’s boring.”
“He was a jealous idiot. What did your sisters say about him?”
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “I never told them he cheated on me. They hated him from the beginning, and I didn’t listen to them. I was embarrassed.”
“Wren, we all make mistakes.”
“You don’t.”
Every muscle in his body tensed. “I do. I have. Some that will haunt me forever.”
Her gaze locked on his face. “Malax…?”
“On my first command mission, I lost warriors. I failed to listen to all the intelligence we had, I was arrogant, and my warriors died. I led them to their deaths.”
Her small hand wrapped around his fist and she shifted closer. “It can’t have—”
He shook his head. “I…can’t talk about it.” He couldn’t tell her the bloody, gory details.
Suddenly, banging on the panel made them jerk apart.
“Malax,” Sabin yelled.
“Sabin? Did you stop the Xukra?”
“We got it. Now, move back, we’re going to cut you out.”
* * *
Wren let Malax help her out of the small crawl space. Sabin and several warriors stood crowded in the conduit.
Malax cupped her cheeks. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. They all made their way back to the octagonal junction and when she saw the metallic shards embedded in the wall, she shivered. Then she spotted her tablet.
“Sassy!” She snatched the device up, checking it for damage. It looked intact.
“Are you okay, Wren Traynor?” Sassy asked.
“We’re fine.” She looked over and saw the warriors gathered around a frozen block of ice. Inside, she saw the remnants of the alien creature.
“We used coolant on the Xukra,” Sabin said. “Once its body temperature goes too low, it ceases sentient functions.”
“Excellent work, Sabin.” Malax clapped the security commander on the shoulder.
“Sassy, any more of these Xukra aboard?” Wren asked.
“Negative. However, the Rengard’s scanners appear to be malfunctioning periodically.”
Malax shoved his hands on his hips. “I look forward to all my ship’s systems being back to normal soon.”
Sabin lifted his chin. “Airen suspects the Xukra did something to mess with the scanners. She has a team working on it.”
“It was definitely after the helians,” Malax said. “The Kantos are throwing everything they have at getting them.” He eyed the frozen hunk of alien. “Record that and then get it off my ship.”
Heart of Eon: Eon Warriors #3 Page 8