Some of the crew gave her odd looks as she passed them going to the lift. Abby ignored them. It wasn’t any of their business why she was moving that many clothes. She went to the level where Drak had relocated and stepped out of the lift, almost slamming into a security guard.
He frowned, glancing at her suitcase. “What’s in that?”
“Some of my clothes.”
His gaze lifted to her face. “I wasn’t informed of a cabin change. Who are you?”
She reached inside her pocket and withdrew her ID. “Abby Thomas, personal assistant to Commander Bills.”
He blocked her path, lifting his communications device as he read her ID.
“You won’t find a cabin change order. I’m spending a few days with my boyfriend. Am I breaking fleet protocol by walking around with a suitcase?”
He scowled. “No. It’s just unusual. It’s my job to investigate.”
She wanted to roll her eyes but refrained. “Well, now you know who I am and what I’m carrying.” She tried to step around him, but he blocked her away again.
Now she was irritated.
“I need to check that.”
“Are you for real?” She lowered her ID and placed the suitcase down. “Go for it. Just don’t touch my undergarments. That would be creepy.” She stepped to the side to give him room.
“Who are you staying with?” He knelt, opening her case.
“That’s none of your business. I’m a civilian employee. I don’t have to answer to you unless I’m breaking laws, which I’m certainly not.”
He looked inside her open suitcase then closed it, standing. “Answer the question, or I’ll escort you to security.”
Her temper flared. “Let me guess. You’re not a fan of mine.” She stepped closer, reading the name on the ID that was attached to his uniform. “Are you a friend of Bradley Rogers or someone on Team One? Listen up close, Mercer. I’ve got better things to do than play power trip with you.”
His eyes narrowed and his mouth pressed into a tight line, but he stepped out of her way. Abby lifted her suitcase and glared back at him. “Tell your buddies in security that I won’t tolerate being harassed.” She walked toward the family unit.
“Making friends, as always,” she muttered.
She reached the Veslors’ new suite beyond a curve in the corridor and placed her palm on the lock scanner. It opened for her.
Motion out of the corner of her eye had her turning her head. The security guard had followed her around the curve. She resisted the urge to flip him off, instead just entering and letting the door seal behind her.
Security couldn’t override the locks to this suite. She’d made sure of that. Only Howard had the authority, besides her and the Veslors. She hadn’t even added Clark Yenna. Not until she was certain he could be trusted.
The lights had automatically come on in the big living space. She crossed to Drak’s bedroom, opened the door, and walked to the closet to unpack. The master had a walk-in closet space. Ten minutes later, she had changed into her pajamas and curled up on the bed with a data pad to read a book.
Hours passed.
Abby kept glancing at the communications device, worry steadily building.
When another four hours passed, she got out of bed, pacing. Drak and the grouping should have been back already. She cursed, finally calling Clark.
He answered right away. “The colony is under heavy attack tonight. All pilots have been ordered to stand down and wait for dawn to pick up their teams.”
“Who gave that order?”
“Commander Bills.”
“Are you sure it was him? Not some shithead screwing with his orders?”
“I spoke directly to Howard. I don’t like it either. They’ve been down there for two consecutive shifts and now they’re going into three. I’m in the shuttle right now, ready to go down to pick them up if they call in early or need assistance.”
“Okay. Thank you for letting me know.” She disconnected with him and paced some more, before deciding to call Howard.
“I know what this is about, Abby. I’m sorry I had to keep the Veslors down there all night. Clark already chewed my ass out, bitching about how his boys must be exhausted by now. The settlement is under heavy attack, more so than usual.”
“Why is that?”
“I don’t know.” Howard sounded stressed. “They usually get maybe half a dozen of those damn Cadia trying to get past their defenses. Tonight, they’ve had at least four dozen of those fucking worms trying to break through the barriers. We sent down another team three hours ago to assist.”
“How many teams in all are down there right now?”
“Three. We usually have two, and only one team for the third shift, to cover the settlement walls. Since we’ve started bombing the nearby caves and holes, it’s reduced their numbers, and we assumed the remaining ones had to travel farther to reach the settlement, since they now attack a few hours after dark.”
“What could have changed?”
“No idea. Roth and the other two team leaders said the creatures are smaller in size than normal, so perhaps this is a breeding cycle for the Cadia.”
She digested that information. “Like a breeding season just happened, and now the young ones big enough to hunt have come out looking for food?”
“That’s one theory. I have the science teams working late tonight, too, trying to figure this out. There’s a lot about those creatures we don’t know. The damn colonists didn’t do much research on what they were going to be living with before they built the settlement. Fucking civilians.”
“Okay.”
“Clark is on standby inside his shuttle to fly down to the surface at first light. He’s refused to return to his cabin until he gets his team back onboard.”
That made Abby feel better. “Please update me if it gets worse down there.”
“The teams are holding the barriers.” Howard paused. “Roth actually sounded excited about it.”
“They do like to fight.” She just hoped none of the Veslors were hurt, especially Drak. “Definitely update me if you hear anything bad, please.”
“I promise, Abby. I know what Drak means to you. I’m sorry I had to make the decision to keep them down there all night. Though, Roth volunteered them.”
That didn’t surprise her, either. “Fine. I’ll keep my communications device right next to me.”
“We both will. It’s going to be a long third shift. Try to get some sleep.” He disconnected with her.
Abby went into the bathroom and got ready for bed. Not that she believed she’d get much sleep. Now with Drak and his grouping in danger down on the surface.
* * * * *
Drak snorted a laugh, watching Gnaw open fire on a Cadia slithering toward the tall wall they stood on. It screamed, thrashing as it was hit. Gnaw grabbed a grenade, snarled loud in warning to their grouping, and pitched it hard.
They all ducked behind the raised edge of the wall, taking cover. The explosion was followed by pieces of the Cadia hitting the wall. Drak counted to three before rising, wiping blood splatter from the arm he’d used to shield the faceplate of his helmet. The creature lay still, the front of it a mess of gore.
“That is six for me,” Gnaw announced. “There’s another one.”
Drak followed his grouping’s gazes, seeing movement out in the dark coming toward them. It was farther down the wall from where they stood. “Where were they hiding? We cleared this area today.”
“They are getting smarter at hiding,” Maith called out. “Or more determined to kill the humans for food and willing to travel longer distances.”
Roth opened fire on the new one, making it scream in pain. Then their leader pitched a grenade at the Cadia while its mouth remained open. They all ducked, right before it blew. A large piece of the creature landed next to Drak. He pitched it off the wall.
Throughout the long day and night, his thoughts kept drifting to Abby. Drak had wanted to contact her when th
eir shifts had been extended but Clark Yenna had promised to give her a message, rather than make her go to a control station to speak directly to him. Planet-to-ship coms were limited in their abilities.
She probably worried about him, considering his long absence.
“Four count for me,” Roth growled.
“Don’t feel jealousy,” Gnaw teased. “I must smell better since most of them have come at my section of wall.”
Drak laughed. “They can’t smell us in these suits, though you are making the most noise with your bragging.”
“I’d be good food,” Gnaw continued, “but I’m too skilled to allow them to kill me.”
“Silence, both of you,” Roth ordered.
Drak forced his focus on the darkness, watching for any movement. He was grateful he couldn’t smell the stench of death that must be present with so many bodies of the creatures below. It wouldn’t be wise to attempt to move the beasts’ bodies until after the sun came up. The ground wasn’t safe beyond the walls. Cadia could come up from the dirt without warning.
“Do you think your female is upset?”
Drak shot Gnaw a scowl. “No.” He focused again on his task of searching for movement.
“You wish to be with Abby instead of with us.”
Maith made a grunting throat noise. “Any of us would rather be with a female than on this wall.”
“We should all find human females.”
“No, Gnaw,” Roth interjected. “We shouldn’t. Our king is going to be angry enough when he finds out that Drak copulated with a human.”
“Our king isn’t here and probably hasn’t ever been around humans,” Gnaw countered. “He shouldn’t have sent us to live on a ship with unmated females if he did not want us to possibly be attracted to one.”
“We’re here to fight.” Roth paused. “Human females aren’t aggressive enough to be appealing to our kind.”
“That isn’t true,” Drak growled. “Abby is very appealing to me.”
Maith walked a little closer to Drak on the wall. “Agreed. I find humans attractive, too. Were there any problems copulating with your Abby?”
“No. I won’t share intimate details, but not only is it possible, it’s extremely pleasurable.” Drak understood why Maith questioned him. He was their medic, after all. “For both of us.”
“It is difficult for me to believe that.” Roth sighed loudly. “Where is the challenge? It is extremely arousing when a female provokes us to prove we are worthy of her. Humans are too fragile.”
“Abby is very arousing,” Drak assured.
“You had to be gentle, correct?”
Drak didn’t like Roth’s disapproving tone. “Yes. It enhanced the experience. Instead of being focused on keeping her pinned under me, attempting to avoid any injuries she might cause during normal copulation, I could focus on the pleasure I felt. It was also a challenge.”
Roth snorted his disbelief.
“I would not tell you lies. To be gentle enough not to cause Abby any pain or bruising was more of a challenge than a normal dominance display. It was a great test of my skills to stay in control.”
“I would like to test my skills with a human female,” Gnaw growled softly.
“No more talk of copulation,” Roth ordered. “We are here to fight.”
“There are no current Cadia attacking our section of wall,” Maith pointed out. “It is a good time to talk. There are no humans near us. I haven’t met any female on Defcon Red who interests me to copulate with, but it may change if we stay on this job for a long period of time. Drak, what are the physical differences between human and Veslor females?”
“I am not comfortable discussing Abby’s bare body,” he admitted. “You’re our medic, Maith. Speak to human medics to gain that information. They’ve asked plenty of questions about us.”
“You expect me to walk into their medical bay and ask to see visual scans of one of their females?” Maith grunted. “That would alarm them.”
Drak hid a smile. “Take me with you if do that. I want to see their expressions.”
“I forbid it,” Roth snarled. “Stop thinking of human females.”
“We can do both,” Drak assured him. He glanced at the sky, noted the few stars showing. Abby was up there, hopefully in in his bed, and he couldn’t wait for the sun to rise to return to her.
Chapter Thirteen
Abby jerked awake when something beeped loudly. She sat up fast, confused about where she was, until she realized it was Drak’s bedroom. She grabbed the communications device. “Abby here.”
“It’s Clark. I’m going down to pick them up. They are no injuries.”
“Thank you.” Relief hit Abby hard. The pilot was finally flying down to the planet to pick up the Veslors.
“They’re going to be hungry and in need of showers.”
“I’m on it. Please bring them back safely.”
“You got it. Clark out.”
She dropped the device and scooted off the bed she’d slept on top of, not bothering to pull back the covers the night before. A quick trip to the bathroom to brush her teeth and use the toilet had her back on her communications device in minutes. When she was done making calls, she dressed quickly.
Fifteen minutes later, the door chimed to the suite. Abby glanced at the monitor, glad to see two civilians in food services uniforms. She opened the door, waving them inside. “Thank you very much for doing this.”
“Thank you for the large tip you paid us to do it.”
Abby was glad they’d agreed to deliver food to the family suite. The last thing the grouping needed was to go to the cafeteria or eat the few items the food dispenser kept in stock on every level of the ship. Both men pushed in the cart and quickly left. Abby took it to the dining table and started lifting covered plates, putting one before each chair. Then she found mugs in the kitchen cupboards for the coffee in the two large carafes that came with breakfast.
Her gaze kept going to the door. Every minute that passed seemed like forever. Until it finally opened—and Drak was the first one to enter. She probably shouldn’t have rushed at him, but she’d been worried.
A big grin split his handsome face and he caught her, lifting her right off her feet. She hugged him around the neck.
“You’re safe!”
Drak chuckled. “I missed you, Abby.”
“That is disgusting,” a male grunted.
Abby jerked her head up, looking over Drak’s shoulder as the rest of his grouping came in. It was Gnaw who’d spoken. He laughed at her expression. “We all need showers. You shouldn’t touch him yet, Abby.”
Roth sniffed. “I smell food.”
Abby wiggled, and Drak put her back on her feet but kept hold of her by her waist. “Breakfast has been delivered. I ordered a lot. It’s all on the table, so feel free to dig in.”
“We should shower first.” Roth stared longingly at the table.
“No, you shouldn’t,” Abby protested. “I’m human. I don’t have your sense of smell, and you don’t stink to me. Please, eat while it’s hot.”
Roth met her gaze and his expression softened. “We appreciate this.”
“She’s a keeper.” Gnaw rushed toward the table. “Did you hear me, Drak? Mate her.”
“I heard.” Drak gave Abby a gentle squeeze, smiling at her. “I plan to.”
Abby met his stare and felt her stance on mating too fast softening just a tiny bit. “Go eat. Tell me about your night.”
“You don’t want to hear about any of that.” Gnaw sat at the table, lifting the dome off the plate in front of him. “So much meat. Good choice, Abby!” He dug in.
She walked with Drak to the table. He was the last Veslor to sit. The other three were already eating. She didn’t flinch over their eagerness, remembering how starved she’d been after having spent the night on the planet. “I can pour coffee.”
“We have it.” Drak lifted the dome on his plate but hesitated. “Why isn’t there a plate for you?”
“I don’t eat a heavy meal first thing in the morning.” She left his side to walk to the food dispenser, ordering a pastry and tea.
All four of them stared at the small plate she held as she took a seat next to Drak, making her feel a little self-conscious. “What?”
“You’re only eating a thick piece of bread?” Drak appeared confused.
“It’s an apple-filled baked good. I would get sick if I ate more than this so early, and feel horrible the rest of the day. I snack a lot while I’m at my desk during work, if that helps.”
“You need to eat more.”
She just shook her head at Drak. “I heard the Cadia were acting oddly.”
“Many attacked.” Maith poured himself some coffee, sniffed at it curiously, then took a sip. “We were in no danger.”
“We were on a high wall,” Gnaw added. “We killed them before they could slam into the barriers to attempt to break through.”
“Did any of them succeed?”
Roth shook his head. “We had three teams, plus dozens of humans who live in the settlement helping. I expected more of a challenge but they are easy to kill if you throw small bombs inside their mouths.”
Abby stopped eating. “Oh. Yeah. That would work.”
“Clark had to hose us down with cleaning foam when we reached the shuttle bay, and he took our suits to be cleaned. We didn’t want to make humans more fearful of us by walking through the ship with blood and gore splattered all over us.”
“Silence, Gnaw,” Roth reprimanded. “You’ll alarm the female.”
“I’m fine with that kind of thing,” she promised. “As long as none of that blood or gore belongs to any of you.” She peered up at Drak. “Are you sure you weren’t hurt at all?”
“I’m unharmed. We are hungry, need showers, and sleep would be good.” He studied her. “Were you awake all night? You appear tired.”
“I didn’t sleep well. I hope you don’t mind but I took the day off. I thought I’d nap with you.”
Drak grinned. “I’d like that.”
Gnaw laughed. “It is a good thing we have our own rooms and the walls are thick.”
Mission: Guardian Angel (Veslor Mates Book 2) Page 14