by Reagan Woods
Since that was what he was counting on, Ssszit didn’t bother to deny it. Meanwhile, she would be occupied while he sought Bram’s consciousness. The Doranos’ life signs weren’t what they should be. It seemed his job as universal baby sitter was never done.
“Where did you and Bram plan on going from Xani?” Ssszit asked after he’d set her up on the trainer. Her back was to him and, for a moment, he thought she wouldn’t answer.
“He said something about a trading post.” She paused. “Solveng? That sounds right.”
Ssszit chirred the Tixerian equivalent of a laugh. “And what will you do once you reach Solveng?”
“Er – Bram mentioned getting work.” Lacy sounded dismayed. “He won’t be able to work, will he?”
“I don’t think Solveng is a good option for you two,” Ssszit told her gently. Bram would heal – likely well before they reached Solveng. However, that was not the direction they needed to take.
“Do you think he’ll live?” She asked, tears thick in her human voice.
Ssszit pondered the wisdom of his reply. “I think we’ve given him every chance, but I’m searching his brain waves now. I don’t see any activity yet.”
Her back straightened, shoulders squaring as her small hands gripped the controls more firmly. “What can I do to help him?”
“Do you love him?” Ssszit asked, curious. It was a difficult concept for him, but he recognized the need for love in this situation. Bram had a hard road ahead and he needed Lacy’s full commitment.
“I’ve only known him a short time,” she answered, pausing the sim to turn and look him in the eye. “But I could love him, I think.”
“You went to a lot of trouble to retrieve him,” Ssszit pushed. “What was that, if not love?”
“Fear,” she answered promptly, folding her arms across her middle. “For myself and for him. Loyalty, too, because Bram has done a lot for me without the usual strings.”
“Usual strings?”
“He didn’t expect me to repay him in any way.” It was a simple answer.
Ssszit nodded his understanding. “That is not often the way of things,” he agreed. “So, where would you take him to convalesce?”
A thin, unprotected finger tapped against her lower lip. “I guess I would take him to his home, if I could.”
“Where is home?” This was almost too easy. Strong female that she was, Lacy was vulnerable when it came to Bram’s well-being. If she weren’t in love with him now, she soon would be.
“Ummm…Cuva? I’m not sure I’m saying that right.”
“Cuva isn’t much further than Solveng,” Ssszit remarked casually. “But it is in the opposite direction.”
“One one four seven mark four six nine one mark seven seven nine four mark three two three one,” Lacy recited. “Those are the coordinates he asked me to memorize. I’m a little embarrassed I didn’t remember that until just now.”
“Cuva.” Ssszit was satisfied Bram must have known something like this situation might arise. “Use the sim. Set the course.”
Chapter 34
“What is that?” Lacy had spent every waking moment for the last two days learning to fly the skimmer. Just when she’d mastered it, Ssszit declared he had something to show her. The two by three piece of floor he’d removed threw her for a loop. Why did this tiny ship have a trap door?
His chirring laugh sounded. “It is auxiliary storage.”
Getting to her knees, she cautiously peered over the metal edge of the hole. “Ummm. Seriously, is that a warhead?” Shaped like a cigar, the shiny piece of metal was about seven feet by two feet and occupied most of the storage space.
“No. It is a bullet,” Ssszit replied.
“Like, for a gun?” She looked up from the object, searching his alien face for answers.
“It is my vehicle,” his words were gentle. “I have to go.”
Shaking her head as his intent dawned, Lacy reached across the opening and gripped his slick forearm tightly. “No. Please don’t leave us.”
“Bram will soon stir,” Ssszit reassured, his claw gently pressing her hand to his arm. “You will be alright, but you cannot tell him about me.”
“I’m sorry, what?” She reared back, nonplussed at the suggestion. “I never could have gotten us out without you. There is no way he will believe that I did.”
“You cannot tell anyone about me,” he insisted. “I was in hiding on the Nom’magata for a reason. You are one of a select few people in the universe who know that Tixerian people are more than poor, dumb bugs.”
“Ssszit, you saved our lives,” Lacy insisted. “You’re a hero. I can’t act like you don’t exist.”
“If you wish to honor me, honor my wishes.” That didn’t leave room for argument.
“Will you answer a question for me before you go?”
“If I can.” He reached into the storage space. At his touch, the bullet began to glow subtly, a series of runes like the ones on the controls of the Nom’magata took shape and hovered just above the curved surface. Each rune selected flared brightly as his claw swiped across it.
“How are you and I communicating, really?” She held her breath, half afraid of what he might say.
“I’m reading your intentions and emotions to discover the meaning of your words. When I reply, I’m infusing my intent into the vocabulary already stored within your brain.”
Frankly, that beat alien hypnosis or having something implanted into her brain when she wasn’t looking. Both of which she’d legitimately feared. “So, that’s not really called a bullet?”
“It’s close enough.” His chirr was subdued. “I’m going to miss you Lacy Callaghan, and, if I do not go now, the assassin will follow your ship instead of mine. That cannot happen.”
“How do you know that? And how can you know Bram is on the verge of waking?” She had so many questions now that their time together was all but up.
“I know many things.” A door popped out of the bullet, sliding back to reveal a bright white interior. “For instance, I know that the assassin is in a bullet much like this one. You won’t see him coming and there will be nothing to stop him from ending the two of you.” Ssszit slid down into the little ship.
“It looks like you’re in a coffin.” Lacy’s nose wrinkled. “Ssszit, thank you for saving our lives. I will never forget you.”
“You’re welcome, Lacy. Do me a favor, though, and put all your memories of me in a vault. Never speak of this.”
“I’ll keep your secret,” she promised solemnly. Whatever happened, Bram would just have to understand some things were not up for discussion.
The door slid over his prone form. “Replace the floor before I launch, Lacy.”
Reluctantly, she did as he asked and sat back on her heels, lost in thought. They were alone now. It was time to make sure she knew enough about Cuva to get Bram to his home. From the little she’d gathered from Ssszit and from Bram himself, the planet was harsh, and the people were worse.
Lacy looked up. Over time, Ssszit had removed the heart stimulator and the breathing apparatus from Bram’s inert body. Now, his chest rose and fell gently, but he still seemed unnaturally still. She had wanted to continue treating him with the healing wand, but Ssszit had vetoed that until he was conscious.
She crawled over, laid her hand over his beating heart to comfort herself. “You’re awake!” Before he could utter a sound, she was laying across his chest, squeezing with all her might. “Oh, God! Did I hurt you?” She made to pull back, but his strong arms held fast.
“Lacy. We’re alive?” He sounded confused and she couldn’t blame him.
“I was so worried about you, Bram. It’s been days since we found you with those gross priests,” she told him. “We’re on your skimmer now and headed to Cuva. You did it! We’re free!” She laid a celebratory kiss against his full lips but pulled back quickly. “Oh! Are you thirsty? Hungry?”
“Both,” he rasped.
Laughing, she b
ussed his cheek and nuzzled close to breathe him in. “Okay. I guess you should let me get up and get you something.”
“I don’t think I want to let you go just yet,” he rumbled, arms coming up to lock her against him.
“There will be plenty of time to cuddle,” she assured, peeling herself away. “I’ve mostly got this autopilot/debris avoidance thing down, but I have to keep an eye on the heading – just to be sure.”
After she supplied Bram with food and gave him an aquaglobe of edible water, Lacy helped him to the shower. “Do you need me to go in with you?”
One white brow arched. “I think I’ll be alright.”
“I’m sorry I’m being a mother hen.” She consciously stopped twisting her hands, slicking them down her thighs nervously. “I’m just so glad you’re awake. I missed you.”
Warm fingers came up to caress her jaw. “Everything is alright. As soon as I get cleaned up, you can fuss over me all you like.” He smirked.
“Maybe I won’t want to.” She forced her face into stern lines. “Maybe I’ll forget all about how much I missed you while you’re in there.”
“Or maybe you’ll check the on-course heading and be ready for the cuddling you promised when I’m done.”
She sniffed. “Maybe.”
Chapter 35
Alone, Bram took stock. He was weak from blood loss and the effects of not ingesting much for days. His last memory was facing off with eight of Ashwamei’s priests as their pet t’man’ga tried to separate him from Lacy’s crate.
Disjointed flashes of fear and brutality played behind his eyes as he started the sonishower. They’d used a stunning blast to disorient him. After that, it was blurry. Two priests had come forward to place the blood-letting cuts at his arteries, but Bram had killed them with his concealed laser sharp. Eventually, their numbers had overpowered him. That was where his memory cut out.
The priests controlled who came and went from the planet Xani, and they had private access to the space docks from their temple. Something had felt off about the fact that the Lyaran contacts had stored their ships at the priest’s docks, but Lyon and Zocan were unperturbed by the arrangement. It made sense to believe that they betrayed him, but here he was, with Lacy, on the ship they’d promised. He was obviously missing something.
“How do you feel?” Lacy didn’t get up from the captain’s chair when he exited the shower. However, her blue eyes tracked him as he walked to the cot and took a seat.
Bram smiled wryly at her concern. “I’m tired and shaky. How is that coming?” He nodded toward the console behind her.
“We’re still a few weeks out. Are you hungry? Thirsty? Can I get you something?”
Slowly, he shook his head and held out a hand. “Come here, Lacy.”
She crossed the few steps to perch on his knee with speed and alacrity. The desire to be close was something she didn’t try to hide. That openness warmed him, the hard armor over his soul cracking as her arm wrapped tight around his side and she snuggled close.
A knuckle beneath her chin put her pretty mouth at exactly the right angle for his taking. He laid his lips on hers gently, enjoying the pillowy softness, the velvety texture. Her needy response, body crushing closer as their tongues slicked together, told him things that words couldn’t.
Reluctantly, he broke the kiss. Concern went both ways, and he’d seen certain things break females. The underlying worry bubbled up. “Were you harmed?”
“I might have had a concussion. That squid monster scared a few years off my life, too.” Copper lashes veiled her emotions. “I did some bad things, Bram.”
He sucked in a breath, stomach cramping as his imagination ran amok. His arms tightened around her, pulling her close to bury his nose in the auburn mass of her hair. For a few moments, he simply inhaled her sweet scent, his hands chafing up and down her narrow back.
Muscling down the bile that wanted to claw up his esophagus, he told her, “Whatever you did, whatever anyone did to you, Lacy, if it kept you alive…I can’t pretend to understand your feelings, but I’m here. We’ll face it together.”
She angled back. “Oh, my God.” Her hand smoothed over his furred cheek, pulling his head until they were eye to eye. “Nothing like that happened, Bram. I – I killed some people. It was like someone else controlled my body…but, the thing is, I’m not sorry.” Those last words were strung together in a rush.
Perplexed, he frowned into her worried face. “What happened, exactly?”
“Zocan killed the squid-thing and pulled me out of the cage. I was a little banged up, and I couldn’t focus on anything other than finding you. I – we, I mean, followed the blood trail and, um, might have killed a few priests to free you,” she finished in a rush.
It was all Bram could do not to shake her. “You little fool!”
“Excuse me?” She hopped to her feet, angry color flooding up her neck. “I saved your life! Zocan and his buddies were ready to dust off their hands and move on.”
Bram stood, chest heaving, as emotion clogged his throat. “You should not have risked yourself.” Stooping until he reached her eye level, he glared into her face. “I’m not worth your life.”
“I say you are.” She caught him by surprise when she shoved him back. “And it was my decision.”
“Oomph!” The bunk softened his landing, but he wasn’t prepared for the mass of livid female that followed him down.
Hot breath fanning his face, she hissed, “I’d do it again, too. I don’t want to live out here in this hellish universe without you. So, stick that in your pipe and smoke it.”
Still straddling him, Lacy sat up. When she started crying, Bram didn’t know, but she palmed the tears from her face and took a shuddery breath. “I’m in love with you, Bram. Deal with it.”
“I – what?” That was exactly the last thing he expected to hear.
A watery laugh made his breath hitch, but she smiled down at him. “It surprised me, too. Everything has happened so fast, and, let’s face it, things have been less than ideal,” she admitted, rubbing a hand over her sternum. “But you’re in my heart, like it or not.”
“No one has ever told me they love me before,” he confessed, rubbing a hand over his nape self-consciously. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do.”
“Repeat after me. Thank you for loving me enough to save my life, Lacy. It means a lot to me,” she coached, leaning close to place a kiss on his cheek.
“Thank you for loving me enough to save my life, Lacy,” he parroted. “It means more than I can say. Please don’t ever do it again.”
“I won’t save your life again if you agree not to save mine.”
He snorted, amused against his will. “You know I can’t do that.”
“Then, no deal.” She snagged a scratchy blanket from a storage nook and pulled it over them both. “Now, let’s get some rest. Sleeping in that chair has been hell on my back. When we wake up, we can think of inventive activities that will be hell on your back.”
Turning so he could scoop his bigger body around hers, Bram pillowed her head with his arm and frowned. “What does that mean?”
“Sex,” she laughed. “We can have sex until you throw your back out.”
The thought of finishing what they started a few days ago had him hardening painfully. Minx that she was, she wriggled torturously against him. “Lacy,” he growled warningly.
“Goodnight, Bram.”
Chapter 36
Lacy woke slowly. She was warm and safe, wrapped tight in Bram’s arms.
“Shhh. Go back to sleep,” he murmured when she stirred.
Wiggling around, she nuzzled into the warm skin of his chest. She’d never been up close to someone with this kind of muscle definition. That gleaming, snowy skin fascinated, too. “Even your nipples are white,” she told him huskily, reaching up to test one of the hardened points.
“Mmph,” he mumbled, trapping her legs between his. “What color are your nipples?” A sleepy eyelid cra
cked with interest.
“Like you don’t know,” she rolled her eyes. “I’m pretty sure you’ve seen me naked a lot more than I’ve seen you naked. Now let go,” she reluctantly pressed against his abs. “I’ve got to check the autopilot.”
“How’d you learn so much about this ship so fast?” He asked as she diligently checked their heading, speed and fuel consumption.
Giving Bram the truth without breaking her word to Ssszit wasn’t easy, but it didn’t feel right to lie to him. “I used the training sim, but I also had help,” she admitted, forestalling further questions with a finger in the air. “Let me finish here and I’ll tell you what I can.”
When she was satisfied they weren’t going to tumble off onto the wrong path, Lacy turned back to him. “I want to tell you everything, but I made a promise to keep someone’s identity safe. We had help leaving Xani. I promised I wouldn’t divulge anything else, but we’re safe now.” She crawled back onto the bunk to kneel next to him. “That’s what matters, right?”
He was silent for a few moments. “You promised to keep the identity from me?”
Lacy nodded, brushing a lock of silky hair off his forehead. “It was a fair trade for your life.”
“And this person didn’t hurt you in any way?” He scowled, gripping her wrist to pull her down next to him. “You would tell me, right?”
“Bram, I promise I’m fine.”
“You’re fascinatingly strong, Lacy.” Eyes open, he pulled her close and laid his firm lips atop hers with a tenderness that brought tears to her eyes. One warm hand knotted in her hair as he rolled her to her back and edged his big body between her knees.
His kisses heated her blood, sparking a sharp yearning deep inside. “Bram,” she whined, sinking her fingers into the skin over his hard biceps.
“Mmm?” His demanding mouth moved to devour the column of her throat, little bites and nibbles hinting at pleasure and pain to come.
