by Tana Stone
He jerked back, feeling the warmth from her touch spread through him. “I’m fine. I’m trying to process what you told me. Did he say anything else about the invasion? How or when?”
She returned her hand to the armrest. “No. That was it. I told him I had no intention of giving him my DNA and he jabbed me with another needle and knocked me out.” She pulled her arms around herself. “The next time I woke up, I was naked on a hard metal table, with tubes in my arms and feet.”
He tried to push aside any thoughts of her naked body, even though he felt his cock twitch. “But when I found you, you were dressed and roaming the halls.”
She straightened her shoulders. “I wouldn’t say ‘roaming the halls.’ I was looking for a way out, and I had a weapon. I was also barely clothed. They ruined my dress.” Bridget managed a small smile. “Let’s just say the Kronock underestimated me.”
“I’d say so.” Kax remembered the kick to his midsection. “You’re a lot tougher than you look.”
“You have no idea,” Bridget said, her smile slipping. She took a deep breath. “So what’s your plan to stop it?”
“To stop what?” Kax asked.
“The invasion, of course. I may never get to return to Earth, but I don’t want it taken over by asshole aliens like the Kronock.” She slapped her hands on the armrests of her chair. “What’s your plan to stop them from destroying my people?”
Kax eyed her. She had spirit, for sure. “My mission is to get you back to the station. Then, I can share what you know with the High Command and determine our next moves.”
Bridget frowned. “How long will that take? They could be launching an attack now.”
“My first priority is not to get caught by the Kronock. If they think they need human DNA for their invasion, keeping you from them is crucial.”
That seemed to pacify her. She gave a small nod. “I’m all for that. I did not like the way that big alien looked at me.”
Kax had seen the way the way the creature had looked at her, as well. If he didn’t think the Kronock were emotionless monsters, he’d have thought it was lust. There was no doubt it was desire, whether the desire went beyond acquiring her DNA, he couldn’t be sure. One thing he knew, he had to keep her out of Kronock hands. He felt his own hands curling into fists as he thought about the Kronock touching her. The idea of those cold-blooded, mutated creatures laying a single clawed finger on her made his blood boil. He would never let that happen again, even if it meant dying in the process. Even if it meant he was only saving her to be with another Drexian.
“You wouldn’t happen to have anything else I could wear?” Bridget asked after a minute of silence.
He looked over at the black suit. The thin fabric was incredibly strong and designed for resilience, but he doubted it was comfortable without anything on underneath. “There may be something in the wall panel behind you.”
Bridget rose and moved a few feet back to open the storage panel of the shuttle. “Wow. There’s a little bit of everything in here.” She held up a shiny, sealed pouch. “Are these MREs?”
“I do not know ‘MREs,’ but they are travel rations.”
She nodded. “MREs. I dated a Marine once.”
Kax knew Marines were a type of Earth warrior, and he felt his stomach twist again. He knew he had no right to feel anything close to jealousy. His mission was to return her so she could be matched with another Drexian. End of story.
She tossed the packet into her seat and pulled out a black, short-sleeved shirt worn under military uniforms. “A T-shirt. Now this is what I’m talking about.”
Kax twisted around to see what she called a T-shirt as she unzipped the flight suit and stepped out of it. He meant to turn back around right away but was transfixed by the sight of her naked body—all long, sinewy limbs, with a firm ass and high, rounded breasts. His cock hardened as she pulled the shirt over her head, and he turned back before she caught him gaping at her with raw desire. He forced the feeling down, closing his eyes and fighting for control. She’s not yours. She can never be yours.
“Much better.” Bridget scooped up the rations and flopped back in the chair, her muscular legs bare. Tearing open the packet, she sniffed it before pulling out the slab of Drexian flatbread and taking a bite. She swallowed and held it out to Kax. “Want a bite?”
He shook his head, avoiding glancing over at Bridget. Even though the Drexian-sized shirt reached halfway down her thighs, Kax knew she had nothing on underneath it, and he forced himself to focus on the readouts.
“It’s not bad.” She took another bite, then leaned closer to him. “You sure you don’t want to get out of your jumpsuit? I promise I won’t peek.”
He shook his head without looking at her. The less he looked at her, the better.
Chapter Nine
Bridget tried not to be offended when he wouldn’t meet her eyes. She’d thought this guy had a sense of humor, but apparently not. “Just a joke,” she mumbled, more to herself than anything else.
Kax glanced over at her. “It will be a while until we reach our destination. You should get some rest.”
Her first instinct was to protest, but as soon as he mentioned sleep she felt the exhaustion of the day wash over her. She didn’t know if it was the dull hum of the ship’s engine, or the fact that the adrenaline pumping through her body was wearing off, but she was suddenly bone tired.
She finished off the flatbread, then craned her neck to inspect the small craft. “You hiding a bed in here somewhere?”
“Actually. . .” He stood and flipped a few levers on the wall, and a single bunk flipped down from the middle. “There’s one on each side.”
She gave an appreciative nod. “Pretty clever. It’s like one of those train compartments.”
“What is a train?” He returned to his pilot’s chair, and watched as she sat on the bunk and bounced up and down gently a few times.
“Do you not have trains on your home world?” She made the motions with her hands as though she were pushing a toy train. “You know, things that have lots of cars and roll around on metal rails.”
“Sounds primitive,” he said.
“Well, excuse me. I guess we can’t all be technologically advanced super-aliens.” She put a hand over her mouth to cover a yawn.
“I never said the Drexians were ‘super aliens,’ although we are known throughout the galaxy as fierce warriors. We just happen to have more advanced technology than your planet.”
“Yeah, these suits that change color are pretty cool.” She motioned to his arm.
“Drexians are known for stealth technology in many forms.”
She watched him swivel back around to the console. Even though she was sleepy, she didn’t want him to stop talking. The sound of his deep voice kept her mind off what had happened over the past day, and prevented her from thinking about what might happen if they got caught. “Tell me about growing up Drexian. What was it like to have Dorn as a brother?”
He let out a snort of laughter and twisted back around. “Infuriating. He was a daredevil, and was always coming up with some plan that got us both in trouble.”
Bridget smiled as she lay down on the bunk. “Now that I can believe.” She propped herself up by one elbow. “So tell me about your home planet. Is it mostly water, like Earth?”
He shook his head. “We have many high mountains, with cities occupying the valleys. Some rivers and lakes, but no vast oceans. We also have less gravity than you do.”
“Really? But it feels the same on the station.” She looked him up and down. “Is that why you guys are so much taller and bigger than humans?”
“Maybe. We’ve adjusted the gravity to suit you, but we are used to much less,” he said. “We thought having human females floating around would not be the best idea.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” She winked at Kax. “I can imagine some fun things to do in zero gravity.”
His cheeks colored, and he spun back to the console.
&nbs
p; She let out a breath. “I’m only kidding around. I promise I’m not trying to hit on you. I know I’m matched up with another Drexian. I’m just a naturally flirty person, that’s all. I’m not serious about it. ” She flopped down on the bunk. “Plus, I like to see a big tough guy like you get all flustered.”
He cleared his throat. “I should focus on getting you back to the Boat safely. We are still several parsecs away from the nearest habitable planet.”
“So I know Mandy was a big reason you came to get me, but why you?”
He looked at her over his shoulder. “What do you mean? You wish it had been someone else?”
“No.” Bridget rolled over so she was leaning on both elbows. “But I know you’re a Drexian big shot, and a rescue mission isn’t something a politician on Earth would do. They’d send a soldier.”
“I was a soldier,” he said. “Before I took my father’s seat on the High Command. Every Drexian is trained as a warrior, and my specialty was military intelligence.”
Her eyebrows popped up. “You’re a spy?”
“Was a spy.” He paused for a moment, considering. “I suppose I am again, since I gave my seat on the High Command to Dorn and am returning to field work.”
“So now Dorn has to stay put and be a big shot, and you get to fly all over being a hero? I’ll bet your brother loved that when you told him.”
Kax smiled wryly. “He does not know he will need to sit on the High Command yet. I doubt he will be amused.”
“There’s an understatement,” Bridget mumbled.
“He hates the idea of being away from the battle, but he won’t let our family down.”
“Drexians are big on honor and family, I take it.”
Kax didn’t say anything for a while. “Those are probably the most important things to a Drexian. Your honor and your family name. Dorn and I are from House Baraat, which is one of the original ruling families. Only members of the ruling families can sit on the High Command.”
“So if you aren’t from a good family, you’re screwed?” Bridget asked, frowning.
Kax gave her a perplexed look. “Screwed? As in. . .?”
“As in, you can never make it if you aren’t born important.”
“No,” he shook his head, looking down at the console as a light blinked red. “Any warrior can achieve greatness by excelling in battle. We have many commanders and captains who did not come from ruling families. The greatest honor for a Drexian is to be a great warrior, not to sit around a table with a bunch of old men.”
Bridget relaxed. “That’s good. I wouldn’t like to think I was marrying into a society that only rewarded the rich and powerful.”
He rotated his chair around. “You did not react like Mandy to the idea of being a tribute bride.”
“You mean, I didn’t threaten to sue you and pitch a fit?” Bridget smiled thinking of the scene her friend had made when told she was being mated to an alien. “It’s not really my style, although I enjoyed watching Mandy tell you guys where you could shove it.”
Kax’s blinked quickly a few times, clearly confused.
“It’s an Earth expression,” she said, giving a small laugh at his perplexed expression. “It means she wasn’t going to go along with it.”
“Ah,” he said. “No, it took her a while to decide to accept Dorn. What made you decide to agree to the terms even before you saw your intended mate?”
She yawned and lay down on her back, looking up at the shuttle ceiling and not meeting Kax’s eyes. It would be easier to be honest if she wasn’t looking at him. “I guess I’m not the romantic she is.”
“Romantic?”
Bridget stared up at the shiny metal of the ceiling. “She probably assumed she’d be swept off her feet by some sweet, gorgeous guy one day, and fall head over heels in love. I’ll bet Mandy has planned her wedding since she was a kid, and imagined walking down the aisle a thousand times. I’m not like that. I never have been. After my family died, I was always too busy surviving to think about things like weddings. There’s no place in your life for fate or romance or true love when it doesn’t matter in the long run.” She steadied her breath. “Love never did me any good, so it isn’t something I’m looking for. It honestly doesn’t matter to me if I marry a Drexian warrior or a human or no one at all. I decided to marry a Drexian, because being one of your people’s tribute brides seems like a better gig than living with the women who rejected their matches. At least this way, I get a lot of cool perks. The only downside is I have to plan a wedding, and the wedding planners you guys have are a little intense.”
Bridget paused for air when she was done, afraid to look at Kax’s reaction to her confession. She’d never said what she felt out loud, but it felt good to tell someone.
“The Gatazoids are known for being perfectionists,” Kax said. “That’s why they are our artisans and chefs and wedding planners. Serge is a Gatazoid, which is why he is, as you say, intense.”
Bridget twisted to look at Kax but he was facing forward again. Was that all he was going to say about her spilling her guts?
“I’m sorry you lost your family,” he added, his voice soft. “I understand loss, and your life not being what you’d hoped.”
Bridget felt tears spring to her eyes and she looked up and rapidly blinked to stem their flow. She never cried anymore. Not even when she’d been cut by the ballet, so what was going on now? She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. It must have been the stress of the day catching up with her.
She turned onto her back again, and one tear snaked down the side of her face. “Thanks.”
“You should rest,” he said. “It could be a while before we land.”
Bridget glanced at Kax’s broad back one last time, before letting her eyes close. For some reason, she felt safer than she had in years. Even though she was in a damaged shuttle, wearing nothing but an oversized shirt, with terrifying aliens chasing after her, she felt like everything was going to be okay. She smiled as she let the vibration of the ship lull her quickly to sleep.
Chapter Ten
Kax breathed in and out slowly, practicing the exercises he’d been taught to keep his heart rate steady in battle. He inhaled the breath into his body, feeling it fill his chest and then he held it for a beat, releasing it out his mouth in a slow stream. He uttered a curse when he felt the bulge still pressing against his leg, held tight by the snug suit. So much for a warrior’s self-control, he thought, as he fought to keep from looking at the female asleep behind him.
Bridget had been sleeping for a while, and he’d gotten used to the tiny noises she made in her sleep—breathy sighs and moans. What he hadn’t adjusted to was the bit of her high, round ass that was exposed since she’d turned over and tucked her arms under her head, the shirt riding up and revealing all of her legs and the bottom half of her ass cheeks. After he’d first twisted around to check on her and gotten a glimpse, he hadn’t looked again, but knowing she lay so close to him and so bare had made concentration impossible.
Get a hold of yourself. She can never be yours.
He thought about what she’d told him. She’d never really belong to anyone. Not her heart, at least. His mind went to the Drexian who had been matched to her and then killed in battle. He wondered who would replace him. There was a waiting list for brides, so no doubt it would be another worthy warrior. He felt a pang for her future mate, both jealousy that it would be another Drexian matched with the beautiful, alluring female, and pity, since, according to Bridget, she would never form an attachment to anyone again.
After seeing how his brother was with his new mate, he couldn’t imagine spending a life with a female who didn’t feel that level of passion. He and Dorn had both lived with a detached and emotionally distant father, and they hadn’t known their mother, who’d died while in childbirth with Dorn. He knew the pain of never feeling loved. He would not wish it on anyone, and he would never want to feel that again.
Kax realized his heart rate had r
eturned to normal and the hard bulge in his pants had relaxed. Just in time. Another glance at the console told him they were approaching the planet with the former mining colony. Kax dropped them down to one-quarter power as the orange orb came into view, reddish cloud cover swirling over its surface.
“Let’s see what’s left of down there,” he murmured.
Bridget stirred behind him, no doubt wakened by the shift in the ship’s engine, and the slight rattling as they approached the planet. “Where are we?”
“We’re at the planet I mentioned,” he said, without taking his eyes off their descent. “The one with the abandoned mining colony.”
Bridget joined him at the console and strapped herself in, as the shuttle entered the planet’s atmosphere, the hull trembling. The air was thick and hazy, and lightning shot through the fog around them. He noticed she was clutching the armrests. “Nice vacation spot.”
He knew she was trying to lighten the mood, but he was too busy trying to steady their descent to reply. It felt like they were flying through a storm, but there was no rain. Even though the atmosphere was dense and the air an orange-red, murky soup, he was able to locate the remains of an old village and a cluster of buildings that looked habitable on his sensors. No life forms, but the lightning could be disrupting his sensors.
He flew over a small range of hills, noticing the planet had little to no vegetation. No surprise, considering the air quality. He wondered if it had always been this way. Kax steadied the ship, as he eyed a flat expanse to the south of the buildings and engaged the landing gear.
The vessel touched down with a jolt that made his head slam against the back of his chair. Cutting the engine, he turned to Bridget. “You okay?”
She held out her fist and stuck her thumb up.
He’d take that as a yes. He peered out the front of the ship, squinting to see the buildings through the haze and flashes of lightning. “We can wait out the storm in the ship, or make a run for it.”
