by Tana Stone
Seeing them lying in a pile of metal and scales made his mind race. He wondered how many of these were spread throughout the galaxy. Were they a beta version of the only slightly augmented fighters he’d battled during the invasion, or had they created many different models? He cringed at the thought of these creatures being assembled in mass numbers—organic parts fused with mechanical ones.
Kax’s heart pounded as he prodded at the broken fighters with one foot, and a jolt of pain shot through his chest, reminding him of his wound. He’d been lucky these were slow-moving fighters, since his own movements felt sluggish. Kax knew he had to find Bridget before more Kronock—faster Kronock—found them first. He hoped these were guards left behind and weren’t part of a larger fighting force, but he couldn’t be sure.
He heard a scream, and spun to see one of the hulking robot creatures at the far end of the hall. It disappeared through a doorway, and Kax ran as quickly as he could, his gait jerky and his breathing labored. A twinge in his chest made him stagger against the wall, catching himself with one arm and pushing himself to keep going.
He saw little but the back of the massive metal creature when he reached the doorway, but he saw a flash of bare leg through the Kronock’s own thick, scaly ones. Bridget.
Grek. He felt a surge of anger as the Kronock raised an arm, and Kax fired into its back until it dropped. He leaned one hand against the doorframe as his rush of anger subsided and the pain in his chest and head returned. Bridget stared at him, her eyes wide and her mouth open. He tried to smile at her.
She rushed forward and slipped her arm around him, taking his blaster before he dropped it. “I didn’t know you were awake.”
He looked down at her. “I heard you scream. I heard. . .” His brows pressed together as he studied her face. “Never mind. I must have been dreaming.”
She cleared her throat and looked down. “You were pretty out of it. Why don’t we go back to bed? I mean, get you back to bed?”
He tried to pull away, but his head swam and he sagged against her.
“I won’t bite you,” she said, “but if you don’t let me help you, you’re going to end up on the floor.”
He nodded with a grimace. “I don’t suppose this place has any medical supplies?”
“Not that I’ve found,” she said, her eyebrows popping up when she saw the pile of Kronock at the end of the hall. “I haven’t searched the whole place though. I stopped when I found the kitchen and water for cold compresses.”
Kax touched a finger to his blaster burn. “I remember. . .” But what did he remember? Something about not leaving her and then the feel of her skin. Had he been touching her? He felt his face flush. He hoped he hadn’t done anything he needed to apologize for. He was here to rescue her, nothing more, he told himself.
“Are you in pain?” she asked.
He pressed his lips together. “I wouldn’t say no to some Pirrin.” When he noticed her confused expression, he added, “It’s a Drexian pain medication. Very effective.”
“I’ll have a look around.”
“Let’s look together,” he said. “I don’t like the idea of you wandering around this place by yourself. Who knows how many Kronock there are?”
“I’m pretty sure the Kronock we’ve seen are just security guards left behind. They aren’t as tricked out as the fighters we encountered during the battle.”
He was impressed she’d made a similar assessment to his own. That didn’t mean he was letting her out of his sight again. “I’m coming with you.”
She shrugged. “Suit yourself, tough guy.”
He grunted, not feeling very tough at all as she helped him shuffle forward.
They passed more sleeping quarters before reaching a room at the very end of the hall with clear paned double doors that swung open. Unlike the rest of the rooms, this one was well lit with a counter running the perimeter of the room and a single metal bed—long and narrow—in the center. Metal arms extended from the ceiling.
“This must be the medical bay,” he said, walking inside and leaning against the counter. He noticed Bridget glance up at the metal arms protruding from the ceiling and shudder. “Are you okay? You’re sure you weren’t hurt?”
She gave a quick shake of her head. “I’m fine. You’re the one who’s hurt.” She guided him to the bed and helped him hop up, her hands lingering on his bare arms for a moment. “I’m tougher than I look, remember?”
He did remember. He tried to focus on her face, but a wave of pain overtook him, and his vision blurred. He felt her touch on his face, even as his world went dark.
Chapter Thirteen
Bridget watched for a few moments as his eyes drooped and finally closed. Once she was sure he was out, she stroked a hand down the side of his face. He really was handsome, with a square jaw and very kissable lips. She even liked the scruff he’d let grow. Kax had a more buttoned-up appearance than the wild-haired, warrior look of his brother, but she’d always liked short hair. Too bad he looked at her like she had tentacles growing out of her head. She shrugged to herself. Who knew? Maybe tentacles turned him on.
“Now, if only this place came equipped with a doctor.” She started to open drawers in a search for Pirrin, coughing when particles of dust danced in the air.
“I am a doctor.”
The voice made her spin around with her finger on the trigger of the blaster, even though it hadn’t sounded at all like a Kronock. She didn’t see anyone in the room or outside in the hall. Please don’t let me be hallucinating, she thought.
“State your medical need.”
She wasn’t imagining things. The voice was real, and as far as she could tell, it came from overhead. “Who are you?” She spun around as she looked up. “Where are you?”
“I’m the imbedded auditory medical program. I’m designed to operate when there is no medical officer available.” The voice paused. “Is that the case?”
“You could say that,” Bridget muttered, lowering the blaster. “So you’re a computer program?”
“I am artificial intelligence.” The voice almost sounded offended. “I am much more sophisticated than a simple program.”
“Sorry,” Bridget said. “Can you fix Drexians?”
“I contain the medical knowledge for over three hundred species, including Drexians.”
“Impressive. Who designed you?”
“I am a creation of Validians. This is their mining colony.” A pause. “You are not Validian?”
“Nope. I’m human from planet Earth, and I’m here with a Drexian. He’s the one who needs help. He was shot in the chest with a blaster.”
“I understand. Is the Drexian lying on the table?” The lights above Kax shone brighter.
Bridget looked at the big alien with his eyes closed and felt her throat constrict. Lying on the metal table, with the scorched blast mark on his chest, he looked almost fragile. She tried to respond, but only a squeak came out.
“I will take that as an affirmative.”
A half-moon-shaped bar lowered from above and a beam of blue light began scanning Kax’s body, stopping when it reached his waist and the bunched up environmental suit.
“Please remove the extraneous fabric.”
“What?” Bridget glanced at the suit that had changed color again to match the silver of the examination table. “Take it off all the way?”
“If you wish the examination to be most effective.” If a machine voice could sound exasperated, this one did.
Bridget hesitated. “For a chest wound?”
“Blaster fire can cause damage through the body. Organic systems are all connected.” A pause. “Unless you wish me to cease the examination.”
“No, I’ll take it off.” Bridget felt her heartbeat quicken as she tugged at the bottom half of the suit, pulling it off Kax and revealing a snug pair of black cargo pants underneath. “This too?”
“Affirmative.”
Bridget blew out a breath. This was going to take som
e explaining once he was awake. She fumbled with the buttons of his pants and managed to wiggle them down, trying to ignore the massive bulge beneath a pair of black, second-skin boxer-briefs. Her fingers hummed with energy as they skimmed his skin, and by the time she’d pulled the pants off, she was breathing heavily, and not from the exertion.
“Your heart rate is elevated and your skin is discolored,” the AI said. “After I examine the Drexian, I should examine you.”
“I’m fine.” She fanned herself with one hand and looked away from Kax. “Or I will be in a minute.”
Staring at his broad shoulders, corded stomach, and muscular thighs was not helping her restraint. Or helping her remember she was engaged. She repeated the word several times in her head. “He doesn’t even like you,” she muttered to herself, once her fingers had stopped tingling.
“I do not like you or dislike you,” the voice informed her. “I am an artificial intelligence, and incapable of those emotions.”
She rolled her eyes and was glad the AI couldn’t read facial cues. “I’m not talking about you.”
“Very well. Unless you have further relevant comments, I will commence the examination.”
She ignored his pointed comment. How had she managed to get stuck with a smart-ass, virtual doctor?
The scan resumed, followed by a series of beeps and hums from the machine. The bar dropped lower and a thin arm swung down, administering a shot into Kax’s neck and spraying something on his chest. He twitched and then his head lolled to the side.
“What are you doing?” Bridget asked. It suddenly occurred to her the Kronock might have reprogrammed the AI when they invaded the colony.
“Administering both pain medication and antibodies to prevent infection, along with a topical solution to speed skin rejuvenation.”
“Oh.” Bridget watched as Kax’s chest wound faded before her eyes. She stepped closer as the bar lifted back up into the ceiling, and she touched a hand to his smooth chest as the redness vanished.
“Your heart rate is rising again. Are you sure you do not need some medication to cure your erratic cardiac condition?”
She jumped back and shook her head. “No. I promise I don’t have cardiac issues.”
“As you wish.” The overhead light dimmed. “The Drexian will heal. His anatomy is simpler than Validian. He is also shorter and wider.”
Short and wide were not two words she’d use to describe any Drexian, much less Kax. The Validians must have been emaciated giants.
“I got that from all the really long beds and high ceilings,” Bridget said. “You do know the Validians aren’t here anymore, right?”
“I am an imbedded auditory medical program.” A pause. “Nobody tells me anything.”
Bridget almost laughed. “Whoever programmed you gave you some personality.”
“Doctor Harimti Vlax. A noted Validian inventor and an acknowledged wit.”
“I’ll bet,” Bridget said under her breath. “Did he give you a name?”
“Why would I need a name?”
“No reason,” she said. “I’m Bridget.”
“Brid-get,” he repeated, stopping between the syllables. “What happened to the Validians?”
“I was hoping you could tell me. We came here trying to escape the Kronock and found they’d destroyed the colony and left behind some robot guards. How long has it been since you were activated?”
“Eleven years and thirteen days, when I was last activated to tend to the wounded after an attack.”
Bridget tried not to sound as shocked as she was. “So no living creature has been at this colony for over a decade? That explains the dust.”
“Do you have any information about the Validians?” the AI asked.
“Sorry,” Bridget said. “I only found out there were alien species about a week ago. I’d never heard of the Drexians or the Kronock, and this is the first I’m hearing about the Validians.”
“You did not know there were other forms of life beyond your own?” The computer sounded surprised, and a bit disdainful.
“On my planet, if you believe in aliens, you’re the one who’s considered crazy.”
“Interesting. Will you be considered crazy when you return?”
“I doubt I’ll ever go back.” Bridget sighed. “But, I probably would.”
“I do not have any cures for mental illness, Brid-get. I am sorry.”
“Don’t sweat it, Al.”
“Al?”
“If you’re going to call me by my name, I should call you by one, and Doc seems pretty impersonal. I figure you’re an AI, so I’ll call you Al.”
“Are all humans crazy like you, Brid-get?”
“Only the fun ones, Al.”
“Is this Drexian one of the fun ones?”
Bridget watched Kax sleeping for a moment. “I don’t know. I thought he was an administrator type when I first met him, but he volunteered to come rescue me on his own so I’m not sure what to think.” She laid a hand on his shoulder and stared down at the light brown lashes resting against his cheek.
“I’m picking up an elevated heart rate again. Is he the cause of your cardiac issues?”
She pulled her hand back and glared up at the ceiling, wishing there was an actual body she could address instead of a voice. “Even if he was, it wouldn’t matter. I’m promised to another Drexian.”
“I do not understand ‘promised.’”
She ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m what his people call a tribute bride. I’m supposed to marry one of their warriors since they don’t have females any more. It was a weird deal Earth made in order to be protected from the Kronocks.”
“Where is this warrior you are supposed to marry? Why did he not rescue you?”
Bridget folded her arms over her chest. “You ask a lot of questions, Al.”
“Dead,” Kax murmured from the medical bed. “He’s dead.”
Her head snapped around and she stared at him. She leaned over his chest. “What did you say?”
His eyes were still closed, but moved rapidly beneath his lids as he muttered. “Dead. Killed in the battle.” He dropped his voice as if whispering to someone. “Don’t tell Bridget.”
She’d never met the Drexian she was supposed to be mated to, but the news still hit her like a punch to the gut. Kax knew he was dead this entire time, and hadn’t told her?
“Your shallow breathing indicates possible hyperventilation, Brid-get,” the AI said. “I suggest putting your head between your knees.”
She decided to take the machine’s advice, dangling her arms on the floor as she swung over at the waist. So it wasn’t his respect for her intended that made Kax avoid touching her, after all. All those times she flirted with him and he’d pulled away or averted his eyes wasn’t because he was an honorable guy. He really wasn’t attracted to her. She focused on breathing in and out as her cheeks burned with humiliation.
Chapter Fourteen
Kax turned over and felt the cool sheets shift under his stomach. He must be back on the space station and in his suite. The Drexian High Command kept several suites for their use when they convened at the station, and although they weren’t as luxurious as the fantasy suites designed for the tribute brides, they were still comfortable and spacious. He stretched out his legs and felt them brush against the fabric and then his foot touched another leg, this one soft and smooth.
Or maybe he was on one of the pleasure planets. It had been a while, but he welcomed the feel of the female next to him. His cock swelled, another reminder of how long it had been since he’d had any release.
He rolled over and ran a hand up her leg, feeling the soft swell of her ass as he pushed her garment up. She moaned and he hooked his hand around her waist, pulling her to him until her body was flush against his, his hard cock pressing her bare skin through the thin fabric of his underwear. He lowered his head to her neck and inhaled the light, floral scent. He knew the scent, but from where? His thoughts were still ha
zy. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he wondered where his pants had gone, but the thought drifted away as she made soft noises in response to him.
Kax ran a hand up her flat stomach and cupped one of her breasts, making her rock back into him. He heard his own low growl, then felt her jerk and stiffen. He blinked a few times, moving from his dream to consciousness, and becoming aware he wasn’t in his bed on the space station. Or on a pleasure planet. He was, however, holding Bridget in his arms, and his rigid cock was pressing against her.
He rolled away and leapt off the bed, pulling the sheet with him when he saw his erection and dropping it when he saw Bridget lying in bed. Her eyes were wide, and she tugged her shirt down to cover herself.
“What are you. . . ?” he began, then stopped when he heard his accusatory tone. “What am I. . .?” His eyes flew around the spacious room with its dusty, oversized, brown furniture. “Where are we?”
Bridget rubbed her eyes as she sat up. “I managed to locate the manager’s quarters. I thought this would be more comfortable than the bunk beds. . . and safer.”
“I’m sorry.” He crossed his arms over his crotch, pressing down on his hard-on in hopes it wouldn’t be as noticeable. “I didn’t mean to. . . I didn’t know. . .”
Mottled, red patches appeared on her cheeks. “I know you didn’t know it was me. If you had, you never would have touched me, right?” Her eyes narrowed at him. “I’m not your type, or you don’t like human women, or maybe you just don’t like me?”
She didn’t seem angry he’d groped her, but she was definitely angry with him over something. He tried to recall the last thing that had happened between them. Had they argued? Had he insulted her, or told her he didn’t like her? He didn’t think so, but why did she look like she wanted to rip his head off?
