Seized

by Tana Stone

  He looked at the floor; not wanting his face to reveal it had been her he’d been thinking about. “I’m here to rescue you. That’s it. You’re promised to another.”

  “Yeah, I got that.” She let out a huff of breath. “Only the Drexian I was promised to is dead, isn’t he?”

  Kax’s jaw dropped. How did she know? He put a hand to his head. He must have said something when he’d been out of it. He’d always talked in his sleep, and especially when he was on pain meds. Great. Just great. He met her blazing eyes. “That doesn’t change my mission. I still have to get you back to the station so you can be matched up with another warrior.”

  “But not you.” It was a statement, not a question, and he noticed her voice had dropped an octave.

  “But not me.” The words felt like they’d been ripped out of him, and he couldn’t look at her when he said them.

  “I don’t suppose I have any say in this, do I?”

  His mouth felt dry and his heart hammered in his chest. He couldn’t tell her what had happened to him and why he could never be with her. He knew how she’d look at him if she knew, and he’d rather die than have her pity him. He picked up the sheet from the floor. “Drexian warriors pick their mates.”

  “Got it.” She spat out the words and got off the bed on the other side. For some reason she sounded more upset now than she had before he’d apologized.

  Kax did not understand human females, but he knew he didn’t have time to decipher her now. He glanced at the closed door. “The last thing I remember was fighting a bunch of Kronock. Are there any more?”

  “If there are, I haven’t seen them, but we’re on the top floor so we can see anything coming for us.” She crossed to the window stretching across one side of the room, her arms pulled tight across her chest. “That is, if the storm ever stops.”

  Kax saw nothing but orange whirling fog outside. “How long have I been out?”

  “Hours,” Bridget said, reaching into one of the backpacks on the floor and tossing him a sealed ration pack. “I’ve eaten a few of these, but you’re probably starving. After Al fixed you up, he told me which room was the largest and pointed me in the direction of a gurney.”

  Kax nodded. He was hungry. He ripped open the foil pouch and bit off a chunk of padwump jerky, then looked down at the unblemished skin on his chest. There was no remnant of the scorch mark indicating he’d been hit with blaster fire, and the searing pain was gone. “Thank you.”

  She shrugged without looking around at him. “You would have done the same for me.”

  He flinched at her cool tone of voice then cocked his head to the side. “Wait. Who’s Al?”

  “The AI medical program that healed you. Once you get past the fact that he has zero bedside manner, he’s not bad company.”

  Kax had a lot of questions and the list was getting longer by the minute. He took another bite of the salty dried meat and swallowed. “So you got me up here on a gurney?”

  Bridget turned to look at him and her voice softened. “It took me a while, but luckily this place has elevators. They aren’t fast, and I was terrified the cable would snap because they haven’t been used in so long, but it held. Anyway, those bunk bed mattresses suck. Plus, this door has a lock on it for an extra layer of protection from those automatons. I haven’t seen any on the upper floors, and don’t know how good they are at turning handles.”

  Kax looked at the door, noting that although it had a lock, the door itself was only made of wood—something a Kronock could blast through in a few seconds. Still, he had to agree the bed was more comfortable. He thought back to being in bed next to her and then became aware he was virtually naked.

  “Since I’m healed, I should find the colony’s communications hub.” He took the final bite of jerky, as he scanned the floor. “And my clothes.”

  Bridget pointed to the tall wooden cabinet across from the bed. “I hung them in there. It took so long to get you out of them, I couldn’t handle trying to jam you back in.”

  The idea of Bridget undressing him made his cock twitch, and he spun quickly. He cleared his throat as he opened the cabinet doors and saw his pants and shirt hanging on a pair of pegs. He dressed quickly, keeping his back to her, and hoping she hadn’t noticed the effect she had on him.

  He regretted the death of the Drexian warrior who’d been matched with Bridget, but felt grateful there wasn’t anyone he’d need to apologize to once they got back to the station. Feeling up someone else’s tribute bride was grounds for a serious ass kicking. If she was his mate, he would tear any man limb from limb if they laid a hand on her. He felt his anger flare as he thought of anyone touching her. Get used to it, he reminded himself. She’s not yours.

  He glanced over his shoulder at the woman standing at the window with her back to him. Maybe it was for the best since at this point, she didn’t even seem to like him.

  Chapter Fifteen

  So that was that, Bridget thought. Drexian warriors picked their mates and he clearly didn’t choose her.

  She guessed she should be grateful he was honest with her. Other men might have taken advantage of the situation, but he’d made it abundantly clear he had no interest in her. She gave a small shake of her head. It didn’t matter. She’d dealt with rejection before. Being a professional dancer meant constant rejection—being passed over as the lead dancer again and again, auditioning for roles that went to other people, and finally being cut from the ballet when they decided she was too old. She was not used to being rejected by men though. Men she’d always been able to charm and seduce.

  She snuck a glance at Kax as he pulled on his clothes and then his environmental suit, admiring his firm backside and his broad shoulders. Somehow she couldn’t work her magic on this one. At least, not when he was conscious.

  Fine, she told herself. He doesn’t want me? Two can play at that game.

  If there was one thing she knew, it was focus. She would focus on nothing but getting them back to the space station. She looked down at the short bureau underneath the window, running a finger through the layer of dust on top. She began pulling open the drawers, sending the dust spiraling up and making her cough. Just as she’d suspected. The director of the colony had left in a hurry and abandoned drawers full of clothes. She pawed through them until she found dark, drawstring pants.

  She pulled them on, tying them as tight as she could and rolling up the extra fabric at her ankles. Baggy, but wearable. She pulled her environmental suit on over the pants, leaving the hood down, and tugged on her boots. She straightened up and saw Kax watching her. “You ready to see the comms station?”

  “You know where it is?”

  She walked past him, picking up the blaster she’d left on the nightstand and tossing it to him. “I told you Al was helpful. He accessed the colony’s computers and showed me the schematics. It’s in the next building. The one before you reach the warehouses where most of the sentries are stationed.”

  “How do you know that?”

  Bridget sighed. “Al is part of the colony’s computer system, so he can tap into the old security feed. He can also access the sensors that were used to determine levels of metal toxicity in the warehouses.”

  Kax blinked at her a few times. “Which means…?”

  “The Kronock aren’t storing metal ore in there anymore. All that’s gone. But they are storing some sort of radioactive material.”

  Kax flinched. “That explains the guards, and why there are no living creatures here.”

  “Exactly,” Bridget said. “So, I say we send out that signal and get off this planet before we start glowing.”

  She flipped the lock on the door and opened it slowly, peering into the hallway before stepping out. After encountering the Kronock fighters downstairs, she hadn’t seen any more, but that didn’t mean the ones guarding the warehouses couldn’t show up.

  Kax pulled her back. “Let me go first.”

  She put both palms up. “Be my guest, tough guy.”
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  He raised one eyebrow but didn’t reply as he proceeded down the corridor with his finger on the trigger of the blaster. They reached the stairs and descended—their footfall echoing in the quiet of the stairwell—until they reached the ground floor. The broken bodies of the Kronock fighters lay scattered in the hall. Even though there was no blood and only the smell of burned wiring, Bridget looked away. She didn’t like thinking back to how close she’d come to being shot by one of them.

  “Hey,” she said, when Kax paused at the door between the buildings. “I never did thank you for shooting that robot before it blew me away.”

  He gave a small nod. “It wouldn’t be much of a rescue if I let you get killed.”

  “Right. Well, thanks anyway.”

  He turned and had to look down at her since she was following so close to him. “And thank you for saving me.”

  She could feel the heat radiating off him and fought the urge put a hand on his arm. “I can’t exactly get off this planet without a pilot.”

  His mouth quirked at the corner. “I guess not.”

  When he didn’t turn back around, she cleared her throat. “There’s a covered walkway between the buildings, and the other building is only a few feet away.”

  He glanced down at their feet and tilted his head. “Feet?”

  “Meters, klicks, whatever measurements you use.” She waved a hand at the door. “It’s really close.”

  He nodded, flipping up the hood of his suit so it covered his face. “Ready?”

  “Ready.” She did the same with her environmental suit and waited to breathe in the oxygen flow. She jerked when he took her hand, but he held on as he pushed the door open and rushed outside, pulling her behind him.

  The wind howled as it spun around them, but Kax powered across to the other door, tugging it open and pushing her inside ahead of him. The door slammed shut, and the sound of the wind became a faint roar.

  Bridget felt a flutter of panic as they stood in the dark, and she groped along the wall for a switch. Nothing. She hated the dark and not knowing what might be waiting for them.

  Kax tightened his grip on her hand, rubbing the back of it slowly with his thumb. The pressure calmed her, and she stepped closer to him, liking the feel of his bulk next to her. She also liked that he couldn’t see her face in the dark, couldn’t see how scared she was. Now that they were inside, she removed her hood, and heard him do the same.

  He pulled her into him so her own arm was behind her back and her body was pressed flush against his. He dropped his head, putting his lips right beside her ear. “Shhhhh,” he whispered so softly she barely heard him but could feel the vibration against her earlobe. It sent shivers down her spine, and she felt her nipples harden. She managed to nod but didn’t reply.

  Bridget heard nothing but the sound of her own shallow breathing and Kax’s slow steady breaths as they stood in the pitch-black darkness. After a moment, she heard the clang of metal and saw glowing red pinpoints in the distance. Kax tensed and fired. There was a crash, and then more glowing, red lights.

  Kax pulled her down with him as he continued to shoot into the dark, shielding her body with his. She was so close to him, she felt his racing heartbeat as if it were her own. Blaster fire pierced the air above them, illuminating his fierce face for a moment before returning them to darkness. He rolled her so she was laying flat on her back with his body covering hers as he continued to shoot, and Kronock continued to drop. When the shooting stopped, there was nothing but the sound of their breathing and the hissing of broken machines.

  He’d propped himself on one elbow so he wouldn’t crush her, and after a moment he lowered his head to hers. “Are you okay?”

  She was shaking, but she wasn’t sure if it was just the shock of the battle, or the fact that he lay on top of her and she could feel every rock-hard inch of him. She couldn’t see him, but could feel Kax quivering. “Are you?”

  He buried his head in her neck and breathed deeply, nodding but not speaking. Bridget raised a hand hesitantly and touched the side of his face. This seemed to snap him into action. He pushed himself up and pulled her with him, jerking them both to standing.

  “Each building must have its own group of guards.” He kept his voice low. “I don’t think they’re connected or communicate, otherwise they would have all come looking for us when we were in the other building.”

  “Did you get all the ones in here?”

  He breathed deeply. “I hope so.”

  “If you think it’s safe to move, I think the comms station is the third or fourth room on the right,” she whispered, trying to recall the schematic Al had shown her.

  He let go of her hand to grope along the wall, and she followed closely behind, counting the doorways they passed.

  “This is three.” He pushed open a door and faint, yellow lights flickered on.

  Bridget blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted. “This looks like something.”

  The room wasn’t large, but held a wall of monitors and a few consoles with lots of buttons and keyboards. Kax sat down on one of the rolling chairs and began flipping switches.

  “Do you know how to work this?” she asked as she watched him.

  “I’ve seen a system like this before. It’s pretty basic, which makes sense for a mining colony that hasn’t been operational in years.”

  “So I take it you’re used to sneaking into places?”

  He kept his eyes on the console. “It isn’t my first time. I’m just glad it all came back to me.”

  “I guess it’s like riding a bike?”

  He looked up, his brows creased together.

  “No bikes on the Drexian home world, either?”

  “Sorry,” he said. “What is a bike?”

  She waved a hand in the air. “Never mind. It means something you never forget how to do once you learn.”

  The corner of his mouth curved up. “I suppose intelligence work is like these bikes of yours then.”

  “So this isn’t a one-off? You’re really going back to being a spy full time?” For some reason the thought of Kax going on intelligence missions made her stomach clench.

  “If I can get you back in one piece.”

  Bridget felt a burst of irritation. “So saving me is like your audition?”

  He angled his head at her, his green eyes holding hers. “I wouldn’t put it that way.”

  Static crackled as a blurred image appeared on the active monitor, and then Dorn’s face came into view. “Kax! Brother, we thought we’d lost you. You didn’t make the rendezvous point or contact us on the agreed channel.”

  Kax dragged a hand through his hair and his shoulders dropped a few inches. “Dorn.” He exhaled and leaned forward on one elbow. “We got hit during the jump and had to make a pit stop.”

  “We?” Dorn said. “Does that mean you found her?”

  “Affirmative,” Kax said. “The bride is with me, and is unharmed.”

  Unharmed maybe, thought Bridget, but pretty pissed at being called “the bride.”

  “‘The bride’ has a name,” she said, leaning close to Kax so she could be seen on Dorn’s monitor.

  “Bridget!” Mandy’s face appeared next to Dorn’s. “I’m so relieved to see you.”

  Bridget couldn’t help smiling at the woman, and some of her irritation at the bonehead Drexians melted away. “Me too, girl. I can’t wait to get back to the station and toss back few of those Tiki bar cocktails with you.”

  She saw Dorn scowl and mutter something, and Mandy elbowed him and giggled.

  “Tell your overprotective hubby he’s welcome to join us, if he doesn’t mind listening to girl talk,” Bridget said, smiling at her friend’s obvious happiness and perching on Kax’s lap so she wouldn’t have to bend over uncomfortably to get her head visible in the inset screen.

  Dorn said something else, and Mandy’s face became serious. “Where are you two anyway?”

  Kax shifted underneath her, and Bridget became a
ware of exactly where she was sitting. She stood and moved a few steps away, feeling her cheeks flush despite her decision not to let Kax affect her anymore.

  Kax leaned closer to the monitor. “We’re at an abandoned mining colony in the Quantrax system.”

  Mandy disappeared from the screen as Dorn’s face filled it.

  “It’s Validian,” Bridget added, speaking loudly enough so Dorn could hear her.

  Kax gave her a curious look, but continued. “Bridget says it was originally Validian. The Kronock destroyed this place and left sentries as guards.”

  Dorn’s brows pressed together into a single line. “The Kronock are there?”

  “A rudimentary, robotic version,” Kax told him. “More machine than the fighters we engaged.”

  “More technology we weren’t aware of.” Dorn rubbed a hand over his face. “How soon can you get out of there?”

  “We’re down to one engine, so I either have to try to fix it, or see how lucky I feel flying on half power through Kronock space.” He leaned closer to the monitor. “Brother, the Kronock are using this abandoned colony to store radioactive material.”

  “Grek,” Dorn said. “Okay, first we need to get you both out of there, then we can worry about what the Kronock are using that for. We’ve honed in on your signal, so I’m going to—”

  His voice cut out as the monitor went dead, and the power spluttered before dying completely and leaving them in darkness.

  Chapter Sixteen

  For a moment, Kax was grateful for the darkness. At least Bridget wouldn’t see the bulge he’d been trying to hide since she sat on his lap.

  “Not this again,” Bridget said, her words dying out as they both heard the outside door open and the thud of heavy footsteps.

  He stood and closed the distance between himself and Bridget, feeling for her in the darkness and grasping her hand, holding the blaster tightly in his other. The movements were not those of the robot sentries, but he doubted they were friends, either. Not if they’d killed the power in the building.