by Tana Stone
“Someone’s hungry.” Nina eyed my tray as we moved through the line at the crew canteen. “Not that I should be surprised.”
I swung my head to her, my heart beating faster. “What does that mean?”
She started a bit, her eyes widening behind her glasses at my reaction. Overreaction, if I was being honest.
“You missed breakfast this morning.” She shook her head at me. “Or are you so drowsy from sleeping in that you forgot already?”
I exhaled slowly, allowing my heart to return to its normal pace as we shuffled along in the line behind a pair of Drexian warriors in dark uniforms, and a human with his energy hard hat device hooked to his ear. “I didn’t forget, although I am sorry I slept through breakfast.”
Zoey and I met each morning before work to drink the sad Drexian version of coffee—or occasionally an alien tea that wasn’t much better—while we walked from the crew quarters across the station. But this morning I’d slept right through it, not even waking when she’d beeped my door.
She shrugged it off. “It’s no biggie. I ran into Vekron, and we walked together. I guess we were both ditched by our friends this morning.”
I made a point not to meet her eyes as my face warmed at the thought of Vekron’s friend. Despite trying not to think about Kalex, images of his hard, naked body flooded my mind, his face hovering close to mine and his words urgent and demanding.
“Zoey!”
I snapped my head up, glancing first at Nina, and then at the huge gap between me and the Drexians in front of me. I hurried forward, snatching a bottle of nutrient-infused water as I exited the line. “Sorry.”
I didn’t look back as I snaked my way through the tables and chairs arranged on the scuffed gray floor, dropping my tray at a triangular booth for two wedged into a corner. The canteen was busier than usual, but I suspected that had to do with the arrival of more staff for the Island. Transports filled with aliens who weren’t Drexians had arrived the day before, and already their presence was noticeable. I’d been warned about the handsome—and easily aroused—Neebix. A quick glance at a nearby table filled with the long-tailed aliens with nubby horns was a reminder that even eye contact was a bad idea as a particularly handsome male winked at me.
Sliding into one side of the booth, I finally met Nina’s amused gaze as she sat down next to me, doing a much better job at ignoring the pointed stares from the Neebix.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you so off your game,” she said, as she screwed the cap off her own metallic bottle of water. “And you’ve never overslept.”
“It’s nothing,” I insisted.
She peeked over the top of her glasses, narrowing her perfectly made-up, brown eyes at me. “You were fine when I left you at your door last night. I know it was a stressful day with the whole near-death thing and all, but you didn’t even seem that tired. What happened?”
Well, Nina, I decided to finally relieve years’ worth of pent-up stress, and I tracked down the captain, and we fucked like rabbits.
Definitely not what I was going to say to my friend. Then a thought occurred to me. “If you must know, Serge stopped by my quarters last night.”
Nina paused with a Drexian flatbread sandwich halfway to her mouth. “Serge? Why would he come to your quarters after hours? Was it about the accident?” Her mouth dropped open. “Was it about him finding you a match?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” I felt a pang of guilt that I was using Serge to deflect from the real reason I’d been so worn out this morning, but I wasn’t technically lying. He had come to my quarters the night before. He just hadn’t been the reason I’d tossed and turned all night, finally drifting off in the early hours and sleeping through my usual alarms.
Nina lowered her sandwich, some of the grilled padwump slipping out from between the squares of flatbread. “Ugh. I’m so sorry. I know I said I’d talk to him about it, but I had no idea he’d move so fast. Did you tell him you aren’t interested?”
“You know Serge,” I said, unwrapping my own flatbread wrap. “It’s a little hard to get a word in edgewise when he’s on a roll.”
Nina snorted out a laugh. “Very true. Don’t worry about it. I’ll find him today and tell him you aren’t interested in a match with a Drexian.”
I hesitated. I wasn’t interested in a match with a Drexian, but I was very interested in continuing to relieve stress with Kalex. If it was common knowledge that Serge was looking for a mate for me, no one would suspect me of being involved with the captain. I wasn’t crazy about making Serge spin his wheels, or about deceiving people on the station, but I was even less fond of the idea of people knowing what was going on between me and Kalex.
As far as I was concerned, it was no one’s business but our own. If two consenting adults wanted to use each other to scratch an itch, it shouldn’t be anyone else’s concern. I also knew that things didn’t work that way in any workplace, especially on a station that was as self-contained and insular as this one. If word got out, things would be awkward for both of us at the very least. At the worst, we’d be jobless and shipped off the station.
“Don’t worry about it,” I told Nina. “I’ve decided to let Serge do his thing.”
Nina almost dropped her sandwich a second time, finally setting it down on the tray. “You want to be matched? I thought…”
“I know, I know.” I took a swig of my infused water, wishing the Drexians had more of a sweet tooth and that they infused their drinks with things that weren’t so tart they made my cheeks pucker. “But Serge is obsessed with finding me the perfect guy to repay me for saving his life. Who am I to take that satisfaction away from him?”
“You’re going to become a tribute bride just to make Serge feel better?”
“Of course not.” I laughed and took a small bite of my wrap. “I didn’t say I was going to pick any of his matches.”
Nina grinned at me. “Got it.” She took a long drink of water. “So, you’re going to be the ultimate bridezilla.”
“I’d have to be a bride to be a bridezilla, and I’m fine to never be one of those.” I usually felt a twinge when I talked about anything that had to do with brides, but not this morning. Maybe that stress-relief session really had worked out some of my inner demons.
Nina shook her head. “Remind me not to be around when Serge finally realizes you’ve sent him on a fool’s errand.”
I took another bite of my wrap, grateful I couldn’t identify all the colorful and crunchy ingredients stuffed in the Drexian flatbread. Nina had a point. I didn’t want to be there when Serge discovered my true intentions, either.
“Enough about me and our matchmaking friend,” I said. “Did I miss anything this morning?”
Nina sat back in her chair and flipped her side-swept, loose curls off one shoulder. A feathered, teal comb held her hair up on the other side. “Same old, same old. Vekron and I are working as fast as we can on the waterfall modification. He thinks he may have found a coding shortcut, as long as it doesn’t have anything to do with the power fluctuations.”
I swallowed a mouthful too quickly, coughing a few times before chugging down some water. “Power fluctuations?”
“You know, the ones Kalex and Jaxon picked up yesterday on their fly-around. Vekron doesn’t think it has anything to do with the construction on the station, or the holographic power relays, but that’s also not great news. If it’s not related to the station, then there’s a good chance it may be a security issue.”
I gaped at her. “A security issue? As in…?”
“A potential Kronock attack. Like I said, Vekron isn’t sure, but he and Kalex are worried that the power fluctuations might be the enemy trying to jump their ships in without the right frequencies.”
My stomach tightened, and I dropped my wrap, my appetite disappearing within an instant. “He and Kalex have a theory about a potential enemy attack?”
Nina’s expression changed. “You hadn’t heard anything about it? I thought you’
d be one of the first to know.”
“I should be.” As the station’s astro-architect, I was part of the senior staff, which meant I got looped in on major issues. Or, at least, I should get looped in.
“Don’t take it personally,” Nina said quickly. “The only reason I know is that I work with Vekron, and he and Kalex are tight. I’m sure the captain would have told you himself. Maybe he intended to tell you this morning.”
If Kalex knew yesterday, then he’d known when he’d come to my quarters and pressed me up against the wall to kiss me. He’d known when I’d tracked him down to the officers’ lounge. And like a typical guy, he’d been too busy trying to get in my pants to mention a potentially major security issue. My pulse quickened at the thought of Kalex, but this time, I wasn’t thinking about fucking him. I was thinking about how I wanted to kill him.
Chapter Seventeen
Kalex
“Anyone who believes you’re just a brilliant scientist should join you on the sparring mat,” I said to Vekron, as we walked side-by-side toward the inclinator.
We were both sweaty and shirtless, with only leather straps across our chests to hold sparring sticks. Luckily, it wasn’t unusual to see Drexian warriors in nothing but loose sparring pants on the crew level. Although the holographic battle rings were not completed and the separate gyms for the tribute brides and warriors remained under construction, there was one nondescript room covered in mats where warriors could practice their grappling skills. It was there that Vekron and I had spent our mid-day break, something that wasn’t unusual for us.
“I got lucky,” he said, glancing over at the red welt blooming across my tattooed arm. “You weren’t as aggressive as you normally are—or as quick to block my blows.”
I flinched at this assessment. He was right. I’d been sluggish on the mat, mostly because I’d had a restless sleep punctuated by dreams of Zoey that had made my night anything but peaceful. Not that I’d admit that to my officer.
“Was your mind on other things?” Vekron asked.
I waited a beat before answering. There wasn’t any way he knew about Zoey, was there? He wouldn’t have lingered outside the door of the officers’ club. I frowned at this thought. Of course not. Besides, when Zoey found me the night before she’d been looking for a fight. Even I would never have guessed how it had ended.
“If it’s the energy anomalies you’re worried about, I can help with that,” Vekron continued.
“The energy anomalies?” I said, before remembering what had preoccupied my mind before Zoey had upended my life. “Yes, well, it’s hard not to be concerned if there’s a possibility our enemy could be involved.”
“I’ve been focused on the waterfall addition to the atrium, but I can switch my attention if you need some extra manpower on it.”
I nodded, genuinely focusing on the issue for the first time since we’d talked about it the night before and experiencing a flash of guilt that I’d been so distracted. “Why don’t you join me on the bridge, and we can go over the data from all of Jax’s patrol flights?”
Vekron dropped his gaze to his own chest beaded with sweat. “Should we change back into our uniforms, captain?”
I glanced down at my own casual attire, my mouth quirking into a grin. It wouldn’t have been notable for Inferno Force warriors to be bare-chested on our battleships, but the Island was not an Inferno Force ship, and there were many others on board who weren’t Drexian. It was another reason I missed Inferno Force. “I suppose a captain does have to keep up appearances.”
“Just be glad Serge didn’t spot us. You know how he feels about our casual attitude toward nakedness.”
I thought about the Gatazoid and the multitude of layers he wore. I didn’t think I’d ever seen more than a flash of wrist or a hint that he had a throat. “You don’t think he’ll be in the canteen, do you?”
Vekron cut his eyes to the wide opening we were approaching, the clattering of dishes and the aroma of food telling us both where we were. “Does Serge eat Drexian food? I always imagined he had special meals flown in.”
I laughed. “That would not surprise me.”
My footsteps faltered as we drew closer to the expansive space with long slats cut into the walls for windows. I spotted Nina’s distinctive mane of curls, and then saw Zoey sitting across from her, facing me. Her expression was animated as she discussed something with her friend, her hands moving as she spoke.
“I’m not that hungry. Why don’t you grab food, while I get changed and head to the bridge?”
Vekron tilted his head at me. “You’re not hungry after that workout?”
I was starving, my stomach rumbling in response to the scent of charred padwump. But I shook my head. I didn’t want to risk having to act normal around Zoey or expect her to act normally around me. In my experience, women had a difficult time hiding their emotions, and after a night with me, most women I’d been with had been effusive with their affection. And that was the last thing I needed.
“I can wait,” I said, glancing back into the canteen once more. Before I could look away and rush toward the inclinator at the end of the corridor, Zoey looked up and met my eyes. “Grek.”
Vekron swiveled his head to follow my gaze as Zoey jumped from her chair and started moving swiftly through the canteen toward the exit—and me. “She doesn’t look happy.”
No, she didn’t. Now my main concern wasn’t that she’d be too effusive with her affections. It was that she didn’t seem to have any increased affection for me at all.
I backed away from the doorway. “Maybe I should talk to her later—”
“Kalex!”
My entire body stiffened. I’d been so eager to hear her scream my name last night, but this was not the same thing. She couldn’t possibly intend to make a scene in front of Vekron and all the diners in the canteen who were now goggling at us. I pivoted to face her, giving her a stiff nod. “Zoey.”
Her dark eyes blazed as she advanced on me, even though they flickered for a moment when she noticed that I was bare-chested. “When were you planning on telling me about the anomalies?”
I stared down at her as I processed her question, crossing my arms over my chest. “You’re angry because I didn’t tell you about the energy anomalies?”
She fought to keep her gaze from my slick chest muscles. “Of course. Why else would I be angry at you?”
Because I fucked you on a table in the officers’ club? Because I took you without mercy and came inside you?
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Unless there’s more pertinent station information you’re keeping from me?”
“No,” I said, regaining my composure and ensuring that my face was blank. “And I wasn’t keeping the information from you. I fully intended to tell you.”
“When?”
I couldn’t exactly tell her that I’d planned on talking to her about the issue when I’d come to her quarters and instead ended up kissing her, or that I’d been too busy bending her over the table to discuss energy fluctuations the night before. I held her gaze for a moment without speaking, and her eyes dropped as she clearly came to this realization on her own. She shifted from one foot to the other but didn’t meet my eyes.
Now irritation flared within me. Not only was Zoey acting like nothing had happened between us, but she was also making me wonder if anything had happened. If my memories of fucking her hadn’t been so vivid, I would have thought I was getting the first signs of space madness.
“If you have an issue with how I command, you should come to me privately,” I said, my voice low and gravelly.
She jerked her head up. “This isn’t about how you command, and I shouldn’t have to set up special meetings with you to be kept in the loop.”
I sighed. On one hand, it was nice to know that no one would ever guess our naked bodies had been writhing together only hours earlier. But another part of me couldn’t believe we were back to the same old fights. Clearly, nothing had changed between us
for Zoey.
Nina had run from the canteen to join us, and she and Vekron were both ping-ponging their heads back and forth between the two of us as we argued. When we both locked eyes in silence, Nina jumped in. “Now we all know, so no harm, no foul, right?”
“We do all have the same information,” Vekron said, nodding at Nina as if the two of them had planned such a smooth intervention. “Now we can work together to keep the station safe. That’s what we all want, isn’t it?”
“That’s what I want,” Zoey said, bracing her hands on her hips and meeting my eyes in challenge. “I don’t know about the captain. He’s so eager to get back to his Inferno Force ship maybe he wouldn’t mind if something happened to the station.”
Nina inhaled so sharply she squeaked. “Zo, you don’t mean that.”
Zoey’s face did flicker regret, but I didn’t wait for her to speak. Instead, I snatched her by the arm and dragged her into a nearby supply room as Nina and Vekron looked on in shock.
I slammed the door behind us as Zoey struggled to get away from my grip. “What the hell was that?”
I released her but blocked the door with my body as I stared her down. “I was going to ask you the same question. Clearly, I didn’t fuck all the fight out of you last night.”
Chapter Eighteen
Zoey
I eyed the captain standing in front of the door, his stance wide and his thick arms crossed over his bare chest. I’d thought he was hot in his Drexian uniform with his sash of medals, but this was next level. And it was enough of a distraction with him shirtless and sweaty without him talking about fucking me. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Just like you’re pretending that nothing happened last night?”
I instinctively glanced behind him at the door. It might be steel but Nina and Vekron were still on the other side of it, and I wasn’t ready for them to know what had happened last night. I wasn’t ready for anyone to know. “Would you rather I announce it to the entire station like you seem to want to do?”
