by Liza Probz
There was a brilliant blast, and his gaze flipped to the viewscreen. Kange’s ship was emitting some kind of energy beam. It hit Nojan’s vessel and shook it. Before his eyes, the shields were draining. In less than a minute, they were gone.
“Triple fuck!” With no shields, Kange would be free to board the ship. Then it would come down to hand-to-hand combat. Who knew what kind of weapon the asshole had on his side?
It was clear he was outgunned, but that didn’t mean he had to give up. Nojan had weapons too, deadly ones that his opponent didn’t have. It was time to try them out, even if that meant exposing himself to the female seated nearby.
He hit the transmit button, and in a moment, Kange’s face covered the viewscreen. “Ready to try again?” he asked, his expression smug.
Nojan concentrated all his power on the bounty hunter’s mind. “We aren’t harboring any fugitives. Go on your way.”
Sanri looked at him, her face amused. “I don’t think that’s how negotiation works, cowboy,” she said out of the side of her mouth.
Kange stared back. “Go on my way?”
“Yes,” Nojan said, pushing all of his persuasion on the man. His powers had never failed him. He expected the bounty hunter to capitulate to his demands. “Return to Rantel and tell him you couldn’t find the girl.”
He could feel exhaustion start to blanket him, but he kept his powers flowing at maximum, waiting for Kange to reverse his course. Instead, the bounty hunter laughed at him. “I admire your balls, friend, but your little mind tricks have done little more than reveal your true nature to me. Now I’m even more intrigued by who exactly is on that little ship of yours.”
Nojan hit the button to cut off the transmission. His powers hadn’t worked on Kange. Why? And now he’d revealed himself, ramping up the danger a hundredfold.
“He’ll come for you,” Sanri said matter-of-factly. “What’s your plan?”
“I’ll fight him with everything I have.” And he would. Anything to keep Mayra safe.
“Why not give him the girl?” The hitchhiker’s face was impassive, her tone flat. “He’d probably offer to pay for her, just to avoid the effort of a fistfight. You could take his money and be on your way.”
Nojan shook his head. “Not a chance, sister.”
Sanri laughed. “It’s what I thought. You are in love with that awkward creature.”
“You don’t understand,” Nojan growled. “It’s more complicated than that.”
“Sure, it might well be. But you’re in love with her, and you can deny it until you’re blue in the face, but I’ll still see right through you. Such a pity, Nojan. A handsome guy like you and a pretty gal like me? We could have made a good team.”
He narrowed his eyes. Not only was the bounty hunter’s ship getting closer, a bounty hunter who now likely suspected that Nojan wasn’t Territhian, but he’d have to contend with the bitch he’d rescued from the exploding cruiser. She would betray him faster than a Vartik rabbit knocked up his bride.
Nojan counted the seconds until he was forced to act. The bounty hunter’s ship was close enough to take up the entire viewscreen. A grappling claw began extending itself from the ship, moving toward the Vartik vessel. In moments, it would have it in its cold metal grip.
“Not so fast, Kange.” The familiar voice crackled through the transmitters and Nojan wanted to shout for joy. “Put that damn claw away or I’ll shoot it off.”
The bounty hunter’s ship disappeared from the viewscreen, replaced by the face of his older brother. “Looks like we got here just in time,” Zelup said.
“You could have gotten here sooner,” Nojan huffed. “You’re cutting it real fucking close.”
“Ooh,” Sanri said. “Who is this handsome drink of water?”
“He’s my brother,” Nojan muttered, “and he’s just turned the tables on Kange.” Switching back to the exterior view, he watched as a squad of Vartik attack ships swooped around Kange’s ship.
“Stand down,” Zelup said, “or we’ll blast you out of the stars.”
It didn’t take long for Kange to pull his grappler back in. His ship started to retreat, but before he was out of range, he sent out one last transmission. “I don’t know how you did it, but you’ve convinced the galaxy that you’ve gone extinct. I now know this to be false. I’d watch my backs if I were you, Vartik kings. You never know who might be creeping up behind you to cut your throats.” The ship made a jump to hyperspace and disappeared.
“Vartik, huh?” Sanri’s eyes were wide. Nojan wanted to groan. She was the last person in the universe who needed to know that his people still existed. Now he couldn’t afford to drop her off on the nearest planet. He would have to bring her to Vartik to consult his father and figure out what do with her.
Quadruple fuck. “Thanks,” Nojan said once he’d brought his brother back onto his viewscreen. “I don’t know how you found me, but I’m fucking glad you did.”
Zelup gave him a smile. “You and your damn devices. I knew I wouldn’t be able to track you once the cloak was operational, so I figured I’d better keep my eye on the bounty hunter. I followed his tracks, and I would have been here sooner, but we stopped to investigate debris from an exploded cruiser a few light-miles back. I thought it might be your ship.”
“Nope,” Nojan replied. “It was her ride.” He motioned toward Sanri.
“Is that the oracle?” Zelup asked. “I thought she was a redhead.”
“She’s not the oracle,” Nojan replied. “She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I bet she’s going to regret it soon.”
“I doubt it,” Sanri said with a smile. “Not if the rest of you Vartiks are as good looking as your brother. And kings, no less? I think I’d be right at home on your planet.”
Zelup laughed. “She’s certainly feisty.”
Nojan frowned. “If you want her, you’re welcome to her.”
“Well, if she’s not the oracle, then where is she?”
Leaping up, Nojan felt his heart jump into his throat. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath, climbing up on the back consoles to open the compartment. He gently retrieved Mayra from inside it.
His chest felt like it was collapsing into itself. He could see the streaks of tears on his beloved’s face. “I’m so so sorry,” he crooned as he cradled her. “You’re safe now.”
“I’ll never be safe again,” she whispered, her voice tiny.
Nojan wanted to vomit. He feared that at long last, she had broken. He’d made her confront her worst fear and it had bested her.
He set her on her feet but didn’t want to stop touching her. “The bounty hunter is gone. My brother and his troops scared him off.”
It was as if she didn’t hear his words. She stood there, eyes vacant.
“Come back to me, angel,” he said, cupping her cheek. “Didn’t you hear me? You’re safe now.”
She shook her head, her beautiful curls falling over her face. “Don’t worry,” she said, her tone neutral. “You don’t have to keep up the act on my account. You can steer the ship back to Vanfia now. I won’t make a fuss.”
Nojan was deluged with nausea at her words. What could have made her think he would take her back to that awful planet? “Sweetheart, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but we’re not going to Vanfia. We’re headed to Vartik.”
Mayra laughed softly. “Sure. You’re an extinct alien with magical blood. And I’m a beautiful, irresistible woman who’s stolen your heart.”
Nojan nodded. Why was her tone full of doubt? “Come and sit down,” he said, leading her to a chair at the table. “Let me make you some tea.”
Sanri slinked into the galley, leaning against the counter and staring at Mayra. “She’s lost it,” the dark-haired woman said, rotating a finger around her ear in the ancient sign for crazy. “You had her stuffed up there too long.”
Nojan winced. He heated up the water in the flash-cooker, then plunked the tea in to steep. “Leave her alone, Sanri.
Go find some other vulnerable creature to torture.”
Sanri laughed. “Last time I checked, she’s the only vulnerable creature on the ship. And you’re the one who broke her.”
Her words were too close to the truth. Nojan hated the fact that he’d caused Mayra pain. If they were alone, he would have pulled her into his arms and kissed her until she felt better. Instead, they were stuck with the hitchhiker from Hell. He almost considered calling his brother and begging him to take Sanri off his hands. He would, too, if he didn’t think she might get into more trouble off the ship than on. Quintuple fuck.
Did I break her? And if so, can I fix her?
Nojan wasn’t sure. He’d only known his angel for a handful of hours. During those hours, she’d been stronger than most women he’d met. He wouldn’t have expected a bout of claustrophobia to jar her so badly.
He brought the cup to the table and set it before Mayra. “Drink,” he said. “It will make you feel better.”
Mayra stared at the cup but didn’t touch it.
“You should have sold her to the bounty hunter,” Sanri said. “At least you would have made a few rubbals. More than she’s worth, especially in this state.”
“That’s it!” Nojan would never put his hands on a woman in violence, but this one tried his patience. “If you don’t shut your mouth right now, I’m gonna shove you in that compartment, and you can stay there until we get to Vartik.”
Sanri laughed, pulling herself away from the counter and sitting at the table. “Unfortunately for you, tight spaces don’t bother me. Now, if you really wanted to rattle me, you’d stick me on a planet without any available men.”
Nojan leaned his elbows on the counter, putting his head in his hands. How the fuck had things become so bad? They were headed home, escorted by a team of Vartik warriors, but Nojan feared that they were less safe now than they’d been during the entire journey.
A quick glance at Mayra made his stomach clench. How could he make it up to his angel? He wasn’t sure now, but he was willing to spend his whole life finding out.
Chapter 25
A tendril of steam rose from the teacup, reminding Mayra of a ladder climbing to heaven. She hoped her own ascension would be as delicate as the steam’s was. Somehow, she doubted it. Her whole life had been hard. Why should her end be any different?
She felt as if she were an actress in a play, as if she were watching events happen from outside. It was easier that way, easier than internalizing all the hurt.
They’ve betrayed you, the cold voice whispered. Used you. Set you up. And all along, you’ve played into their hands. So what are you gonna do now?
I’m going to end all this. End the pain. End the suffering.
She wouldn’t go back to Vanfia, not for anything in the seven known galaxies. Not even for him.
Mayra watched Nojan as he put things away in the galley. His movements were sure, his body a collection of muscles that all worked in perfect harmony. He was everything she could have hoped for in a male, in a partner.
And that is exactly why they picked him, the voice whispered. They knew you wouldn’t be able to resist him.
Could it all be true, everything the voice had hinted at? Suddenly, she couldn’t see it any other way. Her betrayal was reality, written large for her to see. Was that a secretive glance exchanged between the two lovebirds? And the way Sanri folded her hands in front of her just now. Was that some kind of code? A message to her lover?
Mayra realized it was time to act. Every second she waited was a second that brought her closer to Vanfia. Her delay gave them opportunity to plot against her, to restrain her if necessary, even to lock her back in the tiny compartment until they reached Rantel’s planet. That, she couldn’t allow.
She rose, picking up the teacup and heading for the small galley sink. Nolan watched her as she walked, but when she stared at him blankly, he looked away. Carefully, she poured the tea down the drain, then reached for the knife that sat in the drying rack beside the sink. Quick as the devil, she snatched it up and had it at her own throat.
“Mayra, what are you doing?” Nojan lunged toward her but she shuffled backward, pressing the knife into her delicate skin.
“Don’t come any closer,” she hissed. “You’ve done enough damage. Just let me die in peace.”
“Why are you doing this? I don’t understand.” His tone sounded so sincere that it gave her pause. Was that genuine concern she heard?
He’s a professional, the cold voice whispered. What good is an actor who isn’t convincing?
“You don’t understand? You don’t?” Mayra felt the tears start to fall but did her best to keep her tone level, to not let emotion overwhelm her. “You can’t understand why I wouldn’t want to be returned to Rantel to serve the rest of my life as his punching bag who can tell the future? I’m sorry it comes as a surprise to you, but I’ve figured out your nefarious little plot. I must confess to being impressed by the lengths you all went through to convince me to fuck you. It must irritate Rantel to no end to have to work this hard. I’m sure he’ll punish me for it when I get back.”
“What are you saying?” Nojan’s eyes were wide, his expression confused. “We’re going to Vartik, not Vanfia. I’d never return you to Rantel.”
“Sure, you’re taking me to Vartik, a planet full of a species that’s been entirely wiped out, right? That was a clever little story to earn my trust, to make me feel like we both had secrets. But it was all bullshit, wasn’t it?”
“Put the knife down, Mayra, and we can talk about this.”
“Too late,” she whispered. “I thought you cared about me. I should have known better. I’m not worthy of your attentions, I get that, but you could have just left me alone. Instead, you made me feel beautiful.” A sob broke through on the last word, and she knew she had to act or risk being immobilized by emotion.
“You are beautiful. You’re the loveliest thing I’ve ever seen.” Nojan’s voice cracked, and Mayra paused. Were those tears in his eyes?
Suddenly, her arms were grabbed from behind her. “Put the knife down,” Sanri growled from behind her. Although the woman’s hands were on her arms, ostensibly to pull them away from her throat, instead they were adding steady pressure.
The knife began digging into the flesh around her throat. She could feel blood beginning to bead and spill.
“Sanri, let her go!” Nojan raised his hands but stood there, unsure of how to resolve the situation.
“I’m trying to help,” the dark-haired woman grunted. Mayra felt the pressure increase, felt the woman press the weapon deeper even as she pretended to do the opposite. Soon, the knife would sever her artery and it would be lights out.
Let go, the cold voice whispered. Stop fighting. This is what you want. Give in.
Mayra closed her eyes, about to do as the voice suggested. Then she heard Sanri’s soft chuckle, and suddenly, she knew she couldn’t go out, not like this. She couldn’t let this bitch win.
With all the strength in her, she pushed back. Sanri wasn’t expecting the sudden fight and she lost her grip on Mayra’s arms. It was the only opportunity she needed. Turning as quickly as she could, Mayra slammed the knife into Sanri’s stomach.
The raven-haired woman stared at her with eyes wide. Blood was pouring out of the wound, covering Mayra’s hands and the shirt she was wearing. No wonder the hands had looked familiar in the vision, she thought idly. They’d been my own hands.
“What did you do?” Nojan pulled her away, moving to staunch Sanri’s wound.
“I’m sorry I had to stab your girlfriend,” she murmured, “but she started it.”
“You’ve really lost it,” he said, shaking his head. “And unfortunately, I can’t trust you to maintain while I treat her wounds. I’m going to have to take drastic measures.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Going to lock me up until we get back to Vanfia? For my own good?”
“Not exactly.” His chestnut eyes bored into hers, and for an
instant, she regretted the ill will she’d wished on him. But he deserved it, right?
Right?
She was expecting the cold voice to answer, but there was only silence. Strange.
“Mayra, you will take yourself into the bedroom and you will lay yourself on the bed and go to sleep until I wake you up. Do you understand?”
A sudden compulsion to do just as he asked weighed on her. I am tired, so tired. But if she did as he said, she’d be a sitting duck when they got to Vanfia.
“No,” she whispered, even though every ounce of her being was screaming at her to follow his orders.
“Mayra, you will obey me. Go to bed. Go to sleep. Now.”
Before she realized it, she was headed into the bedroom. She turned back to see Nojan working on the woman’s wound. Mayra tried to stop her feet from walking, tried to change direction, but she couldn’t.
The man had some kind of power over her, something she didn’t understand. Maybe he was telling the truth, she thought. Maybe he is an alien with magical healing blood. Maybe this is how he convinced Rantel and his goons to let them go.
But how could that be? Hadn’t she already determined that he’d lied about being from Vartik?
Mayra realized she was on the bed and she didn’t remember lying down. Already, she could feel sleep beginning to descend. How could this be happening?
Could I have been wrong? About everything?
Still, the cold voice was silent. She was on her own again, and that was a strangely comforting thought. Mayra wasn’t sure where the sinister inner voice had come from, nor why she had begun to trust it so implicitly.
She yawned, then wished she hadn’t as it had pulled the skin around her neck, causing the bleeding to intensify. I should really do something about that, she thought but was too tired to actually move.
The room was starting to dim around her, and her thoughts were drifting. She couldn’t help thinking about the last time she’d been in this bed. That time, she’d fallen asleep in a pair of strong arms. Nojan had made her feel incredible, had made her believe that she deserved the pleasure he brought her. Even more, that she brought him pleasure just as exquisite.
