by Leslie Chase
For a moment I wondered if that would piss him off. Well, better to find out while we were still here in the Joint Colony rather than alone in the middle of nowhere.
But to my relief he looked confused rather than angry, taking a long and careful breath before grinning. “I would never touch you without your permission, human, but I do not think that will be long in coming. We shall leave as soon as you are aboard.”
My cheeks burned at that and I wanted to argue, but what was there to say? Any protest I made would sound like too much. Ronan watched me struggle to come up with a response before turning away and striding into the shuttle, moving with an easy grace that seemed almost unnatural for someone his size. I watched him go, transfixed by the flexing muscles of his legs as he walked up the ramp. Swallowing, I turned away before he looked back and caught me staring.
No way was I going to admit I enjoyed looking at him. And no way was I going to let him touch me. Nope. Out of the question.
At the edge of the landing field, Megan stood with a wide grin. My face burned. Maybe Ronan hadn’t caught me looking, but that didn’t mean I’d gotten away with it.
“Shut up,” I said to my friend as I walked over and grabbed a bag from her with more force than was strictly necessary. It held the last few things I’d wanted from the makers, and now I had no excuse not to board the flier.
“Didn’t say a word,” she replied, waggling her eyebrows. “You have fun on your trip and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
I refrained from asking what that put off limits. Probably not much.
“I’m going to do my job, that’s all,” I told her, and I meant it. Just because Ronan was hot didn’t mean anything. Especially when he thought I was his mystic soulmate or whatever — I didn’t want to encourage that. “It’ll only be for a week or two, anyway.”
“And then you can tell me all about what you get up to out there, right? Your best friend should be the first to know what happens. Unless this is just an excuse for you to fly off with your alien hottie.”
I groaned. “Telling you anything about this was a mistake.”
“Yep,” she agreed with a laugh. “But you keep telling me things anyway.”
I grumbled but couldn’t stop myself laughing too. Megan’s relentless cheeriness tended to rub off on me.
“There won’t be juicy stories to spill,” I insisted, dropping the bag and sweeping her into a hug. “But I promise I’ll tell you what we find as soon as I’ve told the captain and Auric. In the meantime, you take care of yourself, okay? Don’t get into any trouble while I’m away.”
“What do you think I’m going to do? Wild parties?”
“I don’t know. That’s what scares me.”
Megan laughed again and squeezed me. “I’ll promise to be good if you like.”
“Don’t. Then I’ll know you’re lying. Just promise to be careful.”
Behind me, the flier’s engines thrummed with power and I looked back at it nervously. Megan had distracted me for a moment, but I needed to face my fears. Picking up my bag I hurried up the ramp.
5
Ronan
The human craft was primitive, but I had to give it this: whoever had designed the thing knew their limitations and worked within them. My fighter — the memory of that sleek hunting beast made me wince at the loss — had been engineered precisely to the edge of its tolerances, perfectly balanced on the killing edge of performance.
This flying brick had none of that hungry elegance. No weapons, only basic shields, and engines that would lift the boxy craft and any cargo easily — though neither quickly nor far.
There were advantages to that approach. As my recent experience showed, the flier had redundancy after redundancy built in. Losing an engine wouldn’t doom it, a damaged hull wouldn’t send it spiraling into a crash, and a half-trained monkey could maintain it. The autopilot was a simple, stupid machine, not even as smart as the companion AIs the humans carried with them, but easy to program and hard to mess up.
The best feature was how easily modifiable the flier was. Plugging in the batteries borrowed from the other fliers wasn’t easy, exactly, but I managed it. Trying to modify a prytheen fighter this way would have been impossible without a full rebuild.
If I had a prytheen fighter, I wouldn’t need to modify it, I thought as I checked the batteries one final time. All at full charge, and still the flier would only just make the trip one way. My fighter would last for weeks on a single charge and in that time could cross the gulf between stars. This cobbled-together monstrosity would barely make it halfway around the planet.
I sighed, resigning myself to the limits of human engineering. At least it worked on this world despite the Taveshi field that drained all prytheen tech of power.
A footstep on the metal plating told me I was no longer alone. Becca stood at the top of the cargo ramp, Crashland’s bright sunlight framing her. The light caught her hair, traced her curves. Her beauty blinded me, my body responding instantly to her presence.
I willed myself into immobility. Each time I saw her, it took all my discipline not to pounce at once, to sweep her into my arms and pull her to the floor and claim her.
And though she tried to hide her reaction the catch in her breath, the widening of her strange eyes, told me she felt that pull too. So why did she resist? Human ways were strange and foolish, and I did not understand them. Nor did I wish to. What reason could anyone have for resisting the khara bond with their mate?
It didn’t matter. She was the female fate had chosen for me, and I would prove that to her no matter what it took.
“You are ready to leave,” I said. It wasn’t a question — there was no space for any more equipment, no reason for further delay. And I was hungry to be off.
But still she hesitated at the top of the ramp, fingers gripping the strap of her bag. Her muscles tensed and she took a hesitant step into the flier before freezing in place again.
Did I frighten her that badly? The thought hurt like a knife carving into my heart. My khara should feel safe in my presence, but her fear was written on her pale face for anyone to see.
“You have nothing to be afraid of, khara,” I told her, keeping my voice low and trying to relax. If she feared me, then I had to make it plain that I was no threat — and being ready for battle wouldn’t help. “I will let no one harm you.”
“I’m not your khara,” she snapped back, her human mouth putting a strange accent to the prytheen words. “I’m not your anything, you remember that. We’ve got a job to do, so let’s get on with it.”
I suppressed a hungry growl; that beautiful voice spoke directly to my soul and my body responded. That was a stark contrast to the words she spoke, but no matter. She would learn the truth.
“How is it that you know our language?” I asked, standing aside to let her through. In the narrow confines of the human-built ship there wasn’t much space and she brushed against me as she passed. The touch of her curves sent a surge of desire shooting through me, burning my soul, and I felt her arousal in response.
I growled, letting the primal hunger in my soul out, and Becca shivered against me. That only made things worse as her delicious body tempted me further.
My cock swelled at her touch, and Becca moaned, shifting against me. I fought the urge to pin her to the wall, to tear off the cloth that hid her body from me. Not until she was ready, I told myself, not until she asked for it.
That moment was so close I could taste it. Becca looked up at me, biting her lip, eyes wide, and saw the temptation in her soul. She nearly gave into it.
Then her breath caught and she pulled away, trembling. An answer to the question I’d forgotten I’d asked tumbled from her beautiful lips, as though to distract us both from our feelings. It didn’t work.
“Aliens fascinated me as long as I can remember,” she said, turning towards the cockpit. “I studied everything about you, especially languages. Seemed like the easiest way to make a good impressi
on.”
“Few humans have managed to learn even Galtrade,” I said, impressed. Her scent hung in the air, a delicate, heady fragrance. “You have done well to learn more.”
Her little laugh sounded out of place somehow, bitter. None of the pride in her accomplishment that I’d expected, only a sad anger. “Yeah, well, it would be better if I’d ever get to use any of it. Stuck on Crashland, I guess I get to speak to you but that’s about it.”
“Soon we will be able to soar amongst the stars,” I promised her. “Then I will introduce you to all the aliens you wish to meet. There are a hundred thousand worlds I can show you, and we will fly the skies of each until you’ve had your fill.”
Talking to dozens of strangers sounded like hell to me, but if it brought my khara pleasure I would bear it. The offer didn’t seem to please her, though. Looking back over her shoulder, she gave me a fearful look rather than the smile I’d hoped to win.
Do I frighten you that much, little one? My jaw clenched in frustrated anger.
“Let’s just get this done, okay?” Her voice trembled and she hurried forward into the cockpit. Resisting an urge to put my fist through the hull, I nodded. Our time would come. I would unravel her reasons for resisting and overcome her objections.
In the meantime, we were together. I would treasure that, despite the frustration this heaped on me.
6
Becca
Ronan followed me into the flier’s cockpit, his presence making my heart race. The memory of his touch left a tingling on my skin, a warmth that made me want more.
In that moment, pinned in the corridor, I’d nearly forgotten that I didn’t want him. I shivered, biting my lip and blushing. If he’d forced the issue, I might not have objected.
But Ronan had been as good as his word and let me go without complaint. I had to give him that, even if on some level I wished he hadn’t.
Trying not to think about how I’d have responded if he hadn’t been a gentleman, I sank into the copilot’s chair and shivered. Daydreaming about Ronan’s touch might confuse and frustrate me, but it was better than looking at the flight controls and remembering what we were doing.
I expected Ronan to go straight to the pilot’s seat, but the blue skinned alien loomed over me instead.
“Hey, I can strap myself in,” I objected as he took hold of the restraints. He ignored me, fastening them around me and pulling them tighter than I would have. My breath caught again, and I bit back an objection as he secured me in place.
“I will not take chances with your safety, khara,” he said. Was it my imagination, or did his hands linger longer than they needed to? My cheeks heated and tried to ignore the feelings his touch stirred in me as he checked that I was buckled in to his satisfaction.
At last, he nodded and backed off, squeezing himself into the pilot’s seat. I bit back a groan of frustration as he moved away — no need to let him hear what an effect he had on me.
Come on, Becca, you don’t think it’s obvious? Megan would have laughed at me for trying to hide it, but just because Ronan was attractive was no reason to encourage him.
God was he attractive, though. I found myself squirming in the seat as he settled in, his fingers dancing across the displays, adjusting settings as he went. Those graceful hands and dexterous fingers… I tried not to think about what he could do with them if he turned his attention to me rather than the controls.
But the reality of the situation settled in as the ship responded to his commands, vibrating as the engines picked up speed. My fears grew again, overtaking my desire. Rationally I knew that Ronan was a skilled pilot — that didn’t stop me worrying that he’d crash us into the mountain trying to take off.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” I asked, watching the displays. All the labels were in English, and he’d shown no sign of being interested in human languages.
Ronan laughed. “I’ve flown ships since my childhood. Fighters, transports, fast interceptors, once a battlecruiser.”
I swallowed. His confidence was attractive, but it didn’t magic my fears away. “You’re used to flying in space, and in ships where you can read the controls. This is different.”
With an annoyed noise he turned in his chair, facing me and meeting my gaze. “I’ve been up in a flier like this many times already, little one, as you well know. Do not be afraid. You are safe with me.”
My hands gripped the seat hard enough that my knuckles showed white. “I saw what your flier looked like after your last landing. You don’t know what you’re doing, do you? I’m going to die.”
“That was different, Becca, and it will not happen this time,” he said, fingers drumming on the controls. His alien eyes met mine. “I am the most skilled pilot in the Joint Colony, and I will prove it to you.”
I opened my mouth to object, but he didn’t give me a chance. Without taking his eyes off mine, he pushed the throttle forward and the acceleration slammed me back into the chair.
All the air left my lungs in a sudden squeak, my fingers digging into the chair and my eyes going wide. My stomach flip-flopped and I stared out of the window, watching the mountains leap towards us.
Beside me, Ronan laughed again. If I’d been able to let go of my seat I’d have punched him. But no way was I letting go of anything. Mountain peaks rose on either side of us, flashing past far too close for comfort. I tried to shut my eyes.
If I was going to die I didn’t want to see the cliff coming, but my eyes wouldn’t obey. My heart beat so fast that I thought it would explode.
Then we were through, out the other side of the mountains. Miraculously, we hadn’t hit anything. We were alive. Ronan hadn’t killed me.
But I’d kill him as soon as I got the chance.
The sky darkened outside as we rose higher and higher, and I started to get my breathing under control. The roar of the engines faded back and the ship stopped shaking under me. Finally, I managed to take back control of my rebellious body.
With deliberate care I unwound my fingers from their death grip on the seat. Took a slow breath, swallowed my nausea. Turned my eyes left, to look at Ronan.
I’d half expected him to be watching me. To laugh at my distress, to enjoy his cruel joke at my expense. Instead, his eyes stayed fixed on the controls and the landscape beyond. With total focus he made adjustments, his fingers moving with such speed and precision it was hard to follow them.
In his element, Ronan relaxed. Under other circumstances I might have enjoyed watching him work, seeing him do his thing. The snarl that had marked his expression before had vanished, lost in his focus. There was a joy to his movements, a calm passion that burned in him as we shot through the sky. A counterpoint to the rage that flooded me, building up to an uncontrollable explosion. Finally I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“You unbelievable asshole,” I said, proud that my voice didn’t shake. “What the fuck are you doing?”
His eyes stayed focused on the instruments rather than me. As much as that annoyed me, part of me was glad too. I didn’t want to distract him and make him fly us into the ground, but there was no way to hold back my surge of anger.
“You are perfectly safe,” he said. “I have yet to crash and don’t intend to start now.”
“Yeah, well, how many pilots intend to crash?” I demanded. “You might have killed me.”
That got his attention, and he looked around for just a moment before turning his eyes back to the controls.
“Never.” The word was final, a promise I found impossible to doubt. “Khara, I would die before I did you harm. You need not fear me: I could no more hurt you than I could eat the sun.”
His right hand left the controls, reached across the space between our seats. Strong fingers squeezed my shoulder, comforting and supportive, and instantly I felt better.
But I didn’t want to feel better, damn it. I had good reason to be angry, and he had no right to take that away from me. Shrugging off his hand, I looked out the window too
, down at the unfamiliar sight of the forests beyond the mountain flitting past.
We were high enough that it all looked fake, like a model. That took the edge off my fear, but at the back of my mind the fact that we were thousands of feet above the planet kept picking at my sanity. If the engines failed, we’d drop like a rock. What if the batteries ran out of juice? What if a bird flew into the engines? Dozens of unlikely scenarios flashed through my mind, no matter what I tried to do to stop them.
Panic rising again, I held on tight to my anger. It was my only defense against the fear, and I grasped the bright red rage, letting it wash away the terror that threatened to wipe everything else away. “You should have warned me, told me what you were going to do.”
“I told you we were safe.” A note of exasperation entered his voice, the words clipped and short. The flier jinked left and right, little experimental movements as he settled our course. “I wished to show you what I can do, my khara. In my fighter, I would have gone far closer to the mountains, but in this flying brick I thought it best to be cautious.”
That was him being cautious? I shuddered. But that wasn’t the bit I objected to most.
“I am not your khara, you arrogant sthec,” I snapped, trying to remember the good insults in his language. My AI tutor hadn’t taught me many and I’d rarely had the chance to use them, but that one landed on target. I felt rather than saw Ronan stiffen in his seat, looking aside at me. “Whatever you think you see in me, you’re wrong. I don’t have your other soul or whatever bullshit you believe in. I’m just a scared human and I don’t want to do this anymore.”
He looked at me, making me want to shout at him to keep his eyes on the controls. Irrational, of course — the autopilot was perfectly capable of keeping us on the course he’d set. We weren’t really in danger.
