by Keri Kruspe
Did she think he was a weak male for allowing her to go through Knum’Nz’s painful procedure? What kind of TrueBond was he, to allow this to happen? It was important to get the evidence against the Chancellor, but he’d be damned if he let his TrueBond suffer while performing his investigation. No. He had to put a stop to this right now. “JR10, I need an exit strategy right now.” His demand was hard and unyielding.
“I’m on it, boss. Get her to her cell, and I’ll fix everything.” The spybot dissolved.
D’zia transferred communications from his helmet to infiltrate the palace systems. JR10’s reassurances gave him a small sense of calm. His goal now was to take care of Lora. With a gentle nudge, he encouraged her to walk in front of him so they could go back to the cell as JR10 suggested.
* * *
LORA
Hmm, let’s not do that again.
When Lora flopped off the examination table, her mind was fuzzy and her body fought every move. She wasn’t in pain, per se, but that didn’t mean she didn’t hurt. Dr. Numb Nuts was methodical and thorough…she doubted he’d missed an orifice or piece of skin. Based on D’zia’s tight body language, he was not happy either.
Not that she blamed him. What was there to be happy about? His stiff stance held her attention. As did his fingers opening and closing into fists. If she weren’t watching for it, she’d have missed his anger altogether. Okay, deep down she liked he reacted so strongly to threats to her welfare. It made her want to shiver in an undeniable thrill. But right now, all she wanted to do was find the nearest cot and pass out.
“Human.” Great, Dr. Feelgood was still there. “You will return within twelve macroclicks to undergo the completion of our tests.”
She glared at his hateful visage, wanting to smack the crooked smile off his hideous face. Lucky for him, her arms were on hiatus right now.
“Be sure to get some rest.”
Yeah, like he was so concerned about her welfare. The only thing this sick alien cared about was if she was healthy enough for him to mess with again.
“Move.” D’zia’s guard tone was back in force. He raised his gun to wave her out the open doorway.
Nodding, Lora hobbled ahead of him and off they went, back the way they’d came.
After a few moments, D’zia gave her a soft nudge on her shoulder. “Are you all right?”
Lora slumped and winced as her skin pulled in pain. She didn’t know if her grunt was laughter or discomfort. “I’m okay, I guess.”
His inflexible body language told her he didn’t like her answer.
There was an uncomfortable silence as they walked back to her cell. Once there, she stepped over the threshold. D’zia surprised her by coming in and waving the forcefield closed.
He took off his helmet and dropped it with a thunk on the floor.
Her breath stilled at his exposed fangs and flared nostrils.
He stood there, his powerful body straight and unyielding as he perused her entire body.
He should have scared her, but instead he made her pulse race and aroused her. She stood her ground and waited. He didn’t disappoint. He grabbed in a kiss so scorching she swore her lips caught fire. Passion, rage and possessiveness poured off him and inflamed her.
D’zia jerked his mouth away as he leaned his forehead on hers. The iridescent dark green of his pupils bled into the bright dual-turquoise of his irises. “Watching that asshole hurt you was the hardest thing I’d ever done in my life.” He took in a deep breath and nuzzled down to her earlobe and the junction between her neck and shoulder. “Never again.” His nubby tongue lapped and licked the exposed skin. “I’m getting you out of here right now.”
Floating in sensual bliss, it took a moment for his words to penetrate. She pushed at his chest to fixate on his face. “Wait, D’zia. Let’s talk about this for a moment.” She was all for leaving, but wasn’t it important for him to get some evidence against the Chancellor? Jeez, all the pain she’d suffered had to be for something.
He tightened his hold around her as he buried his face in crook of her neck. He reached up to grab her hair in a tight grip that didn’t hurt. “No. End of discussion.”
Oh hell, way wrong answer. She appreciated the reason behind the sentiment, but they had to discuss this whether Mr. Alien Hunk wanted to or not. She’d allowed her arrogant ex-husband to dictate what she could and couldn’t do, hoping to please the bastard. She didn’t make the radical change in her life only to end up in the same rut again.
“D’zia,” she pushed him away once more, enough to put a centimeter between them. The man was nothing if not persistent in keeping the both of them mushed together. “D’zia.” She tried again. “Aren’t you going to get into trouble being in here with me like this?” The last word came out in a breathless whisper as his ravaging tongue licked her collarbone. Holy shamoka, the man found an erogenous zone she’d never knew she had. All she wanted to do was drop in a mass of carnal desire at his feet.
“No.” His muffled answer came as he took his time nuzzling a path back to her ear. “JR10 has muted audio and video communication to your cell.”
His mouth took possession of hers as her soul reached out to join him.
Chapter Three
LORA
An eternity passed before Lora’s brain cells decided to come back online. Which wasn’t easy since D’zia had pulled her hips into his hard groin. Holy shamoka, was all of that for her? Wait, what did he say? Something about a JR10?
“D’zia.” She pulled her mouth away from his while her inner nasty girl screamed to keep going. “Don’t, I can’t think when you kiss me.” Her heartbeat was going crazy and it was hard to breathe.
Okay, take in a few deep gulps of air…yeah, now she was calm. Right. She put her hands on the sides of his face to place him farther back from her so she could gaze into his eyes. Feminine pride warmed her as she took in the dazed, unfocused stare he gave back. Lordy, those dual-colored orbs were beyond beautiful, especially dilated in passion. His wet, full lips were tempting, and she’d love to spend eternity bathing in the weight of his intense focus.
His three-fingered hands burrowed under her loose tunic to wrap around her naked waist, his palms massaged her eager skin in heavy strokes.
She jumped when warm oils under his hands caused a path of lightning to cover her skin wherever he caressed. A fleeting scent of spiced licorice teased her nose. She drew in a shuddering breath as she cleared her throat. “D’zia, please, let’s stop and think about this.”
A fervent glare told her he was going to ignore her as his hands gripped under her breasts and pulled her toward his body again.
“No.” She put her hands on his solid chest to stop his progress. She might as well be pushing against a mountain. Said mountain wouldn’t move unless it wanted to. “Wait…D’zia…you’ve got to tell me what’s going on.”
He must have heard the fear in her tone because the peach-colored sheen of his skin darkened in the bright light of her cell. “I can’t forget what happened to you as I stood there and did nothing. I’m so sorry.” He rested his forehead gently against hers.
She grinned as her chest lightened at his heartfelt declaration. “Don’t think you didn’t do anything. If you hadn’t been in the room, I don’t know what I would have done. Besides, I wasn’t hurt too bad. It wasn’t any worse than some medical tests I’ve had done before.” Well, she might be stretching things, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Still, I didn’t like it.” D’zia frowned as he pushed back from her and let go.
She missed his body heat, but really, how else was she going to get answers? He was a little too potent for her peace of mind. Besides, she’d never discover what was going on if he didn’t stop touching her.
Her body deflated as the past few hours caught up with her. All she wanted to do was sit and take a breather. The stress was getting to be too much. Walking over to her narrow cot, she plopped down as she rubbed her temples with shaking fingertips
. “Please tell me you’ve got some good news.” She rubbed over the empty pit in her stomach.
D’zia stood there for a moment before he sat next to her. He leaned in, put an arm around her shoulder, and scooted them closer.
The return of his warmth was a welcome respite and lessened the shivers that had begun.
“I don’t have much time so I’ll give you a condensed version.”
She stifled a yawn and nodded before resting her head on his shoulder. “Sounds good.”
“If you remember, I suspect the Chancellor is planning to overthrow the current democratic government. I need to get evidence against him to take to the Zerin council so they, in turn, can present it to the governing nine systems of the Consortium.”
He took her hand in his and his three fingers easily enveloped her smaller ones. “No one on Zerin knew you or any other human women were here.”
“Am I the only human lucky enough to be a guest at the Chancellor’s pleasure palace?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know, but it’s possible. I’m only working in a small section of the prison, so I can’t say for sure.”
Lora shivered in dread. That was something she’d hate to consider, him not locating her in this wondrous little slice of heaven. She might never have met him, much less had a chance of getting out of this alive. Burrowing closer to his body, she took in a deep breath of his intoxicating scent. It helped to calm her. “Do you have any idea why they took me?” Her heart stopped, and she was terrified to hear what he would say.
Once again, he shook his head.
Disappointed, she exhaled a short breath.
“No, but I think it has to do with your physiology. The tests Dr. Knum’Nz was conducting seemed genetic to me. He was either searching for something or was trying to confirm something. But I’m no scientist, so I can’t say.” He wrapped his arm around her and rested his hand on her hip. His strong fingers massaged her tense muscles there and coaxed a soft, grateful moan from her.
“So, what do you think we should do now?”
He caught her gaze with the heat of his own. “One thing for sure, you aren’t going to suffer any more tests from that puntneji. I’m going to get you out of here.”
Even though she didn’t know what a puntneji was, she got the drift. Maybe she agreed with his sentiment, but they had to consider the bigger picture. It was important to get information and not doing anything hasty. Death wasn’t something she wanted to explore right then. “D’zia,” she hesitated. “Do you have anything you can bring to the council now?”
His eyes narrowed. “No, but I don’t care. We’re getting out of here.”
“Easy, big guy, I’m in complete agreement.” She tightened her hold on his hand “But let’s try to look at this logically.”
“Fruk logic!” He growled it in a low tone. “The longer you’re here, the more danger you’re in. I won’t have it.” The angry last word went up a notch.
“Whoa, bro! Dial down the testosterone, will ya?” A small voice peeped out of D’zia’s man bun.
Was she hearing things? A small spider-like, metallic thingy came out of the light-bronze strands. She jerked out of D’zia’s hold and pointed to his head. “Ack, a spider! Kill it! Kill it!” She hated spiders! What was a spider doing in space, for God’s sake? That was the one place she was sure she’d never run into one because everyone knew spiders weren’t allowed in space. Did she mention she absolutely hated spiders? Creepy, crawly, menacing little bastards.
“Now look what you’ve done, JR10. You’ve scared her! What do you think you’re doing, exposing yourself?” D’zia emphasized his calm tone by crossing his taut arms over his chest. He watched her as he spoke. “Don’t mind his highness here, he just likes the attention.”
“What? He’s a king or something?” What the hell? A royal insect? And was he talking about, or rather to, a bug?
D’zia gave a loud snort. “JR10 is not an Earth insect and he’s the furthest thing from royalty.” His eyes rolled up to stare toward where the bot sat. “He’s a pain in my ass, is what he is.” His bright gaze came back to her. “He’s a highly developed AI spybot I use to communicate with the palace computer.”
“Humph!” The tiny bot scuttled down to D’zia’s shoulder. “I am more than a communication device, I’ll have you know.”
Wow, who knew a computer bug could have a case of smug superiority? When she realized she wasn’t in any danger from a stinging spider bite, she scooted back to face D’zia and his companion. “Okay, so dazzle me with what you know.”
“My dear,” JR10 intoned in a perfect British accent, “we do not have enough time in the galaxy for me to tell you what I know.”
She narrowed her eyes in turn. “You’re a bit of a smartass, aren’t ya?”
“You have no idea.” D’zia gave a quick, disgusted snort.
Okay, this was a sore subject between the two.
The little bot preened to perfection, demonstrating his snarky ability with flawless accuracy.
“People, let’s focus, shall we?” D’zia took control of the conversation. “JR10, report.”
“JR10, report…JR10 report. That’s all you ever say to me. For once, can’t you ask, ‘how’s it hanging, JR10? What’s good witcha?’” The spybot waved one of his forelegs in the air as if to emphasize his point, and resumed a flat, North American accent.
Lora couldn’t help it, she giggled. “I like him.”
D’zia curled his lips in a frown. “Don’t encourage him.”
“My good man…” JR10 reverted to the British accent.
D’zia interrupted him. “JR10…report NOW.”
“Okay, okay! Sheesh, take it down a notch, true?” The twelve-legged, metallic AI caved with ill humor. “As I was trying to tell you before, I’ve created JR11 for Miss Lora here.” He waved a metallic leg in her direction. “Shall I transport her over, oh, Master Bates?”
Lora couldn’t help it—she guffawed with a snort of laughter. She always appreciated a play on words…the deeper the pun, the better.
“Finally, someone who appreciates my rapier wit!” The little bot took a small bow, complete with a sweeping bent foreleg.
D’zia didn’t take the bait. “Yes, have her transported to my shoulder, not Lora’s. I don’t want her alarmed.”
An awkward salute accompanied a hearty “Yes sir!” as another spybot appeared on D’zia’s opposite shoulder. This one was smaller and somewhat more delicate than JR10.
“Ladies and Gentlemales, may I introduce the love of my life, JR11.”
“Hello,” a timid, feminine voice came out of the new diminutive twelve-legged spybot perched on D’zia.
Wow, the little bot wasn’t any bigger than a thumbnail. “Oh JR10, she’s adorable.” In an insect-ty way with her shiny metallic skin a soft violet color and the bottom of her spindly legs dipped in black. Her two multifaceted eyes reflected a rainbow of colors as the little robot moved her head around as if to explore the surrounding area.
“She is yours, Miss Lora,” JR10 pronounced with pride. “If you would allow her, she will shift to your shoulder and lodge beneath your hair to communicate with you.”
The little bot swung her head as if waiting for acceptance.
Lora’s heart melted as she nodded.
With a strong leap, JR11 went from D’zia to her within a split second, landing on Lora’s right shoulder. Weightless as a feather, the little robot scurried to burrow under her hair at the base of her neck. Her little legs tickled as she scampered across Lora’s skin. When the bot settled, a sharp, quick pain pierced her skin. With a cry of alarm, Lora swatted the area.
JR11 was long gone, having moved to the other side of her head to settle behind her ear.
“What’d you do that for?” Lora checked her palm for any signs of blood. Thankfully, there wasn’t any.
JR10 cocked his head as if confused. “Why, she had to install the nanobots you need to communicate with her telepathically. Now, you�
��ll never lose each other.” He folded all twelve of his legs underneath his torso as he rested on D’zia’s shoulder.
At first, Lora didn’t notice the slight buzzing in her head until it stopped. A tentative, light feminine voice whispered to her, “Hello.”
“Um, hello…hello?” Lora asked aloud, glancing around the room. She snickered. “Can you hear me now?” Too bad the aliens in the room didn’t understand why that was funny. Ah, well, can’t have everything.
“Yes, I can hear you,” JR11 answered in a soft, breathless voice.
“Holy Shamoka, JR10! You’ve made her sound like a sex kitten,” Lora exclaimed. She put her hands on her hips, incensed at the sexist move. She glared at D’zia as if it were his fault.
“Now wait a minute, I…” He put his hands up in defense.
“Did you not hear the part where she was the love of my life?” JR10 interrupted as he stood. He stretched his two forelegs before taking his time going up D’zia’s hair to take his place behind the male’s ear. “You take good care of her. She’s mine and I want her back when we’re done.”
Great, he was in her head too. This whole thing was kinda weird, hearing the little bots’ voices in her mind instead of out loud. “She’s not a possession, you nitwit.” Lora countered as if JR11 was a living being instead of an AI. It amazed her how much she wanted to protect the little bot already. “It’s up to her where she wants to go. Right, JR11?”
“All things are possible,” was her whispered reply.
Ah, a little diplomat. Maybe that was why JR10 said she was a perfect “love” for him. He was anything but.
“Okay, finish your report. We need to get moving as soon as possible.” D’zia brought the group back on track.
Which was a good thing since her mind weighed down as fatigue took over. It was hard to concentrate.
“You’re in luck there, bro,” JR10 picked up where he left off before he’d brought JR11 into their group.
Lora was glad the little bot was with her. Lord only knew it would be lonely and boring when D’zia had to leave again.
