Danger in the Stars: (The Sectors SF Romance Series)

by Veronica Scott

  “Why are you keeping my powers leashed?”

  “You are full of questions today, Priestess-Sister.”

  “I give you my word as a priestess of Thuun that I won’t use them.” Miriell wriggled her shoulders and fidgeted on the bench, seeking the right words. “It’s uncomfortable to feel boxed in.”

  “I imagine so, but until you’re cleared to leave—until Conor is cleared to leave—you’re not to use your abilities. I try to make the restriction as lightweight as possible.” Glennit patted her arm. “I have two pieces of news, one good and one…not. Which do you prefer first?”

  “If it doesn’t concern Conor, I don’t much care.” She knew she sounded grumpy, but this constant harping on the need to keep them separated annoyed her. And frightens me. What if I’m never allowed to see him again, despite all of Glennit’s assurances?

  “All right, then, the sad news is we still can’t locate your homeworld. The Shemdylann ship was too badly damaged by the bombardment during the attack, and the data banks are corrupted. We’ve never had a Mawreg ship to study before, so we may find the coordinates there at some point.” She leaned in closer, as if to share a secret. “Usually, the humans blow them up, no questions asked, because the Mawreg terrify them so, with good reason. You’re also getting a lot of credit for capturing a ship to be studied. But for now, I must report defeat on the issue of finding your planet.”

  “You sound as if you’d been searching for a while.”

  “Which brings me to the good news. Your sister, Tyrelle, is alive and quite well.”

  Miriell couldn’t believe her ears. Tears flooding her eyes, she grabbed Glennit’s arm. “Are you sure? How? I mean, the entire Combine complex was destroyed, or so we were told. Did anyone else survive?”

  Glennit gave her a hug. “It’s a long story, but through some unusual coincidences, your sister was able to assist the SCIA. The end result was the Combine branch holding the two of you as slaves was brought down. No other individual from your planet was present at the complex at the time, other than Tyrelle herself. I’m sorry to report that.”

  “Can I see her?”

  “She’s not in this Sector, as it happens, but I’m sure the two of you will be reunited in due time. As you’re learning, the Sectors government moves slowly and the SCIA more deliberately than most organizations.”

  Miriell had figured that out, all right. “And I suppose the SCIA doesn’t want me to have too much detail in my head about Tyrelle’s accomplishment right now either? I’m beginning to dislike these authorities, even if their forces did rescue me.”

  Captain Kennear was more distant the next morning at coffee, less inclined to chat and didn’t linger for a second cup. Miriell was relieved. Perhaps I was imagining his interest. Perhaps I’ve become too conceited about my own charms. It was going to be a difficult conversation with him. Still, as she prepared for her morning tutoring session with whichever of the two lieutenants would show up, she wondered if Glennit had reprimanded him. The Mellurean had taken an unusual interest in him that day in the garden.

  The pattern continued for a few days, with Kennear being polite and correct but impersonal. He still came for the coffee, and he escorted her to the garden as before, but the conversation was limited and stilted. Miriell regretted the change but felt it was for the best.

  She grew increasingly restive at this new version of captivity. Conditions were so much improved from what she’d endured in the slave cells, or even while she was at Opherra’s beck and call, but she was still a prisoner, Kennear her guard. Glennit’s restriction keeping her from using her own power, not even the tiniest tendril, for anything other than pulling energy from the plants in the garden, left Miriell uneasy, her nerves on edge.

  And always there was the question of Conor. What was happening to him? How was he? Was he thinking of her?

  On the fourteenth day, Kennear showed up at her cabin door unexpectedly in the middle of the afternoon. She let him in and asked, “Is something wrong? It’s not time for our trip to the garden, and I thought I was done answering questions. Has the SCIA thought of new topics?”

  He rubbed his hand over his close-cropped blond hair and swallowed hard. “I want to apologize if I was making you uncomfortable. I never met anyone like you, and I felt this amazing attraction—”

  “Captain—”

  He raised his hand to stop her instinctive response. “I knew it was crazy. I knew there wasn’t a hope in the seven hells that you might be interested in me. You’ve made it clear from the first moment that this Conor guy is it for you.”

  “Yes, he is. Did Lady Glennit talk to you?”

  “No, she didn’t have to. It was pretty obvious to me that you and I could be friends maybe, if we’d met another way, but now, not more than that.”

  “I count you as a friend,” she said, relieved he’d managed to conquer his own misguided attraction to her. “You’ve been so helpful, so kind.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m going to do one more thing for you, and then tomorrow, I’m asking for reassignment, Miriell. That’ll be better for both of us.” He shuffled his feet and hesitated, as if he wasn’t sure he wanted to say any more. Straightening his shoulders, he used a brisk, matter-of-fact tone to hide whatever emotions he felt. “If you come with me right this minute, I can get you somewhere where you can have a glimpse of Conor.”

  Delighted, she gave him a big hug.

  He hugged her for a brief moment and stepped away. “But you can’t say a word, and if you ever tell anyone I did this, I’ll be court-martialed.”

  “No, of course not. Oh, but I’ll owe you a huge debt of gratitude.”

  He nodded. “Come on, then.”

  They left her cabin and went deep into the ship’s corridors into territory she’d never seen before. She hoped it wasn’t a mistake to trust Kennear, and she was frustrated that she couldn’t let her power read his motives, but she felt safe enough. Once they’d reached a bridge spanning other passageways crisscrossing below, Kennear held her back when she would have started across. Finger to his lips, he whispered, “The SCIA is taking him for another round of questioning, and the escort will walk on that concourse right below us, okay?”

  She nodded and hid behind the column as much as she could, peeking around the edge. Voices and footsteps sounded from below, and Conor walked into her field of vision in the center of a group of men and women. His hair was now close-cropped, and he was thinner than she remembered, with shadows under his eyes, but he was wearing a uniform like his companions and was unrestrained. He chatted easily with the people escorting him, obviously on good terms with several of them, laughing over some shared joke. Miriell had to bite her lip to keep from calling his name, and she refused to blink and miss a moment of this unexpected, if long-distance, encounter. As the group prepared to leave the walkway and enter the next area of the spaceship, Conor glanced over his shoulder in her direction, and a small smile flickered on his lips. Then he was gone.

  “Yeah, I might have gotten someone I trust to slip the word to him that this was a special bridge today.” Kennear sounded amused. “How are you doing, Priestess?”

  She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Blessings of Thuun be upon you, Captain! No one has ever done such a wonderful thing for me, not since I was taken prisoner by the Shemdylann.”

  “Consider it my parting gift, ma’am. Let me escort you back to your cabin, and then I’ll say goodbye. It’s been an honor to meet you.”

  She sat in the garden, her new official escort off somewhere, guarding access to this area, she supposed, when she heard footsteps on the path. Expecting dour and by-the-book Captain Sarqisi, who’d replaced the congenial Kennear, she forced herself to smile and stood up. “I’m ready—”

  “Miriell.”

  She spun around at the sound of her name and saw Conor standing at the edge of the small green space. She ran to his open arms, throwing herself at him, her arms around his neck, pulling his head down for a kiss that w
ent on so long she became dizzy. He buried his face in her hair and held her as she burst into tears. “I’ve missed you so much,” she sobbed. “I was afraid I might never be allowed to see you again.”

  “I wouldn’t have stood for that.” He framed her face with his hands. “I was going crazy being away from you, worrying about how you were doing—” As if he couldn’t restrain himself a moment longer, he kissed her again, heedless of the tears.

  He tasted of coffee and the salt from her tears, and it was wonderful. Miriell pressed as close to him as she could, her breasts against his hard chest. She felt his arousal stir against her thighs and warmth blossomed deep inside her body.

  Conor swept her into his arms and carried her to the bench, where he sat, cradling her in his lap. She curled into his warmth and wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry, I’ve been so desperate to see you. I didn’t mean to cry. That one little glimpse of you on the concourse that day meant so much to me, because at least I knew you weren’t still in cuffs and being treated like a prisoner, but it was nothing like actually being with you, hearing your voice.” She hiccupped and tried to pull her emotions into check.

  “I kept expecting to feel the touch of your power, but nothing, so I was going crazy with worry too, until your friend arranged that little moment. At least I knew you were doing okay. I owe the guy.”

  “Captain Kennear,” she said. “He was a…a friend who took a chance as a favor to me, but now he’s left the ship, as far as I know.”

  His arms tightened. “Problem?”

  Shaking her head, she twined her fingers in his. “No, he was getting too fond of me, and he knew it. We both knew it. I did nothing to encourage him, especially once I comprehended the depth of his feelings. You’re the only man for me, ever.”

  “You’re remarkably easy to fall in love with,” he said, dropping a kiss on her hair. “I sympathize with him, but if he’d bothered you, I’d have to track him down and explain the serious error of his ways.”

  “No, it was fine. If he’d gone too far, I would have taken action, trust me. As to the other subject, Glennit has my power leashed. She said the SCIA insisted we have no contact so all the evidence and testimony would remain unsullied. Since you’re here now, does this mean you’re finished testifying?” She searched his face, noting the shadows again. “Can we leave?”

  He drew a deep breath. “About that—we need to talk.”

  “All right. As long as we can be together, I’m fine, even if we have to remain in this quasi prison of a ship.” She waved her free hand at the garden. “It’s nicer than the slave cells on Devir 6 anyway.”

  His face tightened. “I hate that you’ve been kept in protective custody by my own people.” He allowed her to slip off his lap and onto the bench beside him but kept his grip on her hand, as if the touch was a comfort. “But it couldn’t be helped. The only thing I could do was get all my evidence out there as fast as possible and answer every piddling question any agent wanted to ask.”

  “I understood. It was your duty.”

  There was a moment of silence, and then he said in a rush, “Conor Stewart is dead.”

  Even though he was sitting there right in front of her, holding her hand, she startled and felt as if she’d taken a blow to the gut. “What do you mean?”

  “He was a medium-level Amarotu soldier, and he was killed in the SCIA assault.” Conor gave her a crooked grin. “As far as the records go.”

  Head whirling, voice a whisper, she asked, “May I…can I still call you Conor?”

  “Sweetheart, you can call me anything you like, just not in public.” He gestured at himself. “Meet Stefan Terence Murphy, SCIA senior agent.” Throwing his head back, he laughed. “Seven hells, it feels good to use my own name again. Forgive me for not telling you when we were in that SCIA safe house?”

  “Of course.” She touched his chest. “You’re still the same man. If I had my power free of Glennit’s control, I know I’d see the blue flames of a warrior.”

  “Still the man you love?” The question was said in a teasing tone, but even without her power, she heard the genuine concern.

  There was only one answer to that, and this time the kiss was long and involved.

  “Do you want to go to my cabin?” she asked breathlessly when they separated.

  “More than anything, believe me, but there’s no time.” He ran one hand over his short hair. “Where to begin?”

  “Wherever you like.”

  “When my bosses first started planning this operation six years ago, I was a volunteer. Certain…promises were made to me, about my career trajectory when the job was finished, the rewards to be given for my sacrifice and the risks I’d have to take.” He shot her a sideways glance. “Now that it’s done and I’m back, those in the SCIA hierarchy find themselves uncomfortable with what I’ve become.” He rose, pacing as if he couldn’t remain still another moment. “Not to mention some of the things I had to do. A lot of shocked faces in that interrogation room at certain points in the narrative. Five years in the Amarotu add up to a lot of activities on the shady side of the law.”

  Thinking over some of the things she’d had to do, she said, “I can imagine. What about your warrant? The authorities aren’t going to retract your immunity, are they?”

  “No, the agent in charge was reminded quite forcefully by Lady Glennit how I went in with carte blanche and I did succeed in thwarting a Mawreg plot against the Sectors. With your help.” He bowed in her direction, and she nodded.

  “We’re a team, the priestess and the warrior, and the time was right for success. Thankfully.”

  “The truth is, I’m not the same man I was six years ago. It was naive of me—and them—to think I’d come back whole, shake off five years at the black heart of the Combine and slip into the old job without ripples. I was supposed to get promoted to special agent in charge of my own Sector branch. I’d been on the fast track for the position before I went undercover. I have the promise in writing in my personnel file. I read it again yesterday.” He paused at the edge of the tiny ornamental pond and stared into the water. “That job was all I ever wanted. My whole career path from the Academy days onward pointed there.”

  She rose and joined him, slipping her arm around his waist and leaning close. “And now?”

  “The upper echelons of the agency clearly feel huge reservations about having someone like me in charge of anything, much less an entire branch of agents.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He shook his head. “Don’t be. I find the dream died a long time ago. Being stuck in a tiny cabin on this damn ship for a month with nothing to do but think and reflect, in between giving testimony, I realized I’m too much of a rogue now. I couldn’t make any kind of success as a by-the-book, rule-bound boss. I’d go quietly crazy. Or break a million rules and regulations and end up getting fired, if not arrested. Either way, it’s not what I want.”

  “So what have you chosen? And where does it take us?”

  He stared at her, admiration lighting his silver-gray eyes. “You’re amazing, you know that? You’ll sign up to go with me, no matter where, without even knowing the details?”

  “I love you. Details don’t matter. Once, I wanted to be the chief priestess of Thuun for all of Tulavarra. I schemed and planned and courted the right elders.” Shaking her head over the foolishness and crushed dreams of her younger self, she smiled ruefully. “All of which came to naught on the day I was kidnapped from my home. I’ve changed over the years, as much as you have, relinquished the hopes and dreams I’d cherished for my entire life too. The one true thing I know now is you’re my heart and my home, and if we’re together, any situation can be livable.”

  “Better than merely livable, I hope. Another law enforcement agency reached out to me last week, said I’m what they need. I’ve been offered the position of sheriff for a colony world on the far side of the Sectors from here. I’d have a small staff of officers, but living on the frontier of civilization w
ould mean less rulebook, more room to be creative. Not much chance of ever being found by the Combine either.” Raising his eyebrows, he grinned. “The colonists might be a handful, of course. Anyone who takes the challenge to move to the edge of the unknown and settle a new planet isn’t likely to be a tame sheep.”

  “Neither are we.”

  “We’re the sheepdogs,” he said with a laugh. “The protectors.”

  “So a completely new start?” The idea was appealing. She felt her heart beat faster as she thought about being free of the overwhelming Sectors control and structure.

  He faced her, taking both of her hands in his. “Will you come with me? Will you be my wife and take this challenge together?”

  “Nothing would make me happier.” She went on her tiptoes to kiss him, but he grabbed her in a bear hug and spun her around in a dizzying circle.

  “What would I do there?” she asked when he lowered her to the deck again.

  “Anything you want, I guess. You sing beautifully, you’re a healer, you sure know how to grow things. I’ve been assured the planet is lush and heavily forested. There are three oceans—” He stopped in midword and began searching in his pants pockets while Miriell watched in puzzlement. “That reminds me, I have something for you.” A moment later, he extended his hand to her, the seedpod resting on his palm. “You left this on Opherra’s ship.”

  “You saved it for me.” With exquisite care, she lifted the tiny winged case and closed her fingers over it. “There is still the possibility of life. Do you think it’ll grow on our new homeworld?”

  “I hope so. I knew you’d want to try planting it. I’d like the idea of a tree to represent our past and our future.”

  “And our love,” she whispered.

  “That too.” He kissed her tenderly. “Love, most of all.”

  “I can encourage it to grow, even though the soil will be alien for its roots. Glennit won’t keep my powers caged once we’re away from here, will she?” Miriell voiced her deepest fear.