“Where are we headed?” Smitty poked Paz on the shoulder. “I need to get back to my people.”
“Taiwan. We can get transport to Hong Kong from there.”
Jen clicked her tongue. “Oh, crap. We forgot to ask about a telephone in the village.” She consulted her watch. “It’s five o’clock. We’ve been missing for over twenty-four hours. My father must have mobilized a search mission by now.”
“The Trolleks may have provided evidence of our demise.” Paz noted her questioning glance. “They recruit mind slaves and send them home to wait for further orders. These sleeper agents may be more widespread than we’ve thought. They’ll follow instructions and no one else will be the wiser.”
“So they could have claimed our aircraft crashed into the sea and sank with no survivors?” Tears pricked her eyes at his nod. “My dad won’t give up. He won’t believe I’m gone.” She tightened her resolve to connect with her parents and spare them the pain of loss. “Can you ask Kolami if he has a radio? You could try to contact your team again, too,” she added as extra incentive.
Smitty stepped between them. “Let’s find our bunks first. This thing weighs a ton.” He lifted the sack with their food stores. “I hope they have some good ale onboard. Wouldn’t trust their water if I were you. Awful tasting stuff in the dungeon.”
Jen regarded him curiously. “You didn’t tell me how you ended up there, or why the Trolleks captured you.”
“Later.” Paz gave her a dimpled grin. “I’m with Smitty. Let’s go below where we can’t be spotted from the deck.”
One of the crew led them down a rickety companionway. He stopped at the bottom and spoke in a rapid dialect. Paz turned to the others to translate.
“Jen, you and I are assigned to the captain’s cabin since we paid for our voyage. Captain Kolami will share quarters with his first mate, that’s Kano here. Smitty, you’ll bunk in crew quarters with Rafu and Senichi. They’ll explain your duties.”
The dwarf’s cheeks puffed out. “What duties? And why am I stuck in crew quarters while you get a luxury suite?”
Kano pushed open the nearest door, and Jen peeked inside. She gasped at the closet-sized space with a short, single bed, a bureau, and a tiny porthole. Luxury? Ha!
“We’re working our way through this passage,” Paz explained in a patient tone. “It was the only way Captain Kolami would agree to take us. I’ll be assigned duties, too. Jen, I hope you can cook. You’re in charge of the galley.”
Her jaw dropped. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“No, I’m not. And I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I said our lives depended on it. There’s nothing stopping these guys from stealing everything we own and tossing us overboard.”
Chapter Ten
The first mate rattled off instructions and swept his hand toward the cabin. His narrow face pinched, and his shoulders hunched. Jen surmised he wasn’t pleased by their hesitation to budge from the companionway landing.
“Kano says to move our butts inside,” Paz translated. “He has to help get the sails unfurled while the tide favors us. He mentioned it’s the custom to pray to the gods for deliverance from sea monsters at the start of every voyage. We should do the same.”
“Sea monsters, huh?” Jen arched her eyebrows. “If they’re so superstitious, how come they let me aboard? Aren’t women supposed to be bad luck on sailing vessels?”
“Diamonds can be persuasive.” Pressing a hand to the small of her back, Paz urged her to enter the tiny space. “Smitty, we’ll catch up to you later.”
“Don’t forget about me,” Smitty called as he trailed Kano down the dark corridor. “I’ll hold you responsible if anything bad happens.”
Shutting the door behind them, Jen faced Paz. A wisp of hair floated across her face, and she blew it away. “I can’t stay in here with you. There’s room for only one person on that bed. Nor can I cook meals for the entire crew. I barely know how to boil water.”
“Then you’d better learn fast. I don’t trust these fellows. If they like your cooking, they’ll be more apt to honor their word and protect us from pirates.”
“Pirates?” Her pitch rose. “Are you for real?”
His expression grim, he nodded. “I know these aren’t the accommodations you’re used to, but it’s better than a Trollek prison cell. Now tell me, what did they do to you?” He tested the mattress, which sagged under his weight.
Jen plopped down beside him and let her shoulders sag. “I’m too tired to talk about it. Do I have to start dinner right away?”
“Tomorrow morning. Kolami said we could have tonight to acquire our sea legs.”
A series of thumps sounded overhead, and shouts reached her ears. It didn’t appear they’d get much rest.
Her nose wrinkled at the mingled smell of tar, fish oil, and stale human sweat. The ship rolled, and her stomach lurched. Oh, great. If she got seasick, they’d surely throw her overboard for shark meat.
Paz put an arm around her and tilted her face toward his. “We’ll be fine, Jen. I promise.” And before she could protest, his mouth closed on hers. He brushed her lips with a feathery touch, then murmured in her ear. “I need protection against the Trollek spell again, just in case. It’s been more than twenty-four hours since the last time.” He stroked her arm, sending shivers along her skin.
She slid away and stood in a huff. “Is that all I mean to you? Our kisses are only a means to pass on my immunity?”
“Of course not.” His eyes darkened. “Make no mistake, Jennifer Dyhr. I want you as a man desires a woman.”
“Oh.” Was he just saying that to appease her? “Well, don’t think because we’re sharing a cabin that we are sharing this bed. You’ll sleep on the floor.”
He eyed the wood planks with skepticism. “We can both squeeze onto the bunk. You needn’t be afraid of me, leera. We won’t do anything that you don’t want to do.”
That’s what spooked her. She’d like nothing more than to lose herself in his strong arms. Her face burned as his knowing smile battered her defenses.
“Look, if it helps, I’m still sore.” He rubbed his lower back for emphasis. “I just want to get some rest.”
Guilt washed over her. He could have made a run for it on Togura Island and yet he’d come looking for her. Without his intervention, she wouldn’t have made it out of the fortress.
She lowered herself onto the thin mattress. “You’re right, I should be more considerate. I’m sorry. Did they hurt you very badly?”
He glanced away. “I’ve been treated worse. They didn’t use the worms on you, did they?”
“No, they weren’t trying to worm information out of me.” She chuckled at her own wording.”
“You were fortunate.” He stretched out on the cot, closing his eyes. Through the bristle covering his jaw, she noted discolored skin. How many more bruises covered his body?
“Tell me what torments you suffered.” She crawled over him and lay on the other side against the wall.
Facing his back, she fought an urge to lift his shirt and examine him. She’d never felt this way about a man before, wanting to care for him. Why did Paz Hadar bring out her nurturing instinct? It must be their situation. They depended on each other for survival.
He curled his knees up, making her wonder if he was still in pain. Her treatment must have been mild in comparison to whatever happened to him.
“Morar questioned me about the Protector’s shield frequency and the Star Empire’s defense grid. He talked about the prophecy and your role in it. He also mentioned my team members are alive and that they’d succeeded in blowing up the jamming device.”
“Oh, yes. I meant to tell you I’d heard they survived. That’s good news, right?” She rested her hand on his shoulder, needing to reassure herself that he was whole.
“The general wanted to know what our team planned next. I didn’t tell them anything, not even when they put those creatures up my nose.” His voice slurred as tendrils of sleep seduced
him.
He fell silent, his breathing becoming slow and regular, while she stared at the dim outlines in the cabin. The meager light from the portal was diminishing, but she didn’t have the energy to light a lantern. Her eyes drifted shut while she thought of the horror of having worms crawl up your nostrils.
Someone screaming jolted her awake.
“Hush, you’ll draw attention to us.” Facing her, Paz shook her back to consciousness. “You’re having a nightmare.”
“Omigod, I killed him.” Jen couldn’t see anything in the dark. Her heart raced, and her breaths came short.
“You’re safe now. We’re on the ship, and I’m here to protect you.” His soothing voice calmed her.
Awareness flooded back. “Oh, thank God. I thought I was back there and Bosk was hitting me, and I-I…” Her voice broke off.
“You what, Jen?” Paz asked gently, stroking her arm.
“I…one minute I was looking at his sash, thinking how I’d like to wrap it around his ugly neck, and the next minute, he was dead. Strangled by the fabric wrapped around his neck.”
Silence met her words, while the horror of what she’d done overwhelmed her. She had no doubt she’d been responsible for the act, but how?
“Say again. You thought about using his sash to strangle him, and it happened?” Paz spoke very precisely as though aware of her fragility.
She nodded but then realized he couldn’t see her motion. “Y-Yes. I took his dagger. The guard came in. We fought. The knife ended up in his throat.”
Hysteria bubbled near the surface. She hadn’t had time to react before, but now the terrifying implications hit her. What kind of monster was she?
Paz patted her arm, and his reassuring touch evaporated her worries. She sniffed his masculine essence along with a hint of the sea. He leaned closer, his breath fanning her face.
“Do not fear your power.” He nuzzled her ear. “You’ll learn to control it. It’s part of your destiny.” He made a series of nibbling kisses toward her mouth.
She kissed him back, wanting to feel alive, needing to feel cherished. She’d only wanted to get away from Bosk. It wasn’t as though she was a bad person. If she believed Paz, this was meant to happen. They were part of something greater.
“Ow!” Paz jerked away.
“What’s wrong?” Had she touched him where he’d been hurt?
“Nothing I can’t handle.” His voice sounded strained. “It’s a residual effect of the boratus worms. Body heat kills them, but they leave behind a toxin. It’ll dissolve eventually but until then, every now and then I get a twinge.”
Maybe she could distract him. His presence aroused her. She wanted to forget her nightmare, their perilous plight, and the unknowns ahead.
With this man, she didn’t have any pretense. The aloof, sophisticated image she showed the world wasn’t necessary with him. She’d already become someone else, and it empowered her.
She reached up and pulled his head down, kissing him full on the lips. Tasting his surprise, she flicked her tongue across his mouth in invitation. Boldness hadn’t been her strong suit before, but now she embraced it. Turning into him, she entwined her legs around his, and let her passion loose.
“Jen,” he murmured, tangling his fingers in her hair and sealing his mouth to hers.
Their tongues danced a duet as they melded together. She writhed against him, unable to get close enough to sate her lust. Bolts of desire shot through her, startling her in their intensity. Her perception narrowed, as it often did before one of her visions.
As her mind’s eye cleared, she saw them naked on a celestial plane where nothing else existed.
Soon they were both disrobing in real time, tossing their tattered clothing to the floor. Their bodies touched, skin to skin. She moaned into his mouth, lashing her tongue out, lathing him, and drinking in his essence.
****
Paz accepted her offering without knowing why she wanted him. Well, he knew why. His physique had always attracted women the universe over, but Jen didn’t seem the type who’d tumble into bed with a man she’d just met. Likely she needed comfort, and he was only too happy to oblige.
Despite her sophisticated appearance, she hadn’t turned out to be the spoiled lady he’d expected upon his first glimpse of her. She’d proven herself to be resilient, level-headed, and adaptable. Rather than complain about their peril or her own physical discomfort, she had sought to analyze their prospects. He appreciated her sense of logic and her ability to gauge a situation and move on.
Whatever her motives for opening to him, he’d give her an experience she wouldn’t forget.
His hands roamed her body while he ached to be inside her. He worshipped her breasts, caressing first one and then the other, flicking his thumb across her nipples until they peaked in salute. His fingers tickled their way down her flat belly to the sensitive region between her thighs. She broke away from his mouth, arched, and cried out when he touched her there.
“Oh God, Paz, don’t stop.”
He obeyed, scraping his fingertips along her tender inner thighs, ending up right where she wanted him. He spread her feminine folds, exploring her, dipping his finger in where his shaft wanted to go. Her wetness spiked his desire tenfold.
Unable to wait any longer, he rolled atop her, wriggling his hips so she could feel his arousal and know how hard she made him. Her legs opened in response, and her body jerked as she neared her release.
By Odin’s grace, he couldn’t get enough of her. His mouth claimed hers as reason fled him. He wasn’t even aware of the pinpricks of pain that still plagued him. Lust energized him, driving him mad for her.
“Are you sure?” His voice came out a dry rasp. He still had enough presence of mind that he could stop, if she so chose. An animal he wasn’t. He’d abide by her wishes.
“Yes. Don’t talk. Just do it.” She yanked his head back down and kissed him.
His muscles clenched as he readied himself to enter her. He probed her opening, his breathing fast and heavy. His heart hammered and his blood surged.
He slid inside, meaning to be gentle to allow her to accommodate him. He didn’t know how much experience she’d had and wanted this to be memorable.
She bucked under him, covering his buttocks with her hands and pressing him closer. Her fingernails dug into his ass.
That was all the incentive he needed. He plunged deep, his breath mingling with hers, his mind consumed with her scent and her taste. The spiral to completion captured him. She came first, convulsing under him, her shudders gradually diminishing. In one final, glorious insertion, he joined her over the edge.
After his respirations slowed, he rolled off, facing her on his side. His index finger traced a pattern on her arm. She lay on her back, eyes closed, blatantly naked for his perusal were there enough light to see.
He liked the dark when he had sex. Somehow he felt it hid his true nature, the part of him that made him a Drift Lord. The part of him that his father despised, calling him a freak.
His ability to detect cors particles had manifested with puberty. Those so blessed, or cursed if you will, had to attend Drift Lords Academy, their own career choices put on hold. His father had spared no words about how disappointed he was over this development.
When Paz had gone off-world to take a job as a field technician, Alain had really blown a fuse. He’d expected both of his sons to join the family business. Paz hadn’t been home since. Nor did he keep in touch with his older brother, Renslow, an uptight donik who didn’t deviate from the rules.
Jen’s soft breathing sounded beside him. He sifted his fingers through her hair, relishing the silken texture.
She came from a moneyed family just like him. She wouldn’t be happy settling down with a drifter who moved from star system to star system for his real life job. Nor would she like the place he called home, a tract in the Red Flatlands on the planet Morata. He loved the wide-open space and the privacy. The isolation would drive her mad.
>
Once she grew to know him, she’d turn away for better prospects. Wealthy women were like that. Whatever he and Jen had together wouldn’t last.
He needed to clear her from his mind and focus on his mission. As for the prophecy, likely it meant they’d have to work together to ensure their survival and the continuance of humanity. He believed in it to that extent. It could even be why the sexual chemistry between them was so strong.
But after his team defeated the Trolleks, he’d go his own way. Destiny or not, Jennifer Dyhr wouldn’t want any part of his life then. Regret tasted bitter on his lips. Too bad. He could have gotten used to having her around.
****
Jen lay on her back, staring at the ceiling in the dark, while utterly aware of Paz’s movements at her side. The handsome warrior was everything she’d want in a man, in terms of the physical sparks between them. But what about the rest?
As a Drift Lord, he was courageous, resourceful, and skilled. She knew very little else about him except that he worked as a telecom repairman in his spare time. How did he react under normal circumstances? Did he exhibit the same verve, or did he become complacent like many men and look forward to a beer and a sports game?
Assuming she returned to her former life, would he fit in with her swirl of social activities, high fashion events, and fun-loving friends? Or would he stand out like a sore thumb, awkward and out of place? She felt that way in their current situation. The opposite might be true on her turf. Paz reminded her of a diamond in the rough. Did he want to be polished, or would he rather remain below his true potential?
Let’s say he accepted the modeling job and met her expectations. What then? They’d have great sex and he’d make fantastic eye candy on her arm. But soon he would get bored and leave her. It would be foolish to put energy into a relationship that wouldn’t go anywhere.
She rolled onto her side, scrunching her half of the thin pillow under her head. She couldn’t deny the sensual attraction between them. Regardless of his lot in life, the man was a hunk. If she yielded to her impulse to live in the moment and enjoy him, she needn’t worry about the future.
Warrior Rogue (The Drift Lords Series) Page 11
