by S. E. Smith
Trisha was alarmed at first when she was told she was not going to be staying with Ariel and Carmen. They were shown to a much smaller cabin containing only a large bed, a bathroom, and a small table with two chairs. She was determined not to be separated from them but the huge man who escorted them insisted she follow him. It was only when he promised she could return to see her ‘sisters’ that she gave in. In truth, she was exhausted from staying up for the past two nights worrying about Carmen. She hadn’t been able to sleep at all in the chair and there were no free beds because not long after they arrived the medical room became swamped with injured men. All she was able to get out of it was bits and pieces. Something about a guy named Trelon, a dragon, his symbiosis and his mate. All she knew was there was barely even any room to sit down by the time the last guy was brought in.
Her first priority after she was left alone last night had been to find a weapon. She explored the room extensively trying to find anything she could use. She found a sharp curved blade in the bathroom that she kept with her, as well as, a smaller knife next to some fruit on a small table in the other room.
Trisha sighed as she stepped into the shower, letting the warm flow of steam pour over her. She hated that she was always stiff in the morning. She almost wished she didn’t need to sleep. If she kept moving she was fine, it was only when she stopped for any length of time that the pain came back. She slowly stretched as the warm steam poured over her tight muscles. The showers were different. They consisted of a type of misting steam that jetted out on three sides from top to bottom. The jets were of a pale purple color that changed after just a few seconds. Trisha discovered the purple was a type of cleansing soap. The mist then changed to a rose color before becoming clear. When it was done, a light came out and seemed to surround her. When it was done, she was not only clean, but mostly dry. Saves on having to do a lot of laundry, Trisha thought with a small twist to her lips. She sighed heavily. She needed to get with Ariel and Carmen. If Abby wanted to stay with her guy, that was one thing, but she, Ariel, and Carmen had nothing to hold them here and everything to get back too. Trisha frowned. She didn’t know what happened to Cara. Had she gotten away? She had been over near Abby. If she was able to escape then she would let Trisha’s dad know what happened to them. There wasn’t anything he could do to save her but he had taught her how to save herself. He would know she would do whatever she could to get back to him. Trisha prayed Cara had gotten away. She hated the idea of her dad not knowing what happened to her, Ariel and Carmen.
Trisha stepped out of the shower unit and reached for a towel to wrap around her out of habit. She was glad that Carmen was alive and well. It had been touch and go for a while. She knew that Carmen would have never made it if it hadn't been for the advanced technology. It was beyond mind boggling that she been healed so quickly! She would have been in intensive care for at least a week. That was if she even lived, which Trisha seriously doubted she would have considering the wounds she received. Then, there was the translator that was imbedded in all of them. Trisha hadn’t understood any of the words the men were saying until one older man came over to her and Ariel and indicated he wanted to check them out. Before she knew what was happening, he pressed a device up against her skull. Ariel started towards him when she saw what he was doing but stopped when Trisha told her she understood what the man was saying. The healer apologized as he explained he implanted a translator so they could communicate.
Trisha walked into the bedroom to retrieve her clothes when the low sound of a growl made her turn in surprise. Trisha spun around awkwardly, gripping the small knife in one hand and the larger curved knife in the other. Standing in the doorway was the tall man from the transporter room. His eyes glowed a brilliant gold as he stood staring at her.
Chapter 5
Kelan couldn’t suppress the low growl that escaped him at the scent of his mate. It seemed to fill his living quarters with the essence of wild spices and something else. He didn’t have a chance to discern the illusive fragrance before the female appeared from the cleansing unit wearing nothing more than a towel – and holding two very sharp knives. He frowned as he watched her move into a defensive stance. He did not want her to be afraid of him.
“I will not harm you.” Kelan began as he took a step towards Trisha, his hands raised up. “You may give me the knives.”
Trisha shook her head and took a slight step back and to the side. She didn’t want to give him a chance to corner her. “You can leave and I’ll keep the knives.” She replied calmly as her dad’s training kicked in.
“These are my living quarters. Why would I leave?” Kelan said with a slight smile as he took another step towards Trisha.
Trisha studied the man in front of her carefully as he talked. She noticed he moved gracefully, quietly. He was taller than her by almost a foot and out-weighed her by at least a hundred pounds or more. He was very handsome in a rough sort of way. His black hair was tied back and hung almost half way down his back. He was lean but muscular with a wide chest and narrow waist. His face and coloring reminded Trisha of some of the Native Americans she knew near her hometown. He had the same type of graceful movement and quiet strength she saw from them.
His eyes were what caught and held her attention the most. They were a deep, dark gold color with what looked like tiny flames burning deep inside them. His pupils were different too. They were elongated instead of round, Trisha observed in fascination. Trisha moved back another step as a wave of longing surged through her. She didn’t understand why she felt such a need to go to him, to touch him. She cursed silently and forced her raving pheromones back down where they belonged, buried deep inside her. The last thing she needed to do was get distracted by a hunk of alien male when she needed to find a way home. Trisha decided space was what she needed to win this particular battle. She wasn’t far from the bathroom and her 'safe space'. Last night before she went to bed, she pulled the panel off the inside of the door controls so all she would need to do was slice through the wiring to seal it shut behind her in case she needed an escape route. From the look tall, dark, and dangerous was giving her, she felt like she was probably going to need it!
Trisha drew in a shaky breath. “Until I leave, it is mine.” Trisha said waving the smaller knife towards him in an attempt to appear nonchalant. “And, you can just stop right there. I have no problems gutting you if you come any closer.”
Trisha blew a strand of hair away from her face as she continued to watch the man in front of her. No, gutting was not what she was really thinking of doing to him. She was thinking more like serving him on a platter laid out like her own personal all-you-can-eat buffet. Damn, if I don’t get out of here, I’m going to be the one doing the attacking! Trisha thought in dismay. She never thought like this!
Kelan chuckled as his dragon practically squirmed at the thought of pouncing on his mate. He could smell her arousal and it was igniting a matching flame in him and his dragon. Never in his lifetime had Kelan felt his dragon act so playful before. He wanted to chase, pounce and devour his mate in only the most delicious way. Kelan was so distracted by his dragon’s behavior and his own response to the idea of burying himself balls deep inside her that he missed the slight movement of his mate as she took another big step backwards. The next thing he knew, the door to the cleansing room had closed.
Cursing under his breath at his dragon for distracting him, Kelan strode over to the door. Enough of this, he thought savagely. It is time to claim her and be done with all the madness. He was so used to the doors opening automatically for him as it was programmed to do, that he didn’t even pause until he hit it face first.
Kelan grabbed his aching nose. “What the …” Kelan muttered darkly. He swiped his hand over the keypad. Nothing! What the hell was going on? Every door on the warship was programmed to open for him! He was the commanding officer; no room was off limits to him.
“Open this door!” Kelan said with a muffled growl. Damn, but his nose hurt.<
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“No. Go away.” Trisha yelled through the door.
Trisha’s hands were shaking so bad she was having trouble opening the panel for some of the clothes hidden inside. Once it opened, she quickly pulled the clothes out as fast as she could and slipped them on. She glanced at the door she rigged last night. It was supposed to prevent anyone from entering the bathroom long enough to give her time to slip up through the ventilation duct and over to the room next door. The other room appeared to be some type of storage unit. She completed a run through last night before bed. Her daddy always taught her to have an escape route. Hell, even back home they had at least four different ones!
Trisha chuckled as she reached up and pulled the cover off the ventilation duct. It was time to find Ariel and Carmen and figure out a way to get off this boat. It seems the current resident of the cabin wanted it back and she was more than happy to give it to him. She didn’t like the feelings he stirred up inside her when he was in the same room as her.
Kelan slammed his hand against the door to his cleansing room snarling in frustration. “Open this damn door!” He roared. He wanted his mate! His dragon didn’t think this was fun anymore. Now it was clawing at him again. Kelan was not in the mood to deal with it. Go lay down, he snarled.
Kelan turned toward his symbiosis. “Why the hell didn’t you stop her?” He snapped at the huge golden creature lounging in his bed. “You could at least help! Don’t you want us to claim her?”
Kelan’s symbiosis snickered at Kelan. It stretched slowly before jumping down off the bed and heading for the door leading out to the corridor. Kelan muttered a series of expletives under his breath before he walked to a panel in the side wall. Pushing it open, he removed a small pouch containing tools. He was seriously thinking about doing physical damage to his damn symbiosis. No sooner had the thought slipped out of his mind than he realized his mistake. The damn thing could be pissy as hell when it was mad or felt insulted. Kelan felt his arm bands dissolve and slide down to his wrists. He closed his eyes and waited.
“SHIT!” Kelan yelped as the twin bands shocked him before they turned into little dragon’s and headed for his mother symbiosis.
“Damn, that hurt!” Kelan complained as he bent over picking up the tool pouch he dropped when the shock hit him. “It’s not like I really meant it.” He muttered under his breath.
Kelan popped open the panel to the door and quickly by-passed the electrical panel so he could manually open the door. Dropping the tool pouch on the floor by the door, he splayed his palms against the door and pushed. With a yell of triumph, he stepped into the cleansing unit and found it –empty. Kelan’s loud roar could be heard throughout the level.
Trisha squeezed through the narrow opening to the room next door and used the shelving to climb down. She carefully opened the door to the storage unit and peeked outside. Perfect! She thought. The door was around the corner from the man’s cabin so the guards who were stationed in front of the doors couldn’t see her. She opened the door further and found herself face to face with the grinning golden puppy dog.
Trisha laughed softly at the expectant look on its face. “You cheater! You took the easy way, didn’t you?” Trisha whispered affectionately.
The huge gold body shook as its large tail moved back and forth. A moment later, two tiny dragons appeared fluttering over to land on her shoulders. Trisha looked at first one dragon then the other in surprise. She couldn’t resist giving them a kiss when they snuggled up against her cheek.
“You are incorrigible, you know that don’t you? Let’s go find my friends.” Trisha whispered.
Trisha was about half way down the corridor when she heard a loud snarl and what sounded like a loud curse. Trisha knew the sound must have come from the tall man she had left back in the room where she was staying. With a gasp, she took off running. Trisha hurried down a long corridor and took two additional corners before she saw the three guards standing outside of Carmen and Ariel’s cabin.
Breathless, she said urgently, “I need to see my friends. Now!” Trisha kept looking over her shoulder. She had the awful feeling the man was going to come after her.
The guards looked at Trisha cautiously but moved aside to let her pass. Trisha gave them a breathless ‘Thank you’ and hurried through the doorway, her golden friend and the two little dragons following close behind her.
Ariel jumped up when she saw Trisha. “Thank God! I tried to get past the guards this morning to go find you but they wouldn’t let me leave.”
Carmen was lounging against the wall near the doorway tossing a cup up and down in the air. “I don’t know about you two but I am ready to blow this joint. I have business in San Diego that can’t wait.” Carmen moved away from the wall silently, the cup now fisted in her palm.
Trisha nodded. “I just had a run in with one of the males on board. I don’t think he is too happy with me right now.”
Ariel grinned as she picked up a piece of the chair she dismantled. She tapped the leg of the chair against her palm. “Want me to have a talk with him? I’m sure we can help remodel another section of the ship if you want.”
Trisha laughed. “No, I just want to get home. Daddy is probably tearing apart Shelby, California right about now.” She sobered as she continued. “I don’t want him to worry any more than he already has. It liked to have killed him when I had my accident. I can’t imagine what this must be doing to him.”
Carmen walked up to Trisha and put her arm around her in a brief, supportive hug. “I love your dad, too. We’ll get back to him.” Carmen pulled away and stood back a step. Her expression turned dark as she stared at Trisha and Ariel. “Let’s go find that transporter room you told me about, Ariel, and get back home.”
“Okay.” Ariel said before she turned to Trisha. “We’ll need you to distract our guards. They haven’t let us out of here at all.”
Trisha nodded. “Okay. There are three of them. Carmen, leave one for us, okay?”
Carmen shook her head in resignation. “You always did like to hog in on my fun.”
Trisha chuckled as she went to take a step towards the door. Before she could get to it, the golden symbiosis she had nicknamed Bio stepped in front of her blocking her from going any further. Every time Trisha would try to take a step around it, it would push her backwards, away from the door. Trisha tried several times before she threw her hands up in the air in aggravation.
“Come on, Bio. I need to get out of here.” Trisha said impatiently.
“Maybe you should go to the bathroom before we go.” Ariel said with an exaggerated wink. “You know how weak you are sometimes. I would hate for you to fall down and hurt yourself.”
Trisha looked at Ariel puzzled for a moment before the light bulb in her brain came on. “Oh, you’re right. I would hate to get hurt again.” Trisha responded with a wink.
Carmen just rolled her eyes as she shifted from one foot to the other. “Well, you better hurry or we are never going to get out of here.” She muttered under her breath.
Trisha hurried into the bathroom glancing over her shoulder as she went. Kelan’s symbiosis sat by the door blocking the exit to the corridor. The big golden head turned back and forth, looking first at Ariel and Carmen and then at the doorway where Trisha had gone. A moment later, Trisha cried out. Kelan’s symbiosis was up and through the doorway to the bathroom in a flash. As soon as it cleared the door, Trisha jumped down off the counter with a grunt and palmed the door close. Carmen came up behind her and drove the other chair leg into the control panel.
“That should hold it for a little while.” Carmen said. Behind her, the symbiosis was snarling and clawing at the door.
“Let’s move! I don’t think that door will hold it for long.” Trisha said urgently as she rushed past Ariel who was standing by the door to the corridor.
As soon as the door opened, Trisha struck out a stunning blow to the guard closest to her, striking him in the throat while kicking out her leg at one of the other gua
rds. She gritted her teeth at the impact as pain radiated up through her. Ariel and Carmen were right behind her. Ariel knocked the guard Trisha kicked out with one swing of the chair leg while Carmen kicked the third guard in the groin before taking him down in a sleeper hold. Trisha finished off the guard she had chopped in the throat the same way by pulling around him and taking him into the wrestling move her dad taught her. As soon as the three guards were incapacitated, the girls dragged them into the room where a very pissed off symbiosis was denting the door. Trisha shook her head as images began appearing of the tall man needing her, wanting her. Trisha pushed the images away, frightened by the intense need. As the women exited the room again, a loud roar, unlike anything they had ever heard before, filled the corridor.
“Let’s go.” Trisha said hoarsely. “He’s going to come for me.”
