Oath Breaker (Death of Empire Book 1)

by A. B. Keuser

  Dani forced a smile to her lips. Not sure how she felt about anything anymore. “I came down to apologize about Gill and Mopeña… sometimes they get ideas into their heads and they run with them without fully thinking them through.”

  “It’s fine, really.”

  “No it’s not, you’ve been out of cryo for…” She ran a hand down her face and tried to remember what day it was. “I don’t even remember how long anymore, this whole ordeal is turning into one long nightmare.”

  Si had come around to sit on the edge of his desk, looking down at her. “Is Chin…?”

  “He’s alive, if only. I have him on life support. We’ll see how that goes.” She looked up at him and let herself take two breaths, “Thank you.”

  “For what? I think I’m the cause of ninety percent of your problems, you should be prepping to toss me out the airlock.”

  “I think we both know what trying to vent you would get me. Even if I could overpower you, Obie would stop me. And you’re not the cause of my problems, at least not the primary one. And after José….”

  She blinked away the sudden moisture pooling in her eyes. His strong hands wrapped around her shoulders and Si pulled her out of the chair, folding her into his arms.

  “Yella, I need you to do me a huge favor, something I would never ask if I thought you’d be safe without it….”

  She swallowed hard and let him push her away.

  Still holding her tight, he looked her in the eye. “Before I ask you to though, I need you to know. Obie killed José.”

  Her heart clenched at the confirmation. She’d suspected as much, but hadn’t had the courage to ask. She hadn’t wanted the answer. Now that she had it, the realization sank in her stomach like a stone.

  “I know. At least, I figured. It detonated at about the distance of standard shielding.”

  His eyebrows knit together as he studied her reaction. He pulled her back into him, and she closed her eyes as he moved his head next to her.

  “The only way I can protect you from her is if she thinks you’re on my side. Completely.” He whispered the words in her ear. “Even if you’re pretending, just make her believe. She killed José because she believed you’d stand with him over me. I don’t know if it will stop her from killing anyone else, but I need you on my side. You’re the only one I have left.”

  Her heart clenched again as the photo of Richter in his lime green dress flashed in her mind. “You have Adi.”

  Si pulled away from her, his eyes piercing hers. “She’s not you.”

  She stared back, watching him for long moments as she chewed on the inside of her lip, her fingers toying with the necklace.

  Dani pushed herself onto her tiptoes and kissed him.

  Her hands wrapped around his neck as his found the small of her back. Dani let herself melt against his body. All other thoughts were thankfully pushed away as his tongue twined with hers.

  She pulled away, gasping in a much needed breath and met Si’s dazed expression with a small smile. “I’m on your side, no matter who or what gets in the way.”

  He cleared his throat and looked like he was trying to get himself put back together. “Good.”

  Dani watched his face, realizing he didn’t know what to say next. She couldn’t imagine why.

  “Listen, I need to go back and check on Chin again. I’ll let you think… or whatever. Come find me when you’re done with that.” She stood to go.

  “Wait, we need to make a plan to deal with the rest of your crew.”

  Dani didn’t like the way he said “deal with”, so she turned back to him with a sharp look, waiting for him to continue.

  “I think it would be best to make sure they’re not going to do anything that will piss Obie off. I already had a bit of a talk with Gill and Wille. Didn’t tell them specifics, but I think I got the point across.”

  “And I’ve told Lyz to be friends with Obie. Not to cause waves.” Dani rubbed the ache in her neck. “That leaves Kiori, who takes and obeys orders as if I were God. She’s not going to be a problem. And Stugg…. he won’t do anything that would make me mad, so I don’t think we need to go there. Between you and me, things get uncomfortable fast when I try to have a one on one conversation with him, and he’s too thickheaded to accept anything you say. Mari and Chin are strapped to beds, his brain may or may not come out of this one as glop. That just leaves us with your solitary remaining crew member, and let’s face it, Obie likes her. She wouldn’t have kept her around for fifteen years if she didn’t.”

  He stared at her again with a curious longing and her hands went to the necklace, fidgeting. “I’m going to go check on my patients.”

  “I’ll be up there in a few minutes. I just want to clear some more things out in here.”

  She nodded and let herself out of the office. Her fingers moved from the necklace to her lips as the lift doors closed.

  She hardly remembered leaving the elevator, but came off of autopilot as she reached the infirmary hatch. Straightening her jacket and shirt, she ran a hand over her hair, her fingers sliding over thestraight tail that would never hold one of Lyz’s braids. Dani laughed as she thought about Lyz’s demands. She doubted the technician would have approved of her simple thank you. Then, Lyz had an odd way with men twice her size—she certainly was able to get Mopeña on his back.

  Danielle stepped through the hatch to the med bay and nodded to Kiori. The petite weapons specialist was a better guard than anyone she’d ever met.

  “Thanks Goo, I’ve got them from here. Take some time to check out the view.”

  “Always do.” She shifted, dropping off the bed across from Chin and Dani saw the gun strapped to her side.

  Kiori wasn’t taking any more chances after the incidents with Richter and Quince.

  “I know this is going to sound silly, but we’re still clear who’s in charge here, right?”

  Kiori looked at the ceiling and then back to her.

  “’Course, boss.” She nodded and ducked out into the corridor.

  As the hatch shut, Dani pulled off her jacket and went to the readout. She tapped in the requests for an update on Chin’s vitals and flinched at the sound of the hatch locking.

  Dani’s eyes traveled first to the hatch, then to the ceiling. “Did you want to have a girl chat, Obie?”

  When she received no response, she turned back to the monitor and moved to adjust Chin’s I.V. levels.

  The monitor went dark.

  “Obie, I need to make sure he’s stable.” Dani’s hands moved to the back of the console, searching for any wires that might have been jarred. Nothing out of place.

  “He is not trustworthy.”

  “That’s not a reason to let him die. If we can’t trust him I’ll put him in the brig.”

  “You have not put Quince in the brig.”

  “I thought I could trust her not to be a complete idiot.”

  “Human judgement is fallible.”

  “Obie, give me back power to this console.”

  When the room was silent and nothing changed in front of her, she moved to the next bed’s monitor, she could go in through the back door and—

  The monitor went black the second she touched it. Her head spun to the others in the room they all flicked as her eyes fell on them.

  The medbay plunged into darkness, tinged red by emergency lighting. Dani found her way back to Chin’s bedside, her hand flying to check his pulse and breathing. Though both were shallow, he was still alive.

  “Obie?” Dani said it quietly, once again it was a question she didn’t want to know the answer to. “Are you going to kill him?”

  As the last word escaped from her mouth, a shock fizzled through her and she jerked backward, away from the body, her arms tingling from the jolt of current. It was small, not enough to mess with her heart. But it spiked her adrenaline and she looked around the red tinted room.

  Mari and Quince convulsed in her bed three cots over.

  There was
nothing in it for her. What could she use to protect herself from Oath Breaker? She pressed her back against the cabinetry and shrank away from Chin’s bed. His body spasmed twice and Danielle knew without having to go to him, he was dead.

  Mari stilled too, but her monitor returned to life, her heart steadily pinging away.

  “Why?”

  “We’re clear on who’s in charge here, right?”

  Her own words to Kiori, echoed through the speakers above her head sent a cold spike down her spine. The ship’s voice was more menacing than she’d heard it before and Dani swallowed hard before answering.

  “Crystal clear, Obie.”

  The lights slowly brightened back to full day levels and the other monitors flicked on. The one next to Chin let off its siren and strobe.

  Dani stood slowly, her fingers numb, and moved to shut off the alarm. Checking both women’s vitals, she let out a sigh of relief. She would be okay. Brushing away the cook’s mussed hair, Dani bit back a sob. She had work to do.

  She went through the motions of moving Chin to the morgue at a methodical pace.

  Silent, her mind moved through the routine of transferring the body, though every noise in the room made her flinch.

  She put Chin’s body into the cold locker backwards, but didn’t feel safe enough to turn him around. She pushed the tray inside and shut the door, leaning her forehead on the cold metal.

  “No more space.” Dead soldiers were sent home immediately, under normal circumstances.

  The door clattered on its hinges behind her and she nearly jumped out of her skin, turning to face a pair of worried eyes.

  “What happened?” Si asked.

  “You just gave me a heart attack and we don’t have enough cold storage space for another body.”

  “Chin?” He looked from her to the elevated gurney and repeated himself. “What happened?”

  “I’m not the one to ask about that.” She let her eyes trail to the ceiling and then fell back against the cold lockers, sliding down until she sat on the floor, her head falling to her knees.

  “There’s no time for that,” Osiris said as he reached down and scooped her up, hands under her arms tugging at her still raw weld. He set her on her feet in front of him and pulled her head up. “Obie doesn’t like when people sulk and don’t do their jobs. You’re on the clock for another five minutes.”

  She looked up at him with her best “You’ve got to be kidding me” glare, but it broke when Si smiled.

  “Obie, I’m taking Yella off duty early. There’s nothing in here that needs immediate attention, and you’ve got everything else under control... right?”

  “I can take over your duties as I have before, Captain.”

  “Thank you, Obie. You constantly make my life easier.”

  Osiris wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her along with him, out of the infirmary. She tried not to listen as the hatch shut and latched itself.

  “I thought she was going to kill me next.”

  “She wasn’t.” Si said it with such confidence, but she only felt hollow.

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “I know my ship,” Osiris answered as he pulled her into the elevator and she stayed silent until he ushered her back out. The way he held her almost made her forget what had just happened, his fingers slipping beneath the hem of her shirt with each jostling step. He stopped a few feet from the door to his-their- quarters.

  “Obie knows that if she does something to you, it’s going to piss me off.” He pulled her closer, his eyes searching hers. “I was trying to find the right way to say it before, and I’m not sure I’ve found that yet. But I need to tell you, and I need Obie to hear it.”

  Danielle glanced toward the safe haven hidden by his door. She turned back to him, trying not to swallow too loudly.

  “I love you. Obie needs to understand that if anything happens to you, she’s going to lose me forever. Because my disappearance has already done too much harm. I have fifteen years’ worth of broken promises to make up to you, Yella. It’s a heavy weight, but I will find a way.”

  “You don’t have to—”

  His mouth pressed to hers and he picked her up off the deck plating. It ended quickly, leaving a bittersweet taste on Dani’s tongue.

  As Si set her back down, Danielle leaned in, letting her hands rest on his chest.

  His fingers twined in her belt loops as he pulled her closer, “I’ll deal with it if you have to pretend, if it’s the only way I can have you and keep you safe… whatever you’re willing to give, I’ll gladly take it.”

  Dani opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. Standing on her toes, she gently bit his lower lip, watching as his eyes closed briefly and the corners of his lips pulled up in a familiar, wicked smile.

  “I want you, Si.”

  Osiris nodded and dipped down to take her mouth with his.

  A snort pulled Dani away, her eyes darting down the corridor toward the sound.

  Adilyn sauntered past, her eyes sweeping over them. “Have fun,” she said as she continued down the hall, “I know I always did.”

  Dani fully intended to. She pulled him from the wall, escaping into the privacy of his quarters.

  As the hatch shut, Dani tugged her belt free, letting it fall to the floor. Si took hold of her face, and she let herself melt into him.

  Danielle pushed him backward onto the couch, landing on top of him, her knees astride his hips. Her stomach clenched as he pressed up against her.

  Swallowing the last flutter of uncertainty, she kicked off her boots. She needed this

  She took his mouth with hers, catching his lip between her teeth a moment before she opened to him. He didn't need any prodding. Their tongues entwined and she shivered as his hand snaked up to grasp the back of her neck. Holding her to his mouth, he wrapped his other arm around her waist, caging her against him.

  Laughing in spite of herself, Dani wiggled against his lap and felt him respond. The sound that left his throat was just as lovely.

  She worked her hands down his chest and tugged the bottom of his uniform shirt from his pants. It didn't come easily, but with each wiggle and tug, she bounced against him and his grip tightened on her, as his kisses moved from her lips, down her neck.

  She’d imagined this, wished for it, a thousand times. None of those fantasies compared to the thrill she felt right now.

  He reached the sensitive skin where her shoulder and neck met and let out a growl.

  Before she could react, her shirt was at her shoulders, and he was angling her arms so he could pull it off. She laughed as it hit the floor, and his teeth dragged across her shoulder.

  His mouth trailed over her chest.

  They were on a floating death trap in the middle of a vacuum as dark and empty as hell…. but it felt like heaven.

  Pulling back, he swept his fingers over her tattoo. His touch was so soft she flinched backward and bit her lip to keep from laughing.

  “I forgot you’re ticklish.”

  She leaned forward, snagged his lip between her teeth and said, “That’s probably for the best.”

  He dipped down and nipped at her collarbone and she wriggled away.

  “This shirt is ruined.” Flicking at the tear in the shoulder, she scowled at him. “There’s no point in saving it.”

  She took hold of either side and tore the shirt away. Buttons went flying. Si looked like he was trying not to laugh.

  She’d missed his laughter. Something that had once filled her life had become an all-but-forgotten memory. Each laugh and smile sent a wave of contentment through her, and she kissed him again.

  His hands brushed against her stomach, feather light touch making her muscles jump and she considered biting him for using her ticklishness against her, and then she moved and her pants slid. She pulled away just far enough to look down and see that he’d started to work her pants down her hips.

  Giving him a mocking glare, she wiggled, as thou
gh trying to slip them further down. The only response was a groan as his head dropped back to the couch.

  His fingers dipped inside white lace panties, and she pushed up on her knees, pulling herself away from him.

  He pulled his hand away as if burned, and looked at her, serious eyes searching hers.

  Shaking her head, she leaned into him again and lingered on a slow, burning kiss. When she was done, she leaned in and gently bit his ear.

  “This is not how I’m having you,” She said. “Not the first time, anyway.”

  As she pushed off of him, she heard the shudder of his breath and he tried to come with her. She pushed him back down and turned away, hooking her thumbs in her pants. Pushing her hips in a weaving shimmy, she pushed down an inch left…. an inch right….

  Leaning all the way over, she unhooked each foot from the sturdy fabric and listened to the man behind her squirm in his chair.

  Standing as straight as she could, she glanced back over her shoulder and cupped both breasts with her left arm.

  Si was still watching. His eyes raked over her body as though he was never going to see it again.

  She had plans.

  Reaching back, she unhooked the bra, holding the cups in her cradled arms. With one finger, she tossed it over her shoulder to Si.

  He caught it, but it was clear he couldn’t care less about the garment. It dropped beside him on the couch. Every muscle was tense.

  Maybe she was teasing him too much.

  With what little grace she could muster, she sauntered to the bed and turned, watching him. His eyes burned and she was certain the room would catch fire if she let him simmer too much longer.

  With a fortifying breath, she sat on the edge of the bed and beckoned him with a single finger.

  He didn’t move.

  Her smile started to falter, but then, he leaned over.

  Methodically—painfully—Si unlaced his boots.

  Dani forced herself not to fidget as he moved at an agonizing pace. He removed each piece of clothing with controlled movements. His eyes never left her.

  It was a terrifying strip tease as he pulled the torn shirt from his shoulders, and slid his pants down his muscular thighs.