Soul of a Predator

by Angela Verdenius

  "Laser guns?” he queried.

  Swivelling the chair back around, Elyse touched a button and a small panel in the side of the chairs opened. An iron arm came up and slid into place before Elyse. Atop the arm was a small board, with two buttons and two toggle sticks on it.

  Pointing to the viscomm screen, she said, “Laser gun on the roof, one each side of the ship, and one underneath. Full rotation all guns. My controls do the top and bottom guns, your controls do the left and right side. The toggles turn the guns, the buttons fire beams. Your controls—left button and toggle left side, right button and toggle right side. My controls, left toggle and button top of ship, right toggle and button bottom of ship.” She tapped above the open panel on the side of her chair, and the tray and arm withdrew back into its compartment.

  Nodding, Shaque moved forward and tapped the panel in the chair he'd been sitting in. The arm and tray came up, and he studied the board. Watching the viscomm, he tested the toggle sticks to get a feel for the laser guns. Satisfied, he returned the arm and tray to the panel in the side of the chair.

  When Elyse leaned back in her chair, it titled back to a comfortable angle, and raising her legs, she crossed her ankles and rested her heels on a vacant area of the control panel.

  Closing her eyes, she relaxed back. “I take it Inka is where we're headed?"

  He slid his gaze over her relaxed pose. “Yes."

  And it would take two weeks to get there. Meanwhile, he was going to explore her ship and get to know the place and layout.

  Leaving the control cabin, he found that the music was piped into almost every cabin on the ship.

  The layout was very similar to many of the smaller spaceships sold to travellers. Only Elyse, he suspected, would have her own little surprises in it. He didn't find much, but he had no doubt that he would as time went on.

  The corridor was straight from front to back, with cabins opening out off either side. The kitchenette, a living area, and control cabin were on the right. A small doorway led up into the service area, an inner corridor that allowed access to servicing the laser guns on all sides. His sleeping cabin was on the right, next door to another empty sleeping cabin, and a bathing cabin, then Elyse's cabin.

  He couldn't help but linger in the doorway, scanning the room keenly with his gaze, curious as to the woman who slept here.

  The bunk was neatly made with a lilac doona. On the wall opposite was a painting of several lycats snoozing in the sunshine, flowers dancing around their heads. The flowers moved with computer synchronizing, making it seem real enough to reach out and touch, though Shaque knew it to be an illusion.

  A paperback book as well as an electronic reading compu with a stack of reading discs in a secure holder was on the little bench above the bunk. Her jacket was slung across the armchair in the corner of the room.

  The cabin was done in soft pastel tiles that seemed to change colour, depending on how the looker titled their head. It could have been lilac, or soft pink, maybe even a blue or light purple. Or all at once.

  Shaque wondered where she'd found the tiles. Probably she'd stolen them during her pirate days, or had even been given them by her pirate sister. The tiles were expensive, very expensive, and not easily come by, that much he knew.

  A tall, slim pedestal stood in the corner of the cabin, and a glow ball changed colours softly, the sparkles from it showering the corner in a glitter of colour that vanished quickly.

  Somehow he'd thought Elyse would have slept in a spartan cabin, but it would seem that she loved colour. It was reflected in the soft colours that dominated the living area, a comfortable cabin that contained a compact sofa and two more armchairs. A large coffee table stood in the middle of the chairs, upon a dark brown rug, the only dark colour in the cabin.

  Unlike the cold woman herself, the ship had cabins that reflected colour and warmth. But it suited her demeanour, too. Everything was quiet, calm. Serene.

  He wondered if things would remain serene for long. He and Elyse would be together for a long time, several months or more. Could they be together that long without something going wrong and ending up in them trying to kill each other?

  Shaque shrugged. Shit happened...

  Four

  Having someone travelling with her was something Elyse had done in the past, and still did from time to time. She was used to sharing a spaceship with a group of women. She wasn't used to sharing her smaller ship with a man, but seeing as how the trip to Inka was going to take two weeks, she decided she had to get used to the blonde bounty hunter's presence.

  The easiest way was to simply ignore his presence. Most times, she did. She read a lot, researched on the viscomm, listened to music, and pretty much stayed to herself.

  Meal times were when they crossed paths the most. They ate at the table, but neither said much to each other. In fact, the first four days passed without a single word being said between them.

  She saw Shaque entering the bathing cabin with a towel, so figured he'd found his way around enough to know where everything was. He was the kind of man to scout everything out and had obviously made himself at home.

  This was more than evident when she went for a shower the first night, only to find that he'd bathed before her. It wasn't that he'd left any physical evidence, far from it. The bathing cabin was neat as a pin and the floor dried. But the scent of his soap was in the air, overshadowing her own floral scented soap.

  The masculine scent seemed to be in the bathing cabin every time she went in there. Even the corridor outside his cabin held a faint masculine scent, clean and fresh and faint but definitely there.

  Her girlie ship, as Illona laughingly called it, was being scented by a man.

  A favourite place for her was to curl up in an armchair and read, and it seemed that Shaque shared a similar passion. The first night he walked in and halted in the doorway, she'd looked up and met his gaze calmly, hiding her surprise.

  He looked at her for several seconds, and then held up his book. The man actually read and didn't just play with his knives. She looked at the book, shrugged, and returned her attention to her own book. Shaque quietly crossed the cabin and sat down on the sofa and read. It had become something they both did, each silently reading and keeping to themselves.

  Whenever he was in the control cabin, he was researching. Since there was only one viscomm, only one could use it at a time.

  And not one word did they say to each other, which suited her just fine and seemed to suit him just as well.

  On the fifth night, she was curled up on the sofa again, and felt the familiar trickling sensation in her nose. Automatically, she drew the rag from her pocket and wiped the blood away. Replacing the rag in her pocket, she continued reading.

  "You get nosebleeds."

  The words in the silence surprised her, and she looked up to see Shaque watching her over top of his book.

  "Your nose."

  Elyse shrugged.

  Shaque's head titled slightly to the side as he studied her. “You've had them several times."

  So what? She looked back at her book.

  Silence filled the cabin, and she re-immersed herself in the story, only to blink when Shaque asked quietly, “Are you sick?"

  She looked across at him. He didn't look concerned, just mildly curious.

  "No,” she replied shortly. “I'm not sick."

  He returned her gaze for several seconds, and then returned his attention to the book, and silence fell between them again.

  Sick. Elyse frowned to herself. Did she look sick, or was it because of her bloody noses? It wasn't as though they were even heavy, just a trickle that came now and again. One little trickle. A drop or two, that was all, and more a nuisance than a worry.

  It did no good to worry, anyhow.

  Pulling the blanket up a little higher, she glanced across at Shaque stretched back on the sofa. His shirtsleeves were wound up to his elbows, showing the scars she'd given him. The collar of his shirt was open
, and he looked relaxed, his blonde hair slightly mussed and a thick lock hanging over one brow.

  It should have looked odd, Shaque all relaxed, but somehow it didn't. He still had that air of calmness, cold control, and stillness. The lamp light that spilled over his shoulders from behind picked out the shadows in his lean cheeks, cast a shadow beneath his full lips, picked out the strength in his jaw.

  Maybe she wasn't that well after all. He seemed warm, she felt cold. Nothing new in feeling cold on and off, she'd come to expect that. She was no stranger to swings of temperature.

  Shrugging aside her idle thoughts, she returned her attention to the book, and pulled the blanket up over her shoulders, snuggling down into the warmth as she shivered a little.

  By bedtime, she was even colder. Knowing she'd never sleep, she headed for a hot shower. Sure enough, the scent of Shaque's masculine soap hung in the air, and with an eye roll, Elyse stripped off and stepped into the shower.

  The hot water was more than welcome, and she let the warmth ease her shivering and heat her skin. The soap lather left her skin fragrant, and the delicate scent of sharlot blossoms soothed her mood, relaxing her.

  Drying off, she slipped on the cotton nightgown and brushed her hair before leaving the cabin.

  Opening the door, she looked up at the wall as she reached up to turn off the light, walking out as she did so.

  She collided with Shaque just as he walked past the open door, her legs tangling between his, and she would have fallen except that he caught her with one arm around her waist and the other around her back and hauled her against him.

  "Damn,” she muttered, placing her hands on his chest. “I didn't see you."

  "Same,” he grunted, steadying her.

  Registering the warmth of his palms through the nightgown, she looked up to meet his winter blue eyes. There was a flicker of disquiet in his eyes, but it was so fleeting she wasn't sure if she saw it or not.

  He released her. “Goodnight."

  She nodded and shut the bathing cabin door. Once in her own cabin, she frowned unseeingly at the glowing ball. She could still feel the warmth of his palms, and the hardness of his body against hers. Maybe she was sickening a little, to have even noticed that much.

  It was purely an accidental collision, nothing more. Certainly nothing to warrant a second thought. She'd just have to be more careful when coming out of the bathing cabin—and so would he.

  Piling a couple of extra blankets on the bunk, she climbed beneath them and settled down, welcoming the warmth that seeped through her chilled skin.

  * * * *

  The next morning, Shaque was already eating when she entered the cabin. He simply glanced at her and returned his attention to the small handtronic he was reading.

  Getting a bowl of cereal, she sat opposite him and started eating.

  "Cold?” he asked.

  "A bit.” She noted that he wore no jacket, so it was obviously a cold spell for her again.

  His hard gaze swept over her face. “You look pale."

  "I'm fine.” To change the subject, she added, “We're right on course for Inka, and right on time."

  "I know. I checked."

  Irritation swept through her, but she kept her face expressionless. “Checked?"

  "Yep."

  Of course he'd check. He didn't trust her. And that thought was strangely comforting, because it reaffirmed who he was to her. A bounty hunter using her for his own end. Just as she was using him.

  Inwardly smiling, she continued eating. But this time when she wiped away the drop of blood that came, she was keenly aware that Shaque hadn't missed it, though he said nothing.

  Bloody hell, that was why she liked being alone lately. She'd forgotten it until now. Puffing out her cheeks in annoyance she finished the cereal and took the bowl to the automatic washer, sliding it into the drawer.

  Feeling a little edgy, something else she didn't like, she wandered into the control cabin and rechecked the coordinates, and then did a check of her locked programs. There was no way anyone could get into them, but she just wanted to make sure the blonde hunter hadn't been doing anything funny while she slept.

  Just in case.

  After that was done, she went to check the laser guns, only to have Shaque inform her tersely, as he walked past the open door leading into the service corridor, “I've done it today already."

  Well, shit, it was her ship, and her responsibility. Feeling a bite of annoyance, she did a double check, and sure as hell, the lasers were fine. As they would be.

  Long trips never bothered her. She never got antsy. If she felt restless she'd stop at the nearest planet and spend a day or so there, but normally she simply coordinated where she was going and travelled, stopping only for fuel and to restock.

  Giving a little shiver, she went down into the cargo hold and checked the engine panel. As usual, all was running smoothly. Maybe Shaquey baby has already checked it. The snide thought caught her by surprise, and she shook her head. She really needed to do a bit of meditation...

  * * * *

  Shaque looked at the handtronic, but his thoughts weren't on the details he kept on there. Instead, his thoughts kept turning to Elyse.

  She looked pale, she had a tiny blood nose now and again, and the woman was wrapped up like it was going to snow in the spaceship at any moment. Okay, that was an exaggeration, but she was wearing a thick jacket. The ships thermostat was set for a pleasant temperature, and there was no need to be so cold.

  He'd even seen the steam in the bathing cabin when she'd gotten out the previous night, right before the air vent sucked it up. And her skin had been very warm when she'd fallen into his arms.

  She'd also been very soft and smelled good.

  Shaque made a small moue of disgust at the wayward thought. Even whores felt soft. Most women felt soft.

  He just didn't want Elyse getting sick and delaying the trip to Inka and the Outlaw Sector. No way was he stopping and delaying for anything.

  By the midday meal, Elyse was in thick pants, thick shirt, and a jacket buttoned up to the neck. He glanced at her, did a double-take and took another look. There was a tinge of blue to her normally pink lips.

  "What the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded.

  "Nothing.” She spooned up more hot stew.

  He couldn't miss the shiver that shook her briefly. “You're sick."

  "It's nothing."

  "What are you taking for it?"

  "Why don't you mind your business?"

  "Why don't you tell me what you've caught?"

  "Why don't I bust your arse?” she returned calmly.

  "As long as you don't delay us, Elyse, I don't care if you're at death's door."

  She ignored him.

  Stubborn woman. He continued to eat his salad and concentrated on the information on his handtronic, but his gaze slid back to Elyse when she quickly swallowed something from her hand.

  She was taking medicine of some kind. Good. Then there'd be no worry of having to stop anywhere for her to see a medic.

  Did half mutants get check-ups anyway? Shaking his head mentally, Shaque continued reading from the handtronic.

  The afternoon passed quietly enough, with Elyse reading, a thick rug across her lap. Her boots were off, but thick socks encased surprisingly small, narrow feet. A scarf had joined the rest of her snow blizzard ensemble.

  Trying to ignore her, Shaque grew more irritated by the minute as her teeth started to chatter.

  "By the suns!” He threw his book onto the sofa and glared across the short distance separating them. When she looked up, he could see the bluish tinge to her lips. “What the hell is wrong?"

  One slim brow arched arrogantly.

  Pushing to his feet, he strode across, leaned down and placed a palm on her forehead, only to snatch his hand back at the cold texture of her skin.

  "Go away,” she said calmly. “The further, the better. Try the laser gun pit in the roof."

  Sitting
down on the small coffee table, Shaque eyed her assessingly. Anger trickled away, his impatience fading as he studied her. She looked pinched, cold, her soft lips trembling a little. “You're freezing, Elyse. I think it's time you told me what's wrong."

  "It's just a chill. I get it now and again.” She shrugged. “I take a bit of medicine, it soon goes away. No big deal."

  "You look like shit."

  That slim brow arched again.

  "You need to go to bed.” He stood up.

  In answer, she returned her attention back to the book, which shook slightly in her gloved hands.

  He didn't deal well with sickness. Shrugging, he sat back down on the sofa and picked up the book again. But he cast her glances now and again; saw her biting her bottom lip against the chattering of her teeth.

  Suddenly, she stood up and started for the door. “I'm going for a hot shower and then to bed."

  "Good.” He was relieved. Bed sounded like a good idea for sick people.

  Hopefully, by morning she'd be a lot better.

  The dining cabin seemed emptier with just him that evening, but Shaque rather enjoyed eating alone. Even though Elyse was quiet, he was always aware of her presence. He stayed up late reading before going into the control cabin to check the coordinates.

  And found that they'd been changed. Doing a double-check, he couldn't believe his eyes. Cross referencing it, he saw that the ship was on the way to Saalm. Elyse had changed course without telling him!

  Spinning around on his heel, he was taken aback to see Elyse standing in the doorway behind him. The scarf was gone, the jacket as well. She still had her socks on.

  Furious, he simply pointed to the control panel.

  "A little detour,” Elyse drawled.

  "Since when?” he snarled.

  "I need some more medicine."

  "From Saalm?"

  She shrugged.

  "And when were you intending to inform me of this little detour?” Hands on hips, he scowled.

  "I forgot to tell you."