Alix stared up at him, her body trembling. Never in her life had she been so attracted to a man. Maybe the knowledge that she couldn't have him caused the strong attraction. Whatever the source, all she wanted was to taste his lips and feel his arms around her once again.
With a soft whir, the door opened. Relieved and despondent, Alix stepped out. She reminded herself why she must never open herself up to Devyn or anyone else, but still her heart hammered a denial.
Devyn led her to the engineering room and punched in a sequence of keys to open the door. "The code to enter the room is Claria."
A wave of disappointment ran through her at the mention of a woman's name and the note of obvious affection in his voice when he spoke of her. "Claria?"
"Sway's wife."
Alix lifted a brow in surprise. "Sway's married?"
"Yeah. Claria's a political assassin for the dorjani government. Since she travels so much, and they don't have any children for him to watch, Sway stays with me."
Alix frowned at him. "That sounds odd."
A quirky smile curved his lips. "Only by most humans' standards. The dorjanie are matriarchal. The males can't do anything without female consent. The men even take their wife's name."
She found his good humor infectious as he stared at her with those playful eyes. She could just imagine having that kind of control over Devyn. The thought appealed to her greatly.
He entered the room and started checking over the system's gauges. "I'm Sway's legal chaperon, which is why he gives me such agony about my mom's calls. He considers it justice over the way I taunt him about Claria."
Alix wondered at his words. "How did you get responsibility for him?"
"His mother is an old friend of my father's. Since we grew up like brothers, Claria knew I wouldn't let Sway get into trouble." He glanced up from the panel. "What about you? Do you have any siblings?"
A cold, twisting lump coiled in her stomach, and she feared for a moment she might be sick.
Don't think about it, she warned herself. Alix dropped her gaze and looked over the control panel for the shield's leak. "No. I told you I don't have any family ties."
"Sorry, I forgot."
Alix hadn't meant for her reply to be so curt. She tried to ignore her guilt—and his presence—as she concentrated on her task, but it wasn't easy.
It didn't take long to isolate the leak and correct it. "There," she said, stepping back. "It's all fixed."
Devyn checked the gauges.
She studied his frown of consternation and smiled. "How is it a pilot of your abilities doesn't know anything about ship's maintenance?"
Devyn laughed and looked up at her. "I'm a pilot, not a mechanic. All I know is how to check things and fly them, not fix them. What about you? Can you pilot?"
She shook her head. "I can do a launch sequence, but that's about all. I couldn't get near the directional controls unless my father passed out."
Alix bit her lip in shock at the slip she'd made, but she couldn't seem to help herself. There was something about Devyn that stripped away all the careful barriers she'd built for herself. The thought terrified her.
A flicker of anger touched Devyn's eyes but quickly vanished. Could he possibly have any feelings for her? She disregarded the possibility. Men like Devyn Kell had no use for women like her.
"Is that why you became an engineer?" he asked in a low voice.
Alix brushed her hand across her cheek, skimming the tiny scar just below her right eye where her father had slung her against a control panel a few years ago after she had made a simple mistake. "No. My father didn't like paying the extra money to hire an engineer, so one day he handed me a wrench and a manual and told me to fix the side stabilizer or get off the ship."
Devyn stared at her in disbelief. The blasé tone of her voice told him more about Alix than the words themselves. Her father had been a real bastard. Even so, she hadn't let him hold her back. A surge of admiration ran through him. "I bet you fixed it like new."
Alix snorted. "No. It went out before we could even complete the launch. Ended up busting one of the cargo bays and losing half our shipment."
Devyn studied her halfhearted smile. "I'll keep that in mind if one of ours ever goes out."
She gave him a guarded look that made him regret his words. He'd meant them as humor, but obviously she didn't appreciate it.
He stared at her eyes. They were such an unusual shade, probing, intelligent, and pain-filled. For some reason, he wanted to soothe away the agony that blazed in defiance of him and the whole universe.
Before he could stop himself, Devyn cupped her cheek. The softness of her skin surprised and delighted him. Despite her rough, prickly defenses, she was an attractive woman with a quiet assuredness he found refreshing. He hadn't been this attracted to a woman in a long time.
He knew he should walk away from her. She was a member of his crew, and business and pleasure shouldn't mix. But he couldn't seem to stop himself from touching her soft cheek, or brushing her lips with his thumb.
Alix opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Her cheek burned under the weight of his fingers. She wanted this kiss, and a small voice inside told her it was more than mere want. She needed it. His hands tightened on her face. He closed his eyes and dipped his head toward hers.
"Devyn? Where are you?"
Silently, Alix cursed Sway's dorjani hide for the interruption. Just a few more seconds and he could've called without her wanting to strangle him. Was one kiss too much to ask?
Devyn blinked in confusion, as if he were waking from a dream, then dropped his hands from her face and took a step back.
Her skin still tingling, Alix wanted desperately to return to the mood, but it was too late. She sighed in disgust. Luck would never be her friend.
Devyn moved to the wall intercom. "What do you need?"
"I need you to get your ass up here and assure Claria Alix is human and that you're not going to leave me alone with her."
Devyn rolled his eyes in obvious frustration. Alix laughed.
"I'm on my way," he said with a sigh.
She stepped away from him. "Ever wish sub-space transmissions were impossible?"
"Only every time my mom or Claria calls," he grumbled.
Alix's smile widened.
They remained silent the whole way back to the main deck. Devyn stepped out of the lift first. "The galley is all the way down the corridor on the left. Search through the cooling unit until you find something you like."
Alix stared after him as he walked toward the control room, amazed he had remembered her thirst.
Her throat tightened as longing raced through her. If only she could trust him with her secret. But she knew better. She'd lived most of her life under dire, soul-wrenching threats, and she wasn't about to put such a weapon in Devyn's hands.
With a sigh, she crossed her arms over her chest and headed to the galley.
What she wouldn't give for the type of friendship he and Sway shared. Someone she could talk things over with, release the darkest secret of her soul. Don't think about it, she told herself. As long as you don't open your mouth, no one will ever know; you'll be free. She must always keep her secret, no matter what.
The next two days passed quickly. Alix did her best to avoid being around Devyn and Sway. For the most part, she succeeded, and they only passed briefly in the corridors or galley.
She sat on her bed, listening to the whir of the engines as Devyn and Sway brought the Mariah into the docks on Nera VII. The two of them had invited her to dinner at one of the local pubs.
Alix pulled the tie from her ponytail and let the long, thick, heavy hair hang down her back. With a deep sigh, she ran her hand over the rough material of her beige pantsuit, wishing she had more suitable clothes. Just once, she'd like to look at least halfway attractive.
A knock sounded on her door.
"Come in."
The door slid up to reveal Devyn. "We're getting ready to g
o eat. Are you joining us?"
She nodded her head. "How long will we be here?"
Devyn rubbed his left hand over his right arm. "We're supposed to be meeting a supplier for dinner. As soon as we eat and exchange partial cargos, we'll leave."
Alix gave him a suspicious look. She'd never known a runner to be open about cargo exchanges. "So where are we eating?"
His eyes glowed with mischief. "The Runner's Den."
Alix laughed; now she understood his lack of secrecy. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"
Devyn didn't comment. Instead, he extended his arm to her. "Shall we? I'm hungry enough to eat Sway's cooking."
Alix's heart pounded in response to his gesture. Before she could stop herself, she wrapped her arm around his. She swallowed at the contact, her body throbbing from the close proximity.
Apparently oblivious, Devyn led her out of the ship and into the landing bay, where Sway stood at one end talking to a group of men. He looked up and caught sight of them.
Devyn headed toward him. The fact that he didn't release her arm surprised Alix. No one had ever publicly claimed her before.
"Is Taryn here?" he asked as they joined the group.
Sway nodded and scratched his chin. "He beat us here by about half an hour."
Devyn gave him a satisfied grin. "Then let's find him."
Sway excused himself from the group, and they made their way out of the bay and into the long main corridor that ran in a circle around the space station.
Like most stations, shops lined both sides of the corridor. They passed a number of people and aliens, their arms filled with a variety of goods.
Devyn stopped outside a door painted with an encircled freighter—the universal sign of a runner's or smuggler's haven. Alix pulled away from him, no longer quite comfortable in his embrace.
Sway opened the door and led the way into the dark room. Voices and music mingled in the air, making her ears throb. She'd never cared for these types of places. Too many years of pulling her father out of them left her with bitter memories Alix wished she could erase.
Banishing the thought, she followed behind Sway and Devyn as they made their way through the pub to one of the tables in the back.
A handsome, dark-haired man sat at a corner table with an extremely attractive redhead in his lap. Laughing with each other, the couple was locked in an intimate embrace that brought heat to Alix's cheeks.
Devyn glanced at Sway with a disgusted frown, then shook his head. "Don't you ever get tired of playing the traveling rogue?"
The man looked up with a smile. His gaze swept over Devyn, Sway, and her, and Alix had the strangest feeling he took in more than just their presence. "C'mon, Dev, be nice. Prenna and I have known each other for years."
Alix stifled her laugh at the skeptical look on Devyn's face.
The redhead pushed herself out of the man's lap. "I'll see you tonight?"
He nodded. "I'll be there."
The woman gave him a hungry smile, then turned a hostile glare to Alix and her companions before making her way through the crowd.
Devyn held a seat out for her. Amazed at the gesture, Alix sat down across from the stranger, who eyed her curiously.
"Who's your friend?"
Devyn took a seat at her right and Sway on her left. "She's my new engineer," Devyn said. "Alix, meet another of my childhood friends, Taryn Kyrelle."
Taryn dipped his head to her. "Nice to meet you."
Alix nodded.
Devyn sat forward in his chair and caught Taryn's attention. "Did you get all the medical supplies I asked for?"
Taryn sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. "I got them, but you should know the HAWC Keepers at Paradise City have been scanning cargoes for perillian and antibiotics for the last two weeks. Someone told them a large shipment would be coming in, and that its destination was for the rebel Outposters in the mines."
Alix's heart skipped a beat. The last thing she wanted was a run-in with the HAWC. An elite military organization, the HAWC had charters from all the major governments granting it the right to act as judge, jury and executioner against anyone it deemed a threat to intergalactic peace. More than one rumor claimed the HAWC served only itself, and she knew crossing the HAWC would be the last mistake she or Devyn ever made.
Devyn narrowed his eyes at Taryn and clenched his teeth. For the first time, Alix sensed what a dangerous man he was. "Any idea who leaked?"
Taryn shook his head. "No, but I'd be real careful."
"I'll guard my back."
"And I'll guard the rest of you!"
Alix looked up at the sound of a sultry female voice. Her mouth opened in stunned surprise. The most beautiful woman she'd ever seen leaned over Devyn and kissed his cheek.
Hair as black as space cascaded from the top of an assassin's skullcap down to the woman's tiny waist. Unbelievably tall and dressed in a skimpy black suit that barely covered the necessary parts of her body, the woman had a figure Alix would kill for. She wore one blaster strapped to her left hip, and the silver handle of a dagger peeped out of the top of her shiny black thigh-high boots.
Meeting the woman's friendly gaze, she realized the stranger was Deucalion. Not even the oddity of Deucalion eyes—white pupils surrounded by red irises—detracted from the beauty of her face.
"Someone ought to tie a bell to you," Devyn said, hugging her tightly. "I hate the way you sneak up behind me."
The woman laughed before making her way around the table to hug Sway. "Oh, I've missed you guys!" she said, emphasizing her words with a tight squeeze. "So where's Golan?"
Devyn sighed. "He ran off at our last stop. Alix here is our new engineer."
"Hi," the woman said as she took a seat between Sway and Taryn. "I'm Zarina, but you can call me Rina."
Alix smiled at the sincere friendship in Zarina's eyes but noticed the uneasiness of the men.
Zarina looked around at them and caught their sudden rigidness as well. "Don't tell me," she said with a tired sigh. "We've got business to discuss. Would you mind giving us a few minutes?"
Taryn tipped his glass to her in a mock salute. "Since you already knew our thoughts, why did you disturb us?"
She pierced him with a malevolent glare. "Suck an asteroid berry, you pirate snot." Zarina glanced to Devyn and lastly to Sway, both of whom were trying to stifle their laughter at her words.
Realizing they weren't going to interfere on her behalf, she sniffed in mock hurt. "Fine," she said, lifting her chin defiantly. "Rather than ruin your fun, I'll find someone who'll help me waste some time." Her gaze followed a handsome man passing their table.
When she stood up to go after the man, Taryn grabbed her wrist. "Alix, would you mind taking Zarina to the restaurant four doors down? You can put the food on my bill."
Zarina snatched her arm from his grasp. The look on her face could have melted steel. Stunned, Alix didn't know what to do.
With an imperious toss of her head, Zarina rounded the table. "C'mon, Alix. Let's leave the boys to their games."
Still somewhat confused, Alix followed Zarina out of the pub. Zarina stopped in the hallway, turned around, and glared at the door. Her eyes glittered with malice as she leaned against the outside wall, crossed her arms over her chest, and tapped her fingers against her upper arms. "They make me furious!"
Before Alix could say anything, the door opened to reveal Devyn. He gave her a sheepish look and turned toward Zarina. "I'm sorry, shanna. You know how Taryn is."
Zarina narrowed her eyes. "Six weeks. I've been with him for the last six weeks, and I'm about to kill him!" She faced Devyn and her expression changed to pleading. "Will you take me with you when you leave?"
Alix and Devyn exchanged shocked glances. "You know I can't. I'm heading to Paradise City. Your brothers would tear me apart if they found out I took you to a war zone."
Zarina dipped her head in a coy pose and smoothed the collar of his shirt like an old lover after a long separation. "Please,
" she purred.
Clenching her fists at her sides, Alix wanted to snatch the thick mass of black hair from the woman's head.
Devyn shook his head, a smile hovering at the corners of his mouth. "You know better."
Zarina's gaze hardened. She dropped her hands and gave him a feral snarl. "Fine. When I kill him, remember you could have prevented it."
Devyn laughed and handed Alix his debit card. "Don't worry about the price. Just keep her eating and out of trouble."
Their hands brushed as she took the card from him. A chill spread up her arm at the unexpected contact.
The League 3: Paradise City Page 3
