by Lisa Lace
The screen went black.
I supposed I wasn’t going to learn what Anders was doing for a while. I was glad they shut the door. They might have to worry about me, but I was comforted knowing they were all safe. I would do what I could to get rid of the pirate bastards. I wasn’t going to watch them sell our women. I had no idea how I could stop them, though. I was only one person.
Before I decided on a course of action, I needed to get to safety. I kept walking into the darkness until I reached the bottom step. I felt around, pulling a catch which released a door leading out of the secret passageways and into an enormous room filled with heating pipes. Anders and I knew about one that was never used. The largest heating conduits were tall enough to fit a grown man standing up. I could find it even in pitch darkness.
I counted the pipes, turning without hesitating. I hadn’t been down here for many years, but I remembered the path like it was yesterday.
An open space in front of a maintenance door led into the conduit. I would have to crawl through the entrance. I opened the door and lowered myself onto my hands and knees to enter before standing up in the shadows.
A beautiful, naked pirate waited for me. The image of her nude body burned into my mind. I spent a few seconds ogling her. She gasped, and suddenly she was flying at me, luscious breasts bouncing in the air. How could I be having these thoughts about a pirate at a time like this? I put out my hands to stop her from hitting me, but I didn’t notice the length of pipe she carried at her side.
When the weapon made contact with my head, my legs buckled and I fell unconscious.
PRIYA
The man who crumpled to the floor in front of me wasn’t a pirate. He didn’t have a scar across one eye like I had seen on the actual pirates. As I looked at him, I realized I knew him. He was the hot guy from the testing center. I had inadvertently attacked an alien man, the one named Allex.
I remembered how it had felt when he had held me briefly. My nipples hardened, and it drew my attention to my nakedness. I had been changing after my sponge bath before going to bed on the thin futon. Since there was already furniture here, I was prepared to have a visitor at any moment. But I hadn’t seen another soul in the months I had spent hidden aboard the ship.
When I had heard the announcement and someone entered my home, it was reasonable for me to assume they didn’t have my best interests at heart.
The gorgeous guy stirred. I ran for my clothes and put them on in record time. When he groaned and sat up, holding his head, I made sure I was all the way across the room, fully dressed and armed with the pipe. I didn’t know what he was doing here, but I wanted him to leave. If he was aware that I existed, he was an enemy.
After a minute, he opened his eyes and looked around. As soon as he saw me, he glared. “I think you’ve given me a concussion.�
“Sorry. I’m not sorry, actually.� I didn’t feel apologetic at all. “You shouldn’t come into a person’s place unexpectedly. I don’t know if you have been living under a rock, but pirates have taken over the ship.�
“Do I know you?� He drummed his fingers on his thigh. “I ran into you at the testing facility, right? What are you doing here?�
I didn’t answer the question. I wanted to stop the wheels from turning in Allex’s handsome head. He wasn’t going to get the chance to turn me over to the authorities. “It feels like that was ages ago.�
I was surprised he still remembered me. I still remembered him, of course, but he was gorgeous. His type didn’t usually notice people like me.
I saw the moment he realized what I was. “You’re a stowaway, aren’t you?� He looked worried.
I didn’t try to deny it. My intentions didn’t matter.
“Do you know how much trouble you can get in for being an undocumented passenger on our ship?�
“No, I don’t. Why don’t you enlighten me?�
“You could go to jail, for starters, or pay a stiff fine. How badly did you want to be part of the trial?�
“I knew there would be consequences, but I didn’t have a lot of choices. Not everyone can afford a first-class ticket on a luxury spaceship.� I had never met Allex before, but he seemed like the kind of guy who would travel in luxury. Something about him oozed confidence and the entitlement of wealth.
“That’s true, but not everyone decides to smuggle themselves onboard, either.� He didn’t seem impressed with my behavior.
“What are you doing here? Are you ditching your first-class room because the pirates boarded us?�
“I came to hide here. You’re in my place.� He looked around like he owned the place. I had stayed here since I was forced to make my home on the ship.
“What do you mean? We’re in an unused heating conduit. How can you own it?�
He had a nostalgic look on his face. The only piece of furniture was an abandoned futon I used as a bed. A sturdy metal duct ran along one side of the conduit about waist high. I used it to prepare food and store extra blankets.
A black look passed over his face, and he glared at me. He was making me feel like I was an intruder in my own home.
“My brother and I used to play here when we were younger.�
He had grown up on the ship. For a moment, I thought it was interesting, but that was before I realized I shouldn’t be thinking about the entitled asshole in front of me at all.
“This place used to be yours, but it’s mine now. Squatter’s rights. Go find another pipe to play in.� I motioned him away with my hands.
“The entire ship belongs to me, if you want to get technical. Besides, there isn’t another one this size that isn’t being used.� A thoughtful look appeared on his face. “Although there is an old elevator shaft we stopped using after we installed the transporters. It’s cold. There’s always a breeze in there.�
“How do you know?�
“I grew up playing in every nook and cranny of this ship.�
“Well, you can’t possibly stay here.� I put my hands on my hips.
He narrowed his eyes. “I certainly can. You’re the stowaway, not me. I’m afraid you’ll have to find another place to sleep.�
I pressed my lips together. I wondered if he was really going to throw me to the pirates. “Do you think it’s okay to send me out there? They’re going to sell me into slavery.�
An outraged look appeared on his face, replaced after a moment by resignation. “Fine. You win. We’re stuck together until we can get the pirates off the ship.�
The ramifications of sharing a small space with a gorgeous, sexy, and annoying man started to hit me. I glanced at my bed. The futon was barely big enough for one.
He followed my gaze. “I’ll figure something out. Are there still extra blankets?� I nodded. I had found eleven clean sheets in a stack and hadn’t needed many of them. It was warm down by the heating pipes. “I can make a bed on the floor out of those.� He started grabbing blankets from the pile.
“That works for now,� I said. “What about after the pirates are gone? I’m still going to be here when you go upstairs again.�
He looked me over. I felt like he was judging me by my appearance. “I guess we’ll see what happens when it’s all over.�
“Sorry, I need to know if you’re going to turn me in.� I felt afraid for the first time since I hit him with the pipe. Even though he was a stranger, I wasn’t scared of him, but if he planned to turn me over to the authorities, I would need to get away from both him and the pirates.
“I�
�m not sure what I’m going to do.�
To me, it sounded like he might report me. I had two problems now. I had to stay away from the pirates and find a new place for myself. It didn’t matter if I was attracted to Allex. He was off limits to me. I wasn’t in a position to trust him or try to make friends with him.
Ever since I left Earth, I had been alone. Allex’s presence wasn’t going to change anything.
I felt more alone now than before he arrived.
Chapter Four
ALLEX
The stowaway ended up on the futon. I laid on the floor on a pile of blankets. She turned off the light, and we rested in the darkness. Judging by the sound of her breathing, she wasn’t going to fall asleep anytime soon. My head ached so badly that I wasn’t sure I would be able to sleep at all.
My mind wouldn’t stop replaying the sight of her naked body, which seemed to be burned into my retina. She had full, perky breasts with dark nipples. Her waist narrowed until it swelled into wide hips perfect for bearing children. We needed babies to save our race.
Remembering the triangle of dark hair between her legs made me hard. I couldn’t control my mind. I imagined what it would be like to spread her legs…
I stopped myself. I needed to think about something else. A criminal was not the woman for me. I didn’t even want to fool around with the sort of person who would stowaway on a starship.
The bulge in my pants betrayed my feelings, but I was determined to think with my brain, not my dick. I wasn’t going to be swayed by my cock. I had a feeling it wouldn’t lead me anywhere I wanted to go.
On the other hand, lust was burning in me to the point where I wondered if I would need to go into the darkness of the heating pipes and take care of myself if I wanted to sleep at all.
The girl was annoying and kept blaming me for things which were clearly her fault. I hadn’t run into her — she was the one who hadn’t been looking. It wasn’t my fault my head was practically caved in after she hit me with a pipe.
In her defense, however, it might have been wise of her to attack me — if she thought I was a pirate.
I rolled onto my side, pulling the blankets tightly around me to stop the shivering. It was warm down here during the day, but at night, the temperature of the ship was deliberately dropped to mimic a planet’s daily weather pattern. It was pretty cold now. I didn’t know how she had survived for months by herself.
Anders and I only used this place to get away from Father when we were in trouble (and Anders was usually the one in trouble). We never slept down here; the futon was for sitting, not sleeping. We made sure to go home the same day. Even if we got lost, we always found our way home in time for dinner.
The girl had to stay here all the time and couldn’t leave. She wanted to know if I was going to reveal her existence. Would I? I wasn’t sure.
If she was breaking an intergalactic law, wasn’t turning her in the right thing to do? Things shouldn’t be this complicated.
So why did it feel like I would be making a mistake?
Her voice spoke into the darkness. “If you’re cold, you can have one of my blankets. I don’t need them all. Trust me, it’s hard to sleep when you’re shivering.�
Had she been too cold to fall asleep before? Before I could answer her, I felt a blanket hit my chest. Was this how thieves usually acted?
My brothers had driven manners into me. “Thanks.�
“You’re welcome, Allex.�
I pulled the blanket over me, and it was enough to let me start getting warm. I was comfortably drowsy in a few minutes. As I drifted off to sleep, I wondered how she knew my name.
I fell into a deep sleep, upset by the realization that I hadn’t bothered to ask for her name.
When I opened my eyes, I only saw darkness. I was completely disoriented and didn’t know where I was.
The first thing I remembered was the woman. The pretty one. The sexy one.
The annoying one.
I heard the door shut and realized she was leaving. I must have awakened when she moved around in the small space. I wondered what she was doing. It felt like it was too early to wake up.
The pirates weren’t going to let me take my time. I had fallen asleep in my clothes, and I was quickly out the door trailing her. When I came out into the dimly-lit heating pipes, it was much easier for me to see.
I could make out a shadow moving through the pipes and decided to follow it. I was curious and wanted to ensure she wasn’t trying to run away. She was a criminal, after all. No matter how nice she was to offer a blanket, she should face justice.
After I caught up with her, I hung back far enough so she wouldn’t notice me. She was heading to the storerooms. She stopped and put some things into a backpack. The next place on her list was the washroom one level up. She emerged with a full pail of water and made her way back down using the emergency stairs.
I didn’t see anyone else around. The pirates were probably restricting people’s movement on the ship. Even if they weren’t, I didn’t know what the regular traffic was down at this level.
When I was confident she was heading back, I used the bathroom myself before returning. I was careful to call out before I entered the room; I didn’t want her hitting me again. I reached a hand up and touched the huge bump on the head she’d given me. It still felt tender. I hoped she hadn’t done any permanent harm. I hadn’t noticed any behavior indicating brain damage, aside from my illogical attraction to her.
I crawled through the door.
“Where were you, Allex?� The girl was sitting on the futon with a package of dried food and a bottle of water next to her.
“I went out to stretch my legs.� I didn’t want to admit I had been following her.
“Well, I hope you feel better. These are for you.� She handed over some food and water to me, which she had prepared for me in addition to hers.
She had surprised me again. “Thank you.� I took her offering and sat on my makeshift bed. We ate in silence. Occasionally, I would catch her looking at me and remembered something. “Somehow you know who I am, but I don’t even know your name.�
“I remember from the testing center. The blonde woman called you Allex.�
I nodded. Was she avoiding telling me her name? I lifted my eyebrows when she looked at me again.
“It’s Priya.� She sounded reluctant to say it.
I nodded. “Priya. It suits you.�
It was her turn to look surprised. “Was she your girlfriend?� The question made me look up. I was trying to dig the last piece of dried fruit out of the packaging. She wanted to make it sound casual, but I could tell she was interested. It took me a minute to realize who she meant.
“You must be talking about Jayne?� I blanched at the thought of her being my girlfriend. “Not quite. She’s my brother’s wife, and mother of his twins. He’d murder me if we were fooling around.�
“She’s your sister-in-law, then.� Priya was carefully cleaning up the remains of the meager meal and wouldn’t look at me.
Why did she care if Jayne was my girlfriend or not? I wondered for a second if she was interested in me. I shouldn’t care if this human was attracted to me or not. In fact, I didn’t want her to be interested in me. She was all kinds of trouble.
Today she was wearing some standard-issue clothing she must have scavenged. Black cargo pants and a T-shirt stretched tightly over her generous chest as if it was one size too small.
I tore my eyes away from her breasts before she noticed me staring. “I thought I would try to see some of these pirates and learn something about them. If I’m lucky, I might learn s
omething that can help us get rid of them.�
“Why would you do that? And why weren’t you captured with the rest of the men?� It looked like the idea had just occurred to her.
Her question was a strange one. “Because I have to.� Priya had been reluctant to tell me her name as if I would somehow use it against her. Likewise, I didn’t want to tell her about the secret passageway. It was our only advantage and I couldn’t risk the information leaking. I thought quickly. “I was in a remote area of the ship. When I heard the pirates had boarded us, I rushed down here and hid once it was safe.�
“Sounds to me like you tried to save your ass. Why do you feel like you have to take down these pirates by yourself? Wait until someone else gets rid of them, like the police.�
I shook my head. “There isn’t much local law enforcement in this sector.� I had heard the speech from Anders plenty of times. “It was the primary justification for buying the new fighters. But they’re brand-new, and we weren’t ready to use them. We’re on our own.�
“How do you know all this?� She stared at me suspiciously.
I had probably said too much. “Let’s just say I have a lot of sources on this ship and leave it at that.� If she thought I was a jerk already, what would she think if she knew I was a prince?
“Why would you have special knowledge? Are you an official or something?�
“No, I’m not.� I tried to make it sound final.
She looked taken aback. “You don’t want to tell me because you don’t trust me. I don’t have a problem with that. I don’t trust you either.�
Her words bothered me more than I cared to admit. “I’m not going to hurt you, Priya.� I noticed her black eyes, the likes of which I had never seen before on Auxem.
