A Star Pilot's Heart

by Eva Delaney

  “I’ve gotten out of worse spots than this,” I said.

  “You lied to us, Trix,” Rux shouted.

  “Cali, what’s going on?” Orion said.

  Antares stood with his arms limp at his sides. “I can’t go back,” he said softly. Then he laughed. “The Supremacy will succeed because nobody trusts me.”

  “Get Trix out of that chair. I’ll fly us out of here,” Rux ordered.

  “You fucking try that, and I’ll knock your teeth out,” I roared.

  “You’re flying us right to them!” Rux’s voice made the room shake.

  “You clearly don’t understand how smuggling works. All good smugglers fly toward their enemies.” My hands flew across the dashboard, locking the Firebrand on autopilot. Even if they dragged me from the pilot’s seat, they wouldn’t be able to change course. “Stuff all weapons, flight suits, and military uniforms into the incinerator.”

  I was still wearing mine with the pin of command. But I could keep it because no Supremacy bastard would see me. “You’ll pose as merchants from Becroft, hoping to pick up cargo for cheap out here in the godforsaken frontier.”

  “And you, Commander?” Hamal said. He was the only one who sounded calm, and his voice steadied my nerves.

  I eyed the fleet. “Castor will recognize me. So I’ll be in the smuggling compartment.” I unbuckled the safety webbing and stood, shoving Antares out of my way.

  “We have secret compartments?” Polaris said. Poor naïve Polaris.

  “One on the lower deck across from the airlock.”

  “Castor will recognize me, too,” Orion said. His eyes were wide and shifty. I had never seen him like that before. “I’m wanted across half the Supremacy, and he’s made it his personal vendetta to kill rebel pilots.”

  I nodded. “You’ll hide with me. The rest of you will pose as merchants. Destroy anything that even hints otherwise! I don’t care how much you like your gun.” I glared at Rux. “They will search this ship, and if they find a speck of dust that suggests The Uprising, we’re dead.”

  The floor vibrated as the men rushed to the cabins. My heart was in my throat. If one of them overlooked something, the Supremacy would find it and shoot us out of the sky. If we were lucky. If we weren’t, they would drag us to mind readers, which destroyed the brain while extracting thoughts.

  That was why I didn’t save any personal items, except that stupid ring. There was nothing on the Firebrand to incriminate me. The men weren’t so smart.

  “Commander,” Antares said, low and calm. While the others rushed to the garbage incinerator, he stood like a pillar of rock, untouched by the drama.

  He was up to something.

  “We’ve got a problem,” he said. “Castor knows me.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. “The crown prince of the Supremacy knows you personally.” It wasn’t a question and he didn’t answer.

  “How the fuck do you know Castor?” Orion snapped

  “This isn’t the time,” Antares said. “What matters is that if he sees me—”

  “Okay, okay.” Castor might not be part of the boarding crew, but we couldn’t risk anyone recognizing Antares. The secret compartment wasn’t meant to hold three people. I wasn’t certain we’d all fit, but we had to made it work. “Clear your shit and get downstairs.”

  “I don’t carry items that incriminate me.”

  I sighed. I didn’t know what was worse: that he was lying to sabotage us or that we thought the same way. “Prove it,” I ordered. “Dump your bag.”

  I whirled to Polaris, who was sitting stricken in the co-pilot’s seat. In a low voice, I told him the Firebrand’s codes, so he could pose as the pilot while I hid.

  “What if they find you?” His voice was barely a whisper.

  “Lie well and they won’t. Get up and burn anything that can give us away.” I spun on my heel to join the mad rush to stuff weapons and uniforms into the garbage incinerator. It would break them down into their component parts and store the material for the 3D printer.

  I paused to check Antares’s bag. It was full of black clothes and dog food. So he was telling the truth, and we thought alike.

  “Will Castor know Mr. Pancake?” I said.

  “No, pugs all look the same to him and Mr. Pancake is an excellent liar.”

  “Will he know the dog’s collar?”

  Antares’s shoulders drooped. Without a word of compliant, he crouched down and unbuckled the dog’s collar. “Sorry to leave you naked, Mr. Pancake,” he muttered. “I know you only deserve the best…” his voice dropped to a mutter I couldn’t hear.

  I didn’t bother with the ladder. I just jumped to the lower deck, landing in a crouch. The Firebrand clanged and clicked as the Supremacy ship docked with mine. In any second, that airlock door would hiss open.

  I hit the bulkhead across from the airlock in a specific pattern of taps and slaps. A panel popped out and slid to the side, revealing a narrow, empty crawlspace. What if we didn’t all fit?

  Fuck, this was why I didn’t travel with other people.

  Orion stepped into the compartment, pressing his back to the bulkhead. I followed, and Antares slipped in, facing me. I pressed back harder against Orion to make room. We were so close that I felt all of them against all of me. Orion’s chest rose and fell against my back, and Antares’s did the same against my chest.

  “Why is he here?” Orion said.

  “Shhh,” I said.

  Hamal slid the panel shut and we were locked in darkness. But not silence.

  The airlock hissed open and boots pounded on the deck. At least four people by the sound of it. “Look at this rebel scum, boys.”

  I had only heard the voice in propaganda videos, but I would know it anywhere.

  Prince Castor.

  Why did he suspect us? Why did he come here personally? Where did I go wrong?

  Had Antares contacted him somehow?

  “No, sir, there are no filthy rebels here. We’re just merchants from Becroft,” said Hamal.

  “Are you now?” Castor said. “The proper form of address is Your Majesty.”

  It was a good thing I wasn’t out there. I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from pushing his face into the floor until he cried for mercy.

  I wasn’t the only one. Antares clenched his fists against my own hands.

  “Apologies, Your Majesty,” Hamal said smoothly. “I did not recognize you.”

  “Sometimes I wonder about the point of accumulating such a vast kingdom if the plebs never recognize you.” Someone laughed. Castor yawned loudly.

  Orion hissed something low and angry against my hair.

  “Search this piece of shit,” Castor said lazily.

  Fuck you, the Firebrand was the best damn ship in the galaxy. She may not look like much, but she had run circles around the Supremacy’s fleets for years.

  The cargo bay door beeped as it cranked open. The lack of cargo would make this search quicker, thankfully. I wasn’t sure how long I could stand being pressed against Orion and Antares. I was close enough to feel the tension throughout their bodies.

  “We’re not transporting anything at the moment,” Hamal said.

  “How curious,” Castor said as though bored. It was a ploy. He knew something. I hoped Hamal, Rux, or Polaris noticed it too.

  “We were hoping to pick up a good deal at Vinera to haul back to Becroft.”

  Castor tsked. “You plebs don’t understand business, do you? Search the bay for secret compartments, then search the cabins.”

  That was why my secret compartment was in the corridor by the airlock. Everyone hid compartments in the cargo bay, but few people thought to look here.

  “I’m sure you’ll find everything in order,” Hamal said.

  I admired his restraint. I wouldn’t be able to play nice with spoiled brats. My strategy was not to get caught in the first place.

  “Keep this…crew,” Castor said the word as though he had just stepped in shit, “under
guard.”

  “We are happy to accommodate you, Your Majesty,” Hamal said. “Would you care for a drink while your people work?”

  “I’d sooner lick grease off your cargo bay floor,” Castor said, “then drink whatever passes for palpable here.”

  “That can be arranged,” Orion growled. His words echoed my own thoughts exactly.

  “Shhh,” I said. This compartment wasn’t sound proof. Or large. I felt every twitch of Orion’s muscles and his bulge against my lower back. Antares tensed against me. Was he afraid? Angry?

  Footsteps moved away down the hall. I caught the low murmur of voices and strained to hear what they were saying.

  A million things could go wrong and doom us. What if Rux snapped or Polaris was too nervous? What if someone kept a weapon or piece of a uniform? No matter how hard I listened, I couldn’t catch any sign of what was going on.

  My blood thrummed with adrenaline. I wanted to fight, to lie, to do anything to keep us safe. Unfortunately, I could do nothing but wait to see if this was the day Castor finally found me and killed me.

  Twenty

  Things were dark and quiet like I wanted. But I never thought it would be dark and quiet with Castor on my ship and with Orion and Antares nestled against me.

  Their breathing was a calming rhythm like when I rested on Orion’s chest and counted his breaths to fall asleep. It had been three years since I’d relied on anyone else to ease anxiety. I didn’t need it, but it was oddly comforting nonetheless.

  Soon, my breath followed Orion’s rhythm and Antares followed mine. We were breathing in unison, and for the first time in a long time, danger seemed far away even though it was closer than ever.

  How could this be?

  I strained my ears to listen for signs of Castor. But everyone must have been on the main deck because I couldn’t hear a thing except Orion and Antares’s breathing.

  Antares stirred as though trying to move away from me, but there was nowhere to move to. As he shifted, his bulge rubbed against my pelvis and sent a pang of warmth through me. He hadn’t meant to, but in the sudden thrill of pleasure, I almost wished he had.

  I took deep slow breaths to distract myself, but my breath and Antares’s breath and Orion’s breath were one and the same.

  Orion’s cock rose and pressed against my back. I couldn’t move away, but I didn’t want to. His breath became short and ragged, as it did years ago when he thrust inside me. My breath quickened to match his. He noticed, damn it—he was always observant. He pushed his stiff cock against my back.

  I remembered those hungry looks he gave me. For a moment, that was all that mattered. Not that he left, not the prince ransacking my ship, just those longing eyes and his obvious desire pressing against my back.

  This was a terrible idea.

  I tried to distract myself, to think about the danger we were in, but the worry was as far away as a distant planet.

  Antares’s breath quickened as he grew stiff against my pelvis. Though the only part of him moving was his cock, it found my most sensitive spot. Pleasure rippled through me. I felt his heart beat fast against my chest. Antares’s musky smell and his warmth seeped into my skin. Orion’s heat warmed me from behind.

  It had been so long since anyone was wrapped around me that I hadn’t realized I was dying of cold.

  Now that I knew, I couldn’t push away the heat. Orion and Antares were like warm blankets on a frigid night. My world narrowed to these two men who were making my body tingle. I wanted more. I craved more. But we could be discovered at any moment, and I wasn’t going to let Castor find me in the middle of sex with his bounty hunter.

  I tried to think of other things, but my mind wandered to Orion sweaty and shirtless after drills, to Hamal’s strong shoulders, to Polaris asking for a kiss, and to Antares’s hard cock against my pelvis and what he might do it with it if I let him.

  I pushed closer to Antares’s hard body. I couldn’t help myself. Maybe just one kiss—

  Footsteps pounded in the hallway outside the compartment. I froze.

  “I’m sure you found everything in order, Your Majesty,” Hamal said.

  “Yes, of course,” Castor said absently.

  Orion relaxed against me, but Antares didn’t.

  My mouth went dry. Shit. He knew something.

  “Head up to the main deck, plebs,” Caster said lightly. “You can go.”

  I heard boots on the ladder. A moment later Castor’s voice dropped to a whisper. But he stood outside the compartment, so I heard every word.

  “Their story that the woman’s clothes belonging to an ex-girlfriend is bullshit. They’re lying to me like I’m a common merchant. Once we’re clear, use this ship for target practice.”

  My heart leaped into my throat. Antares hissed something under his breath. My mind raced. Could I outfly Castor’s fleet? Not in open space. Maybe if I had cover, but probably not even then.

  That left me with only one option. It was insane and likely to get us all killed, but it was all I had.

  I was going to take the crown prince hostage.

  My hand shook violently as I scrambled for the door’s release button. As the compartment slid open, I shoved Antares out of the way, drew my gun, and sprang too quickly for either man to stop me.

  “Cali,’ Orion called behind me.

  I crashed into Castor, pushing him against the corridor wall, but he was stronger and sturdier than he looked. He grabbed my shoulders and whirled. My back hit the wall, knocking the breath from me. His forearm slammed against my chest as he pinned me in place.

  I switched my blaster to my left hand a moment before his fist wrapped around my right wrist. He squeezed hard enough to grind the bones together.

  “Wrong arm,” I said and pressed the barrel against his chin. I jabbed it deep into his flesh, so he was forced to tilt his head back and reveal his bare throat.

  I flicked my gaze to the side. Orion and Antares were in a stand-off with Castor’s guards. Orion shifted sideways, putting himself between me and them.

  “Stand down or watch your prince die,” I roared.

  Castor’s throat bobbed as he laughed gently. “You’ve never been more screwed, Captain Bellatrix.”

  I tensed. The quick view he got while we grappled was enough for him to recognize me. “It’s Commander now. Stand down,” I ordered again.

  “What’s going on?” Hamal shouted. The deck vibrated with heavy feet, most likely him and Rux joining us.

  I didn’t take my gaze from Castor. One moment of distraction and he could shift the balance of power. “Now, this is what we’re going to do,” I told him. “Your guard dogs will trot back to your ship and fly away. When your entire fleet is out of weapons range, I’ll bundle you up in a space suit and shove you out the airlock. Your friends can come pick you up.”

  For a delicious moment, Castor was silent. I suspected no one had ever spoken to him like this. I watched his pulse thumping fast in his neck.

  “You offer no guarantee that you won’t kill me once my men are away.” His voice was quiet, flat. I didn’t think he ever had to bargain for his life before, either.

  “Exactly. Your Majesty,” I said, voice dripping with disdain.

  “I’ll peel the skin from your bones for this,” he said, perfectly calm.

  I laughed at him, and he trembled with rage. “Your men are cornered. You are cornered. What are you going to do? You can shoot us down and die now or you can surrender and see if I’m a woman of my word.”

  He pressed his arm tighter against my chest, making each breath a struggle. I felt like I was drowning.

  “I suggest you reconsider,” he growled.

  Panic flooded my veins, but I was used to it. I liked to practice being terrified, after all. So I did what I always did. I focused on breathing, gulping what little air I could against the weight on my chest.

  “Hands off her,” Orion said.

  Castor ignored him. “If you kill me,” he said, “you’l
l never escape alive.” He shifted his arm so that his hand dragged up my collarbone toward my throat.

  I clicked the safety off my blaster. His hand froze against the base of my throat.

  “You’ll still be dead,” I gasped with the little air I had.

  Castor’s face turned pink with rage.

  “Hands off,” Orion said, voice raw and wild. The barrel of a blaster pressed against the side of Castor’s head. Out of the corner of my eye, the guards whirled on Orion.

  “Do as she says,” Castor said as though the words were ripped from him by force. “Retreat.”

  “Your Majesty—”

  “Don’t make me say it again,” he snapped. He arms fell to his sides.

  “Good boy,” I said.

  The muscles of his square jaw twitched as he ground his teeth.

  “Go on, assholes,” Rux ordered the guards. “And leave the guns.”

  Boots stomped along the deck, someone stumbled and cursed, and Rux laughed. Their footsteps grew quieter as they retreated to their ship. The airlock door swished shut.

  I chuckled. “Not used to defeat, are you, Castor?”

  “Don’t you dare use my personal name.”

  I laughed at him again.

  “They’ve disconnected the ships,” Orion said.

  “Po! Take us toward the gate!” I shouted.

  Castor snorted. “This bucket of crap won’t outrun a single ship in my fleet.”

  He was right, but I wouldn’t let him know that. “Don’t worry, Your Majesty, you can lick the grease from my docking bay floor while you wait.”

  Orion snickered.

  “Step away from the commander,” Antares said, cold as the icy moons of Dimitree.

  He had a voice made for threats.

  He grabbed Castor’s shoulders and yanked him away from me. I let out my breath in relief, but it was short lived. The crown prince, the reason Orion and my company left me, was still on my ship. And worse, his fleet was still close by. My heart pounded like cannon fire.

  Castor looked like royalty despite his defeat. He kept his head high and stared down his nose at us. His yellow eyes glinted with rage and his dark hair was still perfectly in place. As he looked Antares over, he curled his lip with a practiced grace. “Hyacinth,” he said drawing out the name as though he relished every syllable. “Have you been brainwashed?”