“Aurora?”
Hearing her name in that husky tone was sexy as hell. She almost gave in and made contact again. Almost. But self-preservation kicked in.
Keeping a tight grip on her emotions, she opened her eyes and took a step backward. He moved his hands to her shoulders, but his heated gaze told her he was waiting to see if she’d change her mind. The darkness made his green eyes appear nearly black—or maybe that was the aftermath of the heady kiss. Either way, the look was intense.
Emotions she didn’t want to feel tried to worm their way through, but she didn’t let them. This was a goodbye kiss, nothing more. He didn’t want her. They both knew it. Oh, maybe after revving his engines he was reconsidering whether he wanted her body, but he didn’t want her. Not really. He’d never given her any reason to doubt that—not at the Academy and certainly not on this mission. So why did it suddenly feel like she was rejecting him?
“Thank you,” she whispered as she took another step back and released her energy field.
This time he let go, his arms dropping to his sides as the intensity faded from his expression, leaving him as dark as the night sky.
Something was wrong. She could feel it. But before she could pinpoint the problem, his emotions shifted.
A cocky smile spread across his handsome face, wiping away the darkness like a sunbeam. “You’re welcome.” He winked at her. “That was fun.” He glanced in the direction of the camp. “But we should probably head back before someone sends out a search party.”
What was going on? She struggled to get a fix on his emotions, but all she encountered was static. Maybe she was projecting her own feelings, wanting to see something that wasn’t there. After all, she was the one who’d propositioned him. And she’d been courting disaster with that kiss. Time to switch gears.
She joined him as they walked along the water’s edge. “I’m surprised Jonarel hasn’t come looking for me.” A blast of emotional heat scalded her and she winced. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. He’s probably eager to see you, too.”
He’d given her an opening, and she took it. “I’ve been meaning to thank you.”
He glanced at her. “For what?”
“For keeping your promise to work with Jonarel. I know it wasn’t easy for you.” He didn’t contradict her. She gestured to the camp tents that were now visible through the breaks in the trees. “None of this would have been possible otherwise. I want you to know how much I appreciate your willingness to set aside your personal feelings for a while. It means a lot to me.”
He placed a hand on her forearm, pulling her to a halt. “There’s something I want to tell you, too.”
“Okay.” Although from the tone of his voice, she wasn’t one hundred percent sure she’d want to hear what he had to say.
“You told me you don’t have any regrets about us, and I’m glad if that’s true. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same thing.” He stared at the waves breaking on the sand. “I regret how I treated you, and the pain it caused. It was wrong, and I have no excuse, other than the idiotic behavior of a bull-headed male.” He looked back at her, his gaze intense. “But know this. If there’s ever anything I can do to help you…anything…all you have to do is ask. I won’t let you down again.”
Shock kept her nailed to the ground as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before turning and walking away.
55
The arrival of the transport crew gave Cade a much-needed break from the forced goodwill he’d been projecting ever since his encounter with Aurora on the beach.
Throwing himself into work had always been his go-to distraction whenever he couldn’t stop obsessing about something. But in this case, his work—protecting the Lumians and getting them settled in the camp—brought him in close quarters with the object of his obsession.
Aurora did not seem similarly distracted. Instead, she looked weighted down by the responsibilities she now carried. Her first task had been leading the ceremony for the dead Necri. She’d handled it with grace, standing as a pillar of strength and compassion for the Lumians as she bid farewell to a Necri she’d never known. But the look in her eyes had revealed her suffering.
Her words had been foreign to the Lumians, but they’d hung on every one. The Necri’s daughter, an older dark-haired girl named Raaveen, had also spoken during the short ceremony. The lyrical Lumian language had been beautiful to listen to, despite the obvious heartache that had threaded through each syllable.
Cade had questioned Byrnes about the events leading up to the death of the Necri, but Justin hadn’t been able to provide many details. By the time his team had arrived on the scene, Mya was already unconscious and Aurora was in the hands of the Setarip guards. The one moment Justin had witnessed was Aurora’s reaction when the Necri had torn herself free of the wing harness and hit the ground. He said Aurora had screamed as though she was dying.
Considering her connection to the Lumians, and her empathic abilities, Cade could easily imagine how traumatic that moment had been for her. What had caused the Necri to take such a rash action? And how had the Setarips managed to get a hold of Aurora in the first place? Unfortunately, the only person with answers to those questions was Aurora. Cade wasn’t inclined to bring up a subject that was guaranteed to cause her pain. Or that would necessitate a private discussion where he’d be tempted to haul her back into his arms. Better to keep his distance.
The transport crew had arrived three days later. The Admiral had sent Hugh Winters to pilot the ship, a man Cade had admired ever since he’d given a symposium at the Academy during Cade’s final year. The seasoned navigator was nearing retirement, although Cade couldn’t imagine him ever slowing down. They’d talked almost non-stop from the moment he’d taken the transport team over to the ship, trading stories of the vessels they’d piloted and the adventures they’d experienced.
The small crew was rounded out by an engineer, a communications officer, and the Argo’s first officer, who was the acting captain for the journey. She was an older woman who had transferred from the Cromwell, taking over the position Aurora had vacated the previous month. However, she lacked the warmth and sincerity that made Aurora such a fine captain. Cade doubted Knox Schreiber was as enamored of his new first officer as he’d been of his previous one. To hear the Admiral talk, Knox thought Aurora hung the moon.
Cade gave Winters the data pad with all of his notes, and walked the crew through the layout of the navigation and communication consoles. After saying his goodbyes, he left the crew to their preparations and exited the ship for the last time. He stepped off the ramp and felt the sand sink beneath his boots. Finally. He wouldn’t miss dealing with that bucket of bolts.
The soft lights led him along the path through the darkness. Reynolds and the RC security team had already returned to the camp, along with Drew and Clarek, who had finished their tutorial with the engineer.
The ship would be powering up shortly. After it reached orbit, it would join the Argo for the trip to Earth. The Admiral hadn’t set a permanent plan for the Lumians yet, but Cade suspected his team would remain with them on the island, at least for now. Whether the Starhawke crew would stay was unclear.
The ground under his feet trembled as he reached the camp, followed by the distant roar of thrusters. The ship was taking off.
His comband vibrated. “This is Ellis.”
“We’re on our way,” Winters said. “Thanks again for all your notes. I suspect I’m gonna need ‘em. I can already tell this thing flies about as well as a locomotive.”
Cade laughed. “You’re right about that.”
“You sure you don’t want to take over this job? I might let you talk me into making a switch if things keep shimmying like the ship’s trying to molt.”
Cade’s smile widened. “Yeah, but then I’d be up there working and you’d be sitting down here with nothing to do.” The ship’s running lights appeared in the distance as it rose above the island and began a steady ascent
over the dark water.
“Oh, I’d find things to do. Don’t you worry about that.” The ship blended seamlessly with the starry sky. “A little sun, sand, and surf sounds about per—”
His voice cut off abruptly as a flash lit the sky like midday and static screamed through the communication line. Cade slapped his hands over his ears. A split second later he registered where the light had come from. The ship!
“No!” He shouted into his comband, even as his subconscious whispered that it was futile. “Winters, come in! Winters! Respond damn it!” Dead silence.
He blinked repeatedly to clear the image the explosion had left on his retinas. In the sky, yellow and orange balls of flame bloomed in an ever-expanding cloud, like a grotesque, misshapen firework. And still his mind rebelled. It couldn’t be. It just…couldn’t.
“Cade!”
His neck creaked as he turned toward the voice. Aurora sprinted across the sand in his direction, followed closely by the rest of his team. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the dying embers of the blast that had turned the ship into a million falling meteors.
“What happened?” She clasped his upper arm like he needed support. Maybe he did. His feet weren’t as steady as he’d like.
“I don’t know. They were lifting off and then…” He gestured to the dark patch of sky where the ship had been only moments before. But his numbness didn’t last long. Years of training kicked in and he opened a new channel. “Ellis to Schreiber.”
The background chatter of intense activity overlaid Knox Schreiber’s clipped voice. “What the hell happened, Commander?”
“I was hoping you could tell me.”
“We don’t know. There’s no sign of an attack, but we’re scanning the area for ships. I’ll have that information forwarded to your team.” Schreiber gave a muffled order to his crew, then came back online. “Was the ship over the island?”
“No. It was already over the water. We need shuttles to begin a search for survivors.”
“My security officer is assembling a team now. We’ll have several shuttles down to you within the next fifteen minutes.”
“Thank you.”
Aurora was talking in low tones with Emoto on the Starhawke. Cade turned to Reynolds, who was already reviewing the data coming in from the Argo’s sensors. “Anything?”
She shook her head. “Doesn’t look like it. No energy traces other than those produced by the ship, and no indication of a projectile of any kind. The data indicates the blast came from inside the ship.”
Another auto-destruct? The same question showed in Reynolds’s eyes. But how could that be, when they’d successfully powered up the ship and landed it here without incident?
Aurora joined them. “Kire was running sensor sweeps when the ship took off. He confirmed that the explosions emanated from inside. He’s analyzing the data and will let us know what he finds. In the meantime, my crew is at your disposal.”
It was the beginning of a very long day. Aurora, Mya and Cardiff remained on the island to guard the Lumians, while Cade and the rest of the team focused on the search and rescue mission. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long to confirm that all four crewmembers had been killed in the explosion. The crushing pressure of the ocean depths had consumed the remnants of the ship. The few bits of debris they were able to salvage were no larger than a grapefruit.
Aurora met him at the head of the pathway when he returned, looking as tense as he felt. “I need to talk to you.” When he gestured to the tents, she shook her head. “Alone.”
She moved across the clearing and down the path to the beach. Had it only been four days ago that he’d walked this stretch of sand with her? If felt like an eternity. And the mood was oh so very different this time.
“I just spoke with Kire,” she said without preamble as soon as they were out of earshot of the camp. “Star’s finished analyzing the data on the explosion, and she’s identified four distinct blast points from within the ship.”
“Four?”
“Yes. One in the corridor outside the containment rooms where the children were kept, one in the crew quarters, one from engineering, and one from the bridge.”
He swallowed. At least the location of the blasts meant the crew was killed instantly. Brutal, but painless. And far better than being conscious as they dropped out of the sky. “So this was deliberate.”
“Yes. Star was able to pinpoint the exact location of each device to within millimeters. I showed the specs to Jonarel, and the device that went off in engineering was in a section where he and Drew were working to repair the engine damage. There’s no way the device could have been there prior to the return to Gaia without their seeing it.”
A chill raced down his spine despite the warmth of the setting sun. “So it was placed on the ship while it was on the island?”
She nodded. “That’s right.”
“But we’ve had the ship guarded at all times. I was onboard until the security team took over, and they remained with the ship until the transport crew arrived. Are you saying someone sneaked onto the ship undetected?”
“No. It turns out Star had a little free time on her hands, so in addition to the surveillance I asked her to perform, she also keep a visual scan of the ship running at all times. No unauthorized personnel have entered or exited the ship. It was an inside job.”
His stomach contracted like he’d been sucker punched. Anger set in a split second later. “You’re not suggesting that my team—”
She held up a hand. “No, I’m not. I trust you and the members of your team implicitly. Even if you had some bizarre secret order from the Admiral to destroy the ship, you would have found a way to do it without killing four innocent people.”
The tightness in his shoulders eased. But the hard light hadn’t left her eyes. “You have a theory.”
“If we eliminate you, Jonarel, Drew and Reynolds, that leaves the five Rescue Corps members who were with Reynolds, and the transport crew. Jonarel said the engineer was with him the entire time that he and Drew were on the ship, and that the bridge crew was with you. Is that true? Did anyone leave at any point for any reason?”
He shook his head. “No, they didn’t. Winters and the communications officer were working with me, and the captain remained on the bridge with us.”
“And you left as they started their flight preparations, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“Captain Schreiber confirmed that the crew were checking in from their stations at regular intervals from the time you left until the blasts went off. No one had the opportunity to place devices in the containment corridor and crew cabin. Even if they’d had a motivation, these were experienced Fleet officers on a mission to bring the ship back to Earth. Blowing it up and killing themselves in the process serves no logical purpose.”
He held her gaze. “Which leaves the Rescue Corp members.”
She nodded. “How well do you know them?”
“Not at all,” he admitted. “Byrnes might be able to give you a little insight, since he talks to everyone, but they were selected and sent by Reanne. I can’t vouch for them, or their actions.”
She started to pace. “I don’t want to draw conclusions without facts, but if someone at the Rescue Corps is involved it would explain so much.”
She was right. He’d provided Reanne with the details of their mission since day one. How well had she guarded that information? If someone had infiltrated the Rescue Corps and had Reanne’s ear or access to her office, they may have been privy to everything that was being planned and done. And they could have gotten themselves posted to the security team when they realized the ship hadn’t been destroyed. Placing the devices during the intervening days while guarding the ship would have been child’s play.
Something else occurred to him. “What about the Lumians? If what you’re saying is true, wouldn’t whoever’s responsible try to eliminate them as well?”
Aurora’s face changed from flushed to
ashen in a heartbeat. Without a word, she turned and sprinted in the direction of the camp.
56
Aurora’s heart pumped in time with her feet as she raced toward the camp. How could she have been so blind? She’d been focused on solving the mystery of the explosion and hadn’t even considered the possibility that someone might be planning an attack on the Lumians.
The dry sand of the path pulled at her boots, slowing her down. She fought the panic that gripped her by the throat. A few seconds might not matter, but logic had taken a backseat.
She burst through the flap into the main tent, the heavy canvas giving a loud whomp that mimicked the hammering in her chest. She stumbled to a halt in front of Mya.
Mya’s eyes widened. “Sahzade? What’s wrong?”
“Are the Lumians okay?”
“What?”
“The Lumians. Are they okay?”
Mya frowned in confusion. “Yes. They’re fine. What’s going on?”
Aurora took a deep breath to calm her racing pulse. “They may be in danger.”
“Danger? What kind of danger?”
“Someone in the Rescue Corps may be responsible for blowing up the ship. And may have been feeding information to the Setarips ever since we arrived.”
Mya’s lips parted in surprise. Her gaze shifted to the sleeping chambers where the Lumians were resting until nightfall. “And you think they may go after the Lumians?”
“It makes sense. Someone doesn’t want us to have evidence of anything we’ve seen. That means the three hundred eye witnesses on this island are a liability they’d want to eliminate. I need to talk to Byrnes.”
“Looks like Ellis found him.” Mya pointed over Aurora’s shoulder.
Cade and Byrnes were walking toward them from the back entrance.
The Dark of Light (Starhawke Rising Book 1) Page 26
