by Sadie Carter
No, that was wrong. It was creepy. He was asleep.
“You should be ashamed of yourself, Willa,” she whispered.
The Zerconian groaned, his eyes fluttering open. She stilled, watching him warily. He was tied up. He couldn’t do anything to her.
Dark eyes studied her. He turned his head, searching the room. Was he about to fly off the handle?
“You are alone?” His husky voice sent a shiver up her spine. What was wrong with her?
“Yes.”
His gaze narrowed. “Leave.”
The urge to obey the command in his deep voice shocked her. So, of course, she did the complete opposite. Leaning back in her chair, she folded her arms over her chest.
“No.”
“It is not safe here.” He scowled, his face thunderous.
“In case you didn’t notice, buddy, you’re bound with hover cuffs. If anyone is in danger here, it’s you.”
He gave her a look usually reserved for idiots. “And how do you think to harm me? You are small and weak.”
Small? Weak? “I have a blaster. I wouldn’t have to waste my time hitting you with my puny fists.”
“You think these cuffs will hold me when I lose control? I will kill you before you even pull your blaster. Leave.”
“Lose control? Are you saying you had no control over yourself earlier?”
“Yes. Now go. I no longer wish to speak to you.” The arrogance in his voice made her grind her teeth. Obviously, he was used to being in charge.
“How unfortunate that you don’t get a say.”
He closed his eyes.
“Oh, so you’re going to ignore me? Mature.” Why was she even interested in him? He obviously had a few screws loose.
“Why did you smash your head into the wall? You could have killed yourself.”
Silence.
“Were you trying to kill yourself? Is that why you were headed for that space rubbish? Surely there was an easier way to go. With your winning personality, I’m sure someone would have taken you out sooner or later.”
He opened one eye. He had a very menacing one-eyed glare. “You should have killed me while I was unconscious.”
“You’re going to have a nice scar on your forehead.”
“That matters not. I am dangerous.” He frowned. “Your brothers should not have allowed you in here alone.”
“They don’t allow me to do anything. I can do as I like.” Although she knew Rye would tear her a new one if he found her in here. “And if I wanted to kill you then I’d do it myself.”
“You are female. Females do not kill.”
What bubble had he been living in? “Hate to dispute your misguided beliefs, but women can kill just as easily as a man, and right now, I’m about this far from taking you out.” She held her finger and thumb a few inches apart.
“Taking me out where? You cannot move me. I am much larger than you.”
“I’m not moving you. I’m going to kill you.” Jesus, he could test a saint’s patience.
“Good.” He nodded, closing his eyes. “Get one of the males, do it now.”
“Urgh, anyone ever tell you that you are extremely annoying?”
He opened his eyes. “Why are you not moving, female?”
“Because you’re not the boss of me. Male.”
“I am too far gone. Death is the only option. Get one of the males,” he demanded once more.
Willa fantasized about putting her hands around his neck and squeezing. Only her hands wouldn’t reach around that wide neck.
“Thing is, right now I’m your best bet at ending up with your head separated from your shoulders. The rest of them want you alive for the ransom.”
“Ransom?” he queried.
“We’re ransoming you back to your people.” If they’d take him. She had her doubts. He was kind of a downer.
He let out a dry, humorless chuckle. “So that is why I am still breathing?”
“Why is that funny? Won’t they pay the ransom? Got sick of your joyful disposition did they?”
He gave her an incredulous look. “I am too far gone. The madness has taken me.”
“What madness?” She was growing increasingly frustrated with his riddles.
His gaze turned reflective. “When a male Zerconian lives too long without finding his mate, he slowly declines into madness. It engulfs us, leaving none of the man behind. Just violence. Ending my life before I bring harm to others is honorable.”
“Seems a bit extreme. Why don’t you just find a mate?” Couldn’t he go on a few dates and pick someone?
“If it were that easy, I would have mated years ago. But there are few Zerconian females.”
“And you can only mate with Zerconians? You know that eventually that’s going to lead to incest, right? You’ll have children being born with six toes and three nostrils.”
He grumbled. A low, warning noise. If she’d had any sense, she would be out the door.
But she’d never claimed to be sensible.
“We can also mate with human females.” He gave her a wolfish grin, showing a lot of teeth. “Maybe I will mate with you, little human.”
She sat back before she could stop herself.
“I’m not your mate.”
“You might be. Kiss me.”
She snorted and stood. “Over my dead body.”
“That is my point. You are in danger around me. Why are you here?” He drew his eyebrows together.
“Because I’m part of the crew and I’m keeping watch over you.” Not that Rye actually knew she was here. Why was she even explaining herself to him? Why was she still here talking to him at all?
“Part of the crew?” he asked.
“Yep, I’m the mechanic.”
“How is that possible?”
He didn’t have to look so shocked. “It’s possible because I’m good at what I do. I keep this old rust bucket moving, even though it should have been retired years ago.”
“You are so small and delicate. Do you not eat?”
She gritted her teeth. “Do you take everything at face value? I might be small, but that doesn’t mean I’m helpless. I’m beginning to see why you don’t have a mate. No one would want you.”
“It does not work that way. The fates choose our mates. There is no choice.”
“What? You force a female to mate you? Wow, you sound like a really great guy.”
“I am not. I am not great.”
“Yeah, I was kind of being sarcastic.”
“Zerconian women are proud to find their mate. Human females do not seem to understand. They fight it.”
“Good for them. How many human women have you met?” she asked.
“Only two. But Mila gave us lessons in speaking to human females. It is why I can talk to you without creating confusion.”
“Sure, ‘cause this conversation is making total sense.”
He nodded.
Maybe he didn’t understand sarcasm. Didn’t bode well for future conversations, since sarcasm was her first language.
“So we’ve had a conversation for about twenty minutes now, and you haven’t gone all crazy. You sure you were being truthful about this madness?”
“I do not understand it. It is there, waiting to break free, but I can control it. Perhaps I am not as far gone as I thought.”
A thoughtful look crossed his face as he studied her closely.
“What?” she asked, reaching a hand up to touch her cheek. “Do I have something on my face?” She often walked around with smudges of dirt on her face.
“Did you touch me?”
“What?” She gaped at him, aghast. “Uh, no, disgusting. What do you think I am? A perv?”
“I know not what a perv is, but from the look on your face, I gather it is something disgusting.”
“Yeah, well, touching you while you’re asleep is pretty disgusting. I wouldn’t abuse you.”
He frowned. “Abuse? I was not talking about abuse. I was talking about
touch, skin-to-skin.”
Still sounded pervy, but she remembered that they had touched. “You grabbed my arms. It’s how I got these bruises.”
His gaze moved to the bruises on her arms. A muscle twitched, and his eyes grew red. “I did that.”
Wary now, she forced herself to stand still even as every inch of her screamed: Run! Run now!
“You really don’t remember?”
“If I had been in my right mind, I would never have harmed you or any female. The madness took hold of me. I should not have come back from that. No one comes back from that.”
“When you touched me, I fainted.” It still grated at her that she’d done something so weak.
“Because I hurt you?” he asked in a low rumble.
She watched him warily, was his crazy side about to come out?
“No,” she said. “I don’t know what happened. I just fainted. Probably because I skipped lunch.”
“Touch me again.”
“What? No way.”
“Move closer. Your scent, it is intriguing.”
Intriguing? “It’s just soap.”
“No, it is you.”
Okay, what the hell was happening? The red in his eyes bled away to amber. That was some freaky shit right there.
“What is up with your eyes?” she asked him.
“They change color with strong emotions,” he replied huskily. “Red for anger. Blue is sorrow. Purple for happiness.”
“So what’s amber?” she asked warily.
“That is not something you want to know.”
Yeah, somehow she’d figured that. “Tell me.”
“It is arousal.”
“Uh-uh. No way. There is no way that you and I are getting our freak on. So get any creepy ideas about me out of your head.” She moved closer to the door. Threats to hurt her couldn’t make her run, but acting like he wanted her? That had her dying to sprint out of here.
“Creepy?”
“Uh-huh. Creepy. Scary. Disturbing. I am not doing any sort of monkey mambo-jumbo with you.”
“Monkey mambo-jumbo?”
“Look, I don’t know what you call it back on Zerconia. But none of that is going on here, between us, got it?”
Okay, even she realized she was protesting too much.
She did not like the way he looked at her. She pointed at him. “Listen, buddy; I don’t know what is going through that head of yours, but you and I are not going to happen. No way. Nuh-uh, not happening. I feel sorry for you. But I’m not the answer to your problem. Go register on a universal dating service or something.”
“I do not want to date you. I want to join with you.”
Men, they were the same wherever they came from.
“I don’t want to sleep with you. Funnily enough, I’m not attracted to crazy, psycho dudes with a death wish. No offense.”
“Leave. Do not return without a male to protect you.”
“Do you not remember our conversation about how I’m not delicate and helpless?” Frustration filled her. He was even worse than Steele.
“You need to be protected from me. Leave.”
Arrogant, bossy male.
Turning, she stormed out of the room. As soon as the door closed, she leaned back against it.
What the hell had just happened? He wanted to have sex with her? He had to be insane. Well, she’d already known that. Although, suicidal tendencies, creepy glowing eyes, and sexist attitude aside, the man was super-hot. But just because she thought he was a hunk didn’t mean she would do anything about it. She wasn’t interested in fucking him.
Besides, it was probably a ploy to get her to release him. As soon as she freed him, no doubt he would have murdered her.
Willa moved slowly down the passage.
As she turned the corner, her communicator beeped.
“Willa, get down to the engine room,” Rye ordered. “We’re getting closer to Lilan airspace, and I want to test stealth mode.”
“Wonderful. Maybe I should have taken him up on his offer. Surely being murdered in the middle of an orgasm would be better than being blown into tiny smithereens by a Coizil warship.”
Chapter Three
Nerves jangling, Willa waited in the engine room. This was it. They were actually going to sneak past the Coizil warship. The practice run using stealth mode had worked—surprisingly.
She opened communication with the bridge so she could hear what was happening.
“Deacon, stealth mode on,” Rye ordered.
“Yes, Cap,” Deacon answered.
A soft buzz filled the room. They were in stealth mode.
“Set the coordinates, Zuma,” Rye stated in a firm voice. There was no hint of nerves in his voice.
“Coordinates set,” Zuma replied.
“Then let’s go,” Rye ordered. “Slow and steady.”
She held her breath as they moved. If things went awry, this could well be the last few breaths she took. Her hands shook as she took a deep breath, in then out. She paced back and forth, unable to stand still.
The conversation she’d had with Darac earlier raced through her head, a distraction from the tense situation.
Yeah, she was attracted to him. Who wouldn’t be? He had a body that didn’t quit. Long, muscular limbs, a strong chest, tanned skin, and silky, black hair.
But he was also delusional. And suicidal. Maybe he’d lied about being aroused. He could be messing with her. For all she knew, amber eyes meant something else entirely.
Just as well. She knew nothing about being with a man. She’d always been one of the boys. It came from being raised by her brothers. Willa never intended to rely on someone else. That was too risky.
She could take care of herself.
***
She was his mate.
Darac was certain of it. Around her, his control sharpened. He could breathe more easily. He could think.
The fates had to be laughing at him. To bring him his mate when he was nearly lost. What could he offer her now? Someone who was broken. Someone who had lost parts of himself.
He had found a reason to live. But what sort of life did he have ahead of him? Would mating her help him? Perhaps. Or would he just grow worse? Would he endanger her with his very presence?
Darac didn’t know the answers. He needed some help. Perhaps one of the Elders would know what was going on.
Human females were different, he reminded himself. Fragile and delicate. He could not risk hurting her. Physically or emotionally.
He needed to ensure that his mate would be safe with him before he claimed her as his.
***
Willa stood outside Darac’s room, holding a tray of food. She’d had to prepare it herself, so it wasn’t all that palatable. Normally, Mitch was in charge of food. He might be a jerk, but the man could cook. Willa’s efforts were lackluster at best.
They had safely landed on Lilan a few hours ago, and she felt like she could finally breathe again. Mitch had been left in charge of their prisoner. But after Rye, Zuma, and Deacon left to deliver their shipment of weapons, Mitch had disappeared down to medical. For some reason, their doctor actually liked the little jerk.
Unable to stand the thought of Darac hungry, Willa had prepared some sandwiches. Nothing exciting, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. Balancing the tray awkwardly on one arm, she held her hand up to scan her palm. Once her identity was verified, the door swished open, and she stepped inside.
Darac lay still on the floor. She couldn’t see his chest moving. He wasn’t dead, was he? She moved forward. “Darac?”
He turned his head. For a moment, she didn’t think he recognized her. His eyes glowed red; his lips turned up in a snarl.
She froze, working on instinct. He was like the wildebeest on Joyadan. The only time she’d come face-to-face with one, she’d been on a hunting trip with Zuma. She’d been searching for a place to pee when she’d come across one. She wasn’t sure who had been more surprised—her or the wildebeest. But she
’d known who was more dangerous.
She’d frozen. Barely breathing as it stared at her menacingly. Expecting herself to be clawed at any moment, she’d been shocked when it had turned and raced off. After that, she hadn’t been able to shoot one of the damn things. Zuma had never offered to take her out again. Not that she blamed him, there was little point taking someone hunting who wouldn’t shoot the prey.
Despite the fact Darac was confined, she felt very much like prey facing a larger, more dangerous predator.
“Darac? It’s me. Willa.”
“Leave.” He closed his eyes. Jaw clenched, face pale and strained, he looked as though he’d aged years when it had been less than twenty-four hours since she’d seen him.
Ten hours and thirty-four minutes to be exact, but who was counting?
Yeah, okay, she was.
It was embarrassing. Like she had a crush on him. Which was utterly ridiculous. He was a prisoner. Nothing more. So why couldn’t she get him out of her damn mind? Rye had even reprimanded her in front of the others for not listening. That dickhead Mitch had really enjoyed that. Willa hated feeling like she was letting Rye down. The sooner they got rid of Darac, the better.
“Stay away from me,” Darac ordered.
That had been her plan. But now that he’d ordered her to stay away, she had to move closer. She was contrary like that. She obeyed Rye because he was the boss and because she owed him everything. But that didn’t mean she’d jump to anyone else’s tune.
She didn’t even know Darac. She owed him nothing. He opened his eyes and gave her a warning grumle as she grew closer. “No hear me?”
“Yes, I heard you. But just because you say jump doesn’t mean I say how high.”
“I did no say jump.”
“I meant I don’t have to obey you.”
“I no want you here.”
He’d been reduced to George of the Jungle sentences. Not a good sign.
“Tough. You don’t get a say.”
He growled. Okay, maybe she shouldn’t have been so blunt. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to humor him a bit.
“I brought you some lunch.”
“Not safe. Leave.” There was such demand in his voice that she almost listened.
