by Lucas, Naomi
He needed a shower more than ever, but he’d just given his room away.
“You look exactly like I thought you would.”
His jaw ticked. “Then you have a good imagination—”
“Hysterian…” she interrupted. “Why are you doing this to me?” Her voice was so low he barely heard her.
“Because I want you, Alexa, and there is nothing in this universe or the next that will change that.” He turned and made his way to the door. “Goodnight.”
He walked out, not waiting for her response. What he didn’t tell her was that he would go to the worst lengths possible to get what he wanted. That he’d only begun to feel emotions like guilt and remorse recently, and he still shut them out most of the time. That he was beyond fucked, and easily jealous.
That she should quit and run, far, far away and never look back.
He needed the Questor to get to Libra Station quickly. For both their sakes.
Hysterian shook, forcing his steps to the bridge. Because if he turned back again…
He was either going to kill Raul, Alexa, or both.
* * *
Alexa didn’t move for a long time. Even when her desire died down, she couldn’t make herself move. If she did, she was afraid her soul would fall right out of her and no one would be there to catch it, not even her dad.
Hysterian hadn’t fucked her like he said he would, instead he fucked with her head. He always fucked with her head.
She didn’t notice Raul had come back for her until he was standing in front of her.
“Alexa, are you okay?” he asked.
She shuddered. “Yeah. I’m okay.”
It would be so much easier if she liked Raul. So much easier. She wished it was Raul who she wanted.
But she didn’t and the more she tried, the worse it got. Any harder and she might start hating him instead.
Raul glanced at the table behind her. “What happened?”
Raul wasn’t the one who’d taken up residence in her head. It wasn’t his hand she wanted between her legs; it wasn’t his smile she wanted to see. She only wanted the coldness that Hysterian brought.
“Nothing.” She was so tired and desperate for her bed. “Let’s go.” She made her way out of the lounge before Raul could question her further. She heard him catch up behind her.
“I shouldn’t have left you. I’m sorry.”
“Please, I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to sleep.”
“All right. That I can do.”
She didn’t go to Hysterian’s quarters. She couldn’t go to his quarters, knowing what awaited her there. Even if he wasn’t there, even if she could use his bed and explore his room, she just couldn’t do it.
I begged him to fuck me. Begged him.
And he hadn’t.
I begged him!
She’d never be able to sleep in his room after that.
And he hadn’t even touched her. I begged, and he made a fool out of me.
Raul followed her into their shared quarters, and without even going into the bathroom to change, Alexa slipped into her bunk.
“Alexa,” Raul said before she closed the privacy screen. “I’m here if you need anything.”
She didn’t respond, only closed her privacy screen. The darkness and quiet helped little. Hysterian was the only thing now, and she realized he was only ever going to be the only thing in her head. Raul had been a stupid distraction. And now, she had Hysterian’s terribly beautiful angelic face to curse her.
She stared into the darkness and only saw him.
She slid her hand down her body and under the lip of her pants.
Thirteen
Alexa feigned sickness and avoided Raul and the rest of the crew. Pretending to have a headache and her monthly made it easy enough to stop Pigeon from demanding that she go to medical and get checked out.
As for Hysterian, he was everywhere.
Everywhere. Like a waking nightmare. He’d always been in her dreams, but now he was there when she was awake as well.
She could’ve sworn that the moment she closed her eyes at night, he was sliding her screen open and staring at her. Even he tried to haul her into medical, saying he didn’t smell her monthly, and she’d locked herself in her quarters since.
He knew she was lying.
Of course he knew she was lying.
Still, he was outside her quarters every time she left them. He was in the lounge at night after shift’s end, keeping everyone but Pigeon away. He was leaving things for her to find whenever she least expected them.
First the dye, and then hair ties. She found high-quality coffee beans next to the brewer in the lounge, and a rare penny coin lying on her bedding. She knew it had to be him… There was no one else.
It was like he knew what he was doing to her and he wanted it to continue. He wanted her to think of him and nothing else. He was angry she hadn’t moved into his room. When he brought it up, she changed the subject. Alexa shook her head. She hated him, but found he wasn’t cruel or evil, but something she couldn’t put her finger on. She wished he’d just be cruel and evil. There was no way he could know how much he messed with her head.
Could he?
She’d never told a soul about what happened to her father. And unless Hysterian dug deep, there was no evidence on the network to link her to her father. All Hysterian would find is her credentials, her credit, her lack of a current address, and maybe—just maybe—her link to Elyria.
Daniels had been from Elyria too, so it couldn’t be an issue if she was, right?
As for Raul… It was easy for her to avoid him. She barely saw him anymore. Hysterian kept him busy. Raul tried to take care of her too, bringing her food and coffee, but it went untouched.
Raul now had double the workload, and it was because of her. But she didn’t mind the space. She could live with the guilt. It would only be a couple of days. Hysterian wouldn’t hurt him.
She hoped.
In the time she’d spent with Hysterian, he managed to be a decent captain, and rather level-headed when it came to everything but the two of them. It couldn’t all be a lie.
It would be easier if it was.
Alexa straightened her uniform jacket. I can’t hide forever.
She prepared to leave her quarters. It was the end of the night shift cycle, and she’d managed to dress without waking Raul. His snores filled her ears. Getting a start on the day and catching up on her work would make the transition back into normalcy easier. She wasn’t one to slack off, and the last few days had taken their toll on her in multiple ways.
Alexa prayed Hysterian wouldn’t be on the other side of the door.
She straightened and walked out of the room. Cold and dark, the large menagerie greeted her with blissful silence. She released a sigh of relief and headed for her desk. The lights brightened around her.
She glanced once at the door leading to the rest of the ship, but it remained closed. Comforted by that fact, she rubbed her face and fingerprinted into her station.
A thumping noise pierced the silence.
The male locust was standing on its back legs, staring at her. Its two lower hands banged the glass. But it was its ribbed purplish penis that caught her attention. The tip hit the glass and left a smear of something behind. It wasn’t the only creature on the Questor hungry for something it shouldn’t want.
The male held no intelligence in its gaze. It wanted one thing and one thing only: to breed and only breed. The female locusts, on the other hand, slept peacefully.
I’ll make sure they’ll get time together to play. They’re probably thrilled to be kept away from a male like that.
If the male locust was intent on making her uncomfortable, she was going to make sure he felt the same. She and Raul never let him with the females—they couldn’t risk it. Alexa had read everything released on the network about the locusts of Atrexia. Most of the information came from the research labs that the Questor was currently picking up from
and delivering to.
They were the closest related alien species discovered to the long-dead baboons of Earth, even resembling them in small ways. Why anyone cared about this was beyond her, but Raul, who was from Earth, told her Earth peoples had an ongoing initiative to restore the world to its former glory. That very few wild animals still existed on the planet. The rich living on Earth, along with activists, wanted the forests and animals back, if not for their own pleasure, then for bragging rights.
Thump. Thump thump thump thump!
She shivered and looked back at her screens. Related to baboons or not, she didn’t know why anyone would want something like a locust running wild in their backyard.
The male terrified her. In a way that not even Hysterian did. Crazed and wild, she only saw monstrous intent in the locust’s frenzied eyes.
The thumping continued.
“It won’t be here much longer.”
Alexa jumped and swiveled in her chair. Hysterian was standing directly behind her.
She shot to her feet. “Captain,” she gasped.
His piercing gaze, so different than the locust’s—but no less scary—scanned her from head to toe.
“You look like you’re doing better,” he said.
“I am.” She spun her chair around and gripped the back of it, happy it was between them.
Silence clung to the air like molasses.
“I want to apologize,” he said.
He wants to apologize? Now? She pursed her lips, holding back an absurd giggle.
“We land on Libra today,” he continued like he had no idea what kind of turmoil she’d been experiencing the last few days. “Getting off the ship will be good for us, all of us.” Hysterian’s eyes slid to the closed door of her quarters.
Raul?
But he went on, his voice low. “I would have preferred you to have taken over my quarters, Dear.”
“Would you have left them?”
“Be thankful he hasn’t touched you again.”
His words made her stiffen. “How could he? You keep him busy. He can’t do anything more than work and sleep.”
Hysterian cocked his head, twinkles of teal sparked like tiny stars in his irises. His hands reached out and grabbed the back of the chair besides hers. She pulled her hands away before his gloved fingers touched her.
“Then…I’ve successfully saved his life.”
A laugh tore from her throat. “So you are a murderer.”
Hysterian’s eyes flashed, and he dropped his hands from the chair. “I never said I wasn’t.”
Somehow hearing him say it, hearing him confess, righted her head. She knew he was—she’d lived with his evilness—and now, she no longer had to doubt it.
Because she had. In the past month, she had begun to doubt it a lot.
“Join me,” he stated, turning around and walking out of the menagerie.
She watched him go, twitching to deny him, but her curiosity won out. He was still her captain, after all. And she was intrigued.
She also just accused him of murder, and he hadn’t denied it...
He was standing in the armory across the passageway from the lab, his back to her as he stared at a metal case along the back wall. She stepped to the threshold and glanced around. She’d only glimpsed the inside of this room several times during requisitions but had never been inside it. The room was much bigger than she expected with rows upon rows of locked metal and glass cases and drawers. The Questor’s weapons stash had more space than all the crew combined.
Excitement filled her.
There had to be something in here that could help her. Alexa walked up to a random case.
It was locked by body scan technology and fingerprint analysis. She heard Hysterian approach from behind her—his abrupt heat clouded her mind. The case scanned him and the drawer opened for her.
Inside were more scanners, not guns.
Hysterian lifted one and tested it in his grip. “This is a Glamour. It distorts your appearance for a short time if you’re wearing the corresponding suit. And this”—he picked up another, putting the first back down—“is a Stopper. It surrounds the user in a shell that blocks out external electromagnetic interference. A must-have for any Cyborg dealing with the underground.”
“Underground?”
“The world that lies under the one we live in. Ruled by traffickers, mob bosses, and the like. They fight differently. They’re better at it.”
He handed it to her and she turned the Stopper in her palm. It wouldn’t help her.
“Why are you telling me this?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No reason. And this,” Hysterian said, keeping her attention moving, “is for you.”
He took back the Stopper and handed her a gun.
Alexa stared at the firearm before taking it. “For me?”
“I don’t want you leaving the ship without protection, and I will be too busy to do that myself.”
Another absurd giggle escaped. “Are you sure it’s not to protect me from you?” She turned the gun in her hand, liking the weight and feel of it.
“This, Dear, wouldn’t be able to dent in my frame, but it will stop anyone else in their path.”
“So what could make a dent in your frame?” she asked, meeting his gaze.
Mischief reached his eyes, and she knew he was smirking under his suit.
“Are you planning on shooting me?” he asked.
“Maybe?”
He cocked his head, rubbing his finger over the cloth covering his mouth. “Follow me.”
Alexa sucked in a breath as he strode to the back corner of the room and stopped before a glass case. She followed him to see what he was going to reveal.
There was a weapon that could hurt a Cyborg? Perhaps easily?
And he was going to show her it?
The darkness of the glass vanished, revealing a myriad of guns in different sizes hooked to a rack within. In the middle lay something she’d never seen before. The silver metal of the weapon nearly glowed, and there was an extra glass case around it that the other guns didn’t have.
“That, right there, is a Brickbuster,” he told her, indicating the gun. “There are maybe several dozen in existence. I helped design it.”
“What does it do?”
“It busts a Cyborg’s shell open.”
“Really? How?”
He laughed. It wasn’t a warm laugh. “Should I be worried?”
“Yes.”
“Very well. The buster uses pyrizian ammo simultaneously with laser tech. The same rare metal most Cyborgs are made of. It holds nanoparticles like organic matter holds bacteria. With the combination and force of the fire, it can break through our interior shell and straight into the organs protected beneath. The nanoparticles infect us, flooding our systems like a virus, ultimately skewing those same systems and corrupting them. When our systems shut down, death soon follows if we’re not stabilized quickly. But a shot to the leg is nowhere near as deadly as a shot to the head.”
“And you have one on the Questor? Why?”
“Every retriever for the EPED is issued a weapon like this in some capacity. Many of us already have something like it in our personal caches. We’re prepared for any circumstance.”
“Even going against your own?”
“We all know what happened to Zeph,” he muttered. “You’d be surprised to know there are others out there like me who are not built like me, Alexa—neoborgs, cybots, and mechas. Who knows what kind of technology the Trentians are developing? Preparation is key.”
She stared at the gun, at the power such a small thing held, and clenched her hand to stop herself from reaching for it through the glass. “Right,” she whispered. This was it. This was what she needed to finish the job.
This, and Hysterian facing away from her so she could get a clear shot to the back of his head.
The glass dimmed and the weapons vanished. Hysterian motioned to the other gun she still held.
&
nbsp; “That won’t hurt me, or others like me, but it will startle me for a moment—perhaps a moment is all you’ll need—and allow you to get away. It will stop a human or alien in its tracks, as long as you’re a good shot. Are you?”
“I trained.”
“Good. Keep it with you on Libra.”
Alexa glanced at her new weapon once more and made sure the safety was on before sliding it into the lip of her pants. This wasn’t a gift she wasn’t going to take from him.
If the captain of the ship you’re working on gives you a gun, you keep it. She licked her lips.
Hysterian’s gaze dropped to her mouth before quickly leaving her. He moved to another case, pulling a weapon from it and sliding it into his own pants. And for a sliver of a second, she glimpsed something underneath his uniform. He wore another mesh covering she’d never seen the likes of. One of the suits needed for the scanners maybe?
Her eyes trailed back to that particular case.
It occurred to her that they were alone as she stared at it, and he was between her and the exit again.
Her heart thundered. He turned and looked at her, heated yet cold, and wrong in every single way.
Will he trap me to the wall? Her toes curled. Will he…
He turned and went to the door.
Her brow furrowed. The blush on her cheeks drained. Hysterian stopped and waited for her, standing at the open panel, as cool and unavailable as ever. She approached and slid past him, out of the armory. The door shut and locked behind her.
“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” he said.
“Thank you.”
His hand came up, and she flinched. He cupped her cheek anyway. It was gentle, almost affectionate. Her heart stuttered. It was nothing like any of the other times he touched her. She wanted to move away, but didn’t.
“If you ignore an order again, you’ll spend the rest of your time here in the brig.” Fury filled his eyes.
She jerked back, and his hand fell. He walked away, leaving her in the passageway alone.
