Alex Wales

by Yolanda Sfetsos

  Okay, so she was still alive. Surely, she wouldn’t take Promise with her into the afterlife. Then again, it was the only constant in her life.

  She pulled the oxygen mask off her face and let it bounce back into its holder above her head, where it dangled uselessly.

  Alex pressed the button on the seatbelt still strapped tightly around her, but it refused to come undone. This meant that every single circuit controlling every facet of the ship had fried, and now she was trapped inside her own ship.

  “Great,” she whispered. Not only had she crash-landed somewhere she didn’t recognize and wasn’t on any map, but the cargo Sackor hired her to deliver wouldn’t make it in time.

  Alex pulled her left wrist up near her eyes. Her heart was hammering like crazy. According to her watch, there were only three hours left until the scheduled delivery. So much for making it early!

  The bandage around her hand felt moist, but she chose not to concentrate on it. It’s best to tackle one problem at a time.

  The gods weren’t smiling on her, today. Hell, what was she thinking? Alex didn’t believe in any damn gods. There were planets, space stations, and whole sectors dedicated to ancient deities and even made-up ones. She tried to stay clear of those places, though she did accept jobs distributing religious memorabilia every once in a while. Only a few months before, she’d delivered a multitude of gold-plated Aphrodite statues to Zeal—a planet filled with people who worshipped everything about the goddess of love. Those people conveniently used her worship as an excuse to walk around naked all the time and to engage in any and every sexual fantasy they desired with whoever happened to be closest at the time.

  Alex had little understanding of why a society so loose with their morals needed religious tokens. That is, until her customer—Santhia, the pervert—gave her one of them and showed her the statues were really battery-operated sex toys.

  She hadn’t used the contraption—yet—but she still had it somewhere in the ship. Though now, she doubted she’d be able to find anything. The way the ship had headed into the planet and landed nose-down suggested everything she owned was probably strewn about where it didn’t belong.

  First thing she needed to do was get outside to find out where she’d landed.

  As hard as it was to reach her boots, with the hard edge of the belt cutting into the side of her neck and her ribs protesting every time she inched lower, Alex dislodged the small pocket knife she always kept there. After several agonizing minutes of failed carvings, she managed to slice away the taut fabric enough for it to snap off. She sighed in relief.

  Alex re-sheathed the knife in her boot and stood up.

  Her head spun a little, but she anchored herself by spreading her legs a bit wider. She lifted her arms up as far as she could and stretched her spine. As she surveyed her surroundings, her stomach sank. She didn’t have the kind of credits it would take to fix the interior of the ship, let alone whatever had happened to the exterior, assuming it could even be repaired.

  This ship was the only reminder she had left of her father. Louis Wales might not have been an honest man, but he always took great pains to care for his daughter. He had meant the world to her.

  He told her how important she was every night before tucking her into bed on the small cot at the back of the ship. The one she kept bare and unused. There were too many memories in the tiny room to disturb them.

  Louis may never have actually told her he loved her, but what he did say was enough to convince her he cared. His actions spoke much louder than his words most of the time. Even now, she missed him so much.

  Alex reached for the necklace her father had given her, but it wasn’t there. Of course, how could she have forgotten? She’d left it behind, and now everything was going wrong and wouldn’t get any better.

  Alex closed her eyes for a second, trying to keep the memories from filling her mind. There was no point. Every time she thought of her father, the anguish would strike. It was always best to let it ride out.

  Her mother had practically kicked them out of her life when Alex was only five years old. Then, she hadn’t been old enough to understand what was really going on and had no idea her mother’s aspirations as a politician on her home planet were more important than a husband and daughter. That’s exactly what Lorraine had done, though. It never bothered Alex, because being with her father always made her happy.

  When Lorraine tracked Alex down and forced her onto planet terrain, Alex wasn’t allowed to see Louis. She’d assumed he was either killed by her mother’s guards or by one of his dirty business partners. The last time she’d seen him was when he sneaked into her room to give her the key to access Promise. He’d told her where he’d hidden it for her, kissed her forehead, and left.

  That was over ten years ago.

  Not knowing if he was dead or alive hurt the most.

  As soon as she ran away from her mother’s planet, she made finding him her first mission. He’d left her enough credits to survive on her own for a while, and she’d taken advantage of the fact. Alex quickly became a kid in space, a runaway searching for her father in the places she knew he frequented. It was how she stumbled into the courier business, after hanging around so many dirty bars, asking questions, and sitting back to watch humans and aliens come and go.

  She never found him.

  How she managed to hold onto her innocence for so long was a mystery, but having a goal in mind had kept her out of trouble. She’d given up her virginity when she was ready to, not when some pimp decided she should. It’s why she hoped Michaela took control of her life, instead of letting it waste away.

  Alex, you need to let go of the past. Now’s not the time to dwell on this stuff.

  She sighed, staring at the dead dash. No point in trying to get any signals out, now. She could only hope that someone had received her distress messages while the ship was going down.

  She took a quick breath and released it. Concentrating on the problem at hand was the best course of action. No amount of hoping, or a torrent of memories, was going to get her out of this problem.

  What do I know for sure? Well, she knew she was on a planet, so there had to be some sort of village or city nearby, maybe even a spaceport. If she could find a mechanic, anyone qualified to take a look at her ship, she might be able to sort this mess out.

  The interior damage seemed to be isolated to the cockpit. The farther she ventured into the tight corridor leading to the sleeping quarters, the more she managed to calm down.

  Alex grabbed her backpack, filled it with a few water bottles, a handful of energy bars, several tops and pants, and a few assorted blades, plus her ID. Who knew what awaited her once she left the safety of her ship. She’d need plenty of credits to pay her way out of her ship’s damage.

  She made sure the blaster was still strapped onto her thigh and slung the bag over one shoulder, before taking a last look around. The only picture she had—her with her father—caught her eye. After a second’s hesitation, she grabbed it.

  Louis had caramel-colored skin and curly hair he’d kept cropped. She’d always damned the fact she’d inherited her mother’s paler skin, but she had her father’s hair. She stuck the photo into the pocket of her backpack. He’d always insisted that a paper picture was worth more than the digital kind, and she honored the fact by carrying this piece of paper around with her. It never left the ship, but with Promise so banged up, she decided it was worth taking. Besides, her other good luck charm was gone for now.

  She headed toward the side door and manually pushed it open.

  The metal felt hot to the touch, still warm after entering the planet’s atmosphere, but the rush of cool air from outside struck her face. She enjoyed the way it caressed her curls away from her face. The sweat that had built up beneath her clothes cooled as it dried.

  At least Promise seemed to be pretty tightly lodged in the branches, because it didn’t shift with her movements.

  For a second, she cursed herself fo
r opening the door without a moment’s hesitation. What if she needed an oxygen mask on this planet? For all she knew, there could have been poisonous gas in the air. Not every planet in the galaxy was oxygen-based.

  She shook her head, disgusted at her absentminded behavior.

  Luckily, she confirmed the oxygen content by taking a quick gulp of air.

  Alex stepped outside but couldn’t find firm ground. She tumbled forward, flying through the air as her hands clawed to grab at the branches striking her face and body on the way down.

  When she finally landed, it was on top of something firm that made a sound and collapsed beneath her.

  Alex felt the undeniable beating of another’s heart against her chest.

  As she scrambled to press her hands against the leafy ground to lift her body, she met the blazing green eyes of a dark-haired man lying underneath her. The color stood out in his dark face so much, her breath caught for a second. He had to be the most stunning man she’d ever laid eyes on. With his black, dreadlocked hair framing his face, she couldn’t help but stare.

  She was straddling him, their noses only centimeters from touching. The stranger widened his eyes as he returned her stare.

  “Uh, sorry…and thanks,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to squash you, but I appreciate you breaking my fall.” Even if her ribs throbbed, rubbing against his.

  “You…you fell out of the sky.” The guy seemed amazed, as if a miracle had just occurred—not just a woman falling out of a tree, because she hadn’t been looking while she was vacating her ship.

  “I fell out of the tree. My ship’s up there. I crash-landed on this planet.” Alex lifted her chest off his and sat back on his hips to take a proper look at the man. His arms were pinned down at his sides, kept in place by her thighs. Even so, she could see how muscular he was, in the same athletic way as Ulric. His arms were sculpted with muscle, and judging by the looks of the jungle around them, Alex wondered if this was some sort of rural civilization.

  His eyes were shiny. “I watched the fireball descend, but I wasn’t sure if it was a ship or a meteor. We rarely have any visitors here.”

  “I’m not exactly a visitor.” She watched his reaction. “Can you tell me what planet I’m on?”

  “This is the planet Eden.”

  “Eden? I’ve travelled through space all of my life and have never heard of Eden.” No wonder it hadn’t been listed on her navigation maps.

  “No, you wouldn’t have. We’re a small planet, hidden behind the moon of Paradise. No one ever notices our planet long enough to think about landing here.” The man’s facial structure was amazing. His chiseled jaw, high cheekbones, and nose were very impressive.

  Alex couldn’t stop looking at him. He was exquisite, gorgeous in a very manly way. The color of his skin was the same shade she’d always wished had graced hers. It’s the same color as Daddy’s.

  No, she couldn’t let memories crowd her, now. She had to work out a way to get help and get Promise up and running. “Listen. I need someone to take a look at my ship,” she said, still trying to shake the crazy thoughts. The last thing she needed right now was to find herself in a new attraction, after running from another. Then again, she had decided she’d get involved with another man the first time someone interesting popped up. She shook her head. Not now, later. “My ship’s damaged pretty badly.”

  The man’s eyes darkened, but he didn’t answer.

  “Did you hear what I said? I need to get someone to take a look at my ship, sooner rather than later.”

  “We have mechanics, but not the sort who can fix a…spaceship.” His voice was low, eyes scanning the canopy of tall trees above as if he were trying to locate her ship.

  “How can that be true? Who repairs your ships, then?”

  “We don’t have any spaceships.”

  “Surely you’ve got a shipping dock? Where’s that?” It wasn’t as if she came in the proper way. Surely someone on this planet would have seen her breach their atmosphere without permission.

  He shook his head.

  For the first time, she wondered if he was comfortable. Alex still had him pinned, and she hadn’t yet made a move to get off him. She had to admit, there was something really exciting about being so close to this strange man—almost calming. That sounds totally stupid. Her brain was still muddled from the accident, memories, and all the other weird shit she’d put up with today.

  “How do your people get in and out of here, then?”

  “We don’t,” he answered. “As I’ve already mentioned, we don’t have ships. So, we don’t travel outside of Eden.”

  Her eyes narrowed as she glared down at him suspiciously. “That’s impossible.”

  “The people of Eden don’t get visitors, and we don’t visit anyone. We’re more than happy in our village.”

  “Then how am I supposed to get out of here? Like pretty much everything else on the ship, my communicator’s fried. Do you at least have that? Some sort of communication device I can use to call someone off this planet?” Alex felt as if she were falling into a very dark tunnel. A tunnel leading her into a very strange and out-of-the-way planet that she couldn’t escape.

  She had a life in the stars. A job, a lover…

  I can’t be stranded, here. Not now and not when she’d left Ulric because of her need to be free.

  “We have electronic ways of contacting others on the planet, but not outside. I’m really sorry.”

  “Then, how am I supposed to get off this rock?”

  “You can’t get off,” the guy whispered. “Though, I can take care of you. Take you back to my village and provide shelter, food, and drink—”

  “I don’t need a babysitter. I need to get a job done!” She checked her watch. Sackor was going to be pissed.

  “A babysitter?” He looked confused. “That’s not what I’m offering.”

  “Then, what are you trying to say?” I have to get off this planet, and soon. If I don’t deliver Sackor’s stash, there’s going to be hell to pay.

  Maybe, she should have stayed with the scoundrel who had offered her a better life—a simple way out of the dangerous situations she usually stumbled into. If she’d accepted Ulric’s proposal, she wouldn’t be sitting on some stranger, on a weird planet, with no way of contacting anyone else in the galaxy. Still, it was too late to regret her decision. She’d denied Ulric and was now stuck on Eden.

  Alex winced when she made a move to stand up.

  The man caught her arm to stop her. “Are you hurt?”

  “It’s my ribs. Don’t worry about it. Nothing’s broken.”

  “I can take a look for you. I’m a healer,” he said.

  “Are you some sort of doctor?” She couldn’t see a bag anywhere. How was he going to heal her exactly?

  “No, I’m a healer.”

  “Do we need to go to a medical center or something?” In a medical facility, they’d have some form of comm-unit. They had to.

  He shook his head. “No, I can heal you with my hands.”

  “Okay,” she replied skeptically. They must do things very differently on this planet.

  “What’s your name? I’m Damon.”

  “I’m Alex.”

  “Alex is an unusual name for a girl, but I like it,” Damon said with a lopsided grin. “Will you accompany me to my village before nightfall?”

  “Are you asking me out on a date?” she teased. Maybe that’s why he’d offered to use his hands to ‘heal’ her.

  His brow furrowed. “Would you say ‘yes’ if I was?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry. It was a joke.” She looked around. He was right. The light shining down so brightly only minutes before had almost receded into the horizon.

  “Night comes quickly on this side of the planet.” He answered her unasked question.

  “Right.” Alex felt a sprinkle on her arm. She lifted it and noticed several droplets of green liquid had burned through her jacket and onto her skin. The thick su
bstance seeped in through her pores and became tiny squirmy things beneath the surface. “What the hell?”

  Alex craned her neck. The steady stream of green liquid dripped from the tree above. It took her a few seconds to realize it was leaking from her ship. Sackor’s cargo! The suspicious barrels she regularly transported for him must have been damaged during the crash.

  “Is everything all right?”

  She pushed off Damon and stood, getting out of the leaking liquid’s path.

  He followed suit and took a step forward. “Alex, are you all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” She pulled up her sleeve. Alex couldn’t take her eyes off the tiny worms—or whatever they were—squirming beneath the skin of her arm.

  Damon followed her gaze, grabbed her right arm, and held it up to stare at it. A frown darkened his face. “What happened?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “I must remove them before they reach any of your vital organs.”

  “You know what they are?”

  “Parasites,” he answered, lifting her arm for an even closer inspection.

  “What the hell?” Her stomach flipped with disgust. What would these horrid things do to her?

  “These tiny creatures live as eggs inside the waters of Lake Eros. They can survive in that form indefinitely, but once they come in contact with the skin of another living creature, they penetrate it. The egg hatches beneath the surface, and they eventually make their way into the heart or lungs, even kidneys and liver of their host.”

  “Then what?”

  “The host dies.”

  “That’s it? They hatch and kill? What happens to them?” Alex tried to pry her arm away from his grasp, but his grip tightened.

  “They die with the host.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “These parasitic worms are micro-organisms. They’re supposed to live in the lake. They’re not supposed to be removed.” His lips pressed into a thin line, and his brow furrowed as he continued to inspect her arm.

  “Are you telling me these things belong in a lake somewhere?” If she made it out of this alive, she was going to kill that asshole, Sackor. What the hell was he doing transporting this stuff across the galaxy, anyway?