by JC Cassels
Aware of the throbbing in her hand, Bo absently rubbed it. “Sundance, I think I may have broken my hand on that hard skull of his. Can you take a look?”
***
“Sir, we are on final approach to Chiron Station,” Sundance announced over the comm grille.
Fingers locked together behind his head, Blade lay in his rack, legs crossed at the ankles. He slowly roused himself from his meditations.
“Thanks, Sundance.”
He made no move to get up. Even at this distance, the energies flowing through the station lit up the ethereal. No sense diving into the maelstrom before he had to. Eyes closed, he followed the Sentaro to the flight deck and Bo. Her prenaha had already started attuning itself to the station, vibrating with excitement. He could see her as clearly as if he were standing beside her. The boy’s scattered energies bottled up in the mate’s quarters. Something had the kid on edge.
Blade’s brow furrowed.
Something different coursed through the ship. An energy signature he couldn’t quite explain dipped into the ship’s systems, leaping and diving like some playful aquatic creature, following one channel after another. He’d noticed it when he was working on the enviro systems earlier, but it had grown increasingly more active as soon as Bo opened communications with Chiron Station. At first, he’d dismissed it as Sundance’s AI, but this was more sophisticated than any shipboard computer he’d ever seen. It was far more complex than he remembered Sundance’s AI. This had all the signs of sentience.
That was another mystery for another day. His chest rose and fell with one last, deep breath. Drawing his awareness inward once more, the Sentaro faded into the background. With one last sigh, he rolled out of the bunk and reached for his boots. On the way out, he pulled on his jacket, patting down the hidden pockets, making sure they still contained the weapons and tools he’d carried years ago.
He stopped beside the row of lockers in the companionway outside. The one thing he lacked was an energy weapon. Before he could talk himself out of it, he quietly opened the center locker and reached in, feeling his way along the upper panel above the door. His wandering fingers stopped when he found the palm blaster secured there.
He hesitated.
If he took the blaster without her knowledge or permission, she’d be furious. It would destroy any chance he had of winning her trust.
His lips twisted in a grimace as he pulled the weapon free from the webbing that secured it in place.
What good is trust if you’re both dead?
He thumbed the release and checked the power pack: fully charged. He expected no less from Bo. He glanced over his shoulder. What was he so worried about? She held him in low esteem anyway. In her mind, he was a blackmailer, a con-artist, a wastrel. He couldn’t possibly damage her opinion of him any further.
He slipped the weapon into a hidden pocket in the lining of his jacket and carefully closed the locker door.
Sometimes, it was better to beg forgiveness than ask permission.
The ship shuddered as the docking clamps from the station locked against the outer hull. The docking tube groaned and thumped as it sealed against the outer hatch.
Rolling his shoulders to work out the tension threatening to creep in, he headed for the airlock. If fortune favored him, he’d get there before Bo.
He rounded the corner to the main corridor, but found that she’d anticipated his move. She had already pulled down the dataport cover and verified the seal adhesion. Tapping in a command, the airlock panel flashed as security protocols disengaged.
So much for sneaking past her.
As though he hadn’t a care in the Commonwealth, Blade conjured a benign smile and smoothed the front of his jacket, feeling for any tell-tale lumps that would give away the fact he’d stolen a weapon from her cache.
“Are we good to go?” he asked.
She turned, her brow gathered as she glared at him.
Blade reached past her for the hatch release.
She stopped him with her hand on his chest. “Hold up there.”
His breath caught. He stilled. Her hand was dangerously close to the blaster. He didn’t dare move. If her hand shifted a few millimeters lower, there would be no way she’d miss the tell-tale lump in his jacket.
Nothing to do but brazen it out.
His lips curved in a small smile, and his gaze dropped to her hand before lifting once more to hers with sardonic amusement.
“You don’t get off my ship,” she reminded him. “Not until you tell me how you broke in.”
He covered her hand with his own, holding it captive against his chest. “Now love, you know I’m coming back.”
“I know no such thing.” She frowned and tried to pull her hand away. “We had a deal.”
His hold was gentle, but unyielding.
So much for slipping away to contact Adin and let him know he was alive.
“I have back door access to Sundance that you didn’t know about,” he said.
Bo huffed in annoyance and stopped trying to free her hand. She glared at him.
“No shit. What kind of access?”
He wasn’t going to lie to her, not anymore. She wasn’t ready for the truth either. There were other, very pleasant ways to divert Bo from interrogation.
He watched her closely as he lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss into her palm.
Her body responded immediately. Her pupils dilated. Her nostrils flared. Blood flooded the capillaries just under the surface of her skin.
Direct hit.
Bo swallowed hard. “What kind of access?”
He pressed his advantage, scattering kisses along the lines and grooves in her palm.
“Have dinner with me,” he coaxed in the low tone that never failed to elicit a response.
He touched his tongue to the inside of her thumb, drawing a small mew of distress from her.
Breaking eye contact, she leaned toward him, staring at her hand.
“Wh-What kind of access?” she repeated weakly.
There was a primal satisfaction in being able to fluster the Scourge of the Seventh Sector.
“What’s the name of that restaurant on the observation level that you like so well? Starshine?”
“Starlight.” She answered without thought. She winced.
“Starlight, that’s it.” He smiled. “I can make reservations for dinner. I’ll bet I still have enough name recognition to get a decent table in the dome. Come on, Bo. Say yes. When was the last time you had a romantic meal under the stars?”
She shook her head and met his gaze once more. “I don’t…”
“Do you still have that black dress I bought you? The shimmersilk?” He shook his head. “I love dancing with you when you’re in that dress.”
He pulled her closer and slipped his other arm around her waist, gently stroking the small of her back. The distance between them shrank. She placed her hand on his shoulder, her arm rested lightly on his. He bent his head to hers and his breath fell on her ear. She trembled ever-so-slightly.
“It’s open down to here,” he whispered as he traced an imaginary line along the upper curve of her buttocks.
Heat flooded her skin, raising bumps along her flesh and staining it crimson.
“I love that color on you. I always have.”
“Black?”
“Blush.”
His lips touched the sensitive pulse point just below her ear.
Without warning, she tensed. With a small growl, Bo shoved him away and snatched her hand free. Her beautiful face twisted into a furious mask.
Her sudden vitriol rocked him back on his heels.
“We had a deal!” Her chest heaved with each breath. “I kept my part of it. I should have known you’d only lie your way out of it again. I’m an idiot for thinking you could ever be honest about anything.”
His brow furrowed. “Bo?”
“I’ve got a delivery to make. Where’s Nix?” Without a backward look, Bo strode off.
He’d touched a sore spot. The Sentaro doesn’t lie. She’d been halfway to seduction.
He glanced longingly at the hatch. It wouldn’t take long to drop a message to Adin. He could always make it back before…
Who was he kidding?
He squared his shoulders and took off after her, his long strides easily catching up with her.
“What are you accusing me of lying about now?” he asked in Gallic, her native language.
Bo’s spine stiffened, but she didn’t slow her pace.
“I should have blown you out the airlock when I had the chance,” she replied in kind. “You aren’t capable of telling the truth.”
“I did tell you the truth,” he snapped.
Bo forced a laugh. “No shit you had back door access,” she said. “That was a given. You lied to me, and you cheated.”
He grabbed her shoulder and jerked her around to face him. He lifted a mocking eyebrow. “Would you rather have the one point two mill?”
She knocked his hand away. “I’m not a freakin’ Joy Babe! All I ever wanted from you was the truth!”
He braced his hand on the bulkhead beside her shoulder, blocking her escape. Bo backed away from him. The bulkhead stopped her retreat.
Whatever set her off was at the heart of their marital problems. Neither of them was going anywhere until he had some answers.
“This isn’t about access codes, is it?” he said, his voice dangerously soft.
“You’re deluded.”
“Am I?” He lifted an eyebrow. “One second, I’m trying to seduce my wife, the next she’s storming off in a snit accusing me of lying and cheating.”
Bo stamped her foot. “I am not your wife!”
Her words went through his chest like a knife. His jaw tensed.
“Our marriage was legally registered with the proper authorities on four planets,” he growled. “Your father, your uncle, even your brother, gave their blessing. Whether you like it or not, you are my wife.”
“What proper authorities?”
“An Overlord, a clan chief, the Tryrium, Tahar, and Redmaster Blue. You can deny it all you like, but you are my legal spouse under Commonwealth law!”
She lifted her chin. Her eyes flashed with amber fire. “Too bad you conveniently forget that whenever some sexy tussah with legs up to her teeth saunters by!”
His mouth set in a grim line, his nostrils flared. Larianne! He should have known. Dark emotions roiled up from deep within his soul, resurrecting the demon he’d carried for so long, a monster he’d thought dead and buried.
Growling, he slapped the bulkhead beside her shoulder with the heel of his hand, hard enough to send a thundering ripple of sound echoing through the ship.
Bo flinched and pressed closer to the bulkhead.
“I did not…!” He broke off, swearing under his breath in several languages as the monster within stretched and reached for the surface. Blade punched the bulkhead, pushing the demon back with the pain.
Bo closed her eyes, cringing, as the transferred force of impact vibrated through the ship.
“I did not have an affair!” Growling, he punched the bulkhead again.
He shook with the force of his anger as he warred for control over his emotions.
“I hated Larianne,” he said hoarsely. “That woman took everything from me – from us.”
He barely registered as Bo held as still as a cornered glumrat.
“When she showed up at your door, that sadistic tussah was toying with both of us.”
His icy gaze slid over her, only half-seeing her as the memories flooded through the dark haze.
“She was good – damn good – at what she did. She knew exactly which buttons to push to turn people against each other.” His stare sharpened, focusing on her with laser intensity. “She played you like a song. What hurt the most was that you bought it – you’re still buying it. You know me better than anyone and you’d still rather believe I’d screw somebody else!” Pain broke his voice.
The realization ripped through him like a turbolaser. If she had so little faith in him, there was no chance for them. He had nothing left to lose. He’d already lost her.
His lips curled in a snarl. “You want to know what happened between me and Larianne?” He leaned closer, brutally invading her space.
“No.” She shook her head.
He gripped her jaw and forced her to look at him. “No more lies! We’re going to have this out now! I am going to tell you the truth and you are going to listen!”
The time for gentle persuasion and reason was long past. No more hiding the truth from her about the kind of monster he had been.
“I have never enjoyed killing anyone as much as I enjoyed killing her,” he whispered hoarsely. She needed killing. I liked the pain and fear in her eyes as she bled out.” His lips twisted in a travesty of a smile. “Hell, I got off on it.”
His eyes grew distant again as he lost himself to the darkness deep inside.
“I can still smell her fear.” His raspy voice dripped with malice. “I waited for her to go to bed…broke into her apartment…disabled her security system, her com, and every surveillance device I could find.” A small, cruel smile touched his lips. “I slapped her around…asked a few questions…and when she gave me the information I needed, I took a knife and I shoved it…” His empty hand thrust a phantom knife into Bo’s chest.
I told you I would kill you if you hurt my family!
Bo gasped and flinched away from the fist pressing hard against her ribcage. Her heart pounded against his hand.
“And then, I twisted it.”
His knuckles brushed against her as he demonstrated.
Bo’s not just some fling. She’s my wife!
The color drained from her face. “Please…” she whispered.
He scarcely noticed, lost in the memory.
The man you killed was her father!
His clenched fingers ground against her chest as he twisted again.
The man you framed was my friend! His brother died in his arms! Do you know what it feels like to hold your brother while he slips away?
He rotated his fist one more time.
You destroyed a family – my family!
He flattened his hand on her side and leaned against her, pinning her against the bulkhead with his body, pressed full against hers.
“Dead five years and she’s still destroying my family.” He stared at his hand against her ribcage. “She killed Niall…Bhruic…she turned you against me. I suppose you could say she well and truly screwed me.”
“Why are you doing this?” she whispered.
He pressed his forehead against her temple. “You wanted the truth,” he whispered.
“Blade, don’t…”
“If you’re going to hate me for being a lying, sadistic monster you’d better damn well know exactly who you’re hating.” He slowly lifted his head. “Predators have no morals, no scruples, no attachments. Sex is biology. Love is a weakness. Obedience and a ruthless determination to get the job done, no matter the cost, are the cornerstone of what makes a Predator.”
He pushed himself away from her.
“Larianne was a much better Predator than I ever was. She was under orders to kill you. To kill both of us. She’d already killed your father and framed Royce. That sadistic tussah put the knife in Royce’s hand and made him butcher his own brother! Do you have any idea what that did to him?”
He searched her face. “Do you understand how it tears me apart inside to know you believe that I would throw away what we had for someone like that?”
She looked away, unable to meet his steady gaze.
Blade gently cupped her cheek in his hand. His thumb lightly stroked her soft skin.
“Yes. I used to be just like her. No line I wouldn’t cross. You’ve said I use my charm as a weapon, that I manipulate people, that I’m a sociopath… You’re right. It’s all there in my file.”
She swallowed hard,
but still wouldn’t meet his stare.
“Thank the Maker for Chase, the keeper of my humanity,” he said.
Her lips twitched.
He waited patiently for her to look at him.
“He was my lifeline, Bo. Chase refused to lose another brother. He never gave up on me, even after I gave up on myself. When I left the IC, I didn’t know whether I wanted to live or die. I was dead inside. He helped me find my way back.” He smiled. “You know, the irony was never lost on me that I was the one everyone called a hero. He’s the hero, not me. I have never been anything but a broken-down wreck trying to learn how to be a good man. He has never been anything but a good man.”
He studied her face. “Then you came along and turned everything I thought I knew about myself and what I wanted upside down. I never wanted to lie to you. I never meant to hurt you. You have always been my guiding star, Bo. I will never be good enough to be the man you deserve, but I promise that no one will love you more. If you are going to hate me, then hate me for something I’ve actually done. Maker knows I’ve done plenty worth hating. But don’t give up on me – on us – over something I didn’t do.”
“I want to believe you.” She pushed him and stepped away from the bulkhead. “But I’ve seen you in action. You have a gift for telling women exactly what they want to hear.”
He stepped back, allowing her more space.
“I’m not doing that,” he said.
“I wish I could believe you. But I don’t think there’s anything you can say to make me believe that somehow I’m different…we’re different.”
She turned to leave, but he caught her by the arm and pulled her back around.
“You change color for me,” he said. “Before I met you, women were a means to an end, something to be used and discarded when I’d finished with them. But the women I used were using me. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement. I could see in their eyes when I was just an opportunity. But you were different. You blushed like a virgin.”
She pulled her arm from his grasp. “I was a virgin.”
He grinned. “I know. Thank you for that.”
Color rose in her cheeks. He gently brushed the back of his hand against her reddening skin.
