“This is not my idea of pillow talk.”
She grinned. “I can tell—I’ve lost your interest.”
“No, I mean—”
“I know what you mean,” she said and rolled her hips enough to show what she meant. “The point is, you’re the only eligible Terran on the ship now, since Tolsin died. And I think my sister was the only one who had sex with him.”
“Oh,” Aden said and left it at that. He was over his head and wasn’t sure what to do or say.
Twyf turned her head. “Seph. She might like to do this with you too. Not talking—I mean sex. Her idea of pleasure is only the sex.”
Aden groaned. “I’m not—I mean, I don’t want to have sex with anyone. That’s not why I’m here.”
Twyf pouted. “You didn’t enjoy this?”
“What! Hell yes I did!” Aden laughed. “This was incredible. You did things I didn’t think a woman would do. Well, at least not one I’d ever meet…and didn’t have to pay first.”
She giggled. “That’s silly. Tassarians are sensual and natural beings. We try to enjoy everything that is physical that can be enjoyed.”
“I believe you,” Aden said.
“Do you?”
He nodded.
“Are you sure? I could try to prove it again.”
Aden laughed. “No, really, you’ve broken me. At least for a few hours. And I’m not here to sleep with the entire female crew. Sex had nothing to do with me being here.”
She tilted her head and asked, “Isn’t that how Amber met you? You two had sex?”
Aden groaned. “Yes, we did. But it was a one-time thing. Or a rare thing. Except—no, shit. I don’t know. Shit. What’s she going to think about this?”
“She’s okay.”
“She—she is? How do you know that?”
“I checked.”
“Oh shit!”
“It’s okay,” Twyf reassured him. “She said you two weren’t mates. No, couples. I forget what Terrans call a mating pair.”
Aden buried his face in her chest between her breasts without thinking about it. When he realized, he jerked his head up and saw a quizzical look on her face.
“Do you like her? Do you want to be her mate? Do you prefer her?”
“No! I—oh hell, I don’t know what I want. I didn’t want anything, other than what was. This complicates things, though. What I want and what she might want—I mean, I know what she told you, but Terran women don’t always mean what they say.”
Twyf nodded. “I think I know what you mean. I’ve seen that before. Well, um, that’s okay I guess. If you’d like to be with her, I mean. I will—”
Aden shook his head. “No! I don’t…I mean, I—this was awesome. I do like Amber, but she’s my friend. And she’s human, like me, so I feel like I know her best, you know? Like a friend or a sister or—no, not sister. That’s wrong. Humans don’t sleep with their brothers and sisters.”
“You’re babbling,” Twyf pointed out.
Aden sighed. “I know. I’m so confused.”
“So next time we invite her to join us,” the Tassarian offered.
Aden clamped his mouth shut after a moment and asked, “You’re serious? I don’t want that, I just—you’d do that?”
She grinned. “I like you,” she reminded him. “With her, it would just be pleasure.”
“I’m not worried about that!” he said. “I mean, I wouldn’t be.”
“I didn’t think you would. I said it because my interest lies in you, so I wouldn’t feel the urge to change my gender.”
“Holy shit,” Aden muttered. “This is…”
“Too much?”
He started to shake his head and then stopped. “It’s a lot to take in. I’ve never, uh, never been with anyone but a Terran. I don’t regret this. This was amazing. You were amazing. Are amazing! Gah, I’ll get it right, I promise.”
Twyf laughed. She kissed him again and then let go of him. She gently pushed him back and encouraged him to roll over. She rolled onto him and kissed him again. Her lips pressed with a firm insistence but without the passion that fueled their earlier lovemaking. Twyf backed away and smiled at him. “Think. Rest. We have time.”
“Just like that?”
She turned and glanced at his spent member. She licked her lips. “I’d be happy to try?”
Aden laughed. “That wasn’t what I meant. I—never mind.”
“Okay,” Twyf said. She turned and bent over to pull her clothes out from under his bed. As she slipped the skimpy jacket and skimpier shorts on, she asked, “One thing?”
“Anything,” Aden said and then suppressed his wince at offering “anything.”
“Let’s keep this quiet.”
“Wha—really?”
She nodded and bit her lips. “Like I said, everyone expects me to tease. If they know I did more with you—well, it might change things.”
Aden smiled. “I understand. Your secret is safe with me.”
“And so is yours with me,” she said. “But I hope you want to hide more secrets with me. Soon.”
Aden laughed. “I—”
She pressed her finger to his lips and then kissed him again. “Don’t make any promises that will trouble you.”
Aden smiled and watched her go to his door and check the monitor to make sure the hall was clear before she slipped out and padded down the hallway. His door slid shut and he collapsed back in bed. This complicated things. A lot. It had been a fun complication to have, though!
Chapter 16
The week passed in a flurry of activity for Aden. He volunteered to do everything he could, from daily training in simulations with Amber and Garf to working out with Tosc and Kessoc. In his spare time, he worked with Garf and Chuck, repairing his armor and familiarizing himself with the weapons.
After three days of being brutalized by the Lermians and even daring some hand-to-hand training with Garf, Aden was exhausted and sore. The ship’s trauma systems could only do so much to a body before it began to wear out. He was nearing that point and stared at his plate of food without seeing anything.
“Hey, Aden, you okay?”
Aden jerked his head up and saw Twyf watching him from a few seats down across the table. She wore an almost modest dark purple robe today that hung over the charcoal bodywear she’d painted herself with. She blinked and looked away as soon as his eyes met hers. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “Just tired I guess.”
“You’ve been trying hard to impress everyone,” Amber said while watching Twyf. She turned to glance at Stef and saw the blue-skinned Tassarian seemed very interested in Twyf as well.
“Keep trying,” Meshelle grunted. “Maybe you’ll get there.”
Aden smirked and leaned back. “Am I scheduled to let anyone try to hurt me in the next couple of hours?”
Garf slapped the table and laughed. “You give as good as you take!”
“You’re being nice,” Aden said. He glanced at Tosc before saying, “Not everyone seems to think so.”
Tosc chortled. “You’ve got no right being that strong. Terrans are soft and lazy. You are not.”
“Hey now!” Amber protested.
“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” Aden said.
Tosc dipped his head. “What are the odds I’d find the only two Terrans worth hunting, and I’m on their team?”
“Since we’re gathered, why don’t you tell us more about yourself,” Meshelle suggested. “Do a little more work on trying to impress me.”
Aden frowned. “Okay, what do you want to know? I took as many elective classes as I could to broaden my knowledge. Picked up wiring and systems use that way, plus some higher math.”
“I’m more interested in why you didn’t graduate,” Meshelle asked.
Aden tried to ignore Tosc’s hissing laughter. Amber turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. She was curious, too. He glanced at Twyf and saw a quick reassuring smile on her face. Her fingers curled on the table, squeezed into a fist
for a moment and then released. He knew it wasn’t meant as a threat, but as another sign of encouragement.
Why did she support him so much? One night—one out-of-this-universe night—with her and now she pledged eternal support? It didn’t make any sense. Nobody in the universe was that loyal, not after only a few days of getting to know someone.
“That bad?” Meshelle asked when he hesitated too long.
Aden jerked his head back to her. “What? No, sorry. I’m a little punchy, that’s all.”
“So let’s have it.”
“I got kicked out,” he stated. He shrugged. “Helped some friends out and things took a turn for the worse. So they kicked me out.”
Meshelle waited a moment until it was obvious Aden was finished. She shook her head. “You can do better than that.”
Aden sighed. “All right. Somebody needed money, so a handful of cadets pretended to be more than cadets.”
“And?” Meshelle prodded.
“And the cadets ran security for a shipping company that was handling some high-value cargo. Nobody asked what it was or who it was for. They got caught and punished.”
“You were one of them, obviously. But that’s not enough to get you kicked out. Who needed the money? Was it you?” Meshelle asked. “And I appreciate your loyalty and secrecy, but it’s not winning you any points right now.”
Aden glanced around the table and saw Tosc’s lips curled up in a smile. Or a snarl, it was hard to tell. “I’d be more worried about right now, if I were you,” Tosc advised.
“Thanks,” Aden said before he started to turn back. Twyf licked her lips when he met her gaze and hesitated. She smiled and gave him a nod to go on. He turned back to Meshelle and said, “No, it wasn’t me; it was someone else. Someone who needed money for someone else with health problems. The security job didn’t pay enough and they got busted on top of it, but that wasn’t the real job; that was a cover I came up with.”
“Ooh, this just got interesting.” Seph turned her attention from Twyf to Aden.
Aden raised an eyebrow and continued. “During the confusion, I stole the merchandise and delivered it to a new buyer.”
“That sounds more like a dischargeable offense,” Meshelle said.
Aden nodded. “It is, but that wasn’t it. I went back and copped to organizing the fake security team’s hiring for a percentage of the take. The conspiracy and operating without a license was what they nailed me on and kicked me out for.”
“Nobody found out about the stolen equipment?” Seph asked.
Aden smiled. “Nobody.”
“Is all that true?” Meshelle asked.
“He’s either the calmest Terran I’ve ever met or he’s telling the truth,” Tosc admitted. “No sweat, no anxiety. No stress. I would have smelled it.”
Seph nodded. “Tassarians have an instinct or intuition about people. Aden’s a good man. He has secrets, I’m certain, but I believe him.”
“He’s good,” Twyf added.
Everyone turned to look at the gold-skinned alien. “That’s it?” Amber asked. “He’s good?”
Twyf glanced around and nodded. “Very good? I believe him too.”
Meshelle grunted. “Loyalty, I like. Clever, I like. Sneaky or tricky, even that I can like. You try to pull anything over on me, though, I’ll know it. I’ll know it and no amount of training will help save you from what I do to you.”
Aden leaned back, surprised by the power in her glare. “I understand,” he said.
She stood up and walked around the table to stand behind him. He turned and twitched when she thrust her hand out at him. “Welcome to my crew, Aden. Full share and we’ll keep you alive as long as you keep us alive. Screw it up and we take your money and drop you in the deepest part of space I can get to. Without a suit.”
Aden accepted her hand in his and shook it. Her four-fingered grip was wiry and strong, a reminder to not underestimate her even if she only came up to his chest when he was standing. “Thanks, uh, boss. I won’t let you down.”
Twyf let out a whoop and clapped. Amber and Garf joined in, followed by Seph. Tosc smirked and nodded before picking up his plate and moving to take care of it. The dinner broke up and Aden picked up his leftovers to recycle them. Twyf bit her lips and walked next to him, passing and offering a subtle wink as her painted hip slipped out of her robe and brushed his side.
“Don’t make any plans,” Meshelle told him.
“What? I thought—”
“Full member means full duties,” Meshelle said.
“Uh, okay. Haven’t I been doing that?”
She grinned. “Get with Chuck. He’s got a long list of fixes the shuttle needs.”
“That sounds…great.”
“Team player.” Meshelle grinned.
“Always,” Aden said and turned to get his bearings and started heading towards the passage to the lift.
“He’s in the cargo hold,” Meshelle said.
Aden stopped and nodded. “Right, cargo.”
She grinned and said, “Gotta know where your people are around the clock.”
Aden kept walking and laughed it off until her words sunk in. Did she really mean that? Did she really know the crew and the ship that well? And if so, did that mean she knew about the night he and Twyf had spent together?
He forced his feet forward and acted as though he’d stumbled. Nobody said anything before the door slid shut behind him. He let out his breath and kept going. Based on the looks Twyf, Amber, and Seph wore during the dinner, he was juggling more than he knew how to handle. Fortunately, Meshelle was keeping him busy so he didn’t have to worry about it. Yet.
Chapter 17
Aden clung to the grips in the rear of the shuttle and waited. Most of the hull damage had been repaired but they didn’t bother trying to pressurize it and ensure it was airtight. Where they were headed, an atmosphere would be a liability. If things worked out right.
Kessoc’s voice sounded over the speakers in his helmet. “Subluminal in ten, nine, eight, seven...”
Aden’s thoughts drifted as the Lermian kept counting down. Coming out of the dark was one thing; that would still leave them a long ways from the Kesari ship. Less than an hour ago, he’d been hot and sweaty and wrapped up in the wonderful arms of a beautiful Tassarian woman.
Twyf had seemed insatiable, but he hadn’t complained. He’d stayed away as long as he could but her coy looks and daring outfits drove him mad. He was exhausted from all the work he did, both to keep himself in top shape and because Meshelle worked him to the bone, but he still found time to want Twyf. And last night, after the repairs on the shuttle had come as far as they could, he’d found time to do more than just want her.
“Be careful,” she’d whispered while they were cooling down from their final act. “If it gets too dangerous and you don’t think you can make it, don’t risk it.”
“We’ll be okay,” he’d reassured her. “Nothing stupid, I promise.”
Twyf looked away and wouldn’t meet his gaze. He had to kiss the top of her scalp and tickle her side with his fingers until she lifted her head and shifted her entire body. She slid up and grabbed his face in both hands before staring into his eyes for a short but powerful moment. Her golden irises seemed to swirl and suck him in before she closed them and pressed her lips to his.
It was a kiss that left him breathless and changed. He’d never been kissed like that, and he doubted he ever would be again. She’d been so raw and so powerful. So emotional, but not in a crazed or frightening way.
After the moment passed, she sat up and smiled at him.
“If you sent all of us off on a job like that, we’d never—”
She shook her head and jumped to her feet. “No! I’ve never—I wouldn’t do that. I couldn’t do that. Only you, Aden. Only you.”
Aden nodded and climbed out of bed to wrap his arms around her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything. I was teasing.”
She nodded and pressed he
r face into his chest. “You promise you’ll come back? To me?”
Aden swallowed and nodded. “I’ll come back,” he’d vowed while thinking he was getting away with something by leaving it at that.
“Enemy ship is not on scans. Stand by,” Twyf said.
Hearing her voice in his ear sent a shiver down his back. She was all business now, her smoky pitch lacking the sultry tones she used on him.
“Where the hell is it?” Amber growled.
The rest of the mercs turned to look at Aden. He shook his head and held up his free hand. “We made a guess,” he reminded them. “Educated, but still a guess. We’re smaller and nobody really understands how the laws of superluminal travel even work, let alone how the black boxes determine how long it takes. We’re smaller and—”
Meshelle’s eyes narrowed as he chased the thought he’d started saying. “What?”
“We’re smaller than they are.”
“Right, which is why we have to get the drop on them,” she snapped.
“Back up. I’ve got an idea.”
“Back up?” Meshelle asked. “Back up where? To the asteroid belt on the other side of the galaxy?”
“No,” Aden said. “Just a hundred kilometers or so. Maybe less. Whatever your optimal range is for your weapons.”
Tosc snorted. “Range to what?”
“To us,” Aden said and then hurried to correct himself. “I mean, where we are now. When we came out of the dark.”
“You’re not making any sense,” Meshelle snapped.
Aden nodded. “Okay, look at it like this. The ship that Fluvulis escaped on out-massed us by two hundred seventy-nine percent. So take standard relativistic physics. Apply a measure of force against two objects in a vacuum, with one being three times as large as the other. The smaller object will accelerate faster, as long as the same force is applied.”
“Nobody understands how the black boxes work,” Tosc pointed out.
“Right,” Aden agreed. “But we do know that we pumped in almost the same amount of energy into our box that they did, but we’re one third as big.”
“You think we beat them?” Amber asked.
Into the Dark (Dark Universe Book 1) Page 9
