by Vivian Arend
Except for agonizing about how to get Melina to join them.
Being in control of his destiny and having free rein over the galaxy wasn’t as much fun without both his friends and lovers by his side. Trev had been easy to nab, relatively speaking. As for Melina, between her grandfather’s connections and the confines of Institute politics, a fortress couldn’t have held her tighter. And yet here she was, back with him. He was happy when things fortuitously fell into his lap, Melina turning up at the right moment and in the right place.
He was also very suspicious when things fell into his lap. During debriefing he’d find out what the old coot was playing at, sending his only granddaughter into a potentially deadly situation. For now, he had a deep need to reassure himself they were here. Even finding them covered in dirt and sweat, he was eager to renew his acquaintance with his lovers. He had enough control to save the prize for after their meeting when they could all truly enjoy themselves.
He swung open the door to his quarters and paused in anticipation of Melina’s response. She didn’t disappoint him. Her controlled emotions broke loose and her soft chuckle tickled his ears. He turned to smile down at her.
“You like?”
“It’s like hitting a time warp. You never did grow up.” She stared at the decorations, the furniture. Everything matched the room the three of them had shared during their Institute days, from the massive bed to the antique jukebox in the corner.
“All for you, darling.”
Desire flashed in her eyes, but fear was there as well. “Davis, I can’t do this. I can’t let you and Trev back into my life and then let you disappear again. It’s too hard.”
He gathered her in his arms and lifted her to breathe in the scent of her skin, burying his nose in the soft curls cascading around her shoulders. “I’m not going anywhere. Neither is Trev. This is it—you, me and Captain Explosive over there. Nothing will separate us again.”
Melina sniffed, hard. He patted her backside and pointed to the bathing chamber. “It’s on a timer but you can use my water quota today as well. Ten minutes total, and then we’ll rendezvous with the rest of the crew.” She watched him over her shoulder as she shuffled away, her gaze darting between him and Trev before she disappeared around the corner.
He leaned back on the door. Trev crashed on the bed, one arm thrown across his eyes, a layer of fine dust covering his entire body.
Davis laughed. “I take it the job went well. You look like shit.”
Trev groaned. “They’ve taken the word insanity to a whole new level. The leaders of Derryn have no idea what they’ve got hold of, but they’re still planning on using it. Plus, I’ve never seen such paranoia in all my life. I’ve spent the last three months wondering if someone was going to stick a knife blade between my ribs in the middle of the night.”
“Is your information time sensitive or is the debrief soon enough?”
Trev sat up and stripped off his shirt. “It can wait.”
Davis nodded. “For what it’s worth, I still think you were the right man for the job.”
Trev snorted. “Thanks, but next time give me an easy job, like strapping explosives to my body. Acting was never my forte, and three months of it—sheer hell. I just about had a heart attack when Melina walked into the room.” He lifted his head and his beautiful amber eyes captured Davis’ attention. Even dirty and wearing a week’s growth of beard, Trev made him hard. The water in the shower started and Trev stared longingly as if he could see through walls to reassure himself Melina really was there. “We’ve got her back.” There was an unasked question in his voice.
Davis held a hand to his friend. “And we’re keeping her.”
Trev clasped his wrist and Davis pulled them together, savoring the sensation of hard muscles brushing his. He kissed Trev again, this time moving slow and smooth, his tongue teasing the firm seam of Trev’s lips, tangling their tongues. Trev tasted salty and wild and untamed, with a sharp flavor and tang that reminded Davis of the aftermath of an explosion.
Since they’d dropped Trev on the mining moon to make his way into the rebels’ confidence, Davis had only heard rumors. Whispers of traitors and senseless killings. Through it all he’d had to sit and wait while his lover dug further into danger without him. He deepened the kiss, sucking Trev’s tongue into his mouth and holding their hips close so the heat from their cocks met through the fabric of their uniforms.
They’d survived another time of separation and tonight would be soon enough to celebrate. Celebrate reunions and friendships meant to last a lifetime. Trev dropped his head on Davis’ shoulder for a moment, the weight reassuring and right. He squeezed Trev’s ass and pushed him toward the door.
“Go clean up in Tucker’s room and join us when you’re ready.”
———
Melina washed quickly, wondering if one or both men would join her in the shower. If she was honest with herself, she was disappointed when they left her alone and she stepped out to find a clean jumpsuit in her favorite blue resting on the counter. She fixed her hair into a neat braid, borrowed Davis’ toothbrush, then marched bravely back into the main room and found Davis sitting alone. He was sprawled in an overstuffed chair with both of the sharysa draped over him. Piata lay in his lap, her paws batting at a string he dangled above her head while Jem groomed Davis’ hair.
“Holy hell, who are you and what have you done with Davis? You freaking hate my habit of picking up stray beasts.”
He raised a brow, which looked peculiar with Jem sitting almost on top of his head. “They’re growing on me already. Rather fetching creatures—seriously cute. If we made stuffed replicas they would sell for a tidy sum and add to my retirement fund. We could give them obnoxious names like Moonglow and Galaxy Bright.”
Melina laughed without thinking. He knew how to touch her emotions at any given moment. “What do you want to do with them while we meet?”
He stood and passed Piata to her. “They can come with us. I’m sure it’s dinnertime for them as well.”
Dinner?
Chapter Four
Four pairs of eyes watched with curiosity as Davis led her into a brightly lit room, seating her at his left. He grabbed the sharysa off their shoulders and dropped them to the floor before lowering his frame into a heavily padded chair. The massive tabletop was literally covered with plates of food and flasks and steaming pitchers of fluid. A wonderful aroma rose and Melina swallowed hard to stop from drooling. It had been a long time since her last meal—before descending to the surface of Derryn—and only typical War Eagle rations. Not a planetary feast like the one before her.
One empty chair remained on the other side of Davis, quickly filled when Trev wandered in, grabbed a fruit from the table and devoured it enthusiastically. “You have no idea how much I’ve looked forward to this. Food on Derryn leaves a lot to be desired.”
Davis tapped his glass and the low rumble of responses to Trev died away. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Melina Davenport. Melina, everyone. We’ll introduce you properly in a minute. Dig in, people. Tucker, looks fabulous as usual.”
With that, the curious glances vanished and Melina found herself ignored. Plates were passed, drinks poured. The constant trickle of conversation helped calm her nerves. Her mind continued to race with the repercussions of what being on the Nottingham meant, let alone being back with the guys. She sat straight in her chair, nibbling at the food in the hopes it would help her stomach to settle. Her gaze wandered the room, curiosity topping her nerves.
The walls of the dining room were covered from floor to ceiling with banners, each depicting one of the six main planetary systems settled in the distant past by explorers from Earth. Humanity’s home planet banner, with its distinctive blue-and-green-
washed globe, hung center stage—recognition even vagabonds had sentimental attachment to the birthplace of mankind.
A shiver took her as she realized she had no idea where she fit into the picture anymore. Her option
s grew smaller by the minute, but could she throw away all her training and background in one fell swoop? Strange—being on planet and attacked frightened her less than sitting with this group of outlaws, uncertain about her future.
“You’re thinking too hard, Melina. Come on, try some of the fea bundles. Tucker makes the best I’ve tasted this side of the Milky Way.” Trev leaned over to scoop a couple on her plate.
“Melina likes to think too hard. Sorry to interrupt everyone’s meal so soon, but let’s put her out of her misery. Introduce yourselves and your roles. I’ll start.” Davis turned, his dark gaze mesmerizing her. “Davis Yurt. Captain of the Nottingham, once of the Space Institute Corporation, now free run by this group of—what did you call us? Oh yes, pirates. We use our skills to fix situations that need a subtle touch, yet we’re not opposed to causing financial ruin for people who deserve it, so ‘pirate’ works. We’re a small ship, with a small crew, so we work double-duty. My second role was ship’s pilot, but I have a feeling I’m out of a job.”
Cheers erupted and Melina flitted her gaze around the room to witness a celebration.
“You have no idea how happy we are. Bloody fool tried flying us through a planet once, I swear he did.” The woman seated next to Trev rose and extended a hand across the table. “Sal Lord. Ship’s doctor. Since we try not to bleed too often, my main task is CFO.” Sal resumed her seat, her perfect posture, her accent, her beautiful dark skin all revealing her linage in the elite class of Tber. The continued mixing of humanity over time had created an even, dusky skin in most people, with variations based on planetary influences. Tber’s twin suns had brought the darker melanin to the surface in her inhabitants.
“CFO?” Melina asked.
“Chief financial officer. We need to know which planets and corporations need a little chastisement.” She grinned at Melina, her bright white teeth flashing, mischief shining in her eyes. “I can dig my way into your financial records in under thirty seconds and steal it all in another ten.”
A sudden burst of sneezes rose from Melina’s left. Jem had crawled into her lap to steal tidbits from her plate. The fair-haired man beside her groaned out loud after his sneezing attack ceased. “What the freaking hell is that thing?”
Trev shrugged. “We decided to bring some of the local fauna home as a memento since Derryn was such a beautiful place to visit. They’re called sharysa, Conn. Get used to them.”
Conn wiped his nose with his napkin. “Great. Just what I needed. More fucking fur.” He nodded curtly at Melina. “Conner Jenkins. Navigation and communication.” Then he ignored her and went back to eating.
“Conn’s a man of many words, as you can see.” The other woman in the room gave her a wink. “He handles communications with the silver tongue of a poet, don’t you, darling?”
“Piss off,” Conn growled.
She laughed at him and then nodded at Melina. “Welcome aboard. I’m Jayne Ladge, ship’s engineer, so we’ll work together a fair bit. I do the same tasks whether onboard or on mission—build things, make them run better. I’m also the entertainment coordinator, and always on the lookout for new suggestions. Deep space can get unbearable with this crowd when all they want to do is watch reruns on the monitor and throw popcorn at each other.”
Melina returned the brunette’s smile, feeling a touch overwhelmed. They all seemed to expect her to join the crew with not a single question asked. She needed to regain control. She turned to the final man at the end of the table. “And your name is Tucker, but what’s your role?”
“Cook.”
She raised a brow. “No automations?” He shook his head and she whistled in approval. “You are good, everything is delicious.” She was about to turn back to face Davis when she remembered. “Wait, everyone else has two duties. What’s your mission status?”
Tucker grinned from ear to ear. “Assassin.”
“Assassin and cook?”
“Occasionally at the same time.”
Trev chuckled, the achingly familiar tones drawing her attention. He stared at her, offering unspoken support and she was amazed at how easily they fit back together.
“Are you okay, Melina? I need to report, but if you’ve had enough I can take you back to quarters to rest.”
She drew in a long breath. Did she really want to return to the Eagle, her grandfather and more years of frustration within the Corporation, when she could remain with Trev and Davis? Especially when she was now the pariah of her family. Even tired and confused her heart knew the answer.
Still, she wasn’t going to come along for the ride unless she was one hundred percent in. This wasn’t just about friendship and sex. “I’ve watched your exploits and have to say that other than one situation, I’ve agreed with every one of your ‘acts of piracy’. I’d like to join the Nottingham and aid your missions.”
Davis rattled his glass again. “All in favor of Melina joining the crew? I vote aye.” Five more “ayes” rang out and Davis shook her hand. “Congratulations. You’ve just become a pirate. Won’t Gramps be pleased.”
Melina controlled the chuckle that wanted to escape. Oh yeah, Grandfather was going to be very excited. Not.
Trev rose and came around to kiss her cheek. She glanced at the rest of the crew, but other than Conn’s scowl at the sharysa, no one blinked an eye. Trev paced back to stand beside Davis at the head of the table, settling into an at-ease position.
“Melina, I’ll catch you up. We came into this system to find out if there was a real threat posed by the Derrians. They weren’t considered a tactical concern in the galaxy until recently—the planet lost technological capabilities a dozen years ago due to massive solar flare activity. The Derrians had dropped off the map until last year when representatives from the rebels showed up at the Corporation’s Trade Embassy. They threatened to flood the market with crystals if they didn’t get their demands met. We intercepted SIC reports stating they had no intent on investigating the matter at this time, so we decided to look into it ourselves. Like you said, energy crystals are extremely valuable and we don’t want some crackpots taking control. So I went in undercover and managed to join the rebels. That’s where you found me.”
He turned to face the rest of the table. “I’ve confirmed the attacks we heard about originated from the rebels on Derryn.”
“Did they just discover a crystal source?” Jayne asked. “People have lived on Derryn for years, mining the moons for minerals, and I’d never heard of them having energy crystals. When I checked the records, there was even an Institute based planet-side at one time, doing seismic studies and moisture analysis. There should be tons of equipment on the planet’s surface, but none of it would work anymore if they’ve gone low-tech.”
Trev nodded slowly. “There were no mines in the old days. There are now, in what used to be considered scrap rock quarries. The threat is real and so were the explosions detonated on four of the other major crystal providers in Corporation territory. I’ve discovered how the Derrians accomplished both.”
He cleared a space on the table, pulling a small rock from his pocket and placing it on the surface. He plopped Piata close by. She chirped at him, her little head tilting from side to side. He nodded briefly and she touched the rock, her body wiggling with delight. The fragment flashed red and everyone at the table jerked back.
Davis swore. “Holy hell, man.”
Trev chuckled and picked up the stone. “Bombs ‘R’ Us…cool, eh?” He tossed the glowing rock from hand to hand.
“You used rocks like that to blow up the corridor—are you insane?” Melina pushed her chair back as Trev continued to juggle the rock, the sharysa in her lap sitting at attention. “Wait, let me rephrase. I know you’re insane, but what are you doing?”
“Testing a theory.” He tossed the rock in her direction and she gasped. Jem caught it easily, the sharysa batting the stone back and forth between its paws, a rumble of pleasure rising from its throat. Everyone in the room held their breaths, Melin
a’s heart pounded, her anger simmering at Trev’s foolishness.
“Oh my lord, look at that.” Jayne whispered.
The glowing red faded to pale blue, the rock now crystal clear with a pulsing beat at its core.
“Fuck, did the creature just produce an energy crystal out of a rock?” Tucker leaned forward in his chair as if fascinated.
“They did. It takes two sharysa to make the final change.” Trev picked Piata up and returned her to his shoulder.
“No wonder the Derrians think they can control the market—they can make as many crystals as they want at any time.”
Trev shook his head. “That’s the good news. The Derrians haven’t figured this out yet. All they know is they’re sitting on the mother of all lodes down there. They have no idea it’s the sharysa’s presence turning their worthless crap into gold—well, crystals worth more than gold.”
Davis leaned back in his chair, his long fingers stroking his beard. “Two sharysa?”
Trev nodded. “Piata can make bombs for me out of basically anything organic. Once she led me down a passage where I discovered a group of the sharysa creating crystals.” He cleared his throat awkwardly and peered around the table at his crewmates. “It seems to be a side effect of the creature’s…sex life.”
Tucker roared with laugher. “You watched the beasties get it on?”
“Nothing better to do. Actually, it’s not really sex. It’s mated pairs that can turn a rock. The first change makes it explosive. The second complementary change increases the energy charge to the high levels of a crystal. If you only have one sharysa you only get bombs.”
Davis snorted. “Back to the explosions, how did the Derrians manage them?”
