Devoted Deceptions, A 4th Millennium Adventure, Book 3

by Cherie Singer

  Her intended mad dash transmuted into a torturously slow and awkward struggle. Every time she thought she had her balance, the wind changed direction, threatened to spin her around. The rough, deeply pitted surface of the moon only made matters worse. When she wasn't battling to stay upright against the howling tempest, she slipped and stumbled over loose rocks and slithering stones.

  She went down twice, the second time twisting her traitorous knee. She stayed in the dirt only long enough for the worst of the excruciating pain to pass. Cat took the quick opportunity to make certain the Peacemaker remain shrouded. Creator guide her back to it when the time came.

  Two minutes.

  After what seemed a lifetime, she reached the habitat. Cat jerked at the stubborn entrance seal that refused to open.

  One minute!

  Cursing the defective closure, she grabbed her stiletto to force it open, finally getting the edges to part so she could stagger inside. She blinked several times to clear the grit from her eyes and adjust her vision to the dim interior. Bioscanner out, she advanced through the stale, oxygen-deprived plazfab structure. Where were they? Sweet Creator, please no false leads!

  Out of time!

  There! Against the far wall! Cat sprinted across the rough footing. Fallon had positioned the children as close as possible to the failing oxygen supply. All three seemed to be unconscious. She adjusted breathing tubes for the children, did another quick scan, choking back unfamiliar sobs. Aye, they were low on oxygen, but their condition seemed to be the result of a tranq of some kind, probably put out as part of the oxygen store.

  Instinct sent Cat whirling, breath locked in her chest. She threw herself over the children. Heart in her throat, she targeted the habitat entrance with her sidearm.

  "Wulfe!"

  "Want to put that down?" He didn't move anything but his face muscles.

  Cat lowered the weapon, but she stared so long he knelt at her side before she budged another centimeter.

  Wulfe hugged Cat to his chest with savage joy. "When I saw the Peacemaker destroyed--my heart simply would not believe what my own eyes had seen!" He released her, cupped the head of each child. "Morgan and Garrett?"

  "They've been drugged, but at least with something benign."

  "Bastard has a propensity for drugs, doesn't he?"

  Cat's head jerked up from where she'd been working over Fallon's breathing tube. Her gaze flew to his face. "You know all of it?"

  "Aye." He grinned briefly, thinking of his chief medical officer. "Although Albright had to threaten to dance naked around the captain's chair before I agreed to listen to her."

  She smiled tiredly, looking at the bioscan of Fallon. "Why am I not surprised?" Cat sobered. "The Mallochons took out Lyon."

  "Aye, cherished one. We will grieve for him together."

  She couldn't face that yet. "I saw the Orion go. Did Wheeler make it?"

  "One of the first to launch a pod." The words tasted bitter. "And the first to offer to take over as exec upon your, uh, demise."

  "Over my dead--allow me to rephrase that!" Cat picked up Garrett, cuddled him close, hummed a few sweet notes.

  Peace filled Wulfe. He scooped Morgan into his arms, swayed in time to the Bellon lullaby. He hated to shatter the perfection of the moment but reality intruded mercilessly. "We might not have much time. The last Mallochon ship got off a distress call."

  Cat sighed, reached a hand out to brush her fingers to his temple. "To be as one with you again, my husband..."

  Wulfe kissed the inside of her tender wrist, inhaled her spicy scent. "I haven't the words, either."

  "I would have had difficulty getting all three of them back to the Peacemaker by myself. Which reminds me; is it just you, or did you bring the entire fleet?"

  "Just me? Sweet but short welcome, wife. Am I not enough?"

  "More than, but I can't have you getting too comfortable."

  "I suppose--"

  The ground beneath them shook with the sound of booming thunder. Brilliant light exploded outside the habitat, throwing short-lived bizarre shadows onto the walls. Wulfe's comm link vibrated against his neck.

  "Kincade."

  `We are under attack, Captain. The Mallochon reinforcements have arrived. Orders?'

  "Get us the narg out of here!"

  `The translocator is off-line, Sir. They crippled one of our power grids with their combined power.'

  Wulfe cursed viciously. "Defend yourselves the best you can. If you can manage some sort of cover for us to make it to the Peacemaker, I think we'd appreciate it!"

  Another booming plasma burst tore the shelter from its moorings, pelted them with superheated rocks and melted stones returning to the moon's surface. Cat curled herself around Garrett to protect him. Wulfe wrapped his body around them and Morgan, determined to keep them safe.

  Beneath the cacophony, he found a small center of peace only his ma'ten could provide. Cat's mind touched his, soothing, reassuring, a final loving gesture reaffirming her devotion.

  The moon's surface beneath them--dirt, stones, rocks--shifted, shrieked and gave way, sucking them downward with deep bone-grinding wails. The sounds of hunger pangs from the Underworld. Wulfe held tight to all he cherished as Garesh claimed a hearty meal.

  Chapter 23

  WULFE JERKED awake.

  His mind snapped from blank nothingness to instant alertness in less time than it took his heart to pound once. He rolled from the sleeper, grabbed his sidearm from its wall harness and hunkered down next to the bed in one fluid movement. Balanced on the balls of his feet, he inspected his surroundings with every available sense.

  Silence. No, not entirely. The subliminal thrum of a working ship moved through him. The Falchion.

  Wulfe frowned into the dim lighting of his sleeping chamber; a sanctuary that should instill peace, but at this moment only sent a feeling of uneasy deja vu chasing through him even though nothing moved in the shadow. The air currents shifted minutely, brought the warm scent of...a child.

  His son.

  He padded barefoot to the cradle. With every step, the intensifying impression of deja vu made his skin ripple. The babe stirred, made tiny sounds of discomfort but didn't cry out. Wulfe picked up a small blanket from the end of the cradle, intending to cover the boy. The movement of the fabric wafted a new blend of scents to him. The clean sweet smell of the babe, but so much more.

  Cat's perfume. On its own, earthy and overtly erotic, but blended with the babe's, it became gentle, nurturing, motherly pure. She'd held the babe and his blanket recently. Something in Wulfe relaxed, muscles unknotted. Garrett quieted when the cloud of soft material and his mother's scent settled over and around him.

  Wulfe straightened to his full height, only then realizing every bone and muscle in his body ached with brutal intensity. Now, why--?

  Behind him, door panels slipped open. Wulfe turned. Freesia-perfumed steam billowed outward from the head.

  "Do you feel rested?" The throaty, sexy voice floated on the cloud. A honey-bronzed slender body emerged from the steam, carrying the sensual body perfume of Earther cinnamon and smoky Bellon sandalwood. "A hot shower will ease the aches."

  Cat pressed her still-damp naked body to his sleep-warmed form. "And then I have a vial of Erosian healing oil to rub in all over your magnificent body later, my Lord."

  "Why not now?"

  "Not enough time for what I have in mind."

  Wulfe slipped his arms under the heavy fall of her wildly curling mahogany hair, wrapped them around her, loving the satiny texture of her skin. And feeling ridiculously relieved for some reason. "What happened?"

  "How much do you remember?" Cat's warm breath fanned across his breastbone, made his nipples--and other parts of him--harden.

  He moved his head from side to side, tried to shake his thoughts into some sort of order. His guts clenched with sudden memory. "The Mallochons destroying the Peacemaker."

  "Nothing after that? As you can feel, I'm still here. Reca
ll anything about Pyrus's third moon?"

  "The mining facility? No, I--" The memories, dark and alarming, rolled in like the murderous sandstorms over the Sacred Desert. "Swallowed alive by that nargging moon!"

  "Ah, it's all come back to you, then."

  "In detail, except for how we survived." He turned full circle, moving Cat with him as he surveyed their sleeping chamber. "Morgan?"

  "With Fallon in their rooms."

  "Is that wise?"

  Cat wriggled next to him, as if attempting to get closer. Impossible, unless they joined as a man and his mate were intended to. "You should know that Wheeler convinced Fallon he was protecting them. He told her it was a plan, approved by us, to keep her and the children safe from the Mallochons."

  Wulfe sighed, momentarily content. "And how did we end up here rather than a permanent guest of Garesh?"

  Cat leaned back, her slight weight supported by the circle of his arms. When she looked up at him, her smile practically made his heart overflow. "Oh, we had help, love. Seems Cass and Hawke had been ghosting the Falchion for some time. They stepped in and revealed themselves when we needed them. Transported all five of us off the moon before the Mallochons knew what was happening."

  "They're both alive?" A little grain of doubt remained in his mind, as though waiting to ambush him, but he allowed the relief and gladness to chase away much of the lingering gloom.

  "As you or I." Cat moved her hands from his hips, slid them downward, spread strong slender fingers across his buttocks, kneading sore muscles. "Mother and M'Lissa are with them."

  "What?" More of the grieving unhappiness fled. Only the sorrow of Lyon's loss hovered over them.

  "Cass transported Mother and M'Lissa off Nutralis when all Underworld broke out there. She and Hawke didn't want to give away their advantage--two non-Mallochon ships capable of shrouding."

  Pieces of the last few horrendous days began to fit together. "So the report about their ships being destroyed? A cover to explain why they dropped out of sight!"

  "Exactly."

  "What's the status in regard to the Mallochon ships that were attacking?"

  "One was disabled and they chose to destroy their vessel with all hands aboard. Two shrouded and left the area."

  Cat's knowing fingers found and caressed an interesting and highly erogenous area. Wulfe sucked in his breath, his manhood pointed shamelessly at her midsection. "I rejoice at all this wondrous news." His voice sounded tight with desire even to his own ears. He slowly maneuvered her toward the sleeper, exploring some interesting parts of her anatomy. "So much so that I feel a definite need to celebrate. Immediately."

  She groaned with what could only be genuine regret. Her personal scent had deepened, gone richer with her own desire. "We have less than thirty minutes for you to shower and dress for a senior staff meeting. Before that, we must meet with Cass, Hawke and Mother."

  Wulfe growled in frustration. "Who's the genius who came up with that timetable?"

  "Um, I'd be the mastermind in question. But you did sleep longer than I thought you would." She gave him a playful slap on his bare rump. "You also have a ship full of crew members eager to see you."

  "I don't care! All I want right now is you!"

  Cat ran her tongue up the center of his chest, a low purr coming from the back of her throat. "I promise you, the feeling is mutual, but knowing Nora Albright the way I do, she'll blast her way through our door and drag us out if we're late."

  "Aye, and your mother would be right beside her." Wulfe released Cat and moved toward the head. He paused in the doorway and looked back at her, his body saluting her. "We will celebrate later, cherished one."

  She returned his look, her amber eyes still smoky with her own desire. "Aye, my Lord, be assured of that."

  Cat resisted Wulfe's continued attempts to lure her to the shower. Only the urge to hold and cuddle Garrett kept her from her husband's arms.

  Curled up on the huge sleeper she shared with her husband, she held her son until he fell asleep. As she eased to her feet, something hard and about the size of a halva fruit caught her attention. Cat fished the object out from under a corner of one of the pillows. The wulfenite from her journal. So. This was where Morgan decided the crystal belonged. Cat grinned. Brilliant child.

  Minutes later, after she returned Garrett to his cradle, she watched Wulfe pull on his uniform, jealous of the way the material snugged to his brawny form. He returned the compliment, watched her dress, following every movement she made, making love to her with his dark eyes. A greedy form of self-inflicted erotic torture they ended by visiting Morgan in her room. Reassured by the visit from her father and Oath Mother, Morgan seemed content enough to remain behind with Fallon.

  Despite it all, thirty-five minutes later Cat led the way out of their quarters and stepped into the corridor. A flush of warmth made her skin tingle when Wulfe encompassed her hand with his.

  Albright pulled to a quick stop in front of them, a surprised look on her face. "I was just on my way to get you two."

  Wulfe wore a look of good-natured resignation. "You did warn me, wife."

  Cat patted Albright's arm, burying the impulse to stick her tongue out at Wulfe. "We spent a few extra minutes with the children."

  "Oh." Unusually subdued for Albright, the doctor shrugged. "Not to worry."

  Cat sent a quick look at Wulfe before frowning at Albright. "Are you unwell, Nora?"

  "Couldn't be better. Come on. Your blood family is waiting for you in the conference lounge."

  Wulfe motioned down the corridor and started walking. "Doctor, come with us and answer a few questions for me."

  "Sure. What do want to know?"

  "Let's start with Wheeler."

  "Sorry, Captain. I should have realized you'd want to know that. He's still in the brig and under medical supervision. Erich is clean of Endorphidrine as he claimed, but his system has been flooded with a similar drug of Mallochon extraction he found on the black market. The alien chemical compounds seriously affected his brain functions."

  "He'll recover?"

  "I'm not certain he'll ever be the Erich we all knew."

  Cat couldn't decide how she should feel about Albright's words. Pity came to mind, and to her own guilty distress, a feeling of satisfied relief. "Will he ever be able to face charges for what he did?"

  "It's too early to tell. I can't find anyone with a broad understanding of Mallochon compounds. I am making arrangements to have him transferred to a secure medical facility."

  "Good." A fierce scowl marred Wulfe's face. "If you hadn't found indications of something other than his own sick mind affecting him, I would not hesitate to destroy Wheeler for what he did."

  Albright's lips thinned to grim lines, as though she weighed her words before she spoke. "This might sound strange, but it's a good thing for Wheeler the Mallochons attacked when they did. It kept the Bellons aboard occupied. I thought for sure they'd come after Wheeler and tear him apart once word leaked out about what he did to Fallon and the children."

  "Bellons don't take betrayal lightly, Doctor."

  "I know, Captain, but do you people ever do anything in a mild form?"

  Wulfe stopped just short of the doors to the conference room.

  Cat slipped her hand from Wulfe's and wrapped her arm as far around his waist as she could. In return, he held her as close to his side as possible. She arched an eyebrow at Albright. "No. Whether it's love or fighting or friendship, we do nothing weakly. Honor does not tolerate half measures."

  "You can say that again. And I'm glad." Albright leaned against the corridor bulkhead. "I'll wait here for you."

  Even knowing who awaited them on the other side of the doors, Cat's first glimpse of her mother and sister left her breathless. Cass and Dove circled their arms around Cat while she hugged both of them. All three spoke at once. Cat caught sight of her husband and Hawke welcoming each other--a simple arm clasp that said as much as the females' entwined limbs.

&nb
sp; The men turned, eyed the females, shook their heads in amused acceptance. With their family ties now so closely bound, what choice did they have?

  Dove stood between Cat and Cass, an arm around each daughter. Cat enjoyed seeing the glow on her mother's face again. Dove had come through the attack on Nutralis unscathed; the girl-child she carried continued to thrive.

  "Sons and Daughters, I must return to my quarters to finish the presentation for the Nutralis Peace Committee tomorrow. Know that I cherish each and every one of you." She released Cat and Cass. When she reached the exit, Dove turned and flashed an amused glance in their direction. "Computer, lower lights to ten percent."

  The four turned toward the observation port and burst out laughing at their reflections. Two red-haired women, leaning back against two dark-haired titan-like Bellon warriors.

  "Talk about seeing double," Cat managed.

  Cass nodded in agreement. "If Hawke and I wore Corps uniforms, too, we could confuse the Mallochons into peace."

  "What do you and your mate plan for the near future?"

  Hawke continued to look out at the stars. "Cass and I have discussed that very thing, Sister. We have a suggestion, if you two are interested."

  "Continue." Wulfe's response rumbled against Cat's backbone in a familiar, pleasing way. "We are listening."

  "We've decided we dislike being forever on separate ships, so have agreed to redistribute our crews. Cass and I will use the Yataghan as our base of operations. It is, after all, larger that the Maiden. My Lady Cass will act as my first officer and as Seeker for the vessel."

  "How will your present exec react to that?" Wulfe, ever practical when it came to ship duties, glanced at his brother.

  "Redfeather will captain the Moon Maiden with Baylock as her exec."

  "It might as well be done that way from the start. Baylock and Nona Redfeather are like this." Cass brought her hands up and clasped them together, interlocking the fingers.

  Cat gave her sister's husband a teasing glance. "I can't help but wonder how the arrangement would have worked had the Moon Maiden been the larger of the two ships."