by April Zyon
“Well, you have my mother’s admiration, which is rare. Believe me,” she grumbled. “Your commanding officer thinks very highly of you as well.” And he hadn’t blinked or pushed her away when he’d been shoved into the small shelter room with her. She was also impressed that he hadn’t made a sound when the floor let go. Or pushed her away from him when she’d all but clung to him like a spider monkey.
“This is not the first time I’ve had an unusual set of circumstances sprung upon me. Won’t be the last, I’m sure.”
“Well, this is a first for me. Normally, I’m perfectly happy being the plump, fluffy wallflower with a book on my data pad.” Paisley had no delusions when it came to her looks, at all. She was far larger than a Craegin woman should be in the hips, waist, boobs, and butt but she didn’t care. She embraced her womanly curves and was happy she wasn’t all stickly and tall and manly.
Markus turned to look at her, not merely his head, but his entire body. “I don’t know about the wallflower part, but I do not see anything wrong with how you are built. You are as a woman should be built. And any man who says otherwise needs to have his head examined.”
Paisley looked at him and grinned. “I think that’s the single nicest thing that any man has ever said to me. And please, call me Paisley? Since we are going to be in the bunker together you might as well call me by my given name, right?”
“Only if you call me Markus, Paisley.” Oh, but she liked how he said her name. His voice had a little growl to the deepness that had her toes curling within the confines of her shoes. “Where exactly is this bunker you mentioned? I’ve been told very little about what is going on.”
“Markus.” She liked his name, and she said it with a smile. “There is good, and there is bad.” She winced as she spoke and they banked at the same time, landing in the bay they needed to secure. “The good is that even if the planet is laid to waste, we’ll survive. The bad, you have to keep me alive to remain alive as well.” She saw his sharp look and shrugged. “I’ll tell you more once we’ve locked down the bay. Will you help me?”
“You don’t even need to ask. Do we need to move the crates in the back out now, or can they wait? I only ask since you know this place and I don’t. If we’re locking the bay down, does that mean we aren’t coming back out here at any point until we depart?”
“No, we won’t be coming back until it’s time to take you back to the surface. As you can see, we are deep inside of the planet. The tramp is something that my father designed to get us here through lava tubes. We’ll grab the hover mover and take everything inside. Once we’re in the elevator, there is no going back. Are you sure you want to be stuck alone with me for however long this might take?”
Leaning toward her slightly, he nodded. “Fintan had me believing I would have some behemoth lurking around every corner during my stay. Believe me, Paisley, you are the much better option to that. I would gladly be locked up with you for the rest of time.” Pushing to his feet, he looked into the back. “If you’ll grab the mover, I’ll get the crates in a position we can quickly slide them out and onto it.”
She simply stood there and looked at him. No one had ever said that they would gladly be in her presence for any amount of time, let alone the rest of time. “You confuse and intrigue me, Markus. I like that about you. A lot,” she told him, grabbing the mover so that they could start to transfer more weaponry and food staples into the bunker.
Markus grinned. “I’m not that interesting, Paisley. But I’d like to get to know you. And I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time for all that once we’re settled in and you have broken to me how bad my prison is to be.”
She snickered. “Oh, Markus, my dear sweet man. It’s not a prison. Anything but. The last time I was down here there were five bedrooms and seven full bathrooms. There’s a spa that is connected to the hot springs on our planet, and there’s also a gym as well as a shooting room or whatever it’s called.” She shrugged. “With the little things that pop up and you shoot at them?”
He nodded. “A shooting gallery. As to the construction, no matter how gilded the cage might be, it is still a cage.” He pulled two crates out and set them onto the mover. Then he moved the third and the fourth with a grunt. “Any idea what’s in these? That last one felt like it might have a building in it.”
“Weapons, lots of weapons. I’m assuming that those are for you.” She took the handle of the mover and added, “And some foodstuff.” When she saw the last crate was loaded, she asked, “Will you close the hatch and key in code A-one-eight-B-six? That will lock it down fully so that we don’t have to worry about it and then once we’re in the elevator, we will lock down the whole bay so that it's secure, too.”
He gave her a nod and turned to grab a bag, the same one he’d had with him when she’d met him, then locked the tramp down. Following her to the elevator, he let her get the mover inside before joining her. Markus put a hand on the mover to hold it in place while she turned the hover mode off. There was no way she wanted it still in that mode while they were moving in the elevator; it would be a great way to get squashed.
She looked at him and took a breath. “Remember I said you had to keep me alive? I meant it.” She placed her hand on the scanner and heard the computer key up. “Paisley Alana Ralston, highest security settings available. Lockdown, an undetermined amount of time. One other being, Markus Rothschild. Confirm?” When she heard the confirmation, she winced at the needle that poked into her hand.
“Blood confirmed as Paisley Alana Ralston. Welcome.”
“Sorry, but you’re stuck with me now. I hope that’s going to be okay.”
“I already told you that I have no problem being locked in with you, Paisley. That creepy AI voice is not all that comforting, though. And you mentioned you were going to explain something when you had us sealed in?”
“Yes, we are now sealed in. Basically, the facility will stay on full active and protective mode for as long as I’m alive. If my vitals should ever falter, the facility would close down and all air would be removed. It’s a safety measure, I guess?” She didn’t think it was, but who was she?
“By all that is holy, that is scary.” He muttered a few choice words under his breath, only half of which she understood. “At least I know now what your mother meant about keeping you breathing for my own safety.”
“You know, I’m impressed. So far you’ve accepted everything thrown your way without blinking.”
“So have you. It really was not fair to put you in such a position.”
She shrugged and smiled up at him. “I’m finding it’s not such a hardship.” Which was true. She felt drawn to this man, and for some unfathomable reason she was tempted to reach out and touch him again. Already she was craving his smile. “I think I’m going to have to thank my mother for putting me in this situation.”
“I’ll thank her, too, right after I have strong words with her about putting you in any type of danger. Unacceptable no matter how you look at it to place a civilian into a situation that we all know could blow up at any point. Especially her one and only child.” Shaking his head, he looked down at her with eyes that were pale blue outlined in dark gray. Pretty eyes, and a rather stunning contrast to the dark hair. If not for the dimple in his right cheek, his entire face would be harsh with those cool-colored eyes. “Do I have something on my face? Paisley, you are staring, little one,” he said in amusement.
“I…” Words failed her. There was such an intense draw to him, such a pull, that it ate at her insides. She was aching to be closer to him and she had never felt that before. Ever. “We’re here.” Thank heavens, saved by the ding of the lift’s bell. “Let’s get this stuff moved into storage and I’ll show you around. There are many screens around that you can watch television on, if you want. No communications out, though, sorry. We can receive, just not send.”
“Well, there goes Fintan’s master plan.” At her look, he chuckled. “He sent all the reports I have not yet managed to g
et around to completing. I was supposed to finish them all, forward them to him for sign off and for a friend to wipe the data trail before he submitted them. It also means I don’t have to do them immediately, which is good. The military has way too many and yet they still insist we fill each and every single one of them out.”
“You are going to be bored silly before you know it,” she told him with a grin. “I’m serious. It’s not exactly lots of fun to be down here but I promise I will do whatever I can to help your stay be a good one. I like you, Markus, and don’t want you to regret being here with me.”
“It will be fine,” he assured her. “If boredom does kick in badly enough, I might force myself to do a few at a time. I think we’ll be able to keep one another entertained for the most part, though. Like I said, I’m looking forward to learning more about you.”
Her whole body shivered when he said that the way that he did. She found herself licking her lips and moving so that she was just a bit closer to him.
Chapter Three
Once the hover mover was settled in next to a wall and turned off, Markus pulled the heaviest crate off to poke through it while Paisley stood to the side watching. She’d been correct about what was in it, weapons of all shapes and sizes. She didn’t know exactly what he was doing with them but assumed everything was okay when he shut the lid with a satisfied look on his face.
Bag in hand, he stood up and waved her out of the storage room.
“So, where am I sleeping?”
“Come along, I’ll give you a tour.” Together they walked through the massive space. The rooms were large even by standards above ground, but underground they were cavernous. The colors were soft, calming tones that tended to change depending on the room. The dining room was a soft red while the kitchen had muted yellows and greens to counter the stark silver of the appliances. The halls were a neutral shade of white and the living room was a darker green. She told him about the shelter and showed him where the panic areas were along with the codes to get everything to work, such as the disposal unit and replicator unit. She stopped at a pair of doors and took a breath before telling him, “These are the only bedrooms this close to each other. You can take right or left. I didn’t want to be too far from you, so as long as you are okay with sleeping next door to me?” She wanted to be as close to him as she could get and that was truly weird and she damn well knew it. Just the thought of him being far from her made her ill, and it had nothing to do with her keeping him safe.
Markus stuck his head through a door before pulling back to look at her. He went to look into the other room but returned to the first one. “This one works for me. All that color in the other room would give me nothing but nightmares. Let me grab my bag and then I’ll shower.”
His smile did funny things to her insides as he came back toward her, shouldering his bag. “Is it sonic, or is it water?”
“Water or sonic. The bunker has its own water source.” She watched him as he undid the buttons of his jacket. “There’s a continuous flow of hot water, too, thanks to the springs.” She looked up at him and saw him watching her. There was something in that gaze that had her stomach flipping, her body tightening. She bit her lower lip in reaction to seeing him just undoing a couple of buttons of his jacket.
“Excellent,” he said, shrugging out of his jacket. “Then it will be water. It’s been too long since I’ve enjoyed one. We have a weekly allotment on the destroyer but I rarely use mine. It’s quicker and more efficient to use the sonic feature to give me more time to sleep when I have that opportunity.”
“I couldn’t imagine being on board a starship and not having access to something as simple as water.” She moved just a step closer to him, reaching automatically for the jacket he was setting down before she even realized what she was doing. Her fingers brushed against his and she froze.
She heard the indrawn breath from the man, and his hand closed over hers. The sensations that moved from her fingertips made their way to her heart and soul, making her lick her lips. She watched as his gaze moved to her mouth, as if he wanted to devour her where she stood.
She shook herself out of the trance she seemed to be in. “Uh, I’ll just hang this up for you…” she stammered, quickly pulling her hand back. She walked out of the room, rattled but smiling. She was happy and that was truly something she hadn’t expected. She had thought she was going to hate this duty but she loved it so far.
Chapter Four
Hanging the towel on the rack after he finished drying off, Markus quickly dressed in civilian clothing. Since he was not on the destroyer, he had brought civvies for his stay mostly. It felt a little odd not to be dressing in his uniform; he practically lived in one even during his downtime on their home world, but he only had a couple clean ones with him, should they be required.
Once dressed he returned to the bedroom to unpack his bag into a dresser. They had weapons, and the bunker was definitely secure. He had to give the marshal props for that.
He headed for the kitchen area once he had things put away to find Paisley. Markus could smell something coming from that direction. It smelled good, whatever it might be. Not as good as Paisley had smelled when he’d held her close, but it would do in the interim.
He already knew she was his other half. He’d felt the pull to her the moment he had seen her in her mother’s office. And when they’d stepped into that tube and he’d touched her it was cemented in his mind just who and what she was to him. The missing part to completing him and removing the vague emptiness that existed within him. Like all Craegins born, there was always another individual out there in their territory who held that missing piece. It was the ceremony, the act of making love together, that completed the bonding or as they called it, Krathle-tri Vox, the Catching of Souls.
Her back was to him when he entered the kitchen. She was humming to herself. It was soft, and he only caught the occasional note, but it sounded vaguely familiar. Soothing. Moving in closer, he stayed back out of range when he noticed she had a knife in hand to chop up vegetables. No way was he going to startle someone with a blade in hand. She may not be military trained, but everyone had that basic instinct to protect themselves when startled by spinning to face the “threat.”
He cleared his throat to get her attention.
Paisley turned and grinned at him, and he felt his gut tighten. Damn, he could become accustomed to her smile. “Hey.” She set down the utensils she was working with and approached him. “Did the shower help you feel better?” He couldn’t help but notice the way her gaze skimmed down his body. He liked that she noticed him and that he affected her as much as she affected him. “I hope you’re hungry. Food will be ready soon.”
“Starving,” he told her. Markus moved in closer to her and peered over her shoulder. “Looks good. Anything I can do to help?”
“If you will just grab the drinks that I have in the cooler, that would be great. The plates are already out. The cooler is to your left. You can’t miss it.”
“I can do that,” he said. Following her directions and the pointed finger, he found the cooler tucked in among the cabinets. After finding out what she wanted, he took the drinks to the table. Then because he had nothing else to do he sat down at the table to watch her while she worked. She had a grace to her that pulled his interest back and had his body humming happily in anticipation. Paisley had long, flowing red hair that she kept pushing out of her face. Tiny freckles dotted her shoulders, teasing him, making him want to look under her shirt to see if the freckles went further than just her shoulders.
Unable to sit still any longer, he got up to help her. They spent the time cooking, talking, and getting to know each other. From time to time they would brush against each other, their hands touching and both of them looking at each other as if they had felt something. He had, but he didn’t know if she had.
Once they had finished with their meal, both of them moved into the living space.
She glanced at the chair beside
the sofa, hesitating for a moment before she settled onto the sofa with him. Then she flipped on the screen, which took up most of the wall, with a small handheld remote. There before them was now a peaceful ocean view.
How much should he share with her? He wasn’t certain if he even should tell her that he felt something for her, because of the danger that he was in just from him being him. He wanted to. He wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her delicious-looking pink lips, but it wouldn’t be fair to her because it would bring her into danger, and while he was certain he could protect himself, he wasn’t sure that he would be able to keep her safe at all times as well.
She surprised him when she said, “I want to know more about you, Markus. Tell me about life on board a starship, please? I’ve never left the planet. I have this thing with flying, so I stay close to home.”
She was so cute. She had a thing with flying? That was certainly interesting. “Sometimes it’s hard to find a moment for yourself,” he told her. “I would go into the zero gravity area just so that I could have some time to think without listening to others constantly coming to me for this or that.”
“It sounds a little oppressive.”
“It’s not. I loved what I did because I believed in it. I loved being in the air and doing what I did because it meant that I was making a difference. I fought for our people because it was what I was born to do. I just didn’t know the extent of it.”
“And now you have me here with you. I’m here as part of keeping you out of the skies. You must really hate me.”
