Fantastic. With nothing else to do, Fenton redressed and moved into the other room to check on the pod. The glow from the bioluminescent stasis chamber lit the suite in a soft pulsing blue light. He touched the smooth surface, checked the readouts, anything to stall the miasma of thoughts swirling in his head.
Alison was upset with him. Again. He was beginning to see a pattern to her behavior. They didn’t communicate well, their species or perhaps even their genders too different to reach a compromise. She hid things; he’d ask for the truth, she’d distract him with sex. Not that it was difficult, since he wanted her endlessly. Their carnal relations would escalate, but just when he thought she’d lowered her guard, she resurrected the walls at light speed. Almost as if she was afraid to let him in.
She’d risked her life for him. That had to count for something. Perhaps he just hoped it did, hoped that he was getting through to her and she was as affected by him as he was by her.
The ship’s proximity alarm let out a warning blare. Fenton rushed back to the controls, just as Alison emerged from the bathroom.
“What is it?” she asked. “An asteroid?”
He checked the readouts. “It looks like a ship. How do I disengage the autopilot?”
She moved to his side, showed him the sequence. “Should we hail them?”
The shuttle shook violently. Fenton threw his arms out to brace himself against either side of the wall, with Alison wedged between the console and his body. “What’s happening?”
Her fingers flew over the controls. “They’ve locked onto us with a magnetic web. They’re pulling us aboard.”
His heart beat against his rib cage. “Do you have any idea who they are?”
She turned to look up at him just as a bright light emanated from the docking bay, casting her features into shadow. “This isn’t my sector of space. I don’t know the rules any more than you do.”
His throat had gone dry. “Pirates, perhaps. Or military patrollers. Regardless, don’t use my name or mention Hosta or the assassin. If they ask, we’re just a couple out for a pleasure cruise who got lost.”
“What if they try to return us to the pleasure cruiser? The assassin might still be there.” She cracked her knuckles and he noticed her hands were shaking, the only sign of fear she allowed herself to show.
He took her hands in his, brought them to his lips. “Trust me?”
Her head bobbed just as the ship scraped along the metal decking and ground to an earsplitting halt. The doors were pried open in a shower of sparks, rendering their craft useless for further space travel.
Sure to keep Alison safely behind him, Fenton blocked her body with his own as the door became nothing but a gaping hole. At the last minute he realized the chamber containing the pod was still unsealed. He shifted, ready to bolt for it, but a hooded figure appeared in the doorway, weapon aimed at his center mass.
The phase split took hold but Fenton fought the urge. Alison needed him to keep himself together in every sense of the word. “We appreciate the rescue.”
The armed invader moved closer. “Name, cargo, destination.”
“My name is Axe and this is my mate, Lorna. This is a passenger shuttle from the cruise ship docking code 4587. We were out for a recreational star voyage and got turned around. Thank you for the rescue.”
Alison nodded mutely, her eyes wide and trained on the sharp-bladed staff the newcomer carried.
The hooded figure didn’t move and Fenton waited patiently. He’d played enough demjong to know that half of selling a bluff was outwaiting the other players. Alison’s breathing was shaky, but her response could easily be construed as a distraught woman having a weapon pointed at her for the first time in her life.
“I wasn’t addressing you, breeder. Lie facedown on the floor.” The voice was soft but rang with command.
Fenton wondered if he’d overpaid for his translation chip because the words made no sense. “Could you repeat that?”
An energy beam leapt from the muzzle of the stranger’s weapon. Fenton dove to protect Alison, knocking her to the floor, but the beam curled like the lash from a whip and connected with his back. He hissed in pain as an acid-like substance burned through the fabric of his shirt and seared the flesh below.
“Stay down, breeder.” A small booted foot pressed down on the back of his neck, even as a hand reached out for Alison. “Are you injured, mistress?”
Her eyes filled with confusion as she looked from the hand to him and back. “Release my companion.”
“He didn’t show the proper deference to a patroller.” The foot on his neck didn’t budge.
“We didn’t know who you were,” Alison replied, though she was careful to keep her tone soft and undemanding. “Please, he’s hurt.”
The patroller pushed the cowl back, displaying a feminine face shaded orange. Her hair was a deeper hue of the same color and her eyes were emerald green. “He’ll heal. This breeder is insolent and ignorant of our customs. Pain will teach him his place.”
Fenton closed his eyes, trying to will away the burning on his back and holding himself together. Obviously they’d stumbled into a matriarchal society of some sort. Though it chafed, he’d have to rely on Alison to get them out of this. Any move he made would only result in further lessons and his flesh had been marred enough for one lifetime.
“Where is the third life form we detected?” the patroller asked.
Alison frowned. “It’s just the two of us.”
“Our scans clearly identified three unique life forms.”
No. This was not how Fenton wanted her to find out about his cargo. He should have told her earlier, prepared her so she didn’t end up blindsided. Ignorance would get them killed.
Risking the patroller’s ire, he made a sound of pain to attract Alison’s notice. When she looked to his face he cut his gaze to the door to the other chamber, hoping her human eyes could see the small movement. Her lips parted and he could see the question written on her face.
“Through there,” she mumbled.
The patroller gestured with her head. “Open it.”
Alison swallowed and backed toward the door. Removing what looked to be a master override key from the pocket of her dress, she held it over the scanner. Of course, he’d wondered how she’d escaped the room earlier. She must have lifted the override from the server. Clever minx. It wouldn’t have worked if he’d remembered to seal the chamber with his personal passcode, but his oversight worked in their favor.
The doorway opened and he heard the steady thrumming from the stasis chamber. Though the pain slowed him up, he phase split around the corner of the door, so the patroller couldn’t see.
“You go first.” The patroller bent down and set a restraining field over his body. The version on the floor couldn’t twitch so much as an eyelash. “He is undamaged and will remain so as long as there aren’t any surprises.”
Quickly, Fenton skirted the areas visible from the doorway and moved to the pod. His hands shook as he tapped in the master code to start the regeneration process. The circumstances were less than ideal, but if someone attempted to open the pod without starting the resurrect sequence Ari could die.
He was her protector, her only living relative. Fenton just hoped he would prove to be enough.
11
Alison crept into Fenton’s secret room, wondering what she would find. Life signs could mean anything from bacteria to a giant, genetically mutated monster. The bold woman with the chemical whip followed a few yards back. Obviously if there was something large and hungry in here, she was supposed to be its main course. She swallowed, recognizing that she had no choice.
Why hadn’t Fenton told her about his cargo?
Because he doesn’t trust me any more than I trust him, that insidiously snarky inner voice hissed. She couldn’t ignore the truth behind that statement. They both kept secrets, just as she’d suspected. Sure, they’d collided in bed a few times, but that didn’t mean the universe would sudd
enly revolve around them, or that stars would align into a happy picture of forever. They’d been brought together by circumstances, not choice. She couldn’t lose sight of that.
“Move,” the patroller woman ordered, her tone impatient.
“With the power out, I can’t see where I’m going.” Alison spoke softly, not wanting to wake whatever creature lay dormant in the shadows.
“The way is clear up to the pod. Remove the covering and stand aside.”
Her teeth sank into her lower lip as she shuffled forward. Reaching for the pod, she ignored the tremors in her hands as she followed orders. Whatever Fenton had been hiding, it couldn’t be worse than a lash from that awful weapon.
At first the cover didn’t want to budge. The smooth surface pulsated with a blue-green glow, similar to Fenton’s underground lair on Pental. Bioluminescent organism. Perhaps those were the life signs? As far as she knew, the small glowing creatures from the Hosta System were harmless.
But why would he want to bring them all this way? Now more curious than afraid, Alison put her back into it and shoved the lid up. A slow hiss, like steam being released from a pot, sounded, but the air inside was cold, not hot. Waving her hand to clear the icy fog away, Alison peered down into the covering. And nearly fainted.
A baby sprawled on a soft cushion, a little girl. She was alive, her chest rose and fell as she took deep, steady breaths. Her hands were positioned up by her head, her fingers curled, and her knees were bent up. With her eyes closed, she looked human, though Alison was sure she was not. What the hell was Fenton doing with this infant?
A million horrific possibilities came to mind and she felt sick as she considered the fate of this tiny, defenseless child. Ignoring the inner voice that told her he was a decent man who would never harm a child, she sucked in a deep breath. This was her worst nightmare come to life. Powerless and burdened by a child and on the run from a killer with no friends to help her. No resources, only a lover who hid things from her.
Like mother, like daughter.
The baby sighed and Alison knew she couldn’t walk away from the helpless infant. She was invested now. Whatever he’d intended, she’d stop him. This girl needed an advocate, someone who looked after her, put her first. And the poor mite was stuck with her selfish ass.
The patroller moved next to her, weapon trained on the pod. Alison knocked it aside and blocked the child with her body. “Put that thing away, she’s just a baby.”
She expected retaliation, but was stunned when the patroller stowed her weapon.
“Apologies. Had I known you and your breeder had a child in stasis I never would have asked you to open the pod. You should have told me.”
I didn’t know! Alison’s mind screamed. She couldn’t believe the woman’s matter-of-fact attitude. Was this a normal way for people to transport their young? Keeping her outward composure, Alison lifted her chin, falling back on her old fake-it-’tilyou-make-it. Or ’til you can find a way out.
Behind her a soft mewling sound came from the pod. Alison’s heart thundered in her chest as she watched the little being wake up from her interminably long hibernation. Bright blue eyes, so much like Fenton’s, fixed on hers. The baby stretched languidly, and kicked her legs.
“Aren’t you going to pick her up?” the patroller asked with a raised eyebrow. “I’m sure she’s hungry.”
“And I have nothing to feed her,” Alison whispered. Panic settled on her shoulders, the weight of responsibility pinning her down. This little one needed everything and was looking at her to provide it.
“Bring her to my ship. We are well stocked. How old is she?”
Having had no experience with children other than a few hours with her nephew, Jonah, Alison was far from a baby expert. Especially alien babies. “Um...five months?”
“You don’t know?” The patroller eyeballed her suspiciously.
“She’s not mine, biologically. He acquired her.” The baby made a grunting-type noise and a foul stench filled the room.
The patroller covered her mouth and nose. “Looks like she’s regaining her equilibrium, and all life functions appear normal. I’ll release the breeder to tend to her.”
“I’d appreciate that,” Alison said faintly, gagging from the smell. The little one flailed happily, grinning her toothless smile, obviously proud of her handiwork.
A groan from the other room told her Fenton was still alive. Good, she might want to kill him herself. Rage the likes of which she’d never known unfurled inside her as she watched the little one flail her arms.
“What’s your name, little beauty?” Breathing through her mouth, Alison moved closer to touch the perfect, poreless skin. Even the finest silk wasn’t that smooth.
“Her name is Ari.” Fenton’s voice was tight and laced with pain.
Alison glanced at the doorway, checking to make sure they were alone. The baby—Ari apparently—started to fuss, her mood changing in an instant. “Are we alone?”
“Yes.” Moving forward, Fenton removed the soiled linens from the pod. “Over there by the wall, there’s a bag with her things and a medical kit.”
Alison didn’t move. “What were you going to do with her?”
He met her gaze head-on. “Raise her. She’s my sister’s child, my last living relative.”
She wanted to believe him, but she had so many questions.
“Alison, please. The patroller will be back soon, probably with reinforcements. We need to be ready to move her.”
“Why did you have her in stasis? It seems so cold to transport her like she’s a specimen.”
His jaw clenched. “Gili, her mother, was the one who put her in stasis, right before she died. She thought it was the best way for me to get her off world. I gave her my word that I would protect her daughter from the overlord and anyone else who might harm her. Now please, help me get her ready.”
Alison could accept his explanations. Retrieving the bag, she watched him tend to Ari with the devotion of a loving parent. Even though she should be relieved that he meant the child no harm, her chest ached. Forgiving him for his deceit and for roping her into this mess might be more than she could handle. He hadn’t trusted her, and now she was partly responsible for Ari’s well-being. The thought sickened her.
Next opportunity, she was leaving him in her cosmic dust.
With Ari’s pack strapped to his back and his niece in his arms, Fenton was sure to walk several steps behind Alison, who was escorted by two patrollers off of their busted-up shuttle suite and onto the carrier, showing his supposed subservience. He was her stud and Ari’s nursemaid, and nothing more. It took effort for him to move a little clumsily, hiding his warrior’s gait. Their survival might depend on whether or not he could fool their captors into thinking him harmless.
Alison, of course, knew better. Her concern for Ari warmed him, gave him hope that she would be willing to stay with him, with them. Watching her walk along as stately as a queen, he smiled to himself, knowing her confidence was just a façade, an act she put on for those around her.
He’d seen her at her most vulnerable. And it only served to fuel his lust for her. His craving to know her better grew stronger with every passing second, served to distract him from their surroundings, which was both foolish and dangerous. Crooking his arm, he shifted Ari into a more reclined position as he took in their surroundings.
The ship was older technology, at least three generations removed from the cruise vessel, although here and there he saw signs of patched-in advance tech, possibly stolen or traded from another culture. The job had either been done in a hurry or by someone who just didn’t care if the vessel exploded. Perhaps he could lend a hand with his technical expertise, gain their trust slowly while he and Alison plotted their next move.
Their. As he watched her shapely backside sway with every step, he smiled to himself. He liked the sound of that. His niece fussed and he shifted her back to his shoulder, knowing from experience that she wouldn’t hesitate to le
t him know if she was displeased with an irate bellow.
One of the patrollers pressed a door. “These are your temporary quarters. It is stocked with provisions for you and your child and breeder. Her highness will be with you directly.”
Alison nodded regally, a queen taking her due from a minion, and stepped inside the open doors. Fenton followed with a now squawking Ari. The doors whizzed shut behind them.
There was no furniture to speak of, just mounds of fluffy jewel-toned pillows piled around the room. Alison sank into one nearby. “From one locked bedroom to another. This seethe-universe spiel is so overrated.”
Fenton knelt down on one knee next to her and made a slicing motion with his free hand. Her brows drew down and her lips parted. He kissed her, hard and fast to silence her. Pulling back he looked to the corners of the room then back to her. She nodded once, understanding his message. Someone might be watching.
Ari started to cry in earnest, her face scrunching in displeasure.
Fenton attempted to shift her into Alison’s arms. “Please take her while I prepare her food.” And searched for listening devices.
Panic flared in Alison’s eyes and she whispered, “I don’t know how.”
Fenton hid his surprise. After seeing her defend his helpless niece so vehemently, he thought for sure that she had experience with young ones. “Hold your arms like mine.”
She mimicked his pose, her hands overlapping, arms forming a circle.
Tenderly, he transferred Ari’s slight weight, blankets and all, into Alison’s arms. The smooth fabric of her clothing helped ease her transition, despite the tantrum she threw. Not knowing how any foreign food would impact her freshly reawakened system, Fenton yanked her pack off his back and popped a specially formulated restorative cube into her rosebud mouth.
“Won’t she choke?” Alison watched him warily.
“No, it’s almost like powder, see?” He crumbled another cube easily in his hand. “I have some liquid restorative too, but let’s make sure she doesn’t have any adverse reactions to it.”
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