Whatever the cause, it didn’t keep them from punishing him for his failure. They reserved the pulse for special occasions because it was so damaging. More often they relied on old-fashioned beatings or various forms of torture. But every broken bone, every gaping wound, was worth it as long as Rebecca was safe. Besides, each night when he woke up in his own bed, only a few minutes had elapsed on Earth and his injuries were mended. The only evidence of his punishments was a vivid memory of the pain. No wonder nobody believed him.
He thought he’d won, had outsmarted the Evonti. What a fool. He soon learned that he wasn’t the only one capable of creativity. When torturing him didn’t result in a child, they used his implants in ways Jim hadn’t realized they functioned. They spiked his emotions whenever he was with Rebecca, making him lash out in progressively more violent ways. He found himself hurting the one person he’d endured hell to protect. It still made him sick to think about the things he’d done to her while inside he was screaming.
If she hadn’t managed to escape, he’d be abusing her still.
With what little remained of his sanity, he pushed away the past and shook his head in an effort to clear it. Maybe if he intentionally failed, Abaddon would finally end this. Jim’s heart sank and hopelessness spread through his being. Abaddon was much too cruel for that, and much too desperate to please the guiding council. The Evonti didn’t tolerate failure from anyone. There was a device implanted in their wrist that instantaneously vaporized their body. It could be triggered remotely by any member of the guiding council. The Evonti operative was also expected to use the device if they were about to be captured. Their secrets must be protected at all costs.
Jim envied the option. The situation was different for him. If he failed now, Abaddon would doubtlessly kill him, make him suffer for days before he finally allowed him to breathe his last. Then Jim would have one blissful moment of peace believing it was over.
And then he would wake up unharmed in his bed.
* * * * *
Unwilling to be distracted by the attractiveness of her nemesis, Rebecca looked around the ship onto which Sedrik had carried her—over his shoulder like a sack of grain no less! She would never forgive him for that indignity. Who did he think he was anyway? She hadn’t asked for his protection, certainly hadn’t encouraged his ridiculous obsession. Memories flooded her mind, branding her a liar. She had encouraged him. She’d asked him to kiss her and she’d allowed an intimate mind-to-mind exchange that showed him areas of her life she’d never shared with anyone.
Worse, the transfer link had showed her the person hidden behind his “commander” face. Anyone could see he was a fierce warrior, but Sedrik was so much more. He was brave and loyal, caring and selfless. Family was extremely important to him. He would do anything for his brothers. Even Arton, who had rejected Sedrik and the rest of the Lux brood, would be defended and supported if the need arose. Sedrik longed for the rare and precious bond his parents shared. He’d grown up surrounded by affection and intimacy. Now he wanted to establish a similar relationship for himself. And who could blame him. His parents’ relationship appeared nearly ideal.
Now that she thought about it, Sedrik possessed many, if not most, of the characteristics she admired and longed for in a life partner. Basically, Sedrik was everything Jim was not. Sedrik would never intentionally hurt her and he would punish severely anyone foolish enough to attempt her harm. He promised to protect her, and they weren’t just hollow words. He would fight to the death rather than allow anyone to endanger her.
That includes you, her inner voice reminded.
Annoyed by the reprimand, she pushed all thoughts of Sedrik from her mind and tried to analyze her surroundings. This ship was larger than a shuttle, yet much smaller than most of the battle born ships. There were two Rodyte males in the cockpit and she’d seen several others pass by in an adjacent corridor. The area she and Sedrik occupied could seat eight, so she wasn’t sure how many people were on board, maybe ten or twelve.
The ship vibrated for a moment as it took off, then smoothed out and became virtually silent. How long would it take to reach the Triumphant? What sort of a ship did Sedrik command? Curiosity was killing her, but she refused to ask. She wasn’t speaking to her obnoxious potential mate right now. Why should she? He thought she was “irrational”.
“How long do you intend to pout?” A hint of amusement threaded through his deep voice. “I won’t bother trying to engage you until you’ve fully indulged this sulk.”
Her gaze shot back to him, even though she’d intended to ignore him. “I’m not sulking. I’m angry, and I have every right to be.”
“Fine. Be angry, but please explain your plan to me. You were heading north rather than west, so I presume you weren’t going to attempt to find the triangulated target on your own.”
“Well, you’d be wrong.” She raised her chin, more than happy to point out his misconception. “Transportation is a little more complicated when one is restricted by roads. I was heading north so I could connect with the interstate that would have taken me closest to my destination, which was the triangulated area, by the way.”
He nodded once acknowledging her answer, then asked, “Then what? You have no weapon and the transport disk won’t reset for many hours. What would you have done if you encountered Jim or his men, or worse yet, Abaddon?”
“First of all, I did have a weapon. I keep several hidden in the car, along with food and a change of clothing. It’s my primary getaway vehicle after all.”
“Are you aware that it’s shielded, likely by some sort of Evonti tech?”
“It’s not the car. It’s the transport disk, but yes I was aware of the effect. Why the hell do you think I wanted it back so badly?” She rolled her eyes, hating that he’d turned her into a sarcastic teen again. “Give me credit for a little foresight. How do you think I’ve avoided Jim and his goons all this time?”
“All right, you were better prepared for your ‘getaway’ than I’d first thought. Explain the rest. What would you have done when, and if, you found what they’re targeting?”
“That depends on what I found at the location. You’re a military man. Surely you’ve heard of reconnaissance.” His lips twitched until he pressed them together. Was he fighting back a smile? She looked into his purple-ringed eyes and confirmed her suspicion. He was laughing at her. “I’m glad you find it funny. This is only my life.”
He released his safety straps and moved across the aisle, sitting down beside her. “I don’t find any of this funny. I take your well-being very seriously. But you are utterly adorable when you’re angry. You make it impossible not to smile.”
The jerk reached over and took her hand, carefully entwining their fingers. She stared at their hands, captivated by the contrast. His skin was several shades darker than hers with a bronzish gold cast, and his fingers were so much longer, they nearly encompassed her hand.
“I don’t want to fight with you,” he said after a long pause. “And I don’t want to worry that you’re going to plot an escape every time I turn my back. Will you promise not to run away again, so I can treat you like a guest not a prisoner?”
Had he just admitted she was his prisoner? She looked into his eyes, searching their expressive depths. “Will you promise to release me if I ask you to?”
He tensed, his fingers subtly tightening around hers. “Are you asking?”
“Not right now, but it doesn’t really matter what you call me. If I’m not free to leave, if and when I want to, I am your prisoner.”
His eyes closed as he slowly exhaled. Did he really find her so exasperating? “Yes,” he finally said. He opened his eyes and looked at her, his voice entirely serious. “If you want to leave, I’ll let you go. However, I reserve the right to protect you.”
She yanked her hand out of his. “Which means what? You’ll turn from tyrant to stalker?”
His lips pressed into a disapproving line. “I am not a tyrant. I have been incredi
bly patient with you.”
“Patient?” Her voice naturally rose when her emotions escalated, so she forced her tone to come back down. “We’ve known each other less than twenty-four hours. Think back on all the things you pressured me to do. I wouldn’t call that patient.”
He turned his head and stared straight ahead as he spoke in a menacing growl. “As I recall, you asked what could be done to back off the urgency, so I showed you. I also remember you instigating our most recent kiss.”
“Yeah right, I pressured you.” She let out a harsh, hollow laugh. The truth in his words was seriously annoying. “Besides, I wasn’t just talking about all that. I meant the transfer link and—just forget I brought it up. It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it matters. Everything about you matters.”
She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the chair back. If he started the “you’re my mate and I’ll take care of you” crap, she would scream. “So what’s your plan, Commander? If mine was so unacceptable, what do you intend to do with me?”
He made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a cough. “Those are two very different questions.”
The sensuality in his tone, revealed her error. She opened her eyes and shot him an impatient glower. “Is seduction the only strategy you have? What happens when the pull burns itself out? If passion is our only common ground, there is no hope for this relationship.”
He started to say something then shook his head and went back to staring straight ahead.
His reticence was fine with her. She had nothing to say to him anyway. She was tired of running and he offered a place to hide, to recharge and make new plans. That was all this was, a rest stop. She had no interest in anything else.
The thoughts sounded hollow and insincere, even in her own mind. She was interested in Sedrik. She was just too much of a coward to admit it. The fairytale ending he promised was the sort of thing she’d longed for in her youth. Then Jim entered her life and shattered all her illusions of happily ever after. Jim was cold, hard, hurtful reality. Sedrik was a dream, a sweet and passionate dream, but still a dream.
They sat in tense silence for a long time, Rebecca lost in thought.
Then Sedrik glanced into the cockpit and muttered, “We’re almost there.”
Rebecca leaned forward, looking past Sedrik. Their seats were separated from the cockpit by a half-wall, but they could still see the panoramic display. A massive spaceport or outpost filled the screen in front of the pilot and navigator. Row upon row of landing or maintenance bays were stacked one on top of the other. She could see at least six levels, but the facility extended far beyond the range of the display. Whatever this was, it was enormous.
“Is that Lunar Nine?” She’d heard that the Rodyte outpost was inside the moon, not floating in space.
“No.” He glanced at her, his expression unreadable. “That’s…something else.”
More Rodyte secrets? She refused to ask what he meant. She wouldn’t be here long enough to care. Instead, she asked, “How big is the outpost?”
The pilot must have heard the question because he said, “Let me see if I can zoom out far enough to show you.” The image on the screen smoothly decreased in magnification. More and more of the outpost became visible, but the image still filled the display. “Sorry, doll, that’s as far back as I can get.”
“Thanks for trying.” The decks blurred, there were so many. And the levels stretched off into the distance. Did the U.S. government know this thing was up here? It was easily larger than some U.S. cities. Had the Rodytes built this monstrosity here or flown it in from their star system?
The screen magnification returned to normal as the pilot maneuvered into one of the landing bays. Sedrik unfastened his safety restraints and stood.
It took Rebecca a moment to figure out how to release the buckles, but she stood as well.
The pilot walked out of the cockpit, a crooked smile bowing his lips. He was a few inches taller than Sedrik, with movie star perfect features and glittering silver phitons. “My brother would like an update as soon as possible.”
Sedrik nodded, seeming none too pleased by the request.
The pilot stuck out his hand, his silver-ringed gaze moving over her face. “Zilor Nox.”
“Rebecca Dayton.” She shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Zilor walked past her and activated the hatch through which she and Sedrik had entered. Zilor motioned toward the opening. “Don’t mean to be rude, but Garin gave us another assignment.”
“Don’t go away mad, just go away?” She found herself smiling despite her brooding companion. Zilor’s boyish grin was hard to resist.
“Exactly.”
“After you.” Sedrik swept his arm toward the hatchway, then paused and looked back at Zilor. “I need those coordinates. Transmit them to my private workstation.”
“No problem.”
She climbed down the steep stairs and paused to look around. From outside, the bays appeared to be individual compartments, but actually the entire level was one open space. She was surrounded by ships of every size and shape imaginable. Uniformed workers walked along the center aisle, each seeming to have a specific purpose. Hover carts of tools and cargo floated beside, or in some cases, were pushed by workers creating a tangible buzz of activity.
Zilor closed the hatch and Sedrik led her toward the center walkway.
“Coordinates to what?” she asked. She didn’t really care. It just felt like they’d been telling secrets and she felt left out.
“The cave, hopefully.”
She looked up at him, but didn’t stop walking. “How did he get coordinates to the cave?”
He shot her a challenging look, but said nothing.
They headed for the exit at the far end of the cavernous room as Zilor flew off on his new mission.
“Which ship is yours?” She motioned to the assortment surrounding them.
Sedrik looked at her and a certain gleam came into his dark eyes.
Before he could respond, a tall, lanky man approached them and spoke to Sedrik in rapid Rodyte. At least, she presumed the language was Rodyte. Sedrik responded in the same language and the man departed.
She was about to repeat her question when she noticed that every worker they passed greeted Sedrik with obvious deference and used the same word. It sounded like fare-tor or fare-ee-tor.
They reached the exit and moved out into the corridor, which seemed strangely quiet after the bustling activity, and roaring engines. “What does fare-ee-tor mean?”
His gaze shot to hers and a smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “It’s my title, pferitor.”
Was Sedrik in charge of ships’ maintenance on this outpost? Why did every person they pass feel the need to acknowledge him?
When he said nothing more, it made her even more curious. “I thought you commanded one of the spaceships. Where is the Triumphant?”
His smile broadened, momentarily flashing even white teeth. “This is the Triumphant.” He made a bland gesture, indicating their surroundings. “This class of ship is known as a movable base or tactical outpost.”
“You command this entire outpost?” A facility so large it was almost impossible to see all at once? Tension knotted her stomach as the implications began to sink in. “What’s the human equivalent of your title?”
He kept walking, which only allowed her to see his rugged profile. “The computer translates it as general. I don’t command one ship. I command the entire Earth-space fleet. The Triumphant is my base of operations.”
Her steps faltered and she pressed her hand over her pounding heart. She’d attracted the attention of a freaking general? “How many ships are in Earth-space? How many soldiers?”
He paused, waiting for her to catch up. “Just like the cave’s coordinates, those are not facts I’m comfortable sharing with a potential enemy.”
She glared in response and they continued on their way. They took an elevator up several decks.
The clear front wall gave her a spectacular view of the launch deck below. Unlike the arrival area, this section of the outpost housed identical ships arranged in precise rows. There had to be at least two hundred battle born fighters, and she suspected this launch deck was one of many.
They followed a wide corridor until it branched off in opposite directions. He indicated that they needed to go right and she silently complied. Now the hallway felt more like a hotel than a spaceport. Staggered doorways marched along on either side. The distance between the doors was consistent for a while, but grew farther apart as they progressed down the hallway.
“Where are you taking me?”
He glanced at her but said nothing. They reached another intersection and he pointed to the right. At the end of the short corridor was a double-doored entrance. This was the only room with two doors.
“What is this?” she persisted.
“My quarters. There are well over six thousand Rodyte males on this ship and you are as yet unclaimed. As with everything I do, this is for your protection.”
He’d only confirmed what she’d deduced, so she wasn’t surprised. That didn’t keep her from rebelling. “Fine. I’ll stay in your quarters, but where will you stay? I will not share a bedroom with you.”
He made an impatient sound and scanned open the door.
Knowing the fight had just begun, she moved past him and into the spacious suite of rooms. She looked around, trying to decide how vehemently she wanted to defend her position. She heard the door close and looked over her shoulder. Sedrik hadn’t even followed her into the room.
* * * * *
Fists clenched against his smoldering anger, Sedrik stalked down the corridor.
I will not share a bedroom with you. Rebecca’s hateful words echoed through his mind, mocking his attempts to deescalate the situation. Clearly, she was determined to fight with him, so it was better to give her some space. He’d paused long enough to set the lavatory’s door to motion detection and to lock the cabin’s outer doors before he headed for main medical. All of the technology in his quarters only responded to his voice, so she shouldn’t be able to cause too much trouble.
Triumphant (Battle Born Book 14) Page 11
