by Laurie Roma
Daimon might have had a rough exterior, but he was fair and kind. He treated everyone with respect, unless they did something not to deserve it. When Mya discovered that he had a sweet tooth, she made sure to bring him something extra special when she and her guards got the crew lunch every day. It was a small way to thank him for his help, and she liked the way his dark eyes lit up in appreciation when he ate whatever she brought him.
Tavius came by the store a few times during the afternoon after Daimon left for the day. He told her he was interested in seeing the progress, but only stayed long enough to fluster her with a few quietly spoken compliments and to make sure she didn’t need anything. She thought Tavius did it simply to drive her crazy. After he accomplished that goal, he’d disappear, only to do it again a few hours later.
He had simply smiled when she’d thanked him for the flower, and every day since, she’d discovered another bloom outside her door. The gift was sweet, but it confused her because she didn’t know what it meant. She’d found a beautiful vase in a store near hers yesterday when she’d gone in to introduce herself to her neighbors. It was important to her to keep the flowers in something that was worthy of their beauty, and the store carried one-of-a-kind glasswork that were pieces of art.
Mya had only spoken to Maddox once after the kiss they’d shared. Actually, he might have spoke to her, but she’d been too overwhelmed by his sudden appearance that it had left her tongue-tied. It was during the second day after the incident when he’d stormed into the shop late in the evening, followed by several servers carrying large trays.
“Eat something,” he’d growled at her.
She hadn’t eaten all day, and somehow he had known that. Mya had glanced over to see the servers uncovering trays of some of her favorite Tarin dishes, and by the time she’d looked back up to thank him, he’d already left.
He seemed to have a really bad habit of doing that.
For some inexplicable reason, Mya had sensed Maddox close by several times over the last few days, even though she hadn’t seen him. The few times she had caught sight of him as she’d been exploring some of the other shops in the pavilion, they had only been brief glances that left her unsatisfied.
Everyone she met in New Vega couldn’t say enough about how wonderful the Adaro brothers were, and with all the stories she heard about them, it just made her want to know more. They cared for their people and kept them safe. Owning New Vega and being the alphas of such a large pack kept the brothers busy, and she couldn’t imagine the weight of responsibility each of them were burdened with. But the strain didn’t show, and she had to admire them for that.
On the third day after the incident, Mya was exhausted and cranky. She still wasn’t sleeping well. She’d tried taking hot baths, counting stars, reading boring histories of the different worlds on her tablet, but nothing seemed to help. If this kept up, she was going to have to take a sleep aid, even though she hated taking medication of any kind.
When she walked into the shop with her guards, Marvin, the head contractor for building Starlight Designs locations, took one look at her and visibly cringed.
“Uh oh. We have an irritated Spartan on our hands.” he called out to the rest of the workers, who all let out a loud collective groan. “Sound the alarm!”
Mya frowned at Marvin, but he just grinned back at her. Marvin had known her since she was a baby. He was a close family friend as well as an employee. He treated her with the respect due her position, but there was enough friendship and familiarity between them that neither of them worried about formality.
“She still isn’t sleeping well,” Ryland said.
Marvin scowled in concern. “Well, go back to bed, girl. Your fathers will kick my ass if they think I’m working you too hard, and I don’t wanna think about what your momma will do to me if she sees how tired you look. You look a little…rough.”
“She’s seen me already, thank you very much, “Mya said dryly. “I had a vid call with her last night. Everyone needs to stop commenting about how damn tired I look.”
“Uh oh, she said ‘damn,’ which means she’s really not feeling well,” Mikal said.
“I hate all of you right now.”
“Which is why you need to go back to your suite.” Marvin rushed to add, “We’re going to be painting over the next few days, so people need to clear out anyway.”
Mya eyed him suspiciously, but she was distracted when the door opened. Daimon strolled in, looking too damn handsome for her own good, and well rested enough to make her envious. His pleasant expression changed into a fierce scowl that made all the workers back up a step. He ignored everyone as he stalked toward Mya. She was startled as he took hold of her chin to forcefully tilt her face up.
“This cannot go on any longer. I refuse to let you work today. You need to rest.”
Irrationally angry by his high-handed tone, she frowned. “Let me? How dare—”
Her words were cut off on a gasp as he wrapped one of his strong arms around her waist and carried her into the back room where they had a little privacy. Ryland started to come in after them, but Daimon turned and growled at him to stay back. Ignoring him, Ryland glanced over at Mya as he stood in the doorway. When she gave him a nod, he backed away and left them alone.
Daimon put her down, but didn’t move away so she had to tilt her head back all the way to look up at him. When he growled at the empty doorway in irritation, she jabbed a finger in his chest. “Stop that. Ryland was just doing his job.”
“He should know it is unwise to challenge me.”
“Challenge you?” Was he kidding?
“Yes,” he snarled. “I told him to stay out.”
“You told him?”
He frowned at her. “Why are you repeating what I say?”
“Because you aren’t making any sense. You can’t just pick me up and carry me off without one of my guards objecting.”
“You are safe with me.”
Mya didn’t know what to think about the offended expression on his face. He obviously didn’t get it. Trying to find the patience to explain, she said, “I know I’m safe with you, but that’s not the point.”
“It is the point,” he growled.
That was it. She poked him in his chest and snapped, “It isn’t. They are my guards. They—” poke, “—don’t—” poke, poke, “—work for you.”
Mya poked him one last time, then winced as her finger started to sting. Poking the damn male in the chest was like jabbing her finger against solid concrete. Daimon scowled down at her, but he was gentle as he flattened her hand against his chest.
“Stop doing that or you’ll hurt yourself.”
She didn’t bother telling him she already had. Distracted by the feel of his hard, warm chest beneath her palm, she wished he wasn’t wearing his dark-brown shirt so she was feeling his bare skin instead. She sighed. “That didn’t hurt you at all, did it?”
“No. You aren’t taking care of yourself,” he accused.
“Hey, wait a—”
“You’re ill, Mya. You have a sickness that some people get when they aren’t used to space travel. Due to the change in gravity, the air pressure, the movement of the vessel, and the lack of sunlight, your body is having a difficult time adjusting. You cannot sleep, you’ll get headaches, mood swings, and your appetite will suffer. It will pass, but you will acclimate quicker if you can sleep more.”
“I’ve tried, damn it,” she insisted.
“Try harder.” He released his hold on her chin to stroke his hand down over her hair. “Little star, you need to rest.”
“Umm…”
Gah! Mya wanted to slam her head against the wall in hopes it would get her brain working again. His gentle touch and the use of the endearment weakened her knees and made it hard to think. He was still holding her hand against his chest, and she could feel the steady beat of his heart pounding beneath her palm. Her gaze trailed down from his eyes to focus on his perfect lips, and she couldn’t help
but wonder what it would be like to feel them pressed against hers.
Daimon let out another low growl. As if he’d read her mind, he leaned down and took her lips with his. He didn’t devour her like Maddox had, but Daimon’s kiss was just as powerful. She melted into him, reveling in the way his mouth seemed to fuse with hers so perfectly. His arms wrapped around her waist again, and he hauled her up against him, holding her tight to his hard body.
Stars, it felt so right to be in his arms. She let out a gasp when she felt the hard ridge of his erection pressing against her stomach. He jerked away from her, releasing her so quickly she stumbled back a step. Unsure what had happened, she whispered his name.
“Leave, Mya. Go rest.”
She flinched as if he’d slapped her. One second he’d been kissing her breathless, and the next he sounded as if he couldn’t wait to get away from her. He obviously regretted touching her, and the rejection stung.
Without saying a word, she left the room.
Head down, Mya walked over to her friends. “I’m going back to my suite now.”
Mikal opened the door for her, and she left the shop. When Pia tried to talk to her, Mya simply shook her head. She couldn’t talk about what happened. Not yet. Before she entered her suite, Mya promised her friends she was going to try to sleep for the rest of the day. She could see the concern in their eyes before she closed her door, shutting them and the rest of the world out.
The tears didn’t begin to fall until she was curled up on her bed. Two of the Adaro brothers had kissed her, and both of them had turned away from her after, leaving her feeling as if she’d done something wrong. Maybe it had been her fault. They could probably sense her interest in them, but she’d never kissed anyone before and didn’t know what to do. Maddox and Daimon were probably sickened by her inexperience.
Mya let herself wallow in self pity for awhile, then she took a long, hot bath. When she started getting a headache, she thought about eating something, but didn’t have the energy or the desire to get up to see what was in the food console. After a few more hours, Mya finally gave in and took a sleep aid.
She woke up the next day feeling groggy and still not quite herself. As she put her wrist unit back on, she noticed she had missed several calls, but didn’t bother to check any of them. She wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. Deciding to avoid going into the shop today, she made a quick decision to work on finishing some of her sample designs.
The warrior line was basically a vest and pants with a matching utility belt, but the design was a combination of Dragon Warrior, Helios, Krytos and Tarin styles all in one, made out of a material she’d never worked with before.
When her brother and friends had been on the planet Tartarus visiting Skylar’s father, Mya convinced them to bring her some of the korogati leather that the Tarins made most of their clothes from. The korogati was similar to a cow, however, the animal was able to camouflage itself by changing its skin to adapt to its surroundings.
After some experimenting, Mya discovered that she could treat the leather with heat and dye in order to bring forth an interesting effect to the material that made it look like it was constantly changing color.
Using the room link, Mya called down to the VIP concierge in order to see if there was a quiet space where she could work that she’d have access to a large sink and counter space. The helpful female immediately told her she could use the private laundry area on the second level that was located a few doors down from the lounge.
After thanking her, Mya collected the things she needed and put them in a large bag with wheels to take with her. She knocked on her guards’ door, and after a brief conversation with them, Mya headed to the laundry room by herself.
The laundry area was large, and exactly what she needed. She laid out all her supplies and got straight to work after she programmed her wrist unit to start playing her favorite music playlist. Despite using gloves, the dyes she used were very strong and stung her hands a little when she was working with the heat element since she also had to massage the ink into the leather to make the color mixture come out properly. Her hands were usually slightly red and a little itchy for a few hours after she finished working. It was irritating, but didn’t hurt much.
Mya was just finishing up with the second garment when she saw someone in the doorway. When she glanced over, her heart stuttered as Maddox walked in. She thought he looked good, and seeing him again made her remember the kiss they’d shared. But he’d walked away and hadn’t really spoken to her since, hadn’t he? And now he stood there looking annoyed with her? Turning back to her work, she tried to pretend he wasn’t there so she wouldn’t start rambling like some lovesick idiot.
Right. She had as much chance of ignoring him as she did taking a ride on a comet.
“What are you doing in here?”
Not answering would be childish, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be a little caustic. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
Mya felt a healthy dose of satisfaction when she could all but feel his irritation. A few seconds later, she was immediately hit with a wave of guilt. It wasn’t his fault he didn’t want her. Besides, she had commandeered a room on his vessel for her own use. Perhaps he was there to complain about that. With that in mind, she removed her gloves and turned off her music.
“Sorry,” she said, turning around to face him. “I asked the concierge if I could use this room. I can be out of here in—”
“What in hellfire have you done to your hands, woman?”
His voice thundered out in a loud boom. His anger surprised her enough to have her blinking at him. She looked down and saw how red her hands were, but she wasn’t shocked by it. Raising them up in front of her, she said, “Oh, this? It’s just the side effect of the dye I use. It will—”
Her words trailed off into a loud squeak as he scooped her up in his arms. She lost her breath as he started running. He carried her as if she weighed nothing. She put her arm around his neck in defense of the jarring motion as he sprinted down the hallway, and simply enjoyed the ride.
“Voice override, Adaro-alpha-one. Open elevator doors!” Like magic, the doors to the elevator immediately slide opened upon his command. He bounded inside, then barked out, “Activate horizontal shift. Priority level, red. Medical unit one. Now!”
“Maddox, this isn’t necessary. Really,” Mya tried to explain as she felt the elevator car moving. “I’m not really hurt. I—”
“Quiet,” he ordered.
She was about to protest again, but the doors of the elevator slid open, directly into a medical unit. Two human men wearing white shirts and pants ran over to meet them.
“We heard the alarm code. What’s her status?”
“She injured her hands. Fix her,” Maddox demanded.
“I’m fine,” Mya said. He was so sweet to worry about her, but she was embarrassed that she’d caused him the hassle of taking her to the med-center. “This always happens when I—”
“Fix her now,” Maddox growled out again, sounding even more furious.
“Yes, Alpha Maddox!”
He obviously terrified the med-techs since they immediately jumped into action to do his bidding. Maddox followed one of the men who led them to a med-bed sectioned off from the rest of the room as the other man ran to get a tray of instruments ready. Mya sighed as Maddox sat her down on the bed. He hovered over her like a dark cloud, his expression grim as he folded his arms across his broad chest.
Mya gave into the urge to roll her eyes as Maddox growled when one of the male med-techs reached for her hands to check them. “You told him to fix me, remember?”
“I changed my mind. Where is Dr. Deveaux?”
“Right here,” a stunning redhead said as she walked over to join them. One brow rose as she met Maddox’s glare. “Scaring my staff again, Alpha?”
Maddox just grunted, then he jerked his head in Mya’s direction. “Heal her.”
Dr. Deveaux turned away from him and
smiled at Mya. “Hi. I’m Dr. Devin Deveaux. Can you tell me what happened, then we’ll see about treating your injuries.”
The doctor was warm and friendly, and she listened patiently as Mya explained what had happened. Maddox grew even angrier after hearing her explanation, and Mya was shocked when the doctor ordered Maddox out of the treatment area and he actually left. She could see him pacing the floor just beyond the screen, but appreciated being able to speak to the doctor without him hovering over them.
“I really am fine,” Mya said quietly. “In a few hours, I’ll totally be back to normal.”
Dr. Deveaux nodded thoughtfully. “That may be, but I have a salve that I can put on your hands that will cut that down to a half an hour or so.” She lowered her voice. “Let’s get this taken care of so the big guy out there stops freaking out.”
“I heard that!” Maddox yelled.
Mya bit her lip to hold in her laughter as Devin rolled her eyes, and the two women shared a grin. Feeling slightly silly, she sat quietly as the doctor coated her hands with a pale green gel. Instantly, the thick gel soothed the irritating sting on her hands and left them feeling tingly and cool.
“This salve is made of minerals from Avox, along with aloe and some other excellent healing aids. I suggest you leave it on for about a half an hour. After that, you should be good as new. Actually, your skin will be softer than ever. Some people use this on a regular basis as part of their beauty regiment,” Dr. Deveaux said as she finished wrapping bandages around Mya’s hands.
Mya thanked the doctor for treating her injury and for the jar of the salve she was given to take with her. Before she could get down from the med-bed, Maddox was there, lifting her back into his arms. She thought about protesting, but liked him carrying her too much to bother.
Once they were back in the elevator, Mya sighed as she wrapped her arm around his neck and leaned her head down on his shoulder. They rode back to the second level in silence, but she didn’t mind it. She felt cared for as he cradled her in his strong arms, and was surprised how relaxed she was. Expecting him to put her down when they arrived at the door of her suite, she said, “Thank you, Maddox.”
