Stolen
Page 5
“It’s out of my price range,” the musical-voiced alien adds. “And besides, my skills aren’t exactly in piloting. I don’t need top of the line.”
“That’s exactly why you need this ship!” Raspy Voice exclaims, clearly no stranger to the hard sell tactic. “The AI on my ship is top notch. The best available. An infant could fly the thing, no experience needed! The programming does everything for you.”
My heart leaps into my throat. Holy shit. A ship that can be flown without any real experience? It’s as if I’ve stumbled onto a gold mine. This ship is exactly what I need. But how on earth can I get it?
I don’t have any money, and it’s not as if I have any more experience in stealing than I do in piloting spacecraft—and I have a feeling that the penalty for getting caught thieving out here won’t involve being dragged in front of a judge or tried by a jury of my peers.
As I’m trying to collect my thoughts, I hear sudden shouts, voices that sound different from the two aliens that are speaking nearby.
Harsher. Angrier.
The new voices are coming from farther away. A moment later, I hear running footsteps and more yelling, and a pack of five blue-skinned aliens comes charging down the road where I’m standing against the wall, weapons drawn.
I shrink backward as I hear more shouting, and then the sizzling blast of laser-fire, a sound that makes me cringe as I remember the fight aboard the Orkun ship. But the fear lasts only for a second, as I realize that this is my opening. My chance. I’m not sure what caused this fight to break out in the black market docking bay, but in the sudden chaos, hopefully no one on the station will notice a human woman running for one of their ships.
I have one shot to get off this damned planet, and I’m taking it.
As the laser fire bursts through the air, I step away from the wall I was pressed against, ducking my head to make myself a smaller target in case any stray laser fire comes my way. The two aliens I heard speaking are standing next to a sleek gunmetal grey ship, and as the shouts and blasts continue, they duck and run for cover. The brawl on the station is turning more violent by the second.
As the men run away from the ship, I dart toward it, staying low to avoid the blaster fire and keep out of sight. It’s no more than twenty yards away, but the distance feels like miles as I keep my gaze fixed on the ship, my heart in my throat.
Somehow, against all odds, I make it without getting caught in the crossfire of the fight. I run into the ship, and lights go on all around me as I race down the corridors, doubling back twice until I find the cockpit. The ship is big, obviously meant to carry cargo or passengers, and its size is a little intimidating.
I really hope that alien was telling the truth about it being entirely AI piloted, because I sure as shit don’t know how to get this thing off the ground.
“Welcome, Captain.” A bright, cheerful voice fills the cockpit as I dart into it, still stunned by the fact that I made it onboard alive and unnoticed. “How may I guide you today?”
I think frantically. “Is there anyone on board the ship?” I ask, looking around.
“No, Captain. There is only yourself. And me, of course. Everyone else has disembarked.”
The voice is pleasant and confident. It’s like talking to the virtual assistant on my smart phone back on Earth—except she couldn’t fly an entire spaceship.
“Is the ship ready for takeoff?” I sink into the captain’s chair, my heart hammering in my chest. “Are all…” I scramble for the right wording. I don’t know shit about spaceships, but I’ve watched a few movies. “Are the, um, diagnostics fine?”
“I will prepare for launch and update you when all systems have been scanned, Captain.”
“Okay. Um, thanks.”
I tap my nails nervously against the control panel, careful not to tap any buttons as I waiting for the AI to speak again. My entire body is tense and alert, and I keep my ears pricked. At any moment, the ship could fill with hostile aliens, angry that I’m stealing their ship. If that happens, I’ll have no way to fight them off. There might be weapons somewhere on board, but I have no idea where they are.
“Captain, the ship is now ready for takeoff,” the AI says, her calm, pleasant voice filling the space as she returns. “Please let me know how I may assist you.”
“Just… just take off!” I say quickly. “And… do something so that we can’t be followed!”
“Initiating launch. Cloaking device activated. Please standby.”
The next three seconds feel like an eternity, and I grip the armrests of the captain’s chair, my heart thudding hard against my ribs. The ship shudders as it activates beneath me, and I can hear muffled, faraway shouts as we rise off of the docking station. But it’s too late for anyone to stop us. The ship is already engaged, and in a matter of seconds, it launches, shooting out into space as the city of Monri and the planet Wauru grow smaller and smaller behind me.
I sink back into the large seat, gasping with relief.
Holy crap, it actually worked.
I did it. I’m going home.
“Captain, please provide me with a destination,” the AI prompts, her voice smooth and friendly.
I look down at the screen on the console in front of me, hope filling me for the first time in weeks.
“Plot a course for Terra,” I say. “Earth.”
7
Malav
The moment Harper pulls away from me, my first instinct is to go after her. I’ve never felt such arousal for a woman in all of my existence. I’ve felt desire, of course, and I’ve lain with females before, but nothing could have prepared me for the sensation that went through me when my lips touched hers.
I don’t even know why I did it. Why I kissed her. All I know is that one moment she was shoving and shouting at me—for reasons I don’t completely understand—and the next, something inside me snapped.
Why was she so angry? She’s been helping me treat my old injury for weeks. Why should tonight’s incident make her so furious? We’ve argued in the past, but I’ve never seen her so livid. Just as I’ve never felt anything like the rush of lust that made me pull her into my arms.
She was so close to me, the scent of her skin filling my senses, her body nearly touching mine, and then when I almost knocked her down and saved her from falling… I didn’t even think about what I was doing. I only knew that I felt like I would die if I didn’t kiss her.
And she felt it too. I know it. I could read her response in every part of her. She kissed me back with the same hunger that I felt flowing through my veins. That was part of what aroused me so violently—the knowledge that she was aroused too, that she wanted me just as badly.
I feel as if I’m in a daze as she runs from the room. It takes all of my self-control not to drag her back into my arms, to convince her to stay. My cock is iron-hard, aching with unfulfilled lust, and I can feel the desire still racing hotly through my body, my skin pulsing with the need to touch her, to feel her hands on me again.
It occurs to me that she might do something rash, and seconds after she’s bolted out of the door, I manage to shake off some of the fog and follow her. Not to kiss her again, but to make sure she’s safe. That urge to protect her rises up in me, warring with my desire to feel her melt against my body again, and I follow the need to protect, which goes bone deep in me, deeper than any lust ever could.
When I step outside, I see her at the edge of the building, leaning against a nearby wall, and I start to march up to her, intending to scold her for going out into the streets alone and tell her in no uncertain terms to go back to her room. She won’t like it, but maybe that’s for the best. Whatever just flared between us needs to be controlled, and if she’s going to be angry with me, at least it can be for something that’s for her own good.
But before I can take more than a few steps, I see her lift her head and dart down the street, moving furtively. She’s heading north. Toward the black market district.
Krax.
She’s quick. If I weren’t so worried and angry with her, I’d be impressed.
I lose sight of her at least twice as she slips through the shadows, and she’s sneakier than I gave her credit for. I manage to follow her regardless, and my brows draw together as I watch her press herself against a wall briefly, craning her neck as if she’s listening. What is she doing? Why did she come here?
Those are questions I’m planning on demanding answers to once I get her back to our dwelling safely.
I stalk forward, and I’m yards away from her when I hear shouts. A loud clamor rises up, heavy footsteps running toward the docking station that I’ve tracked her to.
Desh. A group of Varthrians bursts into view, and before I can lunge for Harper, a fight breaks out all around me. It’s not focused at me, but I’m caught up in it nonetheless, and I narrowly duck a swinging fist that goes straight for the side of my head.
I feel hands on my shoulders, a scrappy little alien practically climbing me as it shrieks in my ear, and I roar, pivoting and slamming it back into a nearby stack of crates. The crates fall loudly, and the alien loses its grip, claws scratching at my neck as it falls.
Another alien with skin the color of coal shouts in some language my translator implant doesn’t have in its data banks. A stream of words I don’t understand flies out of his mouth as he runs full-tilt at me.
He’s almost as large as I am, and I think I might have damaged his pet, because he looks from the small furry creature that I’ve dislodged back to me and then swings a fist at my chin. I block his blow, sidestepping quickly.
I’m distracted, and it’s not good.
I’ve lost sight of Harper, and she’s all I can think about, not getting out of this godsforsaken brawl. I deliver a solid punch to the alien’s stomach, bringing my knee up to strike him in the groin, and then before he can recover, I deliver another two solid blows to his ribs before kicking him squarely in the small of his back, sending him sprawling onto the fallen crates next to his shrieking pet.
Harper. Where’s Harper?
I look around frantically and finally catch sight of her slinking along the buildings that border the docking station. Then she darts forward, running toward a ship as the two aliens next to it run for cover, shrieking as laser fire bursts out in the fight.
What in the desh is she doing?
My eyes widen as I see her run aboard the vessel, and I flat-out sprint in her direction, suddenly terrified that the doors of the ship will close before I have a chance to follow her.
I barely make it. The moment I charge on board, looking wildly around for her, the door slides shut behind me, the sound of escaping air hissing loudly as the ship compresses. Shouts rise up outside of it, along with the ongoing sounds of the fight, and then the ship rocks beneath me as it begins its launch.
I hear the sounds of other ships outside, and guns firing, but the ship banks to one side, zipping off of the platform with impressive speed before bursting out into space.
Desh! Anger fills me, hot and furious. What in the five hells does she think she’s doing? She can’t just steal a deshing spaceship and rocket off without thinking about the consequences! I can’t believe she’s this stupid.
The thoughts race through my head as I stalk down the corridor, heading straight for the cockpit. I’m going to find her and give her a piece of my mind, and then we’re taking this ship straight back to Monri. Gods only know what kind of trouble I’m going to have to get us out of when we dock again, but I’ll deal with that after I find—
I round a corner and almost run directly into her.
Without thinking, I grab her arms and shove her up against the wall, pinning her with my body as I stare down at her with furious eyes.
“What in all the gods names do you think you’re doing?” I shout, my eyes blazing. “You can’t just steal a deshing ship! You’re going to get us both killed, you foolish, irresponsible Terran!”
She writhes in my grip, struggling to break free, but she’s no match for my strength.
“I’m going home!” she practically spits in my face. “I’m not waiting around for you and your men to earn money for a ship to take me to some other strange place I don’t want to go to! I have a life that I was taken away from, and I’m going to take it back. I don’t need your help, or anyone else’s!”
“Is that so?” I retort, glaring down at her. “You’re just going to fly this ship back to Terra yourself? A girl who didn’t even know spaceships were real a month ago?”
“This ship can fly itself! The alien who owns it said so out loud! So you can fuck right off!” She bucks against me, kicking out at my legs, but I don’t budge. I’ve taken much worse from much bigger opponents.
The problem isn’t keeping her in my grasp. It’s that her writhing body against mine is making me harder than I’ve ever been in my life, lust flaring within me and throbbing through my veins until I’m aching with it. It’s that I both desperately want to kiss her and simultaneously shout at her for putting herself in danger, for risking her life, for doing something that could have made me lose her…
And then, like a puzzle piece sliding into place, it hits me.
A sudden, fierce realization rises up inside me, and I know she feels it too. She must. Her actions back in my room, the way she reacted to my injuries—it all makes sense now.
Like Rose for Tordax, she’s the woman meant to be mine, and I hers.
She is my Irisa. My fated mate.
I freeze in place, my hands tightening on her arms.
This changes everything.
8
Harper
“This ship can fly itself! The alien who owns it said so out loud! So you can fuck right off!”
I kick at his legs, writhing in his grasp as I buck against him, trying anything I can think of to fight him off and get away from him. I’m so furious that I can practically feel smoke coming out of my ears, but Malav doesn’t so much as move. I try to throw my body against his again, but it’s like throwing myself at a brick wall.
A brick wall that’s… aroused? The realization as my hips connect with his goes through me like a shock, as I feel his erection press against me, hard.
He’s panting, his gaze locked on mine, and I’m suddenly newly aware of him all over again, of the tension between us that has nothing to do with our fighting. It only makes me angrier in this moment, because I don’t want to feel this, I don’t want to be sucked under again by my own desire.
I’m mad at him, goddammit.
And then, just as I open my mouth to shout at him again, he freezes in place, his eyes going wide as he stares down at me—as if he’s discovered something shocking, something he never understood before this exact moment.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I yell at him, staring up into those dark green eyes that are fixed on mine as if he’s never seen me before in his life.
To my complete and utter shock, he leans forward, his body pinning mine against the wall harder as he bends his head. His nose brushes against the column of my neck as he breathes me in.
Goose bumps break out on my skin, and my body goes suddenly still. Malav runs his nose up the line of my neck… as if he’s…
Oh my fucking god, he is.
He’s smelling me.
I try to shout at him again, to ask him what the fuck he thinks he’s doing, but I can’t seem to get the words out. Sparks flare across my skin, biting at me with a thousand tiny pinpricks of desire, and I can feel something welling up inside of me, something altogether different from the attraction to him that I’ve been trying to fight off for so long.
He breathes me in again, his lips brushing over the sensitive skin of my throat, and I feel a hot wave
of desire wash over me, just as I feel his hips rock against mine, his cock rigid and pulsing against my thigh.
He might as well be naked, and the sensation of having this man, this… this alien, with all of his bulk and muscle, his bronzed skin and rigid body, pressed against me in these tight quarters is making it impossible for me to think. It’s impossible to do anything but be painfully aware of how turned on I am. I’m more aroused than I’ve ever been in my life, and I have the sudden, powerful urge to beg him to take me right here, right up against this wall.
“What… what do you think you’re doing?” I manage, the words barely making it past my lips. It sounds nothing like it did in my head, more of a pleading gasp than anything else, and I feel a soft rumble pass through Malav as he presses his forehead against the wall, breathing heavily.
When he pulls back and looks down at me, his eyes have lightened, turning the green of fresh spring grass. He’s looking at me almost reverently, as if I’m the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. Then he whispers five words, his voice filling the hall despite its low volume.
“My soul has recognized yours.”
Oh.
Oh, no.
I know exactly what that means.
I remember it clearly from when Rose told us about her and Tordax, because I thought it sounded like some hokey romance bullshit. I thought it was stupid, just a new way for a male to try to get a woman into bed by claiming to have some powerful connection to her. In my experience, men are all the same, and I have no doubt that extends to all species.
I certainly didn’t think it was real, not even when Rose succumbed to Tordax’s advances and fell in love with him. I just assumed the sex was that good, or she really didn’t want to go back to Earth, or some combination of both of those things.
But what I can’t argue with is the feeling that I’ve had since Malav first stumbled and nearly fell outside of his room—a drive to protect him, to take care of him. The same force that made me show up at his fights again and again, unable to tear my gaze away from him. The horrible, unexplainable fear that rose up in me when he was injured in the arena, that transformed into fury when I finally got him alone tonight.