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"Five Stars! Although certainly not explicit, the love scenes in this one will get you tingling. The tension between Jaide and Skye never lets up from beginning to end. Autumn Beaudrealt succeeds in plotting a fast-paced, entertaining novel that shows great talent. Her character development is strong, her dialogue is sparkly, and her plot is suspenseful. Even though the ending is somewhat disappointing, I still wanted more. I hope she writes a sequel. Put this one on your "must read" list if you’re a fan of science fiction romance." Scribes World Reviews
"Five Hearts! If you are reading this review, you have access to a computer. If you have a computer, you should go immediately to New Concepts Publishing and download this book. Autumn Dawn's book, Ride the Stars, is a superlative example of why this genre is going nova!" Renee L'Amour, The Romance Studio
“RIDE THE STARS is an amazingly clean blend of science fiction and romance. Dawn's characterization and storytelling mesh perfectly, creating a story that will have you ignoring work, cleaning, kids and meals to finish reading. RIDE THE STARS is an engrossing tale that captures both mind and imagination, and is a definite Must Buy for any lover of futuristic romance.” Sensual Romance Reviews
“This book is both hilarious and heart wrenching. I read it breathlessly, and was impressed by the depth of the characters portrayed. The Draconians are wonderful, and I want one of my very own. This book is a keeper, and when it comes out in paperback, I'll plunk my money down and take two....one to keep and one to addict others with.” Paranormal Romance Reviews
“I found once I started I couldn't stop. Phenomenal!! I became engrossed in your characters ... it was fabulous.” A member of LONR (League of Needy Readers)
“And what a wild ride it was! RIDE THE STARS is a science fiction romance in keeping with the best SFR books around ... and thus begins one of the more tumultuous love affairs ever put into a novel. RIDE THE STARS was a space romp of the first order, lots of fun and a universal blast.” Paranormal Romance Reviews
"Perfect 10! Autumn Dawn returns with yet another resounding success - quite a feat, as this is only her second book. Her specialty is whipping up a story that hits every taste bud, and then topping it off with character development that leaves me astounded and wanting more. This definitely deserves a standing ovation!" Amy Cunningham, Romance Reviews Today
“I enjoyed this story from the beginning. The characters were easy to care for and the alpha males were great. The attraction between the two main characters was immediate and hot. If you enjoy a sci-fi romance with true alpha males I'd recommend reading this book.” Sensual Romance Reviews
“Another winner from this author! Again, as in Ms. Dawn's previous book, the males are alpha, the women are strong and independent, and the relationships are intense. The story line is interesting, and the sex is HOT! I have found a new author to add to my list of favorites.” Sensual Romance Reviews
RIDE THE STARS
By
Autumn Dawn
(c) copyright December 2002, Autumn Beaudreault
Cover art (c) December 2002, Eliza Black
New Concepts Publishing
4729 Humphreys Rd.
Lake Park, GA 31636
www.newconceptspublishing.com
ncp@newconceptspublishing.com
Chapter One
Lunar Base, 2785
Her tea had gone cold.
The control panel beeped. Jaide shot it a look of dislike and closed her eyes.
“Your turn,” she told her companion, Sesame. Arms crossed and feet propped up on a box under the control panel, she continued to half-doze. The flight control computer beeped again, and she cracked a midnight blue eye, nudged the sleeping Sesame none-too-gently with her booted toe.
Sesame came half-awake. “It was my turn last time,” she mumbled. “Don’t try to con me.”
Jaide sent her a dirty look but dropped her feet to the floor and sat up. Her nearly empty cup thumped down on the stool next to the console as she stared at the blinking blue light, not entirely sure what to do with it. Swamp stink; after working for two shifts straight, going on three, she wasn’t entirely sure she could still find her own numb behind without help, let alone run traffic control for the entire base.
Unfortunately, there was no one else.
“Base control,” she snarled into her headset, flipping a toggle like it was a finger. “What do you want?”
Sesame muffled a snort of laughter as a surprised male voice answered doubtfully, “Permission to enter.”
Grumbling, knowing she was being a grouch, Jaide scanned the readouts, looking for nasty surprises. There had been a rash of terrorist takeovers and sabotage lately, and the respective lunar governments had cracked down on safety protocol, even on remote bases such as this one. The regular controller, Rob Jackson, had drilled her ad nauseam on safety procedures, so fortunately she could do it even in her sleep. Heck, if she was stuck up here in the tower any longer, she might be doing just that.
“Great, I’m starting to see things,” Jaide muttered.
Sesame rolled her head to stare at her. “What?”
She squeezed her eyes shut to clear her vision. “I thought I saw an abnormality on the readouts, but it’s not there now.” A quick check of the data revealed nothing.
More animate now, Sesame sat up and double checked her findings. “I don’t see anything.”
The name and registry of the ship was nothing to get excited about, just a run of the mill transport, and a scheduled one at that. Still, the remote possibility of action left Jaide feeling slightly more alert.
“Are we clear, control?” the voice asked again, somewhat impatiently.
“Give me a minute, will you?” she snapped. Her hand reached for the release switch. Something stopped her. Closing her eyes, she debated with herself and opened a channel to security. “Whoever’s on duty, I had a blip on my screen. Might be just sleep deprivation, but I’m covering my butt. Send someone to check it out, would you?” She toggled off, changed her mind and flipped it on again. “And send someone to take over here; we’re no longer competent.”
Static hissed over the wires. “We don’t have anyone qualified here! Everyone’s still too sick to come back on duty. We can’t just dream up more experienced volunteers!”
“Then let them rot outside the doors!” she roared, incensed. “I’m going to bed!” A click of the switch turned off the sputtering protests coming over the wires, another coded open the shield doors. She rolled her neck, popping out the kinks, then rose as the huge doors slid open above her to allow the ship to enter the dim bay. It flowed through the particle field that separated the lunar bay’s breathable air from that of empty space, coming to rest with minimal use of thrusters. The doors sealed shut above it, locking it in the unnaturally still bay. For a moment she stared in appreciative surprise, fatigue fuzzing her brain and making her a trifle stupid. Sleek and black, of military design. Whoever was hitching a ride in that thing had connections.
Then enlightenment dawned, and she swore silently at herself. “That’s not a transport,” she muttered under her breath.
Sesame heard her and glanced out the window. Her oath was even fouler than Jaide’s had been. One agitated hand shoved back the brown hair that had fallen in her eyes. “Another military ship.” Disgusted, she shook her head. “That paranoid governor is wasting his taxpayer’s money, sending another ship to search for saboteurs in this dinky little backwater hole.”
Jaide’s answer was a grim nod. Their visitors had jammed the port’s instruments to gain the element of surprise, just like the last two had done-not that she’d been unfortunate enough to be on duty then. Good thing, too, she thought, snorting softly. Both captains had run riot all over the men who had been. As if anyone on such a small base had the equipment to detect them!
“We’d better go while the getting’s good,” Jaide said, snatching her black suede jacket from the back of her peeling, synthetic leather seat. As soon as she shrugged it on over her black t-shirt, she helped lock down the controls. “I’m not going to take a butt chewing for volunteering my time.”
“Why do I feel like a guilty kid sneaking away from a lecture?” Sesame complained as she searched in the pocket of her brown and white checked shirt. Finding nothing there, she delved into the pocket of the white tank under it. Gum located, she popped the licorice-flavored stick in her mouth, then punched in her own shut down code.
As she finished, Jaide glanced with gritty eyes out the plasglass separating the second story command center from the concrete and steel cavern that was the spaceship parking lot. A sneezing volunteer soldier in brown was already making his somewhat uneven way towards the ship.
A stab of sympathy hit her for the poor volunteer, who obviously suffered from either the beginning or the end of the horrible flu that had practically leveled all personnel in the compound. If he had been in the thick of the illness, he wouldn’t still be stumbling around. Instead, he was one of the walking dead like her, forced to deal with a job better left in the hands of an expert.
With a hiss of compressed air, the ramp opened, smoothing the way for its disembarking passengers.
Sesame and Jaide reached the bottom of the grated steel stairs at almost the same time the guard reached the newcomers. The leader turned his head towards her.
Murky light shivered off his standard issue blast glasses. Not a breath of air stirred his long black coat. Too tired to wonder at someone wearing shades inside a docking bay lit only by emergency lights, she shuffled off to bed.
Skye D’rath glanced at the women making their way out of the echoing docking bay as his captain dealt with the boy soldier. They’d come for Sesame Calais, but it was the woman at her side who drew his attention. At that moment she reached up to free her light brown hair from its tail, causing her jacket to ride up and revealing one of the choicest rear views he’d ever had the privilege of viewing. He couldn’t help but smile as she raked her hands through her hair and secured it back in the band, never noting her appreciative audience.
Faded blue pants hugged athletic legs, showcasing shapely limbs every bit as lovely as her backside. He’d only caught a glimpse of her face as she’d descended the stairs but he’d recognized it from her picture. Jaide Calanarre, Calais’ best friend and business partner.
Returning his attention to the spot faced boy in front of them, he suppressed a smile as his captain asked in his most pleasant tone, “Is there a problem?”
The boy lost two shades of color. “N-no. No, sir. I just need to make a random check of your ship. S-standard policy. Sorry.”
He looked sorry.
“At your convenience.” Nemesis gestured to the ship, encompassing his two crew mates and the spectral glow of white light emanating from above the ramp.
The boy took one look at them and gulped. “Ah, right.”
It was the quickest inspection on record.
Jaide had her hand on the door controls to her room when a gravely voice called, “Sesame Calais.” Already at her own door, Sesame stiffened, then groaned and dropped her head to the door panel with a soft clunk. Jaide heartily agreed. Within seconds of falling on her bed and already fate conspired against them. Resigned, she glanced at the intruders, gulped. “Uh, Ses?”
“Whatever it is, the answer is no,” Sesame mumbled into the cool metal, looking as if she was tempted to fall asleep right there. With a little huff of effort, she straightened up and punched in the security code, not even glancing at her callers. Jaide opened her mouth to warn her, but the leader of the men from the newly arrived starship beat her to the punch.
“It’s about a job.”
Jaide knew how Sesame thought, and she had a good guess what she was doing now. If she didn’t turn around, she wouldn’t see whoever was bothering her, wouldn’t have to deal with another arrogant captain demanding her services. Unacknowledged, the irritant would disappear.
Only it didn’t.
As Sesame stepped over her threshold, so did the man behind her. Men, Jaide corrected herself, slipping in behind the trio and moving just behind her friend. Using Sesame’s body as a screen, she slipped her ever-present blaster from its thigh holster, gripping it with the barrel pointed up. Her eyes fastened on the leader. One wrong move and he’d find himself without a head.
The one on top, if she was feeling nice.
Wearing an expression of extreme annoyance, Sesame turned to boot them out. As the door hissed shut behind them and she got her first look at the invaders, she checked.
‘Bout time, Jaide thought, a touch exasperated. Chill fingers of apprehension tripped up her spine. She just hoped it didn’t come down to a direct confrontation. A ninja master she was not.
Clad in black denim and long coats capable of disguising any number of weapons, their jet hair gleaming with good health, the soldiers stared at them through dark glasses that hid their eyes.
A comforting vision they were not.
Seemingly unimpressed, Sesame crossed her arms and stared up at the menacing leader. “I’m listening.”
“I’m in need of augmentation for my ship,” he informed her in the deep, gravely voice that was his people’s trademark. “You are the best, therefore I require you.”
Jaide’s eyes widened at his audacity. With a great deal of difficultly she clamped her teeth shut against the pointed retort begging to clear her throat. Sesame could handle him better without her interference.
Sesame stifled a jaw popping yawn, fiercely blinked her smarting, blood-shot eyes. “Come back after I’ve had a day or so of sleep, all right? I’m in no mood to discuss—”
“There is nothing to discuss. I understand you have a standard contract. Produce it and I will sign it.” She narrowed her eyes at him, but before she could open her mouth, he whipped off his glasses in a move guaranteed to unnerve and stepped into her space.
For a moment Jaide gaped at his topaz irises. A darted glance at the others, who took the opportunity to remove their own glasses, revealed matching, and very alien, eyes. Draconians!
Jaide didn’t know what these three were doing so far from Antarctica, unless... Rogue warriors? She hoped not, but still...Wariness redoubling, she braced herself for action.
Before Jaide could tip her hand, Sesame reached around and discreetly gripped her arm, telling her silently to wait. She was still in control.
Desperately longing to argue, Jaide deliberately shifted her focus. For the first time she really looked at the others. The first one was a little shorter than his companions, though still quite a looker. His short black hair curled like fleece, yet gleamed with the look of silk. Warm gold lights glinted off the ring in his earlobe, matching the unique amber of his Draconian eyes.
The second...She got no further.
Ruthless topaz eyes with amber facets stared back at her, glowing with an inner fire. Of a height and build with his captain, she couldn’t have said right away why she gaped at him when she should have been watching his boss.
Sure, the alien was sinfully good looking. Unlike the others with their cropped cuts, his midnight hair flowed freely to his shoulders, unbound by any tie. Both his jaw and cheekbones were well defined with masculine strength, yet promisingly sensual. So good looking was he, it took a moment to register his bewitching lips held the slightest of amused curves. With a knowing flick of his magnificent gaze towards her hidden hand he told her he knew of the gun.
Unnerved, she took a half step back, then set her jaw. So he knew. So what?
“I have five captains already standing in line for—”
“I’ll double your fee.”
That got Jaide’s attention. He was talking about a mind boggling amount of money. Even with the generous salary their customers paid them, she never could get used to that kind of cash.
Sesame looked at him, hard. “It’s not pocket change, pal.” His expression didn’t change, and Sesame finally glanced away. Moving towards the desk jammed in the corner of her small living room, she called up the contract on her computer screen, thoughtlessly exposing Jaide and her drawn blaster.
The Draconian didn’t seem surprised. The long haired one’s lips twitched.
Trying not to feel stupid, Jaide returned a cool look and holstered her blaster. After all, it didn’t seem as if she needed to cook anyone just now.
Finished, Sesame moved away from the cheap resin desk, gestured for the leader to inspect it. “Look it over. It’s non-negotiable.” An inclination with her head told Jaide to follow into her room. Without looking at the Draconian, Sesame tossed over her shoulder, “I’m going to get cleaned up.”
With a wary glance at Sesame’s uninvited guests, Jaide followed her into the bedroom and locked the door. Then she unleashed her tongue.
“Are you nuts?” she demanded, following Sesame as the woman grabbed some clean clothes and headed for the shower. “How can you just hop under the spray like there’s not a pack of crazy Dracs in the next room?”
Sesame paused with one hand on the door and gave her a look. “Well, I asked them nicely once, but they just didn’t leave,” she retorted, batting her eyes. Closing the door, she said through the hollow resin, “Besides, I stink.” Jaide heard the water turn on, then Sesame’s moaned, “Oh, yeah. That’s the stuff,” as she presumably ducked under the spray.
Since she’d already snuck away for a fast shower earlier, Jaide had other things on her mind. Shuffling over to the bed, she sat down with her back against the headboard, determined to keep an eye on the door. Sesame might be too tired to care what the Dracs did, but Jaide wasn’t taking any chances.
Sesame’s bedroom was as uninspiring as the rest of her apartment. It was still as un-lived in as the day she’d moved in. Not even a dirty sock marred the serviceable gray flooring, and the walls remained the same boring eggshell white. Even the resin furniture lacked the normal clutter of day-to-day life.
Nothing to distract someone of the mind to take a nap.
An enormous yawn caught her off guard, and she stifled it with her fist. A memory nagged at her as she sat there, trying not to let the mattress lull her into sleep. Something she ought to remember about a certain Draconian captain. Whatever it was refused to crystallize in her burned out brain.
Closing her eyes and making herself comfortable-just for a minute-she reviewed what she did know.
The Dragonlords, as the people of Earth had called them when they’d first crash-landed on the continent of Antarctica, roughly twenty-five years ago, were a touchy bunch. Named for their glowing eyes and rough voices, they’d promptly made camp and declared to the horrified Earth governments that they were there to stay. Their homeworld had become uninhabitable, courtesy of a speeding asteroid the size of a small moon, and their supplies had been totally depleted. Bartering technology for foodstuffs and supplies, they’d set to work, making their commandeered chunk of ice a veritable beehive of alien activity. Reclusive and uninterested in human politics, the Draconians had proven themselves surprisingly good neighbors.
So long as they weren’t riled.
Jaide jerked awake with a start. Grousing at herself for her poor vigilance, she listened hard, just catching the sibilant tones of their uninvited guest’s language coming from the living room.
The shower snapped off.
The last thing she remembered as her eyes drifted shut was Sesame gloating that tomorrow would be soon enough for the Drac to discover that just because he’d signed a contract, didn’t mean she would.
The woman was unforgivably rude.
Skye was not used to waiting on women. None of them were.
He glanced again at the locked door that hid them from view and around at the unadorned walls of the tiny dwelling. The only furniture in the room consisted of the table and booths built into the bare kitchen and the chair in front of the computer desk. There were no windows. According to her files, Sesame hadn’t been here more than two weeks, but still, one would expect more signs of habitation than this.
The faintest haze of electric blue danced at the edge of his vision as he thought of the other woman, Jaide, distracting him with its novelty. It was the first time he could ever remember feeling the remotest desire for a woman not of his own race, and he paused to analyze it. Ever honest with himself, he felt no need for denial, simply strove to understand what was.
True, the woman was attractive, but not outrageously so. Latin looks and perfect skin simply added a touch of mystery. He’d always been partial to taller women; black of hair and large of breast. Jaide Calanarre’s gentle curves and slight height shouldn’t have moved him, yet did.
Perhaps it had something to do with the directness in her gaze, blue as the frigid Atlantic, or the intelligence in her expression. Certainly her courage had impressed him. Not many men dared to stand up to a Draconian, much less women. His lips twitched as he thought about her expression as she was caught holding the blaster. It had been hard not to burst into laughter at her sheepish grimace. It was still difficult to believe such a sweet-faced young woman was capable of shooting anyone.
Yes, she was an intriguing little thing. Still, he wouldn’t have believed himself capable of desiring an alien.
It seemed his tastes were changing.
“Do you think she would dare keep us waiting?” Nemesis asked, glancing at him in irritation.
Skye answered with a humorless smile. “I begin to fear it.” His eyes went back to the sealed door, and he considered it, contemplating the damage to his honor if he were to act on his impatience and go through it. He was not going to knock on it like a servant, he thought with a grimace of distaste. Certainly Nemesis never would. Besides, he had the feeling she wouldn’t open up anyway.
“This is a new thing,” Lore, short of stature but long on humor, quipped. “The dread Captain Spectere and crew, cooling their heels at the pleasure of a woman.” His slightly elongated canines flashed in a wolfish smile as he shook his head at his captain. “Your reputation will suffer.”
Nemesis raised a brow, but before he could reply, Skye added sensibly, “We have no time for pandering to her whims, Nemesis. I say we take the women and go. We have a contract.” His implication that they had the right would likely stand up in court, especially considering their orders.
A slow, roguish smile curved Nemesis’ lips. “Women? Our orders concern only one woman. What would we do with the other one?”
Folding his arms, Skye kept his expression bland as he studied the walls. Wouldn’t his friend love it if he were to make a fool of himself now and admit to an interest in an Earth girl? After years of extolling their virtues to him, of trying to get him to forget his desire to mate with one of the rare Draconian females, wouldn’t Nemesis gloat to know the girl moved him? “The orders did say to get her assistance by any means necessary,” he said in a bored tone. “She might be more complacent if we bring the other. Besides, they are partners.”
Nemesis exchanged smirks with Lore. “Sounds like solid reasoning to me.”
Jaide sighed and flung an arm over her head, snuggling further into the soft mattress. It wasn’t a work day, was it? At the moment she didn’t care. With a sigh of contentment she rolled over, causing a warm puff of air to rise from her downy bedding.
Something settled on her pillow, touched her hair. For a second she froze. Whatever it was, it hadn’t been invited.
With a yell of panic she dived from the bed. Tangled blankets went with her and she landed on a heap on the lushly carpeted floor. Prepared to bolt, she levered up on her arms, pulling her nose out of the blue pile.
Dark, beasty eyes stared back.
Jaide blinked at the lemur in confusion. The wary monkey looked back. What the.…
Powder blue walls trimmed in lavender and plum greeted her bewildered eyes, and she sat up, clutching the fuzzy white blanket over her naked legs.
On the wall directly opposite the bed was a large symbol in black, lined with dark purple and touched with gold. Animal? Vegetable? She couldn’t tell. The room was nice, but it wasn’t hers. Where was she?
The room’s computer terminal, mounted in the wall over a built-in desk, caught her eye, and she squinted at the only source of light. Blast, too far. Relieved to see she still wore her shirt and underwear, she flung the covers off and padded over to the corner and flicked on the desk light to better see the screen.
Sesame’s contract. Signed in an illegible script that might have been Sanskrit, but wasn’t.
Jaide took a deep breath. Roast those Draconians! How could she have slept so deeply? Granted, she hadn’t had much sleep in over two days, but still! Had they just carried her off like a sleeping house cat?
The door opened, admitting the tall Draconian with the wildfire eyes.
His gaze flickered to the bed and then slowly appraised her bare legs and scanty red panties.
For a moment she stood frozen, unused to such blatant male scrutiny. Handsome men did not look at her with fire in their eyes. Hey, most men never looked at her twice. He made her feel...something she had no business feeling. Something that should have been impossible, yet obviously wasn’t.
She’d have to do something about that.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked in the patented gravel tones of his race.
God help her, even his voice was sexy! “No,” Jaide answered, just to let him know her frame of mind. She darted a longing look at the blankets, but that was useless, since he was standing on them.
Those wicked lips twitched. “Your pants are on the seat there.” He nodded to the tapestry chair beside the bed. “I didn’t think you’d be comfortable sleeping in them.”
“How thoughtful of you,” she snapped, snatching her clothes and fumbling them on. She’d never had so much trouble getting into a pair of jeans before, but then, she’d never had an audience.
The Drac crossed his arms, the ever-present hint of a smile in his expression. “I’m Skye, by the way.”
“Well, Skye,” she snipped, itching to slap him for the tremor in her hands, “I hope you’re enjoying the view.”
“Oh, immensely,” he agreed with a slow, wicked smile.
Jaide abandoned her attempts to shame him into good behavior. Her back to him as she fastened the fly of her pants, she said with deliberate bluntness, “I need to use the bathroom.”
“Right this way.” Skye waited until she’d pulled on her socks and steel-toed boots, then led the way into the hall, stopping before a small door. “It’s all yours.”
Checking her watch as she used the facilities, she verified that nearly an entire day had passed while she’d slept blissfully on, unaware of her change in sleeping quarters. That would be one of the first changes around here, because she’d be shot before she shared a bed with Mr. Self Assured out there.
A traitorous flicker of regret sighed through her mind, but she squashed it. Now was not the time to get stupid over a handsome face. Just because he hadn’t pounced yet was no reason to drop her guard. After all, he had helped kidnap her, hadn’t he?
“Are you hungry?” he asked, the moment she opened the door.
Yes, starving, her grateful stomach wanted to answer. Instead she said, “Where’s Sesame?”
Skye shook his head at her bad manners, but led the way to the bridge.
She entered the bridge a bare minute after Sesame. By the way her partner’s eyes were snapping, Jaide knew they were all in for an interesting morning.
Sesame spared one dark look for the stars out the window and planted herself in front of Nemesis’ chair, much to the amusement of his crew. “Just in case you weren’t aware of it, one signature does not a contract make.”
A touch of his hand flicked off the controls on his lap console and it folded back down into the wide arms of his chair. He stood, throwing her off balance with his nearness. He steadied her with a touch to the back of her arm, turned her with him towards his cabin before releasing her. “We can discuss it in my office.” The moment the doors slid open, revealing his office was also his living quarters, she balked.
Jaide took a fast stride in their direction, but Skye’s arm clamped around her middle, pulling her back against the steel of his chest. Body heat soaked through the thin layers between them, burning an awareness through to her unwilling body.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, and for once there was no hint of humor.
Instead of answering, she twisted, intending to grab his shirt and head butt him in the nose. To her surprise it was he who wrapped her pony tail around his wrist, pulling her head back at the perfect angle for a kiss.
“You have some very nasty habits, woman.” He held her there a bare moment, just long enough to establish who was in control. For the length of two breaths his eyes lingered on her lips, causing a prickling tingle to spread over them like sun-warmed honey. Ever so slightly, her muscles relaxed.
His grip on her hair eased, allowing her a little freedom. “No need to look so frightened, girl.” His smile was wry. “I’ve fed this morning.” Nodding at the object of her concern, he said, “Besides, they’ve worked out their differences.”
It was true. Sesame and the captain had come to some agreement while her attention was elsewhere. Temporarily satisfied, she turned her attention to her own situation. Skye still had her welded to his side.
“Don’t touch me, Drac,” she growled, shoving at his arm. With the danger over it gave easily.
Skye’s smile was distinctly unfriendly. “Don’t worry, heartflame, I wouldn’t dream of it.” Challenge glittered in his eyes and his stance spoke of pique. “Though I’m curious what it is you fear. My body?” He cocked his head curiously. “I hate to disappoint you, sweet tempered one, but I don’t need to drag unwilling women to my bed.” Lazy eyes surveyed her with a collector’s detachment. “Besides, I don’t like humans. They’re far too...easy.”
Jaide’s eyes flared at his insult. With her hand on her hip, she gave him a pointed look and shot back, “I doubt you’d know from personal experience, Drac.” She stressed the last, knowing how much the Draconians hated butchered names.
It took a deep breath and a fast scan of the room before he could calm enough to say, “Don’t worry, bonbon. I won’t be testing my theory on you.” With insufferable confidence, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, “It takes a certain amount of stamina to keep up with a Dragonlord. Frankly, bonbon, I doubt you have the drive.” He turned his attention to a computer console, shutting her out.
Stunned speechless, she clenched her fists. Was the man always this infuriating? Unable to summon a proper retort, she turned her back on him.
“I think he likes you.”
Jaide glanced at the other Drac, who eyed her with a speculative light. “Then I pity his enemies.”
His lids lowered. “You should. I’m Lore.” He offered her his hand, which she reflexively took. With a mischievous glance at Skye he turned it over and pressed a naughty kiss to her inner wrist.
“Quadril.” The muscular Draconian sitting next to him offered, nodding his head. He did not kiss her hand.
Business concluded, Sesame strode towards her, the Drac she’d been talking to right behind.
“Come on, Jaide,” she said, “I’m hungry, and that makes me bad tempered. So does lack of sleep and waking up in a bed not my own,” she said with a pointed look at their host. “We’re going to finish this discussion in the galley, over.…” she paused and frowned, looking at her timepiece. “Dinner.”
Their host gave Sesame a cool nod. “Yes. You can sign the contract there as well as anywhere else, and I can tell you what augmentations I require.”
Jaide raised a disbelieving brow but fell in line behind the others just the same. After all, the man had mentioned food, and there was a great empty hollow where her stomach used to be. Still, she was getting tired of thinking of him as the Leader. Since Skye was just in front of her, she asked him, “What’s that guy’s name, anyway?”
He paused in mid-stride.
She didn’t and ran into him, stubbing her tender nose on his hard back. “Ouch!” she yelled, clutching her offended beak. “Be careful!”
“My apologies,” he offered, but an unholy light danced in his unnatural eyes. “Had I known how eager you would be to follow me I would have taken more care.” That dark humor flashed again. “There are not many that do so, you know.” He turned on his heel.
Her brows lowered, but she didn’t question him again until they reached the galley.
Instead, she surveyed the spotless ship. Of Draconian design, the gleaming walls were etched here and there with indecipherable script and broken by cabin doors and an open portal to what appeared to be the infirmary. It was one of the nicer ships she’d seen, and she’d seen more than her share, including some large military cruisers.
Her guide paused before a door and gestured for her to precede him.
The interior was a combination galley-recreation room, and was as immaculate as the rest of the ship. The comfortable chairs and long lavender and blue couch lent it a homey air. A bunch of large, colorful pillows were stacked beside a handsome cabinet of rosy wood inlaid with a lighter honey-colored grain. It was as beautiful as any home, and it had a lived-in look.
The captain gestured to the table and waited until they’d sat down before taking his own seat.
Since Skye was still on his feet, rummaging in the kitchen, Jaide got back up. After all, Sesame didn’t need her help to hash out a contract. Jaide hated paperwork of any kind, and was more than happy to let Sesame handle the details.
Skye looked up in inquiry as Jaide rested her elbows on the counter, watching him expectantly. “I like chicken,” she suggested, just to be annoying.
His brow quirked. “I’ll see what I can do.”
While he rummaged around in the roomy kitchen, she pushed her cuticles back with her nails, tamping down her restlessness. Usually she was the one in the kitchen, doing the cooking. In truth, she preferred it that way. Being at loose ends always made her nervous. For a moment she considered offering to help but didn’t for fear he might misinterpret her interest. The last thing she needed was a return of his flirtatious side.
Law enforcers of any breed weren’t on her list of popular people.
Frustrated with her anxiety, she prowled around the room once and then made herself sit down.
A plate of something looking suspiciously like steaming entrails appeared in front of her. Skye slid onto the bench opposite her with a similar plate. Jaide squinted one eye and looked at the mass of white, sausage-like coils dubiously. “Dare I ask?” A glance at Sesame revealed a similar look of consternation.
Skye saluted her with a decanter and poured a thick black liquid over the mess on his plate, then added a few squirts of a red sauce. “Nalark. Stuffed pasta coils.” He flashed gleaming white teeth with sharp canines at her. “We eat a lot of it here.” With one sweep of his dark lashes he assessed her and held up one hand, palm towards her. “It’s customary for us to give thanks before meals. Will you join me?”
She studied the tanned skin of his wide wrist, eyeing the black stripes that banded his arms to mid-forearm. Another mark of their differences. A slight dusting of black hair covered the natural markings, but the rest of his arm, left bare by the short sleeves of his dark shirt, was no different than any other man’s. Wary but willing to go along for now, she slowly touched her palm to his. The callused skin was warm, the underlying musculature hard. Skye’s long fingers curved slightly, cupping her smaller hand in his.
Warmth prickled in the center of her palm as he said the blessing in his native tongue, stirring something long entombed and hidden from the light.
She snatched her hand away the moment he finished and stowed it in her lap.
Picking up his two pronged fork, he cut off a chunk of...pasta, and put it in his mouth, chewing with relish. Seeing that he didn’t drop dead, Jaide exchanged a wary look with Sesame and reluctantly took up her own silverware. She took an infinitesimal bite. Her eyes widened in surprise. It was good!
Looking smug, Skye handed her the condiments. Not a convert yet, Jaide poured a drop of the black stuff on her finger and tasted it. Dark and salty, with a hint of ginger and smoke. The red sauce was sweet and hot with chilies. Impressed, she added both to her nalark and devoured every coil.
At last replete, she leaned back with a sigh and allowed him to dispose of her plate.
The captain handed Sesame an electronic tablet. She gave it the briefest of glances, then did a double take as the data sunk in. She handed the tablet to Jaide, whose eyes widened as she saw the readout. Without looking up or thinking, she demanded, “What is it with you men and bigger is better? Haven’t you heard it’s not the size of your equipment, but what you can do with it that counts?”
“If you’d ever had bigger, bonbon, you wouldn’t have to ask that.”
She narrowed her eyes at Skye. Choosing to ignore his provocation, she thumped the tablet with the backs of her nails. “Cloaking technology, for a ship this small?” she asked, sending the captain an incredulous look before skimming the tablet again. “A one-eighth increase in velocity, and advanced targeting capabilities?”
He gestured to the tablet. “There’s nothing there that’s beyond you. Most of it’s routine, and the cloaking system isn’t impossible.”
“You have a lot of faith in us,” Sesame retorted.
“The technology’s there,” he answered with a shrug.
Sesame sighed and rubbed the center of her forehead. “I’m trying to outrun notoriety, not court it. If I did do this for you-presuming I could-there wouldn’t be a black hole in the galaxy that I could hide in to escape the hoards chasing me for augmentations. It’s not in my best interests to take this job. Why should I?”
The light in his eyes hardened, darkened. “Because you thrive on challenge, and you know this will excite you. Because I ask it.”
A short laugh escaped her. “And you are....?”
Jaide braced herself. A nasty suspicion crystallized in her mind even as he answered without a flicker of mirth, “Nemesis Spectere.”
Sesame didn’t even blink. “Did your mother name you that?”
Nemesis blinked. Sarcasm was obviously not the reaction he’d been expecting.
And no wonder, Jaide thought, doing her best to hide her trepidation. Men did not mess with Nemesis Spectere. Women grew faint at the sound of his name. They did not stare him in face and cut at him without a flinch.
But then, most women were not Sesame.
Obviously annoyed, he growled, “She’s dead.”
And according to popular lore, by his cannibalistic hand. But Jaide wasn’t going to mention it if he wasn’t. Nor was she going to think about the awful rumors circulating about the rest of his crew. Wishing she’d paid more attention to the newscasts so she might have gleaned their names beforehand, Jaide avoided Skye’s eyes and checked out Sesame’s reaction.
Sesame raised a speculative eyebrow, her gaze slipping down to consider the table for a moment. Then she gave her head a sharp shake. Leaning forward, she laced her hands on the table top and fixed Nemesis with an unblinking stare. “Well, Captain Specter, let me tell you something really scary. You’re about to trust a multimillion dollar, custom built space craft to our hot little hands. We’ll have our itchy fingers all over the guts of this machine, doing God knows what to its innards and fine tuning things that give laymen nightmares. When you sign her over to me for work, she is mine in every way that matters. Are you ready to take that leap of faith with a mechanic who’s butting heads with you?”
Never breaking eye contact, he slid the tablet over to her in a silent dare. “Sign it.”
For a moment she balked, as if realizing she’d painted herself into a corner with her brash dare. Then her jaw tightened and she reached out and spun the contract around with one finger. “We require additional concessions, besides the double pay,” she told him, bringing the tablet to a sudden halt facing her. “We have the right to visit any place we may stop and to take on private cargo of any nature, barring the illegal, within acceptable weight tolerances.”
“You may have an eighth of available cargo space,” he allowed after a moment’s consideration.
“One quarter,” she said, entering it into the contract, “and as much help as we require, when we require it, to complete this job as rapidly as possible. We’ll also require complete access to all related systems, cash up front for supplies upon receipt of parts estimate, and we’re not required to be nice.”
Nemesis laughed. “You’re actually entering that into the contract?”
“Fair warning,” she said without looking up.
That changed as soon as his hand circled her fragile wrist. “Fair warning here as well,” he rumbled softly. “Ultimately you answer to me, Calais. That means if I discover you’ve tampered with things you shouldn’t, or that you’ve compromised my ship in any way, there won’t be enough of your meat left to flush.”
Jaide saw her shiver, but Sesame’s face was perfectly bland when she returned, “Should I enter that into the contract?”
He released her. “Be my guest.”
Jaide growled as she looked down at her borrowed coverall. Even with the arms and legs rolled up it made her look like a mouse in a lion’s skin. “You couldn’t have thought to collect my gear before taking off with me, could you?” she asked, darting a furious glance at Skye. Somehow she just knew this was all his fault. “Next time you’ll have to plan your abductions a little better.” Nothing ticked her off like wearing too large clothes. As a kid all she’d ever had were her mother’s worn-out wardrobe, and it hadn’t been much to start with. Her clothes might not impress the fashion conscious now, but by fire, they fit!
“It’s not that bad,” Sesame said, trying to keep a straight face. Lore’s extra coverall fit her larger frame much better.
Jaide snarled something ugly and quickly shed the baggy outfit, giving it a kick for good measure. “You owe me some clothes, pal,” she snapped at Nemesis, forgetting in her ire that she might have reason to temper her responses. Slinging the tool belt over her favorite pants, she stomped over to the bridge’s weapon’s console.
“You can’t dismantle this panel; I’m using it!” Lore protested.
Jaide ignored the indignant Draconian, preferring to let his captain deal with him while she unsealed the console and had a good look at the circuitry. It didn’t take long. With a grunt of satisfaction, she closed it back up, conferred with Sesame and eyed the captain’s chair. “You want weapon’s control routed to your console or to tactical?”
“Both.”
She grunted again, peered underneath another console, disregarding the surprised Quadril, who was still sitting there, then rose. “Done. Engine room?”
“Just like that?” Nemesis inquired, surprised.
“Engine room?” she demanded again, rocking on her heels with impatience. She could see Sesame’s lips twitching, but she didn’t care. Reminders of past humiliations always inspired her to reckless ire. “This is going to take a lot longer if you want to discuss it in committee, Admiral.” He gave her a warning look but led the way.
Jaide inhaled deeply of the scent of engine fluids and metal. Ahhh...ambrosia. Expert eyes ran over the engine that was twice her height and acted as the ship’s beating heart.
Nothing like a little surgery to bleed off aggression.
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