The excitement of the wormhole faded quickly, especially since it involved a whole bunch of number checking to see where the hell they ended up.

Emma leaned over Rafe’s shoulder as he perused screens scrolling lines of gibberish. “Why is it taking so long? I thought wormholes got us from point A to point B quicker?”

“They do.”

“And don’t you control where you come out?”

“Usually, we would enter at a moderate speed, at a specific angle to ensure we’d exit at the correct spot, spots mapped out over eons by the travelers who’ve gone before us. But given someone was behaving recklessly”—Rafe patted the armrest—“we emerged slightly off course. We should know momentarily our location. We’ve just about matched up the star points.”

The remark surprised her. “You’re relying on constellations? Doesn’t your superior alien collective believe in sign posts?”

His teeth flashed white as he grinned. “Of course we do, but the universe is a rough place. Signposts get misplaced. Especially in remote areas.” And pirates sometimes changed them to fool unsuspecting targets into flying into a trap.

“So we’re lost.”

“Nope, I know exactly where we are, and better news, there is civilization.”

“How civilized?”

He shrugged. “Depends on your definition. It’s a place where we can go in order to refuel and refresh our supplies.”

“A space mall?”

“The proper term is a way station, and if it hasn’t moved or been destroyed, then it’s only a few hours from here.”

“A few hours?” Just enough time for a nap to rid herself of gritty eyes and a wipe down of her parts. “Wake me when we’re close.”

He chose to wake her with a grope under her blanket.

She grabbed his hand, the fingers latched around the edge of her panties. “What are you doing?”

“I think you forgot to give me these.”

More like she thought he was joking and didn’t want them after all. “I’m still wearing them.”

“You won’t be for long once you let go of my hand.”

She peered at his face and noted the playful grin, the twinkle in his eyes. “And here I thought you’d given up on seducing me.”

“Never.” He leaned close. “You’re an interesting enigma, wench.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m an enigma. I think you’re just not used to girls with morals.”

“Actually, I am. In my culture, the women are chaste. Sex is only allowed after the joining ceremony.”

“So the girls have to be virgins to get married? What about the guys?”

A wicked smile tilted his lips. “We practice fornicating every chance we get.”

“Seems kind of unfair.”

“I told you before. Space is full of chauvinism.”

A bell chimed before Annabelle announced, “Approaching the way station known as…” The gibberish made no sense to Emma.

She wrinkled her nose. “What did she just say?”

“There isn’t a polite translation.”

“Since when are you worried about being polite?”

“Good point. Very well, prepare yourself, wench, as, in moments, we shall dock with the Giant Three-Headed Cock.”

“Seriously? Does that even exist?”

“Yes. It’s a species trait of the Dka. But I don’t recommend sleeping with one. Their ejaculate is acidic to humans.”

Good to know.

He tugged again at her underpants, and she frowned. “Don’t you have anything better to do than sexually harass me, like, say, fly the ship?”

“And insult Annabelle? Perish the thought. Are you welching on our deal?”

“It’s not a deal. You said you wanted them, but I don’t recall agreeing.”

“Still playing hard to get.” He stood with a shake of his head. “Don’t play too hard, or at one point, I might just stop trying.”

And that would be a shame. Emma wouldn’t deny she enjoyed the way Rafe made her feel. Just another reason why she avoided the final step. The fear of change made her hesitate. She would hate for what they had to devolve into something ugly if things went south. Not to mention, where could she go? She was adrift in space without a clue or a home. I have nothing.

Without Rafe, how would she survive?

During her mental debate, he rummaged through his items, changing his clothes for a fresher set, not even thinking twice about stripping in front of her. She didn’t bother looking away. If he was determined to put on a show, then the least she could do was appreciate it.

Sigh.

If only she could see the future and know how things would turn out.

Dark eyes regarded her without recognition. The edge of the knife pressed against her skin, pinching it.

The vision she’d seen in the wormhole—a vision she’d not shared with Rafe—came back to taunt her, feeding her already present fear. Was that why she’d seen it? Did the void feed on her subconscious trepidation?

As Rafe left, Emma hurriedly dressed, running a cleansing cloth over her skin then finger combing her hair before tying it back with a strip of cloth. She could do nothing else to make herself presentable. While Rafe carried a myriad of supplies from Earth, fashionable accessories and clothing weren’t included. She peered down at her boring and shapeless jumpsuit. Not pretty, but all she had. Perhaps she could demand he give her some money so she could do some shopping. After all, as his employee, he owed her some kind of wage.

She joined him on the bridge, her gaze caught by the odd object centered within the screen.

“What the hell is that?” she asked, leaning close to the viewing screen, treating it as if it truly were a window to the outside. Having gotten used to the mind-numbing boredom of space, where the most exciting thing was the occasional glimpse of a planet, it thrilled her to spot the twinkling lights of something shaped like a “Caterpillar?” The word slipped past her lips. She tilted her head, and yet the concept remained.

“What are you talking about?” he muttered. “There are no bugs on my ship.”

“I was talking about the shape of that thing over there. It’s got like a long body and a bunch of legs sticking out of it.” Legs of different length, and some of them sporting blobs.

“Those legs, as you called them, are actually docking arms.” The screen zoomed in, clarifying the image. “As ships arrive, depending on the size, the arm will extend. We’ll lock onto it and use it to enter the space station.”

“Will there be people there?”

“Perhaps, but most likely the lifeforms on the way station will not be anything like you could imagine.”

“Real aliens? Awesome.” She couldn’t resist pressing her nose against the glass, peering with a childish wonder at her first true taste of alien culture. And hopefully better cuisine. Freeze-dried mush had gotten old a few weeks ago.

“Yes, aliens, although you might not want to call them that to their visage.”

“Oh, I won’t say anything rude. I just can’t wait to meet some.”

“You won’t have to worry about offending them as you’ll be staying on the ship.”

That’s what he thinks! I am going whether he likes it or not.