Chapter 30

 

 

 

Sylvie had pointed out again how much his people would protest her presence during any investigation, so they'd worked out a plan. He would keep her bound while walking through the halls or in the presence of other Zantharians. It would put forth the appearance that she was a prisoner, and therefore, no longer a threat.

Sylvie hadn't loved the suggestion at first, so they'd toyed with the idea of putting her under a cloak like his. Unfortunately, she was so much smaller than the other aliens that the cloak would be worthless in hiding her appearance.

"Just because I'm not seven foot tall and slender as a reed," she muttered as he pulled her arms behind her back and attached the bindings, then slid the collar around her neck.

"Be glad I'm even agreeing to allow you on your ship," he replied, his voice like steel.

Anger again, she thought. No wonder their skin color doesn't shift during the mating frenzy. Otherwise Zantharian males would be walking kaleidoscopes. They'd make everyone else sick with their constant color changes.

Sylvie was silent as the cloaked regent led her back to the Ministry of Science. She ignored the mob and its calls for her death and dismemberment. She fought the feeling of her gorge rising as they once again returned to the place where she'd nearly been eviscerated. She steeled herself against the reception she knew she was in for.

She focused on the hope of getting Magnis back online and being able to fly herself out of the situation, but she knew that wouldn’t happen. Not if it meant leaving X to his death.

The mating frenzy was something totally unexpected. Interspecies mating on Earth was complex and rare. She'd never considered the possibility of offspring from copulation with the Zantharian.

Copulation? She laughed at herself. You weren't able to use such a big vocabulary during the act itself. I don't know if you could have formed any coherent words at the time.

Her blood ran hot at the remembrance of their sex again, the strong pull of his hands and expert touch of his tongue. A groan escaped her and he glanced around, his glare a warning to keep it down. The strange ache between her thighs left her wanting more of him, his size and texture something she would never be able to mimic on Earth. The jolts of electricity had been something to fear at first and covet once they were possibly forever lost.

The ache between her thighs wasn’t the one catching her attention and rearranging her life. The one deep inside of her chest was doing that.

They made their way through the corridors in the Ministry of Science, which were blessedly silent except for the occasional whispers of those working there to one another as they passed.

"You know," she said, attempting to act nonchalant since he'd been so jumpy and she didn't want to upset him, "since we're here, maybe we should consider doing a little research on your condition."

His mouth opened in a half snarl, but he snapped it shut, presumably before bitching her out in front of the entire ministry. His moods were incredibly sensitive. She’d have to be a little more careful with her choice of words.

"Hear me out," she said, her voice low enough that she hoped it didn't carry. "I'm a trained astrobiologist. With a little bit of time, and with these fine facilities, we might be able to find a cure before you--"

"Enough," he growled, all but pushing her through the large door in front of them. "Drop it. We have more important things to worry about."

"But if you aren't here to help your people, who else--"

"I said, that’s enough. I’ll figure this shit out on my own when time allows me to. If it doesn’t… I wasn’t meant to rule any longer."

His shout froze the workers who were outside the ship and sent a jolt of sadness through Sylvie.

"Report," he said, his voice a whip-crack in the echoing chamber. "What happened in the attack against the ship?"

Sylvie's breath caught as she took in her little spaceship. It had a few dings and tons of scratches, but it didn't look as if the hull was ripped open. It can be fixed.

A maroon scientist scurried forward. Even if he wasn't sure who was underneath the cloak, he knew it had to be someone with enough clout to be dragging the Earthling around like a dog on a leash.

"Someone attempted to set off a frag-bomb next to the ship. Our sensors discovered it before it could go off. It was a rather sloppy attempt at destroying the ship, really."

X's brow furrowed. Sylvie wondered what he was thinking.

He didn't share his thoughts, however, but continued asking questions. "What have you discovered about the Earthling's ship and the malfunction in our defense shield?"

The scientist nodded nervously. "We have determined that there is nothing in the ship's workings that could have disabled the shield. However, we still can't get the computer to cooperate, so we could be missing something."

"Let me take a crack at it," Sylvie said quietly, looking up at the hooded figure and hoping her voice didn't carry to those working on the ship. She didn't like being unable to see his expression.

"I’ll perform my own inspection. Keep back. All of you." He ducked through the ship's hatch and pulled her with him, his tugging a little harder than was necessary.

Sylvie had to repress her excitement at seeing the insides of her ship again. The little blinking green light display that represented Magnis's main console had power from what she could tell.

X ordered the scientists working inside the little ship out. After they’d gone, he undid the restraints at Sylvie's back.

"Magnis," she said, approaching the console before X could start to interfere. "It's me, Dr. Cohen. Begin activation sequence."

There was an unpleasant buzzing sound. "Human voiceprint recognized, but no access code received." It was Magnis, his voice as toneless and flat as ever.

"Stupid NASA. They built in a bunch of extra security protocols because they were worried about the ship falling into the wrong hands. Although I don't know why, since we weren't even sure advanced life existed in the universe."

"Input the access code."

"I will," she barked at X. "As soon as I can remember it."

"You forgot the access code?" His voice was a heavy growl.

"I didn't forget," she shot back. "I have to remember the appropriate code for the situation. If I toss out the wrong one, it will make things worse."

"Well, what kind of situation is this?" His breathing rate was increasing, his body rigid.

God, this mating frenzy thing is sure making him tense. If only I could think of a way to relax him so he could think straight.

The image of dropping to her knees and giving him something to moan and groan about almost buckled her. Maybe he wasn’t the only one going into a mating frenzy. She swallowed hard and tried to concentrate.

"Let's see... I would think Magnis would consider this just a standard entry. I'll give him the code I would give after returning from a scouting mission."

Sylvie leaned over the console. "Honey, I'm home."

The green lights blinked red, and an alarm began sounding. "Incorrect access code. The ship has started auto-destruct sequencing.”

"Goddamn NASA, why do they have to be so overdramatic?" Sylvie bit her lip.

"Self-destruct in T-minus ten minutes."

"Thanks for the update.” Sylvie rolled her eyes and let out a shaky breath. Having X stare over her shoulder didn’t help much. The heat rolling off of him was almost palpable.

He grabbed the back of her arms, pressing himself to her back. His desire to mate was evident by the thick press of his erection against the middle of her back. How the hell did he fit that thing inside of me?

He leaned over and brushed his lips over her shoulder. "Wrong situation. Try again, doctor."

"Okay, don't worry." She pushed at his head, needing a little bit of breathing room. "After I realized NASA wanted me to memorize thirty or so of these situations and then rely on a computer to share my assessment of what constituted each one, I insisted that they input an overall all-clear code that would call off any self-destruct sequence."

"Why didn't you try that one first?"

Sylvie frowned. "Because it's a last resort. Once I use it, the self-destruct can't ever be re-enabled."

X's hands covered his ears through the cloak as the destruction radar began to wail louder and louder. He moved and stuck his head out of the hatch of the craft. "Get everyone out of here. Initiate blast shield protocol."

Sylvie watched as the scientists scurried out, then saw an opaque membrane similar to Zantharian doors appear and engulf the walls of the large chamber.

The regent pulled his head back in and pushed back his hood, his dark face scowling at her. "Re-enabling doesn't matter now. Call off the self-destruct."

"Okay," she said, licking her lips. The self-destruct was the one weapon her vessel had. Literally. It wasn't equipped with any long-range weapons, nor anything hand-held. Even the utensils were dull.

Make a choice. You either trust him to keep you safe, or you blow up your only ride home.

"Magnis," she said, turning back to the console, "don't you think you're overreacting a little?"

The alarm kept buzzing. The lights continued flashing. Sylvie's knees buckled and X reached for her.

"What is it?" X asked. “Give the computer the damn code, Sylvie.”

"I just did. ‘Don't you think you're overreacting a little,’ is the code. It didn't work!"

"You've tested it before launch?" he asked.

"Of course. I had to make sure my override was functional." But it wasn't working now. "Maybe the computer was damaged in the crash."

"Or maybe it was sabotaged by the enemy." X's mouth was a flat line, his eyes cold.

"Self-destruct in five minutes," Magnis informed them.

"God, I hate when you start counting down!" Sylvie shouted at the computer, remembering his emotionless countdown to her crash landing.

"Try another access code," X said, grabbing her hand to recall her attention.

"If I screw up again, it will speed up the self-destruct sequence to one minute. We've got to get out of here. My ship is lost, but I don't want to go down with it."

"We can't leave," X said. "The room is sealed. Protocol dictates that the seal cannot be opened until the self-destruct sequence is ended, or the ship is destroyed."

"You shut us in here?"

"You said you knew the code!"

She lowered her head, defeated. They'd both screwed up.

X put a finger under her chin and lifted her gaze to his own. "I'm sorry. Come here and let me hold you one more time."

She gave him a sad smile and moved into his strong arms. "My fault. You warned me about coming here. You were right. It was dangerous."

As if to accentuate her point, Magnis said, "Self-destruct in three minutes."

"I can't believe I actually missed this stupid computer," she grumbled.

"Look on the bright side," he said, the glow in his eyes swallowing his pupils. "I get to spend the last few minutes of my life with the most beautiful woman on the planet. I know it’s ridiculous, but I’ve begun to fall in love with you."

She searched his face, realizing that it had become serene. He was beautiful and she had to quickly admit to herself that it wasn’t lust, but love she was falling into as well. "There's no one else on the planet I'd rather be with right now."

He laughed. It was a pleasant sound. "No one else on the planet likes you, woman."

She stuck out her tongue at him as fire ignited in his eyes. “I wish I could have you, one more time.”

"Self-destruct in two minutes."

She snuggled against him as her heart began to race. To act calm and collected about dying on the outside was one thing, but to be unraveling on the inside was another. “Nothing we can do to survive this?”

“No, baby. I’m sorry.” He kissed her softly before she pulled back.

"Goodbye, cruel world," she grumbled and lifted to her toes, pressing her lips tightly to his as he lifted her into the air. The soft brush of his tongue was all she needed to open up to him and forget everything. If death was imminent, she wanted pleasure to be her last memory.

X jerked back. "What the hell happened?"

"Happened?" She opened her eyes, realizing they were still standing there together.

"To the self-destruct sequence?"

At that moment Magnis piped up. "Self-destruct sequence has been deactivated. Correct access code received."

Sylvie let out a shaky laugh as tears rolled onto her cheeks. “Goodbye, cruel world."

"What?"

"That's the code for a biological threat. If, on my way back to Earth, one of my samples decides to try to eat me, or I discover something will cause a plague or outbreak, it would be considered a 'Goodbye, cruel world' situation."

“That’s ignorant.”

"I agree, but I don’t make the rules.” She made her way toward the console. “I don't understand, though. Why would Magnis consider an example of that scenario? What a strange malfunction."

"It could be enemy sabotage." X's voice was like gravel.

Sylvie straightened, hands on her hips. "Or it could be a malfunction from the landing, or from your people poking around in here."

"How can you be sure it won't happen again?" he asked.

She turned back to the computer. "Magnis," she said, "no more self-destruct nonsense, correct?" She felt as if she were lecturing a child.

"The override has disabled the self-destruct mechanism permanently," he replied.

Sylvie was surprised. "But you didn't recognize my 'overreacting' code."

"That code had been overwritten."

"By whom?" Sylvie wondered where this rabbit hole led.

"That information is classified."

"Classified from me? It was my code to begin with!"

"That information is classified."

Sylvie shot a glance at X. His face was troubled. At least he wasn't saying 'I told you so.'

She sighed. "Magnis, your programming has been tampered with. We're going to try and figure out what's happened."

Magnis remained silent, but his lights blinked twice, letting her know that he'd received her utterance.

"I want you to cooperate with these nice people, all right? Answer their questions. Tolerate their poking around in your bits."

"Affirmative," the computer said, blinking green twice.

Sylvie stepped away from the console. "He says he's harmless now, and apparently willing to be quite cooperative."

A loud noise resounded from just outside of the ship. The protective membrane was being withdrawn. They must have been monitoring the inside of the chamber. Had they seen the kiss?

She turned back toward X, but his deadpan expression gave her nothing. With his darkened skin, she was unable to discern his mood from a simple glance as well.

He pulled the cloak back up, his face now bathed in shadows. He seemed suddenly distant, as if, after showing her such vulnerability, he had to rebuild his hard exterior. He had begun to fall in love with her. The feeling was mutual, but not having shared that, she was the only one who knew of their common feelings.

From intimacy to nothing. His detachment irked her.

"It sounds like you might be right about someone fiddling around with my ship. Whether it was able to bring down the shield itself, or whether it was merely a distraction, I'm not capable of figuring out which, and unless you're an engineer, I don't think you are either."

He said nothing at first, though the weight of his gaze lay heavy on her. Finally he nodded and growled his response. "Let's go."

X redid her wrist bindings and took hold of the braided binding at her back to maneuver her out of the hatch, and then out of the chamber. She thought maybe he got a perverse enjoyment leading her around all tied up, but forced herself not to think of him like that. He was simply feeling vulnerable and the mood swings had to be fucking with him, too.

He sped down the hallway, forcing her to keep up, which wasn’t particularly easy.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

He didn't answer, but just kept walking.

"X. Where are we going? Can you not slow down just a little? I can't keep up."

He froze in place and she bumped into him before he released her bindings, forcing her into an unoccupied cell.

Sylvie ran her hands up and down her arms as goose bumps began to appear. Fear. Fear of the cell before her. It reminded her too much of her time as a captive and her almost dismemberment. She shivered and glanced down at the binding around her throat.

X tugged hard on the binding and her head came back up in time for him to take a large handful of her hair between his fingers. He moved down toward her. "I don't know where we're going!"

She flinched at the volume of his voice, the concern stabbing her in the chest.

"I've run out of ideas, okay?" He pressed his lips to hers in a painful kiss and moved away, growling and dropping to the cushion below him. "I can barely think, my fucking gut is clenching so hard."

She moved toward him and he pulled her down into his lap, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the exposed flesh around her breasts as he mumbled, half crazed, "That ship almost blew the fuck up and you almost died. I could do nothing to protect you and it was my fault. I’m so sorry."

"I told you I knew the codes. It wasn't your fault." She brushed her hand over his cheek, his skin feverous. How could she stop the craze within him? His hurting left her confused and unsure of the next steps.

"I should have never put you in danger," he said, burying his face in her chest and brushing his lips over her as if memorizing the curves of her breasts. He was slipping into madness. "The thought of losing you..."

"Shh..." she said, stroking his tendrils and kissing the side of his face.

"I would do anything, give anything, to keep you safe. I cherish you, do you not understand? Do you not hear me?"

A burst of warmth shot through her chest at his words. It was the mating frenzy and he most likely wasn’t in his right mind, but it felt so good to be wanted, to be loved. How many years on Earth had she spent lonely and wishing for someone – anyone – to care for her?

She stayed still in his arms until his breathing relaxed, his kisses slowing down slightly. Sylvie continued to stroke his face and back, wanting to broach the delicate subject of helping him with the mating frenzy, but not wanting to upset him again.

"X, I'm as out of ideas as you are. Uncovering alien conspiracies is not my strong suit. I'm a biologist. That's my skillset. Let me use it to help you. Please?"

He looked at her, but said nothing.

"I could set up a lab here, take some samples, run a few tests, maybe consult with some of your senior scientists–"

"No consultations," he said with a frown. "I want no one else to know of my... condition... until after my demise. By then I'll have set a structure in place to take over for me seamlessly. We can't let things get more chaotic. It's an invitation for invasion."

"No consultations," she agreed. "Does this mean you'll allow me to search for a cure?"

He nodded. "As you said, we're out of ideas. I don't think you'll succeed, even if you are brilliant, but it will give me time to sort out my affairs."

She tried to focus on the compliment and not on the way he seemed resigned to death. It was too terrifying to contemplate.

"Let's get to a lab." She moved from his lap and tugged on his hand to pull him to his feet.

X stood, straightening his cloak. He looked down at her, and she could tell that what he was going to say was difficult for him.

"Thank you," he said, his voice grave, "for helping me."

"Of course," she replied as heat burned her cheeks. She hadn’t done anything but offer kindness and a warm hug. "Anything for my mate."

She'd meant it to come off as flippant, something to lighten the mood, but it had the opposite effect. Sylvie turned away as heat burned through his gaze and he groaned sensually.