Chapter 12

Jeffrey tried hard to keep from gawking at the array of ocean creatures he saw out the windows of the Central Command corridors. He’d never really paid much attention to the wildlife of Earth, his imagination always fired up by what he might find on another planet. And now that he was seeing exactly what the universe had to offer, he was hard pressed not to stop in his tracks and stare for hours.

Unfortunately, the Zantharian guards at his back wouldn’t allow him to pause for long. When they’d initially herded him and his human companions through the large doors of Zanthar’s military headquarters, they’d been above the surface. But soon, the endless hallways that reminded Jeffrey of caves on Earth, but smoother and more evenly colored, had led them down into the depths, and they were now surrounded on all sides by the sea, if the windows were to be believed.

At last they came to a stop in front of a membrane. One of the guards opened it and motioned them inside.

Jeffrey turned around immediately when he saw it was another cell, very much like the one they’d spent the last several hours in on the flagship. Before he could complain, the membrane closed and they were once again locked in.

Until a detail of Zantharians had entered the cell and subjected them to another energy exchange, they’d been stuck exchanging hypotheticals while the flagship made its way to the home world. Now it appeared as if they had another wait ahead of them.

Tan and Chao resumed their earlier conversation, attempting to outline the possible targets for Hareema infiltration in NASA command back on Earth. Jeffrey listened with half an ear, but found his thoughts straying back to the beautiful Zantharian lieutenant.

What had she told her superiors about their interactions? Jeffrey doubted that she would admit they’d been intimate. Would she reveal his contribution to the capture of the Hareema agent, or would she claim all the credit?

She didn’t seem to have a lust for glory. But she certainly wasn’t without lust entirely. A sudden memory arose of her beneath him, the golden ring around her eyes glowing as she stared up at him, her skin flushing lavender, her breathing heaving, while she waited for him to resume kissing her. Jeffrey had to concentrate hard to banish his arousal before his flight suit showed that he wasn’t staying on task.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about the seductive lieutenant. Saying she was different from any woman he’d ever known was a colossal understatement. She was from another world, with color-changing skin and the ability to blast him into next week with her bioelectricity if he got out of line. But her alien-ness wasn’t the only thing that set her apart.

She was smart, motivated, and more than capable of taking command when called upon. Kat was also brave, willing to take risks to keep her people safe. And her iron-fisted control over her emotions both amazed and frustrated him.

She’s able to freeze her feelings in a block of ice faster than a one-legged man in a bucket-kicking contest, as Grandmama used to say. But she unfreezes easy, if you pet her in the right way.

The problem was, would he get close enough to her to pet her again? Or would he spend the rest of his days in this blasted cell?

It seemed they weren’t to be left alone for long. In less than an hour, the cell membrane opened and in walked two figures, one a towering Zantharian, and one a much smaller and more familiar female.

“Dr. Sylvia Cohen, as I live and breathe,” Jeffrey said, standing up from where he’d been resting against the wall. “Zanthar seems to agree with you.”
The scientist laughed. “Lieutenant Jeffrey Brunt, you old charmer you. Only you could turn captivity on an alien world into a place where your formal dinner manners are on display.”

“Did someone say ‘dinner,’” Chao said, rubbing her stomach. “It’s been hours since we’ve had anything to eat or drink.”

“My apologies,” the Zantharian male said, nodding to Chao. “A meal will be sent up shortly. We can’t have people back on Earth saying Zantharians are inhospitable.”

Jeffrey moved closer to the human scientist, intending to shake the hand of a colleague he hadn’t seen in close to a year. He was glad to see that Dr. Cohen was safe and obviously well-treated here on Zanthar.

Before he could get close enough to even extend his hand to her, the Zantharian male was blocking his way, fixing him with an angry glare.

Sylvia slugged the bulky Zantharian on his arm and pushed her way around him. “My apologies, Jeffrey. Zantharian males are a bit over-protective of their mates.”

Mate? Dr. Cohen had been missing for a couple months, and already she’d managed to land a buff boyfriend?

“This is Xivthar Rasveen, Supreme Regent of Zanthar.”
And the king of the planet no less. Sylvia works fast.

Jeffrey nodded to the regent, reminding himself that he’d managed to seduce the lieutenant in the space of a couple hours. If the relationship between Dr. Cohen and the regent followed the same trajectory as what had started between himself and Kat, it was no wonder they were already tied at the hip.

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem that Zantharian females had the same level of obsession as the males, as Kat had had no problem separating herself from him at the first opportunity.

“Well, Dr. Cohen, I’m impressed. You were able to hook a supreme leader in record time, even after you were accused of taking down their planetary defense system.”
“Regent,” Rasveen corrected.

Sylvia ignored him, pressing her hand to her chest and giving a giggle. “You heard about that, huh?”

“You make quite an impact, don’t you,” he said with a mischievous grin.

“Oh Jeff, you’re such a kidder,” she said, putting her hand on his arm while they laughed.

Rasveen’s face was darker than a thundercloud. He grabbed Sylvia by the waist and pulled her back. “This will be your only warning, human. Touch my mate again, and I’ll feed you to the gnarsharks myself.”

Jeffrey put both of his hands in the air. “She touched me, Your Majesty.”

“Stop it,” Sylvia said, squirming to be released. “He’s a friend from work. Be nice to him.”

The regent set Dr. Cohen down and bent low, nuzzling her neck before speaking in a low voice to her. Jeffrey was barely able to make out his words. “Don’t test my patience, woman. You know the rules. Any other male touches you, I rip his arms off.”

Sylvia chuckled. “Oh, X. You’re so romantic.”

Jeffrey’s brows furrowed. He was unable to tell if her words were meant ironically or not. Still, it was clear the little human scientist and the large planetary leader had an intense connection. He decided immediately not to push things.

Besides, he liked his arms attached to his body.

“If you don’t mind an interruption to this love fest,” Dr. Tan said, approaching the entwined pair, “would you mind telling us what’s going on around here? Have your forces located the Earhart yet?”

The regent frowned. “Afraid not. We’ve got most of the fleet searching, but space is vast, and our security protocols make this kind of search slow and plodding.”

“Did you locate the other Hareema on the flagship?” Jeffrey asked. He knew it was the thing that Kat was most concerned about.

This time the regent’s face tightened, his eyes narrowing as streaks of yellow worked their way up his otherwise green skin. “No. Our men have been searching every inch of the ship, but so far we’ve found nothing.”

“The Zantharian crew has been tested and removed, and the Hareema prisoner is currently under guard in the most secure facilities. The flagship itself is locked down, no one and no thing allowed out of the hangar without testing.”

Jeffrey nodded, realizing a weight he hadn’t even known he’d been carrying was lifted from him chest. “And the prisoner, is it still being subjected to constant current?”

“Yes,” Rasveen rumbled. “It seems we have you to thank for assisting in the capture of our first Hareema prisoner. Although I must say I’d almost rather you’d let Yarr kill it.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Jeffrey replied, then grew serious. “We need the information it has. We have to find out how they learned to imitate your energy exchange. And to determine how many Hareema might be here on Zanthar. And on Earth.”

“You’re right,” Sylvia said, elbowing the regent in his ribs.

“I agree,” he said, giving the scientist a smile. “Still, it makes me nervous, having a Hareema in captivity.

“I’m working with Zantharian scientists to determine the means of imprisoning the creature without having to keep blasting it with a constant energy stream. I don’t think it can even talk until we’ve done so. Its molecules are too destabilized.”

“I’d be willing to help with that,” Dr. Tan said. “I’m a medical doctor. Although I have no experience with alien anatomy, I have kept up on current exobiological theory.”

“I’d appreciate your help,” Dr. Cohen said with a smile.

“What about me and Lieutenant Cheerful?” Chao asked. “Is there some way we might be of use too?”

Rasveen stared down at the woman who appeared tiny next to the towering Zantharian. “I will think on it. Right now, you can all help by staying put. Although my people are slowing warming to my chosen mate, sentiment on Zanthar remains against humans. As we have not been able to determine the level of infiltration and cooperation between Hareema and humans, conspiracy theories run rife. For your own safety, I’d like you to stay here in the cell a little longer.”

Jeffrey wasn’t pleased by those words, but he could understand the issues the regent was facing. Beset by enemies on all sides and beleaguered by his own constituents, it couldn’t be easy to be in Rasveen’s shoes at the moments.

If he wore shoes.

“Agreed,” Chao said, speaking for the three of them. Her stomach chose that moment to let out a loud rumble. “As long as you feed us soon.”

The regent let out a loud chuckle. “Of course.”