Chapter Eleven

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All did not go as expected with the docking. Word had not gotten out the Renegade had been deeded back to the rightful owners, and security had demanded to board as soon as the mooring arms had snapped onto the hull, and the oxygenated hangar had sealed around the airlock. Jaylin, displeased by the questioning and the delays, dealt with the extra paperwork, and subsequent refueling, while Malik escorted Dani into the spaceport and out into the shopping hub.

Dani’s shyness had reemerged—never having expected to take on two lovers at once, let alone aliens, and never one who was half man, half machine. Thinking about what she’d done to them, and what Jaylin and Malik had done to her in return made her blush and her heart stutter in rhythm. It also tested her morals forged by years of conservative private tutors and the practically puritanical all-girls college her father had decreed she attend. Not that Daniel Alltryp was the pillar of decency and decorum. Far from it, with a different woman on his arm every time the media photographed him, but he had a different set of standards for his only daughter.

To the world, he seemed doting and concerned; Dani knew better. She put it aside, however, as she took in the spectacle before her.

The spaceport’s cavernous central hub consisted of multiple levels, some offered services ranging from a hair salon to a medical clinic, but most were exclusively for shopping. While any woman’s nirvana, it was every man’s nightmare. Malik, in an easygoing mood for a change, took it all in stride. The reason behind his current disposition not escaping her, it was also the cause of her cheeks heating every time she came close to meeting his eyes.

“You’re going to set fire to the oxygen inlets with your blushes,” he teased when her gaze darted away from his for the umpteenth time. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about.” His hand tipped up her chin, giving her a light, yet tantalizing kiss—their first, if she didn’t include the searing kisses he’d laid on her body, or she on his. The memory made her flush even more furiously, and he laughed softly. “More exposure to what we shared will take care of the problem.”

“Sounds like a technique I learned in a psychology class.”

“You studied psychology?” he asked, while leading her out into the flow of traffic circling the first ring of shops.

“A required class among others intended to make me a well-rounded student. My major, however, was art history.”

He nodded, his attention divided between her and the patrons—aliens of every size, color, and skeletal structure, most beyond her wildest imagination. She couldn’t keep from eyeing one tall, thin purple creature, who stood taller than Malik. It had large dark eyes, in an oversized head, and not a hair in sight. The oddest thing about her—she couldn’t be sure of its gender, female being simply a hunch—was she lacked lips or anything resembling a mouth.

The strangely beautiful creature glanced at the tall man beside her, who nodded as if agreeing to something she’d asked. Before she could inquire about this exchange, Dani heard a soft, feminine voice in her head. “Greetings, Earthling, your mate is very attractive. I applaud your choice.”

She stopped dead in her tracks, her jaw slack, staring rudely at the being as she passed. Dani clutched the strong arm she held even tighter. “I think that alien woman just spoke to me without— No, I must be mistaken!”

“You aren’t wrong. She is Artruvian; they are telepathic. They used to have mouths, many millennia ago, but preferred not to speak. Evolution took care of it.”

“Wow.”

“Indeed. Makes me want to use all of my parts so nothing falls off.”

She grinned, thrilled by his spark of humor. “Such a cool superpower,” she whispered, drawing an odd look from Malik. “Except how do they eat?”

“By osmotic absorption of nutrients. It sounds unpleasant, but they live nearly two hundred years and are the healthiest species I know. They are obviously on the right path. Me, I’d miss chewing, and the flavor of foods. Like a grilled steak, or the delicious milk chocolate produced on your planet.”

“No chocolate!” she gasped. “Why, that’s a crime against nature.”

His grin transformed his handsome face to gorgeous. “I couldn’t agree more.”

She twisted, looking after the creature while repeating “Wow!” still incredulous. When she did, she learned the Artruvian wasn’t the oddest alien in the vicinity, case in point the green lizard-like creature with antennae who passed.

“You’re staring, sweetheart.” Malik put a finger beneath her chin and closed her mouth for her. When he took it away, it gaped right back open. She couldn’t help it.

He shook his head, though his golden eyes gleamed with amusement. “There is a shop with Earth clothing on the other side of the pod. Let’s go there before you insult someone with your gawking.”

She followed where he led, glancing over her shoulder for one more look at the strange lizard man, a being straight out of sci-fi books from her youth.

“So, Dani,” Malik said, also squeezing her fingers to capture her attention. “The study of ancient works—paintings and sculptures, and such—was it your calling?”

“Hardly,” she said with a huff. “I wanted to go into medicine.”

Surprise registered on his face before he asked, “Why didn’t you?”

“Becoming a physician wasn’t on the Daniel Alltryp approved list of careers for a mere woman.”

His dark brows snapped together in an infuriated frown. “Your father is a real piece of work.”

Her head tilted his way, eyes big, then she laughed.

“What’s funny?”

“The way you and Jaylin toss around Earth slang, curses, and phrases, I forget you’re from another world, sometimes.”

“We have worked closely with your kind for years. I suppose we’ve picked up a saying here and there.”

“By osmotic absorption?” she asked.

His expression softened as he grinned, his handsome face becoming more so when he smiled.

“You need to do more of that.”

“What? Learn more Earth phrases?”

“No, smile.”

Pausing at the door to the shop, he clasped her hand more firmly. “With you around, I believe I’ll have reason to.”

Her heart melted, and she marveled over having such strong feelings for a man, who really wasn’t.

“Come on,” he said. “We need to get a move on. Jaylin doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

“And we wouldn’t want to upset the big, bad alpha captain.”

“You’re learning,” he observed, with some amusement. “Although most often his bark is much worse than his bite—which is another Earth expression, I know. Jaylin can be intense, but has reason to be while on a mission. He’ll do whatever is in his power to keep you safe.” His suddenly serious gaze caught and held hers. “As will I, Dani. Don’t think because I’m a second, I won’t bark like the captain when the situation warrants. And, you learned firsthand, I can also bite. Now, let’s hurry and buy what you need. After this, we’ll need to restock our fresh food and get a few other provisions.”

Malik stood guard while she made her selections. The store, she was pleased to see, had a little of everything. She picked out two tops, a pair of loose-fitting wide-leg pants—which were a new style back on Earth—a comfortable dress, and even found a pair of vintage Levi’s, something she practically lived in while in college. Also available necessities like makeup, a hairbrush, and hair bands. When she came to the lingerie section and was sorting through a table of bras with matching panties, Malik pulled the pretty pink satin-and-lace pair from her fingers and tossed them back on the table.

“Hey!”

“You won’t be needing those, and we need to get back.”

“But I don’t have any underwear. Can the facsimulator make me some? Is that what you mean?”

“No, Jaylin doesn’t like them. He would just throw them down the expulsion chute.”

“You’re joking.”

“Have you met Jaylin Sin-Naysir?” He chuckled when she rolled her eyes. “The dress, he’ll love. The pants, not so much, but he’ll tolerate them. Panties blocking his way when his mind is set on something else? No.”

“Has he ever read Earth history? If not, he needs to learn what happened to cavemen. They became extinct a few million years ago.”

Malik added a grin to his chuckle. “I’ll let you educate him all about that, sweetheart.”

“What do you prefer?”

He tugged her close, his voice dipping low as he answered, “I like bare, but we can work you up to it.”

Her mouth dropped open, and his laughter turned heads.

Still grinning, he led her—speechless, her body humming with sudden arousal—to the console where he paid with a thumb scan on a touch screen. After the green light appeared, indicating the purchase had been approved, he gathered her bags in one of his big hands, and caught her much smaller one in the other. Then, he guided her out into the crowded pod.

He paused, looking left before he turned right. “I think the food market is on the next level up.”

Someone bumped into her, and, before Dani realized what happened, Malik crumpled to the floor with a thud. She stared at him a fraction of a second before she bent to see what was wrong. A sharp pain stabbed her neck and stopped her midway. Malik’s prone form wavered in front of her eyes. Everything started spinning and she started to fall, except something hard caught her around the waist.

“Nighty-night, little princess,” a male voice uttered low. “Next stop, home to Daddy.”

***

Fifteen more minutes.

Leaning against the cargo bay doors, Jaylin watched the gauge tick upward. The primary fuel cells on the Renegade were uradion-based, a radioactive material found on only four of the thirty-seven alliance planets. Easily mined and requiring only a small amount to power the engines in his medium-sized cruiser, it meant it was also cheap, considering it had a half-life of at least one thousand years and wouldn’t have to be replaced in ten times his lifetime. All combined, it had become the most relied-upon energy source for space travel.

Unfortunately, the fuel cells weren’t all they required. The spherical thrusters which enhanced maneuverability used standard combustible fuel stored in tanks. This slow-burning energy source had to be replenished every few months. He’d expended more of it than usual while eluding the unidentified space craft on their tail. It also powered their cold shields—a technology he wasn’t willing to travel without. The conversion process from the spaceport stores to the Renegade took over an hour, however, and was about as much fun as watching hair grow.

Next time, Malik stayed and he played escort to their beautiful third.

He checked the gauge and time remaining—thirteen more minutes.

After he finished refueling, he planned to join Malik and Dani. Imagining her modeling her new clothes, something snug and formfitting or flowing and feminine, was enough to require adjustment of his suddenly snug trousers.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Jaylin started. Instantly alert, he moved to the control panel, and activated the external viewers. Cursing at what he saw on the screen, he pressed the emergency button and opened the cargo hold.

“What happened?” he barked, as soon as the interlocking sliding doors separated enough to reveal the two security guards holding Malik’s limp form. He moved forward, cupped his brother’s jaws, and eased his head back. With his thumbs, he raised his eyelids—both almost black with the pupils widely dilated. Jaylin scanned his neck, rolling his head to the side as he searched for what he suspected he’d find—a puncture mark. After checking his pulse, which was slow, but steady, a growl rumbled in his throat.

“He’s been tranqed. The woman with him,” Jaylin demanded of the guards. “What happened to her?”

The two, thick-necked Roukars looked at one another and shrugged. Known for their strength and size, not for their brain power, as a species they were followers, gravitating to service jobs, better at taking orders than giving them. “He was alone when we found him,” the bigger, uglier one said.

“Bring him inside,” Jaylin ordered while moving back to the control panel. He brought up the data screen. “What is the code for your security feeds?” When he heard a thud, he turned in time to see his brother’s head connect with the hard floor. “Careful with him, dammit.”

The smaller one, although twice Malik’s size, muttered meekly, “Sorry, Captain.”

“Feed code?” Jaylin demanded once again. He entered the numbers he was given and waited for the Renegade’s computer to connect with the spaceport. “Sector?”

“8-3.”

As the video ran, he watched his twin and Dani exit a shop. Next, a single attacker came out of the crowd, incapacitating Malik first. His blood boiled as the assailant jabbed a needle into his brother’s neck, and did the same to his woman. Human by the looks of him, the man caught Dani before she fell, put his shoulder in her belly then slung her across his back and disappeared. Jaylin became further enraged that he did so without earning a second look from the hundreds of patrons milling around them.

“I want a list of all departing ships in the past thirty minutes.”

“Yes, sir,” one of the guards said as he tapped his blunt finger against a handheld device. A moment passed. “There were two. A Stetrig supplier which only took on fuel, and an Earth Delta class vessel that docked a few minutes after you arrived.”

Delta class was a newer model with a more powerful engine, one step above the Renegade, and ridiculously expensive. Jaylin’s suspicions were instantly roused. “Who is the vessel registered to?”

Again, he waited. “It says here an Earth corporation called Alltryp Universal owns it.”

“Fuck!” Jaylin roared. “Get out.”

In the face of his rage, the Roukars bolted. Hurriedly, Jaylin ended the fueling process, and locked down the bay. “Prepare for departure,” he barked aloud as he bent to Malik. With more care than the ham-fisted aliens, he lifted him, and strode to the medical room as the on-board computer updated him on his orders.

“Departure in three minutes. Disconnecting from hangar sleeve. Hull clamps will disengage in sixty seconds.”

Jaylin laid Malik on the table, then pulled out the medicine stores. He searched the injector pods for the depressant antagonist, thankful his brother had drilled the emergency protocols into his head. Spotting what he needed, he pulled it out and loaded the diffuser. He pressed it against Malik’s inner arm as the computer counted down from ten.

At zero, he bent over the exam table, gripping the edges, holding his twin’s unconscious form in place, and secured himself, prepared for what came next.

“Commencing to disengage.”

The ship lurched, then pitched to the side as it came about. If he’d been at the helm, it would have been executed with more finesse, but he didn’t have time. His muscles strained to keep them both from falling on the floor, not an easy feat with their combined weight near five hundred pounds. Ordinarily, they’d be strapped in, but neither Malik nor Dani had time to wait.

“Set course for Alliance Planet 22,” he ordered.

An instant later, the computer answered. “Course set for Earth. Arrival in seventy-two standard alliance hours.”

The erratic course he’d set to evade the unknown ship, and the detour Dani had accidentally sent them on had taken them far afield. Three days ordinarily would have been fine, but her abductor’s ship with its superior engines would make it in half the time. With Dani, and their triad’s future in the balance, he didn’t have time to waste on less than FTL speeds.

“Calculate arrival time using hyperdrive.”

“Not recommended with proximity to star in Earth’s system.”

If they got too close to the solar system’s massive sun, its gravitational pull would yank them from hyperspace and they’d burn up. Not using it, they risk losing Dani. The other ship would have the same obstacle and, like them, stop short of their final destination to be safe.

“How close can you get us?”

“Eight hours out.”

“And the Delta Class?”

“Will arrive two hours ahead of us.”

He made a split decision. “Do it. Engage hyperdrive in ten seconds!”

“Unadvised. Personnel are not secured.”

“Override safety protocol,” Jaylin ordered. He pulled a strap across Malik’s chest and another across his hips.

“Hyperdrive initiating in ten, nine, eight...”

This time, Jaylin climbed on top of his twin and wound his arms beneath the straps, interlocking his hands on the opposite wrist. He wrapped his legs around the edges of the table and held on.

The engines hummed, and the ship began to tremble.

“Six, five...”

“Daniella?” Malik asked weakly, appearing dazed, though with the rapid-onset drug coursing through his system, each time he blinked he looked more alert.

“Taken. But hang on, brother, we’re going after her now.”

“FTL in three, two, one...”

Malik’s angry roar came near to deafening him as the engines engaged, and they accelerated to faster-than-light speed.