“Oh, God! Hard up! Hard up!”
“We’ve lost life support!”
“Wormhole! Wormhole! Pull out! Pull out, for God’s sake,
Kel!”
Wormhole! Wormhole!
Dear God, we’re gonna crash! Ex-lieutenant Kelen Chambliss jerked
awake with a violent shake. For a moment, she had no recollection of
where she was, or that she was even still alive. It wasn’t until
someone tossed a rock into the fire, causing the flames to throw
sparks upward in a brief blaze that reality returned. She opened her eyes to see Kyber
sitting on the opposite side of the pit. From the way he sat, she
could tell the Seneecian was alert and on guard. That knowledge gave
her a deeper sense of security than if it had been anyone else. He
was watching her, concern reflecting in his deep green eyes.
Noticing she was awake, he made a little motion with his head. “Are you well?” he softly inquired. She sighed and sat up, running a hand
through her hair. “Yeah. I’m fine.” “You were having a bad dream. You
were making little noises, like you were fearful of something.” She glanced around the room where the
others appeared to be still asleep. Fullgrath and Mellori were
snoring. Dox lay curled around his collection of odds and ends like
a mother animal protecting its young. Dayall remained bound, his
chin resting on his chest. The Seneecians were huddled together on
one side of the room. In the flickering light, they resembled a
quilt of multi-colored fur. “What’s not to be fearful of?”
Rubbing her hands over her face, she looked back at him. “You’re
exhausted. Let me take this shift.” “I am not sleepy.” “That’s eye worm shit and you know
it. You haven’t healed from the wound you sustained when you
crashed. And there’s whatever damage you sustained when you fought
Isup that you haven’t told me about. Go lie down and get some rest,
I’ll take watch. I can’t sleep anyway.” To prove her point, she got
to her feet and stretched, then walked over to where he sat and held
out her hand. When he didn’t give her their only functional weapon,
she wiggled her fingers in silent request and cocked an eyebrow at
him. Kyber snorted and placed it in her palm. “You are a difficult female.” “Yeah, and that’s why you lo—”
She stopped herself and bit her
tongue. She’d almost told him he loved her, which she knew he did.
But the others… Kelen checked the room as panic
surged in her breast. Fortunately, no one moved or appeared to have
heard her near slip-up. Still, she hastily finished her remark. “That’s why you allow me to do what I
do. Because I’m a difficult female, and I’d kick your butt if you
tried to stop me.” He rose from where he’d taken watch
and cast her one last look. With his back to the fire, it was
difficult to make out the expression on his face, but she could
imagine what it would contain. Mild humor. And hunger. Sexual hunger. She took her seat, her back to the
wall and facing the only doorway to the small chamber where they all
slept. She was aware of Kyber lying down amid the other Seneecians.
It was odd, but she could almost pinpoint the moment when he sank
into unconsciousness. The room was reasonably quiet except
for Fullgrath’s snoring. Mellori had turned onto his side, which
reduced his contribution considerably. Thankfully, the underground
room acted as a natural buffer, muffling most of the man’s
blustering noise. Still, it made listening for anything moving about
in the corridor outside difficult. Kelen wondered if Seneecian ears
were better at catching sounds than human ears. It wouldn’t surprise
her if they were. Throwing another combustible rock
into the fire, she glanced again at the dark form on the other side
of the fire. If there was any way or any chance that she and Kyber
could sneak off somewhere private, she wouldn’t hesitate. That time
they’d spent in the little apartment-like chamber was almost a dream
now. If not for the gnawing ache between her legs, she could easily
have imagined it. But it was real. It had happened. And
now she found herself deeply longing to feel the creature’s strong
arms around her. To have his mouth tasting hers before taking slow,
provocative licks across her skin. To spread herself so that his
arousal could penetrate deep— Something popped, throwing her back
to the present. Kelen whirled around, weapon at the ready, and
surveyed the room. She finally surmised it must have been one of the
flammable rocks exploding from the heat. It was fortunate. She’d
been daydreaming, losing her focus, and that loss of attention could
have been deadly if the sound had come from something dangerous.
Something or someone. Don’t forget, Kelen, there are two of
us running renegade out there. One human and one Seneecian, and both
of them are hell-bent to destroy us and each other. Which was why she and Kyber couldn’t
keep sneaking away to be with each other. At least, not in secret.
Sooner or later, they would have to come clean with their fellow
shipmates. Hopefully sooner. And let the proverbial excrement hit
the exhausts. She had no idea how she was going to
explain it to the others. How could she? She herself didn’t
understand how she could have fallen for the big alien who was,
until a few days ago, her most vilified enemy. Yes, there were times
she felt guilty for her involvement with the Seneecian, but for the
most part, she was defensive.
“Very well, Lieutenant. Explain to me why you would give
yourself, both emotionally and physically, to one of the enemy?” Dr. Thorin’s voice was clear inside
her head, as if he were sitting there with her. The military
psychologist never pulled punches when it came to examining and
evaluating a crew member’s mental ability to withstand the rigors of
deep space travel and warfare. If she was sitting in the man’s
office right now, trying to convince him of how she felt, she could
imagine how the conversation would go.
“I’m waiting, Lieutenant. How do you account for your
actions?”
“Well, for one thing, Kyber’s risked his life several times
to save mine. How can I not be grateful to him for that?”
“Saving your life does not mean you should have sexual
relations with him. He’s not even human!”
“He’s humanoid. He’s built like us. But more importantly, he
has emotions like us. He cares about life.”
“He is the enemy,”
Thorin’s voice insisted. It was like he was trying to pound
that point into her head.
“He cares nothing for you. Only for what you can give him.”
“Oh, so what you’re saying is the only reason he’s risked
his own life for mine is because he wanted to get into my pants? Is
that what you’re implying, Doctor? Isn’t that a
human male
attribute?”
“Given time, Lieutenant, he will turn on you. He
will
turn on you. And when he does, he’ll devour you. Mentally,
physically, emotionally. He’s Seneecian. He is your enemy. If for
one second you believe you and he can have any kind of lasting
emotional connection, you’re only fooling yourself.”
“And I say you’re wrong, Dr. Thorin. He does love me. He’s
told me he does. His actions tell me he does. And I love him in
return.”
She could imagine the psychologist’s resulting disdain.
“The fact
that you believe your definition of love and that alien’s definition
are synonymous is outlandish. You’d better heed my words,
Lieutenant. Reconsider this brash action, or it may strike back at
you with a vengeance.”
Kelen observed Kyber as he rolled over. Between the dancing
flames, she saw him glance her way. Noticing she was watching him,
he smiled gently, then quickly averted his eyes. But there was no
denying the expression she’d seen on his face.
“Heard and understood, Doctor. But it’s a risk I’m more than
willing to take.” The coming days would tell. |