Alien (36 page)

“How did you end up in bed with me?”

She sprang upright and shot off the bed, frantically tugging
her robe around her tight while wiping him from her thighs with the sheet. She
spun to face him. Her expression was unreadable. He couldn’t tell if she was
angry at him or upset with herself, but she was doing her damnedest to control
and hide any and all emotion. He knew that trick. Well-trained warrior—for a
woman.

“
I
had no intention of ending up in bed with you,
Kallikrates Valerianus. Or should it be Sun Superior Valerianus or better yet,
Lanius
Valerianus?”

He tensed hearing her call him by name. She knew who he was.
Now he truly had no choice but to take her with him or kill her and since
killing her wasn’t an option, she was going with him whether she liked it or
not. Kal stretched then situated himself upright on the pillows against the
headboard. After making himself more comfortable, he met her angry glare.

“
Lanius
, really? Seems my reputation has taken a
major downfall since my wrongful incarceration.” He folded his hands behind his
head and watched her every move. “Didn’t know women were allowed to become
warriors.”

“I’m the first.” Her chin tilted, shoulders lifted, popping
those perky breasts forward, and he couldn’t help but glance at them for a
second. He didn’t miss the pride in her tone. “There are a few others in the
classes that came behind me.”

He nodded to his thigh where she’d stabbed
him and rolled his shoulders. “You seem to be well-trained,
for a woman
.”

Her eyes widened and pure anger lit her face as she sprang
at him. Kal was quicker than she, caught her, flipped her on her back and
pinned her to the mattress beneath him. It wasn’t a move he should have done.
His thigh throbbed and it may have started to bleed again. He lowered
nose-to-nose with her and stared directly into those heat-filled eyes.

“You ready for another go, Paoni?” He ground his hips
against hers, which was a wrong move. His cock hardened, definitely wanting a
second round with the fiery female warrior.

Red and blue lights flashed along the walls. A male voice
gave a warning that could be heard throughout the house. “Shia, intruder
warning. Warning. Warning.”

“Get off me!”

Kal rolled off her and immediately got to his feet. She
wasted no time, bouncing from the bed and running into the living room. Kal
grabbed the bed sheet, wrapped it around his waist and hobbled after her.

“Wesley,” she spoke to the large VIS screen on the wall.
“Show me the threat please.”

“It is a Paoni task force forming about two hundred
kilometers southeast.”

An image of blue sky and clouds popped up. If you didn’t know
what you were looking for, the vimanis would’ve been missed. They blended with
the scenery.

“De-cloak them.”

“As you wish.”

Instantly, six shiny round shapes appeared. Standard issue
Paoni space transports. Kal couldn’t believe what he saw. A small squadron
hovered as if awaiting orders. Dio stood in the kitchen doorway with a plate of
food in hand. His mouth gaped and his eyes were wide with fear.

“Can you tap into their VIS coms without them knowing,
Wesley?”

“As you wish.”

Voices whispered through the speakers.

“Shall we rush her?”

“No. We don’t want to put her on the defensive. Let’s spread
out and move in slow from multiple directions. She might detect one of us at a time
but not all of us at once.”

“What about the Hellions?”

“We take them all at the same time.”

“What makes you think she’s helping them?”

“She’s a woman. Probably fell for their lies.”

Shia had heard enough as she muted the com. Gangust had
really gone too far. Somehow he had their regional Paoni squadron believing she
was helping Hellions escape.

“How’d he find me? I’ve got this place so well shielded
satellites and VIS detect it as vacant land. There’s no way in hell
he
did this without help.” She was letting her anger show. Gangust had tried to
follow her on multiple occasions but she’d lost him without much effort.

Kal snorted. “Battle suits have homing devices.”

She turned and stared at Kal. “I’m not an imbecile. I
reprogrammed it. The only time it reads correctly is when I’m on a mission.
Otherwise, it locates my position as somewhere off in the middle of the California
fault lines.”

His sudden outburst of laughter pissed her off. When he
cleared his throat, his all-knowing grin was even more annoying. “You think
that first sun tattoo you received at cadet graduation was an honor. It was to
implant a permanent homing mechanism.”

“That’s not possible. I would’ve found it.”

He turned, tilted his shoulder closer to her face and
pointed to a tiny scar in the center of the first tattoo high on his flesh. “I
removed mine when I found out it was there. Needless to say, angered a few of
the council but none were brave enough to force the issue to have it
reinstated.”

Shia stretched to reach the tattoo on her shoulder. No
matter how hard she tried she couldn’t see it without a mirror, but she could feel
a minute bump underneath the skin. It wasn’t something substantial so it was
easily missed.

“Damn.” She met his gaze. “Why?”

“Because the council thinks of warriors as possessions and
I’m no one’s possession.”

“Neither am I.” Shia marched into the kitchen, snatched a knife
from the block and turned to see him and Dio standing at the doorway. She
flipped the blade, pointing the handle his way. “Either I do it or you do it,
but it’s coming out right now.”

Kal took the knife. She dropped the robe off her shoulder
and held it there. Eyes closed, she concentrated on something other than the
fact she’d just handed a Hellion a weapon and gave him her back. “Valerianus, I
read the report of your death. How did you end up in hell?”

His hand touched her flesh, sending goose bumps down her
arm. Gently, he traced the tiny object then pierced her skin with the knife’s
tip. She bit her lip but it happened so quickly it was as if he’d simply
removed a splinter then he applied pressure for a moment to stanch the
bleeding. Kal handed her the knife and held one of the tiniest devices she’d
ever seen between his forefinger and thumb then he smashed it, permanently
disabling it.

“I was fighting Grumiums until I was shot in the back with
what was no doubt a Magnum set on full blast, which immobilized me. I couldn’t
function to save myself. The next minute I was stripped of my battle suit and
locked in a port-o-pod headed to hell.”

His face darkened and his eyes turned the deepest shade of
dark blue she’d ever seen and she knew she was looking at the deadliest warrior
ever created. Someone crossed this man—that was an automatic death sentence.

“Shia, the squadron has separated and are moving into
positions around the perimeter.”

“Thank you, Wesley. Prepare a diversion and let me know when
they are within one hundred kilometers.” Shia knew her options were limited.
She could either stay and face Gangust and whatever plot he’d fabricated
against her or help history’s hero. “Did you get a look at who shot you?”

“Yes.”

“Any idea why it was made to look like you were killed?”

“I’ve got my theories.” He nodded toward the VIS screen.
“Looks like someone’s got it out for you as well.”

“Seems you’re right. It’s quite possible I’m headed straight
to hell whether I help you or not.”

He looked over her head at the young man standing in the
kitchen doorway. “Toss me that baton. We’ve got another member on our team.”

When he caught it, Shia grabbed his wrist before he could
release it from her neck. “Leave it for now. It’ll look as if I’m your prisoner
and we’ll play it against them if they get too close before we can get out of
here.”

He grinned. “I like your thinking.” He flipped it over,
unscrewed the bottom and pressed the hidden deactivation button that rendered
the collar useless. He screwed the bottom back on. “Now it’s a necklace and no
one can kill you with it.”

She smiled back at him. “I like the way you think too.” She
turned to Dio. “There’s a large cooler in the pantry off the kitchen. Fill it
with as much food as you can and shove it in the Bronco. And be quick about
it.”

Shia motioned for Kal to follow her. She hurried into the
bedroom and pulled several pairs of her baggiest sweatpants from the bottom
drawer of her dresser. “These are the loosest things I’ve got. Pick one and put
it on. We’ll find you something else later.”

She tossed them to him then snatched on a pair of jeans, a
shirt and stepped into her boots. There was no time for undergarments. They had
to leave. She grabbed the emergency bag she kept packed out of the closet, then
added the medical kit. Turning, she bit back a laugh at the sight of him in her
sweatpants. They came up short on him, around the top of his calves and hung
low on his hips, fitting extremely snug, leaving nothing to the imagination.

“I’m not liking this,” he groaned, leaning over and
snatching his tattered jumpsuit from the floor.

“We don’t have time for a wardrobe change.” She took it from
him, hooked it on the bag and then slid in under his arm to act as a crutch
while carrying everything in her other hand. “We’ve got to go.”

Seconds after taking flight, she gave her home VIS the command
to initiate the diversion then lock down the house until further notice. She
had a sinking feeling this was the last she’d see of this place. Seven mock
vimani shapes shot into different directions. Those were simple holograms that
wouldn’t last for more than a few hundred kilometers. She wasted no time. The
moment Wesley informed her the squadron broke apart and chased the heat-laced figments.
The Bronco lifted without a sound and shifted shape, taking on the appearance
of an oval, elongated small spacecraft, sleek and black in color. She gave a
voice command and the ship blended with the sky, making it virtually invisible
as it increased speed.

Dio whistled in admiration. “My old Bronco didn’t do this
trick. All it was good for was picking up Earth chicks and getting stuck in the
mud.”

Shia laughed as she sat in the captain’s seat at the control
panel, which had been disguised as a dashboard just an instant ago. Kal was in
the co-pilot’s chair and sat silent, staring out the window. If he was
impressed by her vimani, it didn’t show. His facial features were tight and his
hand gripped the armrest to the point she thought it’d break. Did he not like
going fast or was it the small space? His chest rose and fell in deeply heavy
motions. Was he battling panic? Shia didn’t ask, instead she took another
approach to calm him in case he suffered from such attacks.

“What is our destination, Sun Superior Valerianus?”

His eyebrow arched as he met her gaze. “So it’s Sun Superior
now? What happened to
Lanius
?”

“Doesn’t exist, sir.”

“Neither does Sun Superior. Just call me Kal.” He glanced
around as if taking it all in. “You sure this doesn’t have a homing device?”

“Positive. I built every part of this vimani. Nothing is
standard issue.”

“There’s someone I need to see on Bellitrix.” His voice
sounded strained.

“Bellitrix? Really? You’ve been locked in hell so long your
brain fried.”

“You don’t have to go with me, Paoni.” He shifted and
grimaced.

“Like I have a choice.” She didn’t like what she saw. Kal
paled, sweat beaded his forehead and his lips were thinned. “You aren’t healthy
enough to leave Earth’s atmosphere. We need a hiding place for a few days to
get you better and prepare for whatever plan you’ve formulated. I designed this
vimani for me. It isn’t equipped to handle space travel with three occupants.”

“I’m healthy enough. What I need is transport.” He gritted
his teeth and his whole body vibrated. His eyes rolled back in his head.

“Dio, hand me the medical kit out of that bag, quick.” Shia
slid her seat back, gaining as much space as possible. She got onto her knees,
leaned over the center console and assessed Kal as she held onto him, hoping to
keep him from any further injuries as the seizure rocked him.

“What’s happening to him? Is he going to be okay?” The
younger man’s voice raised a pitch higher as he did as he was told.

She opened the kit, pulled out a quasar injector and two
vials of Panacea. She popped the vials into the chamber. “Hold his arm. He’s
having a seizure. Probably a residual effect from the KO-2 blast, and the
poison that was on the knife combined with the Pulsar dart energy bursts. Not
to mention it looks like his wound has reopened.”

The instant the tip of the quasar made contact with Kal’s
skin, its sensors assessed his situation within a millisecond. The injector
dispensed the appropriate amount of medication for his size and needs. The
indicator on the side lit up, showing how much was given, how much was left and
the approximate time the patient would need another dose. It also stated a fact
she’d already guessed. He had experienced a seizure. Kal went limp. Shia eased back
onto her knees. Six hours and counting before the quasar would alert them to dose
Kal again.

Shia laid the injector on the control panel then leaned
across Kal and reclined the seat as far as it would go, laying him back into a
more comfortable position. He mumbled something she didn’t miss. A woman’s name.
Oriana
. An old lover or the person he wanted to see on Bellitrix? It
bothered her he whispered another woman’s name. Why should it?
Because you
shared sex?
Shia’s fingers trembled as she checked his pulse. Steady, as
was his breathing. She was being stupid. Look at him. Even after spending over
a century locked in hell, he was gorgeous. No woman could resist. She hadn’t.

A trickle of blood soaked through the sweatpants. He’d put
too much strain on his leg, having to escape the ambush. With Dio’s help, they
got it cleaned up and rebandaged, but they’d had to cut the sweatpants. It
wasn’t as bad as she’d thought. It didn’t need to be cauterized again. Only a
small section of the wound had pulled apart. The pressure bandage was
sufficient.

She sat back in her seat, handing Dio the medical supplies
to return to the kit. They had no destination set. Her vimani was on autopilot,
zipping through the blue skies at a rapid pace, putting miles between them and
the squadron.

“Dio, do you think your family’s vacation spot will be a
safe place to hide for a day or two? He needs to rest and stay medicated if
he’s going to be of any use to either of us.”

“Vacation homes on Earth are illegal.” He grinned as he gave
her the coordinates. “But I happen to know a place that should be fully stocked
should we stumble upon it in our travels.”

“At this rate of speed, we should be there before the meds
wear off.” She brought up an Earth map of Siskiwit Lake on the Isle Royale in Lake
Superior. A lake within a lake. Hopefully it was an obscure enough location
they wouldn’t be found.

Dio touched the VIS screen and magnified the image. He
located a spot in the middle of Siskiwit Lake that looked to be nothing but
water. “Aim for there.”

“There’s nothing there.”

He shot her a wide smile over his shoulder as he moved to
the back of the vimani and the cooler of food and drinks. “It’s like you asked
me to do with the Bronco at your place. Once we’re close, I’ll give you the
security code that will open the portal then all you’ve got to do is let go of
the wheel and the navigational system will guide you in.”

Shia couldn’t believe how quickly her life had changed. Last
night went from movie and popcorn on the couch to a Hellion escape. She
double-checked her settings then stared at the man in the seat next to her. He
slept soundly thanks to the meds. Though disheveled and dressed in a
stretched-to-capacity pair of her sweats, he was sexy even if he was a fool.

What could he possibly gain by going to Bellitrix? It was
the most fortified colony in the universe. The High Guard Council met there in
the Kiengir Distrix Sanctuary, which was surrounded by Paoni forces. The Paoni
Cadet School and training facility was also housed on Bellitrix. Out of all the
places to want to go once one escaped hell, you wouldn’t think it’d be there.
But he had a reason and she knew it had something to do with that report.

Or a woman named Oriana.

Shia bit back an unfamiliar emotion leaking into her system.
He wasn’t hers to get jealous over. She sighed. This was so not good or like
her to fall for anyone, especially not someone like Kal. A man who was much
older than she and probably had a family waiting for him tucked away somewhere
in an obscure realm of the galaxy. Shia closed her eyes for a moment.

An odd sensation prickled the hairs on the back of her neck,
which instantly had her scouting the skies for possible tails. It was doubtful
there were any. Wesley had counted six vimani in the Paoni force. Each had gone
after a decoy. So why was she worried? Shia couldn’t relax. Instinct told her
not to let down her guard. Someone had taken a big chance locking up the
Kiengirs’ most decorated warrior and now he was free. Once the person
responsible for that found out Kal had escaped, shit was going to go down hard
and fast, and unfortunately for her, she was dead center of that storm.

She watched him sleep. If he wasn’t so heavily medicated and
they were in a more private setting, would he react as well as she had earlier
that morning? When it had happened, at first she’d thought she was still
dreaming about him. The dream was hot, but having him fuck her for real was
even better. She couldn’t believe she’d awakened to him touching her. For a few
moments, she’d lain there pretending to sleep until he slid his cock into her.
Her warrior training demanded that she stop but the woman in her wanted him and
enjoyed every second of the experience. Just thinking about it had her horny
and wet, wishing she could straddle him and fuck him to consciousness. Surprise
him as he had done to her. Would he enjoy it or try to stop her from taking him
sexually? He was a man. She doubted he’d say no to being fucked. Shia almost
laughed but swallowed it, not wanting to have to share the reason behind it
with Dio.

Sitting straight, she forced her focus on the open skies and
hoped this private island was all Dio claimed it to be. Kal needed rest and
she, well she wanted another round between the sheets with the hot Sun Superior
but knew it shouldn’t and probably wouldn’t happen.

Kal stirred awake in a big comfy bed in a darkened room. The
shades were drawn but from the rays of light slipping in around them, he knew
it was still daytime. He heard two voices speaking softly outside the door. His
head felt heavy as he shifted, slinging off the covers. His cock hardened when
he thought of the Paoni’s bed with her in his arms. He rolled onto his back as the
door opened.

She stood in the doorway with a tray balanced on one hip as
her gaze trailed down to his lap. Immediately he became aware of his cock’s
condition, pressed uncomfortably against the too-tight material of the
sweatpants. He tugged the covers back over, but it was too late. A sexy smile
upturned her lips and he knew she had noticed. “Good to see you’re awake. It’s
time for meds but we thought you could use some food first.”

He peered over her shoulder, straining to see out the
doorway. “Where’s Dio?”

“He’s fine.” She walked to the bedside table and set the
tray on it. “He’s running an errand to the mainland to buy clothes for you and
a few items I need.”

His gaze landed on her ass when she turned and opened the
blinds, spilling more light into the room. She had a fine round bottom, not too
big, not too small, just right. Kal scrubbed a hand down his face. He knew he’d
dreamt about her. It was the reason he woke with a stiff cock. He gripped the
sheets, fighting the itch to touch her. Women were trouble and the one standing
beside the bed was that with a capital T. It didn’t matter his cock was hard.
She was off limits.

“You think it’s a good idea he went out on his own?”

“Yeah. He had clothes here to change in to and he knows the
area well considering he’s been coming here since he was a small child.”

“Where are we?”

“We’re on his grandparents privately owned island in the
middle of a lake hidden on an island within a much larger lake. Ingenious
location if I do say so myself.”

“I didn’t think it existed. From the way the boy spoke about
it, it seemed too good to be true.” Kal took in his surroundings. He lay in an oversized
king bed with silky soft bedding, plush down pillows and a thick comforter, all
of which matched the light-blue walls. The head and footboard were solid oak
with a matching bedside table. A wardrobe stood in the corner, carved in its
wooden doors was a giant dog-like creature with wings. He knew he’d seen that
emblem before but couldn’t place it.

“Seems his grandparents like to be prepared. The house is
stocked with supplies for at least a month.”

“Don’t plan to be here that long.”

Shia hoped they wouldn’t be here that long either. The
prickly sensation along the back of her neck had grown into a full-blown
tension knot, keeping her on guard. If they were lucky, Dio would find the
items she needed to get the spaceship running that was hidden in the hangar in
the backyard. She couldn’t believe it when she saw it. A Cerulean XLT,
completely decked out with every luxury convenience a
unnocki
could want
for space travel. A top-of-the-line model in its day, now it was considered
antique.

According to Dio, his grandparents left it there when they
upgraded to a smaller, faster model. His grandmother wanted to hang on to it
because of all the cherished memories she had of their time spent traveling the
universe in it. She didn’t know who his grandparents were but they seemed to
have an astronomical amount of
cridits
in their financials to be able to
do what they did. If so, why not pay for Dio’s release? She figured that one
out for herself. Because once a criminal crossed hell’s threshold, there was no
return.

Shia focused on Kal’s face. His color was much better than
when they’d practically dragged him to the bed.

“How’re you feeling?”

His stomach growled loudly. “I could use some food.”

“Then you’re in luck.” She lifted the bowl from the tray.
“Chicken soup. I hear it’s good for the soul.”

He groaned. “Can I have some real food?”

“Eat this, keep it down and I’ll make you something else.”

Kal took it, foregoing the spoon and drank straight from the
bowl until it was empty then held it to her. “Next. I’m starved.”

“Really?”

“Please.”

“Better.” Shia turned and headed for the door before she did
something stupid, such as crawl in that bed and throw herself at him. Even
though he’d covered his hard-on, she hadn’t missed it but he’d shown no
interest in her helping him out with his condition. “Are you familiar with
Earth foods?”

“Yes.”

“Good. How do you like your steak?”

“Rare with a side of baked potato heavily loaded with
butter.”