Moonbeams and magic (15 page)

Dagan spoke with Radu before the man departed. His gaze met hers as he asked, "Who are you, Yana? What or whom are you hiding from?"

Yana went quickly on alert again. "I can't divulge that information."

"So, you only trust me to a certain degree?" he jested.

"I'm sorry, but privacy is a must until a particular matter is resolved."

"You won't leave Noy before saying good-bye, right?"

"I promise, unless you're away when I must depart. When do you take another journey? And how long will you be gone?" she asked to see if Tochar had confided anything of interest to his new hireling.

"I don't know I'm awaiting Tochar's orders."

She laughed. "Impatiently? You appear to love traveling."

He lowered his glass. "What gave you that impression?"

"You always seem a little restless."

"Not when I'm in such entertaining and ravishing company."

She traced her forefinger around the glass's rim as she

fused her gaze to his. "That was a quick and smooth response. Do you charm all of the women you meet so easily and swiftly?"

"Does that mean our attraction is mutual?"

She halted her movement to prevent tipping over the glass when her hand trembled. "Yes, but I think, where relationships are concerned, I move more slowly and carefully than you do."

Dagan chuckled. "Impulsive and reckless I'm not, Yana."

"Neither am I, Dagan. Now, why don't you tell me about yourself and your work."

He downed the last swallow of his drink. "It's getting late and I've had a long and busy deega. We can get better acquainted next time. What if I escort you to your dwelling to ensure your safety?"

Is that all you have in mind? "That would be kind of you."

They left the Skull's Den in silence as she led the way to Yana's abode.

"It's located there," she said, pointing to a small dome-shaped pod. At the entrance, she slid a metallic card into a slot and the door swished open. She turned and asked, "Would you like to visit for a while?" She half expected and needed him to refuse, but he did not.

"Only for a few preons; it's late, and we're both tired. But I wouldn't mind seeing your surroundings and having a last drink with you."

"There isn't much to see," Yana remarked as they entered the rental unit. "It's plain and serviceable and clean. Radu owns it." As she poured two glasses of Clearian wine, she told him, "I was fortunate to arrive when I did because the person who habitated it before me had to leave that deega."

"That was a stroke of good luck," he said, taking the drink ft-om her.

Yana watched him stroll around as if looking for things that would give him clues about her. She sat down, won-

dering what would happen next. She saw him glance over a waist-high partition into the sleeping and dressing area, then into another where the cooking and eating area was located. He didn't have to ask where the one door went: into the bathing chamber.

Dagan sat beside her on a small but cozy seata and sipped his drink. She was right, there wasn't much to see or anything to provide clues about her. That told him she was clever and cautious about her privacy; perhaps she stayed ready to flee at a preon's notice.

"You don't like to talk about yourself, do you?" Yana queried.

Dagan shrugged and grinned. "There isn't much of interest to tell. And you're just as tight-lipped as I am."

"I promised I would tell you everything about me later. In any case, since we'll know each other for such a short time, do facts about me really matter?"

"I suppose not, but I'll decide as we go along." He nodded toward an odd-looking figurine. "That's an interesting piece of sculpture. Is it yours?" he asked.

"No, it's part of the decor."

"May I see it?"

"Of course." She set down her glass and fetched the item.

With her back to him, he switched their glasses, having been careful to keep his liquid even with hers. Dagan examined the object and said, "Looks like an artist's strange interpretation of a Thracian kilitar." He handed it to her as if asking for her opinion. As she made her decision, he pretended to absently toy with a paper casing on the lower part of the glass for capturing moisture and preventing a slippery surface.

"It does slightly resemble that six-legged beast." Immediately after Dagan downed the remainder of his drink, she asked him if he wanted another one.

"No, thanks. I'll be leaving now, but I'll see you again soon." He stood and stretched as if weary, then furtively

stuffed the glass's wrap into his pocket, the one with Yana's fingerprints on it, retrievable with a special process he knew. Added to the voice print he had made that evening on his recorder, Yana's identity wouldn't remain a mystery much longer.

She was half relieved and half disappointed that he was departing without attempting to seduce Yana, her. She craved to feel his arms about her, to taste his lips, to join her body with his. She walked him to the door, but he turned before he pressed the open button.

Dagan gazed into her rich blue eyes and scanned her faint blue skin and blond hair with the same blue tinge. "You're a beautiful and desirable woman, Yana; I hope we'll see a lot of each other before you're gone."

"That would please me," she responded, though not totally true, not as Yana.

Without releasing her captive gaze, Dagan cupped her face between his hands, lowered his head, and sealed their lips. He couldn't help but close his eyes and pretend she was Starla, which proved to be a mistake. As his body flamed with fiery cravings and she yielded her mouth to his, he told himself if he didn't leave soon, his control would vanish.

Yana's wits danced freely. The kiss was everything she had imagined and more: tender, delicious, arousing. His manly scent pervaded her senses. His hands were strong yet gentle, as was he. But the kiss was too short to suit her.

Dagan leaned back and smiled. "Good night, Yana. I'll see you soon."

"Good night, Dagan. I enjoyed our brief evening together."

"Perhaps it will last much longer next time," he murmured.

Yana watched him disappear into the shadows, then closed the door and leaned against it as she tried to quell her tremblings of excitement. So, he didn't leap into a

sleeper with a woman just because she was "beautiful and desirable"; that was good, and it prevented her from making that serious choice tonight in a weakened state.

She communicated with Cypher who had overheard everything via her monitor, "I'll wait here for a while to make certain he doesn't return and wonder where I am or how I departed if he's lurking outside."

"That is unnecessary," the android replied. "I took a body reading and am following it with my sensors. He is returning to his chamber."

"Then, there's no need to remain. Ready for transport."

Starla entered the Skull's Den shortly after dusk the following day, purchased a drink, and took a seat near the dome's outer shell. It was a slow night for business on the first level and in that area, so it was quieter than usual. Even the music from the adjoining section wasn't loud, nor the voices and laughter of the few patrons there. She wondered how long Starla and/or Yana could hold Dagan Latu's attention if one or both of them failed to share a sleeper with him. Should she, could she, in either form, surrender to such a perilous temptation? Did her sense of duty and the importance of her mission justify using her body to obtain victory? She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Dagan's arrival until his commanding presence filled her line of vision as he joined her.

"Looks as if you were mentally trekking far away," he murmured as he leaned back in his chair and gazed at her. A strange warmth flowed over him every time he was near her, one that worried him.

"A hazard of our fate-altered lives, wouldn't you agree?"

"I suppose so," he replied, then sipped his drink. He wished he could convince her to leave Tochar and Noy, remove herself as one of his targets. As soon as Tochar was defeated and slain, she would have no leader and this set-

tlement would be destroyed to scatter and weaken the remaining villites who used it. Afterward, she would be thrust into space on her own again or be caught up in the whirhng vortex which would swallow and crush the wicked elements in Tochara.

In his opinion, Starla couldn't be held totally to blame for her illegal actions; she had gotten entrapped in this dangerous existence while in a vulnerable state, pulled in by her own brother. He hoped Tochar's influence wasn't too strong and she would escape it soon; if not, there would be no way he could ignore her position in the fiendal 's band and her participation in its crimes, even though the ravishing pirate enflamed his passions and touched his emotions. Her effect on him evoked a battle of personal feelings vying against professional ones.

"Is your real name Starla Vedris?" he questioned suddenly.

Following his long and intense and arousing study of her, she had not expected that odd question. She stared at him for a m.oment. "Why, does it really matter? One name is as good as another in our work."

He leaned forward and propped his elbows on the table. "I like you, Starla, so I want to get to know you better."

"That takes time, Dagan, time we might not have in our risky lives."

"Since our fates are uncertain, we should enjoy every preon we have."

She wondered if that was a sexual overture. "Only if those diversions don't shorten or worsen our existences. I think it is unwise to live only for the deega, as so many do here. Indulgence can be self-destructive."

Dagan locked his blue gaze to her green one. "What kind of future do you want? Any desire for a normal one with a mate and offspring?"

Her heart raced at his odd queries and his desire-igniting expression. She fought to keep the trembling of strong emo-

tion from her voice. "Is that what you want? Do you ask because Vm a woman and you assume that's what all females crave?"

Dagan felt himself heating up beneath her sultry gaze. The fates have mercy, he wanted her badly, and was sure she felt the same. "Why do you always reply to certain queries with a question so you can avoid sharing something personal about yourself?"

Starla laughed to release tension. "You answered your own question."

"I sense that you're a private person and probably have reason to be, but is it just me or everyone you want to keep at a defensive distance?"

"Would you think me vain if I said no man on Noy has interested me in that way since my arrival? Unless I'm wrong about your meaning."

"Your conclusion is accurate. Does 'no man' include me?"

Starla's gaze roamed his face. She found his expression unreadable except for glimmers of fiery desire which matched the flames searing her. "I haven't decided what I think or feel about you, not yet. I try not to make hasty judgments; that can be rash and hazardous."

"Thanks for being honest; and it isn't vain to be discriminating."

Starla thought it was best to change the subject. "I would like to thank you again for being willing to sacrifice your life to save me from those carnivorous brutes."

"I'm sure you would do the same thing for one of your teammates." But how do you know what I said when you were out cold? Dagan withdrew his knife and extended it toward Starla. "You should get one of these. It comes in handy if you run out of power packs. It's good for close-range fighting and for throwing a long distance. Has lots of other uses in a bind." He watched her take the knife and examine it, supplying him with her fingerprints. Added to

the voice pattern he was recording, soon he would know everything about Starla Vedris or whoever she was, as she would be registered in the I-GAF data base, as were all UFG citizens.

"If you don't know how to use one, I'll be glad to teach you," he offered.

Starla returned the knife. "Thanks, but I do know how. You might want to change to a curved handle for a better

grip."

Her practical idea impressed him. "Has Auken told you we're leaving tomorrow to head for the Sion space station to get that part for Tochar's ship?"

"No, I haven't seen or heard from him. I take it Tochar has checked and knows the part is available and the station is approachable. He amazes me with the number of contacts he has in other places. It seems as if there is little he can't learn, so they must hold high and trusted positions." She laughed, then feigned a jest, "If I had his sources, I wouldn't need to work for him or anyone."

"We take a lot of risks and steal valuable cargoes for such small cuts of the profits. Not that he doesn't pay well, better than most leaders, but he sells those hauls for huge amounts, so our services should be worth more."

"Too bad it's dangerous to leave his employ or we could venture out on our own. He has long arms and a good memory, so any departure has to be agreeable to him. Can you repair his ship after we get that part he needs?" she asked.

"Yes, I checked it over this morning; nothing to it. Being on my own for so long, I have to know a ship from top to bottom. I can't exactly call for help if something malfunctions, and I don't want to drift alone in space until death claims me. You're lucky you have an android for company and assistance."

"I'm very fortunate to have Cypher for many reasons."

After she enumerated a few, she asked, "Did Auken say whether or not I'll be going along on the raid?"

"The entire unit is going. Why?"

"Since we're leaving tomorrow and I haven't been told, I wondered."

"He's probably been busy getting the Adika ready to depart."

"I hope that's the only reason; being excluded wouldn't sit well."

Dagan didn't tell her he had hinted to Auken that only three or four of them were needed to carry out the raid, one which would be allowed to succeed with the hope of enticing Tochar away from his stronghold. Though there shouldn't be any risks involved, unless something unforeseen came up, he wanted her kept away from as many dangers and punishable crimes as possible. But Auken was loyal and ignored his words.