Marauder Page 3

  He looked at her and smiled, a slow, sexy smile that made the butterflies in her belly swirl and swoop. “What are you willing to give me?”

  “Credits, just like the overlord.” She would not barter with her body. She thought she’d made that clear already. “I’ll match his price, but I will not sleep with you, or anyone else.”

  “Sit down and strap in.”

  He hadn’t accepted her offer, nor had he refused to consider it. Thea sat in the row of seats behind the cockpit and fastened the safety restraints. She chose the seat over to one side, so she could still see him, watch what he was doing.

  Pushing his hands into the holographic control matrix, he entered a quick series of commands that set the shuttle in motion. They left the ground with a breath-stealing surge of acceleration, then the ride quickly smoothed out, the movements becoming almost undetectable.

  “How will you acquire these credits?” He swiveled in his seat, more or less facing her. “You don’t even know where I’m headed.”

  She straightened her shoulders, refusing to show fear. Well, more like anxiety. She wasn’t really afraid of him. “Is there commerce where we’re going, restaurants, bars, that sort of thing?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then I’ll do whatever I have to...scrub floors, serve drinks, whatever. I’m not afraid of hard work, and I will pay you back. It just might take me awhile.”

  One of his sleek brows arched, drawing attention to his gold-ringed eyes. “And if I’m not willing to wait?”

  She closed her eyes, every muscle in her body tensing. Was he really that much of a bastard? “I...can’t. I...no one has touched me since...” Did he know about LA?

  “I see.” He sounded annoyed, and she wasn’t sure if he knew her circumstances or if he just realized her refusal wasn’t going to change.

  She heard his seat move, so she raised her lids just enough to see through her lashes. He faced forward again, his attention fixed on the control panel. She exhaled and fully opened her eyes.

  After a lengthy pause, he said, “There are no passenger cabins on the Marauder, and all the crew cabins are full. The ship is built for speed, not comfort. There’s a small couch in my cabin. You’ll have to bunk there.”

  She didn’t like it, but what choice did she have? Stay on the planet and become a broodmare for some oversized alien soldier? Unthinkable. “How long will it take to reach...wherever we’re going?”

  “Not long.”

  But in space “not long” could mean a few days or a few years. Days was more likely. He ran supplies, and supplies didn’t do much good if they took years to arrive. She could endure anything for a day or two, but what about Rex? Had he really accepted that she had no interest in sleeping with him, or was this just his way of getting her aboard his ship without a fight?

  “I’ve never forced myself on anyone.” He glanced over his shoulder, golden phitons gleaming. “I won’t start with you.”

  “Then thank you for helping me. I appreciate it more than you can possibly know.” Another tense pause followed. He seemed resigned to their arrangement, but still annoyed. She was probably the only female who had ever refused him. He was good looking, most considered him charming, and he obviously had wealth. Spaceships weren’t cheap and he owned the Marauder. Men like Rex never lacked female companions. Was that why he was so irritated? Had she wounded his pride? “You can go anywhere you want. Why do business with the Outcasts?”

  “They aren’t all that different from the battle born. Did you have a problem with them?”

  “Yes,” she snapped. “I have a problem with all of you. Earth was doing just fine until aliens showed up and tried to—never mind. I’m thankful you’re willing to help me, so it’s better if I keep my mouth shut.”

  Rex chuckled and made a couple of adjustments before turning his chair to face her again. “I’m not part of the battle born rebellion and I’m not an Outcast. You won’t hurt my feelings by bashing either of them.”

  “You’re not part of the rebellion, but are you battle born?” She wasn’t sure why she cared. She was just passing time.

  “Yes and no.” He smiled, but his gaze was less open now. “My mother was Bilarrian, but she was not a war bride.”

  The defensiveness in his tone made the claim hard to believe. “And your father?”

  “He was Rodyte and he captured her, intending to make her his war bride. However, their attraction was too intense. My mother never considered herself a prisoner, so I don’t consider myself battle born.”

  He might not, but she suspected the rest of his star system did.

  Before she could ask another question, he went on, “My father was killed a few weeks after my conception. She had yet to tell anyone she was pregnant, so she was released. I was reared on Bilarri, taught their traditions and philosophies.”

  “Do you consider yourself Bilarrian?”

  “I avoid labels whenever possible. I find them limiting, even harmful.”

  She agreed wholeheartedly. She’d always felt stifled by the labels others attached to her. “There are all sorts of rumors about you. How many of the stories are true?”

  Both of his brows rose this time. “Is the gossip about you true?”

  Why would he even know what the gossips said about her? They’d met for the first time a few minutes ago. He was a notorious smuggler, while she— A smile tugged at her lips. If she was perfectly honest with herself, she’d grown pretty notorious too. “Some is. Some isn’t.”

  “The same is true of me. Gossip often holds a kernel of truth, but the stories are exaggerated and sensationalized.”

  She had no idea how long it would take to reach his ship and she always talked a lot when she was nervous. Being alone with anyone, especially anyone who also happened to be male, seemed to make her uneasy these days. The confident, well-organized working mom of her past was long gone. Now she was just reckless, argumentative Thea. “Were you ever in the Rodyte military?” That seemed unlikely if he grew up on Bilarri, but many of the rumors said he deserted his post, and had been an outlaw ever since.

  “Briefly.” The word was clipped and cold. He obviously didn’t want to elaborate. “Were you really part of the Resistance Force? You seem too rational to be part of that movement.”

  “Thank you, I think, but yes. I was part of the RF until I found out the organization was run by a freaking alien!” The Resistance Force had seemed innocent enough to begin with. It was an outlet for those devastated by the LA Massacre. “Earth for humans” had been their battle cry. They all knew they were throwing pebbles at a tank, but they’d had to do something. She still believed Earth had been better off when only humans inhabited the planet. However, she was rational enough to understand that the past couldn’t be changed no matter how unfair she found the present. Humans weren’t alone in the universe. She had no choice but to accept it.

  Another warm chuckle rumbled through his chest. “You really have no use for any non-human, do you?”

  “Not generally, no.” He didn’t seem insulted, but she felt obliged to add, “When one agrees to help me escape, however, I’m willing to overlook his extraterrestrial origins.”

  “Thank you, I think,” he echoed, a bit of the warmth returning to his eyes. “If you despise all aliens, why did you volunteer for the transformation program?”

  “I didn’t,” she stressed. “Your harbinger friend knew that neither Lily nor I had any interest in participating in their twisted breeding program. He just didn’t give a damn.”

  That seemed to surprise Rex. He pressed back into his chair and studied her closely. “Lily is a geneticist. They need some chemical formula only she knows to stabilize the transformations. From their perspective, Arton had no choice but to kidnap her. Why did he take you?”

  “Damn good question. Why don’t you ask Arton and let me know?”

  “As soon as we reach the Marauder, I will.” His gaze turned dark and stormy and he suddenly looked angry. Yet she d
idn’t think he was angry with her, more like the harbinger. “My price might have dropped considerably.”

  She stared back at him in stunned silence. Why would he care who Arton kidnapped and why? Rex wasn’t an Outcast. He was a businessman. As long as events didn’t affect his bottom line, he didn’t interfere. “I’m not asking for charity. I said I’d pay, and I will.”

  “Relax. No one will mistake you for a charity case.”

  She had no money and no place to stay. Thanks to her stubborn refusal to be injected with com-bots, she couldn’t even communicate with the aliens unless they spoke English. If that didn’t qualify as a charity case, what the hell did? “Will I be able to find someone going to Earth from wherever we’re going?” That probably should have been the first question she asked rather than one of the last. If she continued to be reckless, she might find herself in a situation even less desirable than the one she’d just escaped.

  “Considering what you’ve just told me, I might take you myself.” He didn’t offer any further assurance. He turned back to the control console and made a few adjustments.

  He’d said he “might take her” not that he would. It wasn’t much of a guarantee, but it was the closest she’d come to certainty since her arrival on this planet. Unwilling to jinx it, she said nothing more.

  They entered one of four landing bays on the Marauder a few minutes later. The ship was bigger than Thea expected and more heavily armed. “Is this ship army surplus or something? It looks ready for battle not business.”

  His rakish grin returned with a vengeance as he ushered her off the shuttle. “This is the third Marauder. Each has been a bit bigger and considerably newer than the last. The current Marauder was a gift from Overlord Razel.”

  “The overlord gave you a spaceship?” When he only nodded, she asked, “What did you do to earn such a gift?”

  “It was a self-serving gift,” Rex told her. “The overlord wanted access to my contacts and I wasn’t sure what the Outcasts could offer me that I didn’t already have with the battle born. The second Marauder was falling apart, so I told Kage I wanted a new ship. He agreed, with one condition, that I work exclusively for him for a minimum of two years.”

  “Was it a fair deal? Is this a good ship?” It appeared clean and in good repair, but she knew nothing about spaceships. Alien technology all seemed sophisticated compared to what humans were able to produce.

  “It’s a wonderful ship, far superior to its predecessors. As for my agreement with the overlord, it’s too soon for a final decision, but I’m pleased so far.”

  They walked for a while in silence. She didn’t ask where they were going. It didn’t really matter as long as the trip eventually led back to Earth. “What exactly do you smuggle for the Outcasts?”

  He smiled. “Whatever they need, and ‘smuggle’ doesn’t really apply to this situation. I’m more of a supplier than a smuggler right now.”

  She looked around as they turned down one corridor and then another. Unlike the Rodyte ships, the Marauder’s passageways were squared off and perpendicular. In fact the entire ship seemed to be designed with sharp angles and smooth surfaces. There were no levers on the doors they passed and instrument panels were inset into the walls. The deck angled upward suddenly, likely leading to another level.

  “The ship wasn’t built by Rodytes, was it?” She tried to sound bored, yet she was fascinated by the differences.

  He strolled along at her side as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “What led you to that conclusion?”

  “It looks different than their ships. The shape of things, the basic colors, everything is different.”

  “You’re correct. The Marauder was designed by the Linusians. It was one of the reasons the overlord was willing to part with the ship. None of his commanders wanted to deal with the idiosyncrasies. Besides, a third of my crew is at least part Linusian, so the ship was a good fit for us.”

  They reached a doorway and Rex pressed his hand over a scanner to trigger the door. Thea crossed the threshold, but went no farther into the room. This was obviously his cabin and it wasn’t much bigger than the one she’d been assigned aboard the Viper. There was no way she could sleep here—with him. It was too cozy, too intimate. The sleeping area was separated from the rest of the space by a half wall, and the couch he’d mentioned earlier looked more like a loveseat. The only way she’d fit on the thing was to lie on her side and bend her knees. A couple of blankets on the deck might make more sense.

  “Make yourself at home.” He motioned to the room at large. “There are a few things I need to do before we leave orbit. I shouldn’t be gone long.”

  She tensed. Had she simply exchanged one cage for another? “Can I have a datapad or something? I don’t tolerate boredom well.”

  “Were you injected with com-bots? I don’t have a datapad that has been converted to English.”

  Frustrated by her own stubbornness, she shook her head. “I thought I was being clever at the time, but the only one my refusal punished was me.”

  “I think there’s an injector in the infirmary. I’ll check on my way back.”

  “Is that how you learned English? Were you injected with com-bots?”

  His gaze intensified. She was stalling and he obviously knew it, but he answered anyway. “I was injected with com-bots years ago. However, I downloaded the English module shortly after I agreed to work exclusively for the Outcasts. I suspected that I would interact with various females often enough to make the precaution useful.”

  “Well, the download must be more extensive than the com-bots’ programing because your command of English sounds more relaxed, more natural.”

  He nodded, accepting the information. “I’ll mention it to Kage.”

  After an awkward pause, she asked, “Can’t I just come with you?” The thought of being locked in his cabin alone had her heart racing, or maybe it was the intensity of his stare. “I don’t do well in locked rooms.”

  He seemed to consider her suggestion, but ultimately shook his head. “I’m breaking my own rules by bringing you aboard. I’d rather not flaunt my disobedience. Besides, what I need is in the control center, and I can’t take you there.”

  “Afraid I’ll take control of the ship?” The suggestion was so absurd it made her smile.

  “Something like that.” He returned her smile, then turned around and left the cabin.

  REX PAUSED IN THE CORRIDOR outside his cabin. He took a deep breath, trying to purge Thea’s scent from his nose. The effort only drew the alluring smell deeper, filling his nose, his mind and body with her pheromones. He wanted to touch her, needed to touch her, kiss her, claim her, but she was so far from ready for any sort of courtship that it was almost funny. He’d always thrived on challenge, the more improbable the better. This mountain, however, seemed insurmountable.

  “Are you all right?”

  He looked up and found Proktar striding toward him. The green cast to his skin deepened and the gray-green portion of his eyes slowly rotated, indicating a surge of emotion. “I’m fine,” Rex insisted, “just distracted.”

  “By the female in your cabin?”

  Rex smiled, not surprised that word had spread so quickly. He hadn’t passed anyone in the hallway as he ushered Thea to his cabin, but scans would have alerted Proktar to an unregistered visitor. As head of security, it was Proktar’s responsibility to be aware of such things. “She won’t be aboard long and she won’t cause trouble. I’ll make sure of it.”

  Proktar scoffed with good-natured disbelief. “She’s a human female. They always cause trouble.” The color of his skin gradually faded until only the barest hint of green remained, and the hypnotic rotation of his eyes stilled. Proktar’s heritage was complicated. His father was half Linusian and half Rodyte, while his mother was half Rodyte and half Ontarian. According to most geneticists, Proktar shouldn’t exist. Combining the DNA of three diverse species should never have resulted in offspring. But apparently, his parents h
adn’t gotten the memo. They’d had not one child, but two, Proktar and his younger brother Kotan.

  For the most part, Proktar looked Rodyte. His hair was dark and wavy, his features sculpted rather than amphibian like a full-blooded Linusian’s would have been. The green “flush” response of his skin and the subtle rotation of his eyes were the only visual clues that he was a unique hybrid.

  “What do you intend to do with her?” Proktar grinned. “Other than the obvious.”

  “I haven’t decided yet.” He’d known Proktar for many years. They were close friends as well as coworkers. “She’s not just any female. She’s my potential mate.”

  Proktar’s gray-green eyes widened. “I didn’t think that was possible.”

  “On Rodymia, it wasn’t. I contacted three different matching agencies and they all returned zero results. Apparently, human DNA is different, more accommodating.”

  “Congratulations?”

  The questioning influx in Proktar’s tone made Rex chuckle. “The outcome of this experiment has definitely not been determined yet. Is everything ready for departure?”

  “We’re on standby, waiting for you.”

  Rex nodded. “I have a com to make before we leave orbit, then we’ll be on our way.”

  “Understood.” He started to leave, then nodded toward the door to Rex’s cabin. “When do I get to meet her?”

  “I’ll probably return her to Earth, so there’s no reason for her to interact with anyone but me. If she shows any interest in me, I’ll let you know.”

  Proktar just nodded and continued on toward wherever he’d been headed originally, likely the security hub adjacent to engineering. That was where he spent most of his time.

  The new Marauder required a larger operating force than its predecessor, so Rex had nearly doubled the size of his crew. All of the newbies were Outcasts, and most were former military. The change had increased the efficiency of the operation, but it had also created tension between the original members and the new. Rex was hoping that time and mutual challenges would be enough to smooth out the friction. If not, he might have to make some changes, and that would likely piss off the overlord.