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TALIA STOOD IN THE control room of the Inferno and briefly glanced at the stars littering the darkened expanse of space outside the main viewing pane. She swiped several unruly curls away from her face and pondered her current predicament, unsure how to proceed.
It still pissed her off that she’d gotten herself on the hunters’ radar. She’d known they were searching for Tremaine, so she’d taken precautions and done her best to avoid any contact with them.
The argument she’d had with Lexa about the hunter was nothing compared to the inner turmoil currently churning inside her head. She wasn’t sure why it bothered her, but Talia wished she could forget the disgust she’d heard in his voice when he’d called her a “bounty scavenger.”
It wasn’t as if she’d never heard the demeaning phrase before, or been called worse. Talia knew what she did to survive came with a price and a less than pleasant reputation. Unlike many others, she was choosy about the contracts she accepted. She did her homework, made sure those she went after were truly guilty and deserved the punishment they would receive. She’d learned long ago how to endure and brush aside the condescending and misinformed ignorance of others.
Truth was, it hadn’t mattered, and she hadn’t cared—until now.
Compounding her confusion was his horrified expression. No matter how hard she tried, Talia couldn’t forget the way his catlike eyes had darkened from blue-green to deep turquoise when he’d realized she was a woman.
After drugging him, Lexa had argued that they should leave him behind. Talia had refused, using the cold weather and the fact that he could freeze to death as her original excuse. She’d countered her sister’s argument about finding someone to take care of him by telling her he was a hunter, and they didn’t need to end up on the wrong side of the law enforcers.
In actuality, her motivation stemmed from her strong attraction to the man—the unwanted emotions and the part of her decision she was currently trying to deny.
Talia was glad Lexa had the foresight to use the ship’s transport when she came to find her. There was no way, even if they’d dragged him, that they’d have gotten the overly large man back to their ship without someone taking notice. Even through the fabric layers, she’d been able to feel the toned and thick muscles in his arms. She absently rubbed the bruised and tender spot along her rib cage, another reminder of his strength. He’d nailed her hard, and she was damned lucky he hadn’t cracked or broken anything.
Talia’s attention was drawn to the display monitoring the cell they used to move prisoners. She stared at the man sprawled unconscious on his back on top of the bed. He’d said he was a hunter, and even though his black shirt and pants weren’t the standard uniform, it didn’t mean he wasn’t telling the truth.
After she’d removed his coat, she’d found the distinctive markings running along his neck and disappearing beneath the material covering his broad shoulders. It was a good thing Lexa was in the room, or she might have been tempted to lift the fabric to see how far across his golden tanned skin the dark markings traveled. To run her fingertips along those rippling abs and... She clenched her fingers into a fist, pushing aside the thoughts that would lead to trouble.
“What the hell am I going to do with you now?” Though she voiced what she’d been silently asking herself for the last hour, she hadn’t expected anyone to answer.
“If he is a hunter, then I say we drop him out of an airlock.” Hearing Lexa’s voice behind her made her jump.
Talia knew her sister was teasing, yet it didn’t stop her from coming to the hunter’s defense. She angrily spun to face Lexa. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“Okay, so maybe not an airlock.” Lexa grinned ruefully. “I know, we can program one of the life pods to take him to a city on the other side of the planet. That would keep his friends busy while we go after Tremaine.” She tapped her chin. “Though keeping him around, at least until you get laid, might not be a bad idea either.”
“What...no.” Sex, seriously? Talia could feel the heat rising on her cheeks. She loved her sister, knew she could always count on her to have her back, but there were times, like now, when she worried about her judgment. “Why would you even...”
Lexa shrugged. “I’m saying you haven’t put yourself out there for a while. And by the way you’ve been gawking at the screen, I assumed you were interested.”
“I wasn’t gawking.” Okay, there was quite a bit of gawking, along with some fantasizing, but Talia wasn’t about to admit it. She had bigger problems to worry about.
“Sure you weren’t.” Lexa scooted closer to the monitor, giving it a perusing glance. “He’s not bad-looking, and from what I saw back on the surface, he has a decent-size package.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “If you know what I mean?”
Talia knew exactly what her sister was referring to. She hadn’t missed the large bulge on the front of his pants from the sizable erection he’d been sporting when he’d lost consciousness. Her attraction, the one she continued to deny, was reciprocated by the man. Either that or he got excited from pinning women to the ground. Not that her body had minded. A tingle skittered across her skin every time she remembered the way he’d cupped her breast.
Talia glanced back at the screen. “You do realize someone is going to come looking for him, don’t you?” Nothing had shown up on the monitors yet, but it didn’t mean it wouldn’t eventually. The ship that had tailed them from Tridorcian wasn’t a single-person shuttle. It was large enough to maintain a ten-to-fifteen-person crew. A crew she was certain would be searching for him soon.
Lexa puffed out a deflated breath. “I know, which is why we need to think of something. Something that doesn’t involve me going to prison for assaulting a hunter.”
Talia had been thinking the same thing. She nudged Lexa, hoping to ease some of her concern. “No one is sending you to prison.” They might have lived with their eccentric aunt, Chloe, since their teens, but the burden for their survival had landed on Talia’s shoulders. The responsibility had become more prevalent two years ago when Chloe decided to get married and retire.
“Are you sure? Because I have a feeling he’s not going to be very happy when he wakes up and finds out we’ve taken him off the planet.”
“Is my assistance required?” A male voice, monotone and lacking emotion, had Lexa mirroring Talia’s glance over her shoulder. Rex, the male droid she’d inherited along with the ship, stood in the entrance to the control room. He had an uncanny way of appearing whenever they needed him, and sometimes when they didn’t.
Chloe told Talia that Rex was a prototype she’d gotten from some secret lab on some secret planet from some secret scientist—Chloe’s words, not Talia’s. She’d never voiced her suspicions out loud to her aunt, but when Chloe told her the robotic male had been a gift, Talia was fairly certain it meant she’d stolen him.
Other than the noticeable burnished orange color in his skin, Rex had the appearance of a human male with all the appropriate parts. Parts including male ones that Chloe had assured her worked perfectly. Rex might not be human, but Talia considered him a valuable member of their three-person crew. He was family. There was no way, no matter how badly she might need sexual relief, that she would ever use him in that capacity. And neither would Lexa.
“Yes,” Lexa said at the same time Talia said, “No.”
Rex cocked his head to the side, raising a brow as his dark gaze moved from Lexa to Talia. She knew he was contemplating their opposite directives. He was programmed to mimic human emotions and had an advanced intellectual capacity for learning. He also interpreted everything they said literally, a downside which oftentimes led to problems. Talia spent a lot of time trying to teach him about humor, teasing, and Earth slang.
“We need your help to dispose of the new prisoner. Preferably somewhere safe where his friends can find him. I suggested using the airlock, but Softy here doesn’t agree with my plan.” Lexa smirked at Talia, then smiled sweetly at Rex. “What do you think?”
“I am here to serve. It would be my greatest pleasure to offer my assistance and dispose of the prisoner for you.”
“No one is disposing of or dumping him anywhere.” Talia pressed her lips together and gave Lexa an admonishing glare.
Lexa rolled her eyes and defiantly tucked her arms across her chest. “Then what are you planning to do with him?”
Sometimes the stress of being older and having to make all the hard decisions wore on Talia. She inhaled a deep breath, then blew it out slowly. “I’m going to wake him and try to reason with him.” She tapped a button on the panel below the monitor, and the screen faded to black.
She’d never had any problems with Tarrons in the past—mostly because she kept her distance from them—and she planned to keep it that way. She knew very little about their race but had heard they valued honor above all else, and hoped to use it to her advantage. “Maybe if we’re lucky, he won’t be angry and...” And she didn’t want to contemplate another alternative. Because if he decided not to be reasonable, she might actually have to consider one of Lexa’s suggestions.
As intriguing as the idea of having sex with him was, it was not on Talia’s list of considerations. Going after Tremaine was her priority, one which didn’t include the hunter. He was a distraction she didn’t need, and the sooner she got him off her ship, the better.
With her resolve firmly in place, Talia left the room and headed to the lift that would take her to the ship’s lower level.
#
DOLOK’S SENSES, NORMALLY heightened beyond those of a human, were sluggish. He struggled to push through the darkness by forcing his eyes open. Once the blurriness in his vision and mind cleared, several things became apparent. He was in a room that wasn’t his quarters on the Desna. His coat and boots had been removed, and he was lying on a bed with his right wrist cuffed to the metal frame.
Those things were minor, inconsequential in comparison to his recent revelation. The male he’d been tracking was a female. A female with appealing beauty and a tantalizing scent.
A female who was his destined mate.
The recognition had slammed into him the instant he’d heard her feminine voice, not the false tones created by the modulator. Unlike most of the males on his planet who welcomed the discovery, Dolok hadn’t been in any hurry to find his female match. It didn’t mean he hadn’t enjoyed the company of females—he did and had, simply out of need, since he was old enough to understand his sexual cravings.
Memories surged to the forefront of his mind. They renewed a pain he’d tried to leave in the past and reminded him why he hadn’t wanted a mate or the entanglements that went along with a committed relationship. He’d actually gone out of his way to accept as many off-world assignments as possible, to avoid finding the woman specifically designed for him. Now that he’d found her, the same determination he’d applied to evading the inevitable was pulsing through him, urging him to track her down, to claim her.
The more attuned his senses became to his surroundings, the more the dull throb pounded in his forehead. He rubbed the side of his neck with his free hand, his fingertips skimming the healing bump centered in the tender spot where he’d felt the jab. Though the drug left his memory in a vague haze, the recollection of another female, a sister, if he’d heard correctly, played along the fringes of his mind.
He blinked, thankful the overhead lights were set to dim. It allowed his blurry vision to focus without being irritated by too much brightness.
He glanced around the room, noting the absence of his weapon and communication device. Other than a single silver-paneled door, the walls were smooth, coated in dull white. The room resembled a cell, similar in appearance to the one onboard the Desna, and he wondered if it was programmed with a hidden security camera to monitor his movements.
The slight vibration and constant hum of an engine informed him he was aboard a ship somewhere in space. The faint wisp of his female’s fragrance lingered in the air, confirming that she was also onboard.
His predicament enraged and thrilled him at the same time. He still couldn’t believe he’d been deceived and outmaneuvered by a female. Two if he counted the female who’d drugged him. Unless they planned to starve him, which he doubted, someone would eventually have to see to his needs. And when they did, he’d be ready for them. He tipped his head back to examine the cuff and was amused to discover that his own cuff had been used to secure him to the bed. With a grin, he entered the code to activate the release.
Before he could remove the cuff, he heard the lock on the cell door disengage, alerting him that someone would be entering sooner than he’d anticipated. He kept his wrist where it was, then rolled onto his back and focused on the sliding panel.
Without the hooded coat concealing her features, the female was even lovelier than he remembered. Denial was a strong emotion. Dolok refused to admit that his accelerated heart rate and the pressure in his chest had anything to do with the appearance of the female destiny had chosen for him.
He took in every detail, committing everything to memory, from her pale complexion to the vibrant and wild flaming curls hanging loosely over her shoulders, to the luminescent gleam in her blue-green eyes. She wore a slimming, vest-type shirt that revealed a strip of skin above a pair of snug-fitting black leather pants that rode low on her hips.
“Wonderful, you’re awake.” She pressed her hand to the security panel near the entrance, and the door swished shut behind her. She wasn’t armed, which meant she wasn’t concerned that he’d be able to harm her. It led him to believe his summation about the hidden monitor was accurate.
She took several confident steps into the room, her military-style boots thumping on the metal floor. She bit the right side of her lower lip, his only indication that she was nervous. Dolok inhaled deeply, hoping to capture a whiff of her sweet fragrance and determine her level of fear. He was surprised to detect a subtle scent of arousal and was pleased to learn his attraction wasn’t one-sided.
“I want to apologize for what happened. My sister misunderstood the situation and...” She took another step closer, but not close enough for him to reach. At least not yet. “She thought you were going to hurt me.”
I would never. A defensive protest would not encourage her to approach him, neither would insistent questions regarding Tremaine. He pushed aside his internal battle, the one where his mind struggled with his disgust of her chosen profession and the priority of his mission. Instead, he focused on her connection to him and the best way to get her to let down her guard.
“What is your name?” Dolok kept his voice low and even. It was information he truly desired. He wanted to know if her name did justice to the beautiful creature he couldn’t stop perusing.
She froze, her gaze turning suspicious. “Why do you want to know?”
“I am called Dolok.” He offered her a warm smile, hoping to lighten her wary mood. “Is it not a common courtesy to address someone by their name when having a conversation with them?”
The tension in her shoulders slackened. “Yes, of course.” She smiled and took another hesitant step forward. “I’m Talia.”
Talia. The name suited her. “And the other female, the one who came to your rescue?”
“My sister, Lexa. She thought you were attacking me. Otherwise, she never would have...”
“Injected me with a drug,” he finished for her, clamping down his enthusiasm when she took another step closer.
“Yeah.” She dragged the word out. “Look, we didn’t mean you any harm, and we’ll be happy to return you to the colony.”
“What if I do not wish to be returned?” He should be focusing on the mission, extracting the information she possessed about Tremaine, finding a way to contact his team, but he couldn’t. Not when he struggled with the overwhelming urge to pull her into his arms and taste those luscious full lips. “Abducting a hunter is a serious offense.”
“Are you kidding me?” she huffed. “What part of ‘it was a misunderstanding’ are you having a problem with?”
“I am clear in the understanding.” Dolok was tempted to irritate her further. He enjoyed watching the way her eyes sparkled when she was angry, and at how easily her pale cheeks flushed a dark crimson.
Talia shook her head and blinked. “Lexa was right. I’m an idiot.” She stomped closer, hovering over him with her hands pressed firmly on her hips. “I should have left your sorry ass in that alley.”
“Would it help if I told you I am pleased that you did not abandon me?”
She narrowed her gaze, the wariness returning. “What... Are you changing your mind? Are you going to leave?”
He grinned, glad to hear she had a conscience and hadn’t wanted to see him harmed. By bringing him aboard her ship, she’d saved him the trouble of having to track her down. Provoking her into losing her temper had also brought her within his reach, and he wasn’t going to let her get away from him.
“No.” With a snap of his wrist, he slipped his hand out of the cuff and reached for her. She screamed and flailed as he flipped her across his body and onto her back on the bed. His shaft had hardened the minute he’d inhaled her scent, a fact he preferred to keep to himself—at least for now. Instead of straddling her, he remained on his side and used the weight of his leg to pin her in place.
“Get off me,” she snarled and took a swing at him.
Her reflexes were fast, and her fist nearly connected with his jaw before he caught her wrist. He trapped her arms above her head. “Be still, I do not wish to hurt you. I simply want to talk.”
She yanked several more times before she stopped struggling. “You didn’t seem to have any trouble talking to me when I was standing.”
“Yes, but this way, I am assured I will get the answers I want.” Her sweet scent filled his nostrils, making it hard to concentrate on getting the information he needed. A task he wouldn’t be able to complete if she decided to leave him somewhere on the planet.
“What answers? I already told you my sister was only trying to protect me.”
Having her this close and feeling her soft curves pressing firmly against him had been a mistake. The animalistic urges to claim, to join with her, surged through his system. The unusual color of her hair fascinated him. He shifted his grasp so he could hold her wrists with one hand, then reached for a silky lock, unable to resist twirling it around a finger. “I am more interested in what you learned about Tremaine.”
Her body tensed, and he secretly hoped it was from hearing the other man’s name and not from his touch. “I thought you didn’t trust bounty scavengers.” She pinned him with an icy glare. “If I had any information, and I’m not saying I do, why would you believe anything I had to say?”
Dolok flinched, angry at himself for making the derogatory comment before he’d realized her connection to him. “I should never...” His opinion about those in her profession hadn’t changed, but he wanted to remove the hurt he heard in her tone, the hurt he’d put there.
“Whatever.” Talia blanked her expression, then glanced above her head and frowned at the cuff dangling from the rail. “Mind telling me how you managed to get free?”
“It is never advisable to use a male’s cuffs on him when he is aware of the security code to release them.”
“I’ll add it to my list of things not to do in the future. I’ll even make a special notation that says, ‘Don’t trust men, especially if they’re hunters.’” She ground her teeth, a hint of red blossoming on her cheeks. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind letting me go.” She flexed her fists, testing the hold on her wrists once again. “I’d like to finish this conversation, preferably with a lot more space between us.”
Putting some space between them was unacceptable. He refrained from voicing his frustration. This was not proceeding the way he’d expected. He’d interrogated more prisoners than he cared to admit and could easily determine whether they would cooperate. One look at Talia’s determined expression and Dolok knew that convincing her to give him any information was going to be the equivalent of trying to punch a hole in the metal hull of the ship with his fist.
If he had any hope of winning her trust, he needed to come up with a better plan. One that got him what he wanted and in contact with his ship as soon as possible. Because the longer he was around Talia, the harder it would be to leave her. And leaving her was exactly what he needed to do, wasn’t it? His years of avoidance haunted him, challenged his determination. The primal urges were riding him hard. If he stayed, he had no doubt he’d do everything in his power to claim her.
The world she lived in was the same world that had tainted his young life. It was responsible for his father’s death and had left his mother alone to raise two small boys without her mate. Was he willing to grasp at happiness only to face the possibility of having it torn away at a future date?
He wavered with uncertainty, then remembered something Larn had shared with him shortly before mating Kira. The male he’d called friend had been a victim of Tremaine’s fighting arenas and had been prepared to end his own life rather than take others. Kira had risked her life to help him escape, and now they were expecting their first child.
Life is a gift. Take and cherish happiness when it is offered, no matter the form. Dolok hadn’t truly understood the meaning behind the words until now. Now that he was staring into the face of a female destined to be a part of his future. Was he willing to walk away from her? He wasn’t sure if he could forget the occurrences of the past, let go of the events that had guided his current path. But in that moment, he knew one thing for certain—he’d make Talia his, even if she didn’t yet know it.
No sooner had he made his choice, allowed the inkling of how best to accomplish the task begin to formulate in his mind, than the door behind them swished open. He glanced over his shoulder at the female who thoughtlessly bounded into the room.
“Talia, we have a problem.” The words rushed from Lexa’s lips between pants. She kept her gaze locked on him until she was hovering next to the bed where Talia could see her. “Whoa.” She held up her hands as if what she saw was an image she wanted to erase. “This is not what I imagined when you said you’d take care of him. You do know I was kidding about sleeping with him to keep me out of prison, right?” She shook her head. “Okay, I wasn’t kidding about the not-wanting-to-go-to-prison part, but I didn’t expect you to have sex with him on my behalf.”
“Lexa, stop.” Talia groaned and stiffened next to him. “This isn’t what you think.”
“Sure it isn’t.” Lexa flashed an annoying grin.
“I mean it. I am not having sex with him.”
Yet. Dolok wanted to correct her statement and refrained from growling. It was one thing to hide his intentions; it was another to hear her denial before he asked.
“So, we’re back to the airlock scenario?” Lexa fluttered her eyes innocently.
“No, and why are you here?” When Talia blew out an exasperated breath, Dolok was glad to know he wasn’t the only person irritated by the other female.
“Oh yeah. I need your help.”
Talia jerked her wrists, her attention back on Dolok. “If I promise not to leave you locked up, do you think you could let me go?”
Dolok noticed the repeater holstered on Lexa’s hip. Even if she attempted to subdue him with the weapon, he could easily overpower her. Now that he knew the door could be sensor activated, he wasn’t as concerned about getting out of the cell as he was earlier. All he had to do was remove the panel on the wall and bypass the security.
He was more interested in getting Talia to trust him, to feel safe with him. “Agreed.” He released his grip, then flipped his legs over the edge of the bed, the action causing Lexa to take a few steps back. He didn’t want Lexa to think he posed a threat to either of them, so he got slowly to his feet, making sure his movements remained nonthreatening.
Once standing, he turned to offer Talia his hand, neither surprised nor happy when she slapped it away. She glared at him, then scooted toward the end of the bed, putting more distance between them.
“Lexa, you mentioned needing help.” Keeping her gaze on her sister, Talia got to her feet. She roughly jerked the end of her shirt, straightening the material where it had bunched beneath her breasts.
Lexa snapped her attention away from Dolok. “Rex detected a ship approaching us fast.”
“Was he able to scan and determine who they are or the size of their crew?” Talia’s tone was tinged with concern.
“No, they’re using some type of jammer to block our sensors and aren’t responding to any communication inquiries,” Lexa said, her expression somber and no longer playful. “Rex said to tell you he can’t outmaneuver them and that we should prepare to be boarded.”
“Damn.” Talia groaned. “Let’s go.” She motioned for Lexa to follow, then headed for the door.
Dolok experienced a wave of jealousy at the mention of another male on the ship. Did Talia already belong to this Rex person? He hadn’t detected any male scents on her body. It was a matter he would have to address later. Right now, dealing with an impending attack and keeping her safe was his primary concern. Dolok caught her by the arm, stopping her. “Where is my repeater?”
Though Talia glanced at his hand on her arm, she didn’t pull away. It wasn’t much, but he considered it progress. “How do I know I can trust you?” She studied him with a questioning gaze. “Or that the ship coming after us doesn’t belong to you?”
“You do not...on either account.” He wanted to pull her into his arms, to reassure her until worry no longer marred her features. Instead, he reluctantly released his grip. “I give you my word that I will protect you with my life. I will not allow anything to happen to you or your sister.”
It was less than honorable, but he couldn’t say the same for the male member of her crew. Dolok knew his resolve would slip even more if the male had any physical ties to Talia. He refused to ponder his reaction, determined to believe it was a result of the mating drive and not because of any attraction he might have for the female.
“This way,” Talia said and hurried from the room.
Relieved by her response, Dolok reached for his boots.
