Boom!
With my left foot on the first rung of the ladder, I twisted round to see the roof on the far right-hand-side of the hangar explode. Smoke plumed into the air and debris clattered onto the tarmac.
A man’s hand fondled my backside, dipped under my curve and lifted. A touch I now recognised and I scowled as I slapped his hand aside. Jerrell chuckled. Being the last to board, I helped him secure the door and waited while he performed a sequence of commands on a panel set beside the opening.
“Exit secured,” he said. “The Elites bombard the hangar.”
“Power on-line, all systems go,” came Quain’s response, sounding tinny through the panel’s speakers.
Jerrell led me through another hatch, again locking the door after I had passed through. The harsh overhead lighting illuminated rows of drawn, grimy faces all turned to stare at us. I could see by the way their hands gripped the armrests how close to breaking point they were and yet our fellow prisoners remained quiet. Perhaps the full enormity of what we had experienced had yet to hit home.
“Where are you going?” Jerrell said, stopping me from moving by planting his body in my path.
“Some are injured.” I gestured with my hand. “They need medical attention.”
“Agreed. Once we have cleared the planet’s gravitational pull, we will tend them together. Strap yourself in.” He tugged me over to a vacant seat next to where Margaret sat, her eyes staring wide in her white face.
I waved him away when he reached for the straps. “Forget it. Get yourself seated, I’m all good here.”
Jerrell winked and strode down the aisle before ducking his head and entering the cockpit.
Another explosion. This time it sounded close. Too close.
My harness catch snicked into lock mode and I pressed back into my seat as the shuttle surged into motion. Closing my eyes, I re-lived the past few minutes while the shuttle zoomed down the runway and a vibration hummed beneath my feet.
No sooner had we passed the gate and walked into the hangar, then we’d been greeted by the remaining members of our escape team. There’d been no time to assess the injured, some of whom were leaning on others. Quain and Jerrell told us to wait and then disappeared into the hangar’s cavernous recesses.
Soon weapon fire was heard and Margaret huddled closer to me, covering her ears with her hands. I longed to do the same.
The Darkons returned quickly enough, grim faced, laboured breathing and none of us had dared to object when we were ordered to follow.
Not that we had any other choice.
It had dawned on me we had nowhere to go. We were as much at the Darkons’ mercy now as we’d been at the guards’ only moments before; only time would tell whether our decision had been wise or ill-fated.
Now we were trapped on a shuttle heading for a space station orbiting the next closest planet.
Jerrell touched me, sliding a warm finger down the side of my face. I blinked and focussed on the matter at hand.
“We have cleared the planet’s atmosphere. Eight rones until we reach the station,” murmured Jerrell, his gaze holding mine. “I will assist you.”
I sighed, shrugged off my misgivings and the fatigue sinking into my bones, making me feel as if anchors were tied to my feet. “Right. Let’s get started. Are there any medical supplies on this ship?”
He nodded.
I unlocked my harness and dragged myself upright. Pinning what I hoped was a bright ‘I know exactly what I’m doing’ smile on my face, I addressed the others. “Okay, folks, we’ve got time to see to everyone’s injuries. Anyone here have any medical training, I’d be glad of some help.”
Within a few minutes Jerrell had set up a small examining cabin adjacent to the main passenger cabin. A former paramedic from Boston had raised his hand and worked with us as a trickle of people shuffled in and then, after a while, wandered out again, bandaged, medicated and looking a lot brighter.
The way Jerrell smiled, the calm cadence of his voice, his caring demeanour as he interacted with the injured, impressed me. Such a sharp contrast to the battle face he had worn these past hectic hours. I twitched my shoulders as I recalled the tenderness of his touch each time I was within his reach. What did it matter if this soldier was soft as butter beneath his warrior skin, and I felt this weird mix of pride and protectiveness when he was near? Not to mention the pesky lust that teased my lower belly and tormented my mind with lurid fantasies of exploring his magnificent body with my hands and tongue. It hadn’t been easy but somehow I had managed to avoid connecting with his gaze, hoping he couldn’t read my confusion in my flushed face.
Finally, the last of the injured hobbled out the door.
“I can’t believe how lucky we’ve been. No serious injuries, a lot of abrasions, scrapings where plasma streams have sliced open the skin, one broken leg and one plitza wound.” I widened my eyes and arched my aching back before slumping against the wall where I sat on a narrow bench. God I was tired. I sure hoped Quain had factored into his plans, z’time sometime soon, or I was going to fall asleep on my feet.
My eyes snapped open when strong arms slid under my bottom and around my back, scooping me off the seat. I stared into Jerrell’s face, feeling the movement of his body against mine as he carried me from the cramped room.
“What’s happening?” My feeble attempt at struggling from his grasp was a waste of time, one plaintive wriggle and my head lolled onto his chest, my eyelids fluttering shut. My mouth sagged open.
I hoped I wouldn’t dribble all over those lovely sculptured muscles. Above my head, his soothing voice tickled my mussy hair as he spoke, but sleep was sucking me under and his words made little sense. Heat enveloped me like a loving cocoon; the scent of spicy male and faint man-sweat calmed my tattered nerves.
My last coherent thought, I’m safe.
A hand shaking my shoulders roused me. With a protesting groan I peeled open my eyelids to stare into Margaret’s face inches from mine. For a few moments I lay there blinking at her, my mind an empty void. The young girl frowned and reality sucker punched me to the here and now.
“Sorry, thought I was back home,” I mumbled, then immediately wished I’d bitten off my tongue before saying such hasty words, for tears glassed Margaret’s eyes and her bottom lip wobbled.
Stupid, stupid. Pinning a confident, kick-arse smile onto my face, I reared up on the narrow bunk and swung my feet to the floor. A quick glance round revealed the dimmed passenger cabin where most of the passengers were dozing, held upright by their harnesses or lolling onto their neighbour. Three were ambling up and down the aisle and one bloke was doing stretching exercises at the far end.
“Where’s Jerrell and Quain?” I said.
Margaret pointed in the direction of the cockpit and said, “Quain said I was to wake you and order you to strap in. Apparently we’ll be docking at the station in thirty minutes.”
“Right.” I gave her the once over, noticed her cheeks were pink and she no longer resembled a fragile wraith. The shadows had faded from her hazel eyes where tiny gold flecks twinkled. When I quirked an eyebrow, she rewarded me with a wide smile which beamed like a ray of sunshine peeping out behind storm clouds.
Holding hands, we made our way to our seats and settled down. Strapped in, I yawned and slid a lazy glance round the cabin. The sight of the others imitating us made me smile. But the intensity of their stares as they tuned into my face had me whipping my head to the front and slinking lower in the seat. Holy moly, if they were looking for a saviour than they were looking in the wrong place.
I had one agenda and one agenda only. Get on the first ship back to Earth. With Margaret.
Hadn’t I done enough? With the Darkons’ help we’d freed these people from their prison. Okay, maybe the Darkons did more than help. I knew nothing about this world and I didn’t intend to find out anymore than I had to.
I was going home.
And I had no intention of examining too closely my near desperation to escape the Darkons’ vicinity.
Strangely, the young girl so still beside me echoed my thoughts. “When we reach the station, will you look for a ship to return to Earth?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t leave you behind.” I reached over and squeezed the hands she had clenched in her lap.
Ever so gently she withdrew the contact. It didn’t register, busy as I was with the sudden pressure in my ears and the force that pushed me into my chair. The shuttle’s power source changed tune into a deep rumbling roar. We were about to dock.
“You will stay inside these quarters until we return,” Quain said, his fingers pinching my chin.
I bobbed about, trying to brush past him. Pointless. The man was built like a tank. I shoved my hands into my pockets and said, “Are you sure the guards won’t follow us here?”
Quain raised a black eyebrow. “They will be busy for what I hope will be one standard day with the diversion I created.”
“Really? Like what?”
“I programmed another shuttle to ram the orbiting battleship.” He shrugged. His touch fell away as he half-turned to gaze narrow-eyed down the corridor to the banks of chutes which lead upwards to the main levels of the station. Where all the action took place.
I shivered, wishing I had the balls to defy him, push past, and insist I no longer needed his or Jerrell’s assistance. But the plain truth was my first glimpse at the station with the many and varied intelligent life forms bustling about, with the vast array of tech of which I knew absolutely nothing, terrified me to my bones. My one and only glimpse out of a port hole had revealed nothing but darkness and far distant stars. The fact there was no firm ground beneath my feet, that the space station hovered miles above an alien planet not anchored to anything solid, quite liable to drift off into that black void for eternity, had quite frankly set me back into panic mode. For the time being, my need to put distance between myself and these two blokes had been swamped by my feeling of inadequacy.
I was the alien here.
So much for the heroine of the hour. She was going to slink into some room and cower until the big bold warriors returned. And snap, my yellow streak shrank because damn if that notion didn’t rankle.
As if he had heard those whispers of rebellion, Quain leaned close and with his head angled his mouth was a mere breath from mine. The urge to devour those hard lips until they softened and plundered back, and he roved his hands over every inch of my body, pulsed inside my head. The tingle in my lower belly rushed to every nerve end I possessed, setting me on fire. It took a while for his words to sink inside my bemused head.
“I will secure transportation to an outpost settlement where we will join up with Darkon renegades. This will ensure your and the others’ safety.” He flicked his tongue out and slicked it along my upper lip. I shuddered, squeezed my eyes shut, prayed he wouldn’t pick up on the want that dampened my panties. He added, “While Jerrell and I do this, you will remain here.”
I jerked backwards so quickly I slammed into the wall behind me. Dodging his outstretched hand, I stood as tense as a firecracker with a short fuse. My voice hoarse, I said, “One big happy family, huh Quain? Somehow I don’t think so.”
Moving fast, I sidestepped and slammed the door shut in his scowling face. Immediately I was accosted by the aliens, led by Ana and her pal. With them prattling on, hard on my heels, I marched over to a small bench where food and water had been placed. Since we had landed three hours ago, the Darkons had been busy. I popped what I hoped would be vegetables onto a platter and started to munch while I looked about the room. The quarters were cramped, with several small bunk rooms off the main communal area. It wasn’t much but it would do; plus it had a lovely thick door protecting us from whatever lurked in the corridors beyond. Jerrell had done well, having bartered the shuttle off onto some shady aliens in exchange for monetary credits. Our temporary home until Quain decreed otherwise.
Someone touched my arm. I stopped staring at the far wall. “Relia, what’s up?”
She frowned then shook her head as if throwing off her confusion. “We will leave now.”
“Huh?” Yeah that’s me, the bright spark.
“The Jurians wish to travel with us. There are others of both our kind on the station, pilgrims who will journey to a habitable moon in the old Relic Galaxy. It is far from this war.”
“Yeah, good point.” I placed the platter onto the table and turned to her. “I wish you a safe journey, Relia, and thank you for the friendship you have shown me.” I wrapped my arms around her and hugged, wishing I could change her mind, knowing it would be impossible.
We eased apart and smiled and my heart clenched. I would miss her.
“May the star light guide you home,” Relia said, enfolding my hands in both of hers. We nodded and, beckoning to the other Purkons and the Jurians to follow, she walked to the door, opened it and disappeared from my life.