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Dawn stormed from the now quiet training room only to stop in her tracks in the empty corridor. Anger coursed hard and heavy through her veins. Part of it came from the incident with Calliope Bou. The woman had been taunting and pushing Dawn for days until she’d challenged her to spar.
Surprise flickered across Callie’s face before pleasure creased her high cheekbones and she eagerly accepted. It might not have been Dawn’s wisest decision. It was hard to ignore the antagonistic regard. The dislike was clear in the coal black eyes that watched Dawn’s every move while she worked with the men on various techniques she admired from their fighting style.
The other part of the fiery emotions tearing into Dawn came from her conflict with Venik Avar. Blowing out a breath, she swiped at the band holding her hair in a short tail at her nape and ripped it free. She had no idea why she and Venik couldn’t get along without this constant friction.
It didn’t help that low-level sexual awareness flared between them whenever they were together. At first, she thought it was the forced proximity of their shared experience on Earth. Not quite a friendship, but mutual respect had grown during that short time.
They’d literally raced against the clock to save the country in a way. Hell, maybe the whole world. A laugh slipped free. She, Dawn Reavers, worked with an alien to save the planet. It still didn’t sound real when she thought about it.
Which brought her here. On a spaceship. With Venik.
Dawn told herself the push/pull between them would eventually fade.
It hadn’t.
Despite her valiant efforts, an unwilling attraction for the gruff alien was taking root due to no encouragement on Venik’s part. He always maintained a stern countenance around her and held himself apart with such rigid control.
Something Dawn found common in the other Vassi she’d come in contact with so far, both men and women. The difference was she didn’t feel the disturbing need to kiss any of them.
The stiff nature of the alien race surrounding her tended to reinforce her occasional feelings of loneliness and a longing for home.
When displayed by Venik, the strict culture created the exact opposite reaction in Dawn. She wanted to snarl in frustration, grab him by the face and tug him close to kiss. She wanted to bury her fingers in that wild black mane of hair and undo his braids.
Thinking of kissing and playing with his hair naturally led to thoughts of sex. Curiosity about their physical compatibility teased her senses in the dark of night when she lay quiet in her bed, hands between her legs in the throes of an orgasm.
Venik’s body in the loose black clothing he wore so casually begged for her to touch. Fahsi she’d learned the overskirt he wore wrapped around his pants was called. It was hellishly sexy.
Of course, his sharp teeth would be an obstacle for certain aspects of intimacy. Pointy and plentiful, she wasn’t sure how that would work. As for his hands, Dawn had witnessed the deadly claws he could distend from the tips of his three fingers with a negligent flick.
Despite those differences, the broad chest, narrow hips and flexing thick thighs combined for one potent package.
Strength. Resilience. Power. Things which drew Dawn. Even his undeniable arrogance turned her on. All together, it created a commanding presence that she found hard to resist. It was a recipe for the perfect relationship. Or should have been.
But, they didn’t get along. They fought.
Sighing, Dawn straightened her shoulders and took several deep breaths, practicing a few relaxing mantras until her heart rate settled and her skin no longer burned with the heat of anger mixed with desire.
She had to get control of herself. It didn’t make sense to be so worked up when she clashed with Venik. He wanted to talk, so maybe he tired of this...whatever it was too. Maybe he wanted to put a rest to their constant bickering. She could only hope.
Glancing around the hall, Dawn noted it was empty of all personnel. The others had scrambled quickly to vacate the premises when ordered. Of course, this part of the giant battleship got the least amount of traffic at this early hour anyway. Usually, members of the crew only came to the training room when off shift. The jjaawirs, as she’d learned the special force soldiers were called, had designated time slots scheduled.
Since Venik and his friend, the commander of the Black Star, ended the training early, the corridor echoed with emptiness. After another rueful sigh at finding herself at odds with Venik again, Dawn strode toward the lift that would take her to the level where their rooms were located.
Multiple raised symbols and shapes covered the glowing panel. She knew the script font with all the swirls represented the Vassi language. While the translator implanted in her head upon her arrival allowed her to understand and speak the language fluently, it did not, however, give her the ability to read it.
Fortunately, she’d watched Venik enough to know which symbol to select. The tilted infinity shape was the deck she needed. Her hand hovered over the blue button.
“Lom, lom!”
A raised voice using the Vassi honorific drew her attention from behind. The translator Dawn had received didn’t have an exact word match in English but she’d learned lom and lim were generic titles of respect like ma’am or sir.
Turning, she watched a crew member wearing the deep red uniform many wore make his way toward her. His shirt was tucked neatly into his pants and a wide black belt encircled his waist. His long hair was tied into a knot at his nape but he didn’t wear the tiny braids she’d seen on some.
He reached her side, breathing steady despite his quick jaunt to catch up to her. Crossing his arms over his chest, he offered a slight incline of the head and bowed slightly. “Thank you for your patience, lom.”
She smiled and waiting for him to speak. He didn’t look familiar and she didn’t know if they’d met before. According to Venik, the Black Star was home to over a thousand individuals who made up their fighting unit, crew members, and various other staff needed to maintain a ship this size.
“I hoped to talk with you and it is common knowledge you train here at this time,” he said.
He spoke fluently in English, the raspy growl to his words giving his pronunciation the same inflection as Venik. Dawn hadn’t expected that. No one certainly went out of their way to speak her native tongue to her. She’d grown accustomed to the guttural Vassi language around her.
“How can I help you?” she responded in English.
“I would like to know more of your world. Would you talk to me about Earth when you have time?”
The request shocked Dawn. She wasn’t sure how to respond. No other Vassi had approached her about Earth before. Granted, she’d only been awake for a short period of time and most of that involved Venik glued to her side in some form or another. “Um...I guess. What do you want to know exactly?”
“I am interested in it all. Food, culture, rituals,” he answered, the black of his eyes peering into her gaze intently.
Dawn swiped at her loose hair once more. “It’s a lot. I can speak to my country but not necessarily the planet as a whole. Except in generalities.”
He inclined his head. “Would tomorrow at first morning meal work?”
Wait, was this more than casual interest? She studied his craggy features in a new light but didn’t sense anything beyond curiosity. Their conversation would be a perfect opportunity for her to learn about the Vassi as well. Nodding, she agreed. “Tomorrow. Morning. I’ll do my best.”
He backed away and turned. She didn’t take offense at the lack of farewell, too busy wondering what had brought that about. Acceptance from the crew would be nice. Outside the handful she met in training, many Vassi studied Dawn as if she was a species beneath their contempt.
The door to the lift opened and she stepped through. Dawn stood still for the retinal scanner embedded at the side of the door to confirm her access. When she heard the beep, she breathed out. Technology was everywhere onboard the ship and most of it revolved around security aspects which she supposed made sense since it was a military vessel.
The car glided smoothly to the left. Another eerie experience she’d had to get used to. Elevators here didn’t simply go up and down. According to Venik, directional lifts were a common space saving design due to the many ways to access various decks and levels on a ship this size.
Along the rim of the ceiling, she could follow the blue dot on a narrow map across the top that reflected where she was and how far to go to her destination which was marked with a tiny yellow circle at the end.
She braced herself for the sudden drop that always occurred right about...now.
The lift dropped, shook, then slammed to a halt. Dawn lost her balance and fell back into a safety rail behind her. The bar rammed into her back, causing her to cry out.
“What in...?” She winced and rubbed at the tender spot just above her hip, which already began to throb.
The lights went out next and Dawn felt her first stirrings of fear.
***
Venik waited in front of Dawn’s door for her to arrive. He expected her to be right behind him, but as the time passed, he grew concerned. He briefly considered this delay a defiant ploy by her but immediately dismissed that thought.
Aside from a temper and stubborn nature, she’d never displayed an unwillingness to listen when it pertained to her safety.
When Dawn disagreed with his mandates, Venik knew. When she was angry, Venik knew. In fact, Dawn had no problem confronting Venik regardless of the difference in their stature and the fact he could easily overpower her.
He begrudgingly admired her courage. No other female dared to be so bold and very few males.
She had every right to be upset about his ruling to deny the training she’d taken such an interest in. The decision wasn’t strictly about fear for her physical harm but more for Venik’s peace of mind and the life of any Vassi who might accidentally injure her. He was proving quite irrational in matters revolving around Dawn Reavers.
Another check of the empty hall, and Venik had to remind himself she was fine. If she didn’t show soon, he’d have the ship’s computer scan for her location. In addition to the translator he’d directed Miaji to implant, she’d been given a locator chip.
The worry Venik felt since finding her infected had not waned. It didn’t help that final stage negotiations were in place to add Earth to the Protectorate and not everyone on the governing board agreed with this step.
Representatives responsible for the approval considered the world too primitive and not ready to meet the requirements to maintain a peaceful transition into the solid alliance constructed for the purpose of unity.
Fueled by guilt over his brother’s carelessness, Venik used the weight of his position to support the Earth beings. If he was honest, he mainly did it for Dawn. The sooner her people were accepted, the more secure he’d feel about her safety there.
Or rather here. Dawn’s reception from the Black Star crew alone left Venik in a heightened state of awareness. It was why he’d wanted her to have guards in the first place.
Things might have gone smoother if she hadn’t arrived in the throes of Vax. Then there was her lengthy stay in the medic unit while his brethren encouraged him to let her die. His reaction to that suggestion had not been missed.
After she healed, Venik swayed Sevanti into sending out an all memo to notify the crew and other passengers of the presence of a being from Earth. They were warned to be careful in their dealings with her as she was new to the awareness of other life forms outside her planet.
Just let her die.
His hands clenched into fists at his side as he remembered his people’s callous regard for one considered beneath them. Of course, Venik had once felt that way as well.
The comm on his wrist vibrated. There was an incoming alert from a member of the repair team in engineering. Frowning, he answered, “Avar.”
“Sorry to disturb you, lim. This is Tech Moyer. The lift on Level C, Section 34 is down.”
Confused, Venik asked, “Why am I being informed?”
He hadn’t been in charge of the Black Star in senims.
“The senior lead for my division in engineering was in a meeting with High Commander Liwu when the service interruption alert went off. Per standard practice, a scan was run to ascertain if anyone rode the lift during the breakdown. Upon hearing the identity of the passenger, HC Liwu believed you’d want to be notified immediately.”
Venik froze. He looked up and down the hall. Still no sign of Dawn. There was only one person on the Black Star who Sevanti would consider of interest to Venik for a simple tech issue.
Tension gathered in his shoulders and he had to force calm into his voice. “Who is the passenger?”
“It’s the soft skin.”
Dawn.
Thoughts of calm fled. “On my way.”
“Yes, lim.”
Lowering his arm to his side, Venik turned from her door and strode down the corridor with determined steps.