Among Galactic Ruins (11 page)

“One day, some woman is going to knock you
off your feet, Dathan Phoenix,” Lexa predicted. “You wait and see.
You’ll do anything for her.”

Dathan waved a hand. “Never going to
happen.”

“So, Dr. Carter, apart from my manly
physique, what’s got you so worked up?” Damon set her down and she
hurried over to the wall and pointed at the lettering.

“See here, it says we have to head
south-west.” Lexa gestured at the glyphs. “That south-west is the
right path.”

He smiled. “Well done.”

“And the next clue?” Dathan asked. “We head
south-west until…?”

“We meet the Dragon’s Spine and follow it to
the temple divine.”

Dathan looked up at the ceiling. “God, why
can’t they just say what they mean? All this cryptic bullshit…”

Lexa shoved her hands on her hips. “For
being the best treasure hunter on Zerzura, you don’t have much of a
sense of adventure.”

He gave her a mock glare, then his face
turned serious. “I’ve never heard of anything called the Dragon’s
Spine. Not south-west of here and not anywhere on the planet.”

Lexa’s face dropped. “Really?”

Dathan shrugged. “There are plenty of myths
and legends that say dragons lived on the planet once. This was
well before the Terrans ever came here. But no one has ever found a
skeleton, or anything resembling dragon remains, so most people
think it isn’t true.”

“People were selling dragon bones in the
market.”

He grinned. “Yeah, probably ballo beast
bones or desert gazelle.” His grin widened. “They like to sell
ground up ‘dragon bone’ as an aphrodisiac to unsuspecting
tourists.”

“Well, we have a direction to head in,”
Damon said. “We’ll keep going until we find this Dragon’s Spine,
whatever it is.”

Lexa brightened, but he saw the dark circles
under her eyes, and the way she was moving told him she had some
aches and pains from the fall. Not to mention Dathan’s injured arm.
They wouldn’t get far without recharging. “But, we need to rest
first.”

“Damon, no! We need to keep moving—”

“Lexa, you’re about to fall flat on your
face and I can tell you’re in pain. Dathan has a broken arm.” Damon
looked at the young man. “And we’ve lost the bulk of our
supplies.”

Dathan nodded. “It’s a death sentence to
head farther into the desert without supplies.”

Lexa kicked the sand and exhaled loudly. “I
know.”

Damon gripped her shoulder and squeezed.
“The temple isn’t going anywhere.”

Dathan snapped his fingers. “I know a place.
It’s a traveler’s rest at an oasis not too far from here. We can
rest there, get some decent food, and for a pretty hefty price,
they’ll have supplies.”

Damon gave a short nod. “Perfect.”

Lexa cast one last longing look at the
carvings. “There’s just one problem—how are we going to get out of
here?”

Damon glanced around, then saw something
they’d failed to notice in their excitement over the carvings.

He smiled and pointed. “How about we take
the stairs?”

A small arched doorway had opened up at the
far end of the wall. Beyond it, was a set of stone steps leading
upward.

“Problem solved,” Lexa said with a
laugh.

The heat of the day and the rocking gait of
the ballo beast—not to mention the security of Damon’s arms around
her—had almost sent Lexa off to sleep. They were following some
path that Dathan assured them was there, but she couldn’t see it.
This patch of sand looked just like the rest of the dunes to
her.

Another rock came into view in the distance.
This area of the desert was dotted with small, rocky outcrops. But
as they kept moving, this new rock grew larger than the others,
rising above the sand dunes.

As they crested another large dune, Lexa
straightened and rubbed her eyes. The rock was dotted with carved
dwellings. These ones were recent, fitted with modern window
coverings, and a couple even had large transmission dishes
attached. The sunlight glinted off the still water of the small
lake at the base of the rock. It was lined with an odd mix of tents
and prefab buildings, a combination of modern and old.

They entered the oasis village. People
stopped what they were doing to look at them—store holders, a few
elderly people sitting on benches, kids playing in the street. Most
people smiled and waved. A few of the children followed along
behind the ballo beasts, laughing and calling out to them with wide
smiles.

“Welcome to Liwa,” Dathan said. “Friendliest
place on Zerzura. “The traveler’s rest is up at the rock tower.” He
pointed ahead of them with his now-healed arm. Thankfully, the
break had been a clean one. After Damon had set the bone, the
medscope had knitted it together.

Up close, the rock tower was even higher
than Lexa had thought. Some of the carved rock windows were lined
with boxes of colorful flowers, while others fluttered with gauzy
curtains and were lined with sturdy shutters.

When Dathan signaled for them to stop, Lexa
noted a lovely hand-carved sign by a double door. It said “Visitors
always welcome.” Through a large synth-glass window, Lexa saw a bar
and restaurant.

A tall woman bustled out of the doors, her
long skirts swishing around her. She stood with one hand on her
hip, the other hand shading her eyes. When she recognized Dathan,
she clapped her hands together.

“Dathan! Darlin’, it is always a pleasure to
see your handsome face. You look even more scrumptious than the
last time I saw you.”

Lexa blinked. The woman’s voice was…really
deep. She looked closer and realized the woman was a man dressed as
a woman. He had a raw-boned face, painted with very good makeup.
Lexa wasn’t sure if his blond hair was a wig or not, but it was
long and piled up on his head.

“Hey, Pris.” Dathan dismounted and held out
a hand. “Don’t try and kiss me, or I’ll smack you.”

Pris laughed—the sound deep and real—and
shook the treasure hunter’s hand. “Don’t worry, gorgeous. I know
you like the ladies.” Pris gave a theatrical sigh. “Such a
shame.”

“Need some rooms, Pris. And help buying some
supplies.”

“Anything for you…and the right amount of
e-creds.” The innkeeper’s gaze landed on Lexa and Damon. “What a
handsome, sand-covered couple.” Pris’ heavily-kohled eyes zeroed in
on Damon.

Lexa expected Damon to stiffen, but he
stayed relaxed, eying their host.

Pris’ gaze flicked between the two of them
and back to Damon. “I suppose you’re going to disappoint me, too,
and tell me you like the ladies.”

“Yep.” Damon handed Lexa down to Pris.

The innkeeper set her down with an easy
swing. After Damon dismounted, the two men looked at each other.
Their host stiffened. “Helix?”

Lexa watched Damon morph from weary traveler
to high-alert security expert. She felt every muscle in his body go
tight.

“It’s Damon. Damon Malik.”

The man…woman—Lexa wasn’t sure what to call
him or her, but she guessed since the innkeeper was wearing a
skirt, she’d go with she—swallowed and nodded. “I was Lancer…in my
previous life.”

Damon relaxed a fraction. “You did good
work.” Damon glanced at the inn. “Never knew what happened to
you.”

“I got out.” Pris set her shoulders back,
pasting on a wide smile and shaking her skirts. “I decided to find
an out-of-the-way place where I could be my real self.” She smiled
at Lexa. “Well, at least you have good taste, even if you are an
exceedingly brave woman.”

Brave? She looked at Damon but his face
didn’t give anything away.

Pris flicked a finger at Lexa’s hair. “You
are a beautiful thing. I love your hair. Tell me it isn’t real and
you paid a small fortune in e-creds for it.”

She shook her head, still trying to piece
together that little exchange. “Sorry.”

“Ah, we should all be so blessed.” Pris
waved them in. “Come in, come in. I’ll find you some rooms.”

Behind a cluttered table, she rummaged
around in a cabinet and handed something to Dathan and something to
Damon.

“What the hell is this?” Damon held up a
slim piece of metal.

“Oh, it’s a key.” Lexa touched it, studying
the clunky lines of it. “For an old-fashioned lock.
Fascinating.”

Pris winked. “I’m an old-fashioned kind of
gal.”

“And where’s mine?” Lexa asked.

Pris laughed again. “My darling, when a man
looks at you the way Hel…Malik is, you have absolutely no need for
your own room.”

Lexa glanced at Damon. He didn’t seem to be
looking at her any differently than he usually did. But then she
really looked at his eyes and she caught the flash of dark
intensity and potent heat. It hit her low, left her feeling
needy.

Pris leaned down and whispered, very loudly,
“Honey, you grab that, ride it until you can’t ride no more, and
don’t let go.”

Lexa choked on a laugh and saw Damon’s lips
twitch.

Pris’ face sobered. “And he’s one of the
good guys, who always does the right thing, no matter how tough it
gets.” The innkeeper spun with theatrical flair and gave Damon one
more wistful look before sighing. “Come along. I’ll show you your
rooms.”

They dropped Dathan off with a promise to
meet him that evening for dinner. Pris told them there would be a
community meal by the water with dinner and dancing, and they
wouldn’t want to miss it. The last part was added with a wink.

Damon unlocked the door Pris had shown them.
It swung open and Lexa got the impression of a huge bed draped in
filmy white fabric.

“Have fun, my darlings.” Pris waved, the
bracelets on her wrist tinkling. “And please, make sure you get at
least a
little
bit of rest.” She spun with a swirl of skirts
and was gone.

Lexa wandered into the room. It was
surprisingly cool. The rock-cut walls were smooth but there were
narrow veins of some glittering mineral here and there. She stopped
at the window and took in the wide sweep of golden desert. It
looked just as magnificent and unforgiving from here as it did when
you were riding in the middle of it. But, right now, with sand in
places she didn’t even want to think about, she was happy to take a
short break from it.

Damon was silent, and Lexa found nerves were
starting to creep in. It was silly. They’d been through so much in
a short period of time and she’d come to trust him. In fact, she
hadn’t felt this close to someone in a long time.

A door opened and she turned. He was heading
into an adjoining room. She followed and moaned in pleasure.

The room was carved back into the rock and
against one wall was a deep-cut pool with water bubbling up and
steam rising off it. The room had no window, but three modern ball
lights were suspended from the ceiling, each one glowing with a
soft light.

Damon ran his fingers through the water.
“Mineral water.” He nodded his head at the pool. “Why don’t you get
in, take a soak. It’ll help those aches and pains you’ve been
trying to hide.”

She chewed on her bottom lip. “So, Mr.
Malik, are you going to offer to scrub my back?”

“I thought that might be a bit…clichéd.”

“Oh?”

“I thought I’d just strip you naked, carry
you into the water and fuck you senseless.”

And just like that, raw need flared inside
her, arrowing between her legs.

She wasn’t sure who moved, her or him. But
suddenly, she was in his arms, his mouth on hers.

She parted her lips eagerly. His arms
wrapped around her and his tongue swept into her mouth, demanding
and unyielding.

Lexa slid her hands into his thick hair.
Before she knew what was happening, he was urging her forward until
they reached the edge of the pool.

He gripped her shirt and tugged it off. He
groaned. “Damn, this sexy underwear makes me hard.” His skillful
fingers made short work of opening her sea-blue bra and dropping it
to the floor. He groaned again. “Although what’s under it is much,
much sexier.” He cupped one breast and she leaned into his touch.
Her nipples puckered.

“Ah, such pretty breasts.” He flicked a
thumb over her nipple, making her gasp. “Do you want my mouth
here?”

“Yes.” Her answer was a breathy whisper.

“Then get in the water.” He knelt and
slipped her trousers down her legs.

Staring down at his dark head, she fought
back a tremble. His hot gaze slid over her bare legs as he slipped
a finger under the waistband of her silk panties and snapped it
against her skin.

“Something else pretty under here for
me?”

Oh, stars
. She wanted to close her
eyes, savor the sensations, but she couldn’t pull her gaze off
him.

He tugged the panties down. Staring at the
juncture between her thighs, he made a hungry sound, then urged her
toward the water.

Lexa sank into the bath. It was almost too
hot but after a few seconds her skin adjusted. She found a narrow
ledge under the water and sat. She turned to look at Damon and
almost swallowed her tongue.

He was shedding his clothes in quick,
economical movements, uncovering bronzed skin and his lean,
muscular body.

Her mouth went as dry as the desert outside.
There wasn’t an inch of fat on him. Just muscles on muscles, each
one perfectly defined.

He dropped his trousers and straightened,
unabashedly naked. Now, she couldn’t breathe. She knew her eyes
were wide and she was staring at his cock, but he was…generously
proportioned.

“Sweetheart, I’ve been wanting to see that
exact look on your face when you looked at me for a while now.” He
sauntered toward the pool.

She looked up at him and crooked a finger.
He stepped into the water.

“I want to touch you,” she murmured. “All of
you.”

“You’ll get the chance, Lexa. But first, I’m
going to take care of you.” He grabbed up a natural sponge and the
liquid soap set out beside the pool. He squirted some soap onto the
sponge and moved closer to her.