Quantum (18 page)

Yet he already had one false charge of intergalactic terrorism hanging over his head—he didn’t want to add murder and fleeing the scene of a crime to that repertoire. Once the CP officer took him in and saw the truth of the situation, they’d let Ella and him go. Sure, it would delay their departure by a few hours, but some tiny speck in the place where his conscience used to be wanted to do the right thing for Ella’s sake.

Hayashi stepped past him and started toward Ella.

She held the edges of her dress tighter across her chest, hunching in on herself slightly.

“Turn around, miss, and put your hands behind your back.” Hayashi at least didn’t jostle her the way he had Rian. Lucky for the man’s sake. Cuffs or no cuffs, he’d still have found a way to beat the man senseless for touching her when she was already so vulnerable.

Hayashi’s expression and stance were unyielding; the officer would physically make her cooperate if she didn’t do as requested.

Ella glanced at him, and the vulnerable sheen in her mossy-hazel gaze stabbed right into the middle of his chest. The darkness within him roused again, coming up faster, after being so recently loosed.

“Get her something to cover herself up with.” His voice came out at not much more than a growl, and he clenched his fists, trying to resist the killing urge bubbling to the surface. Ella might get over the fact he’d killed her attacker, even if she didn’t agree. But if he killed one of these officers, he got the feeling it would take him to a place he couldn’t come back from, reminding him of something she’d once told him.

A vortex of blackness from your soul, something that was slowly sucking the life out of every good thing you have in your heart… You’d be lucky to live out another year. And if you did, you wouldn’t like the soulless creature you’d become.

Rian had believed for so long that there was no redemption for him, though Ella had tried to convince him otherwise. Now, as his destroyer’s instincts warred with what his logical mind told him was the right thing to do, a third desire clambered for attention. It came from the same depths of his soul that had sent him running out here in the first place—
protect Ella at all cost
. Even if it meant denying the dark pits of his nature, because she
believed
he could.

Unsurprisingly, Officer Hayashi ignored his demand to cover Ella and reached out to grab her upper arm when it seemed like she wasn’t moving fast enough for him. He secured her wrists behind her back. Now she was faced away from him and the other CP officers, but when she turned back around, she’d be half naked for everyone to see and unable to keep the torn halves of her dress covering herself.

Rage pulsed through him in hot waves. He flexed his wrists against the cuffs and glanced over his shoulder to see what the other two CP officers were doing—examining the body and not paying too much attention.

“I’m going to have to search you for a weapon, miss,” Officer Hayashi was saying. Something in the tenor of the man’s voice snagged Rian’s attention, as though the guy was all but drooling over the fact he was about to frisk a half-clothed woman.

The notion snapped the last of his logic. Rian jerked at his arms while twisting to snap the flexicuffs—wasn’t the first time he’d escaped the bindings and probably wouldn’t be the last. He shot forward and grabbed Hayashi’s arm, bending the limb behind the man’s back and grabbing the officer’s shirt collar to steer him around like a body shield so the other two officers didn’t shoot him.

“How—” Hayashi started to stutter, but Rian turned his fist in his shirt collar, tightening it around the man’s neck and cutting off his words.

“I asked you to get something to cover the lady up with. She was attacked, and you’re treating her like a criminal. Obviously the IPC forgot to train you backwater, inbred hayseeds the basics of liaising with the public.” He glanced over at the other two officers. “Now one of you is going to give Ella your jacket, or Hayashi here is going to start having a very bad night—worse than he already is.”

The two CP officers shared a quick glance, and the one on the left shrugged out of his jacket. The officer held the jacket up and started forward with hesitant steps. As he got closer, Rian released Hayashi’s arm but unholstered the man’s pulse pistol and shoved Hayashi away.

When the CP officer got close enough, Rian snatched the jacket and motioned for him to move back with the other two. Shifting, he caught Ella in his peripheral and saw she still stood with her back to them.

“Ella? Come over here, and I’ll cut you free.”

She shuffled back, and he pulled out his knife. One of the officers started to make a move, probably thinking he was distracted, but Rian squeezed off a shot at the ground about an inch from the officer’s foot, making the guy freeze.

“Next one is going into your face, and I don’t have this thing set to stun.” Rian passed a glance over the other two men, making sure they got the message that the same went for them. He might have had second thoughts about killing them first off, but if they pushed him far enough, he would end them to get Ella and himself out of this situation, IPC law be damned.

Once the three officers were still again, he lowered his gaze long enough to flick the tip of his knife through the flexicuffs on her wrists. That done, he dropped the jacket onto her shoulders. Ella fastened the garment up to her neck and turned, sending him a small smile, her expression grateful yet still guarded.

“Now what are you going to do?” Her tone came out quiet and even, chasing back some of the burning agitation within him.

He glanced back at the officers and as he did caught sight of several more figures moving across the grass toward them.
Great.
Reinforcements. A feminine figure stepped forward, coming to stop next to Hayashi.
Ah, hell.
It was that interversal liaison chick. Because he really needed this situation to get more complicated via government involvement.

“Ms. Faulkner,” Ella greeted as the woman cast a quick glance over them.

“Please, call me Alyssa.” She sent Hayashi a quick, unimpressed glare. “What’s going on here?”

Rian lowered the gun, since he didn’t have a reason to shoot Faulkner…yet.

“Would you like to explain, Officer Hayashi?” He set the pistol back to stun and tossed the gun so it landed at the man’s feet.

Hayashi cast him a thwarted glare then bent to retrieve the weapon. It seemed like the guy wasn’t so tough now that Faulkner had made the scene. Just how much pull with the high president did the woman have?

Ella shifted, her shoulder brushing his as she stepped closer to Faulkner.

“If I may, Alyssa, I’ll explain.” Her calm, light tone was at odds with her ripped clothing and tearstained face.

Faulkner nodded, and the two women walked a few paces away. Ella’s voice was quiet but firm as she explained the scene. Diplomatic as always, she made it sound like self-defense when she told the other woman the part about him knifing the bastard who’d attacked her. When Ella was finished, Faulkner glared at Hayashi.

“Captain Sherron, I’m sorry that our CP officers tried to detain you over this incident when you were clearly only trying to protect yourself and Ms. Kinton. We’ll need to get an official statement from both of you, and the case will need to be finalized before you can leave Nadira, but I’m sure you understand and won’t mind staying for the duration?”

Rian stared at her, trying to keep the pissed off from showing in his expression. Just how long would it take them finalize the case? He and his crew needed to get offworld to intercept the
Swift Brion
like yesterday. Ella returned to his side and nudged him, so he cleared his throat and nodded.

“Of course. I understand.” And if he sounded unimpressed about it, then too bad. This was about as polite as he got.

“Thank you. Now, I’ll let you return to your ship and expect you at the law offices in the morning for a statement.” Faulkner inclined her head politely toward them and then turned to glower down her nose at Hayashi. “Officer, if I might have a word?”

Rian took Ella’s arm and steered her away from the scene, taking a roundabout path to avoid the body.

Delayed, again.
His luck was running a crappy streak like usual. But at least he hadn’t ended tonight in a prison cell. He glanced down at Ella keeping up a quick pace as they walked along silently. He wanted to curl his arm around her shoulders, keep her close and safe from any more harm. Instead, he set his palms on his weapons and concentrated on keeping an eye out for anyone else looking to tangle with him tonight.

Not that he’d need weapons if Ella decided to employ those Arynian abilities every now and then. He still didn’t have a clear picture on her full range of powers, but he was pretty sure she could have put that scum-bastard would-be rapist down for the count with a single thought. Screw whatever teachings she’d gotten on that cloistered planet to not retaliate unless her life was directly threatened. Out in the harsh dark of the galaxy, a person needed to utilize everything in their arsenal to protect herself.

That was the lesson she needed to learn. But it sure as hell wasn’t his obligation to impart it to her. He didn’t want the responsibility and definitely didn’t need it.

But no matter that he tried his damnedest to stay detached from her, fate kept finding ways to shove her into his orbit. And like a moon attracting meteors, it was getting harder and harder to resist.

Chapter Sixteen

Onboard the
Ebony Winter

Mae watched as the crew of the
Ebony Winter
stowed the crate they’d stolen from the
Isis Delta
shuttle. She glanced over her shoulder, but Zander and Captain Forster were nowhere to be seen. Who knew where they’d disappeared to, but she’d bet her entire emergency fund stash that they’d still be having the
my ship is bigger than your ship
argument.

Stupid men and their stupid egos.
She still couldn’t believe Zander had yanked her away from Forster like that, as though she was some bimbo damsel who couldn’t take care of herself. Okay, maybe a small part of her had been secretly thrilled that he’d all but staked his claim, despite every complicated thing between them. Except now Forster knew if he wanted to piss Zander off, all he had to do was flirt with her, and it’d be all on. Forster might want to keep his hands to himself, however, or she’d show him exactly why it was she didn’t need Zander’s arrogant, caveman-like protection.

Mae pushed the thoughts aside and kept her face blank as one of the women came over, aiming a friendly yet hesitant smile at her.

The woman held out a hand as she stopped. “Hi. I’m Lucie Somers.”

Mae returned the handshake. “Mae Petros.”

No point dealing in rank out here. Besides, she hadn’t actually been back with the IPC military and technically she’d gone AWOL, even though the official paperwork probably had her listed as dead after the not-so-accidental shuttle crash.

Mae returned her attention to the two guys finishing up securing the crate. “So, am I allowed to ask what that’s all about?”

Lucie glanced across the cargo bay and then shrugged one shoulder. “You can ask, but I probably won’t tell you. How much information you’re given is up to Qae.”

“Qae?”

Lucie looked back at her with a short smile. “Sorry. I mean Captain Forster.”

She cast an assessing glance over the woman, trying to get a read on her body language. “So either you’re sleeping with him, or
Qae
doesn’t stand much on ceremony.”

Lucie laughed, a wicked spark in her gaze. “Wow, that was blunt. I like you already.”

“I’ve generally found dancing around an issue doesn’t get me very far in this universe,” she answered, distracted when the two guys who’d secured the crate walked past them, heading out of the cargo bay. She looked back at Lucie. “So, what’s next for the
Ebony Winter
? More raiding, or are you delivering that cargo?”

Lucie shot her an exasperated look. “I said I liked you, but I’m still not saying a word. You’ll have to take it up with Qae. What I can do is give you a tour and find you a bunk.”

Some of the tension drained out of Mae’s shoulders. Lucie seemed nice enough. While it would be smart to keep on constant guard until Zander and she got off the
Ebony Winter
, she didn’t sense that any of the crew meant them any harm, or even that they were bad people.

She returned Lucie’s friendly smile. “Lead the way.”

“So, you’ve seen the cargo bay.” Lucie swept a hand out, indicating the space around them. “Next stop is utility storage.”

Mae followed her out of the cargo bay, but when they reached the passage where a short set of stairs led to the levels above, they bumped into Zander coming from the other direction.

“There you are.” A relieved expression crossed his face, then the captain admiral mask was firmly back in place. “If you wouldn’t mind, I was hoping we could have a private word?”

Lucie passed an assessing glance between the two of them. “We can do the tour later. I’ll be up in the common room if you need me.”

“Thanks.” She sent Lucie a quick, grateful smile when the other woman brushed past Zander and continued upward into the ship.

Mae crossed her arms as she returned her attention to Zander, though most of her annoyance at him had drained away. There was no point hanging onto a grudge about something so trivial when they didn’t have anyone beside each other to rely on until they reached Rian. Still, she didn’t want to let him know he was off the hook so easily.

“What’s wrong? Thought I’d changed my mind and gone back to the
Isis Delta
shuttle without you? Or did you think these marauders had done something nefarious to me while you weren’t looking?”

“None of the above.” His expression intensified, his toffee-brown gaze sending a shaft of heat right through her middle. She went to step back, but he closed in on her, catching her up against him before she could draw another breath.

His mouth closed over hers with unerring intent; there was absolutely no hesitation in the way he kissed her.

They’d both agreed that this couldn’t keep happening. Yet, as he so blatantly kissed her, a challenge in every movement of his lips against hers, it annihilated every good intention she’d clung to. How could she give this up? The thought of never being with him again made reckless desperation burst free from deep within her soul.

Problem was, once he learned she’d kept Rian’s suspicions of the Reidar killing him and taking over as captain admiral, he’d hate her for every lie and half-truth she’d spun, no matter her intentions to the greater good. Her evasiveness had nearly gotten him killed several times over and inadvertently brought about the destruction of the hotel and everyone inside it. She couldn’t have known the Reidar had already made their move to replace him, but would he see it the same way? They’d only just managed to stay a step ahead, and now she’d brought him onto the ship of his enemy, leaving them as quasi-hostages until they could contact Rian.

Worse, how would he react if he found out she’d still had her doubts about him when they’d been together in that cave?

Pushing all thoughts out of her mind, of what was right and wrong, she simply let herself feel, and
oh god
, it just made everything easier. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pressed herself closer to him, arching flush against the solid muscles of his body. His hands dropped to her hips and then lower to close over her butt, pulling her hard against the obvious evidence of his desire.

One of his hands came up to cup her cheek, and he pulled back, his breathing uneven…but no more so than her own unsteady exhale.

“They didn’t happen to show you where we’re bunking down, did they?” he murmured, the warmth of his words trickling over her lips.

She couldn’t stop the grin tugging at her mouth.

“No, but we don’t need a bunk.” She tilted her head so that her lips brushed his ear. “I’d settle for any solid surface you can shove me up against.”

Zander swore, his hand tightening almost convulsively on her hip. “You’re driving me crazy.”

“Fair’s fair,” she muttered in return.

He shook his head and placed a short, hot kiss on her neck, just below her ear, and let her go. “I didn’t kiss you because I expected this to end in crazy, hot sex.”

Without Zander holding her up, her legs were definitely on the unsteady side, so she leaned against the passage bulkhead. “Oh, yeah? Then why did you kiss me?”

He shoved a hand through his hair, expression a little confused and most definitely adorable.

Adorable?
What the hell was wrong with her brain? There were a lot of ways to describe Captain Admiral Zander Graydon, but adorable probably wasn’t one of them.

“Because I couldn’t
not
kiss you anymore. Also to say sorry for the way I acted when Forster grabbed you. I should have left you to deal with it. Usually I would. But, I don’t know…ever since we bumped into each other in the Tocarra spaceport, things have gotten crazier and crazier. The only constant in this mess is you. I didn’t expect what happened between us, but despite everything between us and everything spinning out of control, it’s the one thing that’s not complicated.”

Her heart constricted not only at Zander’s words, but also at his fervent tone. Yet, his declaration only made sadness drag more heavily through her, weighing down her limbs with the inevitable. Because it
was
complicated. Maybe not the physical attraction, but add in her undefined future, the secrets, other people’s agendas, and a bunch of shape-shifting aliens, and it became a hot mess.

She said, “It doesn’t change anything, though. There are things you don’t know, things that will change everything. Things I can’t tell you, no matter how much I want to.”

“That’s a convenient excuse, Mae. No matter whose secrets they are, you know you can trust me.” Zander shoved a hand through his short hair, and he glanced away with a haggard expression. “We should be focusing on getting out of this mess alive. But every thought leads back to you, and I have no idea what I’m supposed to do about that.”

Was she using her promise to Rian as an excuse to put off her inevitable confession? Mae glanced at her feet, rubbing her sternum at the ache in her chest. His words weren’t making this any easier. What he’d said was also true for her—all of her thoughts inexorably led to Zander. Knowing he was as confused by his feelings kept a spark of hope alive that if they did manage to get out of this screwed-up situation, they could find a way to sort things out.

Except she couldn’t be so stupid. False hope only led to disappointment, and she’d learned a long time ago that the best way to get along in this universe was to be a realist. Deceptions and half-truths were no solid foundation for any kind of relationship. For the millionth time, the searing urge to tell him rushed through her.

While she now knew Zander wasn’t Reidar, he would still be pissed at her if she told him the full story. Aside from that, Rian was about the last person in the universe she wanted to end up on the wrong side of. Hopefully, if Rian was the one who explained everything, maybe Zander would understand why she’d lied to him. And if he didn’t—

The lump in her throat swelled bigger, almost cutting off her breath. If he didn’t understand, that would make staying away from him a whole lot easier.

Besides, even if he understood why she’d lied to him from the day they’d met, where could things possibly lead? She couldn’t go back to the IPC or UAFA, while as a career military man, undoubtedly Zander couldn’t see himself anywhere else. After burning her UAFA clearance on Tocarra, she would have to disappear. Once Zander got his position back in the IPC, they’d never be able to see each other again. It was as simple as that.

A large, warm hand landed on her shoulder, and she looked up to find him studying her, a despondent shadow in his gaze.

“I probably shouldn’t have kissed you again. But selfishly, I wanted one more in case—”

“Don’t say it! We survived this long. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Once we get to Rian, we’ll be safer.” Mae clenched her fists, latching onto the rising annoyance of Zander giving her the just-in-case speech. If that was his attitude, she might as well go shove him out an airlock. He wouldn’t survive unless he
believed
he could.

“We’re going to get out of this, Zander, and we’re going to make that scum alien currently living up your life on the
Swift Brion
pay in blood. That’s assuming the bastard can bleed.”

He sent her a grin that didn’t quite make his eyes as he let his hand slide down her upper arm. He stepped back and put an impersonal amount of distance between the two of them. “Wow, that was very Rian-esque. Bloodthirsty and terrifying.”

She shot him an unimpressed glare. “Ha-ha. But Rian has been right about everything so far. If the Reidar really are trying to invade, then we’re in serious trouble.”

Zander’s expression lost all humor. “Wait a second…
invade
? What the hell are you talking about?”

A cold ripple of apprehension spread through her. “I thought you knew all about this stuff.”

“I know shape-shifting aliens exist, and Rian spends all of his spare time hunting them. He never said anything about them
invading
.”

“Oh, crap.” She blew out a sharp breath and closed her eyes for a long moment. Now she’d done it. All her noble thoughts about this being Rian’s secret to tell, and she’d gone and blown it with her big mouth.

He gripped both her upper arms. “Mae, you have to tell me everything. And when I see Rian, he better have a frecking good explanation for why he didn’t fill me in himself.”

She crossed her arms and nodded, pacing a few steps while she got her thoughts in order. If she told Zander the bare minimum and left out why she’d taken a position on his ship, maybe Rian wouldn’t blast her head off, literally or figuratively, when they eventually caught up to him.

“Didn’t you wonder why the Reidar chose you to replace?”

Zander shrugged one shoulder and then leaned against the bulkhead opposite her.

“Not really. Figured I’ve got a pretty cushy life. Flying around in a big-ass spaceship, ordering people around, and generally being awesome. Who wouldn’t want all that?”

She sent him an exasperated look. “Modest, much?”

He grinned at her. “I’m just telling it like it is.”

“All right, then, you’ve got it good. But you’ve also got power. You command a flagship, which includes a fleet and a large contingent of IPC soldiers. You’re placed high up in the IPC chain of command with potential to go much higher. You’ve got military and political influence all over the galaxy. You can make things happen. See where I’m going with this?”

He nodded slowly. “So the Reidar wanted to put one of their own in a position of power.”

“Now imagine if the Reidar replaced all of the captain admirals who were in charge of the IPC’s flagships. Imagine what would happen if other high-ranking military personnel, IPC political figures, multiversal CEOs, and the agents in charge of the Universal Armed Forces Agency were all replaced by Reidar.”

Zander straightened, his expression becoming grim. “Then, by the time they came at us with a fleet or army, we wouldn’t have any way to defend ourselves. The invasion would already be complete, all without the messiness of an outright war. But that’s crazy. Wouldn’t someone notice if all these people were being replaced? Does Rian actually have any proof? Or has his paranoia hit new levels of insane?”