The Pirate Prince (17 page)

Mei found she didn’t mind his possessiveness. She liked being protected by him, though she was sure she could take care of herself if it came down to a fight. A short, round gelatinous woman brought them plates of food and dropped them on the table with a clank. They hadn’t even ordered.

“Psychic?” Mei asked her.

“Only thing we got,” the woman answered, her tone husky. Her dress hugged tight to her frame. It was pink with little red flowers, an odd contrast to her green skin and blue hair, though both were darker than the woman who’d flirted with Jarek on the docks. The woman waddled away.

“You know how to treat a girl,” Mei teased. Jarek’s face fell slightly and he glanced around. Reaching out, she touched his hand, drawing his attention back. “Hey, I was only joking.”

“What? Oh, I know,fea .” Jarek took up a skewer and stabbed a chuck of meat on his chipped plate.

Biting it off, he chewed thoughtfully. “It’s not bad.”

He sounded unconvincing. Mei was a little more delicate as she poked at a piece of meat. Slowly, she brought it to her mouth, touching it with the tip of her tongue. The sauce was tangy and sweet with an odd flavoring she couldn’t place. It wasn’t exactly appetizing. Finding her bravery, she popped the whole piece in her mouth. She did her best not to taste it as she swallowed the meat whole.

Mei was well aware of Jarek’s eyes on her and did her best to smile and pretend like she enjoyed it. He was unusually silent as they dined. She tried a few times to start conversation, but in the end contented herself with taking in her surroundings. There wasn’t much to see. A hairy, smelly beast of a man sat with a pale man with red eyes. At least Mei thought they were both men. It was a little hard to tell.

“Hey, Captain,” Evan said, sliding into the seat next to Jarek. He leaned over and

picked up a piece of meat with his fingers and popped it into his mouth. “Ship’s all stocked.”

“Well, almost all,” Viktor said, sitting next to Mei. He motioned to her plate.

“You done with this?”

Mei laughed quietly and slid it over to him.

Viktor took a bite. “Mm, just like the prison guards used to make.”

“Ah, food, great,” Lucien pushed his brother over, squishing Mei next to the wall.

He took a bite off Viktor’s plate.

“Hey, get your own,” Viktor protested.

“Hey, Cap. We’re in luck. Most of their available supplies consist of liquor.”

Lucien ignored his brother, continuing to eat off his plate.

“How is that lucky?” Mei asked.

Lucien looked horrified. Dumbfounded, he said, “Liquor.”

Jarek shook his head. “Talk like that and we’ll start to think you have a problem.

Dev will put you in quarantine again.”

Mei looked at Jarek. He smiled at his men, laughed even, but there was something in his eyes when he looked at her—a sadness and regret. “Yeah, but that wasn’t for liquor,” Lucien said.

“That was because I let a couple prostitutes into his room.”

“Is Dev celibate?” Mei asked in surprise. Sure, the man was stoic, but she never thought of him as lacking in female attention. There had to be some women who found big, red men attractive.

“What? No,” Jarek said. “Just particular.”

Lucien’s face fell. Under his breath, he said, “I didn’t know they’d scare that easily. I thought I was doing the guy a favor. He’s always so grumpy.” “Ho, Dev!” Viktor called, shutting his brother up.

“There was not much wrong with the ship. The Letame has it fixed. We can take off as soon as they finish loading the fuel.” Dev said, joining them at the table. Looking

down at the plates, he took a deep sniff. “Mm, Elteeb Stew.”

“Elteeb?” Mei asked, looking down.

“Yes, I would recognize the smell anywhere.” Dev nodded, ever stern.

“What exactly is an Elteeb?” she asked, wondering how she could’ve been so preoccupied with Jarek that she hadn’t thought to ask what it was they were being served.

“They are a brown, small insect with six to twelve legs depending on their age.”

Dev held out his hands several inches apart. “About this big.”

“Three eyes?” Mei asked, staring at the now empty plate. Her stomach lurched.

The bug in their room?

“Yes,” Dev nodded.

“Qù tamade!” Mei gasped, surging to her feet. She managed to clear the table with her knees as she hopped onto the bench seat. Jumping, she held her hand over her mouth and used the tabletop to step on as she passed through the men toward the door.

“Mei!” she heard Jarek say behind her. “Come on, guys, move. Mei, wait.”

Mei didn’t stop. She ran into the hall. The image of the bug scurrying across the floor wouldn’t leave her mind. Gagging, she couldn’t hold it back any longer. She threw up on the corridor floor. Jarek was behind her in an instant, holding her up. An old cleaning droid came out of the wall. It moved slowly, but it began to clean the mess.

Mei held her stomach and closed her eyes. For a long time, she stayed bent over, unmoving as she took slow breaths. When she could finally speak, she said, “I ate bugs.”

“Zhè bìng bù huài,” Jarek soothed. “It’s not that bad.”

She gave a disheartened laugh. “I want to go back.”

“We’ll leave shortly for Líntian,” he said, his tone hard.

She glanced back at him. A light sheen of sweat covered her flesh, making her feel clammy. Trying not to think of the bug stew, she studied him carefully. Was the

sweetheart period suddenly over? Had he grown tired of her already? She’d meant back to the ship, not the planet, though that is where she would ultimately end up.

“Good,” she answered, not saying what was in her heart. What had happened?

Before, what they felt, they said. Now she was compelled to hold back. Was it that they were halfway through their journey? Was this a silent understanding that distance would make the split easiest for both of them? If it was supposed to be, Mei didn’t understand it.

Nothing would make leaving him easier.

“Let’s board.” Jarek led her by the arm, half supporting her weight as she leaned into him. “You look like you could use some rest.” “We have to go get the map first,” Mei said. “We left it in the room.”

Jarek frowned, but nodded once. They walked in silence. Jarek opened the room door and disappeared. Mei thought briefly of the romantic evening she’d envisioned.

There was no way she’d be getting romantic in bug-infested quarters.

“Did you move it?” Jarek asked.

Mei shook to her senses, pulling her gaze from the floor where she’d been searching for insects. “No. It was on the bed.”

Jarek turned, his eyes completely shifted. His nostrils flared. “Someone’s been here.”

Mei ran to the door and looked down the corridor. She tried to listen to the wind, but the air in the corridor didn’t stir. That was the trouble with space. No wind. Her heartbeat kicked into high gear and her body tensed. Jarek moved behind her.

She turned, just in time to see his body shifting into that of a large cat. Black stripes streaked across his orange back. The fur on his face was white and black. He stared at her from the hot depths of his eyes and let loose a low grumble in the back of his throat.

Mei had teased him about shifting, but in her head it wasn’t completely real until that moment. He growled louder, lifting his big head. She saw his fangs as he opened his mouth. The sharp teeth frightened her. Stumbling out of his way, her back hit the metal grate along the wall. A hook poked into her shoulder and she was unable to slide away from him. Rumors that some shifters couldn’t control themselves in shifted form entered

her mind. Was Jarek one of those? Was that why he never showed her this side of him?

She asked on the ship, but he always had something else to do—repairs, flying, making love to her. Mei hadn’t pressed the issue.

“J....” She tried to speak his name. Only a whisper made it past her lips. She closed her mouth and stayed completely still.

Jarek’s cat eyes narrowed. They were the familiar dark brown green she’d seen before, the pupils oblong. Deadly claws poked from his thick paws. There was no doubt he was built for killing.

A loud roar escaped his lips. Mei shrieked in fright, forgetting all her training as he leapt toward the door. She shut her eyes tight. The sound of claws clicking against metal jolted them back open. With a gasp, she looked down. Jarek was gone. He’d gone out the door. Suddenly, she realized he’d been trying to get her out of his way so he could find the map.

Taking off after him, she caught sight of his tail as he turned a corner. Mei ran faster. He was going toward the dining car.

Jarek’s four powerful legs pushed off the floor, showing his graceful elegance and strength of movement. He leapt into the air, flying out of her eyesight as he went through the diner doorway.

Mei skidded to a stop at the diner’s door. Jarek’s crew was gone, all but Dev who had a full helping of Elteeb Stew.

The hairy beast with the foul smell jumped from his seat at her entrance. Scraggly brown fur tuffs sprouted from his body, knotting into an accumulation of matted fur.

Bright green filled his eyes, blocking out the rounded orbs.

Dev fisted his hands, facing the two humanoid men. There were many species in the galaxies, too many to memorize unless you dedicated your life to doing so. Mei was surprised at how tall the hairy beast was at full height. He even towered over Dev and

was just as broad.

Mei tensed as Jarek squared off with the beast man. Suddenly, they both lunged.

A flurry of movement overtook the diner at once. The gelatinous waitress disappeared out a round side door. The beast’s pale friend’s eyes glowed with their eerie red. He stood back, out of the way of the flying claws and biting fangs.

Mei watched the fight, waiting for a chance to help and knowing that, like the men on her planet, he wouldn’t appreciate her jumping in. Tension practically snapped through the room. Jarek roared. The beast growled. They both drew blood from the other.

The beast slashed Jarek’s shoulder. Jarek retaliated by sinking his teeth into his hairy arm.

Movement by the round door caught Mei’s attention. The pale man was making an escape. Dev saw it too. He made a move to lunge past the fighting men. The beast man slashed at Dev, viciously hitting his chest and slicing it open. Mei took her chance. She ran behind Jarek. A light stirring of the air fanned her cheek, accompanied by a whistling.

The beast had swiped for her.

She didn’t stop as she darted through the round door, leaning under its frame. The corridor was worse than the rest of the space dock. Dim light made it hard to see. It shone from a narrow strip along the wall, leading down the passage horizontally like a rail. A few of the elteebs scurried along the corridor floor, disappearing and reappearing from holes in the wall. Some even clung to the ceilings. Mei shivered, forcing herself to make her way forward. She refused to think that this was where her meal had come from.

The further she walked, the worse the corridor smelled. Picking up her pace, she steeled herself for a fight. She couldn’t let the pale man escape, not if he had the map. A slash of light fluttered across the hall and she detected the unmistakable odor of perfume.

“Where are you?” she muttered, narrowing her eyes. “Chùsheng xai-jiao de xiang

huo
.”

“Such violent words for such a little girl.”

The words were a whisper along her ear. She jolted, turning around, hands lifted in ready. Nothing was there.

“Mm, good form,” he said, the voice still soft. “Nice. Firm.” “I was welltrained ,” Mei rotated, kicking out with her heel. The last word was strained as she tried to strike him. Her foot hit air. “I wasn’t talking about your fighting skills,” the voice mocked.

Mei felt a hand brush past her butt, squeezing lightly. She struck instantly, refusing to let him distract her. This time she hit him. Her fist hit his jaw, sending him sprawling back. White skin practically glowed in the dim lights as the pale man got to his feet. He rubbed his jaw and his red eyes widened.

“You hit me,” he accused.

“Um, yeah, that was the point of trying to punch you,” Mei answered with a smirk.

He adjusted his jaw. “You will pay for that, little girl.”

Mei took his challenge, not thinking beyond the moment. She struck out with her fists, using a combination of punches. Several of them landed. The man punched, his fist cracking across her jaw. Mei winced, but didn’t stop. It wasn’t the first time she’d been hit, but it was definitely one of the harder blows.

Angry, she fought vigorously. A blind instinct overcame her until she didn’t even plan what she was doing. Suddenly, she flipped the pale man over her shoulder and he slammed to the floor, dazed. Breathing hard, she stood over him, hands raised. Haun had practiced endlessly with his little sisters until they could throw men three times their size.“And you just got your ass kicked by a little girl,” she hissed. The man groaned, his eyelids heavy as he lightly rocked his head back and forth.

Without wasting time, she kneeled beside him and began searching him for the map. Running her hand up and down his thighs, only to work her way up to his hips.

“Mei! Mei!”

Mei glanced up at Jarek’s yell. To her surprise, the naked pirate captain was shifted back to his human form. Blood trickled from wounds on his body—several on his shoulders, one on his cheek and a couple on his legs. His long dark hair flew behind him, rippling as he came near. Mei lost her breath as she looked at him. Swallowing, she made a move to continue her search.

“Mei, what are you doing?” he demanded.

“I’m finding—” She never got the words out. The pale man’s eyes met hers and he swung. His hand met her cheek, knocking her into the wall. A loud pop sounded in her head and her eyesight dimmed.

She heard Jarek roaring, but he sounded far away. As darkness overtook her senses, the sound of his voice faded.

“
Mei! Me....”

* * * *

Jarek cursed as Mei slumped to the side of the corridor. The pale man she’d been searching was on his feet and a blur of movement before Jarek could even reach them. He was one of the fastest creatures Jarek had ever seen. Though he wanted to pursue, he knew Mei needed him more. Skidding to a stop by her side, he quickly checked her for injury before sweeping her up into his arms. He stalked toward the diner, holding Mei close.