Page 16

Chapter Sixteen

A nya

It’s been touch and go with Zar for two days. I’ve barely left his side. I’ve been eating bars when ordered by the doc, and even had some soup he had delivered to me. Yippee, the first food other than bars (and that fantastic Joyous Jane knockoff) I’ve had in… I have no idea how many days it’s been since I was kidnapped from Earth.

I’ve taken a shower every day and Grace, bless her heart, brought me some actual clothes that were found in the laundry area. I never thought I’d be so thrilled to be wearing blue coveralls, but I am. Blue is the new orange, BTW.

Grace tells me Axxios had to make some executive decisions about where we’re going. We’re bound toward planet Numa in some star system I can’t remember. Why I would care is beyond me. What difference does it make?

We know we’re probably being chased. After all, we’ve absconded with a well-equipped ship and a bunch of expensive livestock—namely us. The Trans-Galaxy consortium aka the MarZan Cartel is probably plenty pissed. We’re going to have to pay heavily to change our ship’s name, vehicle ident numbers, and hailing signal.

I’ve only half listened to all of this because I’m not leaving this room until Zar is better. So I have no say in any of the decisions. Do I sound like a junior high school girl if I say I don’t particularly care where we go or what happens if Zar isn’t with me? I know I’m a strong, capable woman who is in charge of her own life, but I’m bonded to my lion guy and can’t imagine life without him.

Dr. Drayke says he still doesn’t know if Zar will regain consciousness, but that it’s a good sign he’s still with us. Well, yeah, that’s ridiculously obvious.

The medbot has done everything it can, as has the doctor himself. He says all we can do is keep pumping him full of antibiotics and wait.

I’m sitting at Zar’s side, my head resting near his heart, and dozing on and off even though it’s daytime. It’s kind of boring just sitting here with no one to talk to. I have to say, with access to the broadcasts from most of the known planets in the universe, I still think Netflix has better programming. I can’t find one thing on the portable vid they gave me that’s worth watching.

I must be fast asleep when Zar’s breathing changes. I startle awake and sit up quickly to see how he’s doing. Those gorgeous, golden cat’s eyes are looking straight at me. He gives me a weak smile, but it is a smile.

“Zar, you’re awake!” Duh, but I’m almost speechless knowing he’s back among the living.

“Anya,” is all he can croak out through a scratchy voice.

I raise the head of the bed and scramble to get him some water as I just keep repeating how worried I was and how much I love him. He’s weak as a kitten and can hardly raise his hand to grab the glass, but there’s a little sparkle in his eyes as he looks at me.

Better hydrated now, he says, “I love you too,” and drifts back to sleep.

O ver the next day, he’s been waking regularly and has nibbled on a nutrition bar. Axxios came to visit and helped Zar shower. He’s still far too weak to stand by himself.

Now Zar is clean, looking slightly refreshed, and sitting up in bed. Axxios sits down with both of us to give us an update. This is the first time I’ve heard anything other than secondhand news from Grace or the doc.

“It’s been a shitshow,” Axxios begins. “I won’t go into every detail, suffice it to say we’ve been patching problems since I sat down at the controls four days ago. We aren’t being pursued now as best we can tell, but it’s only a matter of time until MarZan comes looking for their property, and they are going to be pissed.

“We’re going to planet Numa, several days from here. It’s at the ass-end of the universe and a far grittier place even than Hyperion. There’s a lot we’ll need to do, including changing the name and call number of this ship, as well as paying off authorities so we can hide there for a while.

“Savannah, the female who roomed with Theos, was a mechanic on the primitive aircraft on her planet. She says she was military. She’s located a tracking device, shimmied into a crawl space in the engine room, and disabled it. A brilliant move. It will take the cartel a while longer to find us without that signal broadcasting our location.

“There are a lot of gladiator fights on Numa, with little to no Federation presence. I think that’s the only way we can pick up some quick credits to pay for the work and supplies we’re going to need. Every gladiator on board is volunteering for that duty. It will be the first time any of us have fought as free males. Making our own choice to fight sweet indeed.”

“Winning will be even sweeter,” Zar interjects. “Make sure you choose our best to fight. We’ll need the credits.”

“Absolutely, we’re on top of that. On a different note, we all agree, including the women, that even if we could make our way back to their home planet, it is not an option. Someone would inevitably talk, and the shitstorm it would produce would make life intolerable for them all. A few of them are convinced they’d be painfully vivisected and studied.”

I feel a pang of sadness at the finality of his pronouncement, even though I’ve had this same thought for days. It’s still depressing to know I’ll never go home again.

“We’ve got some decisions to make,” Axxios continues. “We have three captives: the captain and two cleaning crew. The moment we let them go, they’ll be contacting MarZan or the authorities, or both. We’d better be dracki ng sure we have everything in order before we cut them loose. We could… dispose of them otherwise if necessary. It’s still an option.”

“I think we’ve all been through enough,” I chime in. “I vote for keeping ourselves safe. It’s been hard enough on us women, but some of you,” I glance at Zar, “have been slaves your whole lives. I vote we do what we must to ensure we get to lead decent, safe lives. If that means…” I sputter to a stop. I can’t say the word kill, but hell, none of the males currently inhabiting the cell block risked their lives to help any of us.

Both males nod silently. I made my point.

“We’ve been throwing around ideas of where we’re going to head after Numa. If you have any suggestions, let me know,” Axxios says, changing the subject.

Zar shakes his head. “I only know planets with gladiator arenas. It would be nice to touch down somewhere that doesn’t approve of slaves or fighting to the death. I hear there are planets like that.”

“Some of the males have talked of Gaia. It’s a mythical planet where peace has supposedly reigned for millennia. It’s just slave talk, though. No place like that exists.”

“We can’t afford to chase dreams,” Zar insists. “We need to stay focused and get ourselves to immediate safety. We must protect the females.”

“Yes, but we’ll need some money stashed away to accomplish that. Most of the males on board have no way to earn credits other than their skill in the arena.”

Zar nods. “That’s the only thing I’ve ever done, but not you, Axxios. You can go anywhere. Perhaps you can help us hire another captain. It’s obvious you have another life you can return to. A better one.”

“I’ve never shared my story with anyone on this ship, but you’re stuck with me for the duration. I have nowhere else to go. None of us do. We’re all in this together.”

Axxios stands, thumps his chest with his fist and nods to Zar, then takes his leave.

“He’s a good male,” I observe.

“Yes, indeed.”

Zar

I never really believed, not deep down in my heart, that I would ever be a free male. This amazes me more than the fact that I lived through several laser bursts to the chest. But it does not amaze me more than the fact that Anya is here by my side and telling me she loves me… over and over.

I’d assumed they would separate us on Hyperion and sell us off to different sectors of the galaxy. When I allowed myself to believe, even for a minima , that we’d take over this ship, I never thought Anya would want to stay with me when she had a choice. She’s so delicate and smart and funny. And so beautiful. Why would she want to be with me? She told me I remind her of her pet or an apex predator on her homeworld. Why would she want that?

And yet, it seems she does. The look in her eyes when she gazes at me. The way she takes care of my needs as I lay in this bed, too sick to fend for myself, that speaks volumes.

Dr. Drayke told us there’s not a lot more he can do for me. He says I’m on the mend. I’ve been cleared to leave the medbay. Anya is cleaning the first mate’s old room right now. For us! She’s organizing a cabin we can share. My stomach does a flip, and not because of my injuries, it’s still hard to believe we can stay together as long as we want.

“You ready?” Anya interrupts my thoughts. “Ready to go to our room? A room with a bed large enough for two? A room with a door ?” She winks at me and waggles her eyebrows.

“I’m ready, Anya, but I don’t think I’m in shape yet for…”

“I understand, babe, we’ve got all the time in the world for that.”

She gives me a warm smile, reassuring me we have so many opportunities in front of us—together.

Anya

I brought Zar a size huge blue jumpsuit from the laundry. I’m acquainted closely enough with his anatomy that I thought I cut the hole in the right place for his tail, and I was right. It’s so not fair that I look completely hideous in my blue jumpsuit, and he looks good enough to attack. Oh well, I think he’d look sexy in a tablecloth and lampshade.

He insists on walking to our new quarters even though I try to talk him out of it. I know he has a limited supply of energy, and I worry he’ll have a relapse.

Most of the others “just happen” to be in the hallway as we slowly make our way to our new home. They’re all so happy to see him. It’s like they’re paying their respects. All the males do that chest thump/nod thing. The women all thank him out loud.

They divert us from going to the first mate’s cabin and steer us to the captain’s room.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“The females taught us what a vote was and insisted we take one,” Shadow explains. “It was a unanimous decision. Zar, we elected you captain.”

Everyone applauds. Hell, even Shadow seems to be smiling, if you could call his half-grimace a smile.

Zar cocks his head, his brows lowering as if this news doesn’t thrill him.

“We’ll take another vote when I’m well,” his deep voice rumbles. “This crew deserves better than to be led by a male who won with a sympathy vote.”

Shadow shrugs. “It was unanimous. Another vote won’t change anything.”

“Let’s revisit this later,” I say as we head toward our cabin.

Finally, we’re in our little room and for some unknown reason, I feel a bit shy. I show Zar around, though there’s not much to see. The main room is maybe twice as big as our cell. Ah, but the bed, it’s about the size of a queen bed back home. After what we’ve been sharing, it seems spacious.

There’s a little closet, definitely big enough for two blue jumpsuits, a pair of moose PJs, and a scrap of loincloth. In the corner is the galaxy’s smallest desk, which holds a computer and nothing more. I hope it has access to Google and Netflix, ha ha. Off the main area is a modest bathroom with another blessed door. I feel trendy. It’s like a tiny house!

I help Zar pull off his jumpsuit, taking only the briefest moment to notice that despite the fact he’s lost a few pounds during his convalescence, he’s still so freaking sexy I can barely keep my hands off him. I help him into bed, wondering in the back of my mind if maybe he’s well enough to make good use of a room with a closed door. Sadly, he falls soundly asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. But the good news is we have pillows.

I climb in and spoon him from behind. On the tiny bed in our cell, he was always behind me. This is new and different. There are several inches between us, so I pull the covers back enough to enjoy the visual of his muscular back and tail.

I’d never really noticed, with everything bound up in that loincloth, how sexy the little divot is at the top of his tail where it connects to the meat of his ass. My fingers itch to explore that little inch of masculine, feline territory. Not today, I admonish myself. Poor baby needs his sleep.

His back and shoulders are so muscular, I can’t keep my hands off them. I softly rub the velvet fur that covers those hard muscles from the top of the globes of his ass to the harbor where shoulders meet neck. Then I sift my fingers through his mane. He’s totally out of it. I feel like a perv, but it’s so liberating to have free rein.

I must have dozed for a while. When my eyes pop open, the computer’s screensaver says it’s time for dinner. I figure we should join everyone in the little dining area. Zar needs to eat, and I’m a little behind the curve in getting to know everyone. The only opportunity I had to talk to any of the others was when we were cleaning up after the Marauder attack.

I shower his neck with tiny close-lipped kisses, softly scrape the meat of his feline ears with my teeth, then hotly blow in his ear. That seems to do the trick!

“Mmmm, who’s doing that?”

My heart stutters for half a moment, wondering who he thinks is attacking him, if not me. Then he turns over, a sly smile on his face, and I realize he’s joking with me. He’s always been so serious, it’s a revelation to find that Zar has this soft, playful side.

He looks at me so tenderly, I decide maybe dinner was a bad idea. Maybe we should just stay here and take advantage of having a door. But he’s weak, and has lost weight, and I really need to get the poor guy nourishment.

“Let’s get you up, Zar. I need to get some food in you.”

His eyes lock on the door, “I’ve never had my own room before.” He seems as excited about the privacy as I am.

“Well, big guy, you actually don’t have your own room now. You have to share this with me. Unless you don’t want to.” I give him a deadpan stare.

He throws his heavy arm over me and pulls me closer. “It won’t be that easy to leave my lair. Big, strong gladiators mostly get what they want, little Anya. And this gladiator wants you.”

“Well then, you’ll never get your own room, Zar. ‘Cause I’m staying.”

He holds my gaze for a long moment, then his eyes drift to my chest as his nostrils flare in arousal. Okay, I’m at a choice point. Attack handsome-but-weakened lion-man right now, or get him the nourishment he needs. I hop out of bed and slip into my sexy blue one-piece number while I hear his sensual groan.

He eases out of bed and pulls on his jumpsuit. I look back and forth between the two of us. Wasn’t there a period in pop culture history where couples wore matching outfits? Was it the awful seventies? The terrible eighties? I know I saw some shockingly atrocious pictures on my Facebook throwback Thursday feed at some point. Luckily, I think that trend lasted about a minute, and for good reason! Not sexy then, definitely not sexy now. Oh well, it’s all we’ve got.

“Come on, we’re going to eat with the others. You need food.”

“There are things I need more at the moment.” He spears me with a molten gaze. He still hasn’t completely shrugged into his suit.

“Look,” I say, using a prim nurse Nancy kind of voice, “I’m in charge of your speedy recovery, sir, and I say food now, meet your other needs later.” I pierce him with a firm look, then add, “On the double!” He gives me a confused look. I’m sure that didn’t translate well, but he hits the auto-zip and is ready to go.

His nap seemed to replenish his energy, so we make it to the dining area in record time. It’s kind of shocking how this area resembles every high school cafeteria I’ve ever seen. It’s a long, narrow room with absolutely no decoration. Down the middle of the shallow space are several rectangular tables with benches on both sides. The only difference between the tables on our ship and the ones on Earth is that the benches here are tall enough to accommodate these massive males’ height. One of the first things I notice when we enter the room is that all the women’s legs are dangling and swinging like little kids sitting on adult furniture.

Everyone is laughing and joking and we’re happily welcomed into the fold. Shadow seems almost insistent that we sit across from him. Okay, we are back in high school, and yet again, I don’t think I’m at the popular kids’ table. He was sitting alone on this side of the room.

Who knew that Maddie, the woman bunking with Stryker, was a real honest-to-goodness chef back on Earth? She’s evidently been cooking all afternoon and brings us plates heaped with piles of unidentifiable food.

I pause a moment, apprehensive to dig in until all the women unanimously praise the food and encourage me not to be afraid.

“I had no idea what any of these things were,” Maddie says. “It was like an episode of Chopped where I’m given a basket of unknown allegedly edible items and have to make something terrific out of it. I think I did pretty well.”

The males all compliment the food, but hell, they’ve mostly been eating sawdust bars their whole lives. I look again at all the approving nods of the women and tuck in. “Yummmm.” Frankly, I can’t tell vegetables from meat or starch, but it’s all pretty delicious.

While Zar and I are quickly working through the food on our plates, I notice he’s having no trouble packing it in. Good. At this rate, he should get his energy back in no time.

“Sooo,” I ask no one in particular, “if you don’t mind me asking, what are the sleeping arrangements?” I’ve never been one to beat around the bush, and I’m dying to know how many of the couples have elected to stay together and which ones have separated.

“All of us women have chosen to bunk in our own rooms,” Maddie informs me. “Most of us got along well with our male roommates,” her eyes dart to Shadow, a disapproving scowl on her face, “but all of us, males and females, agreed that it was too much, too soon. We wanted some time apart to figure out if there is real attraction or if it was just hormones and necessity.” Her eyes widen and she immediately realizes she might have just insulted the crap out of Zar and me.

“Oh.” She’s backpedaling as quickly as possible, “I’m sure it’s different with you and Zar.” She’s blushing. It’s sweet.

I put my hand on Zar’s blue-overalled thigh and glance up at him. He’s looking apprehensive, probably wondering if I’m going to start questioning my own decisions. I leave him no time for worry and announce, “That sounds like sensible reasoning. But Zar and I are certain about our feelings.”

I smile up at him and can see his facial muscles loosen in relief. Maddie looks calmer too. I’m sure she didn’t want to start any problems.

Tyree slips in as if she’s trying to snag some food and leave without being seen. I realize I haven’t seen her since the overthrow. I’ve been so preoccupied with Zar’s condition I haven’t tried to contact her telepathically, nor have I heard from her. She realizes she can’t just slink out, so she sits down across from me after grabbing a plate with almost no food on it.

Before I can give her a hard time about her absence, I inspect her face. Now it seems obvious why we haven’t connected. She looks ill. Like death’s door ill. I open my mouth to ask questions about her condition, but she launches before I can start talking.

She puts her hand up in a “stop” motion before I can give her any shit about her medical status. “I saw Dr. Drayke. He told me not to worry, I’m fine. I’m sorry I didn’t visit while Zar was convalescing in medbay. Axxios has been teaching me how to function as first mate. He says I’m picking things up quickly. It’s exciting. I think it’s a great fit for my talents. I’m way more suited to it than joining the gladiators in the ludus .”

I know she’s trying to deflect my attention with her silly joke, but that doesn’t diminish my worries about her health.

“I feel like a bad friend, but me learning how to relieve Axxios at the helm of the ship seemed urgent.” She moves the food around on her plate but doesn’t bring fork to mouth.

Her skin seems taut across her bones, her eyes have no luster, and she’s squinting like I do when I’m coming down with a migraine. “When was the last time you talked to the doc?” I don’t buy her line that all is well with her.

“To be honest, it was before we took over the ship. I’ll go see him right now.” She gets up and scurries out. It’s only after she’s out the door that I realize she didn’t have a bite to eat. I decide to pursue this tomorrow.

I look around and notice I like this sterile little dining room. When I imagine putting decorations on the wall, I realize I’ve gotten used to the thought that my old life will never be the same, that I will never return to Earth again.

I can visualize birthdays and holidays shared over mystery meat meals here. Everyone seems calm and happy and optimistic about the future, even though we have no idea what it holds. That is everyone’s happy except for Shadow, who is glowering, sitting alone on the opposite bench of our table.

He averts his eyes as I inventory him. He looks humanoid—no one would give him a second glance if he arrived on Earth tomorrow—except for his prosthetics. One eye glows red and looks completely robotic. It’s obvious no one made any effort to make his eye look human or blend with his face. In fact, just the opposite, his eye looks decidedly like clumsy first-gen Earth attempts at making metal robots.

And the scars, not just near his eye, but they crisscross his “good” arm, and cover much of his exposed flesh. All the males show evidence of their time as fighting machines, but his scars seem so much more obvious.

He glances across at Zar, and his entire facial expression changes. He lowers his brow and glowers for a moment, then motions with his head for me to look at the male next to me.

Zar, who seemed hale and hearty when we entered the dining hall just a few minutes ago, now seems pale, his muscles slack. He has no stamina at all.

“Can someone call Dr. Drayke?” I try to hide the rising panic in my voice.

Just a few moments later, the doc hustles in and uses his med-pad to take Zar’s vitals.

“He’s tired, but don’t worry,” he reassures. “If a few males could help him back to his quarters with as little effort on his part as possible, I’m sure he’ll be better in the morning.” He gives me a serious look and orders, “You call me first thing in the morning if he’s still weak or tired. In fact, I’ll be at your room at ten hundred to check him out again.”

Shadow is out of his seat before the doctor finishes his instructions and is about to lift Zar into his arms like a groom carrying his bride. As tired as Zar is, he’s having none of it, but he does let Shadow help him back to our room. The farther they walk, the more heavily Zar leans on his newfound friend.