Page 33 of Stolen Fire (N.O.A.H (Nostradamus Outerspace Advancement of Humanity) #2)

Cifer resisted the urge to punch the door to his quarters.

Blaize was avoiding him again. If he didn’t recall how well she kissed him back, he might have believed she didn’t want him.

But he knew, in his soul, that she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her.

For whatever reason, she was denying it, or resisting, or just being stubborn. A hissing growl filled his room.

It was him.

He had to do something to get his emotions under control, or he was going to lose what was left of his mind.

Quickly changing into athletic gear, he jogged down the corridors to the workout room.

Miles on a treadmill after beating the crap out of a heavy bag might take the edge off.

When he arrived, Dez was there, already on a treadmill.

Dez wasn’t even panting, though sweat ran thick over his bald head and bare back.

“Could you at least pretend like you’re working hard? Ease my poor ego?” Cifer shook his head and looked at the ground as if he were mortified by the other’s prowess.

“You require no deception. I’ve seen you work just as hard.” Dez continued to pound a punishing pace on the machine.

Cifer smiled at him, the best smile he could muster under the circumstances, and placed his hands in the glover. The machine laced on the protective gear. He would pretend the body-shaped heavy bag was the male who had hurt Blaize so deeply, she had no trust left.

“Have you secured any of the potential contacts?” Dez asked in a staccato voice that matched his pounding feet.

Cifer released a jab-cross combination on the bag. “Have a couple of bites. Still in negotiations.”

Dez groaned. “Why is it always a game? They want the goods. We have the goods.”

“The game is the best part,” Cifer replied before stepping into the bag and landing an uppercut.

A derisive huff from Dez made Cifer grin.

An hour later, he was panting and lying on the padded floor. A shadow fell over his closed eyes, which he opened to find Dez’s concerned face staring down at him, his fists on his hips.

“What troubles you, friend?” Dez asked.

Cifer closed his eyes again.

“Blaize.”

Her name falling from the other man’s lips was like a needle to his heart—sharp, piercing, fatal. “She hates me.”

“You’re probably wrong. I thought the same of Cyra. It was fear. Not hate.”

“My female is fearless.” Cifer rolled and stood. Hearing Dez say she was afraid was an affront to everything Cifer knew about Blaize. She was bold, tireless, selfless, beautiful, giving, sexy, insatiable. And she hated him.

“Your female?” A rumble erupted from the big male’s chest that could have been laughter.

“I’m not giving up.” Cifer clacked his jaw at Dez, who was taller than him, though not stronger.

“I make no claim on her.” Dez held his hand up to show he was unarmed and unwilling to fight.

Some of the tension left Cifer’s body. His brain knew that Dez was no threat, happily mated, but his heart, his soul, his entire being needed Blaize to be with him before they would abandon the imaginary battles. “What do I do?”

“You must give her exactly what she needs so that she knows she has nothing to fear from you. So she’s sure she can rely on you.”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“Nor do I.” Dez chuckled again and slapped Cifer on the shoulder.

“But I do know what my mate needs. She’s nervous about seeing her family again for the first time since she abandoned their home.

I have to be the rock by her side that she can lean against. Let her lead.

Trust her enough to follow. Being the mate of a strong, independent female is not an easy path.

” Dez grinned. “But it’s a damn good one.

” He walked out, leaving Cifer alone in the gym.

Cifer envied the captain. A family reunion of any kind was such a gift, one he’d never get.

Dez could easily support Cyra with the task because he had such a great relationship with his own family.

He had an example of how families should be.

Dez’s role in his mate’s life was obvious. Unlike Cifer’s.

A run might clear his head and let him come up with a plan to give his female exactly what she needed. First, he’d have to figure out where he could fit in her self-driven life.

Despite the long run, Cifer gained no clarity as to what he could do for Blaize, beyond helping her team secure the contracts needed to be successful. At least he could solve the problem of contracting a buyer for the produce on Chalcanth.

He found the communications specialist on the bridge alone.

“Bodi?” he called to her in as soft a voice as he could and still be heard.

She startled, her delicate wings fluttering as she launched herself from her low-backed seat and took a defensive stand. “What are you doing in here?”

“I came to ask you for help, if you would be so kind.” He held his arms out from his body, hands low and open.

“You need to run all requests through Captain Cyra or Dez.”

“I just came from working out with him.” He hadn’t asked permission, but that was a minor detail.

Dez had assisted with the initial messages, but he had his hands full with his mate.

“The only request is to send some more messages. I need to follow up with the buyers for the Din’ Gale goods.

” Among other messages of which Bodi didn’t need to know the details.

Cifer took a step, and Bodi bounced back out of reach.

“Why are you terrified of me?” He could have smacked himself. The words were not meant to be vocalized. He waited for her to settle before he moved again.

“Please don’t kill me.” She held her arms up, defending her face.

“Why would you say that?” He kept his voice soft and his stance as relaxed and as non-threatening as possible.

“There have always been threats on my family’s lives. But in the last few months… Blaize says you shouldn’t be on this ship.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know who you or your family are. Fate is the reason I’m on this ship. Not some nefarious plan. I’ve never killed anyone in my life.” At least not directly. “And I sure don’t plan to start, especially with you.”

Bodi stared at him for several seconds. She appeared to weigh his individual atoms and consider their worthiness to be in her presence. “I come from a royal family.”

Cifer remained silent.

“I was trained to detect infiltrators and spies.”

“Every word I have said to you has been the truth.” It was the words he’d omitted that might lead to false assumptions.

“Your words are truthful, but you’re cloaked in lies. The contradiction troubles me.”

“I’m not a threat.”

“But you’re hiding something.” Her wings moved so quickly, they buzzed.

He held his hands up. “Nothing that could bring harm to you or anyone on this ship.”

“Why, then?”

“Habit, mostly. My appearance. It’s unusual.”

Bodi scanned his body. She gazed into his eyes and nodded solemnly. “What do you need from me?”

“If you could give me some basic instruction on your systems and perhaps a limited account so that I don’t have to come to you for every reply and response.

” Cifer wasn’t sure which way it would go.

He was certain that Dez would authorize his request, but he didn’t want to disturb the male if possible.

“Fine.”

Her response surprised and pleased him.

She sat down at the console again and began typing and tapping faster than he could follow. “Your account can be accessed from any console, or you can use your data pad.”

“Thank you, Bodi.”

“You’re going to have to show her. Everything. Before she will trust you.”

She was probably right, but once he showed her his true form, there would be no going back.

And that was a bridge he couldn’t cross—a paradox worse than losing time.

If he didn’t trust her and show her who he was, he’d lose her, and if he did, the outcome would be the same.

He hadn’t felt this cold or hopeless since he’d been lying in that ditch on Koblen.

Last meal before they landed on Chalcanth offered another chance to see Blaize.

Her voice floated through the corridor, drawing him to the galley.

She was laughing with Veda about something that had happened in engineering.

Silently, he entered the space, trying not to disrupt her good mood.

Blaize was about to take a seat next to Dez.

Cifer darted in and blocked the space, clacking his jaw at Dez.

Cifer’s hand shook as he gestured at the next seat for Blaize to sit.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She glared at him but sank into the spot he’d indicated. Her acquiescence calmed him.

He sat next to Dez, who shook his head and chuckled.

Cifer looked around the table. All eyes were on them, and every face had a grin.

Cifer ducked his head. He didn’t know what he was doing, why possessive rage ripped through him, or why he felt challenged by Dez for Blaize’s affection. Rational thought had abandoned him.

“Stop that,” Blaize hissed at him.

He pulled his hand from her neck, where he’d unconsciously cupped her and was rubbing up and down its length.

Rhysa set a plate in front of him with a knowing grin. “We land in a few hours.”

“Cifer? Any progress with the wholesalers?” Dez asked.

“I’ll be meeting a buyer at the docks.” Cifer tucked into the meal while it was hot. Blaize had nearly finished hers already.

“The docks?” Cyra asked.

“I tried for the spaceport, but apparently the majority of their business is handled on planet between the land masses. So they want to meet at the docks.”

“Makes sense.” Cyra shrugged and returned to her meal.

The captain seemed to trust him, even if Blaize didn’t.

He would get the captain the best deal possible to reinforce that trust. Before he could come up with a topic of conversation that included Blaize, she rose from her seat, taking her plate to the sterilizer.

“I have some checks to do before we land.”

She wasn’t talking to him, just making a general announcement before she darted out the door. He could be patient. Maybe. The transaction he was working on would prove how much he cared. Words weren’t going to be enough for his beauty.

Once clear of The Treasure , in the shadow of a low building close to the docks, Cifer shifted his appearance to that of a Din’ Gale native.

A breeze wafted over his bare head. He rubbed a gray hand over the exposed skin and tracked the gray stripes along his arm.

He resembled the prince more than Dez in size.

Not a perfect disguise, but good enough.

He rounded the corner and went to the designated berth where a large sailing ship bobbed in the water. Two males appeared on deck. Both blue-skinned and green-haired, like Captain Cyra…and one too familiar—Varik.

How the fuck had he made it back to his planet of origin? Someone had let this fucker go after he’d purchased children and locked Cifer in a cage. That someone would pay dearly for their corruption.

Cifer adjusted his features to hide his scowl. He had the advantage, since Varik wouldn’t recognize him. First order of business: complete the sale.

Cifer introduced himself as Fursahnd, the name he’d used in the messages.

The captain of the sailing ship gave his name and then turned. “This is my associate, Varik. We’ll need to divide the shipment between this ship and his.”

“That wasn’t our agreement. I have other buyers.” Not a lie, but this had been the best price.

The captain sneered. “I’ll add a delivery fee to cover your costs. Also, I’ll want regular deliveries. I have bratty mouths to feed.”

Varik gave a warning grunt.

The back of Cifer’s neck prickled. Bratty mouths to feed plus Varik. Didn’t take a genius to calculate what was happening. “That can be arranged. Where do you need the second delivery?”

“Spaceport.”

“Which bay?”

Varik responded with the information and the name of his ship, Cain’s Alibi .

The Cassan authorities hadn’t even confiscated his ship. Someone had been bought off. Cifer filed that away as a future problem. “All right. Give me some time to split the shipment. Equal parts?”

The captain grunted acknowledgement.

“I’ll need the payment. First half before I load at the spaceport, and second half when I load here.”

“Agreed.” The captain held up his data pad, and Cifer transferred payment instructions to his account. Not the original plan. The funds should go to The Treasure . But plans had changed.

Cifer kept his disguise in place back at the spaceport.

He had one task to complete before he explained everything to Dez.

Cain’s Alibi was exactly where Varik had said it would be.

Cifer slipped into a shadow and shifted his appearance again to blend into the background.

With slow, precise movements, he neared the ship and managed to attach the tracker he’d taken with him at the last moment, despite shaking with the recall of the last time he’d been on that ship.

Back at The Treasure , Cifer resumed his usual appearance and went to the galley and then the bridge, searching for Dez. He found Veda in Medical. “Have you seen Dez?”

“He’s with Cyra. They went to see her family.”

Shit. He’d forgotten about that.

“What’s wrong?” A wrinkle marred Veda’s usually relaxed face.

“Varik is here.”

“What?” The screech came from behind him.

Cifer spun to find Blaize in the doorway, glaring.

“Varik’s here with the buyer I found for the produce. And I’m concerned about who they’re planning to feed.”