Page 34 of Stolen Fire (N.O.A.H (Nostradamus Outerspace Advancement of Humanity) #2)

“What do you mean, Varik’s here?” Blaize crossed her arms. “Port authority had him in custody.”

Cifer lifted his hands, palms facing her. “It doesn’t make any sense to me, either.”

“Think about it,” Veda’s calm voice broke through the tension. “Varik landed a stolen ship in that port. He moved kids into cages under the nose of the port authority.”

“He paid them off.” Cifer’s shoulders dropped. Defeat settled over him, eclipsing his usual energy, and it didn’t look right. An urge to comfort him tingled in Blaize’s chest.

She’d been blind. He wasn’t working with Varik. He cared about the kids. He’d come looking for Dez’s help. “Varik’s here now. We can’t do anything about that.” Blaize paused to filter out all her random thoughts and get to the point. “How did he get involved in this trade?”

“I contacted a few people I know who move goods.” Cifer huffed out a breath. “It’s not something I do a lot. I’m a retriever, not a procurer. I put out feelers to the people they recommended. This captain was the first to respond. Didn’t flinch at the price.”

“He met you at the docks?” Veda asked.

“Yeah. Said he couldn’t leave his ship.” Cifer’s eyes went wide. “Do you think he’s got kids on the ship?”

Veda nodded. “It’s possible. Chalcanth has limited resources because so much of the planet is water. They track most purchases to make sure people aren’t hoarding or selling items procured at the state stores on the black market.”

“Shit.” Cifer ran his hand over the back of his neck. “Was I supposed to go through government channels? No one said.”

Veda shook her head. “Off-planet goods aren’t regulated like that. I mean, they’ll want their cut.”

“How do you know so much about this, Veda?” Blaize asked.

Veda’s dark cheeks reddened. “I looked into what I could do with the produce I’m growing in case I had too much and we couldn’t eat it all. It’s not been a problem, but I had imagined unprecedented success. I knew we’d be coming to Cyra’s planet, so I checked the rules.”

“What do we do?” Cifer asked.

“We could wait for Dez and Cyra,” Veda replied.

“No.” Blaize couldn’t stand the idea of another group of kids being caught in Varik’s web. How the fuck did the fucker get his hands on so many babies? And why?

“I think I know why,” Cifer answered.

Had she said that out loud? “Explain.”

“Pretty sure the situation on Cassan was an opportunity that presented itself. Varik’s obviously got a problem with Captain Cyra, The Treasure , and you.

” His gaze was pointed, and Blaize dropped her gaze, still embarrassed to have been intimate with such an ass.

“He saw how upset you were by the kids being taken. He likely also had a big credit investment in the purchase, and you ruined that for him.”

“Me? What about you?”

“I was locked in the cage, remember?”

She couldn’t forget. Cifer incapacitated, caged like an animal. “We should notify the authorities.”

“And tell them what?” Cifer asked. “That some guys want to buy some produce we’re trying to sell?”

Blaize frowned. “We have to do something.”

“Maybe we should wait for Cyra and Dez.” Veda twisted her fingers together.

“What if they leave before we can do anything?” Blaize didn’t believe waiting was the right answer.

The situation required action. If only she knew what action.

She didn’t have a checklist for rescuing abducted kids, having only done it once before.

“If this keeps happening, I’m going to need an SOP and a checklist.”

“SOP?” Cifer’s wrinkled brow was kind of adorable.

“Standard operating procedure.” How could anyone not know that?

“I don’t think there’s a standard procedure for retrieving people or objects that have been stolen. It’s more of a respond-in-the-moment kind of situation.”

Blaize clenched her jaw. There had to be best practices. Maybe she could do a search and get advice. Write down her takeaways from the previous event and lessons learned from this one, assuming Varik had abducted kids again. And that she and Cifer could free them.

“It’s more important to know your own capabilities. Trust your instincts and be ready to respond to the unexpected.”

She’d avoided the unexpected as much as possible for most of her life. Danger filled the gaps around the unexpected.

“We just need to decide what the next step is,” Cifer said.

“Keep them from taking the kids.” That was obvious.

“And how are we going to do that?” Cifer’s tone was calm and respectful.

“Keep the ship from leaving. But you don’t think the authorities will help.” What other option was there?

“They probably would if we could prove our assumption. But we can’t.”

Blaize pursed her lips. There were lots of ways to keep a ship from flying.

“I need to know the class, manufacturer, and model of the ship. If I have that, I can get the schematics and figure out what part to remove or sabotage to keep Varik from taking off. But even if I had that, I’m not sure how we could execute the modification.

Most of the critical parts are deep inside, and you have to get on the ship to access those sensitive areas.

It seems like a long shot.” Not to mention totally illegal, but so was stealing kids.

“I’ll get you the exact information you need. Give me an hour. In the meantime, get some rest. We’ll need the cover of night to hide this gorgeous flame.” Cifer ran his fingers through a tendril of her hair. His gaze was filled with admiration and longing.

She’d missed him. Anger and hurt had masked the longing, but over the past few cycles, the mask had lifted. The shiver that went through her at his nearness had nothing to do with anger. “I’ll, uh, go. Now. Rest. Like you said. Get me as soon as you have the information.”

“Okay, Beauty.”

Blaize glanced at Veda, whose smile was so big it made her eyes crinkle. Heat bloomed over Blaize’s face, and she darted out of the sick bay and back toward her room. A pink glow filled the hallway, and even though she shouldn’t, she crept into Cifer’s room, drawn to the source of the light.

Pink illumination filled the room, making everything appear soft and inviting, especially Cifer’s bed.

Was his bed nicer than the one she had in her quarters?

She pressed a hand to the mattress. Maybe a little softer.

She sat. Not too soft. She kicked off her boots and laid out.

The mattress hugged her. His scent on the pillow reminded her how well she’d slept in his bed on Cassan.

She closed her eyes and breathed him in, letting herself revel in the reminder of the night they’d shared.

Her anger at him made no sense. Not there in his room, bathed in the pink light and cradled in his bed.

In a few minutes, she’d get up and leave.

Go back to her own quarters. She curled around and hugged his pillow. Soon, but not yet.

Cifer raced back to The Treasure , pausing only to revert his blue skin back to the coppery color he normally used.

The mission to gather the data Blaize needed had been a success.

He’d even managed to get a serial number.

Silent emptiness greeted him as he entered the ship that had started to feel like home.

He checked the galley. No one there. No one on the bridge.

No one in medical. Veda rarely left the ship.

She was probably in the greenhouse. But she wasn’t the person he searched for.

Blaize . Had she taken his advice and rested, or was she crawling around the engine room with a checklist in one hand?

He glanced at the corridor to the quarters and turned toward the cargo bay.

The engine room was completely silent. If Blaize was in there, she’d be talking to the machinery.

He retraced his steps and proceeded down the hall to her door.

Before he got there, pink light streamed into the hall from the vents and micro-openings around his door.

That wasn’t fucking normal. What the hell was going on with the orb?

He smacked the panel that controlled his door, and as it slid open, a breathtaking vision met him. Red hair splayed over his pillow. His woman curled in his bed. The lighting made her seem ethereal. She moaned, and Cifer entered his room, closing the door behind him.

“Cifer.” Her body undulated in a sensual move that made his cock stiffen. Her hand twisted between her legs.

He leaned back against the door. He shouldn’t be watching her like this, but he couldn’t look away, and she was in his room, calling his name.

“Yes.” The word wrapped itself around him, tugging him forward, but he resisted. She didn’t know he was there.

She shuddered, and the move shook him. The sensation of her fluttering around his cock was as unmistakable as it was unbelievable. Whatever the orb was doing to them, he had to lock it down before the entire ship fell under the spell. He shot his arms to the vent cover and removed the plate.

“What are you doing? How’s it possible for your arm to stretch like that?”

Cifer craned his neck to peer at the beauty who was sitting up in his bed, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. He grabbed the orb with one hand and replaced the vent cover with the other. “I need to lock this up somewhere safer.”

She popped out of his bed, her cheeks as red as her mane. “I shouldn’t be in here.”

“I disagree. This is exactly where you should be. Every night.”

Blaize shook her head, ran her fingers through her hair.

The orb glowed brighter, like it was on fire.

“I saw the light in the hall, and… I’m sorry.

I came in uninvited. I know that’s against the rules of polite society and probably against the captain’s rules for privacy, but I couldn’t resist. And then I was so tired.

I didn’t mean to fall asleep. It was just so relaxing and inviting… I should go.”

She darted forward, and he held out an arm, tugging her to him. “Don’t go.” He rubbed his cheek against her soft, pale skin. She melted into him for the briefest moment. A taste of paradise.

With a jolt backwards, she stiffened. “What about the kids? Did you get the information?”

Cifer pressed his lips tight. The orb dimmed. “I did.”

“Really?”

“Let me lock this up with Veda.” She had to have some kind of medical waste container that could hold the damn glowing rock. “Then we’ll make a plan.”

She pressed her lips to his. Her unexpected move was over before he could respond. The door slid open at her command, and she darted out into the hallway. “See you on the bridge.”

Cifer wobbled in place. She’d kissed him. Willingly. Initiated the connection. His heart glowed brighter than the orb. He had a chance.

But first, they had to stop Varik.