Page 33 of The Interdimensional Lord's Earthly Delight
Notthat she was going to let Blackworm’s ghost or anyone else throw her into a black hole!
While she dithered, Tynan was curtly explaining how Blackworm’s consort’s brother had attacked his cell. Which explained how he gotout and how he got the blaster.
“Why didn’t you just wait for security to take Radek into custody?”
Tynan grimaced. “I think the duke and the captain would’ve been more likely to cheer Radek’s attack.”
True enough. And she might’ve joined them.
“But I can’t hurt him, or your duke and captain, not when they are merely confused.” Tynan’s even fiercer scowl told how little he appreciated thatgenerosity. “I need to prove to them that I’m not Blackworm.”
“I imagine that’s going to be tricky,” she snarked. “Since you’re wearing his face and all.”
He glowered at her, looking for a moment very villainy. “You’re going to help me.”
She lifted her chin imperiously. “And why would I do that?”
“Because you know it’s true.”
She couldn’t answer. One, because he was slinging her through theopen hatch of one of the delivery shuttles. And two…
Because he wasn’t wrong.
Somehow, she knew he wasn’t Blackworm. Whatever had come out of the singularity, reconstituted in this dimension from virtual particles and quantum entanglement wasn’t the one who had taken her from Earth.
Which didn’t excusethisone from taking her from her new home.
For propriety’s sake, she made one attempt todo an end-run around him for the exit, but his long arm snaked out to block the way, and she rebounded like she’d hit a vertical trampoline.
He caught her before she fell, supporting her so easily with one hand, and deposited her against the bulkhead. She squawked as the cargo webbing wrapped around her, holding her with gentle but unbreakable force. He ignored her ineffectual squirming and strodetoward the cockpit.
“Tynan,” she hollered. “You can’t take me off this station. They’ll never believe you aren’t being evil reincarnate.”
“You’ll convince them.”
Oh sure,nowsomeone believed she was capable of the impossible. She heaved against the straps in frustration.
The shuttle wasn’t large, and when she craned her neck, she caught a glimpse of Tynan at the controls.
“Hey, if youarean old-timey lord, you can’t know how to fly this thing,” she reminded him loudly.
“Thorkons have had space flight for millennia,” he shot back. “I led my own army, and this isn’t so different—”
Blaring alarms sounded, cutting him off as the shuttle tilted alarmingly sideways.
“Notmuchdifferent,” he snarled over the siren noise.
But he was cut off again by a voice from the comm. “Attention,unauthorized shuttle pilot. You are not cleared for departure. Repeat—”
“I have Lady Lishelle aboard, and I will ram the bay doors if you don’t let us out.”
“No he won’t,” Lishelle screamed. “Don’t listen to him!”
Maybe they didn’t hear her—or maybe they only heard the screaming and didn’t believe her—but through the viewport over Tynan’s shoulder, she could see the bay doors getting closer…andthen parting slowly to let them out.
For an instant, the black hole dominated the view, and she had to close her eyes, her stomach churning.
She’d managed not to see it on the flight to the station, and being this much closer, without the big bulkheads of the station around her…