Page 29

Cylo chose not to respond. Instead, he settled on the flip-down bed and activated his tablet.

A message from Kanzo confirmed what Hiossu had said.

Three lima kuu were on board the scimitar Nahatyr.

Still, what plagued him was why Kanzo planned to comm in two hours, especially after he’d transmitted the changed plan.

That Etterians were going above and beyond to save his Wren…

No, not his. Not yet. He gazed at her, her features at rest and serene.

Her white-gold hair floated around her face. Her long tunic hid her until mid-thigh.

“Does she look less purple to you, Hiossu?” Cylo glanced at the table only to realize the common was empty. How had he not heard the male leave?

Scowling, he leapt off the bed and returned to the comm since he’d sent Fyca to bed. Seated in front of the console, he closed his eyes. For an operative, two hours of shallow sleep was more than enough.

Too many images slammed into Wren’s mind the moment she surfaced. Shards of agony lanced through her skull. She winced and squirmed, trying to sink to the bed. When all she did was roll over midair and bare her cotton-covered ass, she cursed. Not again.

“Need assistance?” Cylo smirked, standing there in his low-riding yoga pants.

The man had an Adonis belt that rivaled any she’d ever seen.

Damn . She couldn’t help but stare. And drool, a little.

She snorted. A lot. And her throat had dried up.

Anything she attempted to say now would come out way too husky.

Sure, she’d love nothing more than to do the horizontal with Mr. Stunner, when he just stood there, looking like he’d materialized out of a men’s digi-mag. But he couldn’t.

Her cheeks warmed. Her nethers tingled. Argh .

“Please,” she managed.

He circled the bed and tapped the console. Down she floated, landing face first on the bed. Shit . If the med-E.D. was going to become her haven, she’d better master the descent.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

She peeked at him through the veil of her hair, then narrowed her eyes, trying to sense what he was feeling.

Nothing reached her. If she didn’t have a splitting headache from everyone else’s thoughts and dreams, she’d have hoped those horrible chemicals had finally worked out of her system.

Did he no longer fantasize about her? The disappointment hit her like an ice-cold shower.

She shivered, sadness dropping her gaze.

Slithering off the bed, she cast him a wan smile, with the full intention of heading to her room.

“There has been a change in plans,” he said, striding after her.

“Oh?” she asked over her shoulder without glancing at him.

“The lima kuu will not wait for us to reach Issneen.”

She froze and faced him. He halted mid-stride but not fast enough.

Her temple bounced off his chest. He looped an arm around her and spun them.

No doubt she’d caught him by surprise when she’d stopped like that.

But she couldn’t bring herself to be remorseful when his cologne teased her nose and the sheer warmth of him made her want to rest her cheek on his bare pec.

In that second, time stood still. She was but a woman in her lover’s arms. His presence surrounded her in safety, in the surety that she was desired.

She shook her head, trying to focus. “Were the latest results that bad?”

He shrugged. “You are stabilizing.”

She smiled. “That’s good, right?”

“On your appearance only.”

“Shit,” she muttered. “I’m purple forever?”

“Those markers haven’t settled yet, but the activity around them has slowed.”

“Phew.” She slumped.

That meant she still had a chance. Maybe if she concentrated hard, she could compel her DNA to return to normal?

She almost rolled her eyes at that bit of nonsense.

At least the medical experts meeting them halfway cut the remaining time to four days.

Now to start her dismal day. But with Cylo on her six?

“I’m going to shower.” She paused and beamed at him. “Or do you plan on watching me?”

His cheeks darkened when he ran his gaze over her bare legs. “No, but hurry. Adviser Kanzo will be comming you soon.”

“Why?” She frowned. “Never mind, I suppose it’s important. I won’t be long.” She let the door shut on his face. What would she have done had he said yes, that he’d like nothing more than to ogle her naked body?

Nothing, probably. What a fool she was.

Christmas carols were the only way she could drown out intrusions.

She blared them out while hurrying, not wanting to be caught…

um…unprepared for whoever this Kanzo was.

An adviser wanting to speak to her did sound ambassadorial.

She stared at her jeans. Were those too informal?

Could she afford to offend an Etterian diplomat by being underdressed?

She drew in a long inhale. This was all bullshit.

She stomped to the replicator and ordered tailored pants and a button-up shirt.

White made her hair look washed out, and with her lilac skin, she didn’t know what other color would suit her.

So black it was. She slipped into a matching bra and panties, then the smartest outfit she’d worn since her court appearance.

At the memory, she cursed again, finding she’d been doing that more and more after what she’d been through.

Pierce and Dallas wouldn’t believe she had a hidden ‘miner’ vocabulary. Her mother more so.

Black flip-flops completed the outfit since Kanzo wouldn’t see her feet. She hoped.

Her stomach gurgled, so she left for the common. She’d carried her coffee and a grilled cheese sandwich to the table by the time Cylo strode toward her, once again in his uniform. Grateful that he wasn’t in those yoga pants, she thwarted a sigh of relief with a sip of coffee.

His gaze settled on the ‘V’ of her neckline where she’d left a few buttons undone. He didn’t comment, nor did any emotional reaction reach her. She bit into her grilled cheese to hide a moan of disappointment.

He sat opposite her, a plate of steak and a glass of juice his breakfast. Was that all they ate?

Because they didn’t have a choice or out of preference?

With the rehydrator’s menu being so extensive, she had to assume it was the latter.

He ate his meal in silence, his focus on her.

She chewed slowly, her mother’s admonishments to be ladylike ringing in her ears.

“You appear paler…” He stroked the knuckles of her hand gripping the coffee.

“Oh?” She lowered the mug to study her skin. “Yeah, I do.” She grinned at him. “Any day now, I’ll be my usual self.”

“And your eyes flicker between gray and green.”

“So Qaff was right.” Which meant the bad stuff still driving the experts to reach her had to be horrific.

“Adviser Kanzo for you, Cylo,” Fyca said.

She dropped the sandwich, wiped her hands on a napkin, then rose, taking the coffee with her.

“I like what you are wearing,” Cylo said, his voice hoarse.

She peered at herself. “Thought something a little more formal might be in order. Just in case.”

He grunted and led the way.

The man filling the screens on the bridge, or as Etterians called it, ‘the comm,’ was handsome. Then again, despite them all being bronze-skinned and black-haired, she couldn’t say she’d seen an ugly man.

Fyca left them alone.

“Adviser Kanzo, this is Lady Wren.” Cylo gestured to her.

She hesitated, wondering if she should be curtseying. Hysteria bubbled laughter in her chest which she hastily tamped down. “Hello, Adviser Kanzo.” His neon-blue eyes told her he had a Dar Eth, but the woman could be Etterian or human. Not that either mattered.

“Good morning, Wren. Please, I’d like to introduce Iddan.”

Cylo’s instant grin told her this was a good thing.

A man with navy-blue skin and white hair and eyes stepped into view. “Hello, Wren. I am Iddan, a Durn. Kanzo tells me you have developed the ability to sense others’ emotions and thoughts?”

She nodded.

“Unless you learn how to block them, you will slowly sink into madness.” His grimace hinted at having endured the insanity assaulting her now.

“It is simple but requires a strength of will to maintain. Imagine a door. Use detail. Make it out of any material or markings that you can relate to a specific person.”

She blinked at him. “Um, I can’t sense anything from Cylo. I’d need someone to test—”

“Fyca, return to the comm,” Cylo said to his O.D.I.

The pilot hurried in and slid into the seat.

She stared at him then summoned an image of a white door with a massive crossbar as a handle. Across the top, she wrote his name, digging her finger into the paint as if it was still fresh.

“Once you have the door in mind, open it,” Iddan said.

She obeyed and cried out, falling to a knee when memories, thoughts, and desires crashed into her. Cylo roared something at Iddan while lifting her to her feet.

“Close the door,” the Durn said, his voice calm.

She slammed it. The ringing of a fireproof metal door reverberated through her skull. She gasped. No longer did Fyca’s thoughts torment her. “How is this possible?” she whispered, raising her gaze to Cylo’s.

“The mind is a powerful tool. We have yet to fully understand how humans compare to the many species we have studied.” Iddan offered a sweet smile. “Comm me if you need further guidance.”

Tears slipped free. She flicked them aside while beaming at him. “Thank you so much.”

“You are on a scimitar, yes? I would suggest you relocate to the viewing deck or, if the scimitar has the stock, thicken the bulkheads around your quarters. When you sleep, your control weakens.”

“We do not, unfortunately,” Cylo said, running his hand down her arm to lace their fingers. “The use of the viewing deck is wise. My thanks, as well, Iddan and Adviser Kanzo.”

She held out her free hand. “Um, Iddan, wouldn’t it be easier to lock myself behind a door?”

Cylo’s hand twitched, drawing her gaze to his long fingers. She smothered a shiver at the phantom sensation of his touch along her inner thigh.

Iddan laughed. “Indeed. I had not thought of that. It would be simpler than creating a door for every person you meet. But do know that should you open that door, you will be hit with a massive sensory overload.”

“Fair enough,” she said, quickly picturing a submarine-like door, old, with rusted metal brackets and a brass plaque embossed with her name.

She ‘walked’ through and closed the door behind her.

Silence engulfed her, leaving only her thoughts and feelings.

But the door threatened to open, like the hinges or lock were broken.

She shoved her full weight against it, begging it to stay shut.

Several attempts followed until, sweat-drenched, she stepped back.

She returned to reality with a jolt.

The screen showed the passing stars. Iddan hadn’t bid her goodbye or anything.

But she was so grateful that she spun and threw herself at Cylo.

He caught her against his body, allowing her to cry like a toddler.

When her sobs turned into sniffles and her eyelids threatened to seal, she pulled back and let herself rest her temple on his chest.

“Sorry,” she muttered. “When did you learn to do this?”

“Do what?” he asked, still rubbing her from her shoulder blades to her lower spine.

“Imagine a door to enclose me.”

He chuckled. “I did not. I have been using my willpower to control my reactions and thoughts.”

She forced a chuckle and shifted away from him. “That’s amazing.”

“I am glad not to have to do so anymore.” He caught her chin and raised her face for a perusal. With swipes of his thumb, he swept aside her tears. His touch was so gentle that flutters consumed her core. “What is wrong with my sleep pants?”

His question stunned her, leaving her reeling. “Your…pajamas?” Heat burned her cheeks. Memories flashed of his carved chest, his narrow waist, and Adonis belt. Not to mention the way the silk had clung to his thighs… She cleared her throat, not sure what to say.

“Yes. Why do you react like this?” He angled his head. “Your breathing and heartbeat are erratic. Your face is flushed, your eyes wide.”

She coughed. “No reason,” she rasped.

He scowled. “Why do you deceive me?”

Anger rolled off him. That didn’t bother her. What did have her leaping to grasp his biceps were the sour notes of pain. “Cylo, um, you look…good.”

He stiffened, then a smile bloomed, dimpling a cheek. “Ah, now I see. You like how I look as much I like the look of you?”

She nodded and left him, not wanting to go into how this attraction couldn’t lead anywhere.

“Wren,” he called, trailing her.

She faced him. “You said there can be nothing between us.”

“Yes, I did.” He toyed with a strand of her hair. “For now.” He lowered his hand. “If thick bulkheads are all you need, spend most of your awake time in the shuttle bay. That way, you need not expend all your energy controlling your door.”

She sucked in a shuddering breath at his thoughtfulness. “Thank you.”

What she wanted to do was close the distance and press her lips to his.

But to do so would lead to her wanting more, craving him.

Instead, she spun on a heel and headed to the shuttle bay.

Iddan had been correct in his suggestion.

Hiding in the viewing deck had brought her some relief.

She’d make it her bedroom when she was too tired to think or dream.

For now, getting her mind off Cylo was her core focus. And failing that, she’d have to decide: to toss caution to the wind or turn her back on him for good.