learned everything I could about the model of your ship.”
Dev couldn’t understand her muffled response, but didn’t dare take his hand away. From the tone, he could well guess she was cursing him. Her feet dangled above the ground as he brushed his arm against the scanner to open the door. It took a few times before the device registered what he was doing.
Since he had no desire to steal her ship and subdue her crew, he decided the escape pod was their best bet. “Don’t do anything stupid. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
He carried her pressed against his front side as he made his way down the long corridor. The ship was laid out to factory standard, and the halls were easy to navigate after his hours exploring the design in the VR room.
Violette wiggled as she tried to loosen his hold on her. He walked faster. Finding the access hatch to the pod, he lowered her to the floor. It was a mistake. She pushed back with her feet, slamming him into the metal wall. Her teeth bit into his hand, and he jerked it away from her mouth.
“I’m trying to help you.” He managed to spin the handle on the hatch and pull it open.
“Take the pod and go before the others hear what you’re up to. They’ll kill you, and I won’t be able to stop them.” She didn’t scream for help but kept her voice quiet. His hold on her waist tightened. “I want you off my ship.”
Dev reached his hand into the open hatch and felt around for the handheld medic unit that should have been anchored to the wall. “I’m working on it.”
Finding the unit, he glanced at it to see which model it was before pushing the buttons in a memorized sequence. He pulled it from the wall.
“I’m not after you, Dev. You can let me go. I won’t stop you from leaving. All I want is Jossel—”
Dev pushed the medic unit against her arm, and she instantly stopped talking. He caught her and held her to his chest. “I’m sorry it has to be like this, but I can’t let you hurt my family.”
She didn’t hear him. The sedative would make her sleep. Dev leaned over and carried her through the hatch. He placed her hand on the security scanner before programming the pod for a silent escape. The crew wouldn’t know they’d left until they were well away from scannable airspace.
He set her gently in the co-pilot chair and strapped her in. The pod was small, almost too small for the both of them. The pilot’s seat was a tight fit, but he figured comfort wasn’t the designer’s primary concern when creating safety features. He began launch sequences and disengaged the pod from the main ship. Then, he programmed the autopilot to head toward the nearest sustainable planet. As far as where they would land it was pretty much luck of the draw. But since pods weren’t meant to sustain two people over long distances, it was a chance he needed to take.
“Sit back, relax, and enjoy the jettison through space,” he said though Violette wasn’t in a condition to answer him.
Chapter 14
Erris Settlement, Planet of Murkernal
“You senseless rocketboy,” Violette swore in what sounded like drunken garble. She automatically lunged up from her chair to smack Dev across the face. He leaned back, dodging the blow. Swaying on unsteady feet with the lingering effects of the sedative he’d given her, she stumbled against the door of the pod. When he reached to help her, she slapped at his hand. “What did you do?”
“What I had to.” The height wasn’t designed for a man of his size, and he had to hunch over in the pod. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.”
She lifted her chin into the air and smashed her hand against her mouth. Drool had slid from her lips. “Ugh, how much did you give me? For the record, I’m not a mammoth.”
“Auto inject,” he answered. “So whatever dosage was safe.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“You would have come with me willingly?” Dev chuckled.
“Fine. You had to do that.” Her head cleared by small degrees. “Did you say you’d keep me safe? I don’t need you to protect me.”
“As you wish, my lady.” He gave her a half-smile. Why did he have to be sexy at this moment? She didn’t want him to be agreeable or sexy. She wanted him to argue with her so she could hate