Stolen by the Zandian - Renee Rose Page 0,16

him once we’re on Dentron and escape alone with the ship.

I weigh the idea for a few seconds—it would surely be difficult to learn to captain this craft, but I think I could do it. Should I try once again to escape? I’d be my own master, in charge of my own destiny.

But for now, all I say is, “All right.” I look down out the ports, at the receding lights, and the advancing ones. “Deal. Let’s do this.” First, I need the pollen. I’ll figure out the rest later—once it’s in my possession.

He jogs to his console to respond to a beeping signal and a red flashing light. Once it’s resolved, he turns to me. “You need to sleep. Your body surely needs the rest.”

We both look at the silver magna cuffs lying on the floor. He picks them up and tosses them into a cabinet. “Trust, right?” He looks at me for a long second then smiles. “Now that we have a deal, we don’t need these.”

My stomach flutters with arousal: Thinking about what he did when those cuffs were on is enough to make my body fill with that tingly, amazing feeling. I want to tell him, “What if we want them?”

But exhaustion takes over, and I yawn so widely that my face hurts.

“Trust.” I yawn again. “Yes.”

He grins. I swear he’s thinking the same things I am—

“Maybe I will sleep.” I barely get the words out before every muscle goes leaden with exhaustion. I slump back onto the bench, still clutching the case to my stomach. “Wake me when…” and I’m out.

Khrys

She falls asleep mid-sentence as the collective events of the past hours hit her.

I carry her to a sleep bay and lie her on one of the bunks. I cover her with a blanket and adjust the medicine case, so it’s not digging into her ribs. She’s still holding it like it’s the only vecking thing in the world that matters—and I suppose it is. A strand of hair falls into her face, and I push it back with my index finger.

“So soft,” I whisper.

Her lashes brush her cheeks, and I resist the urge to kiss her lips while she slumbers.

Don’t get too attached, I remind myself.

Now that she’s asleep, I take the opportunity to slide a healing pack onto her arm. It will help balance her nutrition and give her healing medications, including a sleep aid that helps human bodies recover from trauma. Too bad it can’t fix her headaches.

Too bad it can’t fix my issues.

Reminded of my own concerns, I take a deep breath, check that Kailani is deeply asleep, and do the thing I dread. I put in a holo-call to my commander. I’d turned the comms off the moment I left Zandia to avoid communication, and I know I may face more serious consequences than a demotion for this.

“Master Seke, this is Captain Khrys.” I keep my voice even. “Checking in from Starship A-25X, currently in Galaxy Ambi.”

“Captain Khrys, you were not authorized for any mission.” He doesn’t waste words. He’s seated at his workstation in the royal palace. Behind him stands his assistant and sergeant at arms, my friend Gabin.

“Forgive me, Master Seke, but I’m on my way back to Zandia. I secured a human bounty that will serve our planet well. Someone whose DNA may provide the answers to the Z4-A epidemic.”

I glance toward the bunkroom. A feeling of guilt pierces me, but I push it away. This is necessary. For Zandia. And to restore my honor. “I rescued a human female, Kailani. The engineered one who is stronger than normal and can fight off any human virus. She is intact. I will bring her back to King Zander and Dr. Daneth, so they may use her to understand human improvement and help our young.”

“I have heard of no such human.”

“She’s very real. You can verify her stats. She made an escape before she went to auction, and I provided assistance.”

“I see.” Master Seke frowns.

“I’ve seen her strengths with my own eyes. She’s better than her dossier suggests.” I pause. “I have no doubts that everything reported about her is true.”

Gabin pulls up Kailani’s dossier and shares it with him. Master Seke’s eyebrows rise into his smooth purple forehead. “If that’s true, Dr. Daneth will be very interested in studying her. Is it true she has enhanced anti-viral properties?”

“I have no way of verifying such a thing, but yes, that is what her former masters claimed.”

I haven’t asked her