B Clones (Clones #1) - Laurann Dohner Page 0,48

the case and showed her an injector. “Loaded already.” He turned it, studied her carefully, and then programmed it. “I’ve adjusted the dosage for your approximate weight. You’ll only feel a slight cold sensation as it sanitizes the skin to prevent infection, before a tiny sting. Ready?”

“Yes.”

He reached up to and pressed the device to the side of her throat. As promised, she felt cold wetness and heard a short hissing sound. The jab was sharp but fast. He held the injector in place as the skin turned cold once more, before pulling it away.

“You’re going to be fine, Hailey. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Tell me when you start to feel the drug.” He returned the injector to the case and smiled.

Hailey felt lightheaded and a little dizzy. She reached out, almost falling face first off the bed, but Blade stood fast to catch her. He carefully placed one hand behind her head, the other on her stomach.

“Easy. Just lie back. Close your eyes and you’ll wake when it’s all over.”

She didn’t want to go to sleep. She didn’t fully trust him. But her body slumped and the big security officer eased her onto her back. He released her and hovered close, peering into her eyes.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

Blade shoved the guilt away over purposely knocking out the woman with the strong sedative. She was a pretty female, with disheveled, curly brown hair that flowed midway down her back. The information on his data pad included her age, but she looked a few years younger. Her unusually pale skin had complimented the soft brown of her eyes, even when she’d been peering at him in fear.

He programmed the machine to scan her hand, slipping her dainty injured limb into the device with care. The machine auto-adjusted in size to accommodate her wrist and hand, flattening and widening at the same time. He watched the screen as it located the problem and offered a solution. He hit start, then straightened, his gaze traveling down her body.

It angered him, knowing why the dead men had likely grabbed her. She was petite, but also sexy, with curves in all the right places. He assumed they’d targeted her believing she wouldn’t be strong enough to fight them off. But she’d not only outsmarted them by locking herself in the captain’s cabin, she’d outlasted them as well.

Blade admired anyone with a strong survival instinct. He could relate, having one himself. Hailey Togis deserved to live without being abused by men who saw her as nothing more than an outlet for their lust. He’d make certain she was safe.

He turned away and left her sleeping on the bed.

Blade paused outside the main doors to the captain’s quarters and punched in the builder’s override code. The doors resealed.

The pirates couldn’t find Hailey.

He owed Clint and his crew his life, but the past eleven months and nineteen days had taught him much about the trio. Not all of it good. They were pirates, after all, who targeted transports. He could live with that because he was guilty of surviving the same way. Life in space made for brutal living at times. The difference was, he refused to kill unless absolutely necessary, while they seemed to enjoy committing murder.

He’d had his fill of living with pirates since his shuttle had sustained damage. Occasionally, they brought women back to their main hub—basically a pirate base—and it sickened him to think of Hailey being forced to go there. She’d live, but it wouldn’t be much of a life. The highest bidder would purchase her, and she’d end up becoming property.

Some of the pirates rented their women out for sex. Others turned them into breeders. All were pitied by Blade for the abusive treatment they suffered at their owners’ hands.

He didn’t want that kind of future for Hailey, and he was in a position to make certain it didn’t happen.

Her delicate features were imprinted in his mind. She’d hate him when she found out what he was…but he’d still protect her. Some instincts were imbedded deeply in him, and she was an innocent.

He found the three other members of the boarding party clearing out the cargo hold, moving everything to their smaller ship. The sight of them instantly had him tensing. All three humans could be unstable on their best days.

“Any problems?”

“The crew are dead,” Blade announced.

Clint frowned. “Shit. How?”

“It seems they were taking tainted drugs. I found them in the main living area. They