Blue Galaxy
By Diane Dooley

Falling in love is easy; staying alive long enough to enjoy it just might be impossible.

Javan Rhodes, the hard-drinking, disreputable captain of space freighter The Kypris, took a mission to save himself from hitting the bottom of the food chain. Transporting Sola, a beautiful young aristocrat, from Earth to an unknown destination on the outer rim of the colonies is lucrative, but also highly illegal.

As tough as it is to evade both the law and the lawless, the hardest part of the job is not falling in love with his irresistible cargo. Just as he decides that he will never be able to hand her over to the warlord she must marry, he discovers that Sola has been playing a very dangerous game—one that could not only cost them their lives, but could also affect the balance of power in an increasingly dangerous universe.

22,000 words

May 2011

Dear Reader,

I’ve always loved May, because it heralds the beginning of one of my favorite seasons—beach season! I’m fortunate to live close to the Atlantic Ocean, so every year in May, I start dreaming about the sound of waves on the sand, dolphins swimming off the coast, and me, lying in a comfortable beach chair, with a frosty beverage in one hand and my eReader in the other. Part of the fun is, of course, planning what I’m going to load onto the eReader for my beach adventures.

This month of Carina Press releases has provided me with plenty of reading material for my upcoming beach days—not that I’ll be able to wait that long to read them (I do get sneak peek copies in advance, after all). So, with everything from fantasy, to mystery, to contemporary, historical and paranormal romance, it doesn’t matter what I’m in the mood for, Carina Press has something to help me while away the time until I can make my beach dreams a reality.

I’m especially happy to introduce new novelists Maureen Miller, and her romantic suspense, Endless Night, and Diane Dooley with Blue Galaxy, a science fiction romance that’s out of this world (sorry, I couldn’t resist going for the corny joke). Of course, we also have several return authors as well, with sequels you want to be sure not to miss, including Tangled Past by Leah Braemel, South of Salem from Janni Nell, Portrait of Seduction by Carrie Lofty, Maria Zannini’s Apocalypse Rising and Three Wishes from Jenny Schwartz.

These books are only a sampling of the tremendous lineup we have for May, so I hope you’ll be sure to take a look at all of the releases, as well as taking advantage of the weekly sales offered on the Carina Press website. And whatever you choose to read, may it help take you one step closer to your own summer getaway!

We love to hear from readers, and you can email us your thoughts, comments and questions to generalinquiries@carinapress.com. You can also interact with Carina Press staff and authors on our blog, Twitter stream and Facebook fan page.

Happy reading!
~Angela James

Executive Editor, Carina Press
www.carinapress.com
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Dedication

For Michael, husband and best friend.

Acknowledgments

Michael Dooley: first reader, final reader and glorious geek;

Claire Gillian: beta reader extraordinaire and all-around wonderful human being;

Kym Hinton: editor and teacher of how to thrash an unruly manuscript into obedience;

I thank you all.

Contents

Copyright

Begin Reading

About the Author

Captain Javan Rhodes sat on an empty packing crate while rusty dockbots loaded case after case of Cypriot brandy, water and nutripacks into the hold of the space freighter Kypris. It was going to be a long journey.

The Piraeus Spaceport was throbbing with the usual space trash and earth scum, while outside the electric fence the surviving people of Athens worried about their next meal. Javan smiled, perfectly at ease as he sipped from a flask of brandy. He would soon leave the hunger and the dusty stench of Piraeus behind in his trusty old ship, which had just undergone the most thorough repair and tune-up of its thirty years of service. Things were looking up. He’d even managed to have top-of-the-line firepower installed.

Finally. After all those desperate years of transporting cheap goods to the outer reaches, Javan had gotten the break he’d always hoped would come. The biggest payload of his career, no questions asked, discretion assured, and he was on his way to pulling his life back together. He would be able to afford a future—for the first time in a long time.

He took another bottle of brandy from a crate and filled his flask. Best not to think of how much trouble he could get into if this job went wrong. He was being paid a ridiculous sum to transport an unnamed passenger to an unnamed destination—half the credits up front, the rest on delivery. He was probably committing the most illegal act of his career. And he didn’t give a damn. He needed this—or he might as well go for a long, fatal swim in the Aegean. Death by drowning would be preferable to the ever-present threat of slow starvation on Earth.

Javan sipped slowly while an unfamiliar human dockworker approached. He tucked the flask into his pocket and casually palmed his flick knife. He took off his leather flight jacket and waited.

“Captain Rhodes?”

He nodded.

“Olympia says hi.” The man pulled out a knife. “Olympia says bye.”

Javan lunged, forcing his blade deep into the man’s throat. The knife dropped, and the man slumped to the ground, where he gurgled and writhed before dying. After a quick look around, Javan dragged the corpse to the empty packing crate and shoved it inside before replacing the lid. His would-be assassin had been slow, stupid and malnourished. Olympia was scraping the bottom of the barrel.

With his ship in good repair and some credits in his pocket, he dared to dream of taking care of Olympia once and for all. She’d put a price on his head long ago, and she was never going to give up on her revenge. Javan sighed as he rinsed the blood off his hands at a nearby spigot. If not for this job, it would have been wise for him to let the assassin succeed.

He put his jacket back on and lifted the flask to his mouth. As a group of Blues approached Stratos, the ugliest, meanest and most corrupt dock captain in Europe, Javan paused. Stratos gestured in his direction, then went back to the lunch his long-suffering wife had brought him under armed guard. Stratos must have been bought and paid for to let the Blues through without all the usual security checks. Javan tucked away the flask as the Blues approached, carelessly running into the dockbots who loaded cargo onto nearby ships, as though the bots should stop working and make way for them. Typical. The aristocrats expected obedience and servility of anyone below their caste, but that wasn’t how things worked on Piraeus. Unlike Hong Kong or Brasilia, where the common people rushed to do their bidding, Piraeus was for freight and trash, not the stinking rich.

Javan shuffled in the dry dust, covering a smattering of blood he’d missed.

The group finally navigated around the bots and cargo pallets and stopped in front of him. He noted the ultraviolet of the protective devices beneath their pale blue cloaks, though the light was barely visible under the harsh Greek sun. He offered his hand to the nearest Blue. The group regarded his hand but did not turn off their protection—except one. A slight figure stepped to the front and placed a hand in his.

“Captain Rhodes?” she said in a low voice, giving him a firm handshake.

He nodded, distracted by her soft golden skin.

“My name is Sola. I am your cargo.” She pulled the blue hood away from her face, revealing sparkling brown eyes, and stared with such fierce intensity that it shook him.

She smiled.

And Captain Javan Rhodes, gazing on what had to be the most exquisite face in the entire universe, felt his heart twist as he fell instantly, irrevocably and most definitely in love.

Her hand lingered in his, just as the warm smile lingered on her mouth. He dropped it reluctantly and turned toward his ship, leading the woman and her entourage up the ramp and into the hold. He shook his head ruefully at his ridiculous reaction to the woman. Mistaking electric attraction for love—he’d done that once before, and that experience should have cured him for good. He showed them to the guest quarters, quashing the sudden urge to offer her his more spacious and homey cabin. Hers had a bunk with a storage locker underneath, a pressure shower stall, a basic desk screwed to the bulkhead and a puter. Sterile and basic.

Her cabin was so small that the entourage had difficulty squeezing inside.

“Goodbye, Sola,” one said, giving her a fierce cheek-to-cheek embrace.

“Safe voyage, my friend,” another said, squeezing her hand and weeping.

The striking solemnity and finality of the farewells made something click in Javan’s head: she was a space bride, on her way to form an alliance with a powerful family on the other side of the galaxy. But why wasn’t she taking her clique with her, as was usually the arrangement? It was most unusual to be sent out alone.

A surge of sympathy overcame him. Legally she was entitled to refuse the match, but no Blue would. Familial duty was paramount to their kind. That and their desire to twine themselves into the power structures of the far-flung planets. It was a sensible policy, within reason. It kept the planets related, stemming latent hostilities. And with all the ruling families connected by marriage and blood, Earth was kept in relative peace. Even his marriage had been…

Javan made an impatient gesture. There was no point in dwelling on the past and this was none of his business. These wealthy, well-fed people glowed with health in comparison to the starving children of Athens. They weren’t worth his concern.

The final Blue bid the woman farewell with a single word. “Duty.”

She nodded and smiled bravely at her compatriots as they filed out of the cabin, the last man stopping in front Javan.

“Your final instructions, Captain,” he said brusquely, avoiding eye contact. “The remainder of your fee will be paid upon final delivery, as agreed.”

Rhodes accepted the silver datasphere, resisting the urge to ask why she wasn’t being shipped out in style with an entourage, per tradition and protocol. He was being paid a ridiculous number of credits to ask no questions, so he stayed silent and slipped the sphere into his pocket.

The Blues disembarked without a backward glance. Javan turned to his passenger. “Lady Sola—”

“Just Sola, Captain.”

Like a bashful teenager, he blushed. “Then you must call me Javan.”

“Javan. We’ve a long journey ahead. Let’s be friends for the duration.” Tears sparkled in her deep brown eyes as she turned to enter her cabin.

He touched her lightly on the arm and again experienced an electric tingle. He dropped his hand. “It’ll be a few hours till launch. I just have to get some cargo loaded. I managed to buy what is likely Earth’s last shipment of Cypriot brandy. Please make yourself comfortable until we’re ready to go. You have the run of the ship, for what it’s worth. It’s small, but—”

“Thank you, Javan. I look forward to exploring the ship, but for now…some time alone, I think.” She closed the door.

Javan stared at cold metal. Yes, it was going to be a long journey, but it just might turn out to be an interesting one.

Within a few hours Javan had bribed Stratos for an earlier launch, run the diagnostics and was satisfied that for the first time in a long time, the puter had failed to find anything wrong with the ship. He had personally loaded the crate containing his would-be assassin’s corpse so he could vent it somewhere near the asteroid belt. Sola answered his knock on her door looking fresh-faced and calm.

“Time to launch,” he announced. She had changed out of her robes into a gossamer jumpsuit that clung to her delicious curves. He swallowed hard, turned and led her to the cockpit. Automatically he reached for the flask of brandy but changed his mind and shoved his drinking hand into his pocket instead. Best not to make her nervous by forcing her to see the captain drinking.

The cockpit was clean and compact, with three control chairs banked by computers and a wide viewscan. Even in the Kypris’s worst state of disrepair he had kept her sleek and shiny, her systems as efficient as no credits, but lots of hands-on experience allowed.

He led Sola to one of the control chairs. “We have to strap in pretty tight for launch and for jumping because of the speed we’ll travel at.”

She fiddled with the lap and shoulder harnesses. “Can you help me with these?”

He obliged, tightening the soft leather straps across her lap, chest and shoulders. He brushed against the gossamer silk encasing her warm flesh and shuddered. She leaned her head back against the headrest, and he demonstrated how to manipulate the restraints. She was simply delectable, a flash of bright silken color amid the bright white of the cockpit and black leather of the command chair. Getting so hot and bothered over safety routines was a novel experience. He switched the viewscan into launch mode, and the blue of the sky drenched the cockpit.

“Ever launched before?” he asked.

“Once. Years ago. The old-fashioned way.”

“Rocket launch? But civilians—”

She grinned. “Extremely rich civilians. The trip was a gift from my father on my sixteenth birthday. I’d told him I wanted to be a space explorer. My family always teased me about it.”

“Weren’t you terrified? Rocket launch is extremely dangerous.”

“I most certainly was, but in the best possible way. It was the fulfillment of a dream. And when I finally got into space, it was worth it. I’ve wanted to get back up ever since, though I’d hoped it would be under better circumstances. I’ve always wanted to see what lies beyond Lunar. I guess I’m finally getting the chance.”

Javan double-checked that she was firmly strapped in. The restraints kept her snug to the chair, with only her arms and legs at liberty to move. “Slingshot launch is different. It’s faster, wilder, quieter and incredibly intense. You’ve never moved with such momentum before. You’ll wonder where your stomach went. You might worry you’ve left your brain behind. But if you actually managed to enjoy a rocket launch, then you’re gonna love this. You’ll do just fine.” He sat in the chair next to her, strapped in and tapped on the keyboard. A loud boom sounded throughout the ship.

“That’s the apparatus attaching. You’ll feel us being lifted and pointed in launch direction.” The front of the ship moved upward, until they lay at a forty-five-degree angle, their feet dangling above the floor.

“Tighten the straps again,” he said, doing the same. He entered a few strokes on the keyboard, double-checking launch status. Everything was operating perfectly. “I’m pressurizing the cabin. Not much—just enough to take the edge off.” He turned to give her an encouraging smile and found her staring at the blue Aegean sky. “You’ll hear a boom. It’s a—”

“—controlled nuclear implosion. I’m ready to slingshot, Captain!”

The girl had spirit. She might have some spacer blood mixed in with the Blue. He tapped the keyboard, and after a ten-second countdown, they were hurled into the wide blue yonder. Their bodies were thrust deep into their chairs, their skin tight over their clenched teeth and their stomachs left far behind as the ship burst into the darkening sky. Slightly queasy, Javan wished he’d taken a slug of brandy after all.

He forced his head to the side to check on Sola. Her fists were clenched on the armrests, but there were no other obvious signs of distress. Her mouth slightly open and her eyes closed, she emitted a moan of pleasure. A jolt of electricity ran through every one of his nerve endings as he wondered if she’d look like this flat on her back in his bunk, with his hands removing the silk from her body. Unable to drag his eyes away from her, he slid his hand over the keyboard until he found the right key, years of practice allowing him to find the correct key by touch.

The cabin fully pressurized as the ship roared out of the upper atmosphere and into the blue-black space beyond. Their feet returned to the floor as the ship reverted to one hundred and eighty degrees.

Sola laughed wildly. “That was wonderful! I’ve never experienced anything like it How lucky you are to have your own ship. If I had one, I would launch every day.”

He laughed too. “Then you wouldn’t have it for very long. Launch is hard on a ship. Each one has a limited capacity for them, and the Kypris—” he thumped on his armrest affectionately, “—is very old.” Her eyes widened, and he hastened to reassure her. “You don’t need to worry. She’s in great shape. I just had a excellent payday, and she’s had the best servicing of her life.” Too late, he realized what he’d said, as she turned away to loosen the restraints.

“I’m glad you’re being well paid, though I’m surprised my uncle even spent that much on me.”

“Your uncle?”

She didn’t reply but stepped out of the restraints and moved around the cockpit, running her hands over the instruments. “How long will this journey take?”

“Approximately three months—in fits and starts. We can’t jump to FTL when we’re in the solar systems. The risk of hitting asteroids or space junk makes it too dangerous, so it’s the travel within the systems that takes the longest.”

“And it’s just you? No other crew?” Her gaze still wandered over the hardware.

“I can’t afford crew. The puter does most of the work. I’m needed for launch and landing, for docking and undocking at space stations, to enter and change navigation or jump coordinates and for troubleshooting if something goes wrong. One person can do all that on a ship this small.”

“Troubleshooting? What could go wrong?”

“Oh, lots of things. Like the time the puter went down while I was bringing the ship in to dock at Luna. And the time…” He paused, struck by her excitement and animation. She had the space bug; that was clear.

“I want to hear all your stories. Every single one.”

“No problem. It’ll help pass the time. Loneliness is the worst part of being a one-man crew. It’ll be nice to have company. You sure you’re not a spacer? You certainly sound like one.”

“I think I was born to be one, but…other events got in the way.” Her voice was slow and sad as she continued to explore the cockpit with avid curiosity.

“The puter in your cabin isn’t part of the mainframe. It’s well stocked with reading material, music, art. I’ve some files you might be interested in reading—”

“Files?”

“I…um…write a lot on long journeys, descriptions of places I’ve been—planets, stations, quadrants, that sort of thing. You might find it interesting.”

He let out a sigh of relief when she eagerly agreed. He hadn’t ever asked anyone to read his accounts. The more personal entries were deeply encrypted. There were things he definitely didn’t want her to read.

“But don’t spend all your time reading. There’s an exercise area. It’s important to maintain your strength while on long space jaunts. The ship is gravitized, but not at one hundred percent. Your muscles will atrophy if you don’t use them, and it’s a rough transition when you get back to terra firma. The hold is full of crates right now, but when it isn’t, I use it to run laps. You can use it too when I’ve unloaded the brandy.”

She hung on his every word. “What else?”

“Well, the galley is stocked with nutripacks. Help yourself whenever you’re hungry. They’re a bit of an acquired taste, but they contain every nutrient you’ll need to stay healthy. Drink as much water as you can, but don’t waste any. It’s expensive, and I have a limited supply. Make sure you use the vitalight in your cabin. Sleep with it on. You’ll need the vitamin D. Space travel isn’t too easy on the body…” He trailed off, suddenly focused on her body. “Um…let me know if you’re not warm enough.”

“The temperature is perfect. If I feel cold, I’ll put on extra clothes.”

Javan made a mental note to turn the temperature up.

She returned to examining the screens and keyboards. “And there’s here—the cockpit, the control center.”

Javan had an idea. “Hell, I could teach you how to fly the ship if it’ll help fill the time.”

She whirled around, her mouth a perfect O. She approached him and, touching his arm, stared into his face. “You’d be giving me a great gift. It would be a fulfillment of my childhood dream and…would keep me occupied.” She dropped her hand and walked away. “Tell me. Where are you taking me?”

“You don’t know?”

She shook her head mutely.

So that was why he was being paid so much. She was being smuggled off Earth and married to an unknown suitor. Not just illegal, but also immoral. Javan turned to the viewscan. “I don’t know the destination.”

“Where have you charted a course for? You must have an idea of where we’re going.”

“I won’t receive the final destination until we reach the general vicinity.”

“And the general vicinity is?”

It was the beseeching quality of her voice that did it. That and his unease about her situation. “The outer rim. Victor Quadrant.”

She was silent but raised her eyebrow.

“Victor Quadrant has two barely habitable planets, three lunar bases and three space stations. I’m not for sure on much more than that, except…”

“Except?”

“Well, that quadrant has a reputation.”

She waited.

“It was the last quadrant to be colonized. It’s still very…”

“Very what?”

“Volatile,” he said carefully.

She approached him. “Thank you. I know you’ve probably been paid to ask and answer no questions. But now at least I’ll be able to study the quadrant. I’ll be better prepared…for whatever awaits me.” She squeezed his hand gently, and he looked into her liquid brown eyes. “Thank you.” She deposited a kiss on his cheek and left the cockpit.

Gaping, he stared after her as she went back to her cabin.

Javan regretted pointing Sola in the direction of his written accounts. She’d stayed in her cabin for three weeks, venturing out only for brief visits to the cockpit for flight lessons and views of the planets. He’d taken advantage of her absence to vent the crate with the corpse into the asteroid belt. He’d observed some of her halfhearted attempts to choke down the nutripacks. She managed to be excited for the flight lessons but was otherwise wan and sad and losing weight. In the fourth week they met in the galley. She pushed her nutripack aside and asked what was in his flask.

“Cypriot brandy—it makes the nutripacks more bearable.” He grinned and poured a generous splash into a mug.

She reached for it.

“Wait.” He took the mug to a mounted white cylinder and extracted a few cubes of ice.

She sipped and grimaced as the brandy went down. “It does help. The nutripacks are so flavorless, so textureless. Ugh!”

“They’re a perfect nutrition-delivery system, but yeah, definitely not haute cuisine.”

He offered his flask, and she poured more into her mug. “How’s the studying going?”

“You have an impressive amount of information, Captain.”

“Javan, remember?”

She nodded. “How long did it take you to write it all down?”

“Fifteen years or so. Ever since I’ve had the Kypris. Not much to do between ports, so…I wrote down things that might come in handy at a later date.”

“You could probably sell the files about Victor Quadrant. Information is very valuable.” She held out her mug for more brandy.

He shook his head. “That quadrant changes too rapidly. Even the information you read could be out of date by the time we get there.”

She looked hopeful. “So whichever obnoxious warlord my uncle is marrying me off to could be out of the picture by the time we arrive?”

He stared at his flask before taking another swig. “It’s possible.”

“What would happen then? Would you return me to Earth? Or—” She took a big gulp of her brandy.

“I won’t know what my final instructions are until we get there. Possibly you would marry his replacement. Possibly your uncle formulated an alternate plan.” He shrugged. “I’m sorry. I just don’t know. The person who hired me for this job specified I should follow the instructions on the datasphere and ask no questions. I won’t get the final payment until you’ve been safely delivered.”

She took a bigger gulp. “I’m going to get drunk. I hope you don’t mind.” She reached for the flask and emptied the contents into her mug.

“You think that will help?”

“Nothing will help, so why not?” Her words were slurred slightly, and he was grateful the flask was empty.

“Why did you agree to the alliance?” He was getting too involved, disobeying the instructions to ask no questions, but he couldn’t help himself. “It’s against the law to force you. You could have refused and arranged an alliance of your choosing. Why didn’t you?”

She jerked her head up and stared at him incredulously. “You believe that propaganda? That I have any say in this?”

“It’s the law.”

“Javan, you seem to be a man of the world—of many worlds. How can you be so naive as to believe that rubbish?” She stood, weaving.

“The Laws of Human Rights—”

“Are a farce! Women had more rights a thousand years ago. The Laws of Human Rights exist only on paper.”

She walked away, leaving him to ponder unpleasant thoughts about her and their situation, but also about his marriage, in which he’d been led to believe his wife had been a willing participant. The knowledge that it might not have been so explained a lot—it explained everything.

Javan went to his bunk, but sleep eluded him. The cold, beautiful face of Morna, his ex-wife, haunted him. If the Laws were indeed a farce, how had she managed to leave him, divorce him and take everything he owned?

The next day Sola was tired and unhappy. Javan made her comfortable in the cockpit and taught her the basics of the ship. She grew progressively more animated, even tucking into a nutripack with gusto, the return of her appetite a welcome side effect of an in-space hangover. The need to put solid food in a roiling stomach could make even synthetic protein taste bearable. After that he packed her off to exercise under the vitalight. She was paler than even a hangover should have made her, and he missed her golden skin. He missed her smile also. If he could keep her mind off what awaited her at the end of their journey, she’d be so much happier. There was no point in her dwelling on it, and in the meantime the journey would be more pleasurable for both of them.

Sola returned to the cockpit with color in her cheeks. “I’m getting used to showering without water. I had the air pressure set to its highest setting, and it was almost like water.”

“You’re looking better. In fact, you look wonderful.” Having Sola wander the ship in her multicolored gossamer outfits was like having a bird of paradise flitting around. Flashes of color in unexpected places that brought with them the heady scent of musk and spring flowers. It was like the Kypris had been waiting for her; the ship’s sterility had vanished. Though her luggage had seemed rather sparse for someone starting a new life at the other end of the galaxy, Sola had sported a variety of these outfits. Javan inhaled deeply. She smelled so damn good.

She smiled and twirled, the silk fluttering over her lithe body. “I’m feeling much better. I’m sorry I got drunk last night. It’s just… Well, you know. I’m not exactly thrilled with the reason for this journey, but I am excited to be in space and to be learning how to fly the ship and to be getting to know you.” She colored with the last part of her statement and walked to the main puter. “So what are you going to teach me next?”

Standing next to her, he fought the impulse to feel the soft fabric of her dress. “I’m going to run you through a few simulations to see if you’ve mastered everything you learned earlier. No point continuing until you’ve got the basics down. Sit here while I get it set up.”

He bent, tapping one-handed on the puter while resting the other on her command chair’s armrest. She covered his hand with hers. He stopped tapping, his hand hovering in midair. She stared up at him with those limpid brown eyes, her delicate, heart-shaped face serious. “I was raised to do my duty. I was raised to be stoic. I won’t be embarrassing myself, or you, again. No more getting drunk on brandy.”

“It’s okay,” he said softly.

She lifted her hand and placed it demurely in her lap.

He took it back; his gut instinct telling him shouldn’t, telling him he was making a mistake. “Let’s make this journey the most exciting and interesting and enjoyable of your life, Sola. Something you will remember always.”

She laughed. “I like that idea. I like it a lot.” She stood in a fluid movement and entwined her arms around his neck. “Let’s start now.” She closed her eyes and offered him her mouth.

There was no hesitation—not even a nanosecond. Javan pulled her into his arms and took his first taste of that delectable mouth. It did not disappoint. Her lips were warm and pliant beneath his as she dug her fingers into his hair. He slid his hands down her back in response, and her muscles tensed as she thrust her body against his. She moaned and pushed him away, then shoved him forcefully into the command chair.

“Wha—” Javan groaned as she gently gripped the increasing bulge in his flight pants. He closed his eyes and allowed her to slide her hand over him in a caress until his thighs rose toward her. He collapsed back into the chair as soon as she removed her hand, and opened his eyes to find her removing her clothing.

“Um…won’t your husband be expecting…?”

“He’s expecting me unmarried and unpregnant.” She pulled down the top of her outfit, revealing firm breasts, a slender waist and a glorious amount of golden skin. “I’m not married and—” she pulled his hand to a hard bump on her inner elbow, “—this will prevent any pregnancies until he decides otherwise.” She removed the rest of her outfit, sliding the fabric over rounded hips and leanly muscled legs. He was lost, and he knew it.

He reached for her, but she evaded his hands and dropped to her knees in front of him, reached for his zipper and eased it down. As she released his shaft, she smiled. “You offered me something I would remember always. I’m inclined to take you up on that offer right now.”

“Sola, I don’t think we…” His words were lost in a drawn-out moan as she took him into her mouth, deeper than he’d thought possible. He clutched at the armrests as she moved her mouth relentlessly up and down, sending tremors throughout his body.

She moaned, and he dipped his hands into her long black hair, pulling the silken strands, then gripped her head. It took a surprising amount of force to push her off his cock. She released him reluctantly and looked up with one eyebrow raised.

“You need to stop,” he said, stroking her cheek.

She cast her eyes down. “But I was taught that pleasuring a man…”

“You were taught?”

“Oh yes, my training was extremely thorough.”

He prevented her from proving her point and pulled her to standing.

“Oh! You would rather look at me?” She reached for his belt and unclipped the flask of brandy. “If you don’t mind? I’ve a feeling my training was not as thorough as I thought. I’m feeling shy.”

He exploded into laughter as she took a hefty gulp. “I wouldn’t exactly describe you as shy, Sola.”

She stood before him wearing nothing but a nervous smile. “What would you have me do? What was I doing wrong?”

He took her into his arms and ran his hands over her glowing skin and gentle curves. He kissed his way up her neck and buried his face in her hair. “You did nothing wrong. But…training? You can’t train for this, Sola.” He slid his hands down her back and cupped her buttocks, enjoying the shudder that ran through her. He brought one hand to her chin and tilted her face. Her eyes were wide and startled, but they closed as he cupped one of her breasts and rubbed his thumb against one perky nipple. Her eyelids fluttered; her lips parted. She sighed and allowed him to kiss her; her response was at first reserved, then tantalizing before becoming bolder and wilder.

She ended the kiss with a gasp and tried to break free from his probing, stroking hands. Eventually she grabbed his wrist just as he was about to discover how wet she was.

He smiled. “Something wrong?”

She shook her head. “No. It’s just that things are not…proceeding the way the way they did in the simulations.”

He considered asking her to explain but decided it was time to delve into another part of her entirely. He twisted his wrist and escaped her hands, then plunged his middle finger into tight, hot liquid velvet. Her legs almost gave way. With one arm, he prevented her from falling while he explored her body with his other hand. She kept her eyes shut tight, her face impassive, while her breathing stopped and started in small gasps, and her body trembled under his hand. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Her eyes shot open as he swept her into his arms and carried her out of the cockpit.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking you to my cabin, my lady. I’m inclined to give you something you’ll always remember.” He kicked open the door and deposited her on his bunk, watching her as he undid his belt and undressed. Her eyes widened.

“Captain!” she said just before he covered her mouth with his own, leaving her incapable of speech for quite some time.

They didn’t leave his cabin for more than twenty-four hours, and only then because Javan had to check on the ship. He worked through his routine checklists. The ship was operating perfectly. He returned to find Sola in the galley tearing into a nutripack.

“I’m ravenous! I don’t think I’ve been this hungry before in my life.”

He laughed. “We just expended a lot of energy. I’ve no idea how I even have the strength to stand.” He ripped open a nutripack and slumped into the chair next to her. He nuzzled her bare shoulder, delighted she hadn’t seen fit to clothe herself. She was glowing, she was happy and she was his. He allowed his mind to wander to the fantasy of not delivering his cargo, resisting the urge to slap himself.

If he didn’t complete the job, not only would he not get paid, but he’d never be able to return to Earth. Unless he was willing to die. Would her uncle care enough to send a bounty hunter after them? He had to assume the marriage alliance was an important one. She was a Blue, after all. Would she even consider not going through with the alliance? Javan briefly considered every stupid decision he’d ever made. He had the feeling he was about to make another one. He drummed his fingers on the table. “Who is your uncle?”

She almost choked on a mouthful of the nutripack. “I thought you weren’t supposed to ask questions.”

He shrugged. “That was the agreement, but I’m curious.”

“Why do you need to know?”

He kept his eyes locked on her, admiring how her long hair barely covered her naked breasts. “I’m just wondering how far he would go to ensure this marriage takes place.”

She looked down and broke the nutripack into tiny pieces. “I have to go through with it. I have to do my duty.”

Javan was struck by her words, particularly by how similar they were to ones his ex-wife had once uttered. “What would happen if you didn’t?”

“I would be cast out. I would have nowhere to go, no one to turn to.”

“You could turn to me. You could go with me.”

She jerked her head up. “You’re not serious.”

“Maybe I’m not. I don’t understand what would be so bad if you were no longer a Blue.”

“You could never understand.”

“Well, I can’t understand unless you explain.”

She sat silently, her lips pressed together.

And Javan was again flooded with memories of Morna. “My ex-wife was, still is, a Blue.”

Sola smacked her fist on the table. “I don’t wish to discuss her.”

“Um…okay.” Javan studied her. Strange that she wasn’t surprised by what should have been a shocking revelation. Was she just jealous?

“I’m not jealous, so don’t even think it.”

“Okay.” He didn’t quite believe her, didn’t know what to make of her response.

She clenched her fists and took a deep breath. “I’m just shocked by the misalliance.”

Not jealous, then, appalled. His pride, which he thought had died years ago, swelled up in his throat. “I was once considered alliance-worthy,” he muttered. He couldn’t look at her. The rest of humanity could have comprised rodents and cockroaches for all the Blues cared. And she was one of them. He’d been treating her like a woman, forgetting who she was, forgetting what she was. He’d actually felt sorry for her, had even considered putting himself in danger for her. Well, at least it was clear where he stood. Fuck-worthy, but not alliance-worthy. If that was the way she wanted it…

“I’m going to my cabin,” she said and walked away, still quite gloriously naked.

He stared at the heart-shaped perfection of her ass. “Within the week we’ll be putting in at Artemis.”

She stopped with her back to him. “Artemis Space Station? The fabled last port before the dark. Poems have been written about her.” She pivoted, her hair framing her face in soft dark waves. “After that we jump, right?”

He ran a hand through his hair. One minute she was a high-and-mighty Blue; the next she reverted into a dreamy little space geek. He was full of a strange feeling for her that he couldn’t pinpoint. Not love. Even he wasn’t that stupid, but something about her made his heart leap.

She gazed up into his eyes. “You’ll let me see Artemis.”

“No, I’m just putting in to unload my cargo and pick up a few supplies. It’ll only take a couple of hours. I’ll bring you a meal—real food—but you will stay on the ship.”

“No, I won’t.” Her eyes shining, she shoved him against the wall, reached down and unzipped his flight pants.

“You’re not going to change my mind, Sola.”

“Yes, I am.” She dropped to her knees in front of him. He began to stop her but instead buried his hands in her hair. She pulled down his pants and slowly took his cock into her mouth.

She was as good as her word. Within the hour he was promising her Artemis, the galaxy, the universe and everything. Her smile was triumphant as she shoved him onto the table, climbed on top of him and brought him to a ragged, desperate climax, pulling his mouth to her breast as he plunged into her again and again. She gently wiped the sweat from him as his breathing returned to normal.

Javan nipped her neck and watched her body respond. She tried to move away, but he held her firmly, pushed her onto her back and slid on top of her. He pulled her hands down next to her thighs and held them there. She was looking mighty pleased with herself.

“Two can play at this game,” he whispered and pushed her legs apart with a forceful knee. Enjoying her look of alarm, he made good on his word and kissed down her belly before using his tongue to drive her to the edge. Within the hour he had the first name of her uncle, her family name and the admission that yes, she found Captain Javan Rhodes irresistibly attractive. He delivered the orgasm, enjoying how she held her bucking body to the table with clenched fists and how she screamed his name as she came. He gathered her into his arms, and she clung to him, sobbing.

Javan held her tighter, reminding himself that this feeling could not possibly be love, because that would be such an unwise and terrible mistake. Attraction—yes. Admiration—yes. She was clever. And funny. And… He picked her up, carried her to his cabin and laid her on the bunk. She turned away and curled into a ball as he covered her with a blanket. She was utterly exhausted, and he felt a twinge of guilt over how thoroughly and repeatedly he had brought her to the edge of orgasm, only to force information from her, then resume and repeat until finally allowing her release.

He tapped on the cabin control panel, turning on the ultraviolet vitalight. She was already sleeping, her chest rising and falling steadily. He watched her for a while, wallowing in memories of women he’d thought he loved. Morna, married to him against her will. Olympia, he wouldn’t even think about. And that brave sweet girl he had once abandoned to an unknown fate—he wouldn’t think about her either. He reached out to touch Sola as she slept, but quickly withdrew his hand. Not love, he decided. He didn’t even know what it was.

Javan stepped into the shower cubicle and turned the air pressure on high, then smarted as it blasted against the scratches on various parts of his body. He punched in a light layer of antibiotic moisturizer and winced as it sprayed his skin. They would enjoy a water shower on Artemis, though the expense of bringing it up from the planet made the price outrageous. And they would eat at the most expensive restaurant. He would deliver her to her destination, but he would make sure she had the journey of a lifetime. He could at least give her that. He wondered why he was spending his dwindling credits on her, and decided it was out of the kind generosity of his heart and that he really deserved a vacation. No other reasons than that. Nope. None.

“No, you can’t wear that. Take off the cloak.” He rummaged in a locker and handed her one of his extra flight jackets. “Wear that.”

“Oh, can I keep it?” She wriggled into the overly large jacket.

“Sure. Now, I’m doing you a favor by bringing you here. The fewer questions about you, the better. You’ll need to be less of a haughty Blue and more…”

She raised an eyebrow.

“You’ll need to act like an employee. Though no one will believe I’ve taken on crew. People who see you with me will think…”

Her expression did not change.

“There are women, you see, who, not unlike you, are kind of obsessed with space. And they jaunt around the galaxy, hitching rides where they may, not caring too much who they are riding…with.”

Much to his relief, she laughed. “I’d be delighted to impersonate your latest space slut. I think you’ll admit I’ve been doing a rather good impersonation so far, haven’t I?”

“Yes, you certainly have. Here, wear this too.” He handed her a cap and helped her tuck her hair into it. “There. You look adorable.” He bent to kiss her, but she quickly averted her face. “Oh? You’ll only kiss me in the heat of passion?”

“I didn’t like what you did earlier.”

“Really? I was under quite a different impression. You know, while you were screaming my name and scratching me to ribbons.”

She didn’t even blush. “Not the sex. When you were questioning me about whether I had to go through with the marriage. I don’t want to discuss it with you again. I must fulfill my duty, and you must do what you’ve been paid to do.”

“And if I promise not to mention it again, I’ll be allowed to kiss you?”

She smiled, lighting up with pleasure. “I would love for you to kiss me whenever you feel like it.” Using the collar of his flight jacket to pull him closer, she kissed him fiercely.

He broke the kiss. She had said the word love. He touched his fingers to her lips, and she kissed them.

Swallowing a sigh, he said, “Let’s go see Artemis, my lady. Quite a few people know me here.”

He put his arm around her and pulled her off to the hold, where bots were already unloading the cases of brandy and a delighted businessman was rubbing his hands together.

“Rhodes, my friend. It’s been far too long. I ran out of brandy months ago. What kept you?” He caught sight of Sola and looked her up and down with obvious relish. “Well, well, I begin to understand. Where did you find this treasure?”

“Eyes off the girl, Theo, or I’ll be loading the brandy back on the ship.” Javan pulled Sola to his side more tightly. She peeked out from under the brim of her cap, glancing around the dock.

Theo smirked. “Relax, my friend. I can see how it is. When I heard you were docking, I came right down to see what I could buy. I want it all! Name your price.”

“You can have it all except for one crate of brandy. For my personal use.” Javan named an outrageous price, and they set to fierce haggling until the deal was agreed upon and the credits had been transferred.

“Ah, you’re a lucky man, Rhodes,” Theo said. “A fantastic payload, a beautiful woman, and it even looks like you got your tub fixed up. Life is good, no?”

“Yes, it is.” He took Sola’s hand and led her off the dock, as happy as he could remember feeling in a long, long time.

They strode down a gleaming metallic tunnel lit by lines of neon tubing. Other tunnels split off from the main one, each a different color.

Sola’s face was enrapt. “Where to first?”

Javan grinned. “I have a plan, my lady. I want it to be a surprise. Just stick close to me. It’s very easy to get lost if you don’t understand the color-coding. And there are some places you do not want to find yourself in.”

Sola’s eyes widened. “Like where?”

“Well, Artemis is a law unto itself. The man who owns it employs a vicious cadre of security who turn a blind eye to almost anything for the right price.”

“Destin Grady. He used to be a Blue. He owns Artemis? I thought he was just the station manager.”

“You have done your homework. Officially he’s the station manager. Unofficially his word is law. He owns everything on the station and most of the people, including Theo. Grady’s one of the richest men in the galaxy. He collects art, books and, rumor has it, women. Did you ever meet him on Earth?”

“Oh no, I’m from a minor family. And no one is allowed to mention his name. He was famous for something, but then he betrayed us and came here. I remember his name being taken out of the historical accounts. ”

“The war,” Javan said softly.

“What?”

“He was famous for something he did during the war.”

“What war?”

“The Three Worlds War, of course.”

“Oh, that,” she said dismissively.

“Was the war taken out of the history you learned too?” He used sarcasm to mask his growing anger.

“No, of course not. But it was just a minor war. It was a foregone conclusion that we would win. Just a few rebels with delusions of grandeur.”

Her face was lowered, and he couldn’t see her expression. He walked faster, wishing he could walk fast enough to get away from the dictator’s version of history. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Sola. I had credited you with more intelligence than to swallow the blatant propaganda.”

She kept pace with him and stayed silent. He felt a squeeze to his hand and glanced down at her.

She bit her lip. “Forgive me. I was very young at the time, and like you say, it seems there are some holes in my education.”

He sighed. It wasn’t her fault she hadn’t been taught the true story of the rebels and the war.

“Javan, did you…” She hesitated. “Did you fight with the rebels?”

He shook his head. “Sola, every single rebel was killed, as were their families, their friends and anyone who had ever helped them in any way. They’re all dead. By order of the dictator. Your dictator.”

She pulled her hand from his. “Not my dictator.”

He laughed mirthlessly. “Your entire social class belongs to him, and that includes you. After all, he had to approve the marriage you are being sold into. I wonder what he’s getting out of the deal.”

“You said that you wouldn’t mention it again.”

He sighed. “Yes, I did, didn’t I? I’m sorry. Let’s just drop the politics and have some fun. What do you say?”

She glanced up at him, hard-eyed and serious for a second, before smiling. “Yes, no more serious discussions. What’s this surprise you’ve planned for me?”

“We’re almost there.” He turned a corner, following a red neon tube. “We’re going to the Red Sector. Not too dangerous, rather expensive and…here it is.”

They walked out into a massive open space with a glass-encased dome overhead, and a variety of stores and bars and restaurants lining the concourse. People milled everywhere, laughing, drinking.

“What’s that?” she asked, pointing to a dimly lit storefront with a voluptuous woman lying on a chaise longue in front of the entrance.

“Whorehouse.”

Her eyes widened. “And that place?” She indicated a garishly lit bar.

“Drug den.”

She giggled—a little nervously, he thought. “And that?” She pointed to a soaring glass structure that reached up to the glass dome.

“Our destination.” He pulled her toward it, guiding her as she took it all in. The Red Sector of Artemis Station was a hard thing not to stare at. They walked past an extremely expensive restaurant, famous throughout the galaxy. Two long legs unfurled into their path, blocking them.

“Captain Rhodes?”

He turned, recognizing in an instant both the voice and the man who sat sprawled in a chair outside the restaurant.

“It’s been a long time, Captain. Too long.”

In Destin Grady’s frosty blue eyes, Javan saw the wasted lives of untold thousands of innocents. Between the destruction of the colony ship Vesuvian, the New York City massacre and the bombing of Beijing, this man had annihilated the rebels. He’d been cast aside by the dictator after the Three Worlds War for an unknown reason. Javan had never asked, though those chilly eyes dared him to try.

Grady examined Sola. “And I see you’ve acquired yourself a companion. Excellent. Space travel can be far too lonely.”

Sola stared at Grady with avid fascination. Javan suppressed a sigh and introduced them, feeling left out as they sized each other up.

“Sola? What a pretty name,” Grady drawled, flicking his eyes up and down her body.

Javan pulled her closer, causing Grady to smile, but Sola didn’t seem to notice. She couldn’t stop looking at Grady, and a slight shudder ran through her body. A pang of possessiveness ran through Javan’s.

“I’ve been waiting three months for the brandy, Captain. But now that I see what has kept you delayed, I understand. I thought maybe Olympia had caught up with you, but I see that’s not the case. Yet.”

Javan took Sola by the hand and tried to lead her away, but she was paralyzed by curiosity. He had to give her a firm tug before she moved.

“Do you have plans, Captain, or would you and your companion care to join me?”

Sola looked inclined to join him, but Javan got in first. “Sorry, Grady, but we do have plans. Maybe some other time?”

“I’ll bet you have plans.” Grady emitted a bored sigh and turned his gaze once again toward Sola. “Don’t be late with the brandy again, Captain, or I’ll find someone else to bring it in.”

Javan gave a curt nod and pulled Sola away from the scene.

She touched his hand. “But wouldn’t it be interesting to talk with him? I’d like to know more about him and about Artemis.”

“Keep walking. You do not want to catch the eye of Destin Grady. Believe me.”

She looked rebellious for a moment before shrugging and skipping to catch up with him. “On to the surprise, then?”

Javan swept her through the crystalline entrance of the towering structure.

“It’s called the Glass Castle. I’ll be right back.” He left Sola exploring and approached the glass reception area. “I want the best room you have available.”

“Yes, sir,” replied the woman behind the desk. “Place your hand on the identity scanner, please.”

Javan did so as Sola joined him. “This place is quite magnificent. Look, there are lights embedded within the glass.”

Destin Grady joined them. “Hello again.”

Javan scowled.

Grady smiled. “Give them the best room, Tilda. And there will be no charge.”

Javan tried to refuse, but Grady insisted. “I was rather rude to you earlier, and I wish to apologize. I’m sure you were delayed with good reason. I’m in the penthouse if you and Sola would care to drop by.” He waved. “Oh, I know. I won’t be seeing you. Well, enjoy yourselves.” Grady walked away without waiting for a reply.

Javan stared after him, wondering why he was being so uncharacteristically hospitable.

Sola stared after him too. “Maybe I did meet him before. He seems…familiar to me somehow.”

Jealousy coursed through Javan. “Let’s go, my lady.”

She turned to him and unleashed a dazzling smile. “I’m ready for my surprise, Javan.”

Sola emitted a long-drawn-out moan. “Oh, that feels so good. More please, more, more, more.”

Javan obliged her, rinsing the soap off her body with the water jet and his hands. “Enough?”

“I’ll never get enough. I’ve decided the worst thing about space travel is the lack of water.”

“I thought it was the lack of real food.”

“That too!”

She was unforgivably beautiful as he gently sluiced the last of their purchased hot water over her sleek black hair, her glistening shoulders, her arched back.

“But the thing is I’ve never enjoyed the feel of water quite so much. It’s something I’ve always taken for granted, but I don’t think I ever will again.”

“Every time I get back to Earth, I always land at Piraeus, and the very first thing I always do is go for a swim in the Aegean.”

“Oh, that must be glorious. I want to do that. Do you just jump right in?”

“Yes, I strip off my clothes and plunge right in.”

“I wish I could do that with you one day.”

He stepped away to fetch her towel, not trusting himself to speak, knowing if he did, he would offer her the chance to swim in the Aegean—and knowing she would refuse.

He wrapped her in the towel and rubbed her down vigorously until she was squealing at him to stop, almost collapsing with laughter. They threw themselves on the bed.

“What’s next?”

“A three-course meal will be delivered in about an hour. Until then?”

She rolled onto her side and snuggled up next to him, burying her face in his neck and inhaling deeply. “Mmm, you smell so good.”

The feel of her in his arms broke him. “Why are you here?” he asked suddenly. “What are we doing?”

With her finger, she caressed his eyebrow and ran down the length of his nose before touching his lips. “I like you, Javan. I like you very much. I like your sad eyes.” She kissed his forehead, then ran her fingers over his jaw. “I like how rough this feels when you kiss me. I love how smooth your skin is when you’ve just shaved. I love the taste of brandy on your lips. I love how you need a haircut.”

Javan closed his eyes. She was using the word love again.

“I love your body. So strong, so gentle.” She sighed. “So beautiful.” She bent and kissed his chest.

“Oh, so you just want me for my body?”

“Well, it is a very nice body, but there are other things.”

“Such as?”

“You’re kind, you’re funny, you’re clever—”

He cut her off with a kiss. She grasped his head and responded wildly.

They broke minutes later, breathing heavily.

“Let’s just enjoy our time together,” she said.

He flipped her over and spread her legs.

“But we mustn’t fall in love.” She grasped his head and forced him to look into her eyes. “It would be too painful—for both of us. Don’t let it happen. Please…” Her last word trailed off in a moan as their bodies joined.

He clenched his teeth so the words could not come out. But they were there in his head—words he would not admit, words he could not allow to leave his lips. He threw himself into their passion, shuttering his emotions and allowing his body to speak for him. And when she cried out his name, as she always did, he bit deeply into the pillow so that he would not say the words he knew he mustn’t.

Javan woke refreshed yet exhausted and with a profound sense of satisfaction. He reached for the reason he felt so damn good, but she wasn’t there. “Sola?” He waited and listened to the resulting silence.

He got out of bed and looked around, taking a few bites from the remains of their meal. He smiled, remembering her pleasure in the delicious food, how they had fed each other and how, later, they had fed on each other again. He knocked on the door of the water chamber, but there was no answer, so he pushed the door open. Her clothes were gone—and so was she.

He hurriedly pulled on his clothes, cursing her under his breath. Maybe she’d just gone off to explore the station. But why the hell wouldn’t she have woken him? He paused midway through zipping up his pants as a disembodied voice rang through the room.

“Checkout time in one hour, dear guests. Checkout time in one hour.”

“Dammit, Sola.” He threw on the rest of his clothes and rushed out of the room, unsure whether to be worried or furious.

Javan searched the Red Sector from top to bottom: the dives and the dens and the classy joints. She wasn’t in any of them, and his anger dwindled to concern. He even checked in with a highly amused Destin Grady, who offered to have his security people track her down. Javan paused only a moment before agreeing, despite knowing it was foolish to be in the position of owing Grady a favor. There was no telling what trouble the impulsive little fool had gotten herself into; Artemis Station wasn’t exactly the safest place in the universe. He stalked back to the docking bay to wait for Grady’s goons to do what they did best. He scowled and shoved his hands into the pockets of his flight jacket—and realized she’d taken the last of his loose credits.

He came to a halt. There hadn’t been many credits, but she had stolen them. His thoughts whirled as he went over the last weeks in detail. That speech about how she must fulfill her duty—could it have been a lie? She’d been desperate for him to take her to Artemis. It was possible he’d gotten her all wrong, that she was taking matters into her own hands rather than submitting to the arranged marriage. He’d offered her a way out, and she’d refused. No doubt she thought she could do better. And she’d been so interested in Grady. He was too angry to think straight.

His pace quickened as he came to the end of the tunnel. He turned toward his ship and tripped as he rounded the corner. Sprawling into a heap, he caught a flashing glance of startled brown eyes as he went down. Sola.

He pulled himself into sitting position. “Where the hell have you been?”

“I got lost. I couldn’t find my way back to the Red Sector.”

“Why did you leave the room without waking me? Where have you been?”

Pale and crying, she said, “I wanted to explore. I tried to wake you, but you just mumbled and went right back to sleep.”

“I’ve been worried sick. Anything could have happened to you. What on earth were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I would never get this chance again!”

Javan stood and brushed himself down. “Where did you go?”

She stood also. “I got bored quite quickly with the Red Sector.” She smiled tremulously. “Once you’ve seen one opium den, you’ve seen them all, so I started to explore the tunnels just to see where they go, and I ended up in the Blue Sector.”

“Oh, of course. Running back to your own kind, huh? And did they welcome you with open arms?”

“No, they didn’t. They said I’d be arrested if I didn’t leave. They were very strange for Blues. They didn’t believe I was one of them.”

“They don’t have the same kind of status here as on Earth. They might be bent on ruling the galaxy, but they don’t rule here. It makes them suspicious and paranoid. And of course Grady keeps them that way. I think he lets them live here just to have fun with them. They have to obey someone they don’t even acknowledge as ever existing.”

“I see. What a strange man he is.” She paused. “Javan, I borrowed some of your credits. I didn’t have any on me.”

“How could you find your way to the Blue Sector, but couldn’t find your way back to the Red Sector? And how did you find your way here? It seems a little hard to believe.”

“I…ah…I don’t know. I couldn’t find the Red Sector. I wandered for a while before I got to the docking tunnels, and I remembered the berth number. So…I came here and waited for you. I knew you’d come back to the ship eventually.”

Javan cursed. “I’m now beholden to Grady. I’ll have to get a message to him to call off his dogs. He’s not the type of man you want to owe a favor to.”

She hung her head and spoke quietly. “I bought you a gift. I wanted to give you something…to say thank you. I didn’t mean to worry you. I’m sorry.” She put a package in his hands, then walked off toward the ship.

Javan stared after her before unwrapping the present. It was a book—a rare and costly gift. He turned it over in his hands, and a lump leaped to his throat. The Blue Aegean. He flipped through the pictures of his beautiful, beloved birthplace and was inundated with memories. Fishing with his father, running home to show his mother what he’d caught. Memories of everything he had lost so young, when there had still been hope for their planet. She couldn’t know how precious a gift this was. As she disappeared into the ship, he wished there were a way to breach the chasm between them.

He stalked over to the nearest com, contacted Grady and told him Sola had been found. Grady sounded disappointed. Bastard.

Javan was having second thoughts about the way he’d treated her. While he’d been sleeping off his amatory excesses, he suspected she’d lain awake, thinking of the life sentence she was on her way to and desperate for a diversion—anything to take her mind off it. She didn’t seem to be sulking, though. She’d returned his credits with a smile and a word of thanks. He’d brought her meals, checked on her, but she’d said only that she couldn’t drag herself away from the files he’d compiled on Artemis Station and Destin Grady, as well as the ones on the Three Worlds War. He was pleased she was so eager in fill in the holes in her education and get the undistorted version of Earth’s recent history. He was also amazed by her stamina. Every time he went to see her, she was immersed in the files. She barely slept. When she eventually surfaced, it was to ask a question.

“Why?”

He’d been unable to respond for a moment. She was dressed in a short sheer dress that swirled about her thighs and slid enticingly off her shoulders. His desire to touch her was overwhelming. It was flattering that she was so interested in his writing, but she seemed to have forgotten about his body.

“Why what?”

“Why have we permitted Grady to live after what he did?”

“We? You mean the Blues?”

She nodded.

“Well, everything he did—the bombings, the massacres, the civilian deaths—was on the orders of the dictator. I would imagine he’s allowed to live because he’s useful and they couldn’t kill him without destroying Artemis, which is far too valuable to destroy.”

“And because they fear him?”

“Yes, they know what he is capable of. He stays away from Earth—he’s not safe there, but he gets around. He has allies on other planets, other stations. He’s no direct threat to power of the Blues or the expansion of their power, because he chooses not to be.”

“He would be a formidable opponent if he ever decided to go against the dictator?”

“Absolutely. He was a brilliant commander and utterly ruthless. But I don’t see it happening. He has too much to lose, and I can’t imagine many people rallying to his cause. He inspires fear, not loyalty, not sacrifice. Why so interested?”

She smiled briefly. “Just filling in the gaps in my education. And of course whoever I’m going to marry is going to expect me to be useful to him. Knowledge is always useful.”

“You seem…different.”

She gave him a startled glance. “Meaning?”

“Oh, I don’t know—like you’re on a mission or something?”

She laughed. “It’s finally starting to seem real that I’m never going back to Earth. And if I’m to survive my new life, I have to be…prepared.”

This beautiful woman had an inner core of determination. She was a survivor. She might turn the marriage into a success, no matter who her intended bridegroom was. He decided to give her a test. “So based on your knowledge of Artemis and your brief meeting with Grady, what would your counsel to your husband be regarding him?”

“Based on my knowledge? I wouldn’t be qualified. But based on the information in your files, my advice would be to keep him allied no matter the price and to never, ever allow him to become your enemy. He could be very useful or very deadly.”

“Yes, you’ve summed him up nicely.”

“Your files are amazing, Javan. You wrote all of them?”

“Yes, I told you. It’s how I fill the time on long journeys.”

“Your account of the Battle of Lunar Base was incredibly moving. I felt like I was there. Where did you get all those details? They were fascinating.”

Javan hesitated. “I knew some people who fought in that battle.”

Sola watched him silently, waiting.

Time to change the subject, he decided, and brought her attention to the jump coordinates he was about to enter. She watched him key in the numbers, listened to his explanation of what jump entailed, but remained silent.

Until she said, “Tell me about your wife.”

His hands froze on the keyboard. “Ex-wife.” He wondered how much he should tell her.

“She was a Blue?”

He nodded and resumed his fascination with the coordinates.

“You must have done something to earn her, something out of the ordinary. It’s very rare for a Blue to be married to a…” She fell silent.

“To a nobody?”

“You couldn’t have been a nobody. Her family wouldn’t have permitted it. The dictator wouldn’t have approved it. So what did you do?”

Javan knew he was being pumped for information, and Sola was certainly a woman with an overwhelming curiosity. He tapped in the final check on the coordinates and sat while it ran. “I was in the military. I served with distinction and was offered Morna as my reward.”

“What did you do?”

“I did as I was ordered, my lady. Now, it’s time to jump. Strap in.”

Sola moved to obey, strapping herself in, tightening the leathers as he had shown her, but still deep in thought. Javan checked her restraints, bending to make sure everything was secure. She snaked her arms around his neck, pulling him close. She kissed his cheek, then his lips before burying her head in his neck and holding him to her fiercely.

“I envy her,” she whispered.

Javan couldn’t control the short laugh that erupted. Sola pushed him away, her eyes a world of hurt. Javan stroked a finger down her cheek and tightened the straps one last time. “Being married off to me was a massive blow to her pride. She went through with the marriage but made sure we both suffered for it. ”

“She’s a fool.”

“Really? How would you have liked being married off to a nobody? You may not know the man you are going to marry, but you can rest assured he is rich, powerful and entirely alliance-worthy. Right?”

Sola shook her head. “But will he be kind like you are? Will he be intelligent like you are? Will he be handsome?” She put her hand to his face. “Like you are.”

His sadness was complete. He was sure she loved him. Though she hid it behind her need to do her duty, it was right there in her eyes.

“Did you love her?”

“I tried to, Sola. I tried. Things might have worked out for us if I could have been the man she wanted me to be.”

“Which was?”

Javan turned away. “Not the man I was or could ever be. She divorced me.”

“What did you do for the dictator to allow that? Once he’s approved a match, divorces aren’t allowed.”

Javan was silent. His downfall and the reasons for it were common knowledge among the Blues, but apparently Sola had led a sheltered life. He sat in the command chair and tightened the straps with unnecessary force. “It’s time to jump. Close your eyes and focus on a particular thing or person or memory. Focus hard, Sola, or you’ll come out of jump vomiting. I’ll count down from five. We’re going across the deep dark to the edge of the Andromeda Galaxy. We’ll make a brief stop and jump back to the other side of the Milky Way.”

Sola opened her mouth to speak, but Javan, eager to avoid any more questions, cut her off. “Pick something to focus on. Five, four, three, two, one and…jump!” He hit the jump key and held on to the vision of Sola with love in her eyes. Then the familiar terror of jump took him in its maelstrom, and his body screamed its protest. Seconds later it was over. He wasn’t vomiting, but he was crying. And when he looked over at Sola, she was too.

She breathed a huge sigh. “No wonder you drink,” she whispered before passing out.

He could have prepared her better, he realized as he carried her to his cabin. Even after thousands of jumps it wasn’t easy for him, and he should have had more consideration for her. Was he subconsciously punishing her for her disappearing act? Or for the fact that she had not yet begged him to save her from her fate—and it didn’t look like she was going to either. He laid her gently on his bunk. She trembled slightly, and he remembered the terror-filled dreams that had overcome him after his first jump so many years ago. He lay down beside her and cradled her in his arms, seeking to calm the rampant demons within her. Her lips moved, and he put his ear to them, trying to discern what terrible place her jump dream had taken her to. But her words were not the ramblings of a jump-drunk nightmare; they were terse and full of conviction, not fear.

“We must rendezvous at Ramses,” she muttered. “Will you be there? Will you be there, Destin?”

Javan uncurled his body from around her and stood. She’d referred to Grady by his first name.

The puzzle pieces started to fit together. She’d met with Grady. When he’d been going insane on Artemis trying to find her, she’d been with Grady. The gift she’d given him. He’d never heard of a book dealer on Artemis, but Grady was rumored to have an extensive collection. And she was planning to meet with him on Ramses Space Station. He’d heard of it but had never been there. It was a Blue stronghold and in a sector on the other side of the galaxy from where they were traveling. He remembered Sola’s desperate and imaginative efforts to get him to take her to Artemis Station. All to get him to take her to Grady. But why, then, had she reappeared? Why hadn’t she just stayed with Grady on Artemis?

He left his cabin and paused outside to key in the locking mechanism. His head and his gut were telling him he was on to her; his heart was screaming its denial. He went into her cabin, where her luggage was neatly stacked and packed in the corner. He searched it thoroughly and found a plethora of her delightful outfits, a surprisingly large number of loose credits and the flight jacket and cap he’d given her. Inside the cap was a square of folded paper. Evidence of her meeting with Grady, he thought, but after opening it, he found only what looked suspiciously like a lock of his own dark hair. He stared down at it, confused.

He replaced the items, logged on to the cabin puter and pulled up her search history. An incredibly long file popped up, and he examined it closely. All his entries—everything he’d written about the places he’d been, the history he’d witnessed, the people he’d met—had been opened and marked as read. Impossible. It would have taken years to read them all. She must have just scanned them for items of interest. He tapped into his encrypted personal files and checked the security history, then heaved a sigh of relief. She’d found them but had made no attempt to break the code. He threw himself onto her bunk, ignoring her light scent.

He scratched at the rough hair on his chin. He’d offered her a way out of the arranged marriage. She’d refused, claiming she had to do her duty. But now it seemed she was going to stand up her bridegroom and meet up with Grady instead. Unhappy with the unknown elements of the arranged marriage, perhaps she had fallen back on the ancient right to arrange her own alliance. And perhaps she had chosen, of all people, Destin Grady.

His offer to save her wasn’t good enough. And the love he’d thought was in her eyes was just another Blue playing another high-stakes political game. He’d been a fool—a complete fool. Pushing aside the memory of her sweet smile and the ecstasy of their lovemaking, he stalked out of the cabin and to the hold, where the last crate of brandy waited. He pulled out a bottle and returned to the cockpit. Taking a long, bubbling pull on the brandy, he planned his revenge. He would simply fulfill the job he had been half paid for, drop her off in the savage outer reaches of the galaxy for her bridegroom to enjoy, collect the rest of his money and return to Earth. The memory of the keepsakes of him she had been collecting—the jacket, the cap, the lock of his hair—popped into his mind. He drowned them in several fierce gulps.

The fatal swim in the Aegean he’d been envisioning for so long seemed very appealing. Or maybe not. Maybe it was time someone did the decent thing and removed Destin Grady from the face of the galaxy. Yes, he’d do the galaxy a favor and end Grady’s miserable existence. He drank and he plotted; he drank until he passed out.

Frenzied banging on a steel door brought him back to consciousness. As he listened to the angry woman, he added another element to his plan. There was absolutely no reason he couldn’t continue to enjoy Sola for the rest of the journey. If she was going to play her games with him, then he would play a few of his own with her.

He stood outside his cabin, examining his conscience, and grinned as he realized that, at long last, he no longer had one. There was no need to kill himself. Life would be better now that he’d finally rid himself of the thing that gotten in the way of his life, his career, his marriage.

He tapped the system-unlock key, and a disheveled Sola fell into his arms.

“Why did you lock me in?”

He stared down into her wide brown eyes and clasped her trembling shoulders, quashing the lurch of compassion. “Calm down. You didn’t handle the jump well. You were stumbling around the cockpit, banging into consoles and falling onto keyboards. I had to put you somewhere safe until you recovered.”

“I was so scared. I don’t remember anything.”

“You’ll be fine. A stiff drink, a quick pressure shower, and you’ll be as good as new.”

“I was so scared, so confused.”

She clung to him like a limpet. He paused and stroked her head soothingly, then led her to the pressure shower and pushed her inside while he fetched her a drink. She was one hell of an actress, hitting all the right beats of a terrified female who needed a strong protector. He allowed himself a smirk. He’d act the part—right up until he turned her over to whatever poor fool had been designated to marry her. He returned with the brandy just as she was stepping naked from the pressure shower.

She smiled coyly and attempted to take a sip of brandy. “Ugh, I can’t drink it. I’m still too nauseated. How about we lie down together for a little while?”

He downed her drink. “Why not?”

She led him to his bunk and started to undress him.

“Oh, I though you meant lie down and rest.”

She giggled mischievously. “There will be plenty of time for resting once our journey is over.” She stripped him naked and lingered over an exploration of his body. He lay back, enjoying her performance immensely. It was a perfect portrayal of a woman trying to burn a memory into her lips, into her mind. Every touch, every stroke, every lick, every kiss could have been that of a woman most desperately in love.

A pang of pain shot through him, and he flipped her onto her back, drawing an astonished gasp.

He roughly parted her thighs and slid his cock into her hot, wet depths. He pounded away at her, showing no mercy, but she met his every thrust with one of her own. He watched her as she twisted and squirmed and trembled her way to ecstasy, her legs entwined with his, her hands clasping his buttocks and urging him onward.

She cried his name and disintegrated in his arms, saying the words he longed to hear, that she loved him, she loved him, she loved him. She reached her peak with her eyes wide-open, staring into his, and there was nothing in them but love, joy and passion.

She locked her arms and legs around him as he came, and moaned with joy as he filled her. He groaned into the soft, sweat-drenched crevice between her shoulder and neck. She grabbed his head and forced him to look at her. Two large tears spilled down her face. Her eyes were anguished, and he closed his so he wouldn’t see her and so she wouldn’t see the tears building in his eyes—tears for what could have been and for what could never be.

She said his name, trying to speak to him. He collapsed on the bunk beside her and listened. She wanted him to take her somewhere for one last time before their journey ended. Ramses, he thought, his heart still pounding. She snuggled up next to him and ran her fingers over his face, his chest, as if she couldn’t bear to not be touching him. She really was quite an amazing actress.

They strapped in again as they prepared to jump, and she watched as he keyed in the coordinates. He pulled out his flask and took a slug before offering it to her. She smiled and shook her head.

“Are you sure? It’ll make jump more bearable.”

“No, thanks. Jump will go easier for me this time. I didn’t focus like you told me to. I couldn’t think of anything. This time, though, I have something to focus on.” She reached for his hand and squeezed it. “Where to, Javan?”

Not Ramses. “Eighth Sector. Then only one more jump. After that we’ll be traveling in-system.”

“Eighth Sector? Isn’t that where Valhalla Station is?”

“That’s right,” he replied tersely, running the final checks.

“Will you—”

“No, I can’t take you there.”

He caught her speculative expression before she could clear it. “All right, I just thought it would be interesting, and we could have a shower and a decent meal. I read your description in your files. It sounded interesting.”

“Valhalla has changed. I’m not taking you there. After the next jump we’ll put in somewhere for a few hours.”

“Javan? Is something wrong?”

“Not a damn thing.”

She lapsed into silence as he started the countdown.

They jumped, and the maelstrom hit with whirling terrors coming from every side: Sola smiling, Sola crying, confusion. Jump ended, and Javan fought for consciousness, disoriented and panting. He hadn’t focused, had jumped without fixing his mind on a concrete point.

“Open your mouth.”

He obeyed, and something small, round and metallic was placed on the back of his tongue. Then, with a surprising amount of force, Sola pushed his mouth closed and held his nose. He struggled against the restraints and tried to push her away. He held his breath for as long as he could, flailing till his limbs turned weak and his lungs were bursting, while Sola plead with him the entire time.

“Please, Javan, just swallow.”

He swallowed, and a cold object slid down his throat and into his belly. Sola released him and unstrapped the restraints. By the time she was finished, he was breathing normally but pretended to still be faint. As soon as the last restraint was undone, he grabbed her by the shoulders.

“What was that?” he growled, digging his fingers into her flesh.

She didn’t even flinch. “A device that will explode within twenty-four hours.”

“What?” He shook her. “Why?”

“We need to go to Valhalla Station.”

“I can’t go there!”

“Yes, we can. And we will. I’ll turn off the device as soon as we return. I promise.”

He released her, tamping down his fury, remembering the game. He feigned confusion. “Why are you doing this? I thought we… I thought…”

She approached and snaked her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry this was necessary. I promise we’ll be back in less than twenty-four hours.” She kissed him gently. “I don’t want to hurt you, but there’s something I have to do on Valhalla.”

“Did you really have to go to these lengths?” He was angry with himself for underestimating her, but he made his face show hurt and confusion.

A brief expression of pain flashed across her face. “I…I’m sorry. You wouldn’t take me to Valhalla. The situation called for drastic measures.”

He stared at her. “Who are you, Sola? Who are you really?”

She sat in her command chair. “I’m a Blue. And you don’t need to know anything else. Now take me to Valhalla.”

The cold metal sphere in his belly gave out a tiny pulse. It was live. He’d only heard of such objects; they were usually used as assassination devices.

“Why?”

“You do not need to know. I’m sorry I had to use these tactics, but you gave me no other option. Valhalla now, Captain!” She held up her hand, pointing her fingers upward, and slid a fingernail into a crevice in her wrist—something he’d never noticed in the many hours spent worshipping and exploring her body. He watched, aghast, as a tiny computer monitor slid out of her wrist. She looked over at him and grinned.

Javan looked on, speechless. Sola was no innocent girl being sold into marital bondage, but neither was she a tough survivor trying to escape an unwanted marriage by allying herself to an even more powerful man. No, she was something far more dangerous; something he’d only heard rumors of. She’d been enhanced, maybe even completely puterized. And he was in much further over his head than he could have thought possible.

Javan completed the docking procedures for Valhalla Station and released himself from the command chair. “Where are you going on Valhalla?” Sola tapped at her terminal again, and he couldn’t help but watch. “Are you fully puterized?”

“We are going somewhere on Valhalla. You’ll find out when you get there. And no, I’m not fully puterized. Just enhanced.”

“In what ways?”

Still studying her terminal, she replied, “You don’t need to know.”

“Do you have feelings?”

“I’m human, Javan.”

“No, you’re not. I don’t know what you are, but human? No. Humans have hearts, and after the way you’ve treated and used me, you couldn’t call what you have a heart.” He felt satisfied as her face scrunched at his comment. It was good to know that, unlike him, she still possessed a scrap of conscience. He filed the information away for future reference.

“This way.” She took his hand and led him off the ship and into the tunnels that wound beneath Valhalla Station. They went through various twists and turns, and she never once lost her way.

“You didn’t really get lost on Artemis, did you?”

“No.”

“Why have you been lying to me? If you’re trying to avoid this arranged marriage, I’ve offered to help you before. I’m still prepared to.”

“Would you believe me if I said I loved you and have no intention of getting you involved in a situation that could cost you your life?”

“No, I wouldn’t. You put an explosive device inside me. That’s not an act of love, my lady.”

She laughed. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

They walked on in silence for a few minutes.

“Why all the sex, Sola? To bind me to you? To get me to fall in love with you?”

She stopped and turned to him. “Be honest with yourself. You took an illegal job for a ridiculous amount of money. You fucked the cargo—repeatedly, I might add. You broke all the rules about asking or answering questions. I don’t know why you’re so shocked. You married a Blue. You lived among us. Didn’t you learn anything?”

“I thought you were different,” he said softly.

“I am different. I’m very different.”

Just when he had her figured out, she had him guessing again. She wasn’t enjoying marching him down this hallway with a bomb in his gut. What the hell did she have to do here on Valhalla that was so damn important? And why did it have to be on Valhalla of all the places in the galaxy?

She grabbed his hand as they arrived at a brightly lit concourse. The place was packed with people. Javan swept the crowd and sighed in relief. Only pirates, cutthroats, smugglers, mercenaries and assassins to worry about.

“This way,” she said and led him through the crowd.

“Not a good idea,” he whispered, keeping his head down to prevent making eye contact with anyone.

“Just keep walking.”

He walked faster as the crowd murmured. Someone whispered his name, was shushed, and several people scurried off in different directions.

“Oh shit!”

“Relax, we’re there.” She swept him into a dark room, then closed and locked the door behind them.

“Sola? There’s something I should tell you about Valhalla.”

“Later,” she said curtly as a small wizened man in black robes stepped into the room.

“What can I do for you, my children?” he asked, drawing the curtains in the rear of the room to reveal the ancient crucifix adorning an altar. Javan stared at it, around the room, then back at Sola. She’d managed to render him speechless again.

“A marriage ceremony, Padre. The fastest you’ve got. We’re in a hurry.” She poured a handful of loose credits into the padre’s hand.

The padre stuffed the credits into a pocket of his voluminous robes. “A hurry, you say? Then let’s get started.”

He spread his hands above his head and stared at the ceiling. “Your names, please?”

“Captain Javan Rhodes and Marisol de la Vega.”

The padre paused, his face ashen.

“Javan…Rhodes?” he said, before hiding his face in his hands.

Briefly stunned into silence, Javan gazed at the crucifix before turning to Sola. “Did you say Marisol…de la Vega?”

“Yes.” There was a sharp click as a minuscule weapon slid out from the underside of her wrist. Sola trained the laser sight squarely in the middle of the padre’s forehead. “Continue with the ceremony, if you will, Padre. I’d hate to have to slice off part of your anatomy.”

The padre recovered quickly. Raising his hands again, he repeated the words of the ancient ceremony. “Do you, Marisol de la Vega, take Captain Javan Rhodes as your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold—”

“Yes!” Sola barked and turned the laser on Javan.

“Do you, Captain Javan Rhodes, take Marisol de la Vega—”

“Do you know who she is, Padre?”

The padre shook his head. “No, but I know who you are. Why did you come back here? Surely you know—”

“De. La. Vega, Padre. Don’t you know the name?” He turned to Sola. “Your uncle is the dictator. Right?”

The padre’s ashen face went even paler.

“Wrong. I have no uncles. My father murdered them long ago. The dictator, unfortunately, is my father. Continue, Padre.”

The poor man was shaking, but he raised his hands yet again. “As your lawful wedded wife?” He fell silent and waited.

“Why? Give me one good reason why I should say yes.”

“Because I’ll kill you if you don’t?”

“I think I’m beyond caring. I have an explosive device in my gut and a laser at my head. This is no way to start a marriage.”

Sola smiled. “Because I love you?”

Javan grinned back. “Try again, my lady.”

Her smile disappeared. “Because if I’m married and pregnant, I can’t be my father’s pawn.”

“So I’m to marry you and impregnate you?”

“Yes.”

“And the dictator will be quite happy with his beloved daughter married and bred to the disreputable captain of a rusty old space freighter?”

She actually laughed. “If he weren’t such an evil old bastard, the humiliation just might kill him. And Javan—” she moved closer and placed her metal weapon under his chin and her mouth at his ear, “—you’ve already impregnated the daughter of the dictator. I’m carrying your child.”

The space station, the galaxy and the universe turned upside down. She might be a liar, a cheat and a vicious opportunist, but she was telling the truth. Something about that proud little smile as she announced her coup de grâce convinced him. He grabbed her hand and pulled it to his mouth for a kiss. “If this child turns out to be Destin Grady’s, I’ll kill you.” He enjoyed her look of astonishment and turned to the padre, who was on his knees, mumbling their names over and over again as if in prayer.

“Rhodes. De la Vega. Grady…”

Javan nudged him with his foot, and the padre looked up with an expression of misery.

“My answer is yes, Padre. Make the pronouncement.”

The padre pronounced them man and wife and announced, “You may kiss the bride,” before throwing them the marital datasphere and bolting out the side door with all possible haste.

Javan turned to his bride. “You know, this was quite unnecessary. You only had to ask.” He swept her into his arms and kissed her resoundingly, enjoying taking her by surprise and the limpid look in her eyes as she returned the kiss.

“Well, you wouldn’t bring me to Valhalla. I had to take drastic measures.”

He kissed her again, and she clung to him. He slid his hand down to her stomach. Her eyes downcast, Sola blushed and covered his hand with her own.

An ominous pounding started at the door behind them.

Javan said, “There is a very good reason why I couldn’t bring you to Valhalla.”

“And that is?”

He pointed toward the vibrating door. “That’s the reason. I’m a wanted man here. Give me one more kiss, Sola.” He grinned, trying to feel more hopeful than he honestly should. “You might find yourself a widow before too long.”

Sola stared, wide-eyed. “I don’t think I’m quite ready for that…husband.” She said the word tentatively, shyly, like she’d wanted to say it before and finally could.

The door disintegrated as four armed men rushed in and trained their weapons on them. As the dust settled, they were followed by a tall, familiar figure made even taller by her platform-heeled boots. Javan sighed and looked from the boots, all the way up the rangy legs and sleek torso, over the magnificent bosom to the ice-blue eyes and long blond mane of Olympia Philou—the reason he should never, ever have come back to Valhalla. Instinctively he pushed Sola away.

“Well, if it isn’t Captain Javan Rhodes. It’s been so long! It must be about…” Olympia put a finger to her mouth.

“Eight years, Olympia.”

Olympia laughed, throwing back her head. “Oh, you remember, do you? I’m so touched.”

She walked up to him, and with one look into her eyes, he knew her rage had only increased over the years. They stared, eye to eye, as Olympia’s angry smile faded.

“I’ve missed you.” She touched his mouth with one finger.

Javan sighed. This reunion wasn’t going to go well.

“And who is…this?” She flicked a finger in Sola’s general direction, her eyes never leaving his.

“Um…my wife?”

Olympia laughed again. “Don’t be ridiculous, Javan. We both know you would never…ever…come to Valhalla Station…to get married!”

Javan’s gaze flicked to Sola, and he shook his head as unobtrusively as he could. It would not do for Olympia to catch that smirk. A sharp fingernail dug into the side of his face, turning his head back to Olympia.

“Javan, you’ve forgotten the rules. You know you’re not allowed to look at anyone else in my presence. It took you such a long time for you to learn that. How could you have forgotten—” the fingernail scraped down his cheek, followed by the hot drip of blood, “—so soon?”

“Get your hands off my husband.”

Olympia whirled to face Sola, who was no longer smirking. Javan mouthed no, shook his head again, made a cutting motion across his neck, but Sola ignored him.

“Your husband? I think not. He belongs to me.”

“He belongs to me.”

Olympia approached her and towered over the petite Sola, who didn’t have the sense to be intimidated. “Has he told you about me?” Olympia hissed.

“I don’t see anything here worth mentioning.”

Javan ran his hands through his hair, wondering why Sola, who never made a move she hadn’t planned in advance, was stupidly antagonizing a woman who was completely insane.

“He didn’t tell you we were lovers?”

“Nope.”

“He used to tell me everything.”

Javan had to let Sola know who she was messing with. “Well, in all fairness, Olympia, I only told you everything after you drugged and tortured me.”

Olympia pouted. “But we had such wonderful times.”

“You drugged me, fucked me, tortured me, imprisoned me, fucked me, then tortured me some more. For over a year. Remember?”

Olympia sighed. “Well, how else was I supposed to teach you the proper behavior? You were always so rebellious.”

“He’s my problem now,” Sola interjected.

“No,” Olympia snarled. “He’s my problem…again.” She gave Sola a once-over. “I have a hunch he’ll be much easier to handle if I have his wife in one of my prisons.” She glanced in his direction. “You remember my lovely prisons, don’t you?”

He nodded, unable to control the shudder that ran through him.

“Yes, I’ll bet you do.” She walked over to the altar and hitched herself up to sit on it. “You made a laughingstock of me when you escaped. Do you know how many people I had to kill before the rest finally stopped sniggering?”

“A lot?”

“Indeed, Javan, it was a lot. And I had to leave their various body parts posted in a variety of places to remind everyone of the obedience I require, the respect I require but, most of all, of the fear I require.”

“I apologize. Let her go and I’ll make it up to you. I’ll never leave you again. I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Yes, you’ll do all those things, but I will not let her go. She’ll remain in my prisons as a guarantee of your good behavior. Every time you disobey, my guards will have their fun. And you know how they enjoy their job, don’t you, my dear?”

The desperation of an impossible situation crept over him, but Sola still looked serene. Could she not understand what was going to happen to her? She met his gaze and smiled.

“No. I couldn’t possibly permit you to have my husband. I’ve become rather attached to him. I do apologize, but you’ll have to find yourself another…friend.”

Giggling, Olympia jumped off the altar and signaled her armed guards. “Oh, happy day, men! You have my permission to rape her. Perhaps on her marriage altar? That would be beautifully symbolic, wouldn’t it? Oh, and of course, don’t forget to beat her pretty face in. Unrecognizable, do you hear? But alive. I want her alive. Javan and I shall watch. Go!”

The guards advanced on Sola.

As the first man grabbed for her, Javan screamed “No!” but Sola moved impossibly quickly, and within seconds all four guards lay dead, cut in half at the waist by her lethal weapon.

Olympia stopped giggling and backed away as Sola approached her.

“I can’t quite decide what piece of you to amputate first,” Sola said softly.

Olympia was silent for a moment. “I have a whole space station full of people. Harm me and you won’t be able to defend yourself against them.”

It was Sola’s turn to laugh. “You’re joking. I can hear them. I can feel them. They want you dead. I’m doing them a favor.”

Olympia opened her mouth to reply but never got the chance. Her head wobbled on her neck before falling a full six feet to the ground in front of Sola, followed a few seconds later by her body. Javan noticed how the heat of the laser had cauterized the wound. There was hardly any blood, which was surprising for anything involving Olympia Philou. She had so loved the sight of blood.

Sola moved to his side and took his hand. “You were so gallant, Javan, offering to become this monster’s prisoner to save me.” She tucked herself under his arm and held on to his waist, for all the world like a woman who needed saving. Unbelievable.

Javan disengaged from her and picked up Olympia’s head by her lustrous hair, gazing into the lovely face, her dying expression forever frozen in terror. “I…uh…appreciate the wedding present.”

She grinned and ducked her head. “I thought you deserved a little something after discovering you’d married the dictator’s daughter. I must say you took the news extremely well.”

He crushed her to his side. “You might be beyond surprising me at this point.” Olympia had taught him one good lesson, after all—women as dangerous as Marisol de la Vega were most definitely not to be trusted.

“Let’s go!” Sola said, and they moved out of the chapel into the midst of an adoring throng. Their names were on everyone’s lips, people cried tears of happiness and even more were on their knees. Javan was embarrassed to realize they thought he was the one who’d killed Olympia and her henchmen.

He nudged Sola. “We could stay here. This is a safe place for us now.”

Sola shook her head. “I have other plans.”

“Grady,” he stated.

“Don’t look like that. I have no love for Grady, but I do need him.”

“For what?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“You should be truthful with your husband, my lady.” He loved the wicked smile that appeared before disappearing far too quickly.

“Javan, as soon as my father finds out who I’ve married, there will be a price on your head. A very large price.”

“Oh, you don’t think he’ll understand I had a bomb in my gut? That you forced me?”

Sola shook her head, the smile restored. “He wouldn’t be surprised, but he wouldn’t be very understanding either.” The smile restored, she touched her stomach. “You’ve made me completely useless to him. Now I’m just another of his enemies. He’s killed enough members of my family for me to know. The only person with a bigger price on his head than you is me.”

“No fatherly feelings, then?”

“No. None at all.” He touched her shoulder, and she turned her face to kiss his hand. “Let’s get away from this place. It must bring back terrible memories for you. Why don’t you round someone up to take charge of the station? Did someone help you escape from here?”

He glanced away. “I know some people, if they managed to survive Olympia. I’ll see if I can find them and put them in charge before this place descends into chaos.” He stared off, unwilling to meet her eyes. He had a few secrets of his own, after all.

“Great. I’ll meet you back on the ship.”

He caught her hand. “I don’t think so.” He loved her. Yes, he loved her. But he didn’t trust her, and there was no way in hell she was getting on his ship without him. There was no telling what she might pull. He unleashed his most charming smile, well aware of its effect on her. “What’s the rush? What about a good meal, a water shower, a honeymoon?” He pulled her into his arms. “Don’t we have a marriage to consummate?”

She giggled. He had her.

He angled her face for a thorough kissing. Her lips parted; she was unable to refuse. He kissed her—and an entire crowd of crying, kneeling lowlifes and scumbags emitted, en masse, a long-drawn-out sigh. When the cheering started, Sola blushed and broke the kiss before whispering into his ear. “Just for a short while, then. You’re right. We must consummate the marriage. I’ll go find us a decent place to stay.” She pulled back and frowned. “That woman was just despicable. You should be more careful with your…friends.”

The crowd parted before her as she walked away, followed by a thousand curious gazes, Javan’s among them, fixed to the swaying movement of her rear.

She was right about one thing: he needed to be lot more careful in choosing his friends.

Javan had never felt better. He’d enjoyed a thoroughly exhausting honeymoon and he’d been able to trick Sola into believing a malfunction required they both strap in while detaching from the space station. He hadn’t quite forgiven her for the painful and embarrassing experience of passing the incendiary device, but was relieved it no longer resided in his gut. And now he had her where he wanted her: hog-tied to the control chair, wrists strapped to the armrests, and ready to answer a slew of questions.

Except she wasn’t talking. Much.

“This is no way to treat your wife!”

“I need some answers. We go nowhere until I get them.”

“I’m pregnant! How can you do this to me?”

She didn’t appear scared or annoyed. Instead she displayed her mischievous smile—the one he had such trouble resisting. He also had trouble with her shy smile, her sad smile and all the other smiles, but right at this moment it was the mischievous one that was making it hard for him to stay stern.

“Answers, Sola,” he said firmly. “First, how can you be pregnant?” He touched the implant in her inner elbow.

“I deactivated it.”

“Okay. When?”

“Before boarding the ship.”

He stilled. “Before you even met me?”

Even tied up she managed an elegant shrug.

“Was marrying me and getting pregnant your plan all along?”

She studied him dispassionately. “We selected you from a short list.”

“What were the qualifications for this list?”

“Desperate for credits, with a decent, low-profile ship. Brave enough and stupid enough to take the job.” She gave another shrug.

He sat in his command chair. “Anything else?”

“That was all that was required. I selected you because…”

“Please, do tell. Why was I the lucky one who was chosen to marry you, impregnate you and probably get killed by your father?”

She squirmed while he waited for an answer. Flustered, she finally said, “You won’t believe me.”

“Probably not. You’ve given me no reason to believe anything you say.”

He watched as she worked up the courage to divulge her secret.

The words came out in a rush. “I’ve had a crush on you since I was twelve years old.”

He had to laugh. “Oh, come on. You can do better than that.”

“I’m telling the truth. After the Battle of Lunar Base, you came back to a hero’s welcome. The dictator met with you. He praised you, decorated you and announced you were alliance-worthy and he would be given a wife—you would become a Blue.”

Javan was silent.

“I was there. I was at your wedding ceremony. I was furious they were marrying you off to such a…a…bimbo!”

Javan shook his head. Impossible.

“You were so handsome, so brave. You’d saved us. You were a hero. I cried.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I was very young.”

“I don’t believe you,” he repeated.

She turned sharply. “Listen to me. For your own safety there are things I need to explain.” She closed her eyes, paused, then spoke through a tightly clenched jaw. “My father has had a multitude of children with many different women. He was trying to breed certain types of children. We were trained, we were tested and the ones who didn’t make the grade were…were…euthanized.”

“He killed his own children? No. That’s not possible.”

“You think he’s not capable?”

Javan thought back on the fifty-five years the dictator had ruled Earth. He thought of the millions who had starved, of the millions who had been slaughtered, of the millions who had either obeyed or died. He rubbed his eyes. Of course the dictator was capable of killing his children. “But why?”

“He has plans he won’t live to see realized. He requires an heir who’ll carry out his plans without compunction.”

“His plans being?” But Javan knew. “Building alliances throughout the galaxy.”

“Yes, and successfully. In another fifty years or so he’ll—”

“Rule the galaxy.”

“Yes, but he doesn’t have another fifty years of life left in him.”

“How many children does he have left alive?”

“Three sons and twenty-seven daughters. Twenty-five of those daughters are for marriage alliances. Two were possible heirs. I am—was—one of them. Five possible heirs altogether.”

Javan gripped the armrests ferociously. “I thought you were being married off.”

“No. That was just a cover story.”

He sighed. More lies. “And all that pretend ignorance was—”

“—pretend ignorance. You were so willing to believe I was ignorant. That I didn’t know about the massacres, the murders, the slaughters. You didn’t exactly make it hard.”

He couldn’t disagree. What a fool he’d been, thinking her innocent, thinking her ignorant, feeling sorry for her. “So why didn’t you stick around? You might have been chosen as his heir.”

“That’s not how it works. It’s not who is chosen. It’s who can survive the others.”

“What do you mean?”

“Seven attempts on my life—all orchestrated by my siblings.”

Javan sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “How many people have you killed?”

“Too many.” She slipped out of the restraints and stretched. “I have no desire to rule the galaxy. I can kill if I need to, but I have no stomach for mass murder, genocide or any of my father’s other hobbies.”

“Why me? You still haven’t told me.”

Sola perched in his lap. “I’ve told you too much already. A wife should be able to keep some secrets from her husband, after all.”

Javan laughed mirthlessly but absently stroked her hair.

She looked into his eyes, no mischief left. “Take me to bed, Javan. We don’t have much time together. We need to find a safe place to hide you.”

“Before your father comes looking for me?”

“He’ll send one of my siblings after us both. It’ll be safer if we split up. I’m the one they’ll focus on.”

“No, we should stick together.”

Sola sighed. “Please don’t be difficult about this.”

“Oh, so I’ve served my purpose, have I? You’re married, you’re pregnant and now I’m—”

“Expendable.”

“What about the child?”

“Hidden. Brought up by people who I can trust. One anonymous baby in a galaxy of billions.”

He stroked a stray lock from her face. “It doesn’t have to be like that.”

“Javan, I’m supposed to kill you. I don’t want to.”

“Can’t do it, huh?”

“I could do it. I just—” she touched his cheek, “—don’t want to.”

He tried to smile but knew it came out crooked.

“Because you love me?”

“Please. I’m incapable.”

“I don’t believe that.”

She shrugged. “Come on, husband. Let’s go to your cabin one last time. Then we’ll find a safe place for you.”

He picked her up and strode to the cabin, where he placed her gently on the bunk. She closed her eyes, her bottom lip trembling. Before he could decide whether to make love to her or just hold her, the laser hit him right between the eyes.

From far away, a voice said, “Come on. Drink.”

The burning fire of brandy trickled down his throat. He spluttered and opened his eyes. Sola stood over him, looking down with concern.

“Dammit, Sola. You shot me!”

“I had it set to stun. You’ll just have a little headache.”

It felt like his head had been crushed with a boulder. “A little headache?” He tried to make sure his head was still attached, but his limbs were heavy, his head out of reach. “Dammit, why have you tied me up?”

“It’s just until we find a safe planet to settle you on. I was thinking an agricultural planet might suit. Somewhere sleepy, where nothing ever happens and there’s plenty to eat. I had a feeling you’d resist, so I restrained you.”

“Damn right I’ll resist. I’m a spacer! Have been since I was fifteen years old. There’s no way I’m going to allow you to dump me in some dead corner of the galaxy while you take off into God knows what danger with my child inside you.”

“I knew you’d be this way. That’s why I’m not giving you any choice.” She sat next to him. “What do you mean you’ve been a spacer since you were fifteen? You didn’t join the military until you were eighteen.”

He rested his throbbing head on her lap. “Oh, finally something you don’t know about me, huh?”

She stroked his hair, running cool fingers over his burning forehead.

“I was one of the test pilots for the slingshot launch system,” Javan mumbled.

“When you were fifteen?”

“They rounded up a bunch of street kids who wouldn’t be missed if something happened to them.”

“Like what?”

“What do you mean like what? Do you know how many people died getting the quirks in the slingshot launch worked out? Not a very pleasant death either: getting ripped apart by G-force, brain imploding, burned alive trying to break atmo.”

Her fingers were soothing, almost letting him forget the terror of those launches.

“There was nothing in your file about this. According to your official record, you joined the military at eighteen after scoring off the charts on the entrance exam.”

“My father died at sea when I was nine. My mother and I were starving, so we went to Athens. She found work in one of the munitions factories. One day she went to work, and I never saw her again. I survived by begging and stealing. Six years later I woke up in a military prison. The very next day I was strapped into an autoship and launched.” Sola’s fingers kept working, drawing out words he’d never spoken before. “After three years I’d learned so much about the launch process that they allowed me to test. I rose through the ranks. There were a lot of opportunities for that during the war. I made captain just in time for the Battle of Lunar Base.”

“Decorated for valor, then allied with one of the most powerful Blue families via marriage to Morna McKenzie. It was glorious accomplishment for the son of a fisherman, Javan.” She dropped her fingers to his abdomen. “But then…your downfall. You were thrown out of the military. That’s where your file ends. And then fifteen years of smuggling and drinking? What happened, Javan?”

He sighed. “I’d been saving my military pay for years. Morna took everything except for a small private account. I bought the Kypris at auction. There’s nothing else to tell.”

“There must be more to it than that.” She unbuttoned his shirt. “Tell me the rest. Please.”

It was the whispered please that convinced him to tell her everything. It would be such a relief. “Do you know what I did at the Battle of Lunar Base?”

“You delivered the first decisive victory in the war against the rebels. You saved Earth from getting nuked. You saved us all.”

“It wasn’t quite like that.”

She propped her head on her hand. “Tell me.”

He dragged his gaze away from hers. “About two dozen major cities were allied to the rebels, but Lunar Base was their headquarters. Their leaders were there. I knew it wasn’t enough to just have dogfights with their fighter ships. I gave the order to bomb the base.”

She kissed his cheek gently.

“When we entered the base, there’d been so many breaches that we had to suit up. When we got to the interior of the base, that’s when we realized.”

“Realized what?”

The words came out in a rush. “The rebels were dead. So were all the civilians. We didn’t know they had their families with them. We weren’t told. Women, children—all dead and floating around. Infants. Gallons of blood, in individual droplets…just floating around.” He grimaced and fell silent.

Sola waited, her fingers working patiently. “It was war, Javan. Terrible things happen in war.”

He shrugged her off and closed his eyes. “When I gave the order to bomb the base…I knew it would destroy us. When their nukes went off, we’d all be wiped out or die slowly from radiation sickness. I ordered it anyway. I had to save Earth. But there were no nukes. We were lied to. The rebels were never a threat to Earth—just to your father. I murdered those people for nothing. I’m not a hero. I’m a murderer.”

Sola grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at her. “You were manipulated by my father like so many before you, like so many after you. It changes nothing. You went on a suicide mission. You thought you were saving Earth and everybody on it.”

He pushed her away. “When I got back to Earth, I accepted the hero’s welcome, I allowed the marriage, but when I was ordered to wipe out the civilian population of New York City, I couldn’t do it. Only some of the people were allied to the rebels, but your father didn’t care. He took advantage of the rebellion to carry out genocide. He wanted Earth’s population under control. He could have built colony ships, but mass murder was easier, cheaper. I…I couldn’t do it. Eventually they found someone more capable than me.”

“Destin Grady.”

He nodded. “I would not be his pawn. But Grady—he had no qualms. He did what your father required.”

“Why did my father let you live? He made you a Blue. You made him look a fool.”

Javan allowed himself a bitter smile. “He told his men to take me back where I’d been found and kill me. They dumped me out in the middle of the Aegean. Not a very good way to kill someone who could swim before he could walk. I swam for… I don’t know. It felt like days. I made my way back to Athens, bought this tub. You know the rest. But what does it matter? He won’t let me live this time.”

“And that’s why we have to find you a safe place. A nice place, I promise, with beautiful water for you to swim in.” She unzipped his flight pants.

“Are you going to at least untie me before you have sex with me?”

“No. I’m not.”

“Why are you supposed to kill me? Why is that part of the plan? In fact, what is your plan? Take over from your father? Rule the galaxy?”

“Not quite. Unseat my father, yes. Rule the galaxy? No. Kill you? No, I won’t do it. Although you know too much now.”

“Why can’t you kill me?” He moved his bound wrists and trailed his fingers up her leg.

“Something you did for me once. When I was looking through the files to find someone who might be suitable for this job, I saw your face. I just said ‘him—I want him.’ I’d always assumed my father had had you killed. I was so happy to discover you were alive.”

“What did I do for you? I don’t even remember you from back then.”

Limbs trembling, Sola turned onto her back to allow his hands to wander over her body. She closed her eyes. “When I cried at your wedding—showing emotion wasn’t allowed.”

“Were you punished?”

“I was sent for training years earlier than I should have been. Years, oh years, of training. They starved me and beat me. They trained me in weapons, sex, espionage, torture—everything. And they kept testing me until I tested the way they wanted.”

“And how was that?”

“Until I tested psychopathological.”

“What do you mean? Until you were a psychopath?”

“Correct.”

“So did you cheat on the test?”

“Only a little, Javan. Please remember that.”

He kissed her stomach. “And what was it I did for you?”

“I wanted to fail and I wanted to die, just so they would stop torturing me, just so they would leave me alone. Your face would come to me in my worst moments. You gave me strength to keep going. Because I knew if I wanted to be like you, I’d have to endure it.”

“Be like me?” He flicked open the front of her gossamer gown.

She arched toward him, toward his fingers, toward his mouth. “I wanted to be a hero. I still do. I have to destroy my father.”

He took her face in his hands, straining the straps that bound his wrists. “I’m not a hero.”

“Yes, you are. You stood up to the dictator. You showed us it could be done. You are a hero.”

Her mouth closed on his, and as always, he was lost as the waves of desire and emotion built within him. He was in love with her. She was his wife. She carried his child. But what was she? She was barely human, emotionally, psychologically and biologically. But what was he to do? He loved her, and nothing could change that.

But he would have to handle her carefully, to test her as she’d once been tested, and this time there would be no cheating. It involved love and trust. And she had to pass; otherwise they were in the kind of trouble that couldn’t be fixed but could only be suffered. And dammit, he was through with suffering.

He longed to hear her call his name, to cry out that she loved him, so he bent to the task, kissing her breast, nipping at the tender skin of her neck. “Are you going to untie me?” he murmured huskily.

“No,” she moaned, quivering under his mouth and hands.

“You’ll have to eventually. You need me to fly the ship.”

“Oh, Javan.” With a sudden movement, she twisted on top of him and released his straining cock. She lowered slowly, inch by inch, enveloping him in moist heat. “When will you learn to stop underestimating me?”

It was quite some time before he was capable of giving her an answer.

She was right. He had underestimated her—again. Her voice came over the intercom.

“Focus, Javan. We’re going to jump.”

He had a moment of panic wondering if she’d put in the correct coordinates. She started to count down, and without even trying, he focused on a wish, a desire to have him and Sola and the coming baby somewhere safe, somewhere he could protect them.

They jumped.

He recovered almost immediately, relieved to find they hadn’t jumped through a gas giant or become embedded in a rock planet. As suspected, she soon came rushing in to check on him. She undid most of the straps, and he let his head loll back while she called his name anxiously. He almost had her. If only his mouth hadn’t curved into a smile.

“You bastard!” She punched his chest—hard.

He sat up, smirking. “You can’t deny me a little revenge.”

“What did I do?” She held her hands upward, her face pure innocence except for the wicked smile.

“I need to take a pressure shower. After those terrible, disgusting things you did to me—” his cock gave a longing twitch, “—I feel the need to clean myself up. You’re gonna have to untie me, my lady.”

After a flurry of tying and untying and tying again, he found himself on his tiptoes with his arms above his head as he dangled from the bulkhead. “I still can’t get to the shower.”

“No, but you do look quite magnificent.” She ran her hands up and down his tensed body. “You’re even more beautiful now than when you were twenty-two.” She touched a mottled scar on his thigh. “Where did you get this?”

“One of my first launches. There was a fire in the cockpit.”

She kissed the scar and continued. “What about this one?” She traced a thin red scar on his shoulder.

“A Brazilian whore.” He smiled at the memory; Sola scowled.

His smile broadened. “She tried to rob me when she thought she’d exhausted me. You’d have liked her.”

Her scowl deepened. “This one?” She fingered a jagged scar on his chest.

“Olympia Philou. I wouldn’t tell her I loved her.”

“So she tortured you?”

“Yes, but I still wouldn’t tell her.” He looked into her eyes. “I love you, Sola.”

She gasped and turned away. “Don’t say that!”

“And you love me too.”

She whirled around to face him. “I do not!”

“Yes, you do. You say it over and over again when we make love.”

“That doesn’t count!”

She was terrified, and he almost felt sorry for her. “Oh, poor Sola. All that training, all that pain and suffering. Haven’t you realized anything since you’ve been on this ship?”

She shook her head.

Now he really did feel sorry for her. “You’ve been happy. You’ve been free. You’ve been having fun. And I’m afraid you’ve gone and fallen in love with me.”

“No. You’re wrong. I admire you, yes. I want you.” She swallowed. “But I do not love you, Javan Rhodes!”

Her hands were trembling. She’d forgotten she was holding the strap that held him immobile. He lunged for her and tore it from her hands, then enveloped her in a bear hug before quickly kissing her. “Just tell me one thing.”

She looked up at him with glistening eyes.

“Were you telling the truth? Are we having a baby?” She winced but stayed silent. “Talk to me, Sola. Trust me.”

Her expression slowly went blank.

“Please,” he whispered, and the agonized expression again leaped into her eyes. He moved his hands to her shoulders and shook her gently. “I love you. Just tell me the truth.”

She whimpered. “Leave me alone, Javan, or I’ll…I’ll…”

“Kill me? Kill the man you love? The father of your child?”

Wild-eyed, she finally said, “I had to get pregnant. If I were just married, my father would have ordered a divorce. Being pregnant… Well, you know the rules. It’s a stupid tradition, not being able to divorce if there are children, but everyone obeys it. Except for my father.”

“So you’re really pregnant?”

She looked so unhappy, so…innocent. So miserable. “Yes. I am.”

He released her and held his hands over his head once again. “Go on, tighten the straps.”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m trusting you. I know you’re not too familiar with the concept. To tell you the truth, I’m not too familiar with it myself.”

“You trust me?”

He nodded. “I trust you and I love you.”

“You’re insane,” she whispered.

“And you’re a psychopath. We’ll make wonderful parents.”

The tension broken, she laughed. “You bastard!” She gave him a swift slap on the ass. “Go take your shower before I change my mind. I could have killed you, you know.”

Javan allowed her to see his broad grin as he strolled nonchalantly to the shower. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re not capable of such a soul-destroying act.” He got into the cubicle, his wrists still tied. He sneaked a glance at Sola and turned on the pressure shower. She looked lost, somehow bereft, but at least she hadn’t killed him. Not this time, anyway.

“No, absolutely not.”

“Pastorale is a delightful planet, Javan.”

“That’s not the point. You’ve never entered atmo before…”

“I’ve studied the files.”

“It’s not something you can learn from files. I know you’re brilliant and all that, but trust me, this is far too dangerous. And once you dump me on Pastorale, how are you going to get off the planet?”

“The same way you do. I’ll slingshot.”

“Let me guess—you’ve studied the files.”

She nodded.

“This is crazy. It’s far more of an art than a science—”

“It looked easy enough—”

“Until something goes wrong. No, I won’t allow it.”

She glanced at his bound hands and raised an eyebrow. “You won’t allow it?”

“Obey your husband, wife!”

Sola exploded into infectious giggles, and Javan joined in. She collapsed into his lap, shaking with laughter, and he kissed her neck. She untied the bindings around his wrists.

“I’m serious, Sola. I’ve watched too many people die at launch and reentry. It’s the most dangerous part of space travel. I’d be happy to teach you, but it takes time and lots of practice.”

“Then I’ll drop you off at the nearest space station and buy you passage to Pastorale.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“I won’t…”

Suddenly Sola was hurled off his lap and onto the floor while Javan desperately gripped the chair. The ship rocked from side to side. Javan forced his way to the controls and tapped desperately.

Sola picked herself up. “What happened?”

“I’m not sure. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I think so.”

He checked the puter terminal. “We were just fired upon. A warning shot, I’d say. We have an incoming message.”

They both looked to the viewscan, where a flickering image filled the screen. It was a young man dressed in the robes of a Blue.

“Who the hell is that?”

“One of my brothers, I’m afraid. Put in some jump coordinates while I talk to him.”

“I won’t have time to check the coordinates. We won’t have time to strap in.”

“We’ll have to take our chances.”

Javan linked the sound circuit and crossed to the jump terminal.

“Sola, big sister, you are to return to Earth by order of the dictator.”

Sola sat in the command chair. “Now why should I do that, Ramon?”

The man on-screen smiled unpleasantly. “An alliance has been arranged for you. You either return, or I’m authorized to destroy this ship.”

“An alliance? I’m no longer in the running for heir?”

“Not after this misadventure. You’ve proved how flighty you are, just like we always said.”

“You must be very relieved right now, brother. Less competition.”

Ramon let out a laugh. “Not at all, Sola. I’m disappointed. I was looking forward to killing you. But now…you’re to be used as alliance fodder.” He clapped his hands in childish glee. “I can hardly wait for you to meet the one you’ve been promised to. He has such lovely plans to declaw you, dear sister. Of course, you could always refuse. It would be nice to kill you.”

“Yes, I can imagine. After trying and failing so many times before, right, brother?”

“Well, I did take the edge off my appetite by killing your friends. I can’t believe they thought I wouldn’t find out who had assisted with smuggling you off Earth.”

Javan glanced up at Sola. Her expression was blank. “So like your father.”

“I know you’re entering coordinates. It makes no difference. I have a tracking device on the ship. I had it placed on Artemis. I’ll just keep following you. But on our next encounter I won’t be offering you the chance to return to Earth. I’ll just blow you out of the universe. It would be my pleasure.”

Sola rose and went to the viewscan, then touched his face. “Don’t you remember when we were children? I was the closest thing you had to a mother. Remember?”

Ramon stopped smiling. “No, I don’t remember that at all.”

Javan tapped at his terminal, hoping he was doing the right thing and grateful he’d spent the credits for military-grade hardware. The ship rocked as the missile launched, and he immediately returned to entering the coordinates, the only ones he knew from memory.

“We’re jumping now!” He hit the jump key and hurled himself across the cockpit to push Sola into the chair. She shrugged him off, shoved him backward and threw herself on top of him.

They jumped.

He came through it better than she did. Sola had a death grip on the command chair, her fingernails clawed into the leather, and she was unconscious. He was trapped beneath her, but he was alive. They both were.

Javan wriggled from underneath her. It took several long minutes to prize her nails from the chair. He picked her up, carried her to his cabin and gently laid her on the bunk. Her eyelids fluttered; her head rocked from side to side.

“Sola?” He kissed her.

She opened her eyes and said distantly, “He was a very sweet boy before they sent him away for his training. He cried and cried when they came to take him.”

“I…I’m sorry. I had to do something…”

“You did the right thing, Javan. That little boy died long ago. Only a monster was left.”

Javan lowered his eyes in relief and kissed her forehead. “How do you feel?”

“Tired. So tired. I don’t understand why. My recovery systems are usually much better than this.” Her eyelids drooped.

Javan laughed. “You’re pregnant, my love. Get some rest. We’re safe. For now at least.”

She blinked her eyes open. “You did it again!”

“What?”

“You risked your life to save mine. You did it back on Valhalla too. What’s wrong with you?”

Javan threw his hands up. “I love you, Sola. I don’t have a choice.”

She stared at him.

“And you love me too. All this nonsense about dumping me on Pastorale? You just saved my life. Because you love me.”

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I need to sleep. I’m so tired.” She turned her back to him. He rubbed her shoulders, bent and kissed her hair, then turned on the vitalight. He watched her for hours before slowly turning and walking away.

For hours he sat in the command chair, staring out the viewscan at the place he’d returned to time and time again. He had never known why—until now.

Sola joined him. “What’s that?”

“It’s one of the most amazing things in the universe. It’s a blue galaxy. It’s just been born. It’s young and starting to grow.”

Sola slid into his lap. “It’s beautiful,” she said, leaning her head against his.

“It has so much life ahead of it. Billions of years if all goes well. Our lives seem very puny in comparison, don’t they?”

She nodded. Deep in their separate thoughts, they stayed that way for a few moments, gazing at the young galaxy.

“You win, Javan. Wherever we go, we’ll go together.”

“All three of us?

“Yes, all three of us.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why the change of heart?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I’m just tired of trying to control everything. Maybe I’m just tired.” She rested her head on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off and forced her to look him in the eyes.

“The truth. For once tell me the damn truth.”

She tried to avoid his gaze. “I just like being around you. That’s all.”

“Dammit, Sola!”

“Okay! I love you! Okay? I love you and I want to be with you and I want my child to have a father. A good one! That’s what I want. I never want my child to turn into a Ramon. He could have been good. He wanted to be good!”

Javan put his arm around her and pulled her close. “That’s more like it, my lady. You love me. You love our child.”

“I do love you, Javan.”

“I know you do. I love you too. Since the moment you pulled that hood back and smiled at me.”

“Where shall we go, Javan?”

“I don’t know. Any ideas?”

“To Destin Grady?”

He laughed. “Are you crazy? Oh…right. You are, aren’t you?”

“He’s my ally.”

“I don’t think—”

“You’re my husband.”

“I don’t think I can stand having him look at you.”

“Idiot.” She kissed him. “He admires you.”

“Me? Why?”

“For having the guts to say no. For standing up to them. He said you’re a braver man than he will ever be. He’s no threat to you.”

Together, they took a last look at the infant galaxy. Javan keyed in the coordinates; they strapped in.

And jumped.

About the Author

Diane Dooley was born in the Channel Islands, grew up in Scotland, has lived in several of the United States, loves to travel and to this day still suffers from wanderlust.

Since Diane was a voracious reader from a young age, it seemed to make perfect sense when she decided writing might make an enjoyable hobby. She has since realized that ‘enjoyable’ is entirely the wrong word. Her short stories have been published in several online venues, and she is a regular contributor to the science fiction blog The Galaxy Express.

Diane currently lives in a money pit of an old farmhouse in upstate New York, where she tends her husband, sons and a collection of reptiles. When she is not at her day job, she is either reading, writing, gardening, avoiding housework or driving her children to various sporting events. She is also a geek of intergalactic proportions with a severe YouTube habit.

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ISBN: 978-14268-9158-8

Copyright © 2011 by Paula Diane Dooley

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