Read Hostage To The Stars: A Sectors SF Romance Online
Authors: Veronica Scott
Hostage To The Stars: A Sectors SF Romance (21 page)
“Johnny?”
No reaction, although the fact he held her was encouraging.
“Do you remember the room at the Mawreg facility? When the cherindor refused to free me? You said I was yours and you wouldn’t leave without me.” She swallowed hard, reflecting on one of the most intense moments in her whole life. “You convinced that thing to let me out of my cage because you loved me. Well you’re mine, okay? I love you. And there’ll be no leaving without me. I’m here to get you out of the cage in your head, the one you stuck yourself in. I need you.”
He opened his eyes and she held her breath, but his gaze was unfocussed. “Sara, mine,” he whispered, voice husky and low, blinking his eyes.
Stroking his cheek, she kept her voice matter of fact. “Yours, forever, like I promised. If only you could wake yourself up, Johnny. The people in charge are going to send me away in a few days if you can’t tell them to let me stay with you.”
She thought his breathing had altered, gotten faster. His eyelids were twitching and small tremors ran through his muscles. Maybe he was regaining consciousness.
Suddenly she heard the sound of a scuffle outside the door. Mike’s raised voice, arguing with several people apparently, carried clearly. Sara slipped off the bed, placing herself between Johnny and the door.
The portal slid open and a doctor she hadn’t seen before marched in. “I’m sorry, ma’am, you can’t be in here. Major Varone had no authority to violate medical protocol. You’re going to have to leave.”
Behind the doctor she saw Mike in the grasp of four orderlies, doing his best to break free without hurting them.
“No, please, he’s been responding to the sound of my voice,” she said, clutching Johnny’s hand. “If I can have more time with him, even a few minutes might be enough—”
The doctor shook her head. “You’re not allowed to interact with this man. If you were family, I could make an exception but the file states you’re the hostage he rescued.” She took Sara’s free arm and tugged. “Don’t make me have to call Security. Major Varone’s in enough trouble tonight. If the two of you go quietly I won’t file a report.”
“If I leave, Johnny’s going to die,” Sara said. “He’s lost in his memories, trapped. He needs me to pull him out.”
The doctor dropped her arm and stepped to the comlink on the wall. “You’re forcing me to escalate this.”
“All right, I’ll go quietly.” Sara brought Johnny’s hand to her lips and kissed his warm skin, nestling his fingers to her cheek for a moment. “I love you. Try to find your way home to me. Don’t give up.”
“Orderly, escort this woman out of sickbay.” The doctor snapped her fingers, going to the bedside as if to proclaim her jurisdiction over Johnny.
The burly man grabbed Sara by the elbow. Instinctively she pulled away from him. “You’re hurting me. I said I’d go quietly.” She tried to pry his fingers off her arm. His aggressive attitude touched off flashbacks to the way the pirates had treated her and she struggled, flailing her arms, voice rising, “Let go of me, stop.”
“Doc wants you out, you’re out.”
He frog marched her into the corridor, pulling her off her feet.
Behind her, Sara heard a shout and a crash. Next thing she knew, the orderly was yanked away from her and thrown to the floor. Johnny stood over him, fists clenched. “Don’t touch my Sara,” he said, voice scarcely more than a growl.
“Johnny!” Sara flung herself into his arms. He staggered but held her tight. “Thank the Lords of Space.”
“What in the seven hells is going on here?” he asked, glaring at the bystanders.
“You were in a coma for two days after the data download and Mike brought me to try and help you find your way out,” she said, clinging tightly. She could feel his body shaking, despite his effort to stand straight and belligerent, ready to take on all comers in her defense. Freeing her from the burly orderly must have been pure adrenaline and muscle memory.
He nodded to Mike. “Thanks, cousin. I owe you.”
“My pleasure,” Mike said, shaking himself free of the men who’d been grappling with him a moment before. With varying expressions of surprise and alarm, they were backing away, looking to the doctor for further orders.
Johnny turned, staggering a little but maintaining his defensive position between Sara and the orderlies. He focused on the doctor. “Why in the seven hells would you keep the woman I love away from me? After all we’ve been through together? She’s exactly what I needed. I heard her voice, which told me the situation was fine and we were safe. And then your bully boy there hurt her.”
The doctor opened and closed her mouth, apparently at a loss for words.
“A complete misunderstanding,” Mike said. “Overzealous application of regulations. Can he be released from sickbay now, doc? Or do I need to go over your head?”
“I want out.” Fists clenched, Johnny glared at her.
Swallowing hard, chin raised defiantly, she said, “Fine. I’ll document he’s leaving against my medical advice. The man is obviously in a seriously weakened condition.”
“I can handle myself,” Johnny said. “Been worse than this more than once.”
“Can we go to my cabin?” Sara asked Mike. “I need him to myself.”
“Good idea for now.”
“Works for me.” Johnny circled her waist with one arm. Mike came to support him on the other side and the trio moved slowly out of sickbay, ignoring the gawking onlookers.
“How soon can we go home, cousin?” Johnny asked as he entered the gravlift to transit to the deck where Sara’s cabin was located.
“I’ve been escalating my demands up the command structure for two days now. Give me another day and we’ll be out of here, now you’re more yourself.” Mike sounded happy. “How does an open ended invitation to Azrigone sound, Ms. Bridges?”
“Like heaven,” she said. “I’ve heard it’s a beautiful place.”
In response to some signal she missed, Mike released his hold on Johnny and moved away in the gravlift. Johnny folded her into a hug, her body tight against the hard planes of his. “You don’t believe you’re ever leaving, do you?”
“Not if you ask me to stay.”
He captured her mouth in a deep and involved kiss that had a squad of space marines descending on the other side of the gravtube clapping and wolf whistling. Raising his head, ignoring the soldiers, he said, “Will you marry me?”
She teased him, a tiny bit. “I thought I was already yours, based on what you told the cherindor.”
Holding her tight, he said, “Truth. But I want to belong to you. I don’t want anything or anyone to be able to separate us, ever again.”
She stared into his eyes. “You weren’t paying attention, you are most definitely
mine.
I dare anyone to be dumb enough to try getting between us again.”
“So?”
“Yes, I’ll marry you, today if you want.”
“I can arrange a wedding,” Mike said helpfully. “This is where we get off, lovebirds. I think it’s probably a good thing if we get you two into Sara’s cabin as fast as possible, before you scandalize the entire ship’s crew and he ends up in the brig.” He escorted them into the corridor, supporting Johnny as his steps wobbled
At the door to her cabin, Sara paused for a moment. “You’re not merely humoring him, you can arrange for us to be married now?” she asked Mike.
“The
Penny’s
captain has the authority and would do the honors.”
“What about the stupid Special Forces regulations?”
“Mike and I are retiring again,” Johnny said, lifting her into his arms. “Civilians aren’t bound by the regs.”
“Better put me down before we both fall,” she said. “You’re not yourself yet, soldier.”
He shook his head. “Been thinking about this moment for three days.”
“You were unconscious,” she said.
“I’m never going to be that out of it again, as long as I live, I promise.” He hugged her closer and grinned.
“If the two of you were married, it would make certain things easier about getting us all to Azrigone together,” Mike said, rubbing his chin. “I could expedite the process, get the media involved on your side if necessary. I have highly placed contacts.”
“Let’s be clear—I’m not asking this woman to marry me just so you can cut through red tape, cousin.” Johnny glared at Mike. “I’m in love with her, in case you missed that flash of vital intel. I’m not looking for a bureaucratic workaround to get myself home faster.”
Unable to help herself, Sara giggled. “I’ve already said yes, so if Mike can give us a honeymoon on Azrigone, more power to him. His motives aren’t going to ruin my day as a blushing bride.”
Johnny hit the portal controls. “Cousin, go arrange things and come get us when you need us to say the vows, not a moment before. You’re my best man, I empower you to get the job done. Sara and I have some catching up to do.” He studied her face. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to be high handed.”
She tugged his head down for a kiss. “I told you, never say the ‘sorry’ word to me again. And even though I loathed that doctor, she was right, you do need rest.” Giving Mike a glance as the portal closed, she said, “I’d want at least one flower for a bouquet. I noticed a few bushes in the hydroponic gardens yesterday.”
The portal reopened a fraction.
“And a ring,” Johnny added.
The door shut in his face as Mike said, “I’m sure I can locate something suitable for now. You can buy her a proper ring on Azrigone later.” Finding himself talking to the closed door, he turned to the guard. “No one disturbs them until I give the order, understand?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll make sure, sir.”
“See that you do.” Mike answered the sentry’s salute and strolled toward the gravlift at the end of the corridor, whistling the ancient Terran wedding march.
***
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Best Selling Science Fiction & Paranormal Romance author and “SciFi Encounters” columnist for the USA Today Happily Ever After blog, Veronica Scott grew up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing her own stories.
Veronica’s life has taken many twists and turns, but she always makes time to keep reading and writing. Everything is good source material for the next novel or the one after that, right? She’s been through earthquakes, tornadoes and near death experiences…Always more stories to tell, new adventures to experience—Veronica’s personal motto is, “Never boring.”
Veronica is a three time winner of the SFR Galaxy Award and a National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award.
Played Star Trek Enterprise Crew Member in the audiobook of Harlan Ellison’s “City On the Edge of Forever” (2016)
She’s the proud recipient of a NASA Exceptional Service Medal but must hasten to add the honor was not for her romantic fiction!
Blog:
http://veronicascott.wordpress.com/
Email:
[email protected]
VERONICA’S OTHER TITLES:
Priestess of the Nile
Warrior of the Nile
Dancer of the Nile
Magic of the Nile
Ghost of the Nile
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