Shielder — A new Science Fiction Romance (Book 1, Shielder Series) (9 page)

Her delicate scent, compliments of recent
bathing, tantalized him, increasing the pressure due south. But her
eyes pushed him over the edge—dark liquid pools unconsciously
reflecting a response she didn't yet recognize. That, and her full
mouth that quivered enticingly. He couldn't resist. Leaning
forward, he pressed his lips to hers.

She jerked as if she'd been struck. Holding
her shoulders, he teased her lips with his tongue. She was new and
sweet…and totally ignorant of how to respond. Heat roared through
him like a wildfire. The urgent need to ravage her mouth, to fill
his hands with those small breasts warred with common sense. She
was too innocent for this, and his actions way out of line. What
was he doing?

He wrenched away, gasping for breath and
sanity. Certain Nessa would be as shocked as he at his behavior, he
wouldn't have been surprised if she fled the cockpit.

She didn't. Staring at him, her face
flushed, she raised trembling fingers to her lips. "That was a
kiss," she whispered inanely.

Her absurd remark helped clear his head. He
stood and moved a safe distance away. "Have you never been kissed,
Nessa?"

She rubbed her mouth, sadness entering her
eyes. "Not since I was a child. My parents used to kiss me at sleep
time. But that was many seasons ago."

He envisioned a young girl all alone, and
unwelcome compassion flooded him. "Is that when you lost your
parents?"

She drew a deep breath. He noticed her hands
clenched in her lap, which he had come to recognize as a sign of
tension. "You might say that." She raised one hand to her mouth
again. "But they didn't kiss me here. I thought…." She paused, her
brow furrowing. "I…isn't kissing part of mating?"

Chase cursed himself. Such an innocent would
be easy prey once he dropped her at Intrepid. He didn't have time
to educate an orphaned waif about sex. But he also didn't have the
heart to throw her to the wolves of the universe. He struggled to
keep his answer objective and impersonal.

"It is part of mating for most people. But
many people enjoy kissing without mating. Do you understand what
happens when people have intercourse, Nessa?"

Her deepening blush told him she had some
knowledge. "I've read about mating, but I've never…um, I'm not sure
exactly how it's done."

And his body would like to show her. Chase
strode to his seat and sat down, willing his obvious physical
reaction to subside. He faced the console. "I'll locate some
instructional material on the computer for you."

He awaited a barrage of questions. Although
she hardly spoke at other times, when her curiosity was piqued, she
interrogated him like an Antek would a prisoner.

There was a long moment of silence, then she
said, "Would you kiss me again?"

He spun around in his chair. "What?"

Nessa rose and walked over. She stared down
at him, serious and intent. "Kiss me again. The other one was so
fast, I didn't have the chance to see what it's really like."

She touched his shoulder, and the blood
pounded back to his lower body. "Nessa, I don't think—"

"Do you just press your mouths together?"
she asked, bending down. He started to rise from the seat, but then
her lips touched his, soft as Saija silk. And as electrifying as a
fully charged solar panel.

He pulled her into his lap; her weight there
only intensified his need. He grasped her face, his eyes probing
hers. "There's more to it than pressing your lips together. Open
your mouth. Touch your tongue to mine."

Surprise reflected in her eyes as she
considered this information. "But what about germs? I thought you
said germs could be spread by—"

"To hell with germs." His mouth came down on
hers, his tongue plundering between her lips. She gasped but tried
to accommodate him, opening her mouth too wide at first. But she
proved to be an apt pupil, quickly adapting to his movements.

He kissed her thoroughly, unable to resist
sweeping his hand up her rib cage, brushing his fingers against the
side of one firm breast. It swelled at his touch. One of his own
body parts expanded in response.

He slid his hand around, cupping the breast
and teasing the nipple. Nessa started with a small cry, but he
wrapped his other hand around her head and recaptured her mouth.
With a throaty little sound, she sank against him and he moved his
attention to the other breast.

The blood pooling in his lower extremities
left him lightheaded, devoid of common sense. What would she do if
he opened her tunic and pressed his mouth to one of those tender
mounds? Or—

The docking tone blared through his
consciousness, alerting him to the fact that Sabin's ship had just
aligned with his. Fortunately, it stopped him from doing other
aligning he would very much regret later.

"What is that?" Nessa pulled back, alarmed
and flushed.

Chase took the opportunity to lift her off
his lap as he stood. "That's my associate, Sabin Travers. He's
docking to pick up Long and take him to Alta."

It was a good thing a few more minutes would
pass before the docking procedure completed. That would allow his
overheated body time to return to normal. He glanced at Nessa.
Gingerly, she touched her swollen lips and smoothed her tunic. The
outline of puckered nipples assured him she had been just as
affected as he had.

Even so, he couldn't allow this to happen
again. It would be unconscionable to take advantage of her
inexperience. Not only that, but he didn't want or need involvement
with anyone. All his energies were focused on one thing, and one
thing alone: revenge.

Nessa drew a deep breath. "Your
associate?"

"Sabin and I frequently work together to
track down criminals."

"Oh." She turned away, her body stiff.

He thought he understood the sudden tension
radiating from her. Many people despised shadowers, or felt
immensely uncomfortable around them. Chase shrugged. He didn't care
what anyone thought. Emotions had no place in hunting blatant
murderers. He headed to the airlock to greet Sabin.

* * * *

Another Shielder!

Awareness of a Shielder presence shot though
Nessa like a lightning bolt. She whirled to see a man stepping into
the cockpit, followed by Chase. His eyes, darker than a moonless
night, locked on her. His body stiffened with the innate
recognition all Shielders shared.

He stared at her, his inscrutable gaze
skimming her. Panic slammed through her. She grabbed the control
panel for support. Oh, Spirit! This man could undo everything in a
single instant, simply by revealing her true identity. Once Chase
knew she was a Shielder, he'd turn her over to the Controllers for
the standard reward of five hundred miterons offered on every
Shielder.

She battled for breath, trying to clear her
reeling mind. Chase's associate, a fellow shadower, was
a
Shielder
. The implications were horrifying. She gripped the
console until her knuckles were colorless. He must be one of a
number of Shielder traitors who found gold more alluring than the
preservation of their own people. Devil's spawn who routinely
hunted and turned in their own kind.

She had to escape. She looked wildly around
the cockpit, although she knew there was only one exit. She reached
toward her boot for her dagger.

"Nessa, are you all right?" Coming to her
side, Chase pulled her up and eased her rigid body into a seat.
"You look like you're about to have a seizure."

Gasping, Nessa shot him a helpless look.

"Well, what have we got here?" the devil's
spawn inquired, swaggering forward.

She stared up at the man towering over her.
Half a head shorter than Chase, leaner and sleeker, he had the
build of a feline predator. His shoulder-length ebony hair was
drawn behind his neck and tied with a cord. Like Chase, he dressed
in solid black, from his flightsuit to a low-slung utility holster
displaying two guns, to his boots.

She tried to bolt out of the seat, but Chase
pushed her back. "Stay there until you're not so shaky."

"What's this about seizures? Who is this
woman?" the traitor persisted. He eyed her insultingly. "Or should
I say girl?"

Chase straightened, watching Nessa with
concern. "She's a pilgrim on her way to the shrine of Shara on
Zirak. Her ship broke down in the tenth sector. I couldn't repair
it, so I'm giving her a ride to Intrepid."

"Really? A pilgrim, you say? How
interesting." His eyes mocking, the traitor offered her his hand.
"What is your name,
pilgrim
?"

She shrank back, frantically praying for a
way out of this horrifying predicament.

Chase gestured toward his associate. "Nessa,
this is Sabin Travers. He won't hurt you. You can answer him."

"Yes, Nessa, I'm most anxious to find out
all about you."

She ignored the demon, focusing on Chase.
"I'm tired. I want to go to my cabin."

He studied her, a frown on his face.
"Perhaps a rest would be good. You're very pale." He slid his hand
beneath her elbow. "You're trembling."

"Poor
pilgrim
," Sabin goaded. "I
believe she's afraid of me."

Nessa scrambled to her feet, breaking free
from Chase's hand and sidling around the two men. Refusing to look
at either of them, she ran from the cockpit. Once in her cabin, she
paced rapidly, rubbing her upper arms.

Certainly, Chase's associate would be
telling him about her masquerade, would be revealing her true
identity at this very moment. She had her dagger, but it offered
little protection against two seasoned warriors, shadowers at
that.

Watching her agitated movements around the
chamber, Turi chattered anxiously. Heedless of Chase's disapproval,
Nessa flung off the lid and grabbed the furry body against her.
"What are we going to do?"

Escape appeared the obvious answer. And if
that failed—if she faced incarceration and execution in a
Controller prison, or a hideous death from Orana—then suicide.
Nessa didn't know if she had the strength or the courage for that
option. Escape would be the better choice.

Sabin Travers' ship was docked with theirs.
If she could slip though the airlock and override his computer
system, she might be able to get away.

But rational thought began returning and she
knew that option wouldn't be feasible. Sabin's computer system
might be sophisticated, requiring hours to locate the necessary
codes to override the system. She sagged down on the bunk in
despair. Turi curled his front legs around her neck.

Her entry panel slid open, and Sabin Travers
stepped inside.

Nessa came to full alert, shoving Turi
behind her and retrieving her dagger from her boot as she rose.
Sabin leaned nonchalantly against the entry frame, his arms crossed
over his chest.

"You really don't expect me to be
intimidated by that pitiful weapon, do you,
pilgrim
?"

Her heart seemed lodged in her throat, the
fierce pounding hindering clear thinking. To make matters worse,
Turi leaped to her shoulder, painfully digging in his claws and
hissing at the interloper.

The devil's spawn raised an ebony eyebrow.
"What's this? A new secret weapon, a killer lanrax? I'm shaking in
my boots."

Drawing a deep breath, Nessa backed slowly
to the plexishield case and forcefully pried a protesting Turi from
her shoulder. She stuffed him in the case and slammed on the lid,
all the while keeping Sabin in her sights. Gripping her dagger, she
faced her antagonist. She drew another breath, concentrating on her
early training as a junior combatant, before she'd become
cursed.

"I'll fight you to the death, traitor," she
hissed.

"Now I'm really frightened," he taunted. "Of
a scrawny, one-legged
pilgrim
I could crush with one
hand."

He lunged forward, as rapid as a striking
viper. He knocked the dagger from her hand, sending it spinning
beyond reach. Grabbing her, he pressed her against the wall,
holding her hands by her side and stilling her flailing legs with
his body.

"You have one leg that's useless and, as I
understand it, you suffer from seizures. I find that very
interesting. Why in the blazing hells are you still alive?"

"I don't know what you're talking about,"
Nessa said, her pride stinging along with her wrist.

"Oh, I'm sure you do, little fake. You would
have been put out of your misery when you became a cripple in
almost every Shielder colony in the quadrant. Tell me why you were
spared."

The shame and humiliation of the past ten
seasons burned inside her, spurring her to struggle. "Let me
go."

He ignored her demand. "Tell me why you're
involved in this false masquerade and where you're really
headed."

"Maybe I just want to travel through the
quadrant without being hunted," she spat. "Especially by traitors
like you."

His eyes, so black she couldn't distinguish
the pupils, gleamed wickedly. "Things are not always what they
seem, are they,
pilgrim
? But one fact is certain. You're
hiding something. And you've involved my partner in your
scheme."

Nessa found his concern for Chase very
unlikely. She heartily doubted he cared for anything beyond his own
material gain. "I want nothing from your partner other than a ride
to the nearest star base."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe." He
pressed her harder against the wall. "However, since Chase can take
care of himself, I'll leave him to deal with you. But mark me well.
I owe Chase a great debt, one I can probably never repay. I'll be
in contact with him every ship cycle, and I will make it my
business to know your every move. If you do anything—anything—to
harm my partner, you'll pay dearly."

He released her so suddenly, she almost
stumbled forward. Catching her balance, she moved away from him.
"Are you going to tell him the truth about me?"