Taken (Warriors of Karal Book 3) (10 page)

“Can we go outside?” she asked, glancing at the screen, where the readings remained the same.

“Yes.” He left the control deck and returned with an oxygen mask “Put it on if the air doesn't feel right, that means if you feel light-headed, or nauseous.”

“I get it,” she said, taking it from him and placing it over her mouth. She squeezed the pump handle on it and then put her thumbs up.

“Good,” he said, “And this is the meter. Check it often.”

“OK,” she said, taking the oxygen mask off her face. “I can’t believe that we are about to be the first people to set foot on this planet.”

“Well, the first human, and the first Karalian. And we know there are no other life-forms like us, because this is one of the planets that was scanned before we got to Earth. However, that does not mean there haven’t been others here.”

“You know, I always forget about that. I think it’s because we have been in here so long, I only think in terms of you and me existing in the universe.”

“We shall soon see if we are alone,” he said, leading her to the back of the ship and pressing the button to lower the exit ramp. “If there is any danger, head back to the cruiser.”

She nodded. “I understand.”

He took a long draw of breath. If there was something wrong with it, he would rather find out now; at least that way he could quickly close the hatch and use the decon’ override to sweep the cruiser of poisons, but apart from a sweetness in the air, it smelt fine.

One last check of the meter, and he said, “All good, let’s go.”

They walked slowly down the ramp. Malik taking big gulps of air, sweet, very sweet. But he felt good, the oxygen in the air making him feel rejuvenated after such a long time of breathing the recycled air of the ship. Next to him, Chrissi walked, looking around in awe.

“Like it?” he asked.

“Love it,” she said. “The flowers are so pretty.”

She headed over to them, using her meter to check the air, and then she reached out and touched one, bending down to smell it. Instantly her face paled, her hands shaking, and her lips turning blue.

Malik reached her just as her legs buckled under her, and caught her, breaking her fall. “Chrissi!”

He took her oxygen mask out of her hand and placed it over her mouth and nose, doing the same with his own and then pumping the air into her. She didn’t respond.

Scooping her up in his arms, he carried her back to the ship, shutting the ramp while placing her on the floor. No sign of breath. After all the joking about him dying, he had never really thought it a possibility. Especially not Chrissi dying, she was so full of life, and so full of hope. To lose her now, when their new life together had only just begun, would be terrible.

Malik checked her airways. They were clear, but no air was going in, so he did what the sim had taught him, when he had covered lifesaving skills needed for humans. Holding her nose, he bent down and placed his mouth against hers, tasting her lips as he had wanted to taste them for weeks.

She didn’t move, and the familiar rise and fall of her chest was gone. Malik had not felt such loss since the death of his father so many years ago. Yet now it came back to him, the sadness, the knowing he would never speak to her again, and the aloneness of being out in the vast universe, such a long way from home.

“Breathe,” he said, and once more he took in air and transferred it into her lungs.

“Please breathe.” He put his fingers on her pulse and felt the thread of it; it gave him hope. Again and again, he breathed into her lungs.

And then she coughed, her eyes fluttering. She was back with him; he wasn't alone anymore.

His lips were pressed against hers. She felt the warmth of them and something else, something more, a slight buzzing of electricity passing between them. Was this what had brought her back?

She coughed and sat up, feeling a rawness in her throat. “The flowers,” she gasped. “It was like some kind of poison, my throat seemed to swell up.”

“You are safe now,” he said. “Open your mouth and let me look.”

She did as he asked, tilting her head back for him to look down her throat.

“It seems clear now. But I think we can definitely say this planet is uninhabitable,” Malik said, and she felt a surge of disappointment.

“We’ve failed,” she said.

“No, we have narrowed the search by eliminating this planet, and now we move on to the next one,” he said, getting up and reaching down, offering her his hand.

“And how far away is that?” she asked, the thought of having to spend more weeks on board the cruiser almost too much. Her excitement had been overwhelming, and now her disappointment was just as strong.

“I’ll check, as soon as you have had a drink of water and I have made sure you are quite well,” he said, keeping her hand in his as he led her to the kitchen there he poured her some water and stood patiently while she drank it. “Now we go to the bedroom.”

Her heart thudded in her chest and her stomach flipped over at his words: another overreaction. He only wanted to check her vital signs.

“Your heart rate is elevated, but that could be an adrenaline rush. Your blood gases are fine, so I think you will make a full recovery,” he said, looking as relieved as she felt.

“I bet you were happy to think you would have a quiet voyage home alone,” she said, unable to resist the urge to push him for a reaction. She got one, his face flickered orange, and then blue spilled out, until he turned aside on the pretence of putting the medical kit away.

When he turned back to her, his emotions were under control but his expression, particularly his eyes, gave away the truth. “I hope that my actions or my words never make you think I do not want you, Chrissi. I know we have not consummated our relationship, and I know we will have to before we return to Karal. If not, then they may think we are not compatible.”

“Are we compatible, Malik?” she asked, and his colours flashed across his face once more, giving her a more truthful answer than she could have dared hope for.

Rising, she went to him, placing her hand on his cheek and feeling the shock of electricity spark between them. Then she stood on tiptoes and placed her lips on his. For a moment he stood still, impassive, and then his arm went around her and he pulled her close, their bodies pressed together, her curves melding themselves to his toned body. His lips moved, and his tongue slid along her lower lip, igniting the flames of desire that had been waiting for this first spark to bring them to life.

She sighed, content to be here with him, to be his woman. This is what she had been waiting for. The weeks of living side by side with him had made her comfortable around him, and she was thankful he had never pressed her for sex before. Now it was natural, and when he eventually took her to bed, it would be right. It would be a choice.

But instead he pulled away. “We need to leave.”

“Couldn’t we stay for a little while?” she asked.

“No, I am worried that whatever is in those flowers may get inside our life-support system, so we must leave now.” He took a step back, his hand touching hers, and then he turned and left her alone with her thoughts and the need to be more to him than he might ever want her to be.

She went to the small closet and got out a new pair of overalls. He was right, they couldn’t risk the poison getting into the ship’s air supply; it would kill them. So she stripped down and entered the small decon’ unit that doubled as a bathroom. Then she dressed, all the time trying not to think of how good it felt when he had kissed her.

“Are you OK?” he asked, knocking lightly on the door.

“Yes,” she said, again feeling a surge of hope. He had come looking for her, so he must still be worried, he must care. Of course he did, he had talked about consummating their relationship, so maybe she would have to be a bit more forthright in her advances from now on.

Yes, now she had made up her mind she was ready for the relationship to become stronger, she might have to be the one who imitated sex. He was a virgin just the same as her, even if he had been with a sim, because what was a simulation next to the real thing? Next to her?

Programmed to please
. That was not helpful, she would be able to satisfy him.

“Are you ready to come out?” he asked.

“Coming now,” she said, opening the bathroom door, and seeing the reds and golds crossing his face, making her ask, “What do you look so happy about?”

“I am ready to take off and leave here. But while I was powering up, I received some readings from another mission. It must have passed near enough to a wormhole with a transponder link.”

“That’s great, so we are not out here alone?” she said.

“No, that’s not why I am happy,” he said, leaning forward and kissing her on the cheek, making her senses flare.

“Then what is making you happy?” she asked, and then felt deflated. “Are they going to join us, do we have to rendezvous with them?”

“No. Stop asking questions for one minute and come and take a look,” he said, and took her hand, pulling her to the control deck. “Here, see. They have found a planet, a habitable planet.”

She sat down in her seat and stared at the information on the screen. “So we are going to go home? Our mission is over?” she asked.

“Yes, but I thought we could go on a detour.”

“A detour,” she asked.

“Yes, why don’t we go to the planet and take some more readings. The more information we can gather the better.”

“You mean we are actually going to land?” she asked. “On this new planet?”

“Yes, why not? We are only a day’s journey away, if we fly here,” he pointed at the screen, “and open up a wormhole here.”

“That means nothing to me, but I am more than happy to go where ever you say, Malik,” she said.

“Then let’s go. As long as you feel well. If there are any residual side effects, we should return straight to Karal.”

“I feel fine, and it is only a day extra, I think perhaps some nice fresh air will certainly get rid of this sore throat. Just think, we’ll be able to walk on the ground, and maybe drink fresh water. I try not to think of what exactly I am drinking though the recycler,” she said.

Malik slid into his seat. “Buckle up, we are going to take off immediately.”

She did the seatbelt up, and prepared for take-off, taking one last look at the planet that lay beneath them: so beautiful, and yet potentially deadly to the human race.

But now they were going to a new planet, one they already knew was safe, and Chrissi could just imagine her and Malik relaxing for a day or two there, and letting their relationship grow deeper.

Much deeper.

Malik set the course, and they began the short journey to the wormhole they would need to open in order to get to the new planet. He spent a couple of hours going over the life support readings, and then checked the beacons were ready to be deployed.

“Here,” he said to Chrissi. “Come and watch how the beacons work.”

“This isn't another one of those
in case anything happens to me
talks is it? Because I think I have proved that if anything is going to happen, it will be to me,” she said, hoarsely.

“No, I just want you to be familiar with everything, and I thought you might enjoy it,” he said, and he pulled her onto his lap, making her gasp with surprise. His hand went around her waist, and he pulled her back against him, wanting her to know how much he desired her. Somewhere on this journey they had developed a friendship, and he wanted to take it further. For many days he had wondered if she felt the same. After today, he knew she did too, it had been obvious in the way she pressed her lips and her body against his.

“There are a lot of things I might enjoy,” she said, turning her face to his.

Malik stroked her cheek, feeling the heat creep across her skin. She might not have the same colours in her skin, but it didn’t stop her telling him exactly what she was feeling, without words. He tilted her chin, her face close to his, their lips hovering together, and then he kissed her lightly, asking her if she wanted more. She did.

She sighed, her body relaxing into his, and he deepened the kiss, tasting her and finding her so sweet, and so addictive. For Malik, it was a revelation: the more he had of her, the more he wanted. At first her company had been enough, her voice, seeing her every day, was enough, and then touching her, their hands brushing as she passed him a bowl of food. But today, when he had breathed life back into her, that had made him want her so much more.

“The beacons,” she said softly. “Because as much as I like sitting here and kissing you,” she wriggled in his lap, exciting his cock until he thought he would come right then, “I would really like for us to continue this on the planet.”

“That is a wonderful idea,” he said,

“So how do these beacons work?” she asked.

“We have to deploy them. So we wait until we are close enough, and the computer will pick up the disturbance in space, like a tear. Here, see,” he said pointing to the screen.

“And then what?” she asked, fascinated by what he was showing her. There on the screen was the smallest of imperfections in space. It was hard to believe that behind the tear was a wormhole big enough for their cruiser to pass through.

“You wait until the light over there turns green and then you press this button.” He took her hand, feeling her tremble just a little as he guided her finger towards the switch. “Don’t be frightened.”

“I'm not,” she whispered, and again she trembled, sending shock waves through his body. Damn, he wanted her. Right now he could take her back to the bed they had shared for so many nights and make love to her, put a child in her belly and damn going to this planet.

“Now,” he said and together they deployed the beacons. Before them there was a blinding flash and in the distance they could see the change in space, the colourful flashes as the wormhole opened before them, and then they entered it, the ship spinning, and he had to put his arms around her and hold her tightly against him to stop her falling.