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With the brave Captain Lis Flynn in his arms, he slid into the passenger’s seat with infinite care, settling the warm weight of his beautiful mate on his lap.
“Let’s go,” he said to Navi, wrapping protective arms around her.
Covered in a layer of quick-fix patches, she felt so delicate and breakable. Was this typical of her species? Despite a fierce glare and a sharp tongue, these humans didn’t seem to have much in the way of natural protections. Covered with a light sprinkle of hair over most of their body, their skin was soft and easily damaged. Those flat teeth were no good for ripping or tearing. Plus, they were short and rather scrawny. How had they survived long enough to reach the stars? There must be something he was missing.
But he had no doubt his mate was an ideal representative of her people, with her trim, athletic form; high arched brows; and plush red lips offering temptation that was hard to resist.
He tucked the shirt’s extra fabric beneath her thighs like a blanket, holding her close. “Don’t you worry, my mate. I’ll protect you.” He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head and gathered her close as they sped towards Toro, leaving the gang of trolls and the remains of her ship behind them.
6
LIS
She was trapped again, this time strapped to a flat surface and wearing something light that crinkled when she moved. Something not her spacesuit. Entombed, sealed in a smooth dome covered in blinking patterns of colorful light. Her breath puffed out in short bursts as she fought back panic.
Flailing, she yanked at the wide bindings on her wrists and ankles. Who put her here? What did they want? She needed to get out of here.
Last thing she remembered was getting verbal confirmation of the absolute SNAFU her life had become and passing out in the hot alien’s arms. An image of Nox, scarred, leather-clad and sexy as hell, popped into her brain, watching her with wicked intensity. Well, fuck, she thought. Now my heart’s racing for a different reason. If she’d met him in a bar back home, she absolutely would have finished off the night in his bed.
But this was a different planet. A different galaxy. Did they even have bars here? They had to, right? After all, what sentient being didn’t need a drink after a shitty day?
Her ping-ponging thoughts were not helping the situation. She needed to focus. She’d landed a next-gen F-35 Lightning IV with a blown engine on an aircraft carrier in the middle of a typhoon. Hell, she crash landed an experimental aircraft on an alien planet, for fuck’s sake. Remember your training, Lis, she reminded herself. She took several slow, deep breaths and wiggled her toes and fingers to push back the stress reaction.
Raising her voice, she said, “Hey, anyone there? Let me out.”
The tube’s lights dimmed. With a sharp click, a line split the tube down the middle, the curved slides folding beneath the slab with a quiet whirr.
And waiting for her in what looked like a high-tech hospital room was the hot alien. Nox. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as a pulse of heat shot through her at the mere sight of him. She blinked, nonplussed.
“You’re awake. Thank the gods.” Nox rose from the chair at her side and stretched out a hand as if he was about to touch her. Clearing his throat, he pulled back, curling his fingers. “How are you feeling?”
“A bit like a sacrificial lamb here.” She tugged at the bindings fastened to her wrist.
“Ah,” he said, noting her dilemma. “I’ve got you.” Leaning over her, a hand braced by her shoulder, he reached behind her head, his tight black shirt riding up to flash some impressive abdominal muscles.
Her mouth may have watered a little.
An odd whooshing sound preceded a light, feminine voice. “Sorry about that.” The speaker bustled around the room, opening drawers and rattling things. “Sometimes when patients come out of a medi-bed treatment, they’re disoriented. The straps are there to ensure they don’t re-injure themselves.” The straps clicked off, retracting into the slab.
Nox leaned close, his head inches from hers as he loomed over her. “You okay?” he asked, concern in his dark green eyes.
The smell of him invaded her senses, worn leather blending with a scent she couldn’t quite place. It felt like home. Tears prickled against her lids, and she took a shaky breath, drawing him deeper into her lungs.
Remembering he asked her a question, she blinked hard and nodded. “I’m good.” Her eyes widened as she did an internal assessment. The pain was gone. “Actually, scratch that. I feel amazing.” She felt like she’d had a full eight hours of sleep after a perfect day at the lake — energized, sharp, and back to her old self. An idealized version, even.
She reached up a hand and cupped his face. “Why do I feel like I know you?” she whispered.
He tipped his head, nuzzling against her hand, the light rasp of his stubble tickling her palm.
Suddenly feeling far too vulnerable, she grabbed his arms, using him as leverage to sit up on the slab. The too-large hospital gown slid off a shoulder. His eye flicked down then back up, but otherwise, he didn’t move, his big body caging hers, surrounding her with his intoxicating scent and welcome warmth. His rock-hard biceps flexed beneath her touch. Surreptitiously, she took another deep breath, filling her lungs with the smell of him, the last of her tension draining away.
He put a hand on her bare shoulder, his thumb stroking her collarbone as he looked at her with concern in those deep green eyes of his. “I don’t think you should be moving yet.”
The other person in the room spoke up. “It’s fine, Nox.” A tall, curvy woman with dark copper skin, her shining black hair twisted up in a sensible knot on the top of her head, bustled into view. “You got her stabilized and brought her here. Between that and her time in the medi-bed, I have no doubt she can handle sitting up all by herself.” She bumped Nox aside with her hip and inserted herself between them.
“Good evening, Lis. I’m Sona,” she said, a steady hand at Lis’s elbow as she swung her bare legs over the side of the table. “Or Doctor Vedure, if you prefer formality.” She flashed a light in Lis’s eyes with a satisfied hum. Sona then double-tapped her wrist, hologram with text Lis couldn’t read popped up to hover over her palm.
The short gown crinkled as Lis reached out and poked at the image. It didn’t so much as flicker. “Oh, that’s cool.”
