Fenturi Fate (Spacestalker Saga Book 1) Page 8

  Just then a low growl rumbled through the room, and the intruders froze. Dare could feel Mra stalking the room and used her Fenturi inner senses to detect Mra’s movements—invisible to the naked eye, but not to the Fenturi to whom she’d bonded.

  “Whatever it is, call it off or I’ll blast it. And trust that I will find it, even if I have to shoot through all of you to do it,” Green Eyes promised with a throaty growl. Dare glared at him but didn’t want to chance Mra and the others’ safety.

  “Mra, leave off,” she warned and sent the guidecat a mental note. Go back to your jungle and wait there. You may provide us help yet.

  She could only wait and watch, keeping her expression blank as Mra ignored her and moved quietly toward Green Eyes. To Dare’s amazement, the cat made no noise and only sniffed curiously at his feet before turning on her tail and sauntering back out the door, all while still invisible.

  “Don’t move,” Green Eyes ordered, and Dare watched as the weapons turned as one toward her. Careful to stay out of the line of fire, Green Eyes stepped around her and pushed her against the wall, face first. He spread her feet apart and put his hands on her shoulders.

  “What are you doing?” She tried to turn around, but his hands tightened on her shoulders, and his large body pressed her against the wall, so that she was unable to move.

  “Now, my little Kre cat,” he said softly in her ear, “I’m going to make sure you don’t have any other weapons on you. One move out of line and I’ll have to injure the pretty little redhead over there. You don’t want that now, do you?”

  Dare turned her blazing eyes to meet his calm ones and clenched her jaw tight. “I’m going to make you pay for this.”

  “Promises, promises,” he said with a husky laugh. Then he placed her hands above her head on the wall. “Don’t move,” he added, no longer amused, but merciless.

  She felt a curious warmth as his hands roved thoroughly over her body.

  “Watch it,” she warned and cursed him a time or two to watch his hands. A curious heat invaded her, that need for something out of reach. Her breasts felt heavy, her stomach fluttery, empty, and a tingle grew into a tease between her legs. Goddess, what is he doing to me? After what felt like forever, he turned her to face him and stepped back, allowing her room to move.

  He had an odd glint in his eyes, a flash of green that seemed to shine with an inner purple light, and Dare felt her own eyes burning.

  With the need to make him pay, she told herself, yet her gaze strayed to his mouth…and lingered.

  “Okay, sweetness.” He smirked, and she heard his crew chuckle. “Let’s try this again.” He moved back and nodded to her to sit on a nearby chair.

  She would have launched herself at him, but he cocked an eyebrow at her and glanced down at her Ton his hand. She refused to let her temper override her sense of preservation, especially since the twins turned their weapons back on her crew.

  “Very good,” Green Eyes drawled. “I’m Captain of the Eyshan6, a Legion patrol looking for some very important people. It’s curious that we couldn’t seem to contact you on Rovi. We must have just missed your transport,” he mused as he stared at her two unconscious crewmembers.

  “Why are you hassling us?” Dare spat.

  “What do you have to hide?” Ren retorted. “Your man over there…” he motioned to Jace “…was extremely unpleasant upon our arrival.” He stared at Jace with clear menace, causing Dare to reassess the danger potential in the man.

  “Just tell me what you want,” Dare bit through clenched teeth, aching to hold onto her patience. “Look, the sooner I give you what you want, the sooner you’re off my ship and bothering some other law-abiding System member.”

  “Now that attitude I like.” The captain stared at her. “Glad to see that Shorhu bite didn’t do any damage,” he added, studying her. Any hope that he might have forgotten the incident on Vembi or not recognize her faded.

  “Can I at least tend to my crew? Or Shea can do it.” She looked at Jace and Roc.

  He nodded but clamped a large hand on her arm forestalling her from getting any closer to her men. “Let Shea do it. Nesh, Ned? Watch the Lynaran.”

  The giant twins moved alongside Shea as she raced to Roc’s side. After a moment, she seemed to relax. Shea glared at her captors before moving to Jace, then she nodded at Dare. “They’re okay.”

  “Nesh, Ned?” the captain said. “Make sure Shea doesn’t do anything foolish when you escort her and the men back to her quarters. Then lock them in until I’m finished here.”

  Dare watched in amazement as the twins easily hefted both Jace and Roc over their shoulders and nudged Shea to precede them. The mustached man leaned back against a bulkhead, keeping a wary eye on her, while the captain watched her.

  “Captain,” Dare began with a tenuous leash on her control, “suppose you tell me what this is really about. You and your men aren’t typical Legionnaires. And since no one on my ship has been involved in anything illegal,” she lied through her teeth, “I can’t possibly know what you want from us.”

  He gave her a lingering once-over that left no imagination as to what he wanted, what he’d like to be doing to her. Dare knew that look, had been its recipient plenty of times before. But instead of feeling insulted, Dare felt an odd…arousal…inside her flaring out, seeking the source of her need.

  Not going there, she told herself and quashed the carnal curiosity before it could rage out of control. She glared at Green Eyes—the captain—and watched his lips curl into a surprising grin.

  “So you’re the captain of the infamous SpaceStalker, eh? Your ship and your exploits are legendary,” he murmured, his eyes a blazing green that beckoned her to look closer. “You know a lot of people in places where people don’t want to be known.” He paused, staring at her with such intensity she wondered if he could see into her soul. “What can you tell me about the Mari?”

  “The what?” Dare blinked. She’d been expecting an inquisition about the stolen beks, or at the least questioning about the gravity machine. “What’s a Mari?”

  He frowned. “Not a what, a who,” he explained. “You haven’t by chance heard of a lost Fenturi wandering throughout space, have you?”

  Dare purposefully kept her eyes glued to his even as her heart raced. “No. Not a lot of Fenturi around anymore,” she said bitingly. “But then I’m sure you’d know all about genocide, Legionnaire,” she said with a bitter sneer. Screw being polite. This guy was one of those who’d killed her people. Nothing she said would sway him from his purpose.

  “And wouldn’t the world be a better place without the prideful Fenturi?” he asked in an odd voice. His man grunted, and Dare took her gaze from her inquisitor long enough to note that mustached man kept a healthy distance from her position by the wall.

  “I don’t know of any Mari or Fenturi. So I’m afraid you’d best be going without the answers you seek,” Dare said with false sweetness.

  “There’s always that matter of the gravity machine we found below deck, and the funny question as to your newfound riches as well.” The captain held out a glitterstone bek for her inspection.

  Double damn and crap. “What the hels do you want?” Dare asked impatiently. “I don’t know any Mari. I can’t help you with the Fenturi. You’d know more about them than me anyway. We steer clear of the Motherworlds. Too many Legionnaires there to suit us.” A truth, of a kind.

  “You’re known for finding anything anyone hires you to find. Well, I’m hiring you to find me the Mari.” His deep voice brooked no compromise. Not good. “Except we’re working on a trade. I promise not to throw your sexy little ass on Nine and Dead, along with your stellar crew, and you get me the Mari.”

  “Why us?” She didn’t get it. “Plenty of Legion-lovers are floating in space dreaming about a chance to help out the System. You don’t need a beaten-down crew and ship to do Bylaran dirty work. What do you plan on doing with this Mari guy anyway? You going to torture him to death li
ke the rest of the Fenturi?”

  “Maybe.” He narrowed his gaze at her flippant words. “But that’s not your business, is it?” He took her chin in his hard grasp. “I need the Mari, and I need him now. You’re going to help me find him,” he promised. “But first, Castor?” The captain yanked Dare to her feet and followed Castor, keeping a firm hand on Dare and forcing her to precede him.

  They moved as a unit to Shea’s room, where Jace and Roc had regained consciousness. Ren shoved her into the room as well.

  “Your captain will tell you what this is all about soon. But right now I want you all stripping out of your shirts.”

  “What?” Shea shrieked. “I swear, any of you touch me and I’ll—”

  The captain interrupted, “Relax. This is about identifying, not compromising you.”

  Dare didn’t like this one bit. “What do you hope to find?”

  “A little fun, maybe,” one of the twins joked, and the other laughed aloud. Even Castor smirked as he looked from Dare to Shea and back again.

  “Just do it,” Castor ordered.

  As the men slowly removed their shirts, the captain studied their shoulders and backs carefully. Jace met Dare’s nervous gaze and subtly shook his head, but Ren caught the look. Before he could say anything, Dare’s hands moved to her shirt.

  As Jace turned his gaze downward, Dare knew what he’d told Shea to do without words. An emergency if ever there was one. Jace had never before used his telepathy with anyone but Dare.

  Shea and Dare removed their tops, clad only in thin undergarments leaving much of their backs and shoulders bare. They stood under the bold inspection of the Legionnaires.

  The captain looked dispassionately at Shea, then sighed. “You can put it back on. The men too.” But he hovered over Dare, as if expecting to see something more than her golden skin.

  He even went so far as to rub a calloused hand over her shoulders and frowned when nothing but silken skin remained unblemished.

  She felt that touch all the way to her core. Her entire body felt one like one giant nerve, and she had no idea what to do about it. A feck-all Legionnaire? Goddess. “Well? Can we dress?” Dare growled, doing her best not to fall at his feet and beg for more.

  What is wrong with me? I burn…

  The captain seemed bothered, but he nodded absently. He shook his head, seeming to come back to himself. “Don’t rush on my account.” His dark green gaze scorched her.

  Jace stared at the Legionnaire, and Dare watched worriedly as the captain suddenly frowned and put a hand to his head.

  Ease off, Jace. It’s obvious to me what you’re doing, and you don’t want the Legion knowing you’re a Psi.

  I’m not going to let this hot breath of wasted air tell us what to do. And I sure as hell won’t sit by while he looks at you like that, Jace mentally roared at her.

  Dare shrugged back into her overshirt and stepped forward to block Jace’s view of the captain. “Look, can we talk?” She motioned to the door for privacy, not ready for the way his eyes traced the gentle swell of her breasts exposed by her unfastened top.

  He shocked her by bringing the two edges of her shirt together with a soft snap. “You want to talk? Come with me.”

  Dare swallowed around a dry throat and followed him out of Shea’s room, walking past him toward the library. When he moved to stop her, she shrugged.

  “I wanted to talk to you in my library. Hey, go first if you want. I’ll wait here.” After he’d checked inside, he nodded for her to enter. She sensed one false move and he’d be all over her, so she’d bide her time.

  “Now what?” he asked as he leaned back against the closed door of the library, his arms crossed in front of his broad chest.

  “Now,” Dare paused, content that she’d gotten him away from Jace’s hostility and yet unsure what to do with him. “Maybe you’ll tell me what this is really about?” she asked hopefully. “The more information you give me about this Mari character, the better I’ll be able to help you.” She thought that sounded legitimate, but with this warrior who knew? “And maybe you could tell me your name?”

  The captain sighed but didn’t take his gaze from her. “I am Captain Garen, leader of the Stalkers, a special unit of the Legionnaires.”

  Oh boy. She’d heard of them. Badasses of the System, they never failed a mission. Just her luck he wanted her help.

  “You may call me Captain Ren, Captain, or my lord,” he tacked on with an unexpected grin that made her heart skip. Then it vanished as if it had never been. “The bottom line is that I need the Mari. In fact, it’s vital to your survival as well, and trust me when I tell you that’s not an empty threat.”

  He turned to the shelves of books and planetary volumes along the wall. “The Mari is needed by the Legion, alive. He’s no good to us dead.”

  “But why? And how will I know who this Mari character is? It’s obvious you don’t know what he looks like.”

  “He’s a Fenturi and can be identified by a blue marking on his shoulder, of two crossed crescent moons underlaid by two small circles.” Dare forced herself not to stiffen at his description. “That’s all I can tell you. Perhaps when you’ve fetched him for me I’ll tell you more. I want you to start your search on Rovi. My sources tell me he’s there as we speak. I thought at first…” he paused, though Dare knew what he’d been about to say.

  He’d thought at first that she or one of her crew were the Mari. She didn’t understand how he knew about her birthmark, but she was no Mari person. Not that he’d believe her. He’d definitely found a pureblooded Fenturi, not to mention a Fentra-Kre cat. Good thing she looked atypical and Mra kept invisible.

  She could do this, trick him about her identity while keeping him close enough to watch with caution.

  “I won’t ask any more questions.” Dare held her hand up in surrender. “And since you’re being so obliging by letting us live,” she said smiling brightly, though her eyes shot him full of daggers, “I’ll get started looking for him right away.”

  “I’ll have reports from you every three days, or I’ll turn you over to the Legion,” Ren threatened. “And don’t think to outrun me. We’re fitting you with a tracker. Remove it and your ship will incinerate.”

  “Bastard.”

  “So we’re clear.”

  Dare wanted to choke him, to wrap her hands around his thick neck and squeeze, then kiss—kill—him. “Fine,” she said in a gritty voice. “Now will you go?”

  His eyes darkened as he looked down at her, and again that odd flash of purple drew her to stare closer. “I’ll go, just as soon as I’m sure you understand my terms.”

  “I told you I—”

  He moved in a blur and yanked her into his arms. Then he bent his head and stole something vital from her—her will to resist.

  Stunned at the feel of his hard lips, Dare lost whatever fight she’d been about to make. Strange feelings possessed her limbs, and the need to struggle for freedom disappeared under his expert seduction.

  This kiss was nothing like the rare ones Jace gave her. This man, Ren, seemed to be testing her, tasting her willingness to succumb to him. Though Dare knew she should fight him, she found herself helplessly unable to counter his drugging embrace.

  His lips slanted over hers, encouraging deeper contact with his mouth. Lightheaded, Dare moaned when his tongue stole inside and touched her, the intimacy nearly her undoing. When her tongue stroked his accidentally, he groaned and drew her closer.

  Dare didn’t understand how he could manipulate her with just the touch of his lips. He tasted of spiced wine, a sweetness she found intoxicating. She wanted more.

  When he shifted, she felt him hard against her, his body like Rovi stone, powerful, unyielding, and hot. The man made her burn, and she found herself wanting what she couldn’t explain. He grabbed her hips and ground against her, and pure need blazed within that primal part of her.

  He finally pulled his mouth away, and as they gasped for air, he murmured s
omething against her neck before he kissed her there. Then he buried his face against her neck, and she swore she felt him inhaling her scent, tasting her with scent and touch as well. She should push him away. He was dangerous, and yet… Why did she want to pull him closer?

  Ren thought she tasted like sweet cream, smooth and addicting. He was consumed with a clawing desire, needing to join with her almost more than he needed breath. How had one kiss broken through his carefully constructed defenses? Ren took women when he felt the need, but never like this. As if he’d burn up if he didn’t get inside her.

  Dangerous, was all he could think as he still tasted her on his tongue. Wild and sweet and…his? He pulled away from her neck and her invasive scent to stare down at her, wondering what about her called to him. She was beautiful, true, but he’d been round the most gorgeous women in the System. None had her scent… He shook his head, bemused to focus so much on that aspect of her. That and the strange energy he could almost feel pulling at him.

  Ren called on every ounce of discipline in him to step away from the female. She appeared humanoid, but she obviously had something lethal inside her, something that made a man lose himself to his baser needs. He’d need to be careful around her.

  He took another step back and gritted his teeth against the compulsion to mount her and spill inside her, joining them as one. As if in withdrawal from a pleasure drug, he trembled and had to mask his worrisome need. Furious she thought to control him, he almost ordered her to cease upon threat of death.

  Then the enchantress opened her eyes and blinked up at him in stunned confusion, tempering his anger. The woman looked no more in control of herself than he felt.

  At least I am not the only one under this spell. She looked up at him in bewilderment and raised a hand to her lips. Since Ren didn’t know what had exactly had happened between them, he endeavored to make the most of her uncertainty.

  “I think we’re clear on one thing.” Unable to stop himself, he ran a finger over her silken cheek.

  “Wh-what’s that?”