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  Violette wiggled as she tried to loosen his hold on her. He walked faster. Finding the access hatch to the pod, he lowered her to the floor. It was a mistake. She pushed back with her feet, slamming him into the metal wall. Her teeth bit into his hand, and he jerked it away from her mouth.

  “I’m trying to help you.” He managed to spin the handle on the hatch and pull it open.

  “Take the pod and go before the others hear what you’re up to. They’ll kill you, and I won’t be able to stop them.” She didn’t scream for help but kept her voice quiet. His hold on her waist tightened. “I want you off my ship.”

  Dev reached his hand into the open hatch and felt around for the handheld medic unit that should have been anchored to the wall. “I’m working on it.”

  Finding the unit, he glanced at it to see which model it was before pushing the buttons in a memorized sequence. He pulled it from the wall.

  “I’m not after you, Dev. You can let me go. I won’t stop you from leaving. All I want is Jossel—”

  Dev pushed the medic unit against her arm, and she instantly stopped talking. He caught her and held her to his chest. “I’m sorry it has to be like this, but I can’t let you hurt my family.”

  She didn’t hear him. The sedative would make her sleep. Dev leaned over and carried her through the hatch. He placed her hand on the security scanner before programming the pod for a silent escape. The crew wouldn’t know they’d left until they were well away from scannable airspace.

  He set her gently in the co-pilot chair and strapped her in. The pod was small, almost too small for the both of them. The pilot’s seat was a tight fit, but he figured comfort wasn’t the designer’s primary concern when creating safety features. He began launch sequences and disengaged the pod from the main ship. Then, he programmed the autopilot to head toward the nearest sustainable planet. As far as where they would land it was pretty much luck of the draw. But since pods weren’t meant to sustain two people over long distances, it was a chance he needed to take.

  “Sit back, relax, and enjoy the jettison through space,” he said though Violette wasn’t in a condition to answer him.

  Chapter 14

  Erris Settlement, Planet of Murkernal

  “You senseless rocketboy,” Violette swore in what sounded like drunken garble. She automatically lunged up from her chair to smack Dev across the face. He leaned back, dodging the blow. Swaying on unsteady feet with the lingering effects of the sedative he’d given her, she stumbled against the door of the pod. When he reached to help her, she slapped at his hand. “What did you do?”

  “What I had to.” The height wasn’t designed for a man of his size, and he had to hunch over in the pod. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.”

  She lifted her chin into the air and smashed her hand against her mouth. Drool had slid from her lips. “Ugh, how much did you give me? For the record, I’m not a mammoth.”

  “Auto inject,” he answered. “So whatever dosage was safe.”

  “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “You would have come with me willingly?” Dev chuckled.

  “Fine. You had to do that.” Her head cleared by small degrees. “Did you say you’d keep me safe? I don’t need you to protect me.”

  “As you wish, my lady.” He gave her a half-smile. Why did he have to be sexy at this moment? She didn’t want him to be agreeable or sexy. She wanted him to argue with her so she could hate him.

  “Stow it. Calling me that is just bizarre.” She sat back down in the co-pilot chair and took several deep breaths. Her limbs tingled, and her muscles felt weak. “I don’t even know what I’m doing here. You could have crept off my ship while I was sleeping. And, for the record, I was going to drop you off. There was no reason for you to make me your prisoner. I would have kept my word.”

  “Yes, you would have let me go. But then you would have tried to follow me to Josselyn. How long until you attempted to imbed some Federation tracker in me? I couldn’t trust you not to attempt something. You’ve made your intentions clear.” Dev again reached for the control panel to continue what he’d been doing before Violette failed to punch him. She leaned over to read the viewing screen.

  “Why in all the star blazes did you bring us to Murkernal?” Violette closed her eyes. The ship felt as if it rocked, but she knew they had already landed.

  “You know this place?” He glanced back at her.

  “You don’t know this place?”

  “It was the closest planet that sustained humanoid lifeforms, and it was marked as non-hostile. We should be right outside a settlement. We’ll be able to find somewhere to stay while we wait for my crew to pick us up. Someone will always barter for what we need.”

  “In the Erris Settlement?” She gave a small laugh. This was almost too perfect. “This would make you the worst captor in history.”

  “Location looks tame enough,” he stated, making his judgment off the specs he was reading. “We should be able to procure food.”

  “There was food on my ship,” she answered, just to be contrary.

  Dev ignored the comment. He reached to open the hatch. “Let’s go, not-a-lady.”

  She grimaced. “Food and then what?”

  “We wait for my ship to answer my beacon.” Cool air blew into the pod as he pushed open the hatch. He reached his hand toward her. “There is not enough fuel for a takeoff, so you might as well come with me and stop trying to come up with an escape plan. I see your mind working. Try to relax and enjoy this vacation away from being captain.”

  “Oh, I won’t need a plan.”

  “I borrowed your hand for the bio-scanner while you were sleeping. I changed the ship’s frequency, and the homing device has been deactivated.” He lifted a small yellow unit with wires hanging from it to show he’d ripped the device from the pod. “Odds are like a billion-to-one that your ship will find our new distress frequency before my crew hears it.”

  Blast it! All right, so she did need a plan.

  She tried not to let her irritation show. “Doesn’t matter. I can handle myself.”

  Violette pushed out of her chair, prompting him to open the hatch all the way. Murkernal’s surface hardly inspired fear. Tall, slender trees covered in deep green moss enclosed a lush field. Shards of orange-tinted grass reached their waists as they stepped out into the field. Nearby she detected a void in the orange, a narrow walking path cut from one side of the forest to the other.

  “Erris Settlement is this way,” Dev motioned. He closed the hatch to secure the pod.

  Violette smirked. “Don’t worry. I’m sure the locals will find us.”

  * * *

  Something in Violette’s amused expression worried Dev. She appeared confident, but he doubted she’d share her thoughts with him. He glanced around the waving shards of orange, but the field looked empty. According to the pod’s records, this planet was friendly enough. No mention of religious zealots. No mention of valuable Federation trade. No mention of fierce beasts. It was just a small planet in a universe filled with small planets. Nothing special.

  Dev took a step toward the path, crushing the grass as he moved. Seeds from the stalks brushed onto his clothing. He listened to make sure Violette followed him while keeping himself in front of her to protect her from anything that might come out of the woods. Strange whistling noises started in low, steady tones originating from multiple sources. He glanced back at Violette. She merely smiled at him. That couldn’t be a good sign.

  He tensed, as the noise grew louder. The grasses began to sway violently along the path. He tried to see what was coming, but the motion turned and came directly at them. Dev reached to grab Violette by the arm and began retreating toward the pod. She cooperated about as much as he could expect. Her heels dug as she pulled in the opposite direction.

  “Now is not the time to be stubborn. Let me protect you. We’re fighting blind,” he said, more concerned for her than for himself. It was his duty to safeguard her. “Back
to a defensive position.”

  It was too late. The whistling creatures began to encircle them. The grasses parted enough to give hints of pale colors—pinks, purples, soft blues. Violette jerked her arm free and lifted her hands up into the air. She gave a low series of whistles. The creatures moved around her, causing the grass to spread like current. The stalks became only slightly trampled in their wake.

  Since the creatures bypassed Violette, Dev took his cue and lifted his arms like she did. But, instead of running around him like a grassy current, he felt miniature hands grab hold of his pants.

  “Ooo,” tiny voices said in unison before breaking off into a chorus of, “You brought us a big one,” and, “Welcome, strangers.”

  Round heads emerged from the weeds as the locals climbed his legs, almost fighting each other in their excitement to look at him. Slender arms pulled up narrow bodies. The colors he’d seen were the fuzzy hair on their heads. When they weren’t speaking in the Old Star language he could understand, they were making the whistling noises.

  “Big.”

  “Stranger, welcome.”

  “Big.”

  Violette’s laughter rang out over him. He glanced over to her. “Stellar job protecting me, by the way.” She grinned and moved about the grasses, looking down to watch where she stepped. “Told you that you were the worst kidnapper ever.”

  “Where are you going?” Dev shook his leg, not wanting to hurt the little aliens, but unsure how to get them to stop licking orange grass seeds off his pant legs. The bizarre show of affection was making him uncomfortable. “Don’t leave me.”

  “Aw, look, they like you.” Violette continued moving toward the path. “I think you made friends.”

  “So big.” One had crawled to press his face close to Dev’s. Large eyes tried to gaze into his. Tiny fingers held his cheeks. “A welcome stranger.”

  “Violette,” Dev said, the word more like an order than a plea. “Help me.”

  “No,” she answered.

  “Yes, greetings,” Dev muttered, pulling the hands from the sides of his nose, and then from his chin, and this ear, and then fingers from reaching inside his nose. He was too scared to move, afraid he’d accidentally hurt one of them. To Violette, he yelled, “Why aren’t they scared of me?” before adding almost desperately, “Tell them I’m a demon. Tell them I eat souls. Violette, please!”

  Being feared would be easier than this.

  “I don’t think they care.” Violette made it to the path. “I’d like to point out that I could escape right now.”

  Dev tried prying a pair of hands off his chest. Once he released them, another set landed in their place.

  “Do you really want my help?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he stated without hesitance.

  “Then say that I’m the superior adversary.”

  “What?” The stimulus of many hands on his body wasn’t something he was used to. They were petting him, caressing him, licking seeds off him and off each other.

  “Tell me I’m superior,” she stated again.

  “Fine. You’re superior. You bested me. You could escape right now.” Dev was about two seconds away from shaking the creatures off his body by force. “You’re attractive and smart and superior and—”

  “Now apologize for drugging me.”

  “I apologize,” he answered. “I should have found a better way.”

  Violette gave a whistle. The locals stopped pawing at him and turned their attention toward her. “We’re here to help.”

  Violette continued to whistle a song as she strode down the path. The little creatures smiled as they climbed off Dev and then ran through the field to follow her. They disappeared beneath the taller stalks only to emerge on the pathway emitting their low whistles. Dev followed slowly, pushing blades of grass so that he didn’t accidentally step on a straggler.

  He rubbed his arms, trying to erase the feeling of being pawed. The pastel-headed creatures followed Violette, skipping on narrow legs and swinging slender arms. The strange musical noise they made appeared to squeeze from their lungs with each step, whistling out of the bumps of their noses. They emanated a kind of pure joy he’d never seen.

  “Violette,” Dev called after her, wanting to catch up.

  “Worst kidnapper ever!” she yelled back, not breaking stride.

  Chapter 15

  Before today, Violette had only seen pictures of the Murkernal natives in her father’s archives. Part of her lessons had included alien cultures. She always had the impression he wanted her to be a Federation diplomat. Instead, she captained a crew and made space runs as an independent contractor. When the general had been in charge of Rifflen, she was also allowed certain privileges on the base that most civilians wouldn’t have access to. It was how Dev was able to obtain Federation records inside her pod about the planet that he might not otherwise have been able to see.

  When they held still, the Murkernals looked like sticks in woven jumpsuits with a round ball for a head on top. They were a harmless, playful race on a planet that had no real value to anyone but them. They also had a fondness for any traveler bigger than they were. Dev, being of considerable size, naturally caught their eager attention. For a moment, she’d considered running off while he was swarmed. She suspected he wouldn’t hurt the locals. Despite his gruff manners, he was very gentle with them. It was his pleading, helpless eyes, in the midst of all their friendliness that had made her stay.

  Earlier, she hadn’t stopped to wonder about how he stiffened for a fleeting second each time she touched him. Seeing his expression in light of the Murkernals playfulness, she felt sorry for him. He wasn’t used to receiving affection.

  Even now, the natives followed him around their small village, gazing up at him, trying to hold onto his pant legs. They made it difficult for the big demon man to walk. Violette found it adorable.

  Evening skies cast the planet in a red and orange light. Streaks of purple outlined the horizon. There were no homes, no buildings, no communication towers, only low-hung canopies that stretched over a clearing and inadequately hid a wooden door on the ground. Dev couldn’t have picked a more out of the way location to elude her crew. Who would think to look for them here?

  “How exactly are we here to help?” Dev asked. Before she could answer, the natives ran to a large tree and lifted their arms, jumping excitedly. They were too short to reach the branches, and when they tried to climb the slick trunk, they slid down.

  Violette exchanged a look with Dev before nodding toward the tree. He slowly approached, hesitated, and then gently grabbed a local with blue hair and lifted him up. The whistling became more pronounced as the Murkernal kicked his feet in excitement.

  Violette stepped back from the gathering crowd, not taking her eyes off Dev. The local reached into the tree limbs to retrieve a large berry. He jerked impatiently as Dev lowered him back to the ground. Instead of lifting another one, Dev reached into the tree and began picking fruit. He handed the food down to his enthusiastic followers, who then ran away to eat. When everyone had been fed, she approached Dev.

  “You’ve made the settlement very happy.” She reached into the tree and took a piece of fruit. She sniffed it but didn’t eat.

  “This planet is…” Dev glanced to where the Murkernals scrambled under the canopy. They beat their feet against the ground, digging a hole straight down to bury their bodies until only their heads were above the earth. Cheeks moved as they sucked the fruit. Dev tilted his head to better see them. “I have seen many races, but these—”

  “Murkernals,” Violette supplied.

  “—Murkernals are very strange beings.”

  “I think they’re cute.” Violette tossed the fruit into the air in front of him. Dev automatically caught it. “I’m not sure we should find food here. I’ll stick with the foil packs.”

  “Scared?” He arched a brow and made a move to bring it to his mouth.

  “Smart,” she corrected. “I’ve seen what the
Da’Na virus in non-regulated food can do to a person. You might like liquefied insides, but this,” she gestured impishly to her face, “is too pretty for stink pustules.”

  Dev grinned and placed the piece of fruit on the ground, leaving it uneaten.

  “I’m going to the pod,” she said. “I’ll be back.”

  “How about I go with you?”

  It wasn’t a request. She chuckled. “Worried I’ll reset your communication signal?”

  Violette had thought about trying. She might even succeed in doing so. However, she had an excellent reason not to. This adventure gave her the chance to find Josselyn when his crew came to retrieve him.

  “No.” He nodded that she should walk.

  “If I were going to try to fly the pod, I would have left earlier.” She leaned over to look under the canopy to the contented heads poking out of the ground. Violette took a deep breath. She envied the odd simplicity of the Murkernals. One visiting giant handed them pieces of fruit and they were ecstatic. She couldn’t imagine anything that would make her that happy. She looked up at Dev. Maybe he’d give her a slice of happy-fruit. “Would it be so bad if I stranded you here? You could live like a god.”

  He again gestured that she walk with him. “I already have a job.”

  For a moment, she had forgotten who they were. Her smile fell some, and they walked I silence over the path to the field of orange grasses. The pod was just as they’d left it. Violette grabbed foil packs out of a side compartment. Dev took the emergency kit.

  “There has to be something we can eat besides sludge,” Dev muttered, eyeing the packs. “I never thought I’d say I miss a food simulator.”

  “At least, these have nutrients. Simulated food. The name says it all.” Violette wasn’t sure why she was defending the foil pack of all things.

  “Forgive me. I did not mean to insult your childhood traditions.” Dev swept his feet as he walked, looking through the grass as they made their way back to the darkening path.