Stealing the Dragon’s Heart by Kiersten Fay

18

Back in her room, Onnika banged her forehead into her pillow. “Why do I do the things I do?”

Occupying the bottom bunk, Caryn continued to lecture her. “You have to learn to quit while you’re ahead. One of these days you’re not going to be able to flirt or joke your way out of a situation.”

“Blasphemy!”

“I was always surprised that Tag went as easy on you as he did.”

That was only because he wanted her on a level that even he probably didn’t understand. Onnika would sense it on occasion; his desire for her to look at him and see a potential mate. Every time, she had to keep from yacking up her lunch.

Apparently, no one ever told him the way to a woman’s heart wasn’t with fifty thousand volts of electricity.

As a means of survival, however, Onnika played into Tag’s fantasy whenever was necessary, feeding him hope in small portions to stave off abuse. It was the only way to keep them safe, the only reason he’d never crossed the line with her or Caryn physically, and hadn’t let the others do so, either. He’d wanted her willing. A dream she believed he wouldn’t have abided by much longer.

Leaving him for dead likely stripped his hope for good, and with it, his tenuous protection, should they fall into his grasp again. Now the only way to keep her and Caryn safe was to make sure that never happened. She knew now that he must be after her. She had the sick feeling that Tag may have been stalking them before the chaos of the storm. Unless he’d perished in the tent collapse, he’d be at the next stop, waiting for them.

Onnika shuddered.

If she and Caryn had to go it alone again, they’d be that much more vulnerable…

But with a strong crew at their side…?

Damn. She let out a lengthy sigh. “I hate to say it, but I think the best place for us is on this ship,” she told Caryn. That meant she had to do something very, very uncharacteristic: mend relationships.

Caryn went quiet for a moment. “I think you might be right. But what if we don’t get any more vouchers? Maybe they’d make us stay with them until we do?” Her tone was hopeful, but Onnika suspected that even she knew she was being overly optimistic.

“That won’t work. Either way, Aidan still intends to leave us behind. That was the impression I got, anyway. He’s fed up with me. It seems like the others are swaying, though.”

“Yeah, until you stole Zeek’s knife. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking about protecting us. Tag is still out there.”

“I thought so. But to steal from Zeek? He was one of our biggest supporters, aside from Lear,” Caryn pointed out.

“Zeek is easy. He’ll forgive me. I’m more worried about the big guy. If I can get that silver bruiser on our side, maybe Aidan could be persuaded, too.”

“And how do you plan to do that?”

Onnika didn’t hesitate. “With the one thing we have in common: the desire to kick each other’s asses.”

“Six vouchers.” Zeek whistled from the bridge’s navigation console. Their takeoff from Nazzu’s atmosphere had been relatively smooth, and now they were well on their way to the next stop. “You think they can do it?”

“No one gets that many vouchers alone,” Aidan replied.

“Yes, but three each isn’t so bad. If they manage it, would you consider letting them stay?”

Asher swiveled in his seat. “You really want to keep those sticky-fingered mongrels around, even after they stole from you?”

Zeek just shrugged. “They’re not so bad. I got my knife back, didn’t I?”

Asher groused, “They are too meek for this competition. The little one never even entered a challenge. Isn’t that right, Lear?”

“Her name is Caryn,” Lear morosely clarified, then went quiet. He seemed to barely be listening to anything they said as he scanned their surroundings for enemies.

“They are untrustworthy,” Ash concluded, facing his console again.

Neither Zeek or Lear argued that one.

“Did you notice their holo-glam gear?” Zeek idly asked as he monitored their course.

Aidan sat up straighter. “What holo-glam gear?”

“The ear cuffs,” Zeek continued. “I only noticed back in the mess hall. They both wear them.”

Aidan had suspected they’d been lying about being Pakovian. He’d noticed Onnika’s ear cuffs too, but thought them nothing more than jewelry. In the bar, he recalled her jerking away from him when he’d reached out to touch one of her three-pointed ears. Now he was sure those points were not a feature she’d been born with.

What else about her looks was fabricated? Was holo-gear responsible for her breathtaking beauty, too?

Aidan glanced over at Lear, who looked troubled by this new revelation as well.

Holo-glam was primarily employed to enhance or alter an individual’s appearance. Women used it to cover blemishes or paint their faces without the need of expensive product, but Aidan was aware of more nefarious applications: It could be used to alter facial features entirely, and the tech was often exploited by criminals. Her words from earlier echoed in his mind. I’m not as bad as you’d like to think.

Even after everything, he’d wanted to believe that, but innocent people didn’t lie, steal, and sneak onto ships. Well, except for his old Captain’s mate Anya, who’d escaped a terrible fate by stowing away on Marada. Aidan had been the pilot at the time.

The reminder softened him somewhat. It was possible Onnika and Caryn really did have a good reason for using holo-glam, for stealing Zeek’s knife…and Aidan’s chips, for lying about their identifies…and for tricking their way into his crew….

That was a lot of dirty deeds to abide for such a short acquaintance.

Zeek rubbed his jaw. “If their story’s true about running from someone who wishes them harm, can we really blame them for anything they’ve done?”

“What are you saying? We should just forgive all their indiscretions?” Aidan asked. Gods, how I wish I could…

“No. But shouldn’t we be really sure about it before we just kick two helpless females off the ship?”

“Ha!” Asher bellowed. “Helpless? What about those two suggests they are in any way helpless? And who tries to save themselves by entering a deadly race?”

“And if they had no other choice?” Zeek argued.

“Then they made the wrong one. Their names and faces are constantly being blared over the live feed, as are the rest of ours. Anyone after them would know exactly where to find them.”

Jagged knots turned in Aidan’s stomach. Onnika claimed to have stolen Zeek’s knife for protection. Had she spotted her pursuer back on the surface of Nazzu? Was that why she’d been willing to risk her own life to find Caryn?

“Exactly,” Zeek replied. “If we leave them behind now, they’d be sitting ducks for anyone who’s looking for them.”

Aidan leaned back in his chair. “As Ash stated, they’re untrustworthy. What makes you think you can believe them now?”

“Maybe I just don’t feel right about abandoning a couple of damsels in distress.”

“Maybe you’re just a sucker,” Asher proposed.

“Possible,” Zeek conceded. “But I think we need more information.”

Aidan scrubbed a hand down his face. “And how do you suggest we get it? They’re not exactly forthcoming.”

Asher offered darkly, “I could get it out of them.”

Zeek shot him a skeptical look. “Based on historical evidence, I’d say Onnika’s not cowed by your brute strength.”

“No, but the little one might be.”

“Hurting Caryn is no’ an option,” Lear snapped.

“I wasn’t talking about hurting anyone…just a little intimidation.”

Lear rose to his full height, fire in his eyes. “We are not monsters.”

“Says the dragon.”

“I’m on Lear’s side with this,” Aidan interjected. “Besides, I get the feeling Caryn requires a more…delicate approach.”

“You want me to gain her trust,” Asher deduced.

“Iron man over here does no’ even know the meaning of the word ‘delicate’,” Lear protested. “She seems comfortable enough with me. I’m sure I can get her to open up.”

“I can be delicate,” Asher peevishly shot back.

“Yeah, like a wrecking ball.”

“I bet I can get the little one to confess the truth before you do.”

“You canna even remember her name.”

Asher grinned. “Her name’s Caryn. Thanks for reminding me so many times.”

Lear glared at him, but before he could respond, an alarm beeped from his console. He glanced down. “Three ships just appeared on radar. Up ahead.”

“Can you tell who they are?” Aidan asked, bringing up a visual. Finally they were gaining ground. He’d been beginning to think his ship wasn’t up to snuff, even with all extra thrusters they’d installed.

Already anticipating a fight, Asher diverted power to the shields and brought the ship’s weapons online. Aidan hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Just then, the bridge doors whooshed open and Onnika and Caryn nonchalantly strolled in.

“Oh, so this is where everyone is hanging out,” Onnika chirped.

“The bridge is restricted to authorized personnel only.” Aidan flipped on the intercom. “Priya, time to work. Three ships in the vicinity.”

Priya’s voice filtered in. “Copy, Captain. On my way.”

Discarding his edict, Onnika came closer, gazing up at the viewscreen. “I’ll be sure to let any unauthorized personnel know.”

Asher instantly offered, “Shall I remove them, Captain?”

When Caryn visibly stiffened at Asher’s threatening tone, Lear smirked. Asher shot him an agitated glare before churlishly facing his console.

Onnika replied to him, “Touch me or Caryn and you’ll be singing high notes for the next week, big guy.”

Zeek remarked, “Actually, I could use a tenor in my next a cappella group.”

Aidan grunted in frustration. “We don’t have time for this. If you two can’t obey orders, then strap in and don’t touch anything.”

Looking too pleased, Onnika claimed the seat to Aidan’s left. “Sure thing, boss.” She still wore the gauzy dress that licked her thighs as she moved. Her scent infiltrated his senses, and when she smiled at him sweetly, he was reminded of their kiss. His distraction was complete when she crossed one supple leg over the other.

Gritting his teeth, he looked away. “Not that seat.”

“Why not?”

“Move.”

She shrugged and moved to the open seat on the other side of the bridge, managing to remain in his peripheral.

Aidan worked to focus on everything but her. “We’re closing on them. Zeek, intel.”

“The big ship is called Armada, battle cruiser, thirty crew. Behind that is The Condemned. Reportedly six crew. Both are armed to the teeth. The third ship is Drudge. Looks like they’re aiming to pass the other two.”

Lear added, “There’s a massive asteroid cluster coming up. Should we go around?”

Zeek focused their long-range camera on the cluster. Massive was an understatement, and it was densely packed. “According to the schematics, our next stop is just on the other side of it.”

If they changed course, the route might be easier, but it would cost them time. With all their moving parts, clusters were unpredictable and uncharitable.

“Show me the map.”

The screen switched to a three-dimensional rendering of space and zoomed in on the cluster, represented by a bulbous gray cloud that stretched out in all directions. “By my estimate, going through the cluster will take a fraction of the time,” Zeek said.

Aidan grunted. “Might be faster, but I don’t know if we should risk it.”

From their seats, Onnika and Caryn began muttering swiftly to each other. They almost sounded frantic.

He tried not to let it distract him. “The Armada will be forced to deviate due to its size. However, the smaller ships might risk the cluster. We’ll wait and see what they do before we decide.”

Onnika recalled scanning these ships before boarding Dragoon. The Condemned was sleek and fast-looking. It should have been breezing past Armada, but it seemed to be cruising beside the larger ship, like a pilot fish. Then she remembered The Condemned crew had no interest in winning at all. Once again, she wondered why they were even in this race…

She glanced at Caryn next to her and saw her gaze had gone distant. Onnika’s intuition sparked. “What are you thinking?” she whispered.

Caryn met her gaze with a shadow of fear behind her eyes. “I think we need to get away from here.”

Suddenly the pieces fell together, and Onnika knew why the crew of The Condemned would be in this race with no desire to win. She leapt from her seat and returned to Aidan’s side, ignoring his dark look. “The Condemned and Armada are working together.”

A crease formed between his brows. His skeptical gaze transferred from her to the two ships in question.

She pointed out, “You see how they’re so close together? Why isn’t one attacking the other?”

“Not everyone plays that way,” Aidan reasoned.

“Well, they are.” She could feel danger building, like a cloud of aggression ready to storm. “I believe The Condemned is only in this race to guard Armada.”

“Wouldn’t that be against the rules?” Zeek asked.

“Not if it’s just a short-term alliance,” Aidan replied. “Generally, alliances only last so long. Once everyone gets near the end, they always turn on each other.”

“They aren’t simply allies,” Onnika insisted. “They’re a team. If Armada has no choice but to go around the cluster, The Condemned will follow, but they wouldn’t want anyone else taking the shortcut and jumping ahead of them if they can help it….” She let the statement linger in the air.

“You think they’ll attack?”

“I think we need to get well into that cluster before they decide to.”

Bright flashes drew their attention back to the viewscreen. Both ships had converged on Drudge, weapons blasting.

“Dammit,” Aidan cursed, then glanced at her with something like suspicion. “Strap in.”

She did, locking the cross-shaped harness around her torso.

“Priya,” Aidan called over the intercom. “This is about to get dirty. When we get closer, send everything you’ve got at the smaller ship near Armada. Take them out first. I don’t want them following us into the cluster.”

“On it.”

As Dragoon’s thrusters ramped up to full power, Onnika was knocked back in her seat. She watched with growing terror as a large explosion ripped a hunk from Drudge’s hull. The ship’s inner lights flickered, then went dark as the whole thing rolled unnaturally.

Hazy bloodlust wafted along her subconscious. In a strained voice, she muttered, “They’re coming for us.”

Seconds later, Armada and The Condemned turned their weapons on Dragoon. A streak of artillery headed their way, making explosive contact with the shield.

“Shit!” Asher exclaimed. “That barrage already took out our shields.”

More harsh explosions followed. Dragoon quaked from the impact. On the viewscreen, Onnika could see Priya’s aim was true, but the smaller ship kept coming, driving toward them and landing a heavy stream of fire. Both Onnika and Caryn screamed at the sound of groaning metal, imagining the hull tearing open to swallow them in the suffocating vacuum of space.

Zeek ground out, “The idea is to avoid their weapons, Aidan.”

“No shit.” Aidan banked to the right, evading fire from Armada, then to the left, dodging another attack from The Condemned. After a moment, it became difficult to tell which way he was taking them. The image on the viewscreen twisted and turned with his manic maneuvering. Caryn covered her mouth with one hand and her stomach with the other, looking as though she might be sick at any moment.

Onnika was feeling ill herself.

They were fast approaching the cluster. The Condemned might follow them in, but wouldn’t travel far from Armada.

“Hurry, hurry,” she chanted.

“Going as fast as I can,” Aidan snarled.

In the next moment, Dragoon blasted past a scattering of asteroids. Another explosion from behind rocked the ship hard. Suddenly Aidan seemed to lose control and nearly slammed into a large asteroid. At the last second, he pulled back on the controls, missing it by mere feet.

“They took out our right thruster,” Lear informed them.

Aidan commanded, “Priya, get ’em off my ass!”

“I’m trying,” her voice snapped through the intercom. “Fucker’s shields are impenetrable.”

More shots zinged past Dragoon, exploding an asteroid next to them. Rocks pelted the hull. To everyone else it appeared The Condemned missed by accident, but Onnika gleaned their intent.

“They’re aiming for the asteroids in our path,” Onnika cried, “turning the debris into cannons.”

Just then, another asteroid ahead exploded. Large chunks torpedoed toward them. Aidan pushed the ship in a dive and twisted it away from the deadly debris, winding around the field of obstacles. Onnika’s stomach churned at the kaleidoscopic show, and she gnashed her eyes closed.

More blasts sounded as Priya exchanged fire with The Condemned.

Then, finally, all went quiet.

“I managed to take out one of their engines,” Priya announced over the intercom. “Looks like they’re turning back.”

After another quiet moment, Lear announced, “The sensors indicate they have returned to Armada.”

A collective sigh of relief volleyed around the room.

“That was too close,” Aidan grumbled. “What the fuck happened with our shields? The generator was brand new. It shouldn’t have failed so easily.”

“Faulty equipment?” Aidan theorized.

“If that’s true,” Aidan muttered, “I’ll kill that merchant who sold it to me.” Speaking into the intercom, he ordered, “Vin, run diagnostics on all our recent purchases. I don’t want any more surprises.”

“Yes, sir.”

Then Aidan glanced at Onnika with a puzzled expression. “What makes you so sure those ships are more than just a convenient, temporary alliance?”

She glanced away. “Just a hunch, I suppose.”

“Pretty confident hunch.”

She hedged. “Maybe I’m wrong.”

“No, I think you might be right. Alliance or not, if The Condemned was interested in winning, they wouldn’t have turned down such a tempting shortcut. Alliances are a means to an end. They’re usually extremely short-lived in this game.” He narrowed his eyes. “What I want to know is what gave them away?”

She shrugged, taking a moment to think up an acceptable story that wouldn’t give her away. “I spoke with them before the race,” she lied. “Generally, I’m very good at gaining people’s trust—”

“Present company excluded,” he muttered.

Onnika grinned. Without knowing it, Aidan had just provided the perfect path to diversion. “To be fair, you are extremely stubborn, but you’ll come around.”

“Will I, now? And what makes you think that?”

“Because I’m just so darn cute.”

“Cute is not the word I’d use for…whatever you are.”

“But you must think I’m attractive, if only a little. I can tell by the way you kissed me back on Nazzu.”

Stunned silence affected the crew. Onnika smirked at Aidan’s fleeting glare. Was it anger that reddened his cheeks, or embarrassment?

Zeek hooted. “Way to go, Captain.”

Asher just shook his head in disappointment.

“It was a mistake that will not happen again.” Aidan spoke in a tone that declared, We’re done talking about this.

“Here I was thinking you deserved another kiss for saving us just now, but we can work out those details later. For now, the big guy and I have unfinished business.”

Asher’s head swung around in surprise. “I have no business with you.”

“Oh, so you don’t want to see if you can outrace me?” She examined her nails. “It’s all right if you don’t think you can. If I were you, I’d be afraid to lose to me, too.”

“I fear nothing.”

“Then let’s go.”