Stealing the Dragon’s Heart by Kiersten Fay

25

Onnika lay half across Aidan’s chest, curled into his body with her head on his shoulder. “Did you know that you smell delicious?” she told him as she idly ran her fingers over his torso. It tickled a little, but in a pleasing way, a way that he felt deep in his bones.

“That’s good to know,” he replied, then teased, “You smell all right.” Her scent was indescribable. Like the air before a coming storm, enticing and electric and ethereal. Whenever he caught a whiff of her hair, a little sizzle ran through him.

His remark earned him a pinch to his side. “Hey!”

Then she resumed her light caressing. After another moment, she said, “Did you know that I like you?”

He chuckled. “That’s a very good thing.”

When he said nothing more, she succinctly added, “And you like me, too.”

He couldn’t keep from smiling. There was no doubt in her voice. So sure of herself, as always. “If you say so.”

“If I promise not to do anything too dangerous again, can I stay here with you?”

Her words held a drop of true vulnerability, and his heart squeezed. He didn’t let it show. “What about Caryn?”

She sighed. “I guess she could stay, too.”

He laughed. Scheming little minx. Then a sobering worry cropped up that threatened to darken this whole evening. “I know nothing about you.”

“So?”

“This race is dangerous and highly competitive. You’ve proven you can handle yourself in a pinch, but that only makes me wonder about you more.” Like where she’d learned to defend herself so ably…and had someone sent her to seduce him in order to distract him from his goal? A femme fatale. Onnika had the look—and personality—for it. He hated to think of her like that. If only she’d give him a reason not to.

“I don’t know much about you either,” she retorted.

“You could get to know me. We could get to know each other.”

“If we did that, I’d hold no mystery for you, and what fun would that be?” He gave her a baleful look. “Oh, very well. What do you want to know?”

“To start, who are your people?”

Her body stiffened slightly. “Next question.”

“All right. How did you end up out here in space?”

She chewed a nail. “You have to start with questions that don’t require my life story.”

He tried not to be deterred. “So you came to space as a child, then?”

When she didn’t answer, his brain supplied him with assumptions. She was too secretive, hiding her looks with holo-gear, concealing her true race, refusing to open up to him. Was she merely using him until he was no longer valuable to her? Was that what this evening was about? To placate and soften him? He couldn’t help but air his misgivings in an unhappy tone. “Did you only sleep with me because you’re looking to garner the protection of a strong man?”

He thought that might annoy her, and it did get a reaction, but not the one he expected. Sitting up, she tucked her legs under her and gazed down at him, her blue eyes unoffended. Instead, she gave him a goading smile. “Why, do you know any?” She laughed at his perturbed look and slyly added, “Well, you are big and strong, and you’ve proven you’re a man in a very undeniable way.” She trailed her fingers down his chest.

He caught her wrist and set it away. “I’m serious.”

“So am I. Just look at all these muscles.” She tried to wrap both hands around his bicep. “It’s like you were built in a factory.”

“I won’t be used, Onnika.”

Her tone turned faux-sultry and a tantalizing twinkle flashed in her eyes. “But you love it when I use you.” Then she leaned over to place little kisses on his stomach, only inches from where he envisioned that mouth being earlier. Keeping his wits was a momentous achievement.

“Yeah, in bed. Use me all you want then, but—”

“Deal.” She looped one leg over him and straddled his waist, her palms flat on his torso. Soft starlight filtered in through the porthole and feathered across her proudly displayed breasts. He itched to touch them.

“Just so you know,” she continued, “I’ve taken care of myself and Caryn all our lives. I don’t need your protection. But if I did, you know you would.”

“Would I, then?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re so sure because…?”

“Because you’re a good boy, and didn’t you know? Good boys get rewarded.”

He wasn’t sure if he should be offended or turned on by that. His traitorous cock made the decision for him, and she rode him until his eyes rolled back in his head.

Aidan had been a bit hesitant to leave Onnika alone in his room. In the end, he decided not to disturb her slumber. She’d looked too sexy stretched out on his bed, hair a nest of satiny waves, her bare flesh covered only by a thin sheet.

It bothered him that she’d evaded his questions so easily, and he vowed he’d discover her secrets eventually.

On the bridge, as he crossed to take the helm, he received speculative looks from the crew on deck: Zeek, Asher, and Lear.

Sensing his previous dark mood had been eradicated, Zeek started in on him right away. “So”—he cleared his throat—“did you set her straight?”

“Everything’s taken care of,” he hedged, trying for nonchalance.

“Then you both came to an understanding?”

Aidan gazed up at the ceiling. “Can we please not do this? Let’s just focus.”

“I’m sure we can all focus on the task at hand.”

At that last one, everyone gave Zeek a cockeyed look.

He simply shrugged. “I couldn’t think of anything fast enough; give me a break.”

“Moving on,” Lear said. “We’re nearing the object that was marked on the map, and we discovered it’s a wormhole.”

“To where?”

“Unknowable until we go through.”

Wormholes could be unpredictable. “It could lead back to the start,” Aidan mused.

“I thought of that,” Zeek said, taking on a more serious note. “So I calculated the manifold and spacetime curve against the metric structure, and, given the identity matrix—”

“Zeek,” Aidan admonished. “Small words, so that Lear can understand.”

Lear harumphed with mild humor. “He already explained it to us. In detail, so doona pretend it’s no’ you who needs it dumbed down.”

“The point is,” Zeek interjected, “I think we’re meant to penetrate that hole. Eh, eh?” He looked to the others for approval of his joke.

Aidan touched his fingers to his forehead. “Zeek, one more and I will seriously knock you out.”

“What? All I’m saying is the commissioner’s map is directing us toward the wormhole. As you know, our next stop is on planet Roukii, the Roukiian home world. By my calculations, it’s possible the wormhole will take us right there. And there’s something else.” He zoomed in on the wormhole. An informational blip appeared above it. “The wormhole is marked clearly with the Roukii numeral five…or, rather, it was. I’ve clocked another ship that was ahead of us. When they entered, that numeral dropped to four.”

“So what? The number drops when a ship enters? What happens at zero?”

“It’s possible it might shift the final destination or shut down entirely.”

Noticing three other ships ahead of them and another closing in behind them, Aidan set a course and fired up the thrusters. “Then we’d better make this fast.”

Zeek pretended to cover his ears. “Hey, man, we don’t need a play-by-play…oh, you’re referring to the wormhole.”

Onnika snuggled into Aidan’s firm mattress, blissfully content. The sheets smelled of him, making her long for his return, but she knew he wouldn’t be returning anytime soon. He was likely focused on the race now, on gaining ground.

She wrapped her arms around his pillow, breathed in his scent, and gazed out the porthole. She could almost imagine staying with him even after the race was over, exploring realms together and making love whenever the mood struck.

It was a lovely dream, a dream she wanted to keep close to her heart, but knew it could be nothing more. And it was a solid certainty that for a long time, she would look back upon this time and fondly and think: What if? Her practical side told her that was all she’d get. As he’d left her, he thought she’d been asleep, but she had only been blissfully content and burrowed in comfort, still sated from their lovemaking. There had been a hesitant moment where he had almost awakened her to ask her to return to her own quarters. He still didn’t trust her enough to leave her alone in his room. She couldn’t exactly fault him for that, but it had stung all the same.

In the end, he allowed her to stay. Perhaps he wanted to trust her, but wasn’t quite there yet. Or perhaps he just liked the idea of her waiting in his bed for his return.

She liked it, too.

Which was exactly why the lovely dream could never be a reality. After escaping Tag and his crew, she and Caryn had a chance to start again. To be vigilant this time about concealing their gifts and making it home once and for all. Too often she or Caryn grew close to someone they thought they could trust, became too comfortable, too complacent, and inevitably spilled their secrets.

It had never worked in their favor.

It was a hardship; wanting to be so totally open with someone while remaining guarded at the same time…to allow them into your heart while simultaneously barring them from your world.

If Aidan knew what they were, would things change between them?

Why was she even asking? It always changed things, sometimes without her even realizing it. A fish in a pot turned up to slow boil. One minute the unsuspecting fish was swimming around, comfortably at ease, then suddenly it became someone’s meal. One day she and Caryn thought themselves part of a crew, part of a family, then suddenly they’d become a commodity.

Reluctantly she thought of Ziggy, the young captain of one of the first crew they’d taken up with, a band of runaways out for adventure in space. It seemed the perfect fit for her and Caryn. Ziggy was funny and kind, and her younger, more innocent self had fallen for him almost instantly. He’d had her same sense of humor and a wicked smile to boot. To this day she wished she’d never admitted to him what she and Caryn could do. Her first, and sadly not last, mistake.

At first Ziggy had been amazed and awestruck, demanding proof. When she predicted his next action with astonishing accuracy, he’d been elated and had told the entire crew all about her. For a while after that, things had been good and Onnika didn’t think anything of it. She was a parlor trick to them, someone to entertain them when they were bored. Someone would ask her to predict something, and they would all grow animated with delight when she could. She had liked the attention. Caryn’s gift was a little more hit or miss at that time.

That was when she and Caryn learned the most about their powers, such as Onnika not being able to predict someone’s thoughts unless an intended action sprang from it, or Caryn more often than not able to predict the most advantageous path when faced with two or more options. For example, one game that always tripped Onnika up was when the kids had all passed different colored game balls behind their backs, none of them looking to see who ended up with what. Onnika and Caryn were tasked with picking who had a specific color ball. Because no one knew who held that particular ball, Onnika could glean nothing, but Caryn always chose correctly.

It had all been great fun.

In the beginning…until they ran out of money.

Generally it wasn’t a problem. They’d gotten used to finding random jobs to perform for anyone in need of short-term help. They’d never gone hungry for long…until one day they found themselves in a remote part of space where honest employment had been virtually nonexistent. When none of the crew had eaten a decent meal in weeks and their meager ship was in desperate need of service, eventually someone had the idea to use her and Caryn to pull a heist.

A one-time thing, they’d all said, just to get them on their feet again.

Ultimately, it was Caryn’s growling tummy that convinced Onnika to go through with it.

And, of course, the heist went off without a hitch.

And, of course, it hadn’t been a one-time thing.

Ziggy and the others had swiftly developed a taste for the easy money she and Caryn could help them bring in. That first heist marked the beginning of the end for her and Ziggy.

Now, Aidan was pushing for her secrets. Yet again, even after all she’d been through, a part of her wanted to confide everything to him. Deep down, she didn’t believe Aidan to be like Ziggy and so many others. He seemed too honorable, possibly the most honorable guy she’d ever come across, though he liked to act otherwise. Then again, she’d only known him a few short days. Opening up to him was a risk she couldn’t take. Not again.

Whatever this was between them would end, just as soon as Caryn got the perception that it was time for them to head out on their own…or when they managed to discover the location of Evlon.

In the meantime, Onnika didn’t see anything wrong with thoroughly and extensively enjoying her time with Aidan.

Curious about him as well, she slipped into her dress and proceeded to explore his space. There wasn’t a lot to see. No art on the walls. No plants. No rugs. No pictures. Nothing to suggest he’d spent any amount of time on this ship outside of this race. There wasn’t even a cozy seating area, though the room was big enough to accommodate one. His washroom bore only the bare essentials, as did his wardrobe.

Was he a minimalist?

She was, but not by choice. If she had a ship like this all to herself, she’d make it a home, not just a vessel. She would collect luxurious comforts such as soft sheets and pillows. She’d fill the washroom with every manner of sweet-smelling products for her skin and hair. Books would line an entire wall, old and new, from all over the universe. That was one thing she missed. Books were a luxury meant for a stationary existence. On the run, their heavy weight would only be a hindrance.

Her eye snapped to a desk in the corner where a few worn books sat, along with a scattering of papers, all focused on one topic: past Phase Nine races. She opened one of the covers and flipped through the pages, landing on a chapter called Phase One Mishaps and Blunders. The next chapter was called The Follies of Alliances. Another one talked about the art of sabotage. Was this how he’d won the first time? By studying all the races that came before?

She pushed the books aside and glanced at the stray papers. There seemed to be no organization. Ledgers were stacked on inventory sheets and ship schematics…of their competition. How had he gotten his hands on these?

The inventory and ledgers were little more than barely coherent, quickly scratched notes. Numbers had been crossed out next to items purchased, and the final totals weren’t obvious at first glance. The new shield generator wasn’t listed, and on the inventory list, the ingredients Caryn had used to prepare meals hadn’t been accounted for. Nothing was divided into sections for easy reference.

With everyone’s focus on their individual jobs, they likely didn’t have the time to constantly update records. Perhaps keeping track of things like this was another way she could be helpful.

Sitting, she piled the papers into neat stacks, then searched for a pen and fresh paper. Upon opening the desk’s top drawer, an old photo of a smiling blond woman and a dark-haired child poked out at her. Breath held, she stared at the photo for a long moment, taking in the woman’s happy expression and the serene face of the child who looked an awful lot like her…and Aidan…

Feeling suddenly intrusive, she quickly closed the drawer. Was that his family? He didn’t seem the type to cheat. Of that she was ninety percent certain…well, eighty-five percent. Perhaps the woman was a relative. A sister, or a cousin.

She supposed he had his reasons for not telling her about them, and it wasn’t like she didn’t have secrets of her own. Ignoring the twisting in her gut, she checked the next drawer and found the pen and paper she needed. After rewriting the ledger, she set it aside, created a new inventory template, and then headed out to itemize their supplies.