Jane
What an arrogant,rude, and insufferable jackass.The commander turned out to be an even bigger jerk than I’d first thought. I had no idea what his problem was with me, but I’d be damned if I’d let him treat me like space dust anymore. If he wanted a fight, then he was going to get one. He might be an attractive son of a viper with his black and silver-streaked hair, purple-rimmed gray eyes, square jaw, and bronzed body ripped straight from the holo-pages of a romance novel. But he was a nasty bastard who desperately needed an attitude adjustment.
And I was just the woman to give it to him.
Hopping from the bed, I used the surge of anger to prepare. I did a round of jumping jacks, squats, and push-ups to get my blood pumping. It had been a teeny bit since I’d actively trained for hand-to-hand combat. We prepped regularly on the moonbase, of course, for emergency situations. But as captain, I focused on battle scenarios, space warfare, and tactical strategies. The likelihood of my team or I facing off one-on-one with an opponent was slim…or so we’d thought. After the Versaken attack we learned anything was possible.
An error I’ll soon rectify after this mission.I imagined turning the base’s gym mats into a full fighting ring. I’d have everyone running daily sparring drills, even the civilians on the base. “No one will be caught unaware ever again.”
With my resolve firmer than ever, I tied my hair in a tight bun at the crown of my head. I toyed with the idea of putting sharp pins in it, but I didn’t believe the commander would stoop low enough to grab my hair.All’s fair in love and war.The stray thought whispered across my psyche. I shook it free. “No, this is fine.”
My uniform pants were stiffer than I’d like for a fight, but my boots were well-worn and perfect. The white tank top I typically wore under my jacket, along with a sports bra, were ideal for most physical activity.Except the kind where clothes are a hindrance.I snorted at that. It had been a while since I’d hadthattype of exercise. I just didn’t have the same love for casual affairs as others on the moonbase. And my last relationship had been well…
“Three? No four years ago. Damn.” It had been longer than I thought. My ex was a good person, but we wanted different things, and although I’d cared about her, it wasn’t the deep love I craved.Now, I sound like Kyra.I laughed aloud in the middle of a third round of squats. At twenty-six years old, the second youngest of us Kadaran sisters was a true romantic. I was a realist, Sage was pragmatic, and the baby of the family, Daisha, for all of her twenty-three years, might be the most jaded of us all.Stars, I miss them.
I was lucky that Sage worked with me. With only eighteen months between us, we had always gotten along. But I was still the eldest, the born leader as they liked to tease, and I didn’t like my baby sisters being back on Earth and so far from me. Even if they were full grown adults. “If all goes well with this mission, then I’ll see them soon for Sage’s second wedding.”
I smiled at the idea. Sage might be the practical type, but she deserved her dream wedding.I’ll make it possible. I promise.
The silent vow spurred me on. I completed my circuits, a sheen of sweat beading on my chest and forehead. Rifling through the bags Taylor had packed for me, I spotted a hand towel and used it to swipe the moisture from my skin. “Jeez, Tay, what did you put in here?”
The necessary supplies like shirts, pants, bras, and panties of various assortments were a given. The majority of them were from my wardrobe, which was standard issued military garbs. But then, I’d spotted an array of lingerie like pieces: flimsy nighties, see-through bras, and… “Is that an edible thong?”
I was going to put that tricky computer nerd on garbage duty for a month.What was she thinking?
I sighed at her antics and continued the search. “At least she remembered some useful things.” I spotted toiletries, a holo-pad, and three packs of my favorite snack—chewy chocolate dehydrated cookies. “Okay, maybe two weeks on trash rotation.”
I stared at the holo-watch on my wrist. About an hour had passed since the commander left the room. He’d said we’d meet in a span. Since I had no idea how long that translated to in Earth time, I estimated an hour was plenty long enough for whatever he had to do.Why is he stalling?I wondered idly at his behavior as I checked myself over and deemed me good to go. Placing my palm to the door as I’d seen him do previously, I held my breath. A wave of panic washed over me that the door might not open. I swallowed it down roughly. I hated being locked inside.
A rush of images pervaded my mind: a cramped closet, a subterranean room, a dark space. I shivered. The traumas of my childhood, after my parents died and before my second mother adopted me, lived in my skin. Half remembered nightmares, they snuck up on me whenever I least expected.
The door opened, and I breathed again.
Shaking my head of the errant memories and refusing to yield to their pull, I stalked down the hallway toward the holo-room. Passing the door he’d said was the food prep area, I popped my head in. The room consisted of a counter with two stools, a storage unit, and a wash bin. Not much to write home about, so I didn’t give it more than a cursory glance.
The next door was the holo-room, and it was far more impressive. Shaped like an octagon, it had emitters in each corner. The floor, ceiling, and walls possessed refractory paneling. I wasn’t an expert on the technology, but neither on Earth nor the moonbase did we have anything as elaborate. “And I thought my holo-watch was cool.”
“Did you want to stand there and gawk, little captain, or did you want to go in?” The big alien had no right to be as stealthy as he did. A male his size should not have been able to sneak up on me.
I struggled to keep the agitation off my face, so I didn’t dare look in his direction. “Just waiting for you,” I said, managing to sound nonchalant. Point for me.
“And have you prepared?” His deep voice reverberated down my spine like a strike—or a caress.
Damn it. You cannot let him get to you.Walking to the center of the room, I turned around slowly to face him. One foot behind me, I braced my weight evenly between my back and front legs. With my fists at chin height and elbows tight to my body, I readied my fighting stance. “Yes, I’m prepared to knock you on your arrogant ass.”
He laughed. Not a snarky chuckle, but a genuine laugh from his gut. I don’t know who was more startled by the sound, for he cut it off after a second with wide, alarmed eyes. I imagined my expression matched his. He shook his head as if to will away the merriment, and a dark shadow fell across his face. His stern brow dropped, his expression hardening as if comprised of stone. He mirrored my stance. “Then let’s begin.”
I stood my ground by sheer force of will. The commander might be a cocky bastard, but he had reason to be. I was on the taller side for a human and still he towered over me, a mountain of muscle honed for battle. His chest was notably bare, no vest, no weapons to be seen. He wore only a pair of loose-fitting pants and his boots. I swallowed at all that skin on display. The metallic patterns on his arms glistened under the holo-lights.
“Training environment alpha-four.” His command rang out, echoing in the the space. Then, the room shifted.
A woodland clearing replaced the octagonal walls. Bright purple leaves sprouted from gray tree bark, circling us in a wide ring. A spongy grass-like substance of a deep amber hue laid under our feet. Bright sunlight filtered from a lavender sky above. If not for the tension in the air between us, it would have been a beautiful place.
Stomping his front foot into the grass below, he said, “You’re move, Captain.”
The use of my title without thelittlein front of it caught me off-guard. I shifted my feet to catch my bearings and orient to the squishy ground beneath me. He waited as patient as any wild beast hunting its meal. His eyes held an intensity that bore a light from within.
I will not squirm. I won’t.Worms danced in my gut. I could practically feel the imaginary bugs crawling inside. My stomach was a mess of nerves. I’d faced intimidating opponents before. But this alien warrior was on a whole other level. And I might have cooked up a meal I couldn’t finish.No, that’s fear talking. And you are not a coward.
