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Chapter Ten
Adreax
There was no time to waste. Herod and I had to do what we could to prepare our ship for our departure. So, I got to work on the things that could be packed and moved easily.
After a few hours of working alone, I took a break. I plucked a pouch of cool water from inside the ship’s stores and then settled down in the cool night air to watch the stars. It was odd to be looking at them from inside the Orb’s atmosphere instead of just beyond the glass of my ship’s cockpit. From here, they looked so, so far away. I couldn't imagine that traveling among them was something I took for granted most of the time.
I tilted my head back, letting the cold water roll over my tongue and down my throat, relishing its rejuvenating powers. And then I saw it. The Patrol, come to haunt us. I instantly recognized the formation of their ships circling in a wide arc, shifting silently as they went.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Whatever they had been so afraid of when we first approached the orb didn’t seem to be a concern anymore. They were closing in, and that meant we were out of time. I crumpled the pouch of water in my hand and tossed it away, grumbling as I scrambled to my feet.
“Herod!” I yelled. “We have a problem!”
I didn’t have to repeat myself. For all our bickering, Herod knew the sound of urgency in my voice, and he did not hesitate to come running. When his head popped out of the Greedy She-Devil’s main loading door, he already had his rifle halfway to his shoulder and he looked around wild-eyed.
“I’ll shoot her,” he growled.
“No, not her,” I said gently. “Them.”
I raised a hand to point up to the circling patrol ships and heard Herod suck in a whistling breath.
“Well, would you look at that?” he said wryly. “You’d almost think they have a thing for us.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at his dry humor. But we both knew the race was on, and we needed to be aboard Tayla’s ship before the Patrol got any closer.
Surely the Patrol would not go hounding an innocent research vessel, especially outside of their jurisdiction. And they might actually escort Tayla’s ship out of danger if they believed I was still down here making trouble. That would be our ticket out of here and far enough away to never look back.
“Quick, grab a couple boxes. Let’s go. We have to hurry.” I hoisted a small supply crate of guns onto either shoulder and started marching.
He snatched a couple of crates into his arms and matched my stride. For a split second, I worried Herod might go rogue on me and do something reckless. But really, all I needed was to keep Tayla alive to work the radios. If the patrol ships hailed us on our way out, we had to have her to answer the call. Once we were free, we could decide what to do with her.
But as we neared Tayla’s camp, I felt a hint of sadness. I cast a glance back at the Greedy She-Devil where she sat in the dirt, a sad remnant of her former glory days. It was like leaving an old friend behind, knowing that you’ll never see them again.
I had to force myself to swallow those feelings, though, because now it was crunch time. It was going to take at least a few more trips to get all of our cargo moved, and we didn’t have any time to waste.
“Did you find the equipment?” Tayla asked, a hint of hopefulness in her voice as she saw us approaching.
I ignored her, shoving her out of the way and carrying my crates into her shuttle.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Her voice was shrill now.
“We are getting the hell out of here,” I said smugly. “All of us.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, clearly not sure what to make of my statement. Her hands went back to her hips, and she stood fast, staring me down.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We are not going anywhere with you two. You’ve given me enough trouble already. So why don’t you just pick up your… whatever that stuff is and go back where you came from?”
I took a step toward her, lowering my chin so I was staring down at her from only inches away, my body hulking over her as she tried her hardest to remain calm. I could see her bottom lip quivering, and I felt a sudden rush of arousal course through my blood. I was not prepared for that, and I shifted uncomfortably on my feet, trying to shake it off and stay focused.
“Listen, female. Do you see those flickering lights way up there?”
I grabbed her by the shoulders and twisted her around, so she had to look where I was pointing. She let out a strangled gasp, and I felt my cock twitch again, her body so close to mine I could nearly devour her.
“Those lights are ships, and they are coming here for us. We are all in grave danger, and it would be best if we vacate the area promptly. You will thank me later.”
She wrestled her way out of my grip and spun to face me again.
“Why should I believe you? I was actually thinking that when they get here, they could do both of us a favor. For instance, they could come and get you. Then, you’d be out of my hair and you wouldn’t be stuck here anymore. We’d both be winning, you see?”
I could see the cockiness in her eyes as she tossed her hair back over her shoulder. Oh, how I would love to take her down a notch. But that would have to wait.
“You’re not listening. I am not leaving here with those men. They are not here to rescue me, and they almost certainly won’t be kind to you either. So, I’m giving you an option here. You can either help us, or we can take your ship and leave you here to deal with them on your own.”
Right on cue, I heard Herod’s rifle being reloaded beside me. The round clicked into place and he raised it to his shoulder. Tayla, panic finding its way to her face, looked from me to him and back again. I could see her mind working, trying to find a way out of this situation. Somewhere far behind me, I heard the roar of the Patrol ships breaking through the hazy sky, and coming in for a landing. It was now or never.
