Adrift (15 page)

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Authors: Erica Conroy

BOOK: Adrift

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"Of course," she said.
"He should be waking up now.
I'm Nancy by the way."

"Jasmine."

"I know," Nancy said with a warm smile, "You've made quite an impression around here already."

"Great," Jasmine muttered.
She slipped off the bed onto her bare feet and flexed her muscles.
"You know, I feel fine.
Better than fine."

"I'd like to take credit, but the nutrient gel you were floating in seems to have some very interesting properties to help with, not only fetal growth, but also regenerating tissue.
Remarkable really.
I might apply some to the Colonel's shoulder.
Just a small amount and see if that helps him in his recovery," said Nancy as she led the way to the private suites.

A surly looking being with a bandage covering the middle of his face, blocked their path.

"Xon," said Nancy in a plain voice.

Jasmine gave Xon the once over.
"Thank you for rescuing me.
Sorry about the nose."

Xon merely grunted in response.
He gave the door behind him a final glance, nodded to Nancy and left the two women.

"He didn't look happy to see me," Jasmine observed.

Nancy smiled.
"I think he's more concerned for his wellbeing.
Like any man will be from now on around you."

"Ah," said Jasmine.
"If he's worried about his wellbeing, what was he doing here then?"

"Loyalty to the Colonel," Nancy explained.
"No other ship in the Corps allows aliens on the command team.
In fact, this ship's whole command team are alien, or at least half."

"So there's Xon and Norik is half Lyrissian," Jasmine said as she counted them off.
"Who's the third?"

"Myself."

"No way," said Jasmine.
She looked the Doctor over and added, "You look Human."

Nancy snorted.
"You, of all people should know that appearances can be deceiving."

"True," Jasmine agreed with a smile.
A thought occurred to her, that she voiced, "But you feel more than loyalty to Norik?"

The Doctor looked away for a moment before answering.
"Once, maybe.
Unrequited though, more of a crush.
But then I'm not alone in that regard.
Many women have tried.
I at least didn't make a fool of myself there."

"Can't argue with your taste in men," Jasmine told her.
"Tall, dark and handsome."

"Brooding and lonely," Nancy added.
She glanced through the window in the door to the medical suite and said, "Looks like the Colonel is awake.
I'll just check on him and then he's all yours."

Jasmine nodded and loitered at the door.
She was suddenly unsure about what say.

"I have a visitor for you," Nancy informed Norik.

"Don't want any," Norik mumbled like a sulking child.
He was still a bit groggy from the operation, but had enough of his wits about him to realize he'd made an ass of himself earlier and endangered, not to mention lost, the lives of some of his crew.
That and he'd struck Xon.

"It's not Xon," Nancy assured him.
Having read his surface thoughts, she placed a comforting hand on his forearm and squeezed gently.
She scanned the data on the monitor.
"No, it's your mate."

"Mate?"
Norik asked confused.
His nostrils flared and he recognized a familiar scent.
"Jasmine."

"I'm here," Jasmine said and ventured further into the room.
She stopped at the foot of his bed and looked down at him.
He didn't look like the strong and virile man that she had come to know on the transport.

"You are alive," Norik said, stating the obvious.
Nancy tried to push him back down onto the bed when he sat up.
He might have looked weak but appearances were apparently very deceiving when it came to Norik.

"Yeah," Jasmine said, not sure what else to say.
She looked to Nancy for help but the woman just smiled and left, shutting the door behind her.

The two stared at each other, neither one wanted to be the first to break the silence or sure of what to say if they did.

Jasmine put a hand to her stomach and sought the right way to tell him he was going to be a daddy.

Norik followed the slight gesture.
"So is the baby," he almost growled.
That fact grated him and he was ashamed of it.
His mate was carrying a child that was not his.
Something else that he would have to accept was that she might not agree that she was his mate.
His mind knew that, his traitorous body however, wanted to kill the man responsible for what now resided in Jasmine's womb.
It wasn't logical but it was how he felt.

"Yes," Jasmine said startled by the vehemence that he had tried to hide.
She sighed.
"Norik, there's something I have to - What?"
she asked when she noticed his head whip up and fixate on something behind her.
That something had hands that grabbed her.
They were rough and familiar.
Not again
, she thought as the barrel end of a weapon was pressed against her temple.

Norik was on his feet despite the effect of the drugs and the dull pain in his shoulder.
He didn't bother to ask the obvious question of
how
?
It would have been easy enough for the General to slip on board one of their shuttles and be ferried back to the Callisto during the panic.

"What do you want?"
Norik asked.

"Why Colonel, your ship of course," said the General.
He wore the coveralls of an engineering crewman making it easy for him to wander about the ship without arousing suspicion.
Aside from sporting a few cuts and bruises he was uninjured and along with the weapon, gave him the advantage, at least for the moment.

"Oh yes and her," The General smiled and tapped the weapon against Jasmine's head.

Norik's nostrils flared.
"Not going to happen."

"But it will," he said.

"Are you deaf?"
Jasmine asked.
"The man said it's not going to happen and I think he means it."

"I do."

"See?"

The General smacked her across the face with his weapon and told her to shut up.
"You're just a walking womb to me sweetheart.
As long as you carry my progeny you'll live, but that doesn't mean you won't feel pain.
You remember how I like pain, don't you?"

Jasmine stared at the deck, unable to look at Norik after what the General had revealed.
She bit her lip and nodded.
Jasmine had always done whatever it took to get the story and this had been no different.
Norik wouldn't understand.
She wasn't sure that she did anymore.

Norik however, was coming undone.
The man had hurt Jasmine for his own personal enjoyment and intended to do it again.
He wouldn't let him.
The man needed to die.
Norik just needed to control himself until he could find a way to achieve this goal without hurting Jasmine in the process.

"Jasmine always was my favorite," the General continued.
"But you betrayed me!"

Jasmine whimpered at the ferocity of both his voice and grasp.
He would break something, or worse, if she didn't do something.
Before she could, Norik's roar drew the General's attention.

Blind fury drove Norik forward.
He didn't have a plan.
He only had a goal and that was to rip the General's spine from his body.

Both men however were surprised when Jasmine shoved Norik aside.
His forward momentum slammed him into the locked door.
The General didn't even feel Jasmine deftly remove his, always present, second weapon from his trousers.
He did feel the first and second blast as they seared clean holes through his chest.
A third and fourth followed but he was already dead by then.

Jasmine had fired a seventh and eighth into his lifeless corpse before Norik wrestled the weapon from her shaking hands.
She immediately turned in to his embrace and buried herself in him.

"Thanks," she mumbled after a few moments.

"Someone had to save the deck plating," he told her.

Jasmine let out a laugh verging on the hysterical.
"Is he dead?"

Norik fired a few more holes into the General.
"Very."

"About what he said..."

Norik took hold of her shoulders and pushed her back.
He stared into her eyes and told her, "You did what you had to do and because of that we were able to destroy him and his plans.
You helped save lives, Jasmine.
Focus on that."

Jasmine smiled shyly.
"I didn't think you'd understand."

"I am a commanding Officer of a Space Corps vessel.
You have no idea what I go through on a daily basis to ensure both the ship and my crew are able to function safely."

"Ok, so maybe you do."

"Jasmine," he said and licked his lips.
"I...
that is...
you..."

"Shut up and kiss me?"
she offered hopefully.

"You are a very annoying woman, but I can do that," he told her and pulled her back into his arms, where he knew she belonged.

A moment later when they came up for air they heard the urgent banging on the door.

"That'll be your crew," she said.
"You should probably let them in so they can
function
."

Norik sighed but helped her around what remained of the General.
She was unsteady on her feet so he picked her up and carried her past the security team and curious medical personnel, all the way back to his quarters.

He winced as he lowered her back to the deck.

"Your shoulder," she said.

He brushed her concern aside and kissed her gently on the forehead.
"Later," he told her.
"Just listen.
I tried to save you but you would not let me.
You are annoying-"

"Hey!"

"Shut up and listen," he said between more light kisses.
"You are annoying, resourceful, intelligent, courageous, annoying-"

"You said that already."

"Beautiful, annoying-"

"If you have a point, you better get to it before I smack you one," she warned.

"I believe I am falling in love with you," he said.
This was met by silence so he pushed on.
"I want you to stay with me.
For as long as you want.
I can accept your child," he struggled to say it but knowing the man responsible was dead helped, at least a little.

"Oh well that's good, cause it's yours."

"What?"

"The baby," she said, "is yours."

"The baby is mine?"

"That's what your Doctor told me," said Jasmine.
"So is that offer still good?"

"I am going to be a father?"

Jasmine grinned, "Yeah in about, what's the gestation period for Lyrissians?"

"Eleven and a half months."

"Grrk," she choked.
"That's a long time.
I'm not going to be able to get out the door."

"We are going to have a baby."

"Norik?"

"Yes?"
he said.

"Shut up and kiss me."

Interview: Xon

Jasmine:
Introducing Major Xon, the Duarr Second-in-Command on the Space Corps starship Callisto.

Xon:
*looks around nervously* Are you sure this is OK?
The Colonel isn't going to burst in and try and break my face again, is he?

Jasmine:
Don't worry, Xon.
He's on duty on the other side of the ship.
You know he's very sorry about that and it won't happen again.
Well, it probably won't happen again.

Xon:
You really know how to put a Duarr at ease.

Jasmine:
Yip!
Now, tell me about yourself.
Where did you come from and how did you get here?

Xon:
I was born on the Duarr homeworld.
I didn't stick around though.
Wasn't interested in settling down with other Duarrs.
Wanted to see the universe and experience you single gendered species.
That's why most of us leave.

Jasmine:
So not all Duarrs are as amorous as you?

Xon:
A bit.
We like to try before we buy.
It's what we do.
Once we find our match though, we stick with them for a bit, before moving on to the next.
I didn't think I'd find anyone I wanted at home though.

Jasmine:
Have you found someone out here?

Xon:
No comment.

Jasmine:
Perhaps a human woman?

Xon:
You're not going to trick me into telling you.
Not even your womanly wiles will work on me.

Jasmine:
Xon, my eyes are up here.

Xon:
I know.
Just looking at your womanly wiles.

Jasmine:
I'm beginning to see why a certain lady in medical slaps you a lot.

Xon:
She loves me, really.

Jasmine:
I find that hard to believe.

Xon:
*shrugs* She just wants to make me pay before she comes back.

Jasmine:
Does that mean she's already experienced all that is Xon and you want her to come back for more?

Xon:
I didn't say that.
You're putting words in my mouth.
Damn your womanly wiles.