Death Defying (Dark Desires) (15 page)

Janey grinned. “I’m putting them on speaker.”

“We’re on,” Devlin said. “I’m bringing Tris back and a few of my people for a meeting. We’ll be there in thirty.”

And he was gone.

“Sounds like an asshole,” Callum said.

“He sounds hot,” Janey countered. “Is he anything like the Trog?”

“Nothing,” Tannis said. The tension seeped from her. They were back in with a chance. She looked up to find Callum still watching her, his eyes narrowed. “He’s definitely hot,” she added, though she wasn’t sure who she was trying to piss off with that comment. Rico or Callum. “I’m going for a shower. We’ll all meet in the central conference room as soon as they arrive.”

Her step felt light as she hurried from the room, despite the weight of the stares that followed her.

…

Callum studied the other man as he entered the conference room at the head of his people. He reckoned he was predisposed to hating Devlin Starke, nothing was going to change that, however fucking “hot” he was.

Tall and lean, the man moved with the controlled grace of a highly trained fighter. In his time as leader, Callum had learned to sum up people quickly, and he was rarely wrong. Dangerous, was the first word that sprang to mind. Starke gave the impression of leashed-in power that could explode at any moment.

He stared around the room, his gaze settling for a second on Callum. His eyes widened a little, no doubt taking in the wings. Callum held his stare and the expression didn’t change, the cold sneer remaining firmly in place. He moved on and his expression warmed. Callum followed his gaze. Tannis.

She’d showered and changed into tight black pants tucked into knee-high boots that made her legs look impossibly long and a bright red shirt that hugged her small breasts. There was something different about her. He frowned and realized she was wearing makeup—subtle but there—black smudged around her eyes so the yellow stood out stark, and her lips were red to match her shirt. And earrings, long glittering drops that swung against her slender white neck.

Something ugly stirred to life inside him. If she’d done this for Devlin Starke, there was going to be trouble. He looked away, straight into the vampire’s dark eyes. Rico raised one eyebrow. Callum ignored him and slunk lower in his seat, folding his arms across his chest. Amusement flashed across Rico’s face, and Callum scowled. He got the impression the vampire knew exactly what was going through his mind. Well, at least he was providing amusement.

But in truth, he couldn’t ever remember being jealous. How was he supposed to know how to behave?

Tannis was obviously still upset with him. She couldn’t really see anything in that guy, just because he had a cool scar and no wings, and hadn’t actually been responsible for torturing her during her childhood and indirectly murdering her sister.

Rico pulled a silver flask from his pocket and tossed it over. Callum caught it and nodded his thanks. After unscrewing the top, he lifted it to his mouth and took a deep pull. At least he was just about recovered from the poison.

He lowered the flask as Venna appeared in the open doorway. She didn’t look happy to be there, but then who could blame her? She must have realized she was far from popular on this ship, and she wasn’t used to that—she liked to be liked. She’d been skulking in her shuttle, but he’d ordered her to be present at this meeting. He still wanted her with them on Trakis Seven; she had done more research on the planet than anyone. If he was going to find some answers in the limited time they had before the planet’s bloody nature drove them away, then he needed her expertise. She scuttled around the edge of the room, took a chair at the rear, and tried to make herself small.

Tannis was whispering to Starke. Finally, she nodded, headed over, and took the seat next to him, which surprised him. He held out Rico’s flask, and she frowned but took it and sipped delicately. Who was she trying to impress? He’d seen her drinking, and she could drink even Rico under the table. Probably didn’t want to smudge her lipstick.

Starke turned to face them.

“My brother reckons we can trust you. The rest of my people aren’t so sure. But fuck with us, and you’ll regret it.”

“Oooh, I’m sooo scared,” Jon said from the seat behind him.

Callum grinned. It appeared there was someone else the werewolf didn’t like, besides him.

“Shut up, Jon,” Tannis snapped.

“Right.” Stark ignored both comments. “So we have that out of the way. We need a plan.”

“What we need is some serious firepower,” Rico said. “Can you provide that?”

“We have enough to take on those Church ships.”

“And win? You know the Rebels don’t have that good a reputation when it comes to seeing things through.”

Tannis glared at him.

Rico shrugged. “I’m just pointing out a few truths.”

“Like we’ve got so many other options,” Tannis said. “Do you mind not screwing this up.”

Starke leaned against the wall and watched them. “Finished? Yes, we can win.”

“Good, that’s all I needed to know.”

It took an hour to hammer out the plan.

“Right, we’ll aim to intercept them here.” Rico pointed at a spot on the monitor. “Devlin’s guys will take out the guard ships, while
El Cazador
concentrates on the main target. Afterward, Devlin and his pals can go off and do whatever he does, and we’ll continue on to Trakis Seven. We’ll get as close as we can, then whoever is going will have to complete the journey in the shuttle. I’ve heard Trakis Seven isn’t a pleasant place to visit.”

“No, it’s not pleasant,” Callum said. “Though
you
might survive. I don’t think a vampire has ever landed there.”

“I’d prefer not to test it.” He shuddered. “I’ve heard it’s not a good death.”

No. Callum had seen most of his crew die from exposure to Trakis Seven, and it had not been pretty. He tried not to think of all the people who had been sent there since they’d discovered Meridian. Sent by the Collective to work the mines and die on that hideous lump of poisoned rock.

He’d justified it by telling himself that they were criminals, but now he’d learned that innocent people had also died in the mines, their only crime being they were not entirely human.

With a start of shock, he realized that Tannis would have been one of those people if she hadn’t escaped from the research center. They would have taken her to Trakis Seven, and she would have died, in a week, maybe not for a year. He had heard of people who lasted two years, but he was sure at the end of that time they’d been desperate for death. An image of her body ravaged by poison flashed through his mind.

“What’s the matter?” she asked

He glanced up to find her watching him, her brows drawn together.

“Nothing.” What could he say? He was running the complete gamut of emotions these days. Guilt, jealousy…

Maybe it would be best if the planet was destroyed. He hadn’t allowed himself to consider that option. But what if they were to just allow this take its course and let the Church destroy Trakis Seven once and for all. Except he had promised Tannis the Meridian treatment, and he wanted to give that to her. Maybe it would make up in some small way for the past.

But there was more; he needed to find out the truth about what he was, what he was becoming, and every instinct told him the answers were to be found on Trakis Seven. Somehow, he had to find a way to get the planet to give up its secrets.

“Okay, so we have four days until we intercept the ships,” Tannis said. “That long enough for your guys to get there?”

Starke nodded. “I’m still getting the numbers in, but I should know later tonight.”

“Then I think we’re finished for now, not much else we can do until we know what firepower we have on our side. We’ll meet again tomorrow and go over the details.”

The meeting was obviously over. Callum got to his feet, meaning to get close to Tannis and stick close while that slimy bastard was on board. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be for long. No doubt, he’d be heading back to his own ship now they were done. And good riddance.

Starke approached her, and Callum’s eyes narrowed on the other man. “Captain, can I speak with you for a moment?”

Callum shifted closer so he could hear the conversation.

“Callum?” Venna spoke softly from beside him, and he turned away impatiently.

She shifted from foot to foot, casting furtive glances around the room. “Will you walk me to my shuttle?”

“Why?”

“I don’t think they like me.” She nodded toward the small knot of people by the door. The crew didn’t look too friendly.

He glanced at Tannis, who stood way too close to Starke, but Rico was still seated, so he reckoned it was safe to leave them for a minute. And it was his fault Venna was here. He supposed he couldn’t just abandon her, much as he would have liked to—it wasn’t part of his new caring image. All the same, he hustled her out of the room as fast as he could.

…

Tannis was conscious of Callum leaving with Venna and had to keep her feet firmly placed to stop from following. She sighed and looked back at Devlin.

“Is it okay if I stay on board?” Devlin asked. “I want to spend some time with Tris.”

“No problem. Though we’re pretty pushed for space right now.”

“That’s okay, I’ll bunk in with Tris.” He gave her a slow smile. “Unless I get a better offer.”

He was flirting with her, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. He was such a contradiction. The deadly terrorist who’d killed hundreds, and this man who wanted to spend time with his brother. She had a thought. “Your bodyguards aren’t staying are they?” There certainly wasn’t enough room for them.

“No, I’ve sent them back. They weren’t happy—they don’t think I’m safe with you. They think you’ll take advantage of me.” He gave her a slow smile that banished the sneer from his face. “Will you take advantage of me, snake-lady? If I ask nicely?”

She was aware the rest of the crew had left, even Rico who had loitered as though he didn’t want to leave her alone.

She studied him for a moment, a small frown pulling her lips. “The Trog said you were obviously GM, but I can’t see it.”

He raised his brows, then turned his back on her. She frowned, wondering what he was doing. Then he gripped the hem of his T-shirt, pulled it over his head, and tossed it onto the chair.

“Wow.” The word slipped out. She glanced at the open doorway where everyone had disappeared, not knowing whether she wished somebody would come back, or she was glad they were alone. She returned her attention to Devlin. He was very easy to look at.

He was broad at the shoulders, tapering to a narrow waist. His skin had the sheen of good health, though that wasn’t what held her attention. Faint rosettes of color, black on gold, marked his back. Jaguar rings.

He turned, and she found herself very close to the smooth swell of his chest. The jaguar markings tinged his skin around the sides, fading to leave his chest a creamy gold. A line of hair dissected his ridged belly, the same gold, disappearing into the waistband of his pants.

“There are also these.” He took her hand in his and moved her fingers so they pressed against the pad of his. A sharp claw emerged.

“Retractable claws—cool.”

He stroked the sharp claw lightly across her palm, and a shiver ran through her. But when he reached up to grasp her shoulder, she backed away.

“I have things to do,” she said.

And ran.

Chapter Twelve

Callum was racing back to the conference room when he bumped into Rico. Literally. He hadn’t been looking where he was going, and it was like running into a blaster shield.

“Shit.”

Rico grinned. “In a hurry?”

For a moment, Callum peered down the corridor. “No.”

“Then come with me,” Rico said. “I have something for you.”

“Really? A present? How nice but—”

“She’s only pissing you off. Don’t rise to it.”

For a second he hesitated, then said, “Lead the way.”

He followed Rico the way he had come, down into the docking bay, intrigued despite himself. The area was large and empty except for the two shuttles parked at the far side. Rico ignored them and crossed the room in the opposite direction, coming to a halt beside a large cabinet with double doors. He pressed his palm to the panel and the doors slid apart revealing an extensive stash of weapons.

Callum watched in silence as Rico studied the contents. He didn’t think the vampire meant to shoot him, but all the same, his gut tightened. Rico selected a weapons belt and handed it over. Callum didn’t ask, just fastened it around his waist. Next, Rico picked up a laser pistol and weighed it in his hand, then put it down and tried another. He glanced at Callum.

“I take it you do know how to use one of these things?”

“It’s been a while.”

“I bet it has. How long a while?”

Callum couldn’t remember when he had last worn a weapon. There was no need when you spent your whole life in meetings, had an army at your disposal, and a set of personal guards at your back.

“Three hundred years, give or take.”

“Christos.”
Rico studied him as though he were something curious. “Oh, well, just make sure you learn how to use it. I don’t want you shooting anyone by accident.”

He tossed the pistol to Callum, who caught it easily and slid it into the weapons belt. The grip felt good in his hand, and he flexed his fingers. But he needed to understand one thing. “Why?”

“Starke is staying on board, and this is my ship. If anyone gets to kill you, it’s going to be me. Or the captain. I might let her if she still wants to and she asks me nicely.”

“Why’s Starke staying on the ship?” He had a few ideas, but he really hoped he was wrong.

“He says he wants to spend time with his brother, and he’s probably telling the truth.”

“So why give me the gun?”

“His brother isn’t the only one he wants to spend time with. He’s got his eyes on the captain, and she’s still pissed enough with you that she might just think it’s worth leading him on. In which case, seems he’s got a gun, it’s only fair you have one as well.”

“Good. I think.”

“Besides, I don’t know him, and I don’t trust him.”

That was good news. “Why?”

“Because he’s an idealist. He sees things as black and white, and I’m guessing, to his eyes, you’re as black as they come.”

“But not in yours?”

“I’m no idealist. Besides…”

“Besides?”

“I lived on Earth. The place was a mess, much worse than here. You lot might not be perfect, but you’re doing an okay job. Except for the GM thing, but you’re going to put that right. Right?”

“It’s at the top of my list.”

“Good. And while I might not think much of the Collective as a whole, you’re a damn sight better than the alternative.”

“Thanks. I think. By ‘alternative’ I presume you mean the Church. Why do you hate them so much? Is it the whole vampire thing?”

“No. I hated them before I became a vampire. You could say I became a vampire because I hated them.” He sighed. “I grew up in a time when the Church was powerful, even more powerful than today.”

“I take it you were never a believer.”

Rico cast him an incredulous look. “Do I look like an idiot? Though strangely I’ve come to believe there’s something out there, just not the crap the priests spout.” He shrugged. “They killed my wife. Claimed she was a witch and burned her at the stake.”

“And was she? A witch, I mean?”

Rico glanced at him sharply. “You know, you’re the first person to ask me that. Most people assume not, but in fact, by the rules of the day she was. Enough—it was a long time ago and in a faraway place.” He nodded at the laser pistol at Callum’s waist. “Let’s give you a go with that thing—see just how bad things are.” He flicked a switch and a target appeared on the far wall.

Callum drew the weapon, flipped the power on, and shot a blast. Once he’d been good at this—the best—and he swore softly when he only clipped the edge of the target.

“I guess you’re more used to the old-fashioned type with bullets.”

“Ha-ha.”

“But you’re not completely without hope, you just need some practice. With these things, it’s not enough to be able to shoot and hit a target. If you’re good you can deflect the incoming blasts, even direct them back at the shooter. Janey has some training programs on file somewhere. Ask her nicely, and she’ll dig them out for you.”

Callum sent him a look of complete disbelief. “Is this the Janey that offered to murder me presuming Tannis didn’t want to do it herself?”

“If Tannis wanted to kill you, you’d be dead. If she didn’t when she first found out, then chances are she’s not going to now.”

Callum had an idea the vampire wasn’t always so talkative and he had a thousand things he wanted to know. “What was she like when you met?”

“What do you think she was like? Fucked-up.” He considered Callum for a moment. “Let me give you a word of advice: get the crew on your side.”

Callum snorted. “Is that even possible?”

“Maybe not, but you can try. For a start, you might tone down that massive superiority complex you’ve got going.”

Callum grinned. “That’ll be hard.”

“I’ll bet—but try.” He leaned against the wall as Callum tried a few more shots at the target, hitting it this time. He holstered the pistol.

“So the crew?” Callum asked.

“Most of Jon is just talk. He’s been acting mean for so long, it’s become a habit.”

“Yeah, I can see that underneath, he’s just a big fluffy dog. What about the little priestess?”

“Alex knows what it’s like to be in a position of power and not be able to totally control things. Play it right, and she’ll sympathize. Plus, she has this whole ‘to forgive is divine’ thing going on. She wants to forgive—all you have to do is ask nicely.”

“Janey?”

“Janey likes to flirt, but she doesn’t really like men.”

“Why?”

“Her business, but you’ll get points if you don’t flirt back. And don’t try to manipulate her—she’s got the best brain I’ve ever come across, and she’ll see right through you.”

“The green girl?”

“Daisy? She’s already half-infatuated with you. You can fly, and to Daisy, that puts you on a whole different level from the rest of mankind. Be her friend and she’ll love you forever.” He gave Callum a sharp look. “Just don’t take advantage of that.”

Callum was actually shocked at the thought. “It never even crossed my mind.”

“No, your mind—not to mention the rest of you—is somewhere else.” He grinned. “Good luck with that.”

“What about Skylar? How do I get her on my side?”

“You don’t.” Rico drew his laser pistol and placed three blasts in the center of the target. “You stay away from Skylar.”

…

Callum decided that however hard it was going to be, he was going to have to give Tannis some space. He was sure if she spent time with Starke, she would soon realize what a tosser he was.

Meanwhile, he was going to attempt to follow Rico’s advice and get the rest of the crew on his side. He wasn’t expecting it to be easy. He decided to start with Janey and found her at her console on the bridge. She glanced up, her expression vaguely hostile as she caught him watching her. He tried a smile. She didn’t seem impressed.

Humble. Think humble.

“Rico gave me a gun,” he said.

“So?”

He frowned. Wasn’t she supposed to be flirting with him? “I haven’t shot anyone in a long time.”

She raised one arched elegant eyebrow.

“Rico said you might have some training programs you could set up for me.”

“He did?” She frowned. “Why do you want to learn? Aren’t you a politician? Who do you want to shoot?”

Janey sounded suspicious, and he tried to think what would be a good answer. He reckoned one of the reasons the crew was so against him was because they were protective of Tannis. He could work with that. “I’ll be going down to Trakis Seven with Tannis. I might need to protect her.”

“From what? There’s nothing alive on Trakis Seven.”

“Maybe someone will follow us down there.”

“This is Trakis Seven we’re talking about. Somehow, I doubt you’ll be inundated with company. Besides, the captain is quite capable of looking after herself.”

He resisted the urge to follow his natural inclinations and order her to give him the stuff. Instead, he took a deep breath. There were some occasions when only the truth would do. “Okay, the truth?”

“A novel idea, but why not?”

“I suspect, at some point in the near future, I’m going to want to shoot Devlin Starke. Unfortunately, he’s essential to our plans, so I want to make sure that I don’t kill him by accident.”

Janey grinned. “Great reason. You’ll find a headset underneath the console in your cabin. I’ll send the files through there.”

…

“You know, you should think about joining us,” Devlin said.

Tannis hadn’t been paying attention. Instead, she’d been playing with her food and watching the doorway. Now she turned to the man at her side. “Sorry?”

“I said, I think you should consider joining the Rebels. We need good captains.”

The comment took her by surprise. She wondered why. On the outside, she supposed she was ideal rebel material. She was a GM and an experienced captain. Still, anyone who knew her well could have told him she wasn’t one for causes, and she certainly wasn’t a joiner. Rico’s influence.

“I don’t think so.”

“Why?” He reached across and stroked a finger down the back of her hand, and she twitched with the need to pull away. She didn’t like unsolicited personal contact. But maybe Devlin didn’t realize that. After all, she’d hardly been standoffish with him. She was just unused to this sort of situation, so she left her hand where it was and tried to control her twitching. He obviously took that as positive and stroked her again. She analyzed the resulting feeling: not unpleasant, but not wildly exciting either. Her gaze strayed to the door.

“We’d be good together,” Devlin murmured.

She realized he was still on about her joining the Rebels. At least she hoped that’s what he was talking about. She turned to face him. Close up, he really was very good-looking.

“No we wouldn’t,” she said. “You like to be in charge and so do I. Besides, you’re an idealist and I’m not. You want to save the world, and I just want to earn lots and lots of money.”

“You don’t come across as the mercenary type.”

Tannis grinned. “Believe me, I love money.”

“Is that why you’re working for that bastard? For money.”

She presumed he meant Callum. “Yeah, for money. Mainly.”

He frowned. “Maybe you need to open your eyes and see what’s going on in the world. GMs are suffering. It’s our duty to stop this, to bring down the government—”

“Yeah, yeah, and make the world a better place,” she interrupted his sermon as irritation nipped at her nerves. “My eyes are open, thank you, and I think I know what’s going on, probably better than you. I just don’t want to make that my life.” She pulled her hand free and picked up her spoon, starting to eat and hoping he would get the message.

Callum was late for supper. Where was he?

He’d left her alone for the last couple of days, and she didn’t blame him. After all, she had poisoned him. At first, she’d tried to tell herself that she liked it this way, but her deep-rooted self-honesty wouldn’t allow her to accept that. She missed him.

But the one time he turned up unfailingly was mealtimes. The first couple of times, he’d sat in silence, obviously listening. He hadn’t attempted to sit next to her, usually taking a seat opposite. She occasionally found his gaze on her, but he would just smile politely and go on with his food.

Then, after the first couple of meals, he’d started joining in with the conversation. Making the odd comment. Asking questions. Last night, he and Rico had gotten into an argument about an old program they had both watched back on Earth—
Star Trek
—and which season was the best. But the argument had been friendly—it looked like Rico had forgiven him for his time in the research center.

Afterward, she’d asked him, and he’d shrugged. “We’ve all done things we should probably be ashamed of. Hell, I changed Bastian, and look how that turned out.”

Now, she played with her food and waited for Callum to appear.

“So once you get rid of your client,” Devlin said from beside her, “why don’t you give it a try and join us?”

Jesus, he was still on about that. “I’m not getting rid of Callum.”

“You’re not?”

“No, I’m going to Trakis Seven.”

Devlin sat back in his seat a frown on his handsome face. “No one survives Trakis Seven except the Collective.”

“He’s paying me with the Meridian treatment.” Devlin would know she was going to Trakis Seven soon enough. They had a strategy meeting scheduled for after supper. It would be obvious then.

At that moment, Callum appeared in the doorway. Alex was at his side like some exotic flower in her burnt-orange jumpsuit with scarlet piping. Alex had spent most of her life in the black robes of a priestess, and now she loved color, the brighter the better. Callum’s head was bent toward her as he listened to something she was saying, and Tannis strained to hear.

“Thanks for hearing me out,” he murmured. “I needed to get that off my conscience. You’re a good listener.”

Alex patted his arm. “I’m glad it helped.” She gave him a sweet smile and went and sat beside Jon. Tannis frowned.

Callum nodded at the room in general and glanced around. There was a free seat on the other side of Tannis, but he ignored that and sat down next to Daisy. Tannis pretended to eat as she eavesdropped.