Experiment (Hybrid Book 2) (21 page)

“Have you considered that maybe I don’t like the fact you can look in on my body whenever you feel like it? I’m not a lab rat, or so you’ve been telling me.”

Connor’s shoulders were starting to tense, so Tenset stepped in again. It was tough being the grown-up sometimes.

“I for one agree with her. But we can talk about that later. As a starter let’s just get the damn Federation implants deactivated, so we can get away from here ASAP, agreed?”

Connor nodded and leaned over Chesara with his hypo spray as she moved to lie face down on the bed, lifting her hair to one side.

“I hope you’re not going to play the not waiting to three to...” Chesara relaxed at the hypo took effect.

“She’ll be pissed at you for that,” Tenset observed calmly.

“She’s always pissed at me when I knock her out. It’s sort of a tradition. Now pay attention, I don’t want you scrambling my brains when you do me.”

Connor carefully showed Tenset how to locate the implant behind her ear and on the back of her neck, before deactivating them with another device in his bag of tricks. Tenset winced as Chesara’s body briefly spasmed.

“As long as you get the right spot, it’s not a problem. You don’t want the beam to penetrate neural tissue. It won’t cause major damage in a short burst, but it leaves the person disorientated and with one hell of a headache for a few hours. So please be careful.” Connor said as he handed over the device and the hypo.

“Don’t worry troll, I’ll be gentle, I’ve been castrating horses for years, they’ve never complained. Not much anyway,” he said as he gave Connor a bright smile.

The big Federation man shot him a look of complete disgust as he lay down on his front beside the still sleeping Chesara.

“Just be careful Blackbeard,” Connor reminded him, just before Tenset activated the hypo spray.

After deactivating Connor’s devices, Tenset stared at the unconscious pair for a moment. He’d finally gone and done it. Here they were, a naïve, incredibly sexy and talented one of a kind alien hybrid, a huge troll of a man who liked to pretend he didn’t have any feelings and a washed up, one eyed womaniser who didn’t had a clue about life off a planet he could never go back to.

Tenset had always assumed he’d have a family one day, it was what kalzirian life was all about. But if anyone had suggested that these two would be it, he would have suggested they needed psychiatric help. After he’d stopped laughing, which might have taken a bloody long time. His ancestors would certainly be turning in their graves knowing that he’d abandoned all they had worked for in favour of being on the run with an alien and a ‘yes sir’ federation minion.

He spent another thirty seconds looking at their peaceful faces before grinning.

“Fuck the lot of them,” he announced and started whistling a cheerful tune as he made his way up to the flight deck. It was time to get this weird ass show on the road.

C
onnor heard laughter as he came to, and pushed himself onto his back as he waited for the post sedation dizziness to pass. Rubbing his face briefly, he heaved himself into a sitting position. His vision swam for a second, and he paused for the room to come back in to complete focus before standing. Walking along the corridor he followed the sound of Chesara’s laughter up into the command unit via the narrow ladder.

“Hi sleepy head,” Chesara called out and Connor’s mood lifted at the sight of her cheerful face. “We’re just trying to imagine how much panic there’ll be back in ‘Federation Land’ when they find out their ‘prize poodle’ is missing.”

She composed her features and carried on in a condescending voice that was uncannily like Dr Henderson.

“Now Captain, do try to calm yourself, lying on the floor blubbering like a baby is not in keeping with command protocols.”

She descended into more giggles, and they laughed along with her. Even though Tenset didn’t know either Dr Henderson or Captain Crowther, her delight was infectious.

“Now you’re awake troll, can you check I’ve deactivated all the automatic Federation identity signals from this tub, you’re a bit more of a techie than I am.”

Connor sincerely doubted that Tenset had missed anything. Instead of the dim local yokel Connor had assumed all residents of a low tech, class stratified planet would be, Tenset seemed to be able to do whatever he set his mind to.

“Sure,” he replied and slid into the engineering station’s chair, leaving Tenset in the command chair and Chesara perched up against the navigation and communication consoles.

“What’re we going to call her?” asked Tenset.

“Call who?” Chesara replied.

“The ship. We can’t keep on referring to her as ‘Aires,’ that’s a Federation navy vessel, not a free pirate, or trader or explorer or whatever it is we’re going to be.”

Connor watched the happiness drain from her face, and he cursed Tenset for ruining the mood. After watching her being either still and unconscious or screaming in fear over the last few weeks, seeing her happy had made everything they’d risked worth it.

“What are we going to do?” she said quietly.

Tenset rose and went over to her, pulling her into a hug. Her whole world had been turned upside down in the last few hours, and it was hard to remember that all this was brand new to her. She hadn’t been thinking about it for weeks like they had.

“Whatever we do, we’ll do it together, but I suggest as a first move, that we head away from Federation space. I’ve had a bit of time to think about it over the past week, first stuck in an escape pod, then playing nursemaid to that crew hasn’t left me a great deal else to do.”

“Is that how you did it? Disguised yourself as a ship wreck victim?” Connor asked the devious man he’d chosen to trust with both his own and more importantly, Chesara’s life.

Tenset grinned. “Not an ordinary ship wreck victim, troll. I was a Federation shipwreck victim. Do you remember me telling you what you can find out from ‘loyal’ Federation officials if you have enough credits? I purchased an ancient escape pod from one of the museums on Kalzir and got my contact to dig out appropriate codes for a lost Federation vessel. I mocked-up an old style uniform, and had him tow me out here.”

“How did you know the Aries wanted to rendezvous here?” Connor asked as Chesara closed her eyes and leaned her face up against Tenset’s chest. Almost without thought, his arms held her a little more firmly as she breathed in his scent.

“Connor, Connor, Connor, you don’t expect a man to give up all his secrets do you?” His sad condescending smile soon morphed into a classic cocky Tenset grin. Connor snorted.

Chesara turned in Tenset’s arms until her captivating catlike green eyes met Connor’s.

“If we have no other plans, I’d like to see if we can find out a little more about my people.”

He shared a glance with Tenset and the Kalzirian shrugged.

“Don’t see why not Sweetcheeks. Any idea where to start Federation?”

“You’re going to have to stop calling me that,” Connor rubbed at his stubbly jaw, thinking.

“The only information we have is from your mother and she never said a word about your people or where she came from. The Garians are probably the best place to start, they often sell information for a price, and Federation bought your mother from them.”

Her wince of pain at being reminded of her status had him moving over to her and Tenset relinquished his hold so she could move into his arms. He stroked the back of a finger down her face.

“Sorry Kittycat. I didn’t mean to hurt you. We’ll need to think about picking up some trade goods or some significant credits to get the Garians to tell us anything. How about I plot a course via some not so Federation friendly planets and space stations in the direction of Garian space and get this tub underway?”

She nodded as she snuggled into his chest. The trust she had in him, even after everything that had happened made him the happiest man alive. But she wasn’t the only person he was responsible for any more.

“Meanwhile, if you’re up to it, can you do something about his ugly face? It’ll put me off my food if I have to look at it much longer.”

Tenset suddenly found something very interesting on his console.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about it. The patch and scars are a massive hit with the ladies. It makes me look all rough and dangerous,” and he waggled his eyebrows at Chesara.

Connor didn’t believe a word or it, and from the look on her face, neither did Chesara.

“Nope, come on you big baby. Connor told me you got those wounds protecting us, and it’s the least I can do to fix it. It’ll be much easier to be ‘dangerous’ with binocular vision.”

She started push a reluctant Tenset to the ladder that led down to the accommodation level. Just as, she put her foot on the ladder to follow him down the ladder, she turned to Connor.

“How about we call her ‘New Beginnings’?”

Connor smiled, and a deep voice from the access tube said, “Fine with me.”

Turning back to the console in front of him, Connor started the navigation calculations.

––––––––

A
s she followed Tenset down the corridor, she tried to sort out her feelings for him. Even with the scars, he was attractive, hell he was gorgeous, just like Dagus, but Dagus didn’t want to give up his life for her.

Judging from his flirtatious behaviour, Tenset was certainly a consummate charmer, but there was a sadness in him that wasn’t in his younger countryman. The slight air of vulnerability, together with his cocky personality was making it hard not to like him, hard not to be curious about what lay beneath the façade. According to both Tenset and Connor, she’d already succumbed to his charm at least once already.

Shutting the problem away, she retreated to the far easier subject of how to go about regenerating or repairing an eye. She hoped it was still there, repair was a lot easier than complete regeneration, and she’d never done an eye before.

She rubbed at her distracting rumbling stomach. The last time she’d eaten had been a quick sandwich during yesterday’s assignment. Which apparently had occurred at least a couple of weeks ago. Her world tilted sideways again, she had no idea when she’d last eaten, any more than she had an idea what the actual date was.

Tenset halted and raised his eyebrows. “You’re hungry. When was the last time you ate?”

“Looks like you got the loos but not the brains. Do the words ‘memory wipe’ ring a bell? I might be a bit hungry, but you’re injured, let’s get to it Tinsel Toes, before I change my mind.”

He grasped her elbow and steered her towards the food preparation area.

“You need to eat.”

She pulled her arm away. “And you need to stop telling me what to do. I’m the doctor, you’re the patient. Get used to it.”

Him dipping, putting his shoulder into her middle and hoisting her caveman style over his shoulder, caused her to freeze for just a moment before she started to kick.

“Put me down you idiot, I’m not a bloody sack of potatoes.”

“Everything ok down there?” Connor called from above them.

“Connor? Get this fucking caveman off me,” she shouted back.

“Just getting her to eat, troll, nothing to worry about.”

Connor’s chuckle just pushed her anger a little higher. They might not think she was property in the same way as the bloody Federation, but they still thought they knew what was best for her. The wasn’t property, and she wasn’t a damn child.

Tenset deposited her on one of the chairs then turned to the cupboards looking for edibles. She watched him, fully aware that if she tried to move, it would just exacerbate the situation. He came from a low tech ‘traditional’ society, so this was probably par for the course.

Unfortunately, as much as she was annoyed at him, the fact that he was willing to risk her wrath, and Connor’s because she needed to eat gave her a warm feeling. He cared more about her welfare than getting his good looks or his eye back. Just like Dagus, she bet that his physical appearance was an important part of him.

As she couldn’t remember what he looked like before, it didn’t matter to her. He was gorgeous, even with the scars; she could stare at him for hours and not be bored. He oozed masculinity, just like Connor and Dagus. Unnerved by the way she could feel her desire spiralling, she swallowed hard, trying to control herself.

How could a complete stranger, which he was despite what they said, get her so hot and bothered simply by his proximity? Maybe he had a hard on. From what Connor has said that would do it, unfortunately, thinking about his dick didn’t help her confusion about what she felt about him, Connor or her own reactions.

Tenset deposited a single plate of cold meats and cheese in front of both of them. Taking a piece of cheese, he shrugged in apology.

“It’s not much, but it’ll keep us going for a while. There’s fancier stuff in there, but that’ll have to wait for another time.”

He frowned when she didn’t immediately reach for the plate. Then a grin spread across his face.

“If you want me to feed you Sweetcheeks just say the word. You enjoyed it last time.”

His grin broadened when she immediately shot out a hand to grab some cheese. Thinking about ‘last time’ and what he remembered that she didn’t made her uncomfortable. It seemed as if everyone knew more about her that she did, and it pissed her off.

She glared at him as she chewed. The unembarrassed lust in his eyes didn’t help dial down either her annoyance, or her desire. Being stared at was something she’d gotten used to as a child. Usually a glare had them hastily averting their eyes.

No one had ever looked at her like this, although she admitted that Dagus had come close earlier. Tenset was just too bloody confident that she was going to fall into his arms, just like all those other girls. His cockiness made her angry, this would be her decision, her choice and she’d already made it, she was done with being compliant.

The small meal proceeded in silence, and she got up as soon as the plate was empty. No longer confident that she could be close enough to heal him, especially if he got an erection, without reacting further, she decided to bail.  Dagus having a hard-on while she healed had probably led to what happened on the shuttle. Repeating that experience with Tenset right now wouldn’t reduce the complexity of the situation.