His Fire Maiden (11 page)

D
ev escorted
Violette to the captain’s quarters where she would be staying. Intermediate bands of light shone over her face, brightening and darkening her features with a steady pattern. She held her emotions close, like a trained soldier. Only, she wasn’t Federation. He wondered what manner of life she must have had, being raised motherless by a general. That fact explained much about her personality. She had discipline, a strong sense of loyalty, and the kind of single-minded purpose one often found in Federation types. And yet there was a rebellion in her too, a wild need for adventure.

“After Gil kidnapped me, Captain Jarek and his wife decided it would be best if they took their infant son back to his home planet where he would be safe. You may stay in there room, if you like.” He regretted not being able to say goodbye to Captain Jarek, Mei, and baby Parker, but he understood why they’d left the ship. None knew how permanent of a move the trip would be. “Lochlann is acting captain, but he already has a room.”

The captain’s quarters was the largest room on the ship, and much bigger than her quarters on the
Racing Banana
. Mei had decorated the walls with strips of yellow and red silk embroidered with her home planet’s flowers. They stirred at the gentlest of air current, like the opening of a door.

“I hope you’ll be comfortable here.” Dev wished he knew what to say to erase the sadness from her features.

“Don’t want me bunking with you?” Violette glanced around and appeared uncomfortable. “Afraid I’ll escape and take you as my prisoner? It does seem to be my turn.”

This woman had no idea how much he was her prisoner, even now, while on his ship surrounded by his people.

“My quarters will not fit both of us. I thought you might be more relaxed in here.” Dev waited for her to invite him to stay, or to yell at him from forcing her to be on the ship, or to say anything at all to reveal how she felt about him. When she didn’t, he stepped backward out of the door. “The computer call button will find me if you need assistance. I will be nearby. Don’t bother contemplating an escape. Our pod is damaged, and if you don’t know Lucien’s system, you’ll never figure out how he rigged the communications to work.”

“Can’t promise that I won’t try.” She stared at the bed, not moving.

“We’re not locking you in a cage, so please don’t hurt anyone on this ship.” Dev lifted his hand to the sensor on the wall.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone but the one who deserves to be brought to justice,” Violette answered as the door closed her inside.

Dev shut her in the room and pressed his hand lightly to the metal barrier. He wanted her so badly it hurt, and yet he had to suppress his feelings. Turning, he strode until he was at Evan’s quarters. He knocked. It only took seconds for the door to slide out of the way.

“Did you show her?” Josselyn eagerly asked as if she’d been waiting by the door.

“Yes. I showed her,” Dev answered.

“Then she saw my pardon and the holo-box the general left me on Quazer. That has to sway her some, doesn’t it? It’s part of the truth from her father’s own lips.” Josselyn looked past Dev as if she’d find her sister in the hallway. “Will she talk to me? Is she in the commons?”

“Lochlann told her you were not on the ship. I believe that is best for now.” Dev sighed. “I’m sorry, Josselyn. I don’t know that she will ever listen to what we have to say, so we must show her. Then, you can try to speak to her.”

Josselyn nodded. “I understand. Let her roam the ship. I’ll stay hidden. I want her to trust us, not feel like a prisoner. My mother would have wanted us to be sisters. My father would have wanted whatever made my mother happy. I intend to do everything I can to honor what would have been their wishes.”

Dev gave a soft smile. “You’re more like Violette than you can imagine. It must be a Craven thing. You both are so certain of things, and so stubborn in your views.”

Evan tilted his head, edging closer. Dev knew that look. Evan picked up on the emotions Dev tried to hide. Dev attempted to harden himself to his friend’s psychic probing.

“Please be careful.” Josselyn gave him a smile, but the expression didn’t reach her eyes. “When I hired her to give me a ride to Rifflen, before I knew who she was to me, she was very convincing in her part. She knew who I was from the beginning, and I never suspected a thing.”

“I will be careful, my lady,” Dev said dutifully. His words seemed to ease her worry some, and she nodded.

“Dev?” Evan asked, holding his chest. “Are you well?”

“No,” Dev answered. There was no reason to lie. As an empath, Evan knew the truth already. “But I am on the only course I can be on.”

“Dev, I have never felt this strong of an emotion in you before. Is this true?” Evan stepped cautiously closer. He reached out his hand as if to touch Dev’s chest but stopped short and placed his palm over his own heart. “You have fallen in love with Violette?”

Love? Dev looked at the floor. He would never have named his feelings out loud. He was a beast, a demon, and now a kidnapper. When he forced Violette to see what her father was, she would forever associate him with that truth. He wasn’t made to be loved. Violette accepted him as a lover, but as someone she could love? No. His was a one-sided heartache.

“Dev?” Josselyn questioned when he didn’t speak.

“Yes,” Dev answered simply. “But she doesn’t love me back, so there is no reason to discuss it.”

Evan nodded. He looked as if he’d say more, but Dev left before he could. Nothing Evan had to say would ease the sorrow he felt.

Yes. He loved Violette, but he had not wanted to give his pain a name. Put fifty yorkins in front of him and he’d slaughter every last one of them. But set a beautiful woman with soft brown hair and a fierce demeanor before him and he would lose to her every time.

Demons didn’t get to be loved like that. That was not how the universe worked.

V
iolette wasn’t
sure how she slept, but she did. For some reason when Dev told her she was safe, she felt safe. She half hoped she’d wake up to find him next to her, or even in the room silently watching over her. He wasn’t. She woke up alone.

When she had lay on the bed, the lights had dimmed. The way that the sensors were set made it impossible for her to tell how long she’d dozed. By the growling protests of her stomach, it had been a long time.

As she stretched, she glanced at the call button that would bring Dev to her. She wanted to see him, but purely for selfish reasons that had nothing to do with the practicality of her current situation. Instead, she opened the door and peeked out into the metal corridor. Since this ship model used to be Federation, she could determine the basic layout fairly easily. She needed to find communications. Even though she was hungry, she could put off eating. Work first, everything else later.

The communications room was easy to find. However, the control panel was far from Federation issue. Determining the frequency controls proved simple, but the rest of the unmarked switches were a challenge. She ran her finger over the scratched surface where the control’s labels should have been etched.

“Thing of beauty, isn’t it?” A man leaned against the doorframe, watching her.

It took Violette a moment to remember the name from the ship manifest she’d seen on Rifflen. “Viktor?”

“Lucien. I’m the more handsome brother,” Lucien corrected. He gave her a friendly smile. His eyes sparkled with flirtatious mischief. They were a curious mix of red and brown. “Trying to make a call?”

Violette didn’t bother to deny what she’d been caught doing. “That’s a pretty effectual way to keep people from using your equipment. Don’t suppose you’d want to dial for me?”

Lucien laughed. “Rick said you were witty.”

“I don’t know if I’d take Rick’s opinion on anything,” Violette replied.

“He also says you’re the one who is going to break Dev’s curse.” Lucien sat in his chair and smiled up at her. “So, are you fire? That’s the obvious choice because of Dev. Wood and frost doesn’t make sense. And metal is well, everyone is flying around in metal these days. Or are you earth because we first saw you on Rifflen under the sand?”

“Am I earth?” Violette arched a brow.

“The curse. Are you earth because of the sand?”

“Are you having some kind of episode? What exactly are you on?” She studied his eyes a little more carefully. Maybe they weren’t normal for his type of humanoid. “Have you been drinking Torganian rum? You do know that isn’t really liquor and causes hallucinations in most humanoids, don’t you? If you partook, we need to get you into a medical booth.”

“Oh, trust me, I know all about Torganian
roome-ah
. We found out that lesson the hard way when we accidentally kidnapped a cat prince and tried to, anyway, that’s a long story. Prince Falke is fine now and back with his people. Point being, I don’t touch the stuff.”

“Then, you actually want to know if I’m made of earth?” Violette arched a brow.

Lucien tilted his head. “Dev did tell you he’s cursed, didn’t he?”

“Cursed,” she repeated.

“Yeah, cursed. Like honest to whiteholes, predicted by a dead seer, cursed.”

“I don’t believe in superstitions. Dev isn’t cursed because he has Bevlon blood. It’s just blood, a collection of genetic anomalies prevalent in his people more than other alien races and…” Violette’s voice tapered off, and she realized she sounded like one of her father’s speeches.

“That’s all probably true, starlight, but I’m talking about an actual Lintianese spirit curse. Five of our crewmen have fallen victim to it. Five men will find or not find love according to the five Lintianese elements. Well, not Evan, his curse was broken by…” Lucien glanced away and pretended to adjust a couple of dials.

“By Josselyn,” Violette filled in, frowning. If Josselyn somehow fit into their superstitious belief system that could explain why they were so protective of the newest member of their crew, and would fight so hard to defend her.

Lucien nodded. “Anyway, rumor has it you’re breaking Dev’s curse.”

“And you believe I represent one of the five elements?” Violette chuckled. “I appreciate you think I’m some special spell breaker, but I’m not the end to anyone’s curse.”

“Oh, well, that’s too bad. I hear Dev likes you.” Lucien shrugged and began flipping through his dials in earnest, scanning signal channels.

Dev often looked so stoic and serious. She assumed he liked her, at least well enough to take her as a lover, but to hear it from one of his friends filled her with pleasure.

“Where do I find food?” she asked.

Lucien pointed in the direction of the dining area.

Violette bowed her head by way of a valediction and left communications to seek out the dining hall. Once alone in the passageway, she smiled to herself. It was a romantic notion, thinking she was Dev’s true love come to end a curse. She envied those who could find such happiness in life.

She moved down the corridor listening for voices, but the ship was quiet. Her fingers traced the wall as she walked, absently gliding over the seams in the metal. In love with Dev? What an extraordinary idea. She never allowed herself to consider falling in love.

The mechanical hum of a door sliding open interrupted her thoughts and caused her to stop walking.

“I’ll only be a moment. Everyone is asleep. I won’t be—”

“Josselyn.” Violette gasped, the sound causing the woman to stop speaking. Dev had lied. Her sister was on board the ship.

Josselyn turned. Her mouth slightly agape, she whispered, “Violette.”

For a long time, she could only stare. Her hands shook, and her mind became paralyzed. She’d waited for this moment when she would have the woman before her, only now she wasn’t prepared. None of the words she’d wanted to say came to mind. Every speech, every sentence was lost.

Violette screamed incoherently, charging forward. Josselyn shrieked in surprise and made a move to jump out of the way. Violette grabbed the woman’s hair. She jerked her arm back, and someone caught her wrist before she could strike.

Violette recognized Dev’s heated touch before she saw his face. He dragged her away from Josselyn. When they stopped moving, she watched Evan stand before his wife like a shield.

“You…killed,” Violette managed. All the building anger and grief flowed through her until she shook. She wanted to scream, to hit. Tears ran down her cheeks. “You…killed…”

“Violette.” Josselyn’s tone was pitying. The sound only made the pain worse. Violette didn’t want Josselyn’s pity. “Please, don’t do this. We’re sisters.”

“You’re not my sister,” Violette denied.

Dev kept a hold on her arms, and she tried to pull free of his grasp.

“Come away,” he whispered. “We’ll talk.”

“I don’t want to talk to you,” Violette countered. “You led me to believe she wasn’t on this ship.”

“Actually, I told you that,” Lochlann stated. He joined them, looking as if the noise had just woken him from a deep sleep. “It was a decision made for the safety of all on board. However, now that you know, I don’t think we have any choice but to lock you up. Dev, will you bring her to a holding area? Or should I have Jackson?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Dev stated.

“No, please, don’t do that,” Josselyn inserted. “I’ll stay away from her. Don’t lock her up.”

“Don’t try to help me,” Violette snapped. “You’re not my sister. You’re a murderer.”

“Please, Lochlann, let Dev take her to the medical booth.” Josselyn lifted her hands to show she wasn’t going to show aggression. She tried to step around her husband. “I have an idea.”

“What do you have in mind?” Evan asked, not making it easy for her to pass.

“Genetic testing will prove we’re sisters. Maybe then she’ll—” Josselyn tried to answer.

“That won’t change anything,” Violette interrupted. “The fact we shared a mother does not make you my sister. I listened to the holo-boxes. I know you were engaged to my father when he was younger. You perpetrated some crime and were put into stone, and he grew up. He married your mother, not you, and they had me out of their love. He saved her. He was a good man. Out of loyalty he had you pardoned and the second you were free you committed murder. He should have left you there to rot.”

“Do you even know what you’re saying? Do you just rewrite history to suit your storyline?” Josselyn cried in frustration. She pushed her husband forcibly out of her way. “I have given you evidence, words out of Jack’s mouth in holographic form. It should be enough to open your mind to the possibility that more happened than what you’ve been told by your father. For one, I was never engaged to him. He asked. I said no. He didn’t like that. So he betrayed his people by helping the government on the planet of Florencia spy on us. They wanted to take over the individual moons. They wanted power over us, our land, and our money. The second the Federation showed up offering to help, Jack was right there with his hand out greedy for their shiny promises and pretty words.”

“I don’t rewrite history,” Violette denied. She breathed hard. “I saw my father killed by your hand. That’s what I know.”

“And I saw my whole world fall by the hand of your father,” Josselyn countered. “My brothers, they would have been your half-brothers, and my father were murdered. Let me give you a little history lesson, sis. When Florencia couldn’t deliver the moons to the Federation, they killed the head of the Florencian planet government and laid claim to the lands with some sham treaty clause before turning their forces to the moon. Again, there was colony spy Jack, all ready to kill whoever they told him to for his shiny white uniform and sparkly title. He proved he was a good little Federation lapdog by storming into my village and slaughtering nearly everyone. Those who weren’t killed were put into stone prisons. They destroyed everything I love. And when it looked as if we might win, they destroyed the weather satellites. They killed all life on those moons and then abandoned them to ice. When it was all said in done, they had killed colonies of people for a few forced recruits to fight in their armies and…” Josselyn’s voice caught. “And…”

Violette saw the woman’s expression. Josselyn believed what she said. The pain in it mirrored her own.

“Josselyn,” Evan urged softly, pulling her toward him. “It will be all right, baby.”

Violette didn’t know what to believe anymore. She watched Dev out of the corner of her eye, wishing he’d pull her close and whisper soothingly to her. Instead, he kept a firm hold on her as if to keep her from attacking.

“I understand your pain, but if you’re going to kill for something, don’t you want to know if it’s for the truth?” Josselyn reached a hand forward as if she’d touch her.

Violette jerked. Dev’s grip restrained her. “Let me go.” She jerked again. “Dev, let me go!”

Dev released her. Violette pushed past him, moving away from Josselyn and the others. She ran down the corridor. There was nowhere to go. The ship might have been bigger than hers, but it still felt small. She heard footsteps behind her and paused, glancing around. Dev caught up with her.

“Dev, I,” she took several deep breaths, “Dev, I…”

“Come.” He gently touched her elbow and led her into a room. Dev’s shirt lay across the narrow mattress. It was then she looked more fully at him. He wore only pants. His chest and feet were bare.

“Dev, I…”

“I thought it best for you to learn the truth before you saw your sister,” Dev said. “I never meant to deceive you. I regret letting you believe a lie, but—”

“Dev, don’t take this away from me,” she whispered. Tears burned her eyes. “Revenge is all I have.”

“No, you are more than revenge,” he said.

“No. That’s all I have left.” Violette gestured helplessly, unsure what she should do next. She wasn’t used to feeling vulnerable. “I have no family. I have a crew who like me well enough, but if I stopped paying them, they’d leave me without a backward glance. I owe it to my father. I made a blood oath the day he died to get justice. It is who I am. I need it.”

“Violette, you have me,” Dev whispered. “If you want me.”

Violette wished that was true. She wanted the words she read into his comment were real. She wanted to hear him say he loved her, needed her, chose her.

Though, what would happen if he had to choose? Her or Josselyn? His lover or a part of his crew? She didn’t doubt he liked her, but how far would he go for like? She didn’t want to hear the answer so didn’t ask.

“Let me take you to Florencia’s Fifth Moon so you can see for yourself,” he said. “If your oath is for justice, then learn the truth and then decide what is just.”

His words made sense. Instead of answering, she kissed him. Even if it wasn’t love, she needed to feel his affection. She didn’t want to be alone. It was only when he touched her could she pretend that the universe wasn’t there.

Dev made love to her slowly, taking his time. First, he stripped her of her clothing. His hands moved over her legs, massaging their way up her thighs, her hips, her waist and back. She swayed on her feet, almost unable to stand. He caught her against his chest and lifted her gently from the floor to lay her on the bed.

He pushed the pants from his hips. Heat cocooned her when he brought his naked body over hers. The texture of his skin felt fantastic against hers. Her legs restlessly moved along his. She leaned up for a kiss, moaning as her moist tongue met his.

When he entered her, it was slow and steady. Her eyes connected with his. The full length of him filled her. She wanted the moment to last. Every nerve focused on him. He rocked against her, staying deep. The pleasure came almost too soon before she was ready to let the moment go. Their climax crashed against them in trembling perfection. Finally, her eyes closed, as she was unable to resist the lull of ecstasy.

Afterward, Dev held her against him on the small bed. Even though there was a larger room waiting for her, she didn’t want to leave his side.

“I don’t think I can kill her. I thought I could, but…” Violette turned in Dev’s arms to look at him. “What kind of daughter does that make me?”