Zealot (8 page)

Leaning forward, he activated a trigger near the top of the control panel and suddenly lights blinked on the surface of the moon. Not a runway, exactly, but a clearly designated path that hadn’t been there a moment before.

“No wonder the rumor mills won’t shut up about the moon. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. This is so strange.”

He was absorbed with maneuvering the ship, so he just flashed a quick smile. They followed the lighted path into what looked like the mouth of a tunnel. But as soon as they passed through the threshold, they were surrounded by a mammoth cave.

She leaned forward and looked from side to side, unable to take it all in without moving her head, repeatedly. The ship slowly rotated to the right and her jaw threatened to drop for the third time. With a double-layer concourse extending from a multi-level structure, Lunar 9 nestled against the back wall of the cave. This wasn’t an alien outpost, it was a city tucked away inside the moon.

“This is… How did… I don’t understand.”

He reached over and patted her leg. “Lunar 9 has this effect on everyone the first time they see it. Even Rodytes are shocked by its size.”

“Did your people create the cavern or just discover it? And if the cavern is natural, how did they keep the extra weight from throwing off Earth’s tides?”

“They’re interesting questions. Unfortunately, I don’t know. I’ll ask around.”

She was more impressed with his candor than she would have been with some made-up explanation. Over and over white lies would have made things easier for Zilor, but he chose to tell the truth. She’d always admired people who could be that noble. Lord knows, she was guilty of taking the easy way out much too often.

There was a double-decker walkway extending from the outpost and two ships had been secured, one beside the other. Raylon parked, or was it docked? Whatever. He came to rest in an area directly across from the largest ship.

“Is that the
Crusader
?” She leaned forward again so she could see to the top of the other ship. “It’s huge.”

“
She
is huge,” he corrected. “Except she’s not. There are three classes of ships larger than the
Crusader
. Now Garin’s ship, the
Undaunted
, is huge. She belongs to a class known as mobile bases.”

He spoke with such reverence in his voice, she had to ask, “Just how important is your big brother?”

“That’s a surprisingly complicated question. I think Garin could have as much power as he chose to accept. There are many who would love to put him on the throne, but I don’t think that’s what he wants.”

“What does he want?”

Zilor shrugged and deactivated the main control panel. “You’d have to ask him. I’d be speculating at best. I know he wants what’s best for all Rodytes, not just those lucky enough to be born elite. Beyond that, Garin tends to be task orientated. Ready?”

She nodded as they moved to the middle of the ship. “What did you call this?”

“Bio-streaming. It’s a relatively new technology, but it’s going to revolutionize the way we get around.”

“No doubt.”

“If the
Crusader
had been in orbit, I could have bio-streamed you from your house to one of the rooms inside Lunar 9.”

“Seriously?”

“Well, maybe not me, but one of the bio-streaming engineers. They’re much better at long-range targeting than I am.”

She shot him a suspicious look. “Should I be concerned?”

“About this jump?” He shook his head. “Piece of cake.” He peeled open a flap in the sleeve of his uniform and triggered a control panel
inside
his forearm. Before she could freak out about his internal tech, he took her hand and they “streamed” from the
Phantom
to his quarters on board the
Crusader
.

Even knowing what to expect, she was disoriented by the sensation. There was no roller coaster rush of acceleration. It felt more like she’d been dissolved in one place and reassembled somewhere else. It took a violent shudder to dispel the thought. Wasn’t that exactly what just happened?

She refused to dwell on the disquieting realization, so she looked around the room. She hadn’t really thought about what quarters aboard a spaceship would be like, but dang was it cozy. Or maybe her companion was just so big he shrank the size of any room. Probably a combination of the two. The bed seemed longer than usual, but not as wide. Sort of like a California king. It was tucked into the corner on her right and chairs were arranged to either side of a built-in table. There were two doors. One likely led to the corridor, so she presumed the other led to a bathroom.

“It’s just for tonight,” he reminded as her silence lengthened.

She smiled up at him. “I was just wondering where you were going to sleep.”

“If you’re really worried about it, I can bunk with Danvier for the night. He’s just across the hall. But I’m exhausted and I’ve had very little sleep for the past few days. You’re perfectly safe with me.”

But was he perfectly safe with her? That was the question. She’d been every bit as sexually aggressive as he’d been during their kissathon.

Without explanation he crossed to a device inset in the wall near one of the doors. He spoke several words in what she presumed was Rodyte and the device powered up. It sounded more or less like a microwave oven, but when he lifted the sliding door and reached inside, he drew out a shiny new toothbrush.

“It’s recyclable, as is most everything on the ship. When you squeeze the handle it dispenses a cleansing gel. Once the gel is gone, you toss the entire thing in the recycler and make a new one.”

She moved closer, wanting a better look. “What else can that thing make?”

“It has a pretty impressive catalog of patterns, but it’s limited by the base materials needed for more complicated orders. This one is for miscellaneous items.” He pointed to a similar device across the room. “That one is for anything edible.”

“It’s like instant Amazon. I could get used to this.”

“The utilities are through there.” He motioned toward the door on her left. “Everything is pretty straightforward, but the shower is voice activated. I’ll have to turn it on for you.”

“I usually shower in the morning. Unless that was a hint.”

“Ah, Indigo, you smell good enough to eat.” His voice contained just enough growl to curl her toes.

Now there was a concept she’d love to explore at great length, but not tonight. He wasn’t the only one who was exhausted. “Be right back.”

“I’ll be here.”

As soon as the bathroom door closed behind her, she pressed her hand over her chest and let her calm façade slip. She was on a spaceship inside the moon! She just stood there and let the reality sink in. Raina would be thrilled with her decision, as would the other battle born men. Especially the seventy-three with whom she was genetically compatible. But her mother and Vinton Tandori would be furious.

And that was just too bad. She was doing this for Chandar and only Chandar. Well, it sounded like she might need to add Ashley to her patient list, but she was doing this for her patients. Period. She was not in the market for a mate, regardless of how sexy or charming she found her companion. With a helpless smile, she accepted that the lecture was self-directed. Her body was definitely not on the same page as her mind.

She used the facilities then washed her face and brushed her teeth. The first test of her dedication to her new path would be making it through the night without another make-out session. She controlled her body. Her body did not control her.

With that thought driving her steps, she left the toothbrush on the counter and returned to the outer room. “It’s all yours.”

His gaze moved over her face with lingering interest as he walked past her and into the utility room. He didn’t say anything, but words weren’t necessary. It was all there in his silver-ringed eyes, warmth, interest, desire. She might be utterly focused on her patients, but Zilor was now focused on her.

Crap.
She wiggled out of her jeans, draped them over the back of a chair so they wouldn’t be horribly wrinkled in the morning, then climbed into bed. She didn’t know how to turn off the lights, so she lay on her side with her back to him and pretended to be asleep.

It didn’t do any good. As soon as she heard the door swish and felt the mattress dip beneath his weight, her body started simmering. Yes, he was good-looking and built like a god. That didn’t obligate her to have sex with him. No, her genetics were doing that all by themselves. He was her potential mate and nature was making sure reproducing was her top priority.

She clenched her fists and concentrated on her breathing. In slowly. Out slowly. All that did was rub her nipples against her clingy tank top. “Don’t Rodytes ever just mess around?” Frustration pushed the question past her tense throat.

The bed dipped again as he shifted position. Then he touched her shoulder, gently rolling her to her back. He lay on his side now, facing her and slipped one arm under her neck. His chest was bare and she could feel the warmth of his legs near hers. Was he naked? The possibility sent a thrill straight to the core of her body, igniting the fire already smoldering there.

“I’m not sure what you’re asking.” He ran his index finger along her hairline then over the outer rim of her ear. “Do we have sex just for the pleasure, or do we touch each other in ways that are pleasurable but don’t necessarily lead to intercourse?”

“Either. Both. Do you only have sex with your bonded mates?”

“Of course not.” He leaned down and kissed the corners of her mouth before he went on. “Unmated Rodytes have needs like any other mammalian species. We crave affection and intimacy, passion and pleasure. But casual sex isn’t an option for you and me. Each time we touch the need to bond will increase, it will become more demanding until the connection is formed.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying not to let her disappointment show. “All right. I’ll deal with it.” His sensual chuckle drew her eyelids open and she was captured by the intensity of his stare. It was hard to doubt anything he said, or object to anything he wanted to do, while she stared into those strange yet beautiful eyes.

“You don’t have to deal with this alone. I think you’re still wound up because we cut things short on the
Phantom
.”

“What do you suggest?” At this point she was open to just about anything. Her nerves were fried, her body ached and she really needed some sleep, eventually.

“Let me touch you. A nice hard orgasm should send you off to sleep.”

A wicked alternative lit up her imagination. “Or we could pleasure each other. Sixty-nine has always been my favorite number.”

His entire body tensed and a low groan escaped his throat. “You’re going to be the death of me. I’m sure of it.” His long fingers pushed into her hair and lightly fisted. “If I come inside you,
anywhere
inside you, I’m not sure I’ll have the strength to hold back the link. I know you don’t want a mate, so we better stick with my plan.”

“Your plan leaves you aching while I drift off to sleep.” She shook her head, inadvertently pulling her own hair when his fingers remained firmly clenched. “I’m not that selfish.”

“I enjoy touching you.” His words came out gruff and low.

“And I enjoy touching you,” she stressed. “This will be an equal exchange or I’ll go in the bathroom and take care of myself.”

“While I lie here imagining what you’re doing?” He groaned and pressed his erection against her hip. “That’s about all it would take.”

She rolled to her side and wiggled closer, aligning her soft heat with his distinct hardness. “Then why pretend? I want to touch you and I want you to touch me.”

“Do you always get what you want?” His words sounded edgy, almost angry, but his lips sealed over hers before she could reply. He wrapped both arms around her and rubbed against her as he contoured her body against his.

She clutched his back and entwined their legs, her lips parting for his tongue. It was madness how quickly her need erupted whenever he touched her. They’d barely begun to kiss and already her inner muscles were starting to ripple. Maybe he was right. She was just keyed up from earlier. As soon as she came, the world would make sense again.

With that hope in mind, she echoed the subtle rocking of his hips. But her movements made him even more aggressive. He rolled her beneath him and wedged her knees apart with his legs. Then he pulled her hands above her head and pinned her wrists to the mattress with one of his long-fingered hands. She yanked against his hold. Her nature wouldn’t allow her to surrender without a fight.

“So stubborn.” His lips moved over hers as he whispered the taunt. “Is everything a competition with you?” His free hand stroked the side of her face, his thumb lightly grazing her lips. Again, he didn’t allow her to reply. He cut off her words with his mouth, the kiss deep yet leisurely. His lips caressed and his tongue teased, coaxing the urgency higher.

She wiggled and arched beneath him, frustrated by the restraints he’d put on her responses. She couldn’t touch him, so she tried to wrap her legs around his hips. He growled and rocked back onto his knees, forcing her to release him.