Dawn Autumn (23 page)

Jay’s vision blurred as they took turn after turn at a dead run. Finally they stopped, pressed against the wall. Her heart was beating so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.

One eye on the shuttle bay, Azor reached down and felt her pulse.

Kutlazx glanced at him. “You shouldn’t have given her the stim. I could have carried her.”

“You’re not the doc here, K. Lay off.”

“If something happens to her ….”

“You’ll what, kill me? You already tried that, remember?”

“You slept with my wife!”

“You left me to die on Tarsus Nine!” Azor snarled. “Besides, she was like a jester tossing out candy at a parade. There’s not much revenge in taking what’s being thrown away.”

Kutlazx growled low, like a rabid cougar.

“If it’s any consolation, she was the worst lay of my life.” Azor smiled almost repentantly.

Kutlazx tensed, but realized now was not the time to jump him.

Like a sudden slap, a moan at Azor’s feet cut them both off. Jay was trembling with shock and cold, gripping the bandage above her wrist. She wasn’t complaining, but the men exchanged a swift look, silently suspending hostilities. Whatever injuries they’d done each other in their misspent youth could wait.

Kutlazx’s fists curled. He ached to go to her, but this wasn’t the time. He had his voice to comfort her, though. “Easy, pet. Tayl won’t let us down. We’ll make our move soon. You’ll be snuggled in bed sleeping off your pain meds before you know it.”

She raised her eyes to his. Huge and dark in pale face, they looked at him uncertainly. “You’re not mad at me?”

His eyes widened. “Mad? Why would I be mad at you?”

“I got caught ….”

Azor hissed. “Listen! Tayl’s coming.”

Kutlazx got ready, but he told her softly, “I’m not mad, love.”

There was no more time to talk. A small ship suddenly dropped down with a roar, blasting the cavern with laser bursts. They shielded their eyes from the explosion, then Azor reached down and swung Jay into his arms. They waited a moment, then sprinted across the cavern, skirting the fires and burning wreckage. Kok threw open the door and yanked them in. They ended up sprawled in a pile on the floor, reeling from the g-forces as Tayl slammed it into gear and shot out of the cavern.

“Ouch!” Azor yelped, shoving Kutlazx’s knee out of his crotch. “You did that on purpose!”

“Like I want to be anywhere near your crotch,” Kutlazx growled as he helped Jay up.

“Not now, boys,” Tayl ordered from the front. “Find a seat and strap in. We’ve got company.”

Kutlazx strapped Jay in, being careful of her wounded arm. That wasn’t easy with the crazy way the ship was rocking. Up, down, sideways—he felt like a teenager in a sideshow ride. “Watch it up there, you maniac! Can’t you fly straight for two seconds?” A sudden lurch threw him off balance. As he grabbed Jay’s webbing to keep from landing in her lap, he accidentally clipped her cheek with his elbow.

She howled.

He lost his temper and swore foully. “Are you all right, sweetheart?”

She jerked her face away from him and glared through the fingers of her good hand, which covered her newest bruise. “I might be if you’d stop trying to help me. Sit down! I have enough bruises already ….” She grunted as the ship threw Kutlazx against her as he tried to get to his seat, knocking her knee. The woman looked as if she didn’t know whether to cuss or cry.

Fireworks exploded outside the window as a shot glanced off the hull. “These shields aren’t going to last forever,” Kutlazx said grimly, desperately wishing he was the one flying the ship. Granted, Tayl was good, but that wasn’t a comfort when he was stuck in the back with nothing useful to do.

“They won’t have to,” Tayl said with grim concentration. “Backup is here.”

Kutlazx exhaled with relief as Tayl’s ship exploded out of a canyon in front of them, firing furiously. He was going to have to take back everything he’d ever said about women pilots—Red was doing a stellar job. She sent the two remaining ships firing on them down in flames, then hovered as Tayl docked. The moment the cargo bay doors closed and the mooring clamps closed on Tayl’s ship, she lit out for space.

Kutlazx barely waited for the ship to break into obit before reaching for his harness clips.

Azor looked over and gasped. “Hey, wait for hyper-drive to kick in! You won’t do her any good if you’re pasted on the ship’s wall.”

Kutlazx froze. He must be losing his mind! Azor was right. He shivered. It was chilling how that woman affected him.

It didn’t stop him from collecting her as soon as the first jump ended, though. She was an awful, grayish color when he un-harnessed her and took her in his arms. Her skin was cold and clammy and her breathing shallow and rapid.

Tayl and Kok stayed with Kutlazx as he carried her out of the bay. Azor ran ahead to ready the sick bay. He had several hypodermics, bandages and supplies laid out when they reached him. As the man with the most medical training, he took charge. “All right, lay her down and let me scan her. We need to make sure the meds are compatible with her body. Okay, not that,” he muttered, looking at his handheld scanner’s readout. “Where did you get this scanner, Tayl? At a yard sale? Okay, let’s try this for the pain.” He slapped a patch on Jay’s neck. Almost instantly, her glazed eyes closed and her breathing evened out.

It didn’t take long to clean the wound on her forearm and apply a dressing. Azor put some nanobots in the wound before closing it up. The microscopic robots were programmed to repair tissue and would ensure that she healed at many times the normal rate.

Azor finally straightened up with a sigh. “You need to invest in some better equipment, Tayl. Lucky for you, I was here.”

“Modest, aren’t you?” Tayl said with a snort. “And what is the good doctor’s prognosis?”

He might have only two years of med school, but Azor had all the arrogance of a full blown physician. “She’ll be fine. Kutlazx can have someone check her out when we land, but I don’t think there’s much more they can do.”

“I intend to, but thanks.” Kutlazx stared at Azor, trying to decide if the favor canceled all past debts or if he owed him one. His face softened as he looked at Jay’s sleeping face. Smoothing the hair from her face, he decided maybe he was in Azor’s debt.

Chapter Sixteen

The world Kutlazx had chosen to settle on was very Earth-like. Sure, the flora and fauna were different, but the sky was blue and the plants were mostly green. That counted for a lot when the neighbors ran the gamut from blue humanoids or squat, furry teddy bears. Jay sometimes felt like she’d landed in OZ. It was a comfort to her to learn that more displaced Sado—Kutlazx’s people—were settling here everyday. At least they looked familiar and human.

Kutlazx let her work in the gardens and do some housework, but he hired a cook and a maid anyway. Since the gardens were a rambling Victorian affair complete with rose gardens—Kutlazx imported some for her—knot gardens and a pond, she was happy to have a gardener on site, too. As the pregnancy progressed, she started to nap in the middle of the day. It was wonderful not to have to go to work everyday. Kutlazx had even imported fruit plants and vegetable seeds from earth so the cook could prepare healthy food that was familiar.

Jay kind of wished he hadn’t included lima bean seed, though.

She was getting used to some of the alien food. The cook really was good. She grew to love the call of the fuzzy pink bat at sunrise and the musical song of the hopping insects. Her pendragon thrived, loving the freedom to soar, though he never went far.

Kutlazx found her on the front porch late one afternoon and joined her on the couch. He put his arm around her and kissed her hair. “What’s for dinner?”

She smiled at him. “Cook said we were having that purple dish you like so much. Oh, and creamy peas and new potatoes. I think she made ice cream, too.”

“Sounds good. Still no morning sickness?” He ran his hand over the growing swell of her belly.

“Nope. That medicine seems to be working well. How’d the painting go today?” Kutlazx’s paintings were growing in popularity. He’d started to painting pictures of his adventures on Earth and they sold like ice in a heat wave. “I finished that picture of us in the ice cream shop. I thought we could hang it in the baby’s room.”

“That’ll look great. I can’t wait to see it.” She didn’t stir, though. It felt too good in his arms. The sky grew rosy and gold with sunset, casting their gardens in a magical light.

Kutlazx drew his fingers through her hair. “I love you, you know.” He rubbed the strands against his cheek. “You smell so good.”

“You’re pretty sweet yourself.” She snuggled her cheek against his chest and absently toyed with his hard stomach. “Are you sure this is it? I mean, you told me that the commissioner had been blackmailing the insectoids to get them to do his dirty work, but I wonder ... is anyone else going to come after us?”

He sat up and looked at her. “Sweetheart, this might look like a slice of heaven—and it
is
—but you forget who you’re living with. That sweet faced cook of our is a retired marine, the gardener teaches martial arts to the special forces several times a year, and the maid...let’s just say I wouldn’t want to be on her bad side. I won’t even go into what I’ve done to the grounds and gardens.” He sat back. “You’re married to an ex-assassin. You’re as safe as can be.”

“Are you an ex?” she asked softly. “How much of the past will stay there?”

He was quiet for a moment. “I can’t control the future.”

She sighed. “Do I have to worry about you getting hurt for the rest of my life?”

He lightly ran his hands down her arms. Taking her hands, he raised and kissed them. “You are my everything, woman. Do you love me enough? Are you strong enough to be married to an assassin? Because that’s what I am. I’m not a good man, and I might do things that make you cry. The only thing I can promise is that I won’t stop loving you. I won’t let you go.” Those shining eyes of his spoke of love, determination, and hope.

How could she turn her back on those eyes? She closed her own and laughed at herself. Why was she doing this? She snuggled close with a sigh, utterly relaxed in his arms. With her body she said everything she needed to say.

He held her for a long moment, pressed his lips against her hair. He eased her back. “Was that a yes?” His eyes searched her face.

Surprised, she blinked at him. Maybe her body hadn’t said it all. Okay, she was willing to use words. “I’ll be here.”