No Limits (22 page)
She wanted to grip his hand and squeeze hard, but refrained since they were coated in blood and sealant. “Yes, and it hurts like hell. I know you don’t want to hear it, but you deserve the truth. We used each other, Zan, and I’m not sorry.”
He let out a humorless laugh that didn’t quite reach his golden eyes. “Want to do it again?”
Recalling the look of agony on Rhys’s face when he’d cut her removed any temptation Zan’s offer might have held. “I promised him I wouldn’t, not until we broke it off for good.”
His golden gaze seemed to bore into her head until it penetrated her mind. “I can tell you right now—that will never happen. Once you’ve given your heart away, it’s gone forever. The best you can hope for now is to steal one from some unsuspecting sap and let the chain of hurt continue. It’s why we’d be good together—we won’t ruin anyone else.”
She saw the logic in his grim thoughts. “Is that what you really want?”
He turned away, gathering medical supplies. “It’s all I can have and a far better deal than most will get. The sooner you accept that, the happier you will be.”
23
R
hys opened his eyes, surprised by the aches and pains throbbing through him. What had happened? Whose body did he inhabit now? He struggled to remember, but the pounding in his skull kept the thoughts from coalescing. Throat parched, he couldn’t even groan, the sound coming out as more of a wheeze.
hys opened his eyes, surprised by the aches and pains throbbing through him. What had happened? Whose body did he inhabit now? He struggled to remember, but the pounding in his skull kept the thoughts from coalescing. Throat parched, he couldn’t even groan, the sound coming out as more of a wheeze.
Turning was sheer agony, one of his ribs screaming so loudly that he felt sure it had been broken. The pain and effort were worth it, though, when he realized who lay next to him.
“Sela,” he whispered, reaching out a shaking hand to brush her hair out of her eyes. Though his vision left much to be desired in the gloom, she didn’t appear to be damaged, at least not to the extent he had been, but his focus was so blurry, he didn’t trust it. She was asleep, her chest rising and falling with even, silent breaths, and it finally dawned on him what had happened. Whose body he resided in this time.
His own.
“Sarge, we got a live one in eight.” The crusty voice came from the lit area at the edge of his field of view, and by the time Rhys managed to move his head in that direction, a white cloud of noxious fumes filled the tiny room. He choked, sputtering, unwilling to surrender to unconsciousness. His gaze fixed on Sela. “I will find you again.” The words rasped out as the darkness claimed him once more.
He floated in an endless void, tethered to nothing, swimming in starless space. Cold, alone, detached from everything he knew, separated from those he loved. How he wanted to die; his existence brought only pain to his sister, to Gen.
What spirit had possessed him to believe he could single-handedly end Illustra’s occupation of this moon? Their reach had obviously expanded beyond the monastery, and a chill crept through him as he realized they had somehow discovered his connection to Sela. Why else would she have been imprisoned with him?
They know I’ve escaped their direct control, know who I am
. If they connected the dots, figured out who had helped him, Gen’s life might be in danger, the lives of her loved ones back on Earth too.
They know I’ve escaped their direct control, know who I am
. If they connected the dots, figured out who had helped him, Gen’s life might be in danger, the lives of her loved ones back on Earth too.
Warmth and light flared, pulling him out in a rush and dispelling the chill that had clung to Rhys’s soul. Worry for her, alone with the pirates and no real protection from Illustra, had consumed him while he waited in the dark. With no emotion to feed from, his essence had diminished, shriveling like old fruit discarded from the vine.
Then, as if from a great distance, he sensed her, his woman, the one he craved, the one he needed. A sickly yellow concern cloaked her life force, and he pulled at it, desperate for feeling after doing so long without. Reaching out, he tried to touch her, to connect with her mind but hit a wall.
Let me in, sweetness.
At the sound of his voice, she opened to him, a flower blooming in the sun. He dove blindly, following nothing so much as instinct to join with her, please her in any and every way. Seeking the comfort that only his bonded mate could give him after realizing his worst fear had come to pass.
He felt her relief, chased by a new thread of worry as she asked, “Rhys? Are you all right?”
His corporeal form wavered and only the need to touch her, to assure himself that she was real, held him together. They were back in the bowels of the ship, the candle flickering in the gloom. “They have her, have my sister. She is as I am, a slave, her mind separated from her body.”
Soft curves pressed against him, and he buried his face in her hair. She stroked his shoulders, his back in comforting touches. “You saw her.”
He nodded. “Just now. Without any emotion to hold me here, I reverted back to my body. It should not be possible to do unless mind and body are relatively close together.”
She frowned at that, worry lines creasing between her perfectly shaped eyebrows. “I thought your body was in the Omicron Theta system.”
Thinking back over what he’d just seen, Rhys came to a conclusion that terrified him. “Unless they are transporting me on a ship.”
Gen blinked at him. “What, you mean, we’re passing by your body somewhere in space right now?”
“There you are.” Several pairs of boots clanged against the metal decking. The space pirate strode down the corridor, a scowl etched into the lines of his face as if he’d been born with that expression. His eyes went wide as he surveyed first Gen and then Rhys in all his naked glory. “Who is this? What in the five shades of hell is going on in here?”
Gen cleared her throat and shifted slightly away, though he maintained his grip on her hand. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you. But when the ship told me we had moved away from the star, I had to go back for Rhys.”
Zan raised an eyebrow. “Rhys?”
“Talk about awkward,” Gen muttered low. Taking a deep breath, she raised her chin and made the introductions. “Zan the pirate, meet Rhys the empath.”
Before either of them could say a word, a loud Klaxon sounded throughout the ship. Shouting and the thunder of running feet sounded from an adjacent walkway. A blond pirate stuck his head through the doorway. “Captain, proximity alert! Aft scanners have detected a convoy of earthships headed straight for us.”
Zan narrowed his eyes at the two of them. “You two know anything about this?”
Gen squeezed Rhys’s hand. He waited for her to explain, and when it became clear she wouldn’t, he struggled to his feet. Between Gen’s worry and Zan’s outrage, he was able to harvest plenty of strength to sustain himself. “Does your man know if the convoy is made up of private ships or military grade?”
Zan turned to the smaller pirate. “Do you?”
“No, sir.”
“I reckon it might be a good idea to find out,” Zan said in a deceivingly mild tone. Even without viewing his crimson aura, Rhys would have detected the fury barely contained by the other man’s skin.
“Captain, I believe your man will discover that the convoy is actually made up of a military squadron escorting one prisoner transport.” It was the only explanation as to why he could have awoken in his own body. Illustra knew he had escaped and that he posed a threat and had decided to move the bodies of all the trapped empaths before he could free them.
Zan looked him over head to toe, especially the hand still wrapped around Gen’s. “And how does a naked empath who just appeared on my ship know this?”
Rhys didn’t look away. “Because I’m the reason they’re here at all.”
Gen made a small, helpless sound as Zan gripped Rhys by the shoulders and shook him. “I don’t like guessing games, boy. Now, either you tell me exactly what trouble you’re bringing to my doorstep or I’ll shoot your miserable carcass out into the deep. We clear?”
Rhys didn’t look the least bit intimidated. “No need for theatrics, Captain. I’m willing to give you my full cooperation, as long as you vow to see Gen safely home.”
Gen didn’t like the sound of that, as if Rhys no longer needed her. “Do I get a say in this?”
“No,” both men replied in unison as they continued to glare at each other.
“Men.” She gritted her teeth.
The standoff ended when the young pirate, barely more than a boy, returned. “Scans report it is a larger passenger vessel. State-of-the-art with a full military escort, including one-man stinger patrols.”
Zan nodded. “Take this man to the med bay and get him something to wear.” He turned to face Gen. “Meet us on the bridge.”
Her gaze slid to Rhys, and she saw the knowledge of her panic reflected in his bright green eyes. His body was nearby, but they were outmanned and outgunned. And knowing Rhys as she did, she doubted he’d be willing to kill, even to save himself and his sister.
“I will see you soon, sweetness,” he whispered as Zan gripped her arm and propelled her forward.
Though his hold didn’t hurt, she yanked her arm back anyway. “What are you going to do to him?”
“If I were in your shoes, I’d be more concerned with myself.” Snagging her arm more firmly, he escorted her to the bridge. “My mama always said no good deed goes unpunished.”
“Rhys’s people are aboard that ship. His body and that of his sister. We need to get aboard.”
Zan stopped in his tracks and pressed her up against the wall so he could glare down into her face. “Sweetheart, if you go aboard that ship, they will shoot you down like a rabid dog. As of right now, the only thing you got working in your favor is that they don’t know he is on board. They start threatening my ship or my crew and that advantage is going away real quick. Do you feel me?”
She searched his face, looking for any sign of compassion and found none. “Illustra is enslaving his people, Zan. Using them to manipulate others who wield power and influence. They need our help.”
“I ain’t no hero, Gen. The only piece of the universe that concerns me is the corner I happen to be in at this very moment.”
She lifted her chin and glared up at him. “I won’t let you trade him to them.”
The corner of his mouth turned up. “Funny, because from where I stand, you ain’t got much of a say.” He propelled her forward again, and she held her tongue as they made their way to the bridge.
The Klaxons had been muted, but orange warning lights flashed throughout the ship. Gen eyed the beds, but Zan pushed her toward the far wall.
“Can you stay here and be quiet, or should I bind and gag you?”
Wrapping her arms around herself, she muttered, “I’ll do what’s best for me.”
Zan nodded once, then strode to the view screen. “Magnify sector two point two five.”
One of the pirates touched the area of the grid Zan had indicated and stretched his hands wide, until the marble-sized gray splotch sprawled across the entire screen. From her place against the wall, Gen could see the transport vessel and the squadron of fighters buzzing around it like flies swarming a buffalo.
“What’s their ETA to intercept?”
“Communication in two, energy pulse in less than five.”
A quick sucking sound revealed Rhys in a borrowed flight suit, his hair slicked back in a ponytail. The laughter lines around his eyes were pulled taut with strain. He started toward her but Zan intercepted.
“We have no weapons that can take on that many fighters. If we can see them, they can see us. What are the chances they won’t try and board my ship?”
Rhys responded, “None. By now the fact that I awoke mid-transport has been reported to the captain of that ship. They know my empathic essence is nearby, and they’ll search every ship they come across until they find me—that is, if their orders are not to simply blow us out of the sky.”
Zan studied him a moment. “I appreciate your candor. You know our situation. This ship is fast, but it can’t outrun the stingers and can’t outgun the transport. What would you have me do?”
Rhys looked at Gen, his eyes flickering in the glow of the living ship. “Trade me to them and see her safe.”
“No!” Gen lunged forward, but one of the pirates at a nearby station gripped her arms. She struggled, but he held her in a viselike grip.
“Zan, you can’t do this! Rhys, I won’t let you! What about your people? You can’t just hand yourself over to them!”
“Let her go,” Zan told the other pirate. “Contact the leader of the stinger squadron and make the arrangements.”
The pirate released her arms, and she slumped forward in defeat. How could it end like this?
Rhys strode toward her, crouched down beside her. “Gen, we have no choice. If turning me over to them can save your life and the lives of these men, perhaps I can be forgiven for the death I have caused.”
He tried to embrace her, but she shoved against him. “Marshal was an accident! You said yourself that he let you save me.”
He reached for her again, and this time she allowed his touch, half afraid she would never experience it again. “It’s more than just Marshal. I killed another man too.”
Her lips parted, though she didn’t know what to say. Rhys was not a killer. She knew him, damn it. Her eyes slid across the bridge to Zan. He was perfectly capable of ending someone’s life, but Rhys?
Before she had a chance to absorb this latest blow, one of the pirates looked up from his flashing console. “Captain, all attempts at communication have been refused. They have received our message that we are in possession of the empath, but I’m getting nothing back. ”
Zan muttered under his breath, probably some of his alien curses. “Has course or speed on any of the ships changed?”
It seemed as though the entire bridge held its breath. Gen reached a hand down to the ship, stroking along the smooth glowing bulkhead. Was he afraid? Could he sense their fear?
“Sir, several of the stingers are breaking formation and increasing speed. They will be in firing range in less than a minute.” The pirate turned away from his station. “They’re forming an attack pattern.”
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