Shielder — A new Science Fiction Romance (Book 1, Shielder Series) (6 page)

Tension emanated from him like subspace
radio waves. Her question had been totally innocent, but she'd
managed to overstep her boundaries again. She rose from the
bench.

"I haven't given permission for you to
leave. Sit down." His voice vibrated with underlying anger and
command.

She sank onto the edge of the bench. "I'm
sorry. I won't pry further. I request permission to go to my
quarters."

He leaned back, some of the tension easing.
"You haven't finished eating. And I have more questions."

"I'm not hungry any more. I'd like to rest,"
Nessa hedged. She was too tired to match wits with McKnight right
now.

He steepled his hands together on the table
and studied them thoughtfully. After a moment he looked up, his
eyes speculative. "Have you ever had caroba?"

She'd never seen such expressive eyes,
capable of changing appearance in a single moment. She wondered at
his new game. "No. I've never heard of it."

"You haven't? We'll have to correct that
right now."

He stood and began punching pads on the
replicator. "I think you'll like caroba. It's quite delicious, and
it will put some meat on your bones."

Positive he wasn't interested in her
well-being, Nessa held her silence. A moment later, he set a plate
of small brown squares in front of her. "Here you go. Try it."

Wary, she shook her head. "I'm not
hungry."

"Oh, but this is worth the effort." Leaning
forward until his face hovered only millimeters from hers, he
plucked up a square and waved it beneath her nose. He was so close,
she could see a thin band of gold around his pupils, and the faint
gold flecks splashed like stars against the pale gray background of
his eyes. "Smell it," he urged, his breath warm on her face.

She inhaled a rich, sweet, odor. "Taste it."
He pressed it against her lips and her mouth opened automatically.
He shoved the entire piece in. "Go ahead. Eat it."

He didn't retreat a millimeter. Still
mesmerized by his eyes, she chewed obediently—and instantly fell in
love with caroba. It had the sweetest, most satisfying flavor she'd
ever tasted. It seemed to flow from her mouth to her stomach and
heart and lungs, and even to her lower body, filling her with a
warm glow. Her eyes widened with appreciation.

McKnight smiled knowingly. "Like it?" He
picked up another square and held it near her mouth. She leaned
toward it eagerly. He backed away, taking the promised treat with
him. "You can have the whole plate. After you answer my
questions."

Narrowing her eyes, Nessa drew back, a surge
of anger racing through her. The vehemence of her response
surprised her. For ten seasons she'd been forced to subjugate anger
and pain in order to survive. Maybe leaving Liron had freed those
bonds, or maybe it was the stress of her current situation.
Whatever the reason, her emotions had been as turbulent as a
wormhole crossing ever since she'd met McKnight.

She was not a child nor witless, and she was
tired of being treated as such. But she was at this man's mercy,
she reminded herself. Reacting foolishly might endanger her
further. She met his challenging look and inhaled slowly. "I will
answer your questions, Captain McKnight. You don't have to use
childish tricks. All you have to do is ask."

He slid into the bench, an annoying,
satisfied expression on his face. "Good. We understand each other.
I ask and you answer. What happened to your leg?"

The tumult inside her intensified. But she’d
determined he was as relentless as the pervasive, chilling winds of
Liron and wouldn’t let up until he had the information he wanted
from her. "My leg was injured in weaponry practice."

"What kind of weapon? How old were you?"

She didn't understand why he could possibly
have any interest in her injury. What useful information could he
gain? She focused her attention on the table, trying to bury the
pain of the memory. "A sword. I was twelve seasons of age."

"A sword? I thought religious cults
prohibited violence. Why were you using such a weapon, and at so
young an age?"

There it was. He still didn't believe her
story. She looked at him. "We would prefer to live our lives
peacefully, by the teachings of Shara. But others in this quadrant
live by attacking the weak and taking over their lands. To survive,
we must defend ourselves."

"Why didn't you receive medical treatment
for your injury?"

Here he sat, on the finest ship miterons
could buy, surrounded by the latest technology and luxurious
accommodations. He couldn't begin to comprehend the life of a
Shielder. To understand what it was like living from hand to mouth;
to always be on the run from a lethal, all-powerful enemy. Never
having enough food or warm clothing or medicine.

"We are a very poor people. Medical
treatment wasn't available."

McKnight leaned forward, resting his
forearms on the table. "Where were you headed when I found
you?"

"I already told you. To Zirak, for the
Festival of the Eclipse."

He smiled grimly. "So you say. Why were you
traveling alone? It seems odd that all your cult wouldn't want to
attend this momentous event."

Nessa had thought her story through several
times. McKnight wouldn't trip her up. "True, all would have liked
to attend the festival. But our numbers are few and the crops must
be harvested, and our colony protected from attack. We could only
spare one ship. So we drew lots, and I won. I'm the lucky one who
will receive the blessing of Shara."

"Very lucky, indeed," he murmured. "Now you
have no ship and no good way to get to Zirak."

Alarm sizzled through her. "What do you
mean? You agreed to take me to a star base. Are you telling me you
won't honor your word?"

He came to his feet. Planting his palms on
the table, he leaned toward her. Fury set his face in a mask of
granite. "I always honor my word, unlike many of those from your
quadrant who murder innocent people to further their own fortunes."
He jerked up and stepped back. "You'll get to Star Base Intrepid in
due time. The meal is over. Return to your quarters."

He left the galley before Nessa could even
respond. Shaken by the force of his reaction, she rose.

And, scanning the corridor to be sure he was
gone, stuffed the rest of the precious caroba into her other pocket
before seeking the haven of her quarters.

Nessa glanced toward McKnight's cabin entry
before moving to the computer screen by the decontamination unit.
She'd used a piece of bread to prop her panel open just a
crack—enough to observe when he turned in for a sleep cycle. Then
she waited two long hours to be sure he was asleep. She also
checked Nathan Long as she slipped past his brig. He lay huddled on
his bunk, his breathing deep and even.

At the computer, she turned and eyed
McKnight's panel again. She was taking a great risk, but his
actions in the galley spurred her on. His unpredictable and
volatile behavior had further heightened her distrust of him. She
needed to know if they were really headed for Star Base
Intrepid.

Hopefully, basic ship data, such as
navigational information, wasn't security coded. After all,
McKnight was the only person accessing the system. Taking a deep
breath, she touched the screen. The same three-dimensional
holograms of wanted criminals she'd seen earlier rippled into view.
Quickly, she punched the keypad to exit that program and studied
the directories that appeared.

She couldn't tell which one contained
navigation. She chose the first directory. Not there. She picked
another directory. No. Another directory and then another. Ah!
There it was.

She located the navigation pod and accessed
it. After perusing the options, she chose current destination
status. As she suspected, it was a read-only file, but it confirmed
her nagging fears. At the top of the screen, followed by a listing
of exact directional coordinates, flashed the staggering blow:
Destination: Saron
.

Nessa stared at the incriminating words,
mounting tension tightening her chest. She tried to recall if Saron
had an Antek post on it. With her limited knowledge, she didn't
even know if Saron was anywhere near Star Base Intrepid. She
touched the screen to return to the directory and chose the option
for specific plotting coordinates. She scrolled through the list:
asteroids, moons, planets, then finally, star bases. More scrolling
through the names of bases: Alpha, Borean,
Caldmar…Galenta…Intrepid—

"What in the blazing hells do you think
you're doing?" Two hands clamped around her upper arms, jerking her
back and spinning her around. McKnight stared down at her, rage
etched on his face.

Nessa gaped at him, her heart pounding so
fiercely, she thought it might burst through her chest.

His lips pressed into a thin line and he
shook her. "I asked you a question. What are you doing?"

His cold, controlled voice alarmed her more
than if he had shouted. "N-nothing," she stammered, grasping his
arms to steady herself against the waves of adrenaline slamming
through her.

His eyes narrowed to silver slits. He shook
her again. "Liar." He swung his head toward the screen and scanned
it. "Star Base Intrepid. Position coordinates." He returned his
damning glare to her, his brows almost meeting above his eyes.

"What were you going to do with that
information? Alter this ship's course? A futile attempt, I assure
you. You'd never be able to access beyond read-only data."

"I wasn't trying to do that. I—I wanted
to…I—" Nessa hesitated, realizing the futility of an
explanation.

"Don't stop now. Tell me. Just what were you
doing, sneaking into my computer system in the middle of sleep
shift?"

She ignored the tremors rippling through her
limbs. "We're not headed for Intrepid. Twice you've given me your
word you'll take me there."

"I told you I'd get you there in due time,"
he shouted, all restraint gone. "By the fires! You refuse to accept
the fact that my word is good. I warned you what would happen if
you gave me any trouble."

Her tremors increased with the force of his
anger. The brig. He'd promised the brig if she crossed him. "I only
wanted to know where we were headed. I must reach San—I mean
Zirak—soon." Spasms in her limbs halted her. He said something, but
the roar in her ears blocked his words.

A second later, she was sitting on the
floor, McKnight pushing her head down between her legs. "Breathe!"
she heard him yell above the internal din. "Take deep, slow
breaths. Breathe, damn it!"

She tried, but she couldn't drag any air
into her constricted lungs. Gasping, she clawed at the gray mist
closing around her, flailing her arms against a hard, immobile
object. Then total darkness surrounded her.

* * * *

She was lying on the floor. Cold…and hard.
Even her straw-stuffed mattress on Liron was more comfortable than
this. But she'd left Liron…Groggy, Nessa tried to sit up, but a
strong hand against her chest forced her back down. "Don't get up
yet. Lie still a few minutes."

She squinted at the form above her. It
blurred, then came into focus. McKnight. She wondered if the scowl
on his face ever went away. In sleep maybe, except she was
beginning to doubt the man ever slept. That thought required too
much energy to contemplate. She sank back, taking a deep breath. In
a moment, her mind cleared enough for her to realize she must have
had another seizure. By the Spirit, they were coming more
frequently now.

"How are you feeling?" McKnight knelt beside
her, a medical monitor in his hand. A medicine hypochamber lay on
the floor next to him. She stared at it dumbly. "Nessa, I asked how
you're feeling."

She looked at him. His scowl conveyed worry,
she realized with sudden insight. Concern—about her. Amazed, she
searched his face, finding confirmation of her startling discovery
in the soft gray of his eyes. No, she had to be wrong. Only Jarek
cared what happened to her.

"I'm okay." She struggled onto her elbows.
He set the monitor down and slipped an arm beneath her shoulders.
He eased her to a sitting position, keeping his arm firmly around
her.

Nessa had gone for ten seasons without
anyone touching her. Yet now McKnight had crossed that unspoken
barrier by placing his arm around her. She found his touch
disconcerting. But at the same time, she savored the strength his
support gave her trembling body. She'd always recovered from her
seizures alone, pulling herself up and back on her feet with
painstaking slowness.

"How does that feel sitting up? Are you
dizzy?" He retrieved the scanner and skimmed it over her.

"I'm fine." She stared past him up at the
computer, thinking about the retribution for her action. He would
put her in the brig now. Would he let her have Turi with her?
Surely he wouldn't leave Turi alone to starve. She'd have to
convince him to spare her pet.

Resolute, she started to push to her feet.
Her shaky legs refused to cooperate. She swayed and almost
fell.

"I told you to wait. Little fool!" McKnight
rose with her, sweeping her into his arms before she could gain her
footing.

She couldn't remember ever being held like
this. The hardness of his chest amazed her, as did the intense
warmth he radiated. She tried to look up at him, but he had her
closely gathered against him, and she could see no more than the
underside of his stubborn chin, the thickness of his muscular
neck.

He strode down the corridor. Nessa tensed,
preparing to be tossed into the cubicle next to Nathan Long. "I
must keep Turi with me. Please."

"I certainly don't want that creature." His
voice rumbled above her as he stopped at her cabin. Surprise swept
through her when he carried her inside and lowered her onto her
bunk.