Chapter 3
This wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d thought.
Gweneth chewed on her bottom lip as she followed the wires from source to terminal.
Ah, clever. The saboteur had rerouted several of the wires.
Interrupted, she decided, which explained why they’d yanked some wiring free.
They hadn’t wanted to kill anyone, merely cause trouble, which made her frown.
The way the saboteurs had rerouted the rest of the wiring reminded her of the training she’d received from Nanu and Kaya.
Come to think of it… Yes, both her friends had disappeared for a time last eve. They wouldn’t, would they?
She unscrewed the homing terminals, just as Nanu had shown her and reinserted them in the correct ones.
The ship’s engines died when she removed another.
“What did you do?” A tetchy snarl.
She quickly screwed it back into the correct terminal. “Try it now.” The wiring she’d affixed earlier was correct, and when Ellard tried the engine starter again, the engine purred to life.
“Yes!” Ellard shouted.
She slid out to retrieve the special tool for the communication wiring. “We shouldn’t have a problem now. Is the navigational system working?”
Ellard appeared unconvinced, but he stabbed the overhead monitor, starting when it flicked to life. “Skillful job.”
His surprise was evident, and she wrinkled her nose at him. “You lacked belief in my talents and capabilities. Grrrr to you! I expect those kisses. You owe me.”
“You haven’t fixed the communication equipment yet.”
She rolled her eyes, selected her tool, and blew him a kiss.
“No problem.” She slid back under the panel and made quick work of the task now that she understood how to fix the problem.
And she had her suspicions regarding the culprits.
She would keep quiet at present but grata, she’d have words with Kaya and Nanu on her return to Viros.
She and Ellard could’ve been killed. After one final check of the wiring for the other ship utilities, she pushed herself out and stood.
She slapped the dust off her backside, almost laughing out loud when she noticed she’d captured his attention. “Time for that kiss now. A real kiss,” she added. “I expect more than a mere brush of lips or a peck. A real kiss is what we agreed on.”
He stared at her, that scowl taking possession of his features again.
“I said I’m ready for my kiss now.” While she should have experienced nerves, they remained absent. Instead, a sense of fun and excitement bubbled as Ellard eyed her as if she were a three-headed monster. The thought made her laugh. “I promise not to bite.”
But she might later on, she decided. His tight butt or his muscular chest. That chest… She sighed. It contained hard dips and curves. What she wouldn’t give to lick his torso, down over the indentations of his abs.
“This isn’t a sound idea.” The big male actually retreated.
If she said boo, would he break and run? Although tempted, she decided not to test her theory.
“You promised. I always keep my word, and I thought you were a man of honor.”
He drew himself up tall. “I am,” he snapped. “Very well. Let’s get this over and done so we can get back to our mission.”
He pounced so fast she never had a chance to release the squeak that rushed up her throat. His beefy arm—the good one—wrapped around her back, and he pulled her against his muscular body. He was so big, so strong. So masculine.
Gweneth pulled her tattered complacency around her and slipped her arms around his neck. He wore his black hair longer than Lynx and Shiloh, a bit scruffy as if he had little care for what others thought of him. Something to consider later.
Now that he held her in his arms, he hesitated, his bulky muscles tightening until she feared he’d renege on his promise.
Quick. She had to act.
Gweneth used her arms around his neck to lever herself up and stood on tiptoe to reduce the space between their lips. Their gazes connected and held, his open for a fleeting sec before he screened his emotions.
The big feline was nervous. She’d pushed past his comfort zone and wrong-footed him, and now he hesitated in his actions and thoughts.
Although she hated to confuse him, perhaps an off-balance feline shifter would work in her favor.
And, she had better make this a kiss to end all kisses. The best kiss he’d ever received.
No pressure.
She crushed her mouth to his, caught his quick gasp with her lips, and sank into the sensation of kissing the male her feline was directing her toward.
Soft. Warm. Decadent.
His lips were a beautiful shape, and she should know since she studied them often enough.
Craving more, she opened her mouth and used her tongue to trace the sensual curves.
He groaned and she used the sign to take the kiss deeper.
Her tongue flickered past his lips, and she got her first taste.
He tasted of the drink they’d consumed—tart and yet sweet.
His arm tightened around her, and a groan rumbled in his chest. The man—obviously slow on the uptake—started to participate and kiss her back.
Instantly, her nipples pulled tight, and the physical contact seemed to seep into her pores.
Her feline gave a lazy stretch beneath her skin, a sort of yawn as if waking fully from a long slumber.
Ellard pulled back a fraction and frowned at her. “What is that noise?”
Gweneth blinked. What—? Well, fuck a duck.
The noise was coming from her. It sounded…
it sounded like a feline purr. “It’s me,” she said with a trace of wonder, unable to believe her ears.
“It’s me. Ellard, please kiss me again. I think it’s my feline.
Maybe I can really shift instead of dreaming about the transformation. ”
For a sec, he fought an inner struggle, but she thought their earlier conversation—her prattling about feline shifting—might have helped him make his decision.
He gave a curt nod and took her lips without hesitation.
This time, he swept her under into a place where sensations ruled and good sense fell by the roadside.
The first kiss was a pale imitation of the passion he unleashed on her now.
He sipped and tasted. He tempted and seduced. He owned her with this kiss.
A small part of her was aware of him lifting her, pressing her against the control panel.
She didn’t care. He could do anything. She wrapped her legs around his hips and rocked against the hardness of his body.
Both she and her feline sighed and purred, drawing every bit of pleasure from the contact.
A foreign sound invaded their bubble of passion, but she ignored it in favor of the kiss. Ellard seemed just as willing as her, and he continued to kiss and caress her past the bounds of the one kiss she’d demanded.
“A-hem! Ellard. Gweneth.” The familiar voice of their king had them breaking apart and spinning around.
“Um, I think the communications are working again,” she said in a weak voice.
“Where are you?” Lynx asked. “The Narenda delegation contacted us because you hadn’t turned up as scheduled. Why?”
Shiloh winked at her. “I think it’s easy to see why, my king.”
Lynx snorted. “At the cost of this mission?”
Ellard pulled back but retained his hold until she stood on unsteady feet.
“We had some trouble. Someone sabotaged your ship. They rewired the controls and yanked others out. I put the ship on autopilot while we had a meal. We didn’t realize we’d gone off course until we hit a debris field.” Ellard reported the facts clearly and concisely.
“But the ship was fine. We had it serviced and did a test flight.”
“Someone rewired it so the ship would function but go off course. Communications were down, and of course, the navigation took us in the wrong direction,” Gweneth added.
“Ah, the true reason for the kiss.” Shiloh smirked. “You’re both celebrating the fact you’re alive.”
Ellard glowered at his brother but Gweneth winked once she knew Ellard couldn’t see.
“It’s lucky you could fix the problem. How is our ship?” Lynx asked.
“Gweneth fixed it,” Ellard said. “My hand wasn’t up to the delicate wiring. I need to practice more.” His explanation emerged stiff and displayed a hint of mortification. “There is a crack in the cargo hold area, and we had to seal the lock doors. I’m hoping we can get it fixed on Narenda.”
A glance showed a blaze of red in his cheeks.
“Good job, Gweneth,” Lynx said.
“Nanu showed me some basic repairs. Ellard steered us out of the debris. We’re a capable team. One person alone would have perished.”
“What is your location? How far away are you?” Lynx asked.
“About half a cycle, I think,” Ellard said. “Now that we’re away from danger, I’ve reduced our speed. I didn’t want to shake the ship apart. It’s not handling as well.”
“We’ll be asking questions this end,” Shiloh gritted out.
Lynx frowned. “We’ve had a series of isolated incidents in the city. Vandalism and such. Someone painted anti-royal graffiti on the new buildings. This might be connected. I’ll contact the Narenda delegation and let them know why you’re delayed.”
“We’ll attempt to contact them too,” Ellard said. “Tell them we’re coming from west-south sector.”
Lynx gave a brisk nod. “That is off course. Try not to dally too long. Over and out.”
The communication broke abruptly but not before she caught another sly wink from Shiloh.
“We’d better attempt communication,” Ellard said in a stiff voice.
Gweneth nodded, irked when he avoided her gaze.
“Of course.” Her feline rumbled in disapproval as she calmly sat and fastened her safety harness.
“We’re representing Viros. This is an important mission.
” But they were safe and while her fingers tapped on the communication keys, her mind busily planned for the next stage in her Ellard offensive.