Chapter 5 Julie
I paced the ship’s cramped quarters, trying to forget those few seconds when Grtirr and I had touched before liftoff.
It was like the floor had dropped right out from under me, leaving me stunned and breathless.
I’d almost expected him to drop to his knees, right then and there, and proclaim me his mate even though I already knew that I wasn’t.
And he hadn’t been affected at all. Just like all the other times he’d touched me, this stupid feeling was one-sided. Instead of a proclamation of love, he’d complained that I was too small to fit into the seats, as if it was any better for the other humans on board.
It was infuriating.
Why did my body have to react to the one Kadrixan male who hated my guts?
I was never enough in his eyes. I was too weak. Too small. Too frail. And despite knowing that he was doing it in some fucked-up display of caring for his patients, all I heard was that I was not good enough.
I shouldn’t care. It wasn’t like I needed to impress him or anything. And it was clear that everyone else thought I was enough. Dana, Chris, and Krxare all thought I was a great candidate. And the other medic, Lxare, thought I was good enough to go too.
After agreeing to the trip, Lxare had called me in for a face-to-face visit.
It hadn’t been about the trip, though; he was curious why there was a note forbidding me from joining the rut.
I’d told him the truth, that I had no idea why it was there, but that I’d received it every year since I arrived and had ignored it because it was my body and if I wanted to have sex then I bloody well would, rut or not, forbidden or not.
Lxare had done a scan, agreed that I was most definitely healthy enough to participate, then removed the note from my profile.
I hoped Grtirr had a conniption fit when he found out.
Realizing I was pacing a trench into the floor, I stepped out of my room to take a walk around the ship. This warship—built to move hundreds of warriors—was currently manned by just a few Kadrixans and carried only a handful of passengers, and that meant most of it would be empty. Silent.
Exactly what I needed.
Picking a direction, I started walking.
I found the mess hall easily; it was just around the corner from our rooms. It was empty right now since the kitchens were technically closed.
There weren’t enough of us to actually cook during this trip.
The plan was to use the food replicators, which lined one wall.
I approached one of the machines to check whether they’d programmed any of our human favorites in for the trip, and was pleasantly surprised to see my chosen drinks.
It took me a moment to decide between the faux-faux-faux-vanilla latte or a mojito. Caffeine? Or alcohol?
Takeoff had been more than a tad puke-inducing, though I was proud I’d kept it in, despite hearing someone else—Annabel, I think—make loud retching sounds several frames away. I went for the latte, promising myself the mojito a little later when I had more food in me.
Minutes later, the pleasant and calming aroma of fake vanilla filled the air.
I continued my exploration with a delicious drink in hand.
I better not let Grtirr see me with this coffee; I bet he’d kick up a fuss about caffeine being bad for my weak kidneys or something.
Knowing it’d probably piss him off made the drink even better.
I took another sip and savored it.
As I walked, I recognized the corridors; these led to the infirmary.
The symbols were familiar. I’d learned because I spent so much time in the infirmary when I’d first arrived.
The Kadrixan stronghold actually incorporated the six warships within its design, blending the ships so seamlessly into the mountain that I hadn’t realized it for months.
I veered away from the medical wing just in case our friendly neighborhood medic was in there, and continued down the other hall instead.
I wondered which parts of the stronghold were missing because we took this ship.
It wasn’t the large, flagship vessel in the main part of the stronghold, because we used that every day.
Also, I’d walked through it to get to the valley this morning.
And it wasn’t the one where we held our weekly reading club; this one had a different layout, and the corridors seemed narrower.
I didn’t realize how little of the stronghold I actually used in my day-to-day life.
I wondered if this was where Grtirr had been hiding during all those ruts, not that I was looking for him or anything.
I eventually found an open hatch with a ladder leading down.
Huh, I’d never noticed those in the stronghold before either.
Curious, I started down the ladder, only to realize after my feet were already on the rungs that I needed both hands to make it down. I chugged the rest of the drink and put the cup against the wall. Then I headed down into the unknown.
Lights on the ladder lit up as I descended, illuminating my way. It deposited me in a dimly lit corridor, the air thick with the smells of oil and metal. The lighting strips on the floor and wall turned on with every step I took, just like they did on the upper level.
I passed by rows of unfamiliar machinery and weapons, most of them sleek and futuristic, a few bulky and looking like they were from a bygone era.
But that wasn’t what caught my attention.
No, what really drew me was the soft humming that sounded down the corridor.
It was barely audible. I tiptoed toward the sound, glad that my socked feet didn’t announce my presence as I followed it through the maze of equipment.
The humming was suddenly interrupted by a very familiar grumble and a huff.
Grtirr? I had no idea the grumpy medic had such a beautiful humming voice.
There was the sound of metal against metal, and then the music started up again. I snuck in a little closer and peeked around the corner.
At the far end of the room, under several bright lights, was something that looked like an alien motorcycle.
A hovercraft! I’d seen the Kadrixan hovercrafts before, but this one looked different.
Was it an antique? Its frame was sleek, angular, and made of a dark material that absorbed the light.
There were also the neon green details the Kadrixans loved so much.
But unlike the other personal all-terrain hover vehicles I’d seen before, this one had retro-looking angles and stripes painted on it.
Grtirr’s broad back was turned to me, his gloved hands working on something beneath the frame.
He wore nothing but a thin tank top, the fabric clinging to his dark red skin, and a pair of worn leather pants that hugged his hips.
A tool belt was slung low around his waist, the buckle glinting in the light.
I blinked and then swallowed hard.
Damn! He hid a perfect body under his ankle-length medic robes. I might just ignore how annoying he was if I could spend a few hours with him during the next rut.
And since when did the head medic moonlight as a mechanic? And why, oh why, did I end up finding him when I’d been trying to avoid him the whole time?
The thoughts had barely formed before he stiffened. He turned his head just enough to glance over his shoulder, his golden eyes locking onto me. For a second, neither of us moved. Then in one fluid motion, he straightened, wiped his hands on a rag, and turned fully toward me.
His gloves were smudged with grease, the leather dark and worn.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Why was I not surprised by his reaction? No, “how are you doing?” “Can I help you?” “Are you lost?” Nope. It was straight to “You shouldn’t be here” with him. I bristled at his disapproving tone.
“Why not? Since when is any part of the ship other than the bridge off-limits? And besides, you left the hatch open.”
“Julie.” He said my name like a warning.
“Oh, let me guess. It’s only off-limits to me because you say so.” I was suddenly done dealing with his bullshit. He wanted to play this game? Well then, he was about to meet his match.
I sauntered right into his space and plopped down on the only chair like I owned it. Then, I picked up the nearest tool and started fiddling with it.
“Go,” he growled, his voice rough.
“Make me.”
He stared me down like he thought he could intimidate me. Ha! As if. His grumpy ass didn’t scare me.
His tail flicked, the triangular tip waving behind him. “This isn’t a game.”
“I’m not playing. Ashtrr is right, why the hell are you an ass to me? Why do you hate me so much?”
His mouth moved like he was chewing his cheek. Just when I thought he wasn’t going to answer, he deflated and said, “I do not hate you.”
“Then why forbid me to do everything? Why lie about my health? Why try to control everything I do?”
He was gritting his teeth so loudly I could hear the gnashing. We stared at each other, neither of us willing to back down, until my communicator rang from my pocket.
Grtirr stared at me with those brooding, dark eyes, his posture stiff.
From the tone, I knew it was a message from Kat.
But he didn’t need to know that. I saw how he’d reacted to Ashtrr.
He’d nearly blown a gasket when he suspected there was some history between us, which was just infuriating considering Grtirr had no interest in me himself.
He acted like touching me was a chore; he just didn’t want me to have any fun.
The temptation to watch this grumpy alien’s head explode was just too delicious to pass up.
“Hey, look, that must be my date messaging. Have fun with—” I gestured vaguely toward the hulking mass of the hovercraft behind him before flashing him my sexiest smile. “Whatever this thing is. Try not to scuff the paint.”
“Your date?” Grtirr’s voice dropped a whole damned octave, turning all growly in a way that made my toes curl.
Ugh, why did my body have to react to him like this? It wasn’t fair. Didn’t it know that we literally hated each other?
“Bye.” I didn’t wait for the interrogation. I spun on my heel and skipped away, light on my socked feet.
I kept my quick pace, my heart thumping against my ribs with a mix of adrenaline and mischief.
I didn’t let myself slow down until I reached the access ladder.
I climbed with practiced ease, glad that Clara and I had been putting that swimming pond to good use.
I was in the best shape of my life, which was pretty damn easy considering life was tough in Nova Vita.
Still, I was puffing slightly as I reached the upper deck and navigated the winding turns of the ship. By the time I reached the crew quarters hallway, Kat was already leaning against her door, waiting for me. So were Chris and Charlene.
Kat was our designated lifeline for this mission.
I was in way over my head; I’d never actually done anything like this before.
Unlike Dana, who had spent years as a media reporter, I was winging it.
Chris and Charlene had also never done business with a corporation as large as Vossell Industries.
Though, to Chris’s credit, he’d negotiated with both the Kadrixans and the Vokiren on their turf, so I knew he was made of tough stuff.
Kat had spent the bulk of her adult life trailing a few paces behind an uppity—and very corrupt—Nova Vitan councilor.
She’d sat through enough dry diplomatic summits and back-room political deals for a lifetime.
She’d seen it all and knew exactly what to do, so at least I knew I’d be learning from the best.
“Ready for your crash course?” she asked, her eyes landing on the empty cup I’d picked back up from next to the hatch.
Oops, I’d forgotten to drop that off in the kitchen.
“Where did you get that? I could do with some caffeine,” Chris said, pushing himself off his door frame.
“Me too,” Kat said.
“The replicators in the mess hall are working,” I told them, holding the cup up. “I need to go return this anyway.”
“That’s a plan,” Chris said with a wide grin. “Let’s go.”