Chapter 5 #2
Seeing them on the monitors was one thing, but everything about them seemed bigger and more intense now that she was looking at them in person.
“I don’t like the way that one is eyeing the shuttle,” Loris said in a voice so low Maddison barely caught it.
Maddison had noticed it too, but she perceived the male’s interest as more curiosity than malign intent.
Even if they did try to steal it, the ship wasn’t going anywhere.
The flight systems had shut down once they’d landed.
They’d tried and failed to unlock the controls.
After attempting everything they could think of, including arguing with the ship’s limited AI, they’d eventually admitted defeat.
They, and the ship, weren’t going anywhere.
Eventually, the three males returned to the center of camp.
If you want a place to sit, you’ll have to find something yourselves,” Joy called out.
“Why are there only two spots to sit when there are three of you?” Risk asked.
“Because one of us is injured and can’t move around easily,” Loris said.
Maddison watched to see how they reacted to the news. Would they care that one of them was hurt?
“Is it serious? Can we do anything to help?” Havoc asked.
She relaxed a little more after he asked that. That small show of empathy made it easier to trust them.
Vengeance had a very different reaction. “Is it you, little warrior? If it is, I will carry you to the fire and let you sit on my lap as we talk.”
Holy hells and gravity wells. He was flirting.
Loris shot the male an annoyed look. “It’s nothing serious, and it’s not me. And I told you to stop calling me that. My name is Loris, not little warrior.”
Vengeance shrugged. “Your name is pretty, but I like my name for you better. And even if you are not hurt, my offer to carry you stands.”
Loris’s expression hardened, but Maddison knew her friend well enough to see she was flustered by Vengeance’s attention. That had to be it. She couldn’t be enjoying it. Could she?
Maddison observed quietly as they worked to organize seating for everyone.
They turned on the solar-powered lanterns they’d taken from the emergency supplies, too.
Despite their limited stock, Joy offered the three males some of their food, and Maddison had retrieved several of the self-heating meal packs from their stores.
She set the food near the three males and retreated to take a seat near Loris. She told herself it was so that they could pick their preferred meal from the pile. The truth was, she wasn’t ready to get that close to any of them.
Joy remained in the doorway, where she could be part of things without having to walk on her still-healing ankle.
Maddison sat quietly and watched the others interact. Risk kept stealing glances at the shuttle. Or maybe he was looking at Joy. Vengeance sat as close to Loris as he could, but other than a pained sigh, her friend didn’t protest.
Maddison wondered if they were all losing their minds at the same time.
Was there something in the water? No, that couldn’t be it.
All their food and water had come from the shuttle.
Joy was empathetic and kind, so it made sense that she’d trust their guests.
Maddison felt reasonably comfortable, but she’d expected Loris to be guarded and suspicious.
Havoc sat across the firepit from her, his body turned slightly away from the fire so he could stretch out his legs. All three of them were massive compared to the human women, but none of them had the same physique.
Havoc’s build was tall and leaner than his brothers with a washboard stomach and biceps so big her fingers wouldn’t touch if she tried to wrap her hands around them. Not that she would do that.
His tawny fur glided over his muscles each time he moved, and the firelight made the dark markings on his face look like frown lines.
Eventually, Risk broke the silence. “You’re the injured one?” he asked Joy.
Joy pointed at her foot and nodded. “I sprained my ankle, and it hasn’t fully healed yet. I’m trying to stay off it as much as I can. I’ll be fine in a few more days. Now, please tell us about the others.”
Maddison wanted to hear more about the other survivors too.
She waited for Risk to answer, but Havoc spoke next.
He told them what they knew. It was more information than they’d had, but it still left so many unanswered questions.
Even so, it was good to know that some of the passengers had survived, giving her hope that at least some of the crew would make it, too.
She wondered how they’d react when Havoc’s brothers arrived. She imagined it would be something like what had happened with them. If the captain had survived, she would keep everyone calm.
Maddison briefly wondered if the first officer was still alive. Hooper’s cowardly attack on Joy was horrible, but she wasn’t comfortable with the idea of the woman dying. Especially because Loris had been the one to take her down. If she died, her blood would be on Loris’s hands.
Distressed, she folded her hands in her lap and did her best not to let her feelings show. There’d be time to come to terms with all of that later.
“Why are the three of you so far from the main ship?” Havoc asked.
“And can this shuttle still fly?” Risk added.
“And what made the ship crash at all?” Vengeance asked.
Maddison smiled a little. It was nice to know they weren’t the only ones with questions.
Loris answered Vengeance’s question first. “We had engine trouble, fell out of hyperspace, and were immediately attacked. At least, that’s the impression I got when we reached the bridge.”
All three males nodded as if this made sense.
“We were right. The scrawnies have this place well-guarded,” Havoc said in his low voice.
Maddison frowned and spoke up in confusion. “Who are the scrawnies?”
“The verexi,” Havoc said the name with obvious distaste. “We have our own name for the scrawny bastards.”
“They do that? Why?” Loris asked.
Why indeed? It made no sense for that species to guard an uninhabited planet. Though it had turned out to be inhabited after all. And these three spoke verexi. Maddison struggled to put the pieces together.
Havoc looked grim. “I’m certain of it. They don’t want anyone coming here until they eradicate us.”
“Eradicate you? Why?” Loris demanded. She did not look happy at this revelation.
Vengeance scoffed. “Because we’re a mistake they want to erase from existence. This is a prison planet, little warrior. We were sent here to die. We survived, and that’s a problem for the scrawnies—one they want to correct.”
Oh no. They’d crashed onto a prison planet?
Was everyone here a criminal? And they were headed toward the crash site…
Maddison’s toes curled as fear began to take root.
Then she calmed herself with a few deep breaths and some logical thinking.
If Havoc and his brothers were felons, their first encounter would have gone differently.
No, they might be prisoners of some sort, but they were not criminals.
While she worked her way to that conclusion, Joy continued to press for answers. “The verexi are still trying to kill you even though you can’t leave this place?”
“They are,” Risk stated, his tone dangerously cold. “And if they find out you survived, they’ll kill you, too.”
Her fear escalated into something approaching panic, and Maddison fought to stay in control. She would not freeze up. Not this time. She was too busy dealing with her internal response to make the connection as quickly as the others.
Joy turned to Loris, her voice tight. “We have to shut down the beacon and the radio right now!”
All three males shot to their feet. “You’ve had a beacon going all this time?” Risk demanded.
Things were going south too fast. She had to explain. She could defuse things before they got out of control. She raised her hands. “We didn’t know! Please. We wouldn’t have done it if we had known it would endanger you.”
While she spoke, Loris was already moving. The older woman sprinted back to the ship as Joy scrambled to get out of her way.
Maddison stayed where she was, her eyes on the ground and her heart in her throat as all three males loomed over her.
“Done,” Loris called out what felt like an eternity later.
When she finally looked up again, she saw that Havoc and his brothers had gathered up their gear and now stood back-to-back, their weapons in their hands. They scanned the area, clearly looking for any threat and entirely unaware of the effect they’d had on her.
Thank the stars for that.
“Can this ship fly?” Risk asked again.
“No. The autopilot brought us down on its own. Once we were down, it locked us out of the flight controls,” Joy explained.
“It’s a security feature to prevent theft. Only the command crew knows the codes.” Loris sighed. “And the ones the captain gave me as we left don’t work.”
Risk turned to the others. “I will stay. The shuttle is too valuable to abandon.”
Havoc glanced down at her, and she thought she saw a flicker of concern in his eyes. Had he noticed her fear after all?
“We’ll take the females to safety and be back as soon as we can,” Havoc said.
Risk nodded once. “Bring Strife and Bysshe, if he’s able. If I can’t access the flight systems, maybe one of them can.”
Vengeance growled. “I should stay, too. They will come.”
His statement made her blood turn to ice. If Havoc and his brothers hadn’t found them, they’d have stayed here and waited for help to arrive. Instead, they’d have been killed by whoever was coming—not the verexi themselves but someone else, someone even these warriors considered dangerous.
“No. The females need your protection,” Risk snarled at his brother. “I don’t.”
Joy interrupted before the brewing argument could become something more. “The females would like a say in what happens next. This isn’t only your decision.”
“Damn right it’s not!” Loris called out from the cockpit.