Chapter 5 #3
Vengeance’s head snapped up, and he muttered something under his breath. The next second, he was stalking toward the ship.
Joy took one look at the male and moved even further to one side. “Loris, you’ve got incoming.”
“Venge…” Havoc called out his brother’s name in a tone thick with warning.
Maddison shoved aside her fear and made herself speak. “Don’t let him hurt her!”
Risk turned to look at her in obvious surprise. “He won’t. She’s safer with him than anyone else in the galaxy.”
That made no sense. Why would Loris be safe with Vengeance? “What? Why?”
While she was asking, Joy tried to leave the shuttle. Still limping and sore, she stumbled on the ramp.
“Ack!” Joy yelped and flailed her arms in a desperate attempt to stay upright.
Maddison could only watch as her friend teetered. Risk broke into a sprint, moving so quickly he was little more than a golden blur as he raced to catch Joy before she hit the ground.
Maddison exhaled sharply as Joy threw her arms around the big male’s neck. Then, something strange happened. Instead of helping her to her feet, Risk simply held her in his arms as he.... sniffed her?
Joy didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she smiled and stroked the back of Risk’s neck in a very intimate way.
What in the name of gravity was happening? “Joy? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just uh, a little unsteady. Risk was making sure I didn’t trip again.”
Soon, Risk had carried her back to the ring of seats around the fire.
“You can put me down now,” Joy said.
“No. I think Venge had the right idea. I’ll sit and you can rest on my lap. You’ll be more comfortable that way.”
Maddison wanted to demand the big male put her friend down, but Joy didn’t seem bothered. She wanted to scream and demand to know what was happening right now, but instead, she shot her friend a concerned look and said her name in what she hoped was a calm, questioning tone.
Joy gave her a reassuring smile. “I’m fine. Risk isn’t going to hurt me. They’re just bossy.”
Of course, that was the moment Loris started shouting from inside the ship.
“What the hell? No! Put me down!”
A few seconds later, Vengeance reappeared with Loris slung over his shoulder. She was smacking his back with open hands and cursing loudly as he carried her out of the ship.
“This one is mine,” he announced.
“The hell I am! Put. Me. Down!”
Her toes curled inside her shoes as she fought down another wave of panic. They should never have trusted these aliens.
Havoc glanced down at her, and she swore she saw a hint of a smile on his lips. “I guess this means you’re with me.”
Despite all her attempts to look calm, his words made her flinch. She would rather die than allow herself to be controlled by another man—or male.
“What? No! I’m not with anyone. I mean, I wasn’t on this cruise looking for a mate. I own the Harvest. That’s all.” She tried to make it clear she wasn’t interested without insulting him. The last thing she needed was to make Havoc angry.
“I meant for the journey back to our home.” Havoc stared at her for a long moment.
Instead of snarling or growling, the big male closed the distance between them and crouched down in front of her.
Slowly, he turned his hands palm up and lifted them slightly in a gesture that seemed intended to calm her.
“You aren’t safe here. None of us is. We need to leave before the scrawnies send someone to investigate. ”
She managed to scrape a few words out of her scrambled brain. “But what if it’s a rescue party?”
As soon as she said the words, she wanted to take them back. Of course, it wouldn’t be a rescue. Havoc and the others had explained the situation already. Embarrassed, she dropped her gaze to the ground and waited for him to laugh at her.
Instead, Loris was the one to speak. “No one is coming to rescue us, Maddison. We’re deep in verexi territory. I don’t know how we got here or what went wrong, but we need to make the best of it.”
Before she could reply, Loris said something to Vengeance. He replied with a cocky statement about him being right. Maddison didn’t pay attention. She was more focused on Loris’s tone. Neither she nor Joy seemed upset about the way Vengeance and Risk were treating them. Why was that?
Her thoughts derailed as Risk spoke. “Joy is injured and cannot walk, so she will stay with me.”
Maddison looked up, confused. “But what about the verexi? You said it wasn’t safe to stay here.”
“The ship is too valuable to leave behind. I will keep it and Joy safe,” Risk said.
Havoc met her eyes. She saw no malice or any sign of danger there. That helped her regain some semblance of calm. “Maddison and Loris. You have five minutes to pack food, water, and clothing. Then we must go.”
Loris made a disgruntled sound at being given an order, but she didn’t argue.
When Maddison turned to look at her friend, Loris flashed her a series of quick hand signals.
One was meant to reassure her. Another warned her to be cautious.
The next few were reminders to keep at least one weapon hidden on her person at all times and to take care of herself.
Maddison understood the message and gave a small nod in acknowledgment, even though the thought of carrying a weapon made her stomach churn. She knew which one she’d take, though. The ship’s armory was tiny, but it included a stun wand. Loris had already shown her how to use it. She’d bring that.
Joy waved to them before pointing in the direction of the tent they’d set up on the far side of the shuttle. It was where they were storing most of the supplies they’d unpacked from the emergency kits on board.
“Go. Find the other survivors. Stay safe,” Joy said.
“But what about you?” Maddison asked. The idea of splitting up didn’t sit well with her, even though Loris seemed to be in agreement.
“I’ll be fine,” Joy reassured them.
Maddison couldn’t understand how the other woman could be sure of that, but she clearly believed it. It made no sense, but neither did the fact that she felt like she could and should trust Havoc.
Something strange was happening, but if Loris believed this was their best chance to survive, she’d follow her friend’s lead… even if it meant going in different directions.
She looked at Havoc and swallowed. Well, if she had to go into the wilds of an unknown planet, at least she wouldn’t be alone out there.