Chapter 7

"Shall we head back to the chamber?" Vaarn asked after a few minutes. She"d felt the small glances he cast her way and saw the concern in his eyes, but Sadie didn"t want to talk about it. How did she tell a guy who looked like him that her nose was out of joint because she"d realized he just wasn"t in her league?

She nodded. "The quicker we get done here, the quicker we can get back home, right?"

"Of course." He inclined his head and extended his arm. The little gesture made her look up at him in surprise. He normally went out of his way to avoid touching her.

He herded her toward the door and envy filled her as the crowd parted before them. If she"d tried this on her own, she"d have been elbowed at least twice and trampled for good measure. What was it with aliens and being so damn tall?

"You go on ahead and sit down," he leaned in to murmur in her ear when they were only a few steps inside the door. "I see an old colleague I need to grab a quick word with."

She nodded, but didn"t bother looking around to see who he approached. No doubt he was going to talk to Laythia again. No wonder he hadn"t wanted her to come on this trip. He"d probably made plans to meet Laythia here, so she must have been a wrench in the works. Heat creeping across her cheeks at how badly she"d misinterpreted the signals from him, she kept her eyes firmly forward as she walked toward their seats on the other side of the room and sat down. Asshole should have said something before they left, and given her a heads up she was about to become the worst cock-block in all Human-Lathar history.

Perhaps she should just push him out of the airlock and pilot the LM15 home? Just one problem with that… she didn"t know how to fly the damn thing.

Someone dropped into the seat beside her and interrupted her plotting dire ends for Vaarn and she looked up in surprise. Surely Laythia hadn"t finished their conversation already? But it wasn"t the big, silver-haired Latharian. Instead, an alien man sat in his place. He was short with blue skin and beady black eyes that regarded her carefully.

"You are Lady T'Kaan?" he asked in a deep voice.

It was on the tip of her tongue to say that she wasn"t, but then she remembered Vaarn"s warning. "Um… yes?"

"I have been watching you," he said.

"Watching me?" she asked. That wasn't creepy at all. But she"d worked in enough bars not to let her feelings leak into her expression. "Why?"

"You are Human if I am not mistaken?"

"I am," she replied cautiously. If Vaarn was right then humans were a target out here, but surely this guy couldn"t do anything to her here, in the middle of all these people?

"And you are mated to Vaarn T'Kaan?"

She nodded and plastered a smile on her face. "I am indeed. Would you like to speak to him? He just went to get something to eat, but he should be back soon…" she said, looking around for Vaarn but couldn't see him in the chattering crowd at the door.

"Oh no," The man waved his hand dismissively. "No need. Well met, Lady T"Kaan."

She frowned as he stood up, gave her a small bow, and walked away without another word.

"How strange," she said, looking around to see if anyone else had seen the odd exchange. But everyone else was too busy with their own conversations to notice her.

Vaarn returned, elbowing his way past a group of aliens that sounded, and looked, like twittering birds. She leaned over as he sat down.

"There was a man here asking about us," she said in a low voice.

His eyebrow winged up, just a little. "What did he want?"

"He asked if I was mated to you."

"Did he now?" His expression darkened as he turned away from her and scanned the room. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him that I was." She looked up at him. "I asked if he wanted to talk to you, but he didn"t. Then he left."

"Can you point him out?"

She looked around the crowded room, scanning the various alien faces for the blue-skinned man who had questioned her. She didn"t see him at first, all the people in the room making it difficult to spot just one person.

Then, a small group of aliens with shimmering diamond crests on the tops of their heads moved around each other, and she caught sight of him in a gap between someone"s elbow and another person"s back. He was talking with Tiir, the Latharian they had encountered when they first arrived at the station.

"There." She pointed discreetly. "Behind the aliens with the diamond head crests. He"s talking to Tiir."

He followed her gesture, his expression growing thunderous as he spotted the blue-skinned alien.

"We"re leaving," he said, half-rising from his seat and grabbing her upper arm to haul her with him. "Now."

* * *

Sadie blinkedin surprise but thankfully didn"t argue as Vaarn hurried her out of the conference room. A few Utrexians glared at him as he bumped into them, but he ignored them as he pivoted, keeping her smaller form concealed in front of him as he herded her to the door.

"What's going on?" she asked breathlessly as they reached the relative quiet of the corridor. "What"s wrong? Is it because of the blue guy?"

"That blue guy was a Liis," he bit out, keeping his pace up as he led her back through the maze-like corridors toward the docking arm and their ship. "A pirate."

Her eyes widened in alarm. "A pirate? You mean like the ones you warned me about earlier?"

He gave a short nod. "Yes. If he"s taken an interest in you, then it"s not good. We need to get you away from here. Quickly."

He sped up, all but dragging her down the corridor, her petite hand clasped in his much larger one. In the distance, shouts and the sound of booted feet grew louder. He slid to a stop in the middle of the corridor, his head tilted as he listened out.

"What is it?" She drew closer to his side, and he wrapped an arm around her, keeping his weapon hand free.

"Pirates." He turned his head. The sounds of searching came from the left. "We need to move."

They set off again, Sadie running to keep up with him. Her face was drawn with fear and her breath came in hard pants, but he couldn't let her slow down. They had to reach the ship before the pirates locked down the docking arm. If they captured Sadie, then she would become another slave sold at auction, or worse… shared among the pirates.

Vaarn gritted his teeth. He would protect her, whatever the price. Even if he had to use his own body as a shield. He clenched his fist, the blood surging through his veins.

If it was a fight they wanted, then it was a fight they were going to get. Taking on a Latharian warrior, even a lone one, was no mean feat. He hoped they"d come prepared because if they tried to get to his female…

His lip curled back from his teeth. He would paint these corridors in blood before he allowed them to take her from him.

But, sometimes winning wasn"t about fighting. Spotting a supply closet, he shoved her inside the cramped space and crowded in behind her. Their bodies pressed together in the dark, ragged breaths rasping in the close silence as her soft curves melted against the hard, muscled planes of his warrior"s body. Their fingers were still entwined, and her pulse fluttered like a bird"s. He leaned down to breathe in her delicate scent, using it to help calm and ground him for what was to come.

She trembled against him.

"What if they find us?" Her voice was so low he barely heard her.

"They won"t," he said, reaching up to stroke her hair in reassurance. "I give you my word, no harm will come to you."

His eyes had adjusted to the near darkness of the closet, and he could just make out her features as she lifted her gaze to his. Her eyes were wide with fear, but also trust. In him. His protective instincts flared a light-year wide. No matter what, this female would not suffer at the Liis" hands. Not while there was still breath left in his body.

The shouts grew louder, and the deck under their feet vibrated as what felt like a whole battalion of pirates stormed past their cramped hiding place. He tensed, his muscles coiled and ready. They were outnumbered, he knew that, but he didn"t care.

Before he could react, or do anything stupid like leap out of hiding and take the pirates on, she rose up on her toes and kissed him. Hard. For a moment, everything else fell away, leaving just the two of them. Her lips were soft, the pressure of her tiny frame against his telling him she needed this. Needed him.

He growled in the back of his throat, a primal sound that echoed through the small space of their hiding place. The danger outside faded away as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. His lips met hers with a fierce intensity, and for once, he didn"t hold back.

He"d always been careful with her, aware of the fragility that lurked beneath her fierce exterior, and restrained himself. She wasn"t his… not yet, he couldn"t… shouldn"t cut loose with her. But the moment her lips met his, he couldn"t help himself. He needed her. He needed to feel her warmth and her softness. So he kissed her with all the pent-up longing that had been building inside him since they"d first met on that grubby street on Earth when she"d run toward their combat group with her sick child in her arms, begging them to save her sister.

This moment wasn"t about Earth, though, or Devan Station… not about the Mate Program or even the pirates hunting them down. All that mattered was her, the way she felt pressed against him, and the feeling of her lips beneath his. He slid a hand into her hair, tightening his grip to pull her head back to give him better access. Her little hands smoothed over his chest, sliding beneath his jacket and her shy explorations sent a bolt of heat straight to his cock.

He pulled her closer, his free hand sliding to the back of her hips to yank her up against him. She gasped, the tiny sound feeding his male ego, as he pressed hard and heavy against the softness of her belly. He slid his tongue into her mouth, plundering the softness he found there and growling as she surrendered to him.

When he broke the kiss, they were both breathing raggedly. Leaning down, he pressed his forehead against hers.

"We"re going to need to move," he said in a low voice, loathe to bring them back to reality, but knowing he had to. "They"ve moved past us so we have a small window to get to the ship."

She nodded, her expression tight but determined. He ached to kiss her again, but they didn"t have time. They had to move… now.

* * *

Sadie bither lip as Vaarn hurried her through the winding corridors of the space station, a big hand wrapped around her upper arm. They ducked into side corridors whenever they heard the pirates up ahead.

The warm fuzzy feeling that had washed through her at his kiss faded fast and fear chilled her blood at the thought of what would happen if the pirates caught them… caught her.

She'd wanted to come on this trip so badly. At the time, it had seemed like an exciting adventure and a chance to spend time with Vaarn without him running away from her. Now she realized why he hadn't wanted her to come along… why he was so furious when she'd been assigned as his ‘engineering consultant' by the prince. It wasn"t because he"d been planning a romantic tryst with Laythia, instead, he'd been worried for her safety.

She hadn't listened and now pirates were chasing them through the corridors and Vaarn was the scariest she'd ever seen him. Her breath came in hard pants as they darted through corridor after corridor, the reality of the shit they were in hitting her like a ship at light speed. She'd been so amazed and filled with delight when she'd arrived here, but now it felt like a treacherous maze, ready to swallow her up whole, never to be seen again.

"Stay close," he warned, constantly scanning their surroundings as they moved. "We need to reach the docking arm before the pirates lock it down."

She nodded, her mind racing. What would happen to Ollie if she didn't make it back? She knew Halle and Kaas would keep him safe, but he was her little boy. Surely he would miss her? Determination flooded her with new energy and she managed to keep up with Vaarn"s long-legged pace, her legs feeling like lead as they rushed through the dimly lit corridors.

They turned a corner and almost walked into a pirate. She gasped, but before she could do anything else, Vaarn lunged forward, the huge dagger that was usually sheathed along his back in his hand. The clash was brutal and chaotic, a lethal storm of metal against metal. Vaarn was deadly and focused, more graceful than any man that big had a right to be. The knife was more like a short sword, an extension of his arm as he danced around his opponent. The pirate tried to fight back, but within seconds it was easy to see that he was no match for the big Latharian warrior.

Her breath caught in her throat. She had never seen Vaarn like this before. She'd seen him as the grumpy engineer, always irritated by the people around him that didn't operate on the same wavelength, but she'd never seen him angry. It was terrifying, and awe-inspiring all at the same time.

She clung to the wall for support, her heart racing. She should be running, she knew that, but she was frozen in place, unable to move a muscle.

Vaarn moved with blinding speed, and within a few seconds, the pirate lay at his feet. The corridor fell silent, the only sound she could hear the rasping of her own breath in her ears.

Vaarn turned to her, his eyes so fierce it sent shivers down her spine.

"Are you alright?" he asked, silver brows drawn together.

She let out a shaky breath. "I"m okay. Just a bit shaken up." She frowned. "Why are they interested in me? I thought I was under the protection of the emperor?"

"It's a case of out of sight, out of mind." His jaw tightened, a muscle jumping in the corner. "Let"s just say the Liis aren"t known for their ethics when it comes to earning a profit."

She paled, feeling sick as understanding hit her. "They want to sell me, don't they?"

"It won"t happen," he snarled. "I won"t allow it. You"re under my protection now."

She shivered. "Thank you."

"You"re safe with me. I"ll always keep you safe." His gaze snapped up to study the corridor ahead. "We need to keep moving. The docking arm won"t stay open for long."

She nodded, sliding her hand into his. Rather than pushing her away, he just looked down at her, silver braids sliding over his shoulders and squeezed her hand in reassurance. She kept herself tucked in behind him as they headed off down the corridor toward the docking arm.

Still shaking from the fight, she slid him a glance from under her lashes. She"d seen a side of him that both scared and fascinated her at the same time. She shouldn't find it sexy, but somehow, she did. He was a fierce and deadly warrior, but he was so gentle with her. And my god, he could kiss…

It was an eternity before he paused again, but she knew it could only be a few minutes. That was what danger and adrenaline did for you. How did Vaarn and the other warriors cope with it? She was a wreck, jumping at every shadow they passed in case it was a pirate.

Her heart raced as she leaned against the cold metal wall. They were in a smaller side corridor and she looked around. Dimly lit, the floor was marred with grime in the corners where the automated sweepers didn"t reach, and the air felt thick and heavy with tension. That last had to be her, she"d had no issues breathing earlier so unless the pirates had gotten to the environmental controls… no, she wouldn"t think about that. Wrapping her arms around herself, she tried to quell the shivers. It was so cold in here…

"It"s clear," he murmured. "But we need to make a run for it. The docking arm is just ahead."

She nodded, looking nervously toward the end of the corridor. "Why aren"t the pirates just waiting for us at the ship?"

His lips quirked into a wicked little smile as he tapped commands into the wrist computer mounted in his bracer. Her gaze latched onto the fullness of his lips, the memory of their kiss still lingering in her mind. It was ridiculous to be thinking about that now, in the midst of everything they were going through, but she couldn't help it.

"This isn"t my first kranisvar," he said. "That"s why I didn"t bring a Latharian ship. This one has embedded B"Kaar technology that conceals its origins. If they don"t know what they"re looking for, we"ll slip through their fingers like a ghost in the night."

As they ran from the hall, she held tight to his arm as they headed for the docking arm. Their ship's airlock was just ahead, and she concentrated on it. Terror rolled through her veins, but at the same time she felt strangely calm… because she was with Vaarn. He wouldn"t let anything happen to her.

They reached the airlock of the ship just as it began to roll open, and relief hit her. She stumbled slightly as he pushed her ahead of him inside, and the door reversed course to shut behind them. Collapsing against the wall, she used it to hold her up as the airlock cycled to let them access the main part of the ship.

"So what does the station think our ship is?" she asked, trying not to pant. He wasn't even breathing hard. It wasn't fair. She definitely didn't have the stamina of a Latharian warrior. Not anywhere close.

His expression was grim as the inner airlock door opened, and they rushed into the cockpit.

"They think it"s a pig transporter," he admitted as he dropped into the pilot's chair and began booting the engines.

Her eyes widened. "A pig transporter? But we"re in a life or death situation, and they think we"re hauling pigs?"