Chapter 9

Ihave no other option except to press my face into Shuvo's back as he runs through the station with me slung over his shoulder, praying the whole time that the monitors will glitch or haven't been maintained. Hoping for a miracle that we somehow aren't caught, because now that my chance at freedom is more than a lingering possibility, I want it desperately! More than I wanted to stay behind when Treto came to rescue Bela, Skylar, and me.

Something's changed inside me since all those revs ago. Or maybe something changed when I met Shuvo. Yes, something about Shuvo has changed everything. I can't put my finger on what or how, just that I was perfectly content before I met him, and now—not so much.

When we are almost to the docking bay and the alarms still haven't immediately sounded, I start to relax. Just the littlest bit. Is this actually going work?

"This is still a terrible idea!" I grumble into his back, only to be answered with his silent laugh that vibrates through his body.

"Hey! What are you doing with her?" a deep voice bellows from somewhere behind me.

And there it is. I feel my body deflate a little, knowing I don't have to worry about being caught anymore.

Shuvo stiffens beneath me when he's forced to come to a sudden halt. Pushing my hands against his back, I crane my neck to see what's happening, and I'm surprised that it's not security that is blocking our way, but it appears to be a concerned citizen.

Shuvo steps to the right, and the male steps with him, blocking him from getting by.

"Are you alright?" the young Amean male asks me. He's equal in height to Shuvo, but his frame is willowy and lithe with pointed elf-like ears and soft, almost feminine, features. His head cants to the side. "Miss?"

Miss? "Me? Oh. Oh yes, I'm just fine." I let out a breathy laugh while making sure my hair stays draped over my face, so hopefully he doesn't recognize me. "My—uh—my male here, he's anxious to get me, er, alone."

Please, just go with it, I silently beg him when he frowns.

Shuvo palms my ass, his fingers squeezing before he gives it a sharp slap, which I follow with a throaty moan that, much my embarrassment, isn't an act.

"Oh. Oh, I see. My apologies, miss, I'll just…" He steps aside, and Shuvo strides past him before he has a chance to finish his apology. And the alarm still doesn't sound.

"That was really close." I laugh nervously as I fall back over his shoulder.

That's when the air splits with the loud blaring of the alarm.

Damnit.

"Go, go, GO! Shuvo, GOOOO!!" I shout, pounding my hands on his back when he doesn't break into an immediate sprint.

"ATTENTION! ATTENTION! PLEASE STOP WHERE YOU ARE. WE HAVE AN ESCAPE."

Everyone around us freezes, but Shuvo bolts. Luckily, we're right outside the docks, and he's able to slip inside where he weaves in and out of the ships, trying to keep low and out of sight. My hands grip his shirt as I'm bounced up and down on his shoulder until I'm so discombobulated, that I don't even realize we've run up a gang plank until the door behind us swishes shut, cutting off the alarm and surrounding us with blessed, muted quiet.

Shuvo's feet skid to a halt a moment before I hear a deep voice growl…

"You've got to be shitting me, Shuvo!"

My world somersaults as I'm flipped from his shoulder back to my feet. When I stagger, his arms circle my waist, and he holds me until I gain my balance. As soon as I'm steady, he turns and disappears down a hallway, leaving me to face a group of shocked male faces. Alone. What the fuck…

"Um, hi?" I wave my fingers in greeting, but they all continue to stare at me in shocked silence. "Right. I see how this must look." I blow out a breath and then hitch my thumb over my shoulder in the direction Shuvo disappeared. "I'm just gonna go find him…"

I've barely taken a step toward the hallway he disappeared down when he materializes in front of me. My feet backpedal, and I almost land on my ass with a wheeze when he reaches out to steady me. Again. That's when I notice he's holding a small black box. Before I can ask him what it's for, he presses it to the base of his throat and turns toward the group of men.

"How soon will the ship be ready to fly?" The voice that comes out is strangely soft, rather than robotic like I would expect from an artificial voice, and I can't help but wonder how close to his own voice it is.

"I knew those alarms were for you." A four-armed male laughs as he claps another male on the shoulder with one of his arms. "Crank, you owe me fifty credits."

Shuvo glances at me with a smug look that is completely unrepentant.

"Is she—did you steal the kurving human?" the one called Crank sputters. "Of all Althea's girls… you had to take the human? What in the nine systems is kurving wrong with you?"

Finally. Maybe these males will be able to talk some sense into him. "Shuvo, they are coming for me! You need to let me go and then get the hell out of here before?—"

Shuvo wraps an arm around me, still holding the black box to his throat with the other. "She's right, we've been sitting too long. We need to go."

"What? No. That's not what I said?—

"Alright, you heard him. Let's get off this station," a gruff voice bellows, and pandemonium ensues as the crew races to their stations to get the ship ready to leave. Meanwhile, Shuvo is completely unfazed and gently guides me over to a row of jump seats that he folds down.

"Why aren't you listening?!" I snap. He continues to ignore me, gently pushing me into a seat and then buckling me in. "Someone is going to get hurt, and I don't think I can live with that kind of guilt."

His face softens then, and he dips down to brush a soft kiss across my lips. "You worry too much," he says through the mechanical voice box as he strokes his palm down the side of my face.

My heart melts at his gentle touch at the same time I want to grab him by his pointed ears and shake some sense into him. You know what, that sounds like a great idea. I reach up, but before my fingers can do more than brush the sides of his face, he straightens up and turns to where his crew has gathered in the cockpit.

"Are we ready?" he asks.

There is a moment of silence before they all start talking at once. Shuvo winks at me over his shoulder and then hurries to join them. I'm considering unbuckling the seat I'm strapped to when one of the males appears at my side. He's holding two dark bottles, and he hands me one.

"You look like you could use a drink," he says and then taps the necks with a dull clunk when I take his offer.

"Thanks." I give the opening a sniff and wrinkle my nose before tipping it back for a good hardy swallow. It's absolute swill, and I force down a gag when it burns all the way to my stomach. Perfect.

"Is Shuvo in trouble?" I ask him through the burn.

The male, I think someone called him Crank, is roughly the shape and size of a yellow beach ball, and he laughs as he sits down beside me. "When is Shuvo not in some kind of trouble?"

I take another drink and grimace as I wonder what I've gotten myself into. "It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?"

"Oh. Aye. That's the truth, innit?" He chuckles. Then he slowly shakes his head. "And no. Shuvo's not in trouble." He reaches over and gives my knee a pat. "And don't you worry, we'll get out of whatever mess he's stirred up."

Just then, the intercom crackles, and a familiar voice echoes through the ship's speakers.

"You have something that is mine, and I want it back!" Madam Althea's shrill voice spits with barely controlled rage.

Beside me, the male's eyes go round, and he tips back the rest of the bottle he's holding. "Nothing to worry about," he mutters before jumping to his feet and hurrying to where the rest of the crew are gathered.

"If you do not release her this instant, I will blow up your ship the second it leaves this station." Madame Althea's voice quivers with fury, and I believe her. "If I can't have her, no one will."

My hands tremble as I work my fingers through the harness while holding the bottle of spirits. The clips and buckles are stiff and awkward, and I end up gripping the bottle between my knees so I can use both hands. Suddenly, Shuvo appears in front of me. His hands cover mine, stilling me, then he takes the bottle and tips it back, finishing what was left inside before tossing it away.

"You look worried," he teases through the communicator.

"Shuvo, she's not bluffing." But no matter what I say, he is completely unfazed, which is starting to drive me crazy. "She's going to go absolutely rabid if she loses me. I'm not worth it."

He sinks down in front of me, so that we're at eye level, and his expression has lost all humor, going completely serious. He reaches out and cups the side of my face. His palm is warm and soft against my cheek, and I can't help it when my eyes flutter closed, and I lean into his soft touch.

"You're worth everything, Nee-tah," he tells me in his strange soft voice. "Let me worry about the rest."

Before I have a chance to argue with him more, one of the males calls to him from the next room, "Shuvo! We're gonna need you on one of the guns as soon as we breach the station."

Shuvo's mouth splits into a wide grin, and his devil-may-care expression is back in place.

"Shuvo, no! You can't—" I start.

He drops a kiss to my forehead and then jumps up and jogs away.

"Friggen stubborn-ass men!" I shout after him.