Five

Chapter

The crackling sound of something electrical shorting out flooded Hayley’s ears. It was accompanied by the caustic smell of burning wires. She heard several bursts of air above her and felt a wave of cold, the scent shifting to something more chemical. The crackling subsided.

Mindy was at her side. The dog was pressing her head against Hayley and whimpering, the front half of her furry body on the table with her friend and her back paws still on the floor. And above them both was Rom, shielding them with his glorious blue body. Hayley wanted to reach out and touch him. To explore the hard planes of his chest, the rows of his abs, those fascinating spine plates that always seemed to be protruding from his back.

What is wrong with me?

Hayley was in this mess in the first place because of a guy. She didn’t know if she’d ever be able to trust her judgment in men again.

“ Rom is different. ” Mindy must be picking up more of Hayley’s thoughts than she realized. She did her best to put her shields back in place.

“ How is he different? ” Hayley very carefully broadcast the single thought.

“ He’s the same, ” Mindy replied.

“ The same? ” Hayley tried to pick through what Mindy was communicating. It was sometimes hard to understand each other, with how differently they experienced the world. “ The same as what? As Dean? ”

Mindy let out a whine as Hayley’s fear and despair at thinking about Dean leaked through their bond. She tried to block off that part of her, to protect Mindy, but it was hard. Dean was the cause of all this suffering. At least, Hayley’s suffering. Mindy had already been with Norem when Hayley arrived, possibly for years. And Katie was on the station when they were both moved out of the Ceres base. If it weren’t for Dean leaving Hayley with Norem, she would never have met the pair. They were the only bright spots in this horrible nightmare. Well, they had been. And now Rom.

“ I’m sorry ,” Hayley thought.

“ Rom doesn’t hurt .” Mindy broke into their dialogue more aggressively than usual. “ Rom helps. Rom heals. Rom is Hayley .”

How could Rom be Hayley? That didn’t make any sense. Aside from the fact that they were two different people, they weren’t even the same species. He was a big blue giant from who knew where and she was an Earthling. Hayley didn’t understand why Mindy thought they were the same.

Hayley looked up to see Rom staring at her with those beautiful violet eyes. They were glowing, concern etched on every inch of his face. Concern and something else. Something softer and more intense at the same time. Something that made butterflies flutter in her stomach and chased away the aches in her joints, warming her, making her feel… whole.

“ Rom is Hayley ,” Mindy repeated. “ Hayley is Rom. Different outsides, but the same inside. ”

Hayley still didn’t understand what Mindy meant, but somehow, in that moment, it didn’t matter. The three of them were together. Hayley didn’t dare ever think that she was safe, but this was as close as they were probably going to get. As long as Rom was with them, he would protect them. She was sure of it.

I can use that…

She hated herself for thinking it. What other choice did she have, though? If it was only her own life on the line, she might resist. But she had to think of Mindy and Katie. Rom was their best hope of escaping this nightmare. Hayley couldn’t pass up the chance to use it. To use him .

She reached up with a shaky hand and cupped his cheek. His eyes drifted shut and he lifted his hand to hers, pressing it more firmly against him. She wanted to rise to his lips. To kiss him. But she was too weak to even raise her head. He opened his eyes and smiled, so gently, it was as if he could read her thoughts as clearly as Mindy, and was telling her it was all going to be okay. Hayley’s heart beat faster as part of her began to believe it.

“I need you to move her to another bed.” Norem’s harsh voice broke into their moment. A moment Hayley had intended to be a ruse, but ended up feeling so real.

Rom lifted his head to glare at Norem and growled. “And I need you to back the fuck off.”

Hayley burst out laughing. She couldn’t help it. The only person she’d heard swear in a long time was Katie, and that was one of her friend’s favorite words. Somehow, hearing it from Rom made Hayley feel more at home. He almost sounded like Buddy, her chosen brother from back home. Everything about Rom felt like home.

He stood and scooped Hayley into his arms again, backing away from the table. Mindy somewhat clumsily managed to get all four paws on the floor again. She was glaring at Norem, growling. Rom let out a high whistle that had her ears perking in his direction.

“Come on, girl,” Rom said.

Mindy’s mouth dropped open into a doggie smile as she barked once, then trotted over to stand at his side.

“ He feels like home, ” Hayley thought.

“ He is your home ,” Mindy responded.

Rom turned and strode toward the exit.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Norem demanded.

“To my quarters,” Rom said. “I’m sure one of your lackeys can show me the way.”

“You can’t just leave with my test subjects,” Norem said.

Rom tensed beneath her, his muscles amazingly becoming even more firm. “‘Test subjects.’ Subjects. ” He emphasized the plural at the end.

Norem didn’t miss a beat. “If your brain hadn’t been scrambled by blue space, you’d remember that this is a science station. We’re conducting top secret research that will reshape the balance of power in the galaxy for millennia to come.”

“In your favor,” Rom said.

“In our favor.” Norem corrected, shaking his head. “You volunteered to be a test subject yourself. Rom… You have to trust me. So many people’s lives depend on it.”

Hayley had to admit, Norem sounded convincing. Partly because he was speaking the truth—his words just held a different meaning beneath the surface. Lives depended on Rom trusting Norem. Katie’s life. Mindy’s life. Hayley’s life. She held her breath, wondering whether Rom would see through Norem’s act. What would happen if Rom did? They were outnumbered, isolated. There was no way he could keep both herself and Mindy safe, let alone help to rescue Katie.

Hayley looked up at Rom and said, “You have to trust him.” She turned to Norem. “I understand how things are. We’ll cooperate. Whatever you need. Just… let us stay together. Please.”

Norem’s scowl slowly pulled into a smile. “That’s very wise of you, Hayley. I suppose it could be arranged.”

“What’s to arrange?” Rom asked, a challenging edge to his voice. “I’m taking her to my quarters.”

“You don’t normally have company.” Norem’s smile stiffened, but he didn’t miss a beat. He turned to one of the scientists cringing nearby and said, “Take Rom to his quarters.”

“Sir?” the man said in a shaky voice.

“Level 3, room 485.” Norem glared at the man as if he could set fire to him with his eyes. “He’ll need bowls for ‘Mindy’s’ food and water, as well as provisions for her. Make sure it’s set up before you arrive.”

“Yes, sir,” the man said, hurriedly murmuring something into his bracer.

As the subordinate scurried toward the door, Norem called after him. “Be sure to send plenty of provisions for Hayley as well.” The smile he cast at her turned into a leer. “She needs to keep her strength up.”

Hayley felt her cheeks heat. Was that what Rom had in mind? In another world, she would be absolutely okay with that. She wasn’t the type to throw herself at a guy—that was more her best friend, Sophie’s, mode of operating. But Hayley had watched Sophie enough to know a few things about coming on to people. Hayley didn’t have that much experience with guys, though. She wanted an emotional connection before anything physical happened, and it was hard to find partners who agreed with that.

Dean had seemed to be one of them, but then, look at where dating him had landed her. Her judgment was absolutely suspect. She’d had misgivings about Dean—misgivings that she had ignored at Sophie’s urging—but if things hadn’t gone off the rails as horribly as they had, she probably would have ended up in a serious relationship with him. How could she trust herself now?

Hayley shook herself internally, her thoughts spiraling. This was her situation now. For whatever reason, this blue giant seemed interested in protecting her—and Mindy. If Hayley could get him more attached, maybe she could convince him to protect Katie as well. Maybe she could get him to help them all escape.

She leaned closer into the wall of chest he provided. God, it felt good. Not just physically, but… She already felt as if they had a connection. How was that possible when they’d just met? It must be part of his alien-ness. Amy would say he was putting off some kind of pheromone that was affecting her. If so, Hayley was sure she was affecting him, too. Could she really use that to her advantage? Given how much was at stake, she didn’t see any other options.

Rom curled his arms, shifting her closer against his chest. “You need anything else?”

Norem’s eyes flicked to Rom’s. “I thought you were impatient to leave.”

“I don’t want us to be disturbed,” Rom said.

Norem smirked. “I imagine not.”

Hayley felt Rom’s slight intake of breath. His arms stiffened around her. Though he might be feeling drawn to her as she was to him, it was very evident he did not like Norem’s innuendos. The thought of it made her like Rom even more. An alien gentleman. Who would have thought?

“You took samples from her,” Rom said. “I’m a ‘test subject,’ too.”

Norem’s eyes widened briefly and his lips parted. For a moment, he looked at Rom as if he was Christmas and his birthday and a trip to the amusement park all put together. He seemed to catch himself, a lot more obviously this time, and cleared his throat, looking away. He plastered a smile on his face once more when he returned his attention to them.

“I can see how eager you are to have a little time to yourselves,” Norem said. “I can get what I need from you later.”

“Sure.” Rom’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

Rom needed to work on his poker face. It was obvious that he hated Norem. Knowing all the tortuous things he had done to his own people, Hayley wondered how Rom could dare to be so openly antagonistic. Were they working together or not? Hayley almost started to think that Rom might be under some form of duress to participate in Norem’s experiments. She would have to ask Rom the first chance she had. Which, apparently, wouldn’t be long.

He turned and headed toward the door, with Mindy following along behind them. It slid open at his approach. The man who Norem had instructed to take them to Rom’s quarters was waiting just outside. He jumped when he saw them, but then sort of half-bowed. Mindy let out a low growl, staring at him.

“This… way…” he said, his eyes riveted on Mindy.

He led them through a maze of bleak corridors to an elevator. Hayley snorted as she felt the inertia of the room starting to move.

“Something funny?” Rom asked gently.

“No elevator music,” she said. When he stared at her quizzically, she added, “On Earth, we often play music in our elevators.”

“Hmm.” Rom nodded, his lips pulling up in a lop-sided smile. “Sounds nice.”

“It would be, except the music has been reworked so that it’s as unobjectionable as possible,” she said. “It’s just kind of tepid.”

Rom chuckled. “I like the vocabulary.”

“I’m a writer,” she said brightly. Her heart seemed to stutter and a chill swept over her. Her voice lowered, all the animation gone. “I was a writer.”

Rom hugged her closer. She felt something brush the top of her head. A kiss? If so, it had been nothing more than a comfort. Some of the warmth returned to her.

“That kind of thing doesn’t go away just because you’re not doing it,” he said. “What did you write about? Spicy Romances with happy endings? Those are my favorite.”

She smiled at the thought of this goliath reading Romances. When she looked up at him, his expression was open and earnest. He hadn’t even been joking.

“When have you had a chance to read Romances?” She laughed.

“I have a friend who runs a library,” he said. “She’s always recommending—”

He cut himself off quickly, shaking his head. She felt him sort of list to the side, but he caught himself before falling.

“Sorry,” he said. “I think I was confused there for a minute. What were we talking about?”

This guy really needed to work on his poker face. It was painfully obvious that he was trying to cover for what he’d been saying a moment before. If that was a memory resurfacing—hanging out with a librarian—she liked this guy even more. Hayley did her best to help him out.

“You asked what I wrote,” she said. “And the answer is that I was—I am—a travel writer. I visit places and then write about them for people who either want to go there or who enjoy exploring places in their minds.”

“That sounds nice,” he said.

The elevator doors opened and the man practically leapt out. Rom probably needn’t have worried about the Tau Ceti deducing anything about his slip-up. All the guy seemed to want to do was get them to their destination and then run like heck the other way. The idea amused Hayley more than it should. This guy had been part of her suffering. Part of so many others’ as well. But that didn’t mean she should take delight in his emotional trauma. She was just… enjoying the sense of justice being served.

Sure, that’s it.

They navigated a few short halls with doors on either side. The lab tech suddenly veered to the side just as a door opened. Another lab tech ran out and the men slammed into each other with a loud, “Oof!” Hayley tried not to snicker. Mindy let out a loud bark, her tail wagging. Both men shrieked, holding onto each other as if for dear life.

That was too much. Hayley busted out laughing. She kept laughing as Rom carried her into the room, crowding past the two men who were still clinging to each other and walking sideways, trying to get out of the way and not trip. Mindy darted inside and immediately leapt onto a huge bed across the room.

Hayley stared at the opulent room surrounding them. There were no windows, but another door stood open on the left wall that led to a bathroom. She thought she caught a glimpse of an actual tub inside. The idea of sliding into hot water and letting all her aches and pains fade away enticed her. When Rom joined her, the water level would rise so much, it would slosh over onto the floor.

She blushed yet again at the thought, quickly looking away from the room. Her eyes landed on the bed, of course. Wow, that was a big bed. It could easily fit all three of them. Or maybe Mindy could check out the bathroom for a little bit while Hayley and Rom…

“ I can go… ” Mindy’s thoughts were tentative in Hayley’s mind.

“ No, please stay. ” Embarrassment washed through her. “ You didn’t hear what I was thinking just now, did you? ”

“ No, but I can smell things. ” Mindy pushed her nose into the bed’s comforter for a moment, then lifted her head and opened her mouth, her tongue lolling to the side as if she was laughing. “ You like him .”

“ I do, but that doesn’t mean I want you to leave, ” Hayley said. “ Especially not because of… that. ”

Mindy let out a chuffing sound. Hayley couldn’t blame her. She barely believed herself.

Her misgivings only grew worse as Rom leaned toward the men outside menacingly and said, “We are not to be disturbed.”

The door to the chamber slid shut.