Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

W illow's heart leapt into her throat when Malacar collapsed. She rushed to his side, Sooni following her anxiously. Her hands trembled as she checked for signs of life, sighing with relief when she felt his pulse beating slowly and steadily.

"What did you do to him?" she demanded.

Wraith regarded her coolly, his eyes devoid of emotion.

"It's merely a harmless sedative. We don't have time for this."

She cradled Malacar's head, still glaring at him

"We can't just leave him here!"

"We need to go. Now."

Wraith's tone left no room for argument. She carefully laid Malacar down and rose, planting herself between Wraith and the unconscious male.

"Why? What's the rush?"

"You said the Fleet was on their way."

"So? I thought they were kind of like cops - law enforcement."

"They are." His eyes darted to the door. "But the Royal Fleet is not known for their… understanding."

She crossed her arms, refusing to budge.

"Explain."

"If they arrive here expecting to encounter slavers and find an illegally abducted female, their first assumption will be that I was the one who abducted you. They will impound my ship and imprison me - or at least they will try." He gave her a cold smile. "They will not keep me long, but it would be an… inconvenience."

"But I can tell them it wasn't you."

"I doubt they would listen to a primitive female."

An outraged gasp escaped.

"What do you mean primitive?"

"The Kaisarians are an arrogant lot. They think everyone is beneath them - but especially anyone from a pre-spaceflight planet."

"Wait a minute. How do you know that?"

He gave her an impatient look.

"We can discuss it later. The point is that they will not treat you as an equal. If you're lucky they'll treat you like a slightly intelligent pet."

He probably wasn't wrong, and the thought of becoming a prisoner of the Fleet made her shudder, but she couldn't bring herself to desert Malacar. Even though he didn't want to leave the space station, she couldn't abandon him here alone with only a small amount of food remaining. And she certainly wasn't leaving without Sooni.

"I'm not going anywhere without Malacar and Sooni," she said firmly. "Either we all go, or I stay with them."

His eyes narrowed, a flicker of something—surprise?—crossing his face. For a moment, she thought he might argue further—or simply leave. Instead he gave an annoyed grunt, then bent down and hoisted Malacar effortlessly over his shoulder.

"Fine. You can tell him this was your decision."

She nodded, relief washing over her. Sooni had been watching anxiously, but she hurried over to join her.

"Now move," Wraith ordered them.

She glanced down at Sooni and the little girl nodded, her face a little pale but her eyes determined.

"It'll be okay," she whispered, taking Willow's hand.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded and they hurried after Wraith. They followed him through the winding corridors of the station, his long strides forcing her into a fast jog in order to keep up. Despite her apprehension, she couldn't help noticing the way he moved – fluid and purposeful, his big muscular body showing no strain from carrying Malacar's weight.

For all his coldness, there was a carefulness in how he handled the elderly alien that surprised her, especially given his impatience with the delay.

He paused at an intersection, his eyes glowing slightly as he scanned their surroundings. She used the moment to lean against the wall, still breathless from the rapid pace. He glanced back at her and Sooni, and she expected him to demand they move faster.

"Are you all right?" he asked instead, his voice cold but not unkind.

She nodded, surprised by the unexpected consideration. As they resumed their journey, she found herself studying him more closely. There was something in the set of his jaw, the tension in his shoulders, that made her wonder what drove him. What had shaped him into the male she saw – dangerous and aloof, but still capable of moments of compassion? She was well aware that he could have simply taken her as easily as he'd taken Malacar.

She was still wondering when they emerged in a small docking bay. His ship was waiting, smaller than she'd expected, its sleek lines and polished exterior a striking contrast to the dilapidated surroundings. It looked more like a predatory bird than a spacecraft, elegant yet deadly.

He keyed in a code, and a ramp descended with a soft hiss. He gestured for them to enter, scanning the area one last time before ushering them inside.

The interior was as compact as the exterior suggested, sparse and utilitarian. A narrow corridor ran the length of the ship and he strode purposefully to one of the two small doors at the rear. Not doors - glass panels. Her stomach dropped as she realized they opened into two holding cells. Small and spartanly furnished, they were clearly designed for function over comfort.

She watched as Wraith carefully lowered Malacar onto a narrow bunk, his care at odds with his earlier brusqueness. As he straightened, his gaze met hers, and for a moment, Willow thought she saw a flicker of something – discomfort? regret? – in his eyes.

He cleared his throat, gesturing to the other cell. "You and the girl will have to share that one," he said gruffly.

"You're locking us in?" she whispered.

"What? No. But my ship is not designed for… visitors. There are no other cabins."

She noticed a slight hesitation in his voice, as if he were uncomfortable with the arrangement, but his face had resumed its usual cold expression. She glanced down at Sooni, who squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"I'll be in the cockpit," he added, already turning away. "We need to get moving."

As he disappeared down the corridor, she took a deep breath, trying to process how quickly her life had changed once again. The reality of their predicament hit her anew as she looked at the small cell that would be their temporary home. At least it's clean, she thought, determined to look on the bright side.

She checked Malacar's pulse, still slow and steady, then perched on the edge of the narrow bunk, waiting for him to awaken. The cell felt cramped with the three of them inside, but she couldn't bring herself to leave him. Sooni curled up next to her, her small hand resting on her grandfather's arm.

Time crawled by, marked only by the soft hum of the ship's engines. The takeoff had been so smooth she hadn't even registered it until she noticed the slight vibration beneath her feet. Her mind kept replaying the events of the past few hours. Uncertainty still gnawed at her, but perhaps she'd picked up some of Sooni's assurance, because there was a strange sense of calm beneath her surface worries.

A low groan finally broke the silence as Malacar's eyes fluttered open, confusion clouding his features.

"Grandfather!" Sooni exclaimed happily. "You're awake."

He tried to sit up, his arms shaking, and she assisted him into a sitting position as he gave the cell a dazed look.

"What… where are we?"

"We're on a ship - Wraith's ship. He brought us here."

The old alien scowled at the glass door panel.

"And locked us up? What did that bastard do to me?"

"He didn't hurt you," she assured him, though the words felt hollow even to her. "He said it was just to make you sleep because we didn't have time to argue. And we're not locked in. He doesn't have any regular cabins."

Malacar's face darkened.

"We need to leave this ship. We cannot trust-"

"It's okay, Grandfather," Sooni interrupted, her voice confident. "He's not a bad male. We'll be all right."

Willow glanced at the little girl, surprised by her certainty. Sooni grinned up at her, yellow eyes sparkling.

"I'm going to look around," she announced, slipping off the bunk.

"Sooni, wait-" Malacar called, but she'd already darted out of the cell.

He struggled to stand, then gave up, giving her a worried look.

"I know this isn't ideal," she said softly. "And I'm sorry he did that to you. But I think Sooni's right. I feel like we're safer with him than we were before."

The words surprised her as she spoke them, but they felt true. Despite Wraith's cold demeanor and questionable methods, something about him made her feel protected.

Malacar studied her face, then sighed.

"I hope you're both right, child. For all our sakes."

The elderly alien's shoulders slumped, weariness etched into every line of his face, and her heart ached for him.

"I'm sorry you had to leave your home," she said softly.

He gave her a surprised look, then nodded.

"It is… difficult. We Ssst form deep attachments to our homes, even if that home is an abandoned space station. It's not in our nature to wander."

She nodded, silently encouraging him to continue. He looked down at his hands, then sighed.

"It took something truly drastic to make me leave our planet. After my daughter – Sooni's mother – died, I discovered her father's plans for the child. He intended to use her as a pawn in a political alliance. I couldn't allow it."

His voice caught, and she instinctively reached out, placing a comforting hand on his arm. He patted it gently before continuing.

"So I fled with Sooni. We ended up on the space station by accident, but we made a new home there. It wasn't much, but it was ours. And it wasn't a bad life until the slavers came. But even then, I… I didn't want to leave."

He fell silent for a moment, his gaze distant. When he spoke again, his voice was barely above a whisper.

"But I think perhaps it was time. Sooni deserves a better life."

A lump formed in her throat.

"You've sacrificed so much for her," she said softly.

No one had ever been willing to sacrifice as much for her. She quickly pushed that thought aside as Malacar looked up. The sorrow on his face finally lifted, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

"As any loving grandparent would. And now, it seems, we embark on a new journey."

"We certainly do. I just hope it leads us somewhere safe. And now I think I'd better check on Sooni."

"Thank you," he said, catching her hand as she rose to her feet. "You are very good with her."

The unexpected praise made her chest ache but she smiled at him.

"She's a wonderful child. I'll be back to check on you soon."

As she left the cell and turned down the narrow corridor, she heard Sooni's voice, bright and cheerful. Following the sound to the front of the ship, she found herself at the entrance to the cockpit. It was as utilitarian as the rest of the ship with a dizzying array of controls beneath a wide viewscreen.

There were two seats and the little girl was settled in the co-pilot's seat, chatting cheerfully with an expressionless Wraith. To her surprise, he didn't seem perturbed by the girl's presence. Although he remained focused on controls in front of him, he occasionally nodded or gave a clipped response to Sooni's excited observations.

As if he sensed her presence, he glanced back over his shoulder at her. There was an intensity in those dark purple eyes that was oddly thrilling. His eyes didn't glow as they had on the station, and she wondered if he could somehow control it.

"Is the old male awake?" he asked coolly.

"Yes, Malacar is awake."

She caught a flash of amusement at her correction, but he only nodded.

"Good."

"Sooni, why don't you go keep your grandfather company for a bit? You can tell him all about the ship."

The little girl's eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly as she hopped down from her seat and scampered away. Willow hesitated for a moment then entered the cockpit. His eyes flicked towards her briefly before returning to the controls but he didn't say anything. She settled into the seat Sooni had vacated, her breath catching as she took in the view.

Stars stretched out before them, countless pinpricks of light against the vast darkness of space. It was beautiful, awe-inspiring… and terrifying. The enormity of it all suddenly hit her. She was light-years from Earth, from her students, from everything she knew.

"It's so overwhelming," she whispered, more to herself than to Wraith.

He didn't respond immediately, his hands moving over the controls with practiced ease. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and matter-of-fact.

"You get used to it."

She turned to study his profile, the sharp angles of his face illuminated by the soft glow of the console. The subtle colors in his skin seemed to shimmer, as if he might suddenly disappear.

"Do you? Get used to it, I mean?"

His expression remained impassive, but something flickered in his eyes.

"I spend a lot of time in space."

"Why?" she asked. "What do you do?"

She half-expected him to ignore the question, but he shrugged slightly.

"I hunt down criminals and retrieve stolen property."

"You mean you're a bounty hunter." She considered that for a moment. "What do you do with the… what did you call them? The criminals?"

His lip twitched slightly, the tiniest hint of a smile.

"Mostly I turn them over to the proper authorities."

Mostly? She wanted to ask what he meant, but something about his expression stopped her.

"Who hires you?" she asked instead.

He was silent for so long that she thought he might not answer, but then he shrugged again.

"Anyone who needs help finding something, or someone. Usually wealthy collectors. Sometimes law enforcement. Sometimes private citizens. Whoever can afford me."

"Do you ever help people for free?"

"No."

"Then why are you helping us?"