“Got it.” Lucy nodded and smiled at him. “All right—wish me luck.”
“I will wish you more than luck—may the Goddess herself, the Mother of All life—go with you and bless your endeavors,” Rarev said gravely. He gave her a final nod and Lucy nodded back and turned away.
This is what’s important,she reminded herself as she walked to the open hatch of the golden ship.Getting the dimriel and saving the Monstrum Mother Ship. Forget about T’zaren and his bad attitude—none of that matters. I just have to get this done and be sure Iyanna and Dra’vik and the baby they have on the way don’t lose their home!
The mini pep-talk helped and she lifted her chin as she climbed aboard the ship. She was ready for the adventure of her life and she was absolutely determined that this mission was going to succeed!
But the power of positive thinking only got her so far. Once she stepped inside the golden ship and the door closed behind her, she realized she was trapped in a small space with a large, angry Monstrum. Should she stay away from him and give him some room?
She was in the middle of a small living area—just a loveseat with a screen across from it, which must be meant for showing movies or shows or whatever it was the Monstrum did for entertainment. But there were no windows—she couldn’t see the stars or space.
Up ahead, through and archway, she could see the cockpit of the ship. It had two large, leather seats situated side by side with a little space between them. Directly in front of the Pilot’s seat was a complicated-looking bank of instruments. But beyond that was the viewscreen which showed everything outside the ship.Thatwas where she wanted to be! Where she could see everything and savor every part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience of going to an alien planet for the first time!
Well, then—that’s where I’m going,Lucy told herself.I’m not going to let T’zaren’s bad attitude get in the way of enjoying every last little bit of this trip!
And lifting her chin, she marched up to the cockpit and walked through the archway.
ELEVEN
LUCY
T’zaren was already busy with the instruments but when she came in, he turned his head, a scowl on his stern features.
“I’ll be flying the ship from here,” he said shortly. “You’ll probably be much more comfortable sitting in the back.”
“I don’t think so,” Lucy said coolly. “I promise I won’t touch anything but I’m going to sit right here where I can see the viewscreen.” She motioned at the wraparound screen which covered the front and sides of the enclosed space. “I don’t want to miss a minute of this experience.”
T’zaren’s scowl deepened.
“You may be sorry. We will be folding space soon.”
“I know—I’ve never folded space before and I want to see every bit of it,” Lucy said brightly. She settled herself in the passenger seat and began figuring out the complicated array of straps and buckles that comprised the seatbelt.
T’zaren watched her for a moment and a growl of frustration left his lips.
“It’s a five point harness,” he said at last. “Look…”
Getting out of his own seat, he leaned over her. Brushing her hands out of the way, he began rapidly fitting the buckles and straps together in the correct configuration.
Lucy allowed this mainly because he had surprised her. In any other situation, she wouldn’t have tolerated a man she barely knew getting so deep into her personal space. Though of course, this particular man—or Monstrum—had been pretty deep in her personal space when he saved her life. She reminded herself of that when she was tempted to speak sharply. In the end, she kept her mouth closed and let him work.
This close, he was even bigger and more imposing. And there was something else—she couldsmellhim. He had a warm, spicy, masculine scent that seemed to be coming from the open collar of his shirt. Was that some cologne he was wearing, she wondered? Or was it just him? Either way it wasincrediblyenticing.
Lucy had always thought that more men should wear cologne—but none of them seemed to know how to do it. Either they wouldn’t wear it at all, or they doused themselves in the stuff, making you feel like choking when they got too close to you.
But T’zaren had it just right—his scent was subtle but noticeable. It made her want to press her face to his strong throat and inhale more deeply.
Just as that thought occurred to her, he got close enough that the side of his throat actually brushed against her lips. It was her own fault, Lucy thought as she froze. He was doing something to the part of the straps behind her shoulders—trying to tighten them to fit her snuggly, since she wasn’t nearly as big as a Monstrum warrior, which was what they were set for—and she had been leaning forward, ostensibly to give him more room to work but actually trying to catch more of his scent.
She would have pulled back, but T’zaren was suddenly frozen too. She could feel him leaning over her, his big body almost surrounding hers as her lips pressed to the side of his throat. At last he spoke.
“Are you going to bite me?” His voice was low and harsh and there was a note in it that Lucy couldn’t define. Was it…longing? Desire? Fear? She didn’t know but his question stunned her.
“Biteyou?” She pulled back and looked up at him incredulously.
“You can if you wish to,” T’zaren said, looking down to meet her eyes. There was a strange vulnerability in those golden depths. “I told you that I’m yours to do with as you wish during this mission. So if it’s your pleasure to mark me with your teeth—”
“What? Of course I don’t want to do that!” Lucy exclaimed. “Why would I want to bite you? To…tomarkyou, like that?”