Stevr (The Mating Games Book 5) Page 4

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

  “Tell me about it. I’m just thankful to be out of there.” It was true too. Normally she was too valuable to send away for research but they were afraid she wouldn’t come back after this mission. They had every reason to worry about that but they knew she would do what was needed for a successful conclusion to the mission because she was too anal to fail.

  They finished their meal but the talk had slowed. The mention of study groups had reminded them of all that was wrong on Earth. A large percentage of women never made it out alive. She knew she was lucky that they needed her. Female lives weren’t valued because there were so many but that might not always be the case. At the rate they killed and sold them, add in a few that escaped, in a decade they might be forced to rethink the value of females. Geena hated Earth’s government and she hated the president more than anyone. Corrupt, selfish, and stupid, he ruled like a king of old with no concern for his people.

  Until they changed things at the top nothing would change anywhere. It made her wonder why she had even agreed to help them. It wasn’t as if she liked any of the men in charge. Even though her immediate supervisor had been a woman, she’d been hard to like as well even though she’d tried. Once they were done eating, Geena and Karen headed their separate ways. It was time to explore and there was a huge ship to look at. It was best, she decided, to start at the bottom and work her way up. It wasn’t hard to find a lift so she opened the doors, they didn’t appear to be restricted, and pushed the lowest button. Her stomach was left several floors above, or at least seemed to be, when she hit the indicated level. Taking a deep calming breath prevented her from losing her dinner.

  Chapter 5

  Who is She?

  An alarm sounded briefly before it went out. The flashing light that had been on for less than a second indicated the cargo hold had been breached. The Oison weed had been unloaded safely, a large part of his job completed, but it wasn’t all done yet. The hold was now full of equipment for the fields and the factories. Even a small section had been reserved for office and personal equipment and luxuries. Stevr loved his own personal luxuries so he had no problem with others having theirs. Some of the items were the latest learning computers for children like the nephews and nieces he would soon have, might even have by the time he made it back since Lista had been close to giving birth.

  Even though the alarm seemed to shut itself off and his bridge crew suggested it might be the result of a power surge, he had time so he would check it out personally. Walking to the lift, a scent hit him. It was her so she must have walked here not long ago. Pushing thoughts of chestnut hair, green eyes, and a gorgeous vixen from his mind; he stepped in the lift as it opened riding it all the way down. Once he stepped out he took the time to gather his senses around him. Her scent still came to him but that must be wishful thinking because she smelled so wonderful to him. It was a thought that needed cleared from his mind.

  His ears took in the silence with only the odd machine sound that echoed in the cavernous area. That sixth sense he’d had as long as he could remember was whispering for him to turn to the right then walk until he encountered something. Stevr did as suggested after all he was a demon, what did he have to fear? Taking giant strides, his natural way of walking since he was tall, he covered ground quickly until he came to the door to the next hold. Pushing the button he moved through the door only to have someone hit him in the head. What the fuck? In two seconds maybe less he held the perpetrator up against the wall by her neck. Her? Her!

  It was the female he’d been fantasizing about and she was choking. Oh, yeah, he was choking her. He let her loose and she slid to the floor looking up at him with wide open eyes. She wasn’t afraid although she should have been. It was more like she was amazed making him wonder if she caught a glimpse of his inner self.

  “What are you?” She rasped her voice hoarse from being choked.

  Stevr ignored her. His hand tingled from making contact with her. It was strange and impossible to explain. He turned his eye toward her trying to look cool and in charge. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was trying to become familiar with the public areas of the ship but wandered off.”

  Stevr snorted. He couldn’t help himself. “You don’t look like the type of female to get lost.”

  “You can tell that just by looking at me?” He held out his hand which she took then he pulled her to her feet. Her scent was driving his demon crazy while the heat he felt coming off her only added to it.

  “Why are you really down here?”

  “Since you know everything, why don’t you tell me big boy?”

  There was a loud bam that echoed through the room as his hands hit the metal wall in each side of her so close they almost touched her. He leaned in so close that she had to feel his hot breath blow on her neck. “If I knew for sure, I wouldn’t be asking Sweetheart.” His voice was soft and coaxing more suited to the bedroom than a place like this. His version of a panty melting smile came to his face. His nose twitched scenting her desire and anticipation.

  “I’m lost. It’s as simple as that.”

  “You get one pass. Don’t wander away from the public areas again.” He moved his head to her neck breathing in deeply. He wanted to rub up against her. “If you do, I might have to keep a much closer eye on you.” His voice rumbled with a promise as he moved back then followed her to the lift.

  Stevr had no idea what he should do with her except stay the hell away. He had come so close to taking her. Next time he might not be able to hold back. Someone needed to keep an eye on his siren. Well not his but the one he’d noticed. Not a single male, they would fall for her endless charms. Durax was recently mated and had his female on board. That’s who he would ask while he stayed as far away as he could. Something was off and while he didn’t know what he trusted his senses, all of them. She was here for a purpose beyond or instead of mating. That purpose was important and he needed to know what it was and who it was for. It would be an important piece of the puzzle.

  Once she was in the lift and headed back up to the correct level, he made a quick sweep finding nothing then contacted Durax. That was no surprise because if the company were Earth based they would want them deep in space where the destruction of their ship didn’t impair the travel routes to Earth. He didn’t feel like she was involved in the sabotage but that might just be wishful thinking because he wanted her. His demon was fighting to take over to go to her and claim her. It was something he just couldn’t do. Their mating customs didn’t allow it although Maxar had been granted an exception but they had wronged his mate Ernie. There was no possible reason for an exception here even if he was willing to ask for one. Geena might not even want him the way he desired her.

  It was time to shake his funk as Lista liked to say then get back to his work. Taking the lift to the command deck, he felt confident Durax was keeping an eye on Geena as well as he could around his usual duties. Only to be helpful, he would check on her too from time to time. Once he made it to the command deck he checked in with his command crew to find everything going like clockwork. It was his strongest hope that lying to the ambassador about their arrival, having extra guards and cameras on all entrances, scanning all cargo and passengers as they entered, and preventing that male from entering at the last minute might have prevented any accidents from occurring.

  Even though he wanted to believe it, he just couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom. The potential for tragedy was there but he would prevent it. He looked at the small screen on the arm of his command chair. Pushing a few buttons, he found her by scanning for her DNA. She was right in her room where she should be. Stevr breathed a deep sigh of relief. Maybe the female wouldn’t be involved in the trouble headed their way. What was that saying Lista loved? Oh, yeah, and pigs will fly. Leaning back in the captain’s chair he closed his eyes for a second just to try to relax but it had the opposite effect. All he saw were sea green eyes, full lips, and sil
ky chestnut strands floating around a beautiful face.

  “Are you alright, Captain?” Denbar asked. His answer was a nod and a grunt. It seemed to satisfy him.

  A light flashed on his com. Incoming message. “Take over, Denbar. I’ll listen to the message in my office.” Without waiting for an answer because he was sure his command would be followed, he left.

  Getting to his office, he locked the door before making sure everything was secure. It was Razar’s video link and looked live. Stevr clicked on it and waited past the lag. “Hello, Brother.”

  “How are things going, Stevr?”

  “So far the trip home has been uneventful.” He’d considered mentioning Geena but nothing had actually happened. Even though he didn’t believe her it was possible she had just gotten lost.

  “Your instincts about the ambassador were right on. He’s getting large payments from Drugs R Us. Not directly, but we were able to trace them back to one of the owner’s personal accounts. The male is lucky at this point he is worth more to us alive or he wouldn’t be.”

  “Because of the program?”

  “Yes, his nephew is choosing mates and his assistant is friendly to us. She has been sending us females with the training we need. He’s lazy and just rubber stamps them. If things keep going as they have we will have most of the positions we require for our next step complete in three more hunts.”

  “I hope we survive three more hunts. My expectation is they will get more desperate until they get results.”

  “We will search and destroy anyone who tries to harm us.”

  After that they discussed family briefly and the fact that Lista had still not given birth before hanging up. He really hoped Geena wasn’t the enemy because he would hate to see her hurt.

  Chapter 6

  Watching

  Geena was no fool. She knew they watched her now. How he had caught her in the cargo hold she might never figure out. Their security was good, better than anything she’d worked around on Earth. Lying in bed all she could think about was Stevr and now that he’d noticed her she would never get her assignment done satisfactorily. If it wasn’t for that she would be out in the ship exploring restricted areas and figuring out what was going on.

  Pulling her case out, she removed a small device out. Poking her finger with a needle, she placed a drop of blood in it. It would broadcast her bio signature as if she were here. Pulling out another device she attached it. That would block her signature so that her presence didn’t show. The time had come to get out there so she could get on top of things. Things were going on and she needed to find out what they were then decide if she should assist them or stop them.

  Earth’s government was of two minds. There was the president who was as corrupt as they came but there were others not so bad. A community of lesser officials and others working to counteract the evil and self-interest growing rampant in their world. Some chose to leave while others chose to stay and fight. A third group left but aided the battle to bring Earth’s government back under the control of her people. Most of her life, even as a young girl, she had been in the second group. Now that she’d been sent away she was considering joining the last group. If she ended up in the right position, she could do much for her old home and help bring down the president, a man she hated more than anyone.

  Geena had her reasons but she never told a soul. It was her own personal humiliation and sorrow that wasn’t meant to be shared. She watched him from a distance as he changed becoming more and more heartless and greedy. Her hatred grew turning a part of her black with it. That was something she needed to put out of her mind while she prepared to scout the ship. If he caught her again nothing she said would sway him. It wasn’t like he hadn’t warned her.

  She knew there were cameras in the hall but none in her room or bathroom. They respected privacy as much as they could which she admired but had to take advantage of. She pointed her device outside her door where it would disrupt the cameras as she sprinted down the hallway. Once she made it past her room she thought she would go unnoticed. Her hair was covered in one of the scarves some of the other ladies wore. Hurrying to the lift, she needed to finish her scan of the cargo hold.

  The lift went down as fast as usual. It must not bother Mazlans or you would think they would fix it. Geena waited a second until her stomach rejoined her to exit the lift. She knew she had to be prepared for anything. Slipping to the side she’d not gotten to, she looked for any sign of the sensor she must have tripped on the other side. Before she’d turned it off. There it was, it looked like a rivet. It was ingenious the way it blended in. Sending a signal to it, she slipped by without an alarm sounding. Now she began scanning looking for anything that didn’t belong.

  It was the flashing light in the maintenance closet that alerted her to the fact that she was fucked. Was it possible scanning had set it off? Stevr was no doubt on his way or one of his males if he was asleep. The lift sounded as it headed back up to pick up its passenger. She moved to the flashing device hoping it wasn’t what it appeared to be. If it was she couldn’t leave without attempting to disarm it anyway. Geena wasn’t ready to die yet and whatever it was, if it was a bomb its intent would be to destroy this ship.

  “You didn’t escape like your predecessor did.” Stevr observed calmly.

  “I didn’t plant the bomb. I’m not suicidal.”

  “And yet here you are again.”

  “I was sent to prevent any accidents. You can check my device. It scans for explosives.”

  “A good cover in case you’re caught.”

  “I’d like to stand here for hours playing word games too but we need to disarm this bomb.”

  “Do you have the ability to do it?”

  “I need a closer look at it. Most bombs from Earth can be disarmed.”

  “By all means take a look.”

  Geena moved to the shelf where she gently picked up the bomb. She examined it carefully since some had a backup wire that took over if the main one was cut. It looked like this device was one of those. She would have seconds to cut both wires or the device would go off. Pulling her pliers out of her small bag, she took a deep breath. If the bomb blew she wouldn’t suffer long. Quickly she snipped one and a whining noise started as the light flashed brighter and faster. A shiver ran over her as she offered up a quick prayer and flipped the device over to cut the other wire. Everything stopped immediately.

  “I would get rid of it as soon as possible just to be on the safe side.”

  “Stay here.” Stevr ordered her, there was no mistaking his tone. The bomb he grabbed and sent out a nearby chute. He commed the command deck and seconds later she heard a loud explosion.

  “Attention everyone.” A calm male voice came over the speakers. “Please do not be alarmed. We were simply destroying some space junk in the space lane. There is nothing to be concerned about.”

  Geena knew things like this happened on ships all the time and the regular passengers went about their way in blissful ignorance. In her job she’d been involved in things just like this hundreds of times surviving despite all odds. She’d just beat the odds again. Call it skill or luck she didn’t care as long as it was on her side.

  “What should I do with you now? You just saved us but you may have been the one to set the bomb.”

  “That makes no sense. Had I set it, I would have run not waited for you.”

  “Maybe you want to win my trust? You’re not the usual female that signs up for the mate program.”

  “You might be surprised.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “At least a fourth of these women were selected for your program, they had no choice. That was my situation too.”

  “We both know you’re on the job, Sweetheart. You never intended to mate anyone.”

  “Actually I hadn’t decided yet. I had planned to check out my options once we made it to Oison. Earth is a scary place if you’re female. Eventually, at the rate it is depleting its resources, it won�
��t be a good place for anyone.”

  “You expect me to believe you are legitimate after you just unarmed a bomb?”

  “Ask yourself why I just did that.”

  “Let me see, because you weren’t ready to die?”

  “You may not be aware of it, but Earth is divided. There are those who support the president. Those people worry only about themselves and only about now. The others are against the president. They are concerned about future generations and giving the planet a chance to heal.”

  “I’m gonna guess you represent that faction?”

  “They sent me here to protect the women going to Oison. The president may see women as goods to sell, experiment on, or kill but the other faction still sees them as sisters, mothers, daughters, and aunts.” She looked at him but honestly couldn’t see what he was thinking.

  “You have a very good argument, I’ll give you that. The problem is there’s no way to support what you say. If there is a faction that is against the president they will be buried deep. If they weren’t, they’d be dead. Considering everything, I need to keep you where I can keep an eye on you. There’s no way I can allow you to run free on my ship.”

  “What are you planning to do?”

  “I’m putting you in the suite next to mine. You will be under lock and key until I determine what to do with you.” He motioned to her to walk in front of him to the lift. What choice did she have? She walked past him and pushed the button. The doors opened and she went in first with him right behind her. She didn’t usually get caught and when she did she could either talk or fight her way out of it. Last time she had kicked him it had hurt her foot. His muscles were so hard they felt like granite. This time there seemed to be no way out if she couldn’t convince him she was on his side.

  At least he didn’t restrain her or treat her like a prisoner. His rooms were on the command deck and now that they were on the right deck, he caught her arm with his hand tugging her along. They only saw a couple people and they moved out of his way unwilling to get his attention. Geena couldn’t say she blamed them. They stopped at a door which he opened and pulled her in. These rooms were larger and even nicer than her old rooms.