Choosing Riley

Chapter 5-3

Vox had listened with half an ear to Riley, Bob, and Fred as Titus and Tor worked out how to overtake the guards in the control room. Adur, the Curizan warrior, and Titus’s brother, Banu, would slip up through a narrow conduit maintenance tunnel they had discovered months ago and take out the guards in the control room. Cross, the Valdier warrior, would secure the arrival bay along with Tor and Lodar. Vox and Titus would secure the supply ship and prepare it for flight.

They would need to do a fast refuel. Fred was small and fast enough to get through the tunnels unseen. His father owned a refueling station on one of the Spaceports. He would take care of the refueling before joining them. Bob would take care of making sure Riley was protected and where she was supposed to be. Vox had already warned the huge Gelatian he had better make sure Riley was on the supply ship and in one piece, or he would be coming after him personally.

When he heard Riley say she wasn’t going to go with them, he knew he had to convince her there would be no discussion in this matter. There would be no room for hesitation as they needed to get off the asteroid as soon as the defense shields were down. If they didn’t, they would not be given another chance. His gut—and his cat—were telling him that time was running out.

He knew he had hurt her feelings when he accused her of being a spy. He could smell the hurt radiating out from her. When he had admitted he would have killed her if she had been, she had shut down on him completely. It was as if an icy wall suddenly formed around her emotions.

He pulled away reluctantly. Opening his mouth to explain to her that it was a fruitless endeavor to fight the attraction, his words froze as pain exploded through him. His eyes watered almost as much as when she had sprayed that weapon of hers in his eyes as her head connected with the end of his nose in a blow that had him stumbling back a half step.

His hands released her as he grabbed his offended nose. “What in Guall’s balls did you do that for?” he bellowed out, falling back another step when she angrily pushed against him.

“You can smell me?” she demanded, elbowing her way around him and back toward the bed where she held her pepper spray hidden under her pillow. “You can smell me? Is that supposed to be a compliment? If so, that’s right up there with, ‘Did you use any deodorant?’ or ‘When is the last time you took a bath?’ I do not stink!” She was so going to spray his ass.

“Riley, I did not mean you stink. You smell; that is different,” Vox’s muffled voice came out from behind his hand. “What are you doing?” he asked warily as she turned with a determined look on her beautiful, but very angry face.

“I’m going to pepper spray your sorry ass,” she growled, holding the small leather cylinder out in front of her. “Then I’m going to make a throw rug out of it! I. Do. Not. Smell!” she yelled out in fury.

Vox edged around her, wondering how he had gotten himself in this position. Holding his hand out, he stepped lightly to the side, heading toward the entrance to their living quarters. His cat hissed at him again for making a mess of the situation.

How in Guall’s balls was I supposed to know she would take offense? he muttered to his cat in frustration.

“Riley, I smell desire,” he began before he ruefully admitted, “or at least I did.”

“I’ll show your sorry ass desire,” she said as she advanced on him shaking the cylinder menacingly. “Let’s see if you can smell this!” she snarled, depressing the button on the spray cylinder at the same time the door opened.

Vox jerked to the side, covering his face in defense. Unfortunately, Tor wasn’t as fast. His roar of pain echoed down the long corridor. The sound bounced along the walls, drawing others from their rooms. Several Antrox guards hurried down the corridor. They stopped when they saw Tor writhing on the floor in agony. Riley bent over him trying to pat him on his shoulder as he rolled back and forth.

785 and 157 came hurrying down the corridor. “What has happened?” 785 demanded, stopping and releasing a sigh of frustration when he saw Riley’s blond head.

“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Riley cooed to Tor who was curled in a ball trying to rub his eyes. “I was trying to hurt the big oaf. If he would have stayed still, you wouldn’t be hurting. I’m so sorry, darling,” she said, trying to get him to turn so she could see how bad it was.

Riley looked up and glared at Vox. “Well, don’t just stand there like an i***t! Go get me a wet cloth,” she demanded.

Vox nodded knowing how much pain his poor friend was in. He hurried back into their living quarters to retrieve the needed item. Riley looked up and scowled at 785 and 157.

“What do you want? Can’t you see I’m busy taking care of my mates?” she snapped, glaring at both of them.

785 sighed and nodded to the guards. “If this is the way she takes care of her mates it might not be necessary to kill them. She will do a better job than we can,” he said, the semblance of a smile almost curving his thin, flat lips. “Have the guards return to their post.”

157 looked at the Sarafin warrior rolling in pain and whimpering on the floor while the larger one moved back and forth doing the bidding of the female. He shook his head in wonder. Perhaps 785 was right. The female was doing a better job of controlling the males than even he expected. From the reports he had read, he would have never believed the Sarafin king would be jumping to the commands of a female.

157 nodded to the guards. He glanced back once more as the blond-haired female leaned over the male on the hard floor. His mind was working numbers. With her unusual looks he calculated the number of credits he could get for her. If she could handle five mates, including three Sarafin warriors, she could handle much, much more. His flat lips thinned as an idea formed.

Yes, 157 thought. She will bring in a lot of credits as long as I can keep her quiet long enough to sell her.

He knew just the trader to contact. There would be no questions asked; the credits would be deposited to his hidden account, and he would have enough to buy his own mining operation. If all went as planned, the strange female would be available because by tomorrow evening her mates would be dead.