Life in Fusion (21 page)

able to provide.

Life in fusion
145

As if to prove myself wrong I whispered, “I’m going to make

you very happy.”

And if sheer will were enough, I knew it was true.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To

Get Back In The Water

Pistons of air hissed as the door to the med

bay opened. Buck entered the room, walking

around the large central table where he’d hooked

the human to an IV in order to re-hydrate him. It

now sat empty. He looked around the room with its

shiny, cool metal and frosted glass paneled walls.

Buck picked up the bloody needle left

connected to the IV from the table. He looked up,

hearing a noise coming from the bunk room meant

to be used by the medical staff he didn’t bother

keeping on board. He glanced down at the grated

metal floor, noticing the few drops of blood leading

in that direction.

He let out a sigh, figuring the human woke up,

disoriented. He went around the table and back

into the bunk room. Buck froze, clearing his throat

to alert the human of his presence. The young

male turned, not seeming to notice or care he was

completely naked.

“You bounced back quickly.”

“A little trick I was forced to master, powering

down all but the most basic systems required to

maintain survival. Having sensed I was out of

150 Ethan Day

danger, I simply rebooted, for lack of a better term.

The fluids you provided helped speed my recovery,

so thank you for that.”

Buck was finding it difficult to avert his gaze.

“It is quite safe,” he said. “I’m strong enough

to once again maintain control over my body.”

Buck cleared his throat, forcing his eyes to the

man’s face. “It’s not your pheromones I’m worried

about, kid.”

The man’s creamy white skin looked soft and

supple, now that he was hydrated, making the

redness that remained around his wrists appear

that much sexier to Buck.

“Then it is my state of undress that has made

you uncomfortable?”

Buck placed his hands on hips, unable to get

a read on the enticingly hot slave that stood before

him. “Dress, don’t dress. I couldn’t care less.”

“My name is Halo,” he said, taking several

steps closer to Buck as the door to the bunker

timed out and hissed closed behind them. “I

suppose I should say thank you for rescuing me.”

Buck watched as the young man slipped one

of the gauzy white robes on, pulling it closed. “By

all means, kid—don’t strain anything doing it.”

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151

“I’ve offended you,” Halo said, smirking. “I’m

shocked.” He looked Buck up and down, as if

appraising him. “Of course they’d send someone

like you, I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It’s obvious you’re nothing more than a

mercenary,” Halo said. “How much are they paying

you?”

“What the hell does that have to do with

anything?” Buck sniffed, making a face like

something very beautiful had just rotted right in

front of him. “I got you out didn’t I?”

“You’ve no honor—merely a hired hand.”

Halo began to rub at the three or four bruises on

his arms. “Not very careful hands at that.”

“Oh, well forgive me, oh sainted one.” Buck

held up his large calloused hands. “You’re awfully

mouthy for a slave. Would you prefer I put you back

where I found you?”

“Of course that’s how someone like you would

view me,” Halo said, leveling the accusation. “Part

of the skin trade, a possession or worse…your

cargo?”

“Hey, you watch your mouth, kid.” Buck

pointed, taking a step forward, then stopping.

152 Ethan Day

Buck could sense his own anger boiling over like

the molten hot blood that now pumped through

his veins. “I don’t deal in that shit. You fucking

slaves are more trouble than you’re worth. And rest

assured, had I known that the Halo was a human,

I wouldn’t have risked my neck for any amount of

money.”

“Of that I have no doubt,” Halo fired back,

anger flashing over his youthful face for the first

time. “How nice to see you have some moral code,

no matter how twisted.”

Buck swallowed hard as Halo slipped the robe

back off his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. He

stepped right up to Buck, who towered over the boy

at just over seven feet, their gazes ever-fixed.

“Is this better, more what you had in mind for

a reward?” Halo took Buck’s hand, running it over

his chest toward his cock.

Buck ripped his hand away once he felt the

tingle from the golden hair of Halo’s bush. “You

can cut that shit out right now.”

Halo grinned, glancing down to see Buck’s

large erection running down the leg of his form

fitting Folskin trousers. “By the laws of the Galactic

heavens, I am in your possession. Therefore I do

belong to you, no?”

Life in fusion
153

“I don’t keep belongings, aside from my ship

and my blade. I don’t have slaves, for any reason.

Carnal or otherwise.”

“I can use my musk to awaken your lust?”

Halo offered. “Or perhaps you require assistance in

maintaining arousal?”

Buck snapped. “None of that shit…there’s no

musking allowed on my ship, got it?” Buck took

Halo’s hand and placed it between his legs. “You

feel that? I’m more than happy to ride your sweet

ass from one star system to the other. But it won’t

be because you belong to me.”

“It certainly wouldn’t be offered for any other

reason,” Halo said, looking Buck up and down with

disdain.

“You are some piece of work!” Buck turned to

head for the door. “I’m nobody’s charity fuck, so

don’t flatter yourself. It’s not like I’d remember your

name the next morning either.”

Halo yelled out in pain and hunched over, his

hands on either side of his head.

Buck spun around, running to his side. “Damn

it, what now? You okay?”

“A…vision.” Halo began to convulse slightly

as Buck grabbed hold of him, trying to keep the

154 Ethan Day

naked man in his arms as still as possible. Halo’s

eyes rolled back into his head and a peaceful type

of trance settled over him.

Buck’s eyes widened, realizing he had a lot

more than a mere human. Halo was a seer.

“Son of a Nebulon whore,” he said when Halo

began speaking in tongues. Every gods damn fleet

in the Federation would be after them if word got

out he had a seer on board.

“They know we are here!” Halo screamed as

Buck lifted him up off the floor. “We must leave at

once.”

Buck got him up and into a bunk, covering

the human up with a blanket since he was now

trembling. He noticed the golden band of light

coming from underneath the skin around Halo’s

wrist.

“You’re fucking tagged?”

“Time is running out, they are coming for us

now.”

Buck ran to the com on the wall by the door.

“Gostric! Come in!”

Buck was praying he’d be in the cockpit and

not gallivanting around the ship somewhere.

Life in fusion
155

“Here Captain.”

“Fire all engines you gorgeous hunk of meat.

Bring up all shields and engage cloaking. We’ve

got a tracker on board so we need to scramble the

signal as best we can. I’m on my way up.”

Buck punched the wall and the door hissed

open. He tore through the med bay and into the

corridor, feeling the engines firing as he ran toward

the cockpit.

“Captain, I think it might be too late!” Gostric’s

panicked voice screamed from the overheads.

“I’m tracking three Intergalactic Patrician Cruisers

bearing down. They’ll be within firing range in less

than five clicks!”

Buck could hear Halo’s screams coming from

the med bay behind him that the Black Death was

coming for them, and his hearts sank in his chest.

“Fucking, we’re fucked!”

Buck looked around, stopping in his tracks as

he heard the pattering of tiny feet. He stumbled

about as four red-headed human children ran

past him down the corridor, giggling. He was fairly

certain the IPF wouldn’t send kids to stop them.

Buck shook his head in disgust. “Gods damn

it, Boone…who let the fucking spawn onto my

156 Ethan Day

ship?”

q q q

“Damn it!” I screamed, listening to their giggling as the four

sets of feet took off tromping back down the hallway screaming,

“Butt boy!”

I was about to lose the minute amount of patience I’d been

born with, wondering where their fucking uncle was. He was

supposed to be watching them while Jackie was at the salon

getting her hair cut. I stared down at my laptop, sitting on the

desk in Wade’s office. I was trying to get my head back into the

scene when they came clomping back down the hall.

“That is it!”

I turned, seeing the shadows from their legs under the door as

they snickered on the other side.

“One of you, open that door, this instant.” I demanded.

I watched the knob turn, then stop as whispering commenced.

It finally came flying open, as if it were meant to frighten me.

“Will you four please go run any place else?”
Like perhaps into

some oncoming traffic?
“You are driving me mad with the constant

back and forth.”

“We want to run
here
,” Mason said, who I’d come to realize

was the main instigator of all the trouble and pretty much the

mouth piece for the entire herd.

“How ‘bout I take each and every one of you over my knee

and tan your hides till you can’t sit down for a week?”

“You and what army, butt boy?” Mason asked.

“Yeah,” Clinton said, giggling. “You and what army?”

The four of them were now all snickering, until I shot up out

of the chair, startling them. They immediately took off down

the hall.

“I have a great big paddle that I use on your uncle when he

misbehaves!” I yelled.
The kinky bastard
. “So don’t think I can’t

Life in fusion
157

get to you!”

“We’re telling our mommy,” I heard from somewhere down

the hall.

“I wish you would!” I snapped back, sounding as infantile as

they did.
She’d love hearing it, the dirty minx.
“Of course she’d likely

want to borrow it herself if she knew!”

I heard them each gasping, before the now panicked patter

of little feet ran further off into the distance. I sank back down

into the chair.

She
’
d wanna borrow it alright. Just not for the reasons they obviously

feared. Hell, I
’
d likely never get the damn thing back.

I could hear Wade’s deep voice saying something off in

distance and felt fairly certain I wasn’t going to be hearing

from them anymore today. I tried clearing my head, taking deep

cleansing breaths, then I just about leapt right out of my chair

again as Wade said, “Almost time to get ready for our luncheon.”

“Jesus!” I slapped my hand over my racing heart. “Could

you try making some noise there Creepy McCreeperson? You’d

make an
awesome
serial killer.” I took a breath. “You giant freak of

nature…who’s surprisingly light on his feet.”

“The delicate prose you use to seduce me is damn near

irresistible,” Wade said with a deadpan delivery.

I smiled, getting out of the chair and pulling off my t-shirt. I

threw it at him. “Shut that door and take off your pants stud. I’d

be happy to remind you why you fell for me.”

He grinned, those slash-dimples cutting into his cheeks as he

arched one eyebrow. He walked backward, fumbling blindly for

the door, and he licked his lips as I slowly began to lower my

cotton gym shorts, revealing more nakedness.

“Christ almighty, I am one lucky son of a bitch,” Wade

mumbled as he finally got the door shut.

I smiled, shoving my hand down the front of my shorts and

fondled my rapidly swelling cock. “And about to get luckier.”

I was standing out on the sidewalk in front of Sandy’s one

and a half story Victorian, waiting with Wade as Jackie parked her

monster Escalade across the street. The sun was shining high in

the noontime sky and I once again marveled over the crystal clear

blue, dotted with puffy white clouds.

I was used to amazing vistas and the breathtaking colors of

the desert sky. Even still, there was something special about the

sky when viewed from the mountains of Colorado. There was a

kind of clarity to it, the bluest of blue. Perhaps it was just a trick

I was playing on myself, thanks to the company I was keeping.

I was doing my best not to complain about the supposed June

heat wave that was rocking Summit City, since it was only in the