Lost in Barbarian Space (11 page)

She shot her wolf again, but she realized the fur was too thick. She jammed her laser pistols back in their holsters and grabbed her staff instead. She shook it, and it extended.

Honor backed up until she was back-to-back with Colm. As her wolf watched her with burning blue eyes, she was horribly aware that there were eight more of these creatures out there in the fog. She could see dark shadows shifting and moving in the whiteness.

Focus, Honor
. She breathed in, she searched for her battle calm. All her life, the middle of combat—whether in real life or in training—had been the one place where she felt calm. Where she could just be herself and nothing else mattered. She took another deep breath, then she ran at the wolf.

It leaped forward and snapped out at her with those jaws full of teeth. She ducked and swung her staff. She hit the creature’s side with a solid
thwack
.

It was like the animal was made of steel. Honor moved backward, assessing her options. Debilitate. She couldn’t see a way to kill the beast, but if she could break a leg and slow it down, it wouldn’t be able to move as easily.

It would make it harder for the creature to kill them.

The creature came forward, its belly low to the ground. She twirled and swung her staff, aiming this time for its hind leg. Her staff connected.

There was a sharp snap of breaking bone. The wolf yelped and pulled back. Honor’s chest heaved as she gulped in frigid air. Then, behind her, she heard a horrible sound. She spun.

Colm’s animal was dead. It was lying in the snow, bleeding out.

“Honor, run!” Colm charged at her. His face was twisted, almost enraged.

It was then she saw two more wolves appear from the fog.

Colm grabbed her arm, hauling her toward the marlin. The snow was deep here and she stumbled, unable to find her balance.

He swung her up into his arms and he pounded through the snow toward the ship. When they reached it, he dropped her into the pilot seat. As Honor palmed the controls, she saw Colm standing beside the marlin with his sword up.

“Colm, get in. Now!” The engines flared to life.

Honor stared at the screen in front of her, dread filling her. She could see more wolf signatures on the screen. “Colm, get
in
.”

A wolf leaped at them, its giant body flying through the air. Colm swung his sword and the wolf fell, slamming against the marlin before skidding off into the snow.

Colm leaped over the side of the marlin and landed hard in his seat. Honor closed the canopy, and before Colm was even strapped in, she took off.

They shot fast into the air.

“What the hell are they?” Honor said.

Colm’s face was grim and his chest was heaving. “A larger, deadlier version of Markarian winter wolves.”

It wasn’t until they cleared the moon, and the
Drake
was in view, that Honor let herself relax. The muscles across her shoulders were tight and her pulse was still racing.

She looked at Colm and could see the stress still radiating from his tense frame, obvious in the way he clenched his hands repeatedly into fists.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I will be.”

She frowned. He hadn’t been this…out of control after the fight with the raiders. “What’s wrong?”

“I just…lost some of my warrior control.” He looked at her and she saw gold bleeding through his brown eyes. “Seeing you in danger…the claws of the wolves so close to you…”

“Hey.” She reached out and squeezed his arm. “I’m fine.” Then her stomach sank. “But I’m not sure Dr. Behati will be.”

They were both silent as they followed Derek’s marlin into the
Drake’s
hangar bay. By the time Honor climbed out of her marlin, the med team already had Dr. Behati’s prone body on an anti-grav stretcher. One of the doctors nodded at Honor.

“Everyone okay? Any other injuries?”

Honor shook her head. “Just Dr. Behati. Is he going to be okay?”

The doctor’s brow creased. “We don’t know yet. He’s badly injured, and we’re worried about foreign infections. But I’ll let you know as soon as we know anything.”

“Thanks, Doc.” Honor ran a hand through her hair.

“It isn’t your fault,” Colm said quietly.

Her jaw tightened. “I’m in charge. That makes me responsible for everyone’s lives.”

“These are people who willingly go on dangerous expeditions. They know the risks, just as every warrior does when he lifts his sword.”

Tiredness and guilt swamped her. “Let’s get cleaned up and change.”

As they strode side by side down the corridor, Colm was very quiet. The enormity of what had happened on the moon hit Honor. She felt a little shaky. It had been too close.

When they reached her cabin, Honor paused near her door. “Thanks for your help on the moon, Colm. Without you there—”

“You might have died,” he bit out.

She pushed back the strands of hair that had escaped her tie. She really needed a shower. “I’ll clean up and change—”

Suddenly, Colm pushed inside her cabin. With one large hand pressed to her chest, he backed her up against the wall. The door slid closed behind them. She looked up, ready to give him a mouthful, but his face made her pause.

He looked like a man possessed.

“Colm—”

“The wolf almost took your life.” Colm leaned down, pressing his face into her throat. She jumped at the contact. “It almost took you before I had the chance to touch you, before I tasted you—”

Honor felt a flare of damp heat between her legs. “Colm—”

He yanked at her enviro suit. “Off.”

Honor didn’t let herself think. Adrenaline was still surging through her veins, and her hands moved to help Colm remove the suit. It fell at her feet. She pushed at Colm’s fur coat, sliding it off his shoulders and baring his chest. All those intriguing muscles made her mouth water.

She smoothed her hands over the hard planes of his chest, then lower, over his abdomen. He growled.

Once her suit was off, he tore at her clothes.

“Colm—”

“Quiet.” The word was barely understandable, his voice was so hoarse.

Mere moments later, Honor stood there, naked. Before she could say or do anything, he grabbed her, spun her, and tossed her on her bed. She landed on her hands and knees.

Her heart was hammering in her chest. She felt his hands at her legs, pushing them wider apart. God, she was bared to him.

His palms shaped her ass. As the shock of his warm touch speared through her, she looked over her shoulder and her stomach contracted.

He was a big, aroused barbarian warrior. His face was stark, set like stone, and in his eyes blazed a hunger…for her.

He was still wearing his tight leather trousers and they outlined an impressive, erect cock. She licked her lips.

He knelt by the bed, right behind her. She frowned…until she felt his hot breath on her inner thighs.

“So very pretty,” he murmured. He ran his fingers through her folds and she cried out at the touch. “And so very wet for me.”

He pressed his mouth to her.

There were no gentle laps or slow moves for her hungry warrior. Instead, there were hard licks and firm sucks. The sensations made her body tremble and her hands twisted in the covers.

“Colm…oh, God…don’t stop.”

He growled against her and sucked her clit into his mouth. Honor couldn’t hold back against the explosive sensations rocketing through her body. She rocked back against his clever mouth, hungry for more. He sucked again and she exploded. Her scream bounced off the walls of her cabin.

Honor collapsed on the bed, panting hard.

She felt movement behind her, then the sound of a buckle unfastening.
Yes
. She wanted Colm, hard and thick, inside her.

The comm unit beside her bed pinged.

No.

She hesitated, tempted to ignore it. But the call could be about Dr. Behati. She glanced back at Colm, her gaze going to where his trousers gaped open, showing more hard muscle. Sorrow and desire rode her hard, but she sat up, twisting the sheet around her. “I’m sorry.” She touched the comm button. “Brandall.”

“Agent Brandall?” Ning’s voice came through clearly. “Dr. Lev’nan and the others are waiting on you and Warrior Mal Kor before we open the lockbox you brought back from the moon. Can you meet us in the library?”

Honor pressed her head to the covers. Her body was still quivering from Colm’s touch. “Yes, of course.”

“I can’t reach Colm—”

“I’ll find him.” She cleared her throat. “See you in five minutes.” She closed the line and turned. “Colm—”

He planted one knee on the bed, leaned in, and kissed her. As his tongue moved against hers, she tasted herself on his lips.

“You have work to do. I understand. For now, my work is done.” He palmed her breast. “But I have more plans for us, Honor. And in the future, I do not want you to battle giant wolves and get injured.”

She bristled. “I work in security, barbarian. I decide what I do, not you. You don’t rule the galaxy.”

“I don’t want the galaxy.” He flicked a thumb over her nipple and she gasped. “I just want you.”

Honor released a shaky breath. No one had ever wanted her like this warrior. “Later.”

He nodded. “Later.”

As Honor stood and moved towards her closet on legs that felt like liquid, she looked back over her shoulder. “Oh, and warrior? I don’t want to see you injured battling giant wolves, either.”

A faint smile crossed his face. “Then I suggest we look out for each other.”

Chapter Nine

Colm sipped his coffee—feeling his nanami working to dilute the effect of the stimulant in the drink—and watched Honor and the older scholar circle the metal box. It sat on a brightly-lit table in the library.

He watched the two of them comment and mutter, and toss ideas around for how to open the box. Several other archeologists and Agent Abora stood nearby, watching and offering their ideas, too.

Colm took another mouthful of coffee again, but it wasn’t the taste of the strong drink that piqued his interest—it was the fact that he could still taste Honor on his lips.

Those moments in her cabin…it made him hard to think about it. Having her under his hands, under his mouth. He’d felt like an enraged hargon beast, scenting its mate. Seeing her on the moon, so small and courageous against the giant wolves…it had snapped something inside him.

Even now, he felt an unsettled, restless fury ebbing and flowing inside him.

He was worried the dark secret he harbored was about to break free.

Honor’s voice snapped through his black thoughts. She was so focused on her work and he wondered if anyone else could see the guilt stamped all over her face. She’d already called down to the med bay three times to check on Dr. Behati.

“There appears to be some kind of lock here.” Honor motioned toward the top of the box. “Maybe if I—” She reached out and touched the lockbox.

There was a zapping sound. Honor snatched her hand back, shaking it.

“Ow.”

Colm moved toward her and grabbed her hand. He studied her slender fingers but didn’t see any injury.

“It’s fine,” she said.

Dr. Lev’nan tapped a finger against his chin. “We could scan it. See if we can find any weak points in the metal.”

“The metal looks very tough to me,” Agent Abora said.

Colm barely held back a snort of irritation. He had no intention of seeing Honor injure herself opening this stupid thing. He reached over, grabbed the sides of the lid, and pulled. It was tough, he felt his muscles strain. A tingle ran over his skin. He let the strength of his nanami flood him.

The lid popped open.

Honor stared at him. The archeologists were all gaping as well, then Lev’nan shook himself, and bustled past Colm. He looked into the box.

“Amazing.”

Honor followed and peered over the side. She made a small noise and reached inside. She lifted out some sort of weapon.

“It’s a collection of ancient guns,” she breathed with reverence.

Colm smiled. He suspected she would’ve looked less excited if it had been filled with exotic jewels or precious metals.

Honor and Lev’nan started pulling the ancient weapons from the box. They set them out on the table. Its glowing surface flared to life and Colm raised a brow.

“Holo-table,” Honor told him. “It has a built-in computer. It’s scanning the weapons, taking images and measurements.” She lifted a small gray gun up. “These are fabulous. I know the First Warriors were all former military. They obviously had an extensive collection of ancient weapons on their ships.” She turned the gun over in her hands. “Imagine…someone from old Earth used this.”

“There appears to be something built into the side of the box,” Lev’nan said. “I’m not sure what this is.”

Honor leaned over and gasped. “It looks like what I’ve seen in failsafe storage boxes.”

Dr. Lev’nan nodded. “You’re right. It does look like an early design of a failsafe.”

“What is that?” Colm asked.

“They were designed to download the last of the ship’s records and store valuables, in the event of an emergency,” Honor said, poking inside the box. “It looks like an early version of a Sync built into the side of the box. Here, let me try…”

She fiddled inside the box for a moment, and when she pulled back, she was holding a small electronic device.

“Definitely a precursor to the Sync,” Agent Abora said.

“Can we integrate it with the
Drake
’s computer?”

Agent Abora shrugged. “Perhaps. Let me try.”

The science officer took the device and moved over to the holo-table. She set the device down on the surface and tapped in some commands. After a moment, the table made a chime and the woman shook her head. “It’s not working. There are a few other things I can try, but the tech might just be too old to work with ours. Leave it with me.”

Honor and Dr. Lev’nan returned to pulling the final weapons out of the box.

Colm leaned against the holo-table and watched the two of them work. Well, to be fair, he watched Honor work. It appeared he wasn’t tiring of watching this fascinating woman.