Ride the Stars/once Bitten (9 page)

"Compromise? One of yours and one of mine?" Domino cajoled, a teasing light in his eyes despite the serious subject matter. He stroked her hair, tempting her with his touch.

"They may not get along," she warned, weakening. "Datsu is very autocratic."

He shrugged. "The man I have in mind is mild tempered. He’ll be willing to let your man be in charge, as long as he’s satisfied with his judgment." His hands slid around her waist, wandered higher.

"Mm. Maybe a thirty day trial?" she suggested, her mind already on other matters.

"Done. Now...."

There was no more talking for a very long time.

She lucked out. Datsu was nearly finished with a job, and he agreed to wrap it up quickly and meet her on Tantalus. He expected to arrive within the week. Just knowing he was on the way made her relax.

Datsu never grew lax, but he gave her the freedom to relax even as he ensured that she made smart security choices. Her compliance with his reasonable dictates was the reason he liked working with her, though the handsome salary didn’t hurt. He was a brick and she was looking forward having him at her back.

Meanwhile, Domino introduced her to his friend Lore. The Draconian had the typical black hair and golden eyes, though his hair was cut short and curled like silken fleece. A gold ring winked in his ear, and his handsome face held a mellow, relaxed expression. Slightly shorter than Domino, he looked nothing like the hard-edged professionals she was used to guarding her back.

Lore caught her slightly bewildered glance at Domino and grinned. "Not what you expected, huh?"

She cleared her throat. "My bodyguard is almost seven feet tall and can crush a bolder in his fist. Er, no.

I hadn’t expected...." she trailed off, at a loss for words. Even Icki and Domino exuded an aura of danger completely lacking in this friendly Drac. She could easily see him as a companion, but a protector? Maybe against your average mugger.

He only laughed and claimed a seat on the couch, relaxing into the cushions. "I’m a fast hand with gun or knife, beautiful, and I know basic security. While I wouldn’t want to take on your man mountain, I’m fast enough to make him rue the encounter." He selected a purple fruit from the bowl on the coffee table and took a bite.

Bali sighed and turned to Domino. "As you wish. I’ve got some business arrangements to make, fund transfers, and I’m going to have some of my stuff from Earth shipped out here. I know you have at least a few hours of business to see to with your club. If you wish, you can join me this afternoon. I’d planned to rent a ship and get in some flight time."

He smiled. "You fly?"

"I almost bought a ship to fly here, but I failed the pre-flight physical. If I can get your brother to clear me for it, I’ll go up." She frowned. "I suppose I should do that this morning."

Sympathy in his eyes, he rubbed her bicep. "Would you like me to go along?"

She took a deep breath. "No. I can do this. I will do this."

He slowly bent his head and kissed her forehead. "If he makes you upset, I’ll break his arm for you."

She laughed. "I can do that myself." At his searching, curious look, she tilted her head. "I may not have super strength anymore, but I’ve still got martial training."

"So does he. It’s been a long time since you had only normal strength; give yourself time to rediscover your boundaries. Lore might be more useful than you think. By the way, he’s a combat pilot, so I’d definitely take him along on this first flight."

"Wouldn’t miss it," Lore said cheerfully, looking up from his magazine.

Bali finished her business arrangements, got cleared to fly--it didn’t hurt that she was taking Lore--and rented a ship. Feeling better than she had in some time, she headed out on the baking hot tarmac, flanked by Domino and Lore.

She was a little surprised that the heat wasn’t getting to her. It was in the nineties and she wasn’t even breaking a sweat. "I ought to be broiling," she mused aloud.

Domino glanced at her and laughed. "One of the advantages of the adaptogen. We come from a world known for its heat. Why do you think so many of us have come to Tantalus? I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire Antarctic Colony moves here before long. With the poles melting and the oceans rising, native Earth dwellers are beginning to eye Antarctica rather covertly." He looked entirely comfortable in his long pants, boots and short-sleeved shirt, his only concession to the murderous temperature.

Bali glanced at him. "I’d heard rumbles of discontent. Will the Draconians just pick up and leave, then?"

"For a price," Lore said with a toothy grin. "After all, we developed the real estate. Appreciation is a lovely thing."

She laughed. Only a Dragon Lord would sell Earth back its own real estate.

Domino stopped in surprise when he saw what she’d rented. "Slot 980. This is the little ship you rented to practice on?"

The cruiser wasn’t the biggest thing on the market, but it was top of the line, big enough for a crew of four and had a blinding chrome finish. "It’s close to what I’d planned to buy. I think I’ll wait on the purchase for a time, though. I’m not sure what my plans are. After you," she said, gesturing to her new husband.

He raised a brow. "I think you have it backwards." He waited, clearly expecting her to enter first.

Shaking her head at his old-fashioned courtesies, she keyed the remote and waited for the ramp to descend, eager for some fun.

Built for speed, not leisure, the roomy passenger seats swiveled and had plenty of legroom with the option of full recline. A huge screen video viewer was mounted on the bulkhead, and there was a mini bar beside the snack galley. The lavatory was at the rear, beyond the galley. Though luxuriously appointed, the walls and ceiling still had the telltale curve of aircraft.

"Nice," Lore drawled, impressed. "I can’t wait to see it in action."

Bali grinned. "A little ostentatious, I know. But I say if you’ve got it, flaunt it. Money gives no pleasure if it’s sitting in a vault." She almost added that she wasn’t going to live long anyway, but it suddenly occurred to her that she could. It was startling to contemplate that the cause of that would expect her to spend her advanced lifespan with him. She covered her sudden tension with an inspector’s frown as she looked around.

It was only when they’d settled into the cockpit and she was strapping in that she noticed Domino’s grim expression.

"What is it? I promise not to fly us into a star."

He only smiled darkly and checked his safety harness.

Lore chuckled as he did the pre-flight check. "He hates to fly."

Surprised, she glanced at Domino. "Why did you come, then? You didn’t have to."

"You asked me," he said simply.

Rattled, she looked back at the controls and tried to remember what she was doing. Nobody had ever done something they disliked just to be with her. It was disturbing on a level she didn’t like to contemplate.

What was he doing to her? He married her for noble reasons, but his presence now went above and beyond chivalry. Lore’s presence attested to his natural protective instincts, but he could have hired a faceless professional until her bodyguard arrived. Was he calling in a favor, or creating a debt for her?

Maybe he didn’t love her, but he was laying the groundwork for both of them to lose their hearts.

"Problem?" Lore asked, his hand hovering over a switch.

She shook her head and put her attention back where it needed to be. "No. I’ll call the tower."

The craft rocked gently as she pulled out of their slot and taxied to the runway. Aware that Lore was silently scrutinizing her every move, Bali made certain the vertical liftoff was seamless, guiding them into a smooth roll of pure exhilaration once they’d achieved sufficient altitude. Lore laughed and they grinned at each other, ignoring the soft growl behind them.

"Had to make sure everything is working right," she said, unable to keep the smile from her voice. She pulled back on the yoke and guided them into a steep climb, then dropped into a spiraling dive, pulling back well above the hard deck.

Another growl.

Lore glanced back. "Relax. She likes to play, but she’s no daredevil. You’ll survive this."

Domino muttered something under his breath in Draconian.

"I’m going to have to learn that," Bali said teasingly, not really meaning it. The language was too full of hisses and rolled vowels. She’d probably insult his mother trying to say hello.

Lore tilted his head. "We have a blip on radar. Probably someone out for pleasure." He didn’t take his eyes from the screen.

Bali glanced at it and stilled. It was closing too fast for comfort. Taking a deep breath, she got altitude fast and executed some fast maneuvers.

"It’s closing fast." Without asking, Lore took control of the ship.

One glance at his cool, intense expression and Bali let him. He was combat trained and the ship was unarmed. If someone was targeting them, she didn’t have the power to save them, especially since this hotrod didn’t have weapons.

Praying that Lore could save them, she quickly called the tower. "Mayday! We’re under attack." While she was relaying the situation to the tower, she heard Domino speaking softly in Draconian. Assuming he was either cursing or praying, she kept her mind on her conversation and her eye on the radar. "Three minutes until they can get airborne, Lore. Son of a ... we’ve got another missile, three o’clock."

"Four o’clock. I see it," he said with detached calm as he took them into a roll that made her stomach flip. Three minutes was an eternity with a missile poised to kiss your ass. They were going to die.

Colors flashed through her eyes, memories of every regret she had, every unspoken wish. She didn’t want to die, not like this. "Domino, I want to live to regret saying this: I could love you."

Lore shot her a startled glance, then jerked his gaze back to the screen and swore. "Pick a better time."

"We might not have time!"

Domino paused his soft conversation to snort. "Later, pet. Let the man drive."

A black ship appeared out of nowhere and shot past them. Seconds latter a missile exploded. Two more fighters came into view.

"Draconian fighters? Was there a battleship in orbit? Look out!" Three more missiles came from the ground, headed straight for their speeder’s belly. Her vision got glassy as she looked at the radar, then the floor. Those things were going to piece their navel.

Lore threw them into a dizzying maneuver that made her gorge rise. Solid ground. Just get me on solid ground, she prayed.

The black ships swarmed like flies, picking off missiles that came thick and fast. Two more ships arrived and joined the fight.

"They’re locking onto the missile site now," Domino reported, and she realized that he must have a link to the ships. "It’s seated in the mountains"

A huge blast rocked the ship, throwing it into a flat spin.

"Left wing," Lore grunted, fighting to get control. "Hang on."

Eyes squeezed shut, Bali tried not to puke. Maybe dying wouldn’t hurt too badly. Hopefully it would be over quickly.

The spin evened out and stopped. Shocked, she opened her eyes and saw the mountains closer than she liked.

"This is no place to land a ship," Domino said warningly from the backseat. The rocky mountains were far too sharp and ragged to afford good purchase.

"Live with it," Lore gritted, selecting a reasonably flat valley barely big enough for their ship. A steep drop and a sheer wall at their back made him snarl as he engaged landing thrusters. They ended up tilted to the left on top of some boulders, breathing as though they’d run a mile. All they could see out their windshield was air.

Bali gulped as the craft shifted. "My insurance agent is never going to believe this."

A Draconian rescue team fished them out of the scrub-strewn valley and flew them to the nearest base.

Bali tried not to be intimidated by the predominately male, uniformed men who waited for them at the landing. They were escorted to a dun colored building and into a conference room. All of them were given drinks, though the men stood while she was urged into a chair. Maybe she looked as shaky as she felt, but she was glad to accept their concern. It had been a rough day.

Military brass began to fill the room: one who looked like a general and three lesser commanders, plus aides.

The general came forward and clasped hands with Lore and Domino. "Excellent flying, pilot. I’m just glad we were in a position to aid you."

"Thank you, sir."

The general looked at Domino, then considered Bali. "Someone doesn’t like you, young lady."

Startled by his sense of humor, she laughed weakly. "I’d say."

He nodded kindly. "I’m General Txa. I’ve been briefed about your situation. Given the aggression and resources of your enemy, I’d suggest moving to base for a time until they can be neutralized. All it would take is one rocket to take out your private residence." He looked at Domino.

Domino canted his head. "We’ll consider it. I’ll admit my security isn’t up to that kind of firepower."

Bali took a deep breath.

Domino gripped her shoulder. "It can wait. I’d like to hear the reports on the missile site."

At the general’s gesture an aide came forward and spoke rapidly in Draconian.

"The site was remote controlled and completely wiped out by our return fire. It was quickly constructed, maybe over ten hours. We’re working on tracing the missiles. They were high grade and should be easily traced," Domino translated.

Bali looked aside, her fingers tapping. Last she’d known, her vigilantes hadn’t the cash or the moxie to pull this off. Two attacks, one vigilante murdered ... where was the money trail, and who was in charge now? "I need a computer."

The general looked at her askance, then gestured for the aide to accommodate her. The men stayed where they were while she sat at the conference table to check her email and send some rapid queries.

Domino watched his wife’s remote expression and answered the General’s question. "Rich enough. She has connections, though she might not be looking in the same direction we are." She’d been sitting there for twenty minutes, ignoring the action around her, which had moved to the table. They were speaking in Draconian, so it was easy for her to tune out.