Through Uncharted Space: A Phoenix Adventures Sci-fi Romance (18 page)

Dakota had gone still, her gaze on his face.

“Our stepfather was cruel and possessive. He hated sharing my mother with us, so he locked us in the basement most of the time. Kept us in the dark.”

“Dare.”

“I know what it is to be afraid, Dakota. To be hungry. To have nothing.” He fought the urge to kick something. He hated reliving his childhood. “Well, not nothing. I had my brothers. But he liked to beat us…and I had to protect them.”

Her eyes closed. “You took the brunt of the beatings.”

She hadn’t made it a question. “Until I got big enough to fight back.” The ugly darkness rose in him, choking him. “I’m not afraid of the past, and I do not let it rule me. But it made me what I am today. I can never escape that and I will always do everything I have to do to protect my brothers.” He touched the delicate shell of her ear. “I am sorry I hurt you in the process.”

When she looked at him now, he saw his Dakota was back. Emotion and life shimmering in her eyes.

“Don’t you damn well feel sorry for me,” he growled.

“You can’t order me what to feel and not feel, Dare. I can feel sorry for the boy you were if I want to.”

“Feel something else instead.” He slammed his mouth down on hers.

She struggled against him for a second, then her hands slid into his hair, yanking hard, and she kissed him back.

Desire was like a solar flare—fast and hot. He needed her. He needed her now.

He spun her around, bending her over his desk.

As he yanked at her trousers, she pushed her ass back toward him. He pushed the synth-leather down, leaving her trousers tangled around her ankles.

He flicked open his own trousers, freed his cock, and without any warning, thrust inside her.

She arched back, crying his name.

“We aren’t done,” he growled. “We won’t be done. Now take me.”

He gripped both her wrists with one of his, pinning them to his desk. He dragged his cock out, then rammed home. Again and again. Faster and faster. Harder and harder.

Dare felt his own release building—sharp and bright and jagged. Not before her. “Come for me, Dakota.”

She did. Her cries were music in his ears as her body clenched tight and then spiraled apart.

Dare moved faster, driven by a desperate urge. As the pleasure knocked into him, he lost his rhythm, then froze, coming deep inside her.

He covered her body, trying to get his breath back. She turned her head, her cheek pressed to the cool surface of his desk.

He pressed a kiss to her ear. “You confuse me, Dakota. You fight me at every turn and then turn so very soft under my hands. You tempt me, entice me.”

“We both know I’m not what you’re looking for. You want yourself a little sweet thing who’ll be at your beck and call. Who you can coddle and pamper, and who won’t question you. Who won’t be difficult.”

He frowned. Maybe once that was what he’d imagined for himself a long way down the track, but now…

“Let’s just ride this out,” she said. “Until it fades, and then you can go find that dream woman of yours.”

“No.” He pulled her up to face him.

Her brows drew together. “Sorry?”

“No. That woman you just described, she isn’t what I want.”

“Okay,” she said warily.

She didn’t believe him. He knew he’d have to prove it to her. He slid his hands in her hair. “I am sorry I hurt you.”

She smiled. “Why do I get the feeling that you don’t apologize very often?”

“Because I never have anything to apologize for.”

She snorted. “Maybe because you never let anyone close enough for it to really matter.”

He pressed against her, so she could feel his still-hard cock. “You feel pretty close right now.”

As he pushed her back onto his desk and spread her thighs, he watched that shocked pleasure cross her face.

Yes, she was close now, and Dare was going to have to find a way to convince his skittish lover to stay there.

***

Dakota stood beside Dare on the bridge and tried not to tap her foot on the floor.

They were approaching Maro, and the large blue sphere filled the viewscreen, looking like a giant version of the orb hanging around her neck.

Dare had left the rest of the convoy nearby on an uninhabited jungle planet. Under the eagle eye of Rynan’s security team in the
Pathfinder
, they were taking on supplies and enjoying the planet’s warm lakes. She’d listened to Dare talk with the other captains. Most were fine with the detour, understanding that this was the way of deep-space convoys. One captain had voiced a protest and she’d watched Dare wield both his charm and his unyielding strength to win the woman over.

“Commencing scans now,” Nissa said from the captain’s chair.

Ralu hadn’t lied. The planet was completely covered in water, with no patches of land visible. So where did everyone live? Rynan had said Maronians were aquatic, but not capable of living in the water. The medical scans they’d done of Ralu showed that although the man could hold his breath underwater far longer than humans, he couldn’t survive in it.

“Preliminary results coming through.” Nissa tapped on the console attached to her chair. She swiveled and looked at them. “The planet has a higher proportion of mass made up of water than a standard planet. The oceans are hundreds of kilometers deep in places. There are some locations where the land is closer to the surface, but there’s nothing above the water level. But…” She leaned in close, staring at her screen. “There are congregated life signs beneath the water.”

“Schools of fish?” Dakota asked.

Nissa shook her head. “Looks like they have underwater cities.”

Underwater cities? Wow. Dakota felt a frisson of excitement.

“Okay,” Dare said. “Where’s the location of the Atocha Treasure?”

“It’s in a deep area of water in the southern hemisphere.”

“Locate the underwater city closest to the location, and let’s open all comm lines and see if we can make contact.”

“Got it,” Nissa said.

Now Dakota did tap her foot. She wanted to get down there. She wanted to find her treasure.

“Someone’s responding,” Nissa said.

“Put it on the screen.”

A Maronian woman’s face filled the screen. She smiled. She had the same blue skin as Ralu and pale-blonde hair pulled back from her narrow face. She seemed to have some sort of shimmering blue dress on. “Welcome, visitors. We so rarely get off-world visitors to Maro. My name is Tsani, Chancellor of the city of Sori Sanu. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Hello, Tsani. My name is Dare Phoenix of the Phoenix Deep-Space Convoy.”

The woman’s face brightened. “Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Phoenix. I’ve heard good things about your convoy.”

Dare inclined his head. “I’m very happy to hear that. We were hoping to visit your world and conduct an expedition of historical importance.”

“Really? Tell me.”

The woman looked so serene. Dakota had never seen someone so calm. Tsani looked like a woman who’d hug you and think happy thoughts all the time. Dakota shuddered.

“We have a map leading to the wreck of a Terran starship and its contents. It is of great historical value. We were actually attacked by someone from your planet looking to get his hands on the map and the purported treasure said to be on the ship, the
Southwind
.”

Now Tsani’s eyebrows rose. “An ancient Terran treasure?”

“He said it holds great historical value to your people.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The woman shook her head sadly. “I’m sorry, but there is no mention of a ship called the
Southwind
in our history.”

Dakota frowned
. What the hell?
She saw Dare’s brow crease.

“It sounds as though this Maronian man may be suffering from what we call
taravana
. Craziness of the sea. It unfortunately affects many of our people who repeatedly swim too deep.”

“With your permission, we would like to visit your city, and ask some questions of your historians,” Dare said.

Dakota moved into view. “We’d like to search for this wreckage. It would mean hiring some of your people. We’d pay well.”

“No one owns our planet,” Tsani said. “Our people swim through the oceans as they please, on the whims of the currents. We take after the creatures of our waters in that respect. You are free to visit our city, Mr. Phoenix, and free to ask your questions. And if you venture into our waters, that is fine, too, although I do not believe you’ll find this mythical ship.”

“Thank you.”

“And please, bring this man who attacked you. I will see that he is questioned by our authorities.”

“How do you live underwater?” Dakota asked. “How do you keep your cities safe?”

The woman smiled. “We have some brilliant scientists. Our cities are protected by giant domes made of an amazing substance based on some of the translucent corals that grow on our planet. We also have excellent systems to recycle our air and manage our plant life. We are very proud of our cities.” Tsani nodded her head. “I will be happy to show you when you arrive.”

Soon, Dakota was seated in the shuttle as Rynan maneuvered them into Maro’s atmosphere. Justyn was seated beside him, while Dare sat beside Dakota.

Ralu was trussed up in the back of the shuttle, a gag across his mouth.

Dakota was almost bouncing off the walls with excitement. She couldn’t wait to see the underwater city. She couldn’t wait to find her treasure.

She was so relieved that the Atocha Treasure wasn’t some mythical piece of Maro’s history. She glanced at the young Maronian man. Clearly, he was just a wannabe treasure hunter out to protect his own interests. She had no idea how he’d known about the Atocha Treasure, but it didn’t really matter, because soon he wouldn’t be their problem anymore.

As they entered the planet’s atmosphere, the screen was filled with the jewel-blue waters below. Dakota imagined having the treasure in her hands. She still hadn’t decided what she was going to do with it, but she was certain that she’d know once she had it. The galaxy would be her oyster.

As the shuttle leveled out, she stared out the window. It was really quite beautiful. The water was such a stunning color. Ahead, she saw some giant bodies rise up out of the water, and she gasped.

“Some sort of sea creatures,” Dare said, leaning forward.

Mouth open in wonder, she watched as the huge, flat-looking creatures, with what looked like large wing-like sides, flapped out of the water, before diving back beneath the surface. So graceful and amazing. She’d never seen anything like them before.

“Okay, this is where we go for a swim,” Rynan warned them.

Dakota glanced at him. “You’re sure this shuttle can go underwater?”

“For a short distance. Let’s hope we have the city coordinates right.”

She wrinkled her nose. “That’s not funny.”

The shuttle’s nose dipped, and they dived into the water.

At first, visibility wasn’t that great, but as they settled in and started zooming through the water, she spotted the bodies of the giant creatures they’d seen. They were shadows in the distance.

Suddenly, a huge cloud of colored fish rose up in front of the viewscreen. She gasped again. They weren’t very big, but they were all different colors—greens, vivid blues, reds and bright yellows. The fish darted left in a tight group, before moving right with an amazing synchronicity. They moved like they shared one brain, looking almost like colored smoke.

Some larger fish, with long, sinuous bodies, moved into view. They were glowing a bright, electric green.

Dakota leaned forward. “This place is incredible.”

“What is incredible, is
that
.”

She looked to where Dare pointed, and got her first glimpse of the city.

Wonder filled her. Three giant domes rose up from the sea floor. There was a large one in the center, and it was flanked by two smaller ones. Inside she could see buildings rising up, delicate-looking structures that almost appeared organic. All of them were different pale colors that made her think of coral.

“Looks like that’s the main entrance over there.” Rynan nodded. “We’ve been given permission to enter.”

At the front of the dome, she spotted a large, circular opening covered by a metal door.

They moved toward it, and as they neared, the door dilated, its metal panels retracting. A craft moved out.

The Maronian craft made Dakota think of the creatures they’d seen diving out of the water above. Or of the manta rays that had been bred on the resort world of Duna from Terran stock. The craft moved cleanly through the water, its large fins flapping slightly, before it turned and headed away from them. It disappeared into the distance.

Rynan maneuvered them through the gate. He pulled them to a stop inside what looked like a large, clear cylinder, with another circular metal door ahead. Rynan set them down on the bottom of the cylinder and, seconds later, the gate behind them closed.

Dakota heard a musical-sounding alarm, and then the water started to drain out of the space. Ahead, through the glass, she could see the city beyond.

Once the water was all drained out, the inner gate opened. The shuttle lifted off and they flew through into the underwater city of Sori Sanu.

They didn’t fly far. They reached an area where lots of the Maronian craft were parked, and Rynan moved them to an empty space as directed by whoever he was communicating with on the comm. As soon as the shuttle stopped, Dakota ripped her harness off, eager to get out.

Rynan and Justyn flanked their prisoner, dragging him with them.

Together, they all stepped out into the city.

Dakota tilted her head up, taking it all in. The coral-like buildings were amazing. Everything around them, even the roads and paths, were made of the pale, coral-like substance. Surely it couldn’t really be alive. She saw a flash of movement and turned her head. Through the clear glass of the dome, she could see fish dancing around in the open ocean. It was mesmerizing.

Back in the dome, she saw some vegetation nearby. Not trees and bushes like she was used to, but long, willowy grasses and low, mossy vegetation covering different shapes—spheres, pyramids, and cubes.