between them. Finally.
He and Yvene weren’t the only ones to notice, either. He had caught more than one crew member surreptitiously observing the guard co-commanders at dinner.
This was as entertaining as watching Captain Craig and Tessa circle each other on the last voyage. Their brave captain had needed coaxing to get past his strict code of honor, which forbade sex with one of his subordinates, but when the fiery Tessa had declared her intention of sleeping with every other attractive male on board, he had shown himself as the warrior he was and taken the prize.
Izard thought back even further to the Orion ’s maiden voyage, when their Tyger navigator had undergone his mating shift on board, becoming a huge half man, half cat, maddened with lust. Commander Jag had denned up in the arboretum and demanded a mate before he would resume his duties. Izard winced. That had been more like two wildcats in heat, but it had ended in romance as well. Jag wed his Calla and by all accounts they were perfectly suited.
Who knew what romance might heat up on this voyage?
Sirena and Slyde jogged from the docking bay to their office off of the gymnasium. A few of the younger guards were working out. Slyde looked their way with approbation before closing the hatch of the small, glass-walled office behind them. Sirena perched on the edge of the sleek command console, swinging one leg.
“How are we to search the prince’s pets without offending him?” she mused. “We can’t just show up and announce that he’s brought aboard a dangerous creature. That would be most undiplomatic.”
“No.” Bringing up a hologram of the ship, Slyde zeroed in on the area behind the ballroom. Sirena turned to watch as the three-dimensional image of passageways and rooms revolved slowly.
“Here’s where they’ve stowed the pets.” He indicated a room that connected the quarters reserved for the Aquarians with the passageway behind the ballroom. “Some of them came on from Pangaea, as Halix mentioned in our briefing.”
“Why, if you scented the serpent earlier, did we scent it again today when the Aquarians boarded?” she asked, frowning.
“I don’t know,” he said grimly. “I hope to the seven hells that what we smelled today is just some harmless snake.”
“I could bat my eyes at the handlers and ask for a personal tour,” she said.
“Yes, and have to dropkick one or both of them when they assume you want more than a tour.” He shook his head. “Azuran’s hosting a party tonight. We’ll slip away and search through his pets then.”
She looked him up and down wryly. “ You’ll slip away?”
“I can be subtle.”
“I’ve yet to see it.”
His lips twitched. “You have seen it, you just didn’t know it.”
She rolled her eyes as she slipped off the console. “Right. Well, we know where the creature is, if there is one.”
“There is one.” Concentrating on the hologram, he looked up as she spoke again.
“And one more thing, Commander,” she said coldly. “Do not ever again presume to control my behavior as you did when we greeted Prince Azuran. You had no right—”
He stepped closer to her, his back to the gym and its occupants. Anger flared at the memory of her flirtatious greeting, but it was tempered with reluctant admiration. She was going to fight him every step of the way, his siren.
“I do have the right,” he said. “You gave it to me, remember? In the terms of our wager.”
She scowled up at him.
“I certainly did not. I agreed not to have sex with another male during the wager. I said nothing about conversing with one.”
He touched her cheek, stroking the petal-soft skin. “We both know that kind of ‘conversation’ is a prelude to sex.”
“Are you calling me a liar?”
“No,” he growled. “I’m explaining that Azuran wants you, and he’s accustomed to getting what he wants. So unless you want me to be forced to fight for you, refrain from flirting with him.”
Her
He and Yvene weren’t the only ones to notice, either. He had caught more than one crew member surreptitiously observing the guard co-commanders at dinner.
This was as entertaining as watching Captain Craig and Tessa circle each other on the last voyage. Their brave captain had needed coaxing to get past his strict code of honor, which forbade sex with one of his subordinates, but when the fiery Tessa had declared her intention of sleeping with every other attractive male on board, he had shown himself as the warrior he was and taken the prize.
Izard thought back even further to the Orion ’s maiden voyage, when their Tyger navigator had undergone his mating shift on board, becoming a huge half man, half cat, maddened with lust. Commander Jag had denned up in the arboretum and demanded a mate before he would resume his duties. Izard winced. That had been more like two wildcats in heat, but it had ended in romance as well. Jag wed his Calla and by all accounts they were perfectly suited.
Who knew what romance might heat up on this voyage?
Sirena and Slyde jogged from the docking bay to their office off of the gymnasium. A few of the younger guards were working out. Slyde looked their way with approbation before closing the hatch of the small, glass-walled office behind them. Sirena perched on the edge of the sleek command console, swinging one leg.
“How are we to search the prince’s pets without offending him?” she mused. “We can’t just show up and announce that he’s brought aboard a dangerous creature. That would be most undiplomatic.”
“No.” Bringing up a hologram of the ship, Slyde zeroed in on the area behind the ballroom. Sirena turned to watch as the three-dimensional image of passageways and rooms revolved slowly.
“Here’s where they’ve stowed the pets.” He indicated a room that connected the quarters reserved for the Aquarians with the passageway behind the ballroom. “Some of them came on from Pangaea, as Halix mentioned in our briefing.”
“Why, if you scented the serpent earlier, did we scent it again today when the Aquarians boarded?” she asked, frowning.
“I don’t know,” he said grimly. “I hope to the seven hells that what we smelled today is just some harmless snake.”
“I could bat my eyes at the handlers and ask for a personal tour,” she said.
“Yes, and have to dropkick one or both of them when they assume you want more than a tour.” He shook his head. “Azuran’s hosting a party tonight. We’ll slip away and search through his pets then.”
She looked him up and down wryly. “ You’ll slip away?”
“I can be subtle.”
“I’ve yet to see it.”
His lips twitched. “You have seen it, you just didn’t know it.”
She rolled her eyes as she slipped off the console. “Right. Well, we know where the creature is, if there is one.”
“There is one.” Concentrating on the hologram, he looked up as she spoke again.
“And one more thing, Commander,” she said coldly. “Do not ever again presume to control my behavior as you did when we greeted Prince Azuran. You had no right—”
He stepped closer to her, his back to the gym and its occupants. Anger flared at the memory of her flirtatious greeting, but it was tempered with reluctant admiration. She was going to fight him every step of the way, his siren.
“I do have the right,” he said. “You gave it to me, remember? In the terms of our wager.”
She scowled up at him.
“I certainly did not. I agreed not to have sex with another male during the wager. I said nothing about conversing with one.”
He touched her cheek, stroking the petal-soft skin. “We both know that kind of ‘conversation’ is a prelude to sex.”
“Are you calling me a liar?”
“No,” he growled. “I’m explaining that Azuran wants you, and he’s accustomed to getting what he wants. So unless you want me to be forced to fight for you, refrain from flirting with him.”
Her
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