Page 22 of Black Star

The two of them stood there for what seemed like forever -- at least it did to Damon. Finally, Phoebe pulled her hand free and averted her gaze.

“I won’t, Captain,” she whispered. “I won’t sell my body, even for my life.”

It took Damon a moment to find his voice because his throat was so dry. “I would never ask it of you. I apologize for my weakness.” It was hard for Damon to admit this to a stranger, but he’d never been one to be dishonest. It was the only way he knew how to gain the trust of his crew. Honesty. He waited until her gaze returned to his. “I would never force myself on someone who didn’t want me, Phoebe. And I would never use my position aboard this ship to influence anyone into my bed.”

She seemed to consider this before finally nodding her head. “Well, if I’m going to do this, I suppose you should show me the kitchen. I’d like to know what I have to work with.”

“Of course.” Damon was grateful for the chance to focus on something else, but then he remembered her state of dress. Or rather undress. “Perhaps --” He almost blurted out something that might sound insulting but caught himself. “Let me get you a uniform. That way everyone will know you’re a part of the crew.”

She blinked a couple of times before looking back down at her garments. “I’d almost forgotten how inadequate they are.” She crossed her arms over her breasts. “I suppose I look horrible.”

She looked so dejected, Damon didn’t even try to measure his response. “On the contrary, Phoebe. You look like an angelic fairy. The only thing missing is your wings.”

Phoebe hadn’t known what to say. She hoped it was a compliment, but she really didn’t want to think about it. If she did, this was a man she could easily surrender herself to, and that could be disastrous for her. She didn’t know Damon. She didn’t know what he was capable of, and she certainly didn’t know what his plan for her was. It had been her experience that every man had an agenda. She’d just have to figure out what his was.

Once she was dressed in the black, form-fitting uniform of theBlack Star, Damon took her to the kitchen area. It was larger than anything she’d ever seen, and she was a bit intimidated. What had she gotten herself into? Not that it mattered. She didn’t have much choice but to learn.

“How many do I have to feed?” she asked, dreading the answer. The sheer size of the kitchen was answer enough.

“At present? Twenty. Assuming we pick up more fromSword Breakerwhen we rendezvous with him, you could have as many as thirty-three.”

Phoebe’s jaw dropped. She had had to feed more than two hundred women and girls with about half the space and equipment theBlack Starafforded.

“Is that going to be a problem?”

She almost laughed. “Are you kidding? With all this? Unless you simply have no food, I think I can come up with something.” For the first time since sneaking aboard theBlack Star, Phoebe was excited about the prospects for her future. Perhaps she had won this impossible gamble after all.

The grand tour was just that to her. Wonderfully grand! There was enough food stored on this ship to feed everyone in the below decks of Graves Station for months. All this food for a maximum of thirty-three people? It was unimaginable.

“I don’t think there will be a problem,” she said when he’d finished. “I might require someone to show me how to work some of the equipment, but I think I can figure out most of it.” She hesitated before asking, “There isn’t anything in here that could blow me up, is there?”

He chuckled. She got the impression he didn’t laugh much, but his eyes sparkled when he did. It nearly took her breath. This man affected her like nothing she was prepared for. She was about to thank him for being so nice to her when a claxon sounded and Captain Singh was requested in the command center.

“Do you remember the way back to my quarters?” The smile she’d thought so engaging disappeared, and the stoic captain returned.

“I can find it,” she said. “Go on. I’ll be fine.”

He nodded smartly and spun around to leave. Once he was out the door, she heard his heavy footfalls quicken. Phoebe left the spacious kitchen and headed in the opposite direction of Captain Singh. She’d do what he asked of her. In the years she’d spent under the rule of the men of the Hand of God, she’d learned to assess people quickly. She got the impression he was a man of his word. She wasn’t sure why she thought that, but the sense was so strong, she was willing to bet her life.

Chapter Three

“Captain, unknown vessels exiting hyperspace on the starboard bow.” The second in command didn’t so much say the words as hiss them. Everything he said sounded so menacing, it prickled the hair on the back of Damon’s neck. Viktor scared the shit out of him, but he was one hell of a Second. “They look like they’ve been cobbled from every class of vessel in the known universe. Heavily armed, but not very well armored. One solid hit, and we’d punch through their hull.”

“Have they tried to contact us?” Damon studied the strange looking ships and their formations, and tried to get a concept of how they moved and what they were capable of.

“Negative, Sir. They’ve apparently been mirroring our course through a series of hyperspace jumps just out of range of our sensors. I only found them by accident.” The Second swung his chair around to face Damon. “My guess would be…”

“They’re waiting for reinforcements.” Damon finished the sentence for Viktor with a sinking feeling in his stomach. “Any idea who they are?”

“They’re too small to go far without a mother ship, and anything that big, I’d be able to locate as long as it stayed within the range of those fighters. The only place they could have come from was that border station we just left.”

Damon raised an eyebrow. “Interesting.” Why did he have the impression this had something to do with his new crewmember? “How far away isSword Breaker?”

“Assuming they’re already at the rendezvous point, five standard hours. However, it could be as many as eight if they were delayed as Captain Anjoom feared they might be.”

“Perhaps you should let him know it would be in our best interest to have some backup.”

“As you command, Sir.” If Damon knew Viktor -- and he prided himself in knowing his crew inside and out -- the cybernetically enhanced vampire loathed the idea of asking for help. It grated him to think there was a situation he couldn’t handle by himself. It was Viktor’s only fault. He had to learn to be part of the crew, to rely on his shipmates as they relied on him.

---