Page 31 of Stealing the Star Stone
“And did you test healing?”Orien peeled on latex gloves, then raised an ancient-looking bone to the light as if that would reveal its secrets.
“What?”Doukas squeaked.
Orien set the bone on the counter and nudged his chin at Frederik.Within a blink, Eli was pinned to a wall, his sleeve shoved up to his forearm, and a blade slashed across his skin.
He gasped, the burn almost overwhelming against the bright crimson droplets splattering to the floor.“You are a madman,” he spat.
Doukas rushed forward with a paper towel, pressing it to the wound.“Lord Orien, this isnotthe way to treat a human.”
“My dear Kyle, it is if we’re to progress as a species.Now remove your hand.”Orien snatched the paper towel away exposing a thin wound beaded with blood.“Mm, pity.We’ll try again in a few days.Maybe the star stone’s powers are delayed.”
“Powers?”Eli screamed.“The stupid stone shattered.That’s all that happened.No hidden mumbo jumbo or anything behind it.Maybe your mishandling weakened it.Did you think of that, you weirdo?”
At Orien’s mottled face, Eli almost patted himself on the back at his Nova performance.He smothered a smirk at how easy ‘she’ managed to rile the xenologist.
“We’re dealing with an alien artefact.I cannot afford to rule out anything, even if it’s in the realm of the supernatural,” Orien gritted out.“You have blue fingers.It’s possible the stone has hidden…talents.Get her infantile mind out of my sight.”
Out the door Frederik dragged Eli, then shoved him into the cabin minutes later.
“And?”Nova asked, her hands on her hips.
“They want to know if I’m pregnant,” Eli said, tossing a glare at Frederik.“X-rays soon, then?”
The mountain didn’t answer but gestured to Nova, who nodded at Eli in passing.
“See you soon, honey pot,” she said.
The silence after her departure was deafening.Eli stared at the blood-splattered silk sleeve, sighing at how they’d ruined a good blouse.He washed his hands and the wound, taking the time to pat it dry.At least it had stopped bleeding.
Powers?What had Orien hoped to discover?Smooth, unmarred skin?Were sparks supposed to come out of his ass?Or superhuman strength?Sure, the star stone had been pretty, but to grant a person magical abilities?
Eli snorted.“What a load of bullshit.”
Chapter Ten
Laurus Research Vessel
What’s a wo/man to do?
Day One.
Novadidn’tmisstheblood on Eli’s blouse.The sight of it didn’t bode well for what awaited her, although, she kind of hoped Orien had meant what he said, that he wouldn’t harm her.She’d searched their room, hoping to find a communication device of some sort.Nothing.Typical.Not even an entertainment system to be found, which meant hours of doing what alone in the room with the sexiest man in the galaxy?
She swallowed hard.The one deterrent was having to kiss herself.That felt wrong, like she was twelve and learning to make out with the use of her hand.No, she wanted manly lips on hers, even if ‘hers’ were currently the more masculine…
She stroked a thumb across his bottom lip, too plump and almost girly.She’d caught glimpses of his magnificent body in the mirror but hadn’t lingered.Having just held his cock as she learned how not to pee on the toilet seat, ogling his body would’ve been rude.Note to self: don’t shake.Pee went everywhere.No wonder women complained about the mess.Aiming that thing was a nightmare.
Swapping bodies had crossed way too many boundaries.How was this even possible?Part of her wanted to help the investigation, to discover the magic behind the stone.But if the blood stain was a measure of Orien’s competence, she didn’t have high hopes he’d be of any use.
Lethara?Mm, she’d never heard of it, and she’d studied many a galaxy map.Orien had implied it was beyond Artivar.Maybe near the Kegawa Belt?Every damn month, they stumbled on a ‘new’ comet, a dwarf star, some unknown metal.Theories changed more than her underwear.The universe was expanding, retracting, stemmed from a massive black hole, dying, birthing, and who knew what else; astrophysicists and their formulae.
“Ms.Blake didn’t answer.Do you think she’s pregnant?”
She lost a step at Frederik’s quiet question.Hell effing no way was she carrying a child.An impossibility when she hadn’t been with a man since Seth was murdered.“Why do you want to know?”
“I didn’t sign up for harming babies.”
She almost snorted.It wouldn’t surprise her if Orien had a contract that listed henchmen duties: looming, scowling, general intimidation, proficiency with blasters, then some of the nastier tasks like kidnapping, torturing, and killing.But the mountain had a line drawn in his immoral ground: children, even unborn.
