Page 56 of Infala: Bonded to the Enemy
“I know. But that doesn’t change how I feel.”
“And that means the world to me, really. But I’ve really gotta go.” Shalia paused at his door, watching him watching her, herheart full and content despite the whole alien abduction thing. Somehow, incredibly, she’d foundthis,of all things. And while their situation was far from perfect, the burly man looking up at her from his bed was all she could have ever asked for and more. “I’ll see you soon, Commander,” she said with a wink, then stepped out quietly into the corridor.
And then, as happened every night, they lay in their beds alone, each of them falling asleep in a state of fuzzy contentedness, reveling in the aftermath of their encounter, the feel of their lover’s touch lingering on their bodies.
Breakfast found Shalia standing perfectly still in the doorway between the kitchen and the mess hall, not daring move a muscle, adrenaline coursing through her body. Breakfast was ready, and she had served Grallox and his close band of crewmates immediately upon their arrival as they were typically first in, but she stopped short with the subsequent tray she’d intended to prep the next table with, instead listening attentively, the runes behind her ears apparently doing far more than just translating. It seemed as her Infala blossomed, her runes were becoming more powerful as well. And these enhanced her hearing. She could heareverythingGrallox was saying.
And it was not good.
“He’s lost his edge,” the Dohrag said in a low growl. “Valin’s not fit for command.”
The others looked around, making sure they were still alone. No other crew had filtered in yet. It was safe to talk. Shalia was just a slave prisoner, after all, and no one gave so much as a thought to her. She was less than a person in their eyes. And as a result, in the kitchen and out of sight was out of mind.
“You can’t just take command,” Trutzo said quietly. “He’s still the commander.”
“After what’s gone on? Ha! That half-blood bastard doesn’t deserve to command a latrine, let alone this station. We’re stuckhere. Our shuttles are destroyed or captured. And now we’re going to be short of re-up supplies when Admiral Finntar’s command ship arrives.”
“Did you say Finntar? But he’s not scheduled to stop here. I should know, I handle the itinerary and the next ship doesn’t come for almost another full lunar cycle.”
Grallox chuckled. It was not a humorous sound. “That’s what you think.”
“What have you done, Grallox?”
“We’re in a bad situation, and it’s Valin’s fault. I did what anyone would do.”
Trutzo and the others looked upset. Angry, even. “We are Dohrags, not cowards. We do not send distress calls!”
“Relax, Trutzo. I didn’t send a distress call.”
“Good.”
“But Ididsend a call for reinforcements.”
The men hesitated, looking at one another with surprised expressions, then broke out in laughter. “Valin is so screwed. When do they arrive?”
“Soon. And then I’ll finally have command of this place. Things are about to get a lot better for us, boys.”
Shalia felt a chill course through her body. Things were worse than her lover had thought. Valin’s command was in jeopardy—actual, pressing jeopardy—and that meant that she was too. When the admiral arrived, their worst fears would be realized. Valin would lose his command and there would be little he could do to protect her. And with Grallox having called in for support, odds were the admiral had likely already received very biased information on the problem to the extent that Valin wouldn’t be able to talk his way out of it.
The gregarious chatter of the rest of the crew arriving cut Grallox’s little pow-wow short, his core group of conspirators falling into a regular conversation at the sound. Shalia waited a count of twenty then stepped out into the mess hall and continueddelivering trays of food for the men, listening closely for any further details but hearing none.
She didn’t see Valin until lunchtime. His day had been unexpectedly derailed by supply arranging issues that required his direct oversight. Apparently, the men’s efficiency was lagging even more than expected, and his direct intervention was called for to crack the proverbial whip and get them into shape. There were problems aboard the station given their gravely reduced numbers, and that was to be expected and factored in, but that was no excuse for slacking off.
It wasn’t until dinner that she finally saw him, but today he chose to take his meal in the mess hall with the others, and that meant she was still unable speak to him alone. It would have to wait until later that night.
She watched him eat, feeling his eyes upon her just as strongly as she sensed his presence with her blossoming Infala. The rune had grown so much, shifted into nearly the same design as her lover, and with that had come a palpable energy between them when at close proximity. No one else could sense it, of course, but the two of them were like magnets with that ever-present pull trying to draw them together.
They had worked hard at their deception, and she felt confident they could continue to pull it off as long as necessary, so long as they had their nightly release to ease the ache. But with Grallox’s plot, that would all change, and soon.
Valin didn’t so much as look at her when he left the mess hall, leaving his plates on his table, departing without a word to his underlings. The majority of the crew headed out shortly after him, ready to unwind, bathe, and turn in for the night. Grallox and three of his closest confidants, however, remained behind, their discussion shifting to more nefarious topics once the others were gone.
“You’ve hidden the messages?” a fellow named Kruxxin asked.
Grallox let out a malicious laugh. “Yep. They’ll be here in a day. Valin has no idea what’s coming.”
Trutzo clapped him on the shoulder, a broad grin on his face. “I’ve gotta hand it to ya. It takes balls of ormantium to pull something like this off.”
Grallox grabbed his crotch and made an amused face. “My balls are full and heavy and ready to be put to use.” His gaze abruptly shifted. Shifted to the female quietly clearing the tables.
