Page 7 of Caldar
Why was he so attractive? He wasn’t even her type. In the past, she went for the thin, smokes-too-much, too-serious, too-philosophical type so common in art school. In all fairness, she had been just as insufferable.
Caldar was the opposite in every way. He was broad and muscular, but all Mahdfel were, so that wasn’t much of a description. He was never serious, always cracking jokes and grinning like he knew something she didn’t, which was insufferable. He was older than her, judging from the silver hair and gray horns. Light creases around his eyes gave a hint that the hair and horns might be legit and not a dye job. Sonia never thought she had a thing for older men, but apparently that alien silver fox did it for her.
It didn’t matter. She refused to get involved with an alien. Everyone knew they were possessive and only wanted babies. While she liked kids well enough and wasn’t averse to the thought of having a few of her own, she wasn’t interested in being anyone’s baby factory. When she settled down with a partner, she wanted it to be because they loved her, not because she was a convenient breeder. She was more than her womb and deserved better.
Maybe the best way to deal with a pain in the butt Mahdfel was to sic another Mahdfel on him.
That could work.
She only knew one Mahdfel, Wyn’s husband. He wasn’t a fan of Caldar’s, and she wasn’t above snitching on the silvery-haired pain in her ass.
Sonia stretched out her legs, not even a little concerned at the way her sandal floated off her foot. She had a plan.
CALDAR
Terrans were impossible. He stood by that assessment. His female proved more stubborn than most. Why did she act as if he were at fault when she was the one who wandered off and found herself surrounded by thieves? He had a debt to repay. His past behavior endangered a fellow warrior’s mate and now he had to keepthisfemale safe to regain his honor—not that his honor was much to brag about.
More than simply tarnished, his honor lay in tatters. The Mahdfel honor code was too strict, Caldar felt, for the nuances of reality. An act was good, or it was evil. No middle ground. No necessary evil. No compromise. A warrior acted with honor, or he was dishonorable.
A narrow-minded and short-sighted stance, in his opinion. Sometimes dishonorable acts were required to obtain an honorable goal. For example, the pallet of crates and shipping manifest that he stole. Oh, plus the uniform.
Caldar leaned against the crates while the loading crew reviewed the cargo manifest. The shirt he borrowed—that sounded so much better—was too tight and stretched across his arms.
Shame Sonia wasn’t there to admire the look. She would never admit that she found him attractive, but he caught her staring at his physique. He particularly enjoyed the way her face flushed when he caught her look, and she wrinkled her nose and scowled.
It was adorable.
“Why does the manifest sayperishable,but the crates sayfrozen?” the male asked, flipping through the screen to compare details.
Fuck. Just his luck he ran into the one diligent employee in the docks.
“They just pay me to lift heavy things,” Caldar said, keeping his voice smooth and disinterested. “These are gonna melt. I should get them into the refrigerated unit.”
“This shit is above my pay grade,” the male said, shoving the manifest back at Caldar. “Don’t stand there. Get them on board.”
Star cruisers, especially one as large asAllure of the Stars, required a constant stream of supplies. Reconstructed food from a machine or dehydrated rations would not do for the luxury liner. Only fresh food was served and in quantities to feed an army, along with enough alcohol to drown said army. The constant need for supplies left a hole in the ship’s defenses. Anyone with a clipboard and a convincing-looking uniform could sneak on board.
Caldar pushed the palette of crates up the ramp, huffing and acting as if the task were difficult. The crew needed to see a harmless older male trying to do his job, not a Mahdfel warrior infiltrating their ship.
Sonia would be displeased if she knew of his plan. Fortunately, he had no intention of letting her discover his presence. The ship’s itinerary would take it into deeper space to several popular beauty spots. The solitude of deep space and natural wonders were the primary reason people paid for the cruise, but the journey was too far away for him to respond quickly in an emergency. He needed to be on hand, for Sonia’s protection and to pay off the debt he owed.
He had already decided. He would remain on board until the ship returned to port. She need never know.
CHAPTER3
SONIA
Sonia leanedagainst the balcony railings, taking in the vast starry sky that surrounded the observation deck. Above her, a transparent dome let in the starlight. Below the balcony, the ballroom swirled with music and dancing.
A mug of mulled wine warmed her hands. An occasional meteor streaked across the sky. The climax of the meteor shower wasn’t far away. This is why she forked over a small fortune. Not the dancing or the ballroom dramatics going on below, but the celestial show. Where else would she get a panoramic view of an intense meteor shower? Up on the balcony, directly under the dome, she’d be surrounded by falling stars.
Worth every penny.
“For you, madam.” A steward held out a tray with a mug of mulled wine, still steaming.
No, not a steward. Caldar.
Unbelievable.
