The Smuggler's Radiant (Renegades Book 2) Read online

‘We didn’t offer,’ Rhona said, playfully whacking his arm.

  ‘That’s not what I’m telling people,’ he said and dodged another fist. ‘I have the Amaran reputation to think of, after all.’

  ‘I’ll deny everything.’ Rhona laughed and walked back to Makios.

  ‘Go ahead, little human.’ Tyne smiled. ‘I tell a convincing lie.’

  Rhona laughed and sat on Makios’s lap. She gazed into his eyes, now awake. ‘What did you want to talk about, Kathen?’

  ‘Captain,’ Rhona corrected.

  ‘Ah, Captain Kathen.’ Tyne smiled.

  ‘You seem to be doing well, adalan,’ Makios smiled.

  ‘As soon as I have Aran back, I intend on us going away for a few solars and falling apart together.’

  ‘Tyne…’ Rhona’s brow furrowed.

  ‘Please don’t,’ Tyne said, his voice reedy thin. ‘Please.’

  Rhona nodded. ‘What’s up, Mak?’

  Makios closed his eyes. He had gone through this with Pete. ‘Please don’t call me Mak,’ he said. ‘In my language, it means traitor.’

  Rhona frowned. ‘But you’re not a traitor, so why does it matter? Makios?’ she asked when he didn’t answer.

  ‘I’m not a traitor,’ he assured her. He glanced at Tyne. ‘Can we talk about this later?’

  Rhona glanced at Tyne and nodded. ‘But don’t think this conversation is over, buddy,’ she said. ‘Because it’s not. I won’t forget.’

  ‘I doubt it’s even possible.’

  ‘Okay, what did you want to talk about?’

  ‘It’s about Thalos,’ he said.

  ‘Did you contact this Thanesh bloke?’

  Makios nodded.

  ‘You’ve spoken to High-Protector Thanesh of the Tessan Protectorate?’ Tyne said.

  Rhona’s eyes widened. ‘How important is this guy?’ she asked.

  ‘Important. Thanesh has been close friends with Amaran Ilans for generations,’ Tyne answered.

  ‘What did he say?’

  ‘He spoke to Ilan Dahnus, who’s arranging to move against Thalos, but he wants video testimonies from the both of you.’

  ‘He wants us to tell our stories,’ Tyne said, stiffening.

  ‘Yes,’ Makios said.

  ‘When?’ Tyne whispered.

  ‘When morning comes for the Ilan. It’s very late now, and he’s stuck in meetings.’

  Tyne nodded. ‘I’ve often wished to meet the Ilan. This is not the way I would have liked to do it.’

  ‘For Aran,’ Rhona said.

  Tyne nodded. ‘For Aran,’ he repeated, though his tone was reluctant.

  ‘Good. I’ll see to it.’ Makios looked at Rhona and sighed. This was going to be the one that annoyed her. ‘In four rotes, we’ll rendezvous with a ship that will take you and Tyne to Tessa. I’ll meet you there when my mission is complete.’

  Rhona stiffened. ‘Well, that’s just not going to happen,’ she said. ‘I’m coming with you.’

  ‘That would be foolish.’ Makios said. ‘I can’t guarantee your safety.’

  Rhona climbed off his lap and crossed the room, standing next to Tyne.

  ‘Can you guarantee your safety?’

  Makios froze. He could see what was coming. ‘No,’ he admitted.

  ‘But you want me to get on a ship with a bunch of strangers, and Tyne,’ she touched his shoulder then crossed her arms, ‘while you fly off and, potentially, I never see you again?’ Her brows arched in challenge.

  ‘I get your point,’ Makios sighed. ‘But Rhona, doing this will clear my record and allow me to offer you a life beyond being a smuggler.’

  ‘You’re a smuggler?’ she said stiffly.

  Laughter erupted from Tyne. ‘I’m going to leave you two to have this conversation in peace.’

  Makios closed his eyes. They hadn’t actually had this conversation yet.

  He heard the door open and close.

  ‘Are you going to go after her, Kathen?’

  Makios opened his eyes to find the wrong person had left the room. He stood and ran out, seeing a flash of red disappear up the stairs in the galley to the mezzanine floor above. The mezzanine that led to the storage area Makios wanted to convert to their home.

  Makios hurried his pace and took the stairs three at a time to find Rhona sitting on a chair on the mezzanine floor.

  She glared at him. ‘Are you done with me?’ There was fear in her eyes as she spoke.

  ‘No.’ He shook his head to add emphasis to his words and knelt before her. ‘Never.’

  ‘Then don’t send me away,’ she pleaded.

  Makios sighed. ‘Rhona, I have to,’ he said.

  Anger flared in her eyes. Makios ignored it, though it cut him to the bone.

  The image of Alethia lying on the table entered his mind. Kallis carrying her to the ship. Makios lying on the ground while Tolomus had men pick him up and load him on The Crucible. Rhona being taken into the side room by the Fenion and her screams shortly after. The Amaran cutting her while Makios lay helpless to defend her. Decimen walking away, the light of hope going out. A hundred things could go wrong at any moment on this mission. He wouldn’t risk Rhona, even if it meant she never saw him again. Makios steeled his resolve and stood.

  ‘In four rotes, we rendezvous with Dairon, and you are going with him,’ he said.

  Rhona stood up, a look of fury on her face. ‘You’re such a pig-headed idiot!’ Rhona shouted.

  ‘And you are stubborn and reckless,’ Makios shouted, ‘and I refuse to lose the female I love!’

  Rhona’s eyes widened.

  ‘I didn’t mean to tell you like this!’ Makios shouted.

  Rhona shook her head. ‘Well, I love you too!’ she shouted. ‘Now piss off for a couple of hours so I can calm down.’

  Some of the cloud lifted from Makios’s spirits, and he grinned.

  Rhona grinned back.

  Makios stepped towards her, she met him in the middle.

  Her lips were hot, and she fought him for dominance, her lips setting the pace and tongue warring with his.

  ‘Rhona,’ he groaned as his cock hardened.

  ‘Makios,’ she whispered.

  He pushed towards the storage room, though it was her hand that found the sensor and opened the door. He slammed it shut behind him and picked her up, his tunic top riding up her thighs and exposing her naked sex to him.

  ‘Get your pants off, you bastard,’ she moaned in his ear.

  His pants were barely down his hips when he sank deep inside her, her wet warmth greeting him with a playful squeeze.

  ‘Rhona,’ he groaned again. ‘I love you.’

  ‘I love you too, Makios,’ she sighed.

  Her legs were wrapped around him, her heels digging into his ass as she rode him up and down his length. ‘I’m coming with you.’

  His eyes met hers and the challenge began.

  ‘No, you’re not,’ he said, forcing his eyes to stay open as she flexed her pussy to make him break. ‘I wish you could.’ He groaned and fought the urge to close his eyes and give in to the sensations.

  ‘We can do this every day if I come,’ she pointed out. Her breath was ragged, but she increased the beat she had set, her mouth opening as her pleasure increased.

  ‘We can do this every day for the rest of our lives when I don’t lose you to slavers on Caras.’ He groaned low in his throat as his cock pulsed, preparing to cum. ‘Or a random ship in space targeting traders,’ he managed to get out from the back of his throat. ‘I can’t lose you, Rhona.’

  Rhona’s face flushed, she bit her lips, then released it and closed her eyes as she cried out. Her pulsing pussy milked his cock and Makios thrust into her wildly as he came.

  ‘Oh, vrok, Rhona,’ he roared. The pulsing beat of his orgasm stole his control. ‘Rhona,’ he said again, his voice quieter but just as rough. ‘My Rhona,’ he whispered. He pumped into her a few more times, her hips rocking in time to his, her thrusts meeting his.

  ‘
I can’t lose you,’ he whispered in her ear.

  ‘I won’t leave you,’ she whispered to him. ‘If something happens and it all goes wrong, I’d rather die with you than be left behind.’

  ‘Nothing will happen to me if I have you to return to,’ he promised. ‘If something happens while we’re out there and I lose you, I have nothing left to live for,’ he admitted.

  Rhona took his face and pushed it away from her. Their eyes met.

  ‘How the hell did this happen to us so quickly?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Makios said. ‘But I’m grateful for it.’

  ‘Me too,’ she smiled, stroking his face. ‘Which is why I’m not leaving.’ Her voice became hard.

  ‘Vassek female,’ Makios withdrew from her and set her to the floor. ‘Would you listen to sense?’

  ‘If you’d fight to return to me, then you’d fight for me if something goes wrong,’ Rhona said. ‘I’m not worried because I have you now, and I’m. Not. Leaving.’

  ‘Yes, you are,’ Makios fastened his pants and walked to the door, ‘and that’s final. I’m the captain, and this is my ship. You are going.’ He opened the door and walked out onto the mezzanine.

  ‘Oh, you’re the captain.’ Rhona chased after him. ‘You’re the big guy, what you say goes.’

  ‘Yes,’ Makios turned. ‘That’s how it works.’

  ‘Well, tough!’ Rhona shouted as he started down the stairs. ‘I’m not going anywhere, Captain Blackhorn.’

  Makios turned and looked at her, confused.

  ‘What?’

  Rhona’s anger faded, her bluster deflating as she looked around, her eyes narrowing.

  ‘I don’t know how to explain this to you,’ she shouted. ‘It’s an Earth reference. But when I tell my trader friends…’ She pointed at the back of the ship. Makios pointed to the front, she looked at his finger, frowned and reoriented, pointing her finger at the two storage rooms under the crew quarters and galley. ‘They’ll think it’s hilarious.’

  ‘Good for them. I have no idea what it means,’ Makios said.

  Rhona frowned and looked around the mezzanine. The low floor cut off most of the view of the galley.

  ‘This is a stupid fight,’ she said, shaking her head and crossing her arms.

  ‘I have no idea what’s going on,’ Makios admitted.

  ‘I’m not going,’ Rhona said, arching her eyebrow in challenge.

  ‘Yes, you are,’ Makios said. ‘And I’ll miss you every moment you’re gone.’

  Rhona shook her head.

  ‘And I win,’ he said.

  ‘What?’ Her nose scrunched in confusion.

  ‘You closed your eyes when you came. I win.’

  ‘Oh,’ Rhona turned around, ‘fuck off.’ She stomped up the stairs to the mezzanine.

  Makios grinned watching her go, then took the last of the stairs into the galley only to find Kenian, the Mvari engineer, Sidha and Tyne sitting with their feet up facing the stairs, grins on their faces.

  ‘Back to work,’ Makios said, hoping Rhona stayed upstairs, though he liked the way her face coloured when she was embarrassed. It reminded him of the way she flushed when she came.

  ‘Tyne, go talk sense into that female,’

  ‘Not a chance.’ He stood, holding up his hands and backing away towards the crew quarters. ‘She said to leave her alone to calm down. I’m leaving her alone to calm down.’

  ‘Thank you, Tyne,’ Rhona’s voice came from upstairs.

  The Amaran disappeared.

  Makios looked at Kenian and Sidha.

  ‘This is our first break all day,’ Kenian said, holding his hands up. ‘Not our fault you had a…’ he grinned ‘…falling out with your female.’

  ‘Fine. I’ll leave,’ he muttered.

  ‘Good,’ Rhona called.

  Makios finished descending the stairs. ‘Take your break, then back to work,’ he said as he walked by because he was the captain of this damned ship and somebody was going to do as they were told.

  ‘Yes, Captain Blackhorn,’ Sidha called after him.

  ‘You don’t know what that means,’ Makios answered and retreated to the bridge.

  Makios studied the line superimposed on the screen in front of him. It was the territorial line between Devori, Razni, and Ledaan space. Tala bypassed Razni space and slipped over the border from Devori into Ledaan. It was like passing from the storm into the desert. The Devori were passionate, emotional, cruel. The Ledaan were still cruel, but their cruelty was cold. If not for the Raznis’ superior technology, the kinder, human-sized race would probably have been another slave race.

  He watched the Razni line disappear from the screen with regret. He’d always wanted an excuse to visit them. They were like Kathen, respectful of nature and involved in their environment.

  Makios put his feet up on the console and stretched out. He hadn’t seen Rhona since their fight. He heard she’d nested in the mezzanine above the galley before returning to the humans downstairs.

  The door opened behind him, and Vella walked in.

  ‘My shift, Captain Blackhorn,’ she said.

  Makios closed his eyes and stifled a groan. The more he reacted to it, the more they said it. Apparently, Sidha and Kenian had been in the galley when Rhona and Makios first charged through. Neither saw them sitting there. Tyne followed and the nickname, Captain Blackhorn, spread around the ship and preceded him onto the bridge where Deyuul greeted him by using it. Vrokking telepaths.

  Makios lowered his legs and set them under him, raising to his feet.

  ‘We just passed into Ledaan space,’ he said. ‘All systems working within parameters. All looks good.’

  Vella nodded and slipped into the seat he evacuated, adjusting it to accommodate her taller size.

  ‘The bridge is yours,’ he said.

  ‘I spoke to your human.’ Vella looked up at him. ‘I like her. She suits you.’

  Makios smiled. ‘I like her too.’ He smiled.

  ‘Apparently, you love her,’ she pointed out. ‘And she loves you.’ She sniffed. ‘A bit quick for me. Ivoresh don’t rush into these matters. But knowing you, and meeting her, it makes sense.’

  ‘Do you know if she’s gone to our room?’

  Vella shook her head. ‘I know how you can discover this. Go there.’

  Makios left the bridge and stood in the hall for a moment before he turned immediately to his right and entered his room.

  There was no sign of Rhona.

  He wanted to go out to the galley, to the mezzanine. He wanted to tear the ship apart in search of her, but she had asked for time alone, and he would respect that. Instead, he took a quick shower and got into bed alone.

  If Makios put her on the Invictus, would she hate him?

  He lay on his back, the round pillow under his head, his horns pressed lightly into the mattress. He threw an arm up over his head and sighed.

  What if he did irreparable damage to their relationship by sending her away? What if he brought her and Tolomus was back on Caras? What if he got to the Goedan facility and everything went wrong? What if he sent her away and when he got back to Tessa, she couldn’t forgive him? Rhona was a passionate person. Her feelings ran deep. How deep did her resentments go?

  Taking her, he risked losing her; leaving her, he risked losing her.

  The door opened. Light reflected off of red hair and the door closed.

  She crept over to the bed and, in the light of a thousand stars flashing by the window, she pulled the tunic over her head, revealing her long, slender, pale body. She walked around the bed and got in on the left of him, snuggling into his side.

  ‘I wasn’t sure you were coming back,’ he admitted.

  ‘Well, that makes you a dummy, doesn’t it?’ she said. There was a hint of irritation in her voice.

  ‘I don’t know what a dummy is.’

  ‘It’s you,’ she sighed. ‘Classic dummy.’

  ‘You’re still angry,’ he said.

  R
hona sighed again and propped herself upon his chest. Makios looked down at her.

  ‘I’m not leaving the ship,’ Rhona said firmly. ‘And I’m not arguing about it anymore. Just know, when the time comes, I will scream blue murder if you try to force me.’

  Makios sighed and nodded acceptance.

  ‘Tell me how you became a smuggler.’

  ‘That’s a long story,’ Makios said.

  ‘You got somewhere to be?’

  ‘Between your legs,’ he said.

  Rhona grinned at him. She stretched up until their lips met but drew away after the slightest kiss.

  ‘I’m going to keep you to that,’ she said. ‘But first, smuggler.’

  Makios sighed and nodded. He knew telling this story was inevitable, but he hated it, he hated remembering. He drew in a deep breath and let it go.

  ‘My adiff, what you call father,’ Rhona nodded, ‘was Danva Desares—’

  ‘Desares is your last name? Your family name?’

  Makios nodded.

  ‘My innu, mother, was Nedya.’ Their faces flashed in his mind. His father was a giant to Makios when he was a child. Noble, strong, kind. His mother was the core of their worlds. ‘My adiff was a soldier in the Kathen military. He served with honour and distinction, but there was no room for advancement. He couldn’t make a decent living on a soldiers wage, so we moved to a planet called Vasa, and my father fought in the Alidai fighting pit.’

  ‘Fought? Like a gladiator? Like an arena?’

  The words fit. Makios nodded. ‘He was a volunteer and earned good money. But there were a lot of slaves there.’

  Rhona took in a sharp breath. Makios looked at her face; there was a mixture of wariness and interest.

  ‘Kathens are against slavery on the whole. My adiff and innu in particular. Being on that planet, witnessing the things they did, they hated slavery.’

  Rhona nodded. The wariness faded to concern.

  ‘My adiff was raising funds to buy the pit from the owner. He planned on allowing the slaves to earn their freedom.’

  Rhona frowned.

  ‘He would have to buy them, Rhona. He wanted to be able to free as many slaves as he could, and that meant earning money to buy them. It wasn’t ideal, but my father was a realist.’

  ‘Having been in a cage, do you think it was the best way?’