Page 18 of Her Lawless Prince

Nyle balanced a tray on one hand and carried a bundle in the other as he walked in. He wore a burgundy shirt similar to the crewmen. “They let me use the food simulator. I wasn’t sure what you liked so I guessed, but it’s not foam.”

The door slid shut behind him.

“What took so long? I thought I was going to die in here.” Payton automatically went toward him. Her hand lifted to hover over his arm, and she stopped herself short of touching him. She remembered all too well the awareness that took over her body whenever they made physical contact.

“I’ve been gone five hours.” He started to smile but then stopped as he saw her face. “Are you all right?”

His gaze captured hers, and she felt herself leaning closer. Payton forced herself to look at the tray he carried. Two rounded lumps of bread sat on plates.

“Five hours?” She couldn’t believe it had only been that long. Hearing his voice did something to soothe her cagey nerves. “It felt like five years. There is no air in here. It’s too quiet. Too…” Her frown deepened. “Metal.”

“You’re not all right.” He placed the tray on the platform and returned to her. “I’m sorry. I would have demanded to come back sooner had I known you were claustrophobic.”

“I’m not. I mean, I don’t think I am.” Payton took a deep breath, calming herself. “It’s this ship, knowing that the unbreathable blackness surrounds us. I started to worry they’d just leave me in here.”

“I won’t let that happen.” Nyle reached for her but stopped himself.

Payton felt drawn to him. She wanted him to touch her, to feel a connection to another living creature. She told herself it was simply a reaction to being alone, but the feelings she experienced whenever they touched stirred deep within her.

“What’s happening?” she asked, ignoring the chemistry bubbling between them. “Is Yevgen…?”

Nyle studied his wristband to check the room, before speaking, “I repaired the hole to stop any more fluid loss, and I’m now removing one of his legs. I told them it would conserve his resources for the repair. I’m working slowly to buy us time.”

“Time to do what?”

“I’m still working on that part. I’ve seen a total of seven different crew members. I’m sure there are more. They took me to a storage closet where they kept a food simulator and to a laboratory to work. Other than that, it’s been corridors and armed guards.”

She liked focusing on the sound of his voice. It reached out to her like a lifeline, pulling her from the darkness of her mind and refocusing her attention on making a plan. “What else did you find out?”

“We’re in deep space. What glimpses I saw of the outside were nothing but stars and blackness. An escape pod would not be advisable.” He lifted the bundle gripped in his fist. “I brought you clothes. It’s not a compression suit.”

She took the clothing and placed them next to the tray. Payton remained in his shirt. “What else?”

“I’ve been thinking about everything that’s happened.” He stayed close to her, his voice soft as if whispering secrets. “Captain Rita knows my Cysgodian title and that I helped create Yevgen. Even if they read the newspaper chip article, it wouldn’t have told them about Yevgen or my full name. All the article had was that old picture of me, and that the formula remained behind. No one has called me the bastard son of an unknown off-worlder and Diana since I left Cysgod.”

“Yevgen did. When you broke into his home.”

Nyle frowned. “He was the first in a long time. I can’t say that I’ve missed the reminder.”

“You didn’t know your father?”

“My mother wouldn’t name him. Her parents were strict, and she was young when she had me. By the time I was about ten years old, I realized the stories she told me of him were made up. Sometimes he was an intergalactic celebrity. Other times he was a space pirate, or a spy, or a warrior who had to go home to save his planet. I’ve come to the conclusion that he was a mediocre man who either ran away from his responsibilities or had disappeared before those responsibilities arose.”

“Who do you think told the mercenaries your full name?”

“The Federation would have it in the Cysgodian census records, which would have listed my employment at Yeven Genetic. However, they weren’t told the source of the virus. No one wanted to take credit for that. When it first started, the company tried to deny it. My best guess is that the Federation hired Captain Rita and her mercenaries to retrieve Yevgen. They could have put most of the pieces together if they read that article. I still can’t believe he found that after all these years.”

Payton nodded. The assumption made sense. “We’ve been waiting for the Federation to return to Qurilixen in response to our arresting General Sten and ejecting them from the base. We couldn’t figure out why they were taking so long to respond. Maybe they wanted our attention diverted to possible retaliation while they sent in their mercenaries. Yevgen found evidence that General Sten thought to claim Cysgod for the Federation once the virus had passed. If no Cysgodians were left to protest, he would have been able to.”

Her stomach made a small grumbling noise, reminding her of her hunger.

“Perhaps.” Nyle gestured at the food. “You should eat. I’m told it’s better warm.”

“How did you land on my planet? We were watching the skies.”

“Parasite ship.” Nyle reached for a plate and held it out to her. “I believe this should taste close to your planet’s blue bread.”

“Parasite ship?” Payton took the plate and held it, not eating.

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