Page 31 of Dark Space
Our biology wasn’t quite good enough to let ushearin the vacuum, though, so Callan gestured for me to sit while he monitored the ship’s communication system for indications that the Tirians had received the distress call. I didn’t sit, but rather pushed gently off the floor and floated in the low gravity until it eventually pulled me back down.
Callan’s scaled lips twitched up.
I wanted to make him smile, so I did it again, managing a number of somersaults mid-air before I sank back down to my feet.
Show off, he mouthed.
You’re just jealous, I mouthed back.
He made a face and I laughed. I hadn’t been alone like this with Callan –completelyalone – since we were sent into the desert wilds of Scytha for our mandatory military tests, and even then we were tracked by drone and had no idea which dunes were recording livecasts for the audiences in Scytha City. Thiswas the first time in my entire life it was just me and Callan, with no threat of interruption.
I took a step closer to him.
Cide, he mouthed.
Cal, I returned.
My fingers itched to touch his scales, to trace their shimmering pearlescence. Warmth gathered low in my belly, unfurling through my limbs. There was something irresistible about seeing who Callan really was, about seeing the creature beneath his skin – so dangerous and strong and beautiful.
I took another step, my eyes going heavy with want.
He took in the expression; his jaw tightened and he lifted his chin, his lovely mouth rigid.Don’t play with me, Prince.
I froze.
Not even a day ago, I’d pushed him away. His cock had still been hard against mine and his skin warm beneath my fingers, but I’d decided to be loyal to Anna.
He gave a sharp nod.I’m yours, Alcide. Always. But don’t be cruel.
And with that, he turned back to the communication panel, as if nothing had happened.
The Tirians didn’t arrive for another handful of hours, so I had plenty of time to feel mortified.
When we finally saw the ships, we took our places behind the tethered crates in the hold. Callan’s signal had been accompanied by a message begging for ice, and two of the strange, pod-like craft the Tirians used for short range transportwere dragging nets full of the stuff which, I reflected, we should probably try to take back for Anna.
The first pair of Tirians pulled their block inside, and tethered it to the floor, looking around curiously for the Darnagh captain, who should have been present to receive the drop-off. We could tell that they were uneasy; Callan frowned at his wrist screen, trying to send a reassuring message over the ship’s comm system, but no sound emerged; I suspected the internal relay was broken, possibly the reason the ship had been dumped for salvage on a small moon in Sector Ten.
We waited until the first pair of Tirians were back in the craft and the second were inside the hold to pounce.
It was all too easy to drag them into the airlock.
They fought, but we had the advantage of surprise and strength. The Tirians were intergalactic peacekeepers because their tech was impressively sophisticated and they were well-organised, disciplined, and bureaucratic, not because they possessed the highest muscle mass. The two in the second pod-like craft were trained – andwelltrained, at that – in personal combat, but Callan overpowered the first within a moment, and politely waited for my scuffle with the second to end a minute later.
We knocked them out and bound them, dragging them inside the ship so they wouldn’t suffocate. They’d be cold, but there were blankets and food on board for when they woke up, and I had no doubt that their shipmates would come looking for them – hopefully once we were far, far away. Squeezing into their uniforms was much harder: both of us were at least half a foot taller than the Tirians, and that waswithoutour horns. When Callan donned the helmet, I burst into silent laughter; there was a gap of a good few inches between his helmet and his neck, meaning the odd, organic suit that the Tirians wore wouldn’t close.
Luckily, it didn’t need to.
When we were dressed, Callan took my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. I pressed his fingers back, then held his fist against my chest for a heartbeat.
When we left, I led the way.
The length between the Darnagh ship and the Tirian craft was one of the longest walks of my life. I was tense, every step heavy with the expectation of discovery, adrenaline surging through my body. Callan’s hands were balled at his sides, but he strode across the moon’s dusty surface like he owned it, and when he reached the empty Tirian craft, it opened under his hand.
I climbed in, saying a silent prayer.
The inside was like nothing I’d ever seen before, an odd mix of machine and organic plant life. I’d heard rumours that the Tirian species had evolved from trees; I’d discounted it as ridiculous, but as I eyed the inside of the tiny craft, it seemed like it might not be so far removed from reality.
Callan settled in the pilot’s chair. When the roof closed over our heads, I reached forward and touched his shoulder. He took my hand and squeezed my fingers reassuringly. We couldn’t risk speaking – we had no idea what kind of surveillance might be inside the craft – so I settled back in my seat, then almost jumped out of my skin when vines grew around my chest, keeping me securely in place.
