Page 31 of The Stolen Tribute
THIRTEEN
JAXIR
I watched Kylie zip up the black suit. It was a few sizes too big for her, but she looked beautiful anyway, especially now that I knew what was beneath the crisp fabric: her soft skin, her gentle touch, her sweet scent. I was trapped now.
I had been so close to mating her. I’d almost locked onto her and given into a full mating ritual, but somehow I’d managed to stop. I couldn’t knot her like that, not here. The more time I spent with her, the more I couldn’t deny that she was the female for me, but did she feel the same way?
Kylie looked over. “What?” She giggled.
“Nothing, nothing,” I said. I couldn’t look away from her.
“Are you going to call your crew, or should we wait a little longer?” She winked.
Human females weren’t shy about what they wanted when it came to pleasure mating. I loved it. I’d never been with a female like Kylie before. She was possessive, knew what she wanted, and she didn’t shy away from my demands either. It was like we were made for each other.
“I think we should get in touch with the crew,” I said. I pulled Kylie close to me and kissed her hard. “We’ll have plenty of time for round two later.”
“Good,” She whispered against my lips.
It took all of my willpower to release her and turn to the computer panels. I hit the SOS button to send out a general signal, and then I flipped over to the frequency channel that my crew used. I had no idea how far we were from them, but it was worth a shot.
Then, I reactivated that star maps. We were still in the Milky Way, which was a good sign.
Please reconnect.The computer voice said again. I ignored it; hopefully, by the time whoever was running these AI ships noticed that one had gone offline, we’d be long gone. After all, this was pure laziness on their part to not have at least one capable person on the ship.
The door thumped as a Mujug pushed against it.
“What are we going to do with those guys?” Kylie asked. She was spinning around in one of the chairs slowly.
“The door should hold,” I said. “Mujugs have nearly as little strength as they do brains.”
“I kind of feel sorry for them,” Kylie said.
I glanced up. “They were being controlled by the AI. We stopped that, so now they’re just roaming. I don’t want to kill any more if we don’t have to,” I said. “But if they get in the way, just know that I will shoot.”
Kylie nodded.
A minute later, a signal chimed.
Message incoming … message incoming …The computer voice said.
I gasped, hitting a button to bring the main screen back online.
The sound crackled through the speakers. “This is Starship Black Falcon. We’ve received your SOS.”
I grinned. Starship Black Falcon was the code name my crew used when responding to unknown users. My message made it. I typed our coordinates in furiously as I spoke back. “Black Falcon, this is Jaxir. There was a bit of a hiccup in my plans.”
The voice on the other end changed from severe to familiar. It laughed. “Oh Captain, you’ve done it again, haven’t you?”
“I told you, don’t call me captain, it makes me sound old.”
“Well, Jaxir, Black Falcon has received your coordinates. With hyperdrive, we should be there in a few hours. Can you hang tight?”
I glanced at Kylie. “I’m sure I’ll be able to stay entertained.”
She grinned at me and giggled.
“We’re in the main bridge of a space trawler and currently stationary. Unfriendlies aboard, but should be easy to deal with.”
