Page 43 of Star Defenders (My Alien Mates 2)

They both looked at me funny.

"No," J'avet replied after a moment. "Only in Earth movies."

"Then how does anyone access the inner—"

J'avet put a hand over my mouth. "Quiet, or you'll get us all killed." He moved his hand and I glared at him.

I wanted to tell him that if he ever did that again, he'd find my knee in his groin. Now, however, wasn't the time.

"We're staying together," Zarex said firmly.

J'avet gave a long-suffering look and turned away.

At least I know it's not just me he hates, I thought.He doesn't seem to like anyone, including himself. He must be lonely. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

"I believe the sound came from the galley, sir," the security officer said. He was a tall man, with yellow-green skin. I couldn't tell if he was Centauri, Agusian, a combination or another species altogether.

J'avet nodded sharply.

I almost suggested a cook burnt themselves, but I bit my tongue. With any luck, that was all it was. Burns were easy to heal these days. Instinct told me it was something much worse.

We moved toward the open door to the galley, feet silent with our cautious steps.

Sweat broke out on my palms and under my arms.

Zarex put a hand on my shoulder and gave me the dish.

"Stay out here and keep this safe," he mouthed.

I nodded, although I didn't want to stand out here alone. I hugged the dish to me and hoped the nanobots would remain dormant.

The three guys stepped through the doorway. After a moment, I leaned in so I could see inside.

I held back a gasp.

Bodies lay on the floor, blood pooled around them. One, no two, were dressed in the white uniforms of ship cooks. Both were Agusian. Two security officers, both Parvoran, held blasters. One's arm hung at his side and his sleeve was covered in blood.

What caught my eye was a woman who lay on the floor, a gaping wound in her chest. Her skin was silver. In her hand, she clutched a huge carving knife.

"Edie," Zarex said slowly, "get the dish to engineering.Now." He backed toward the door, toward me.

I nodded. I didn't wait for Zarex before I trotted off. It would only be a matter of time before the nanobots inside the woman fled her in search of more bots, or Freytaurians. We didn't need them to appropriate the ones in my hand.

I made it a handful of steps before a couple of Iri came around the bend in the corridor.

I stopped dead.

Shit, fuck and more shit. My eyes widened and my grip on the dish tightened so hard I thought it might crack. I loosened it just slightly.Don't drop it, I told myself.

Both Iri wore IF uniforms, one of a security officer. The other from the ship's laundry. Wasn't washing other people's dirty clothes bad enough withoutthishappening to them? Fuck knows I hated doing the job, and that was just my own clothes.

"Uh, hi." I raised my hand and gave a little wave. "I'm not Freytauri, as you can see, so I can't host your little friends. Sorry about that." I shrugged one shoulder and smiled sweetly. "If you don't mind, I'll just be on my way."

They looked blank, like computers waiting to boot up, or a remote control car before the operator moved the switch.

Waiting for programming?That would imply someone else was on the end of all of this. Who or where they were, I didn't know. Couldn't guess. They could be on board, or on the other side of the galaxy for all I knew.

They stepped forward, almost in unison. I half expected them to shuffle like zombies, but they moved as naturally as they would without the nanobot infestation. Not the living dead then. More like the living infested.

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