“If you’re going to the engine room, would you check on Cifer?” Veda looked up from her spot in the far corner of the bridge. “I spoke to him earlier, but it’s been a while. With him locked in, we need to make sure he’s okay on a regular basis.”
Dammit, she couldn’t tell Veda no. She was too nice. Time to face her ridiculous attraction to the stranger. “Sure.”
Blaize thumped down the corridor. If Rhysa had left her alone, she could have hidden on the deck for at least a few more hours, if not a few more cycles. Instead, she walked toward the gorgeous stowaway with a come-hither voice. She’d fallen for a sexy male once—had the certificate of completion in her lesson in betrayal. No need for a remedial course.
If she was quick, she could pass by the cell where he was being housed—the same one Dez had occupied so recently—verify the guy was alive, and keep going. Fast. That was the way to do this. Rip off the bandage, and it would be over before she had time to worry or talk to him.
She placed her palm on the access panel. Dez had implemented tighter security, and all the pass-through doors that once remained opened were closed all the time. Once the door slid back, she crossed into the cargo hold.
Once again, Princess, the pup, wasn’t in her cage—probably with Cyra. Blaize glanced into the open grate of the first cell and froze. Cifer should be there, lying on the bunk or doing pushups on the floor like Dez had done on the way to Kolben. Instead, the cell was empty. There was nowhere to hide. The bunk was a block, built into the hull of the ship. A flat mattress and thermal cover lay on top. Smooth, no lump, no body, nothing. She backed up a few steps and moved a little closer to the metal enclosure. She could see into the bathing alcove. It was shallow and well lit. He wasn’t in there.
With her face pressed between the bars, she looked at every wall, inspected the ceiling and the shadows of the corners. Nothing. She pulled on the door, but it was firmly locked. She spun and, with her back to the cell, looked around the open cargo hold. There wasn’t anywhere else to hide. He had to be in the cell. Without considering the wisdom of her plan, she opened the cell door and went inside. As she stared at the bunk, a breeze touched a tendril of her hair. There could be no breeze on a ship. When she felt it again, she reached up, wrapped her hands around the appendage that was too close to her head, and flung the attached body forward and down onto the bunk.
“Oof.” Cifer was visible now, splayed on the bunk with his head at the foot, between her parted legs. His greenish-brown eyes twinkled, and a slow smile crossed his face as he stared pointedly at her crotch.
Blaize stepped back and closed her stance but kept her arms in fighting position. “Where the hell where you?”
“There was a screw loose.” Cifer pointed to the ceiling. “The rattling was disturbing my rest.”
Blaize peeked over her shoulder, and there was a vent cover where he pointed. “It’s not rattling now.”
“I fixed it.”
“Why were you hiding? You had to see me. I looked everywhere before I came in here. I shouldn’t have come in. You were trying to get me to come in, weren’t you? I should’ve called Dez as soon as you were missing. Now you’re going to kill me or take me hostage or something.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Cifer sat up on the edge of the bunk. He held his hands out as if he could stop her talking with his hands alone. “I’ve never killed anyone. And if I was going to start, it wouldn’t be someone as beautiful as you.”
She scoffed.
“Besides, I had cycles on the ship before you knew I was here. Don’t you think I would have done something then?”
“So you’re willing to be a killer? But waiting? Maybe you did rig the light, since you seem to be able to climb on ceilings.”
“That’s not at all what I said. I told you I’m not a killer.”
“But you are a criminal.” Blaize took another step back toward the door of the cell.
“I have found myself on the far side of the law a time or two, but it wasn’t by choice.”
“Of course it was by choice. Everyone has the choice of how they behave. But criminals believe it’s always someone else’s fault, usually the victim’s.”
“No, in my case it was never the victim’s fault.” Cifer leaned forward on his knees. “Others were to blame, but not the victims.”
“And now the crew members of The Treasure are your victims.”
“If I made you feel a victim in any way, I apologize. It is not my intention to take advantage. As I’ve explained, I’m willing to pay for my passage.”
“Like paying for it afterwards makes it better.” She put her hands on her hips and glared.
“Sometimes making amends is all you can do.” He stood and held out one hand.
Blaize took another step back and tripped over her feet. Cifer shot out an arm and grabbed her hand, saving her again. As soon as his fingers wrapped around hers, she was aware of the mistake. She should never have entered his cell, let him close, or let him touch her. Her heart raced, but it wasn’t fear. It was something far more concerning: attraction.
He stepped close to her, so close she could feel the whisper of his breath on her face and the nearness of his body to hers. Her breathing stopped. Heat moved up her arm and down lower, between her legs. Legs that remained unsteady.
“Blaize.” His voice caressed her ear. “Your parents blessed you with the perfect name.” He wrapped a tendril of her hair around the fingers of his free hand.
She yanked her hand out of his grip and dove through the door of the cell, closing it firmly behind her. She was panting. His fingers slid over her hair, and she leaped away. “What is wrong with you?”
