Periodically, females came to check on the pup. He couldn’t tell the voices apart. Only the pitch gave away the fact that the males had left the transport. He took no relief. Females could be vicious when defending themselves, especially in a pack. Trails of the scent of burned food traced back to him, killing his immediate hunger pains. In another cycle or two, he wouldn’t care if the food was edible, but he wasn’t desperate yet…except to get moving. The faster he got off Kolben, the faster he could deliver the orb and collect his fee.
Finally, the engines ignited. A voice, husky and sweet, rolled through the room. He fought the urge to leave his hiding spot and view the owner to see if she was as luscious as the tones promised. His stomach grumbled, arguing the first order of business was food. Thankfully, the sound didn’t carry over the engines. And his stomach was wrong. First, get off the planet. Then food. Then find the hot female and— No.
Then deliver the orb before whatever supposed influence it possessed worked on him. The funds tied to the delivery would sustain him and his obligations for a long time. He could find the female later if he still cared to. The Treasure wouldn’t be a hard ship to track down.
Any moment, the ship would lift off.
…
Any moment.
Cifer took a slow, deep breath, drawing on his well of patience, which was at an all-time low. The ship shuddered and lifted. Yes. They hovered, and Cifer braced for launch. Hold… Hold… The ship dropped back to the launchpad.
The engines shut down.
Fuck no.
They had to launch.
He had to go. Should have already gone. Insanity teased him—for a moment, he considered showing himself and demanding an explanation. He slowed his breathing. In a situation where he had no control, his only control was his response.
Slow in. Slow out.
Eventually, he leveled out. Not like the ship would remain on Kolben. It had to take off sometime, but damn, he really wished the ride with Jarn had worked out.
Pain in Cifer’s gut woke him. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep. Dangerous. But he hadn’t slept or eaten well since he’d landed on Kolben. Once out of his hiding place, he hesitated. Nothing moved. The slow susurration of the basic mechanical systems filled the space. He crept out of the engine room, letting the shadows assist his natural cloaking. The puppy remained splayed on a cushion at the back of the crate, oblivious to Cifer’s presence.
He reached the entrance ladder that led to the lower deck and froze, using all his senses. Nothing moved. No sounds. No scent of food. He crept down a large corridor packed with storage cabinets. A doorway on his right called to him. The faint scent of past meals made his mouth water. With no time to waste, he hurried to investigate and found protein bars. He took an entire row so the appearance at a casual glance would remain the same. Shoving one into his mouth and the rest into his cloaked pouch, he chewed quickly as he rushed on silent feet back to safety and his interminable wait.
Another cycle passed slowly. Cifer couldn’t risk exploring. Every time he considered it, someone came to check on the dog or deliveries came. More crates. Fuels rods. Protein bars gone, Cifer entertained himself with searching for small, discarded items in the far reaches of the engine room. The room was surprisingly clean, which added to his boredom. A bolt had been the best find. But giving into the tediousness of the waiting—allowing himself to leave his spot—would be the death of him. One hand, feeling along the edges of boxes, under crates, seemed a reasonable compromise.
The air changed. He pulled his arm slowly back to his hiding spot.
“Captain, I was able to get more fuel rods. They’ve been loaded, and we should have enough to get to Cassan, even if we don’t take the ER bridge, but I think Rhysa said we are taking the wormhole? Did you authorize that? I mean, it’s good, but I need to do other checks for that kind of travel. Take additional precautions.”
The voice was lush and intelligent, if a bit rushed. The same voice that had seduced him cycles earlier. If only he could poke his head out to put a face with the voice. The voices faded as they left the cargo area. Cifer took a step to follow. Sanity slapped him back into place. He’d waited this long and was so close to escaping. Don’t fuck it up.
He slipped open the flap of his pouch. It was hard to believe that the rounded stone was so important to the royal family. He’d tripled his fees when they contacted him. A trip to Kolben wasn’t something he’d ever wanted to do. The planet, owned by a mining company, held a horde of sentient beings working as slaves for the remainder of their attenuated lives. His brief glimpse into the workforce had left him unsettled. Beings aging before their time. If—when— he survived this job, he’d investigate just how they acquired their workers.
Cifer shivered and returned the swirling ball in its protective shroud. He wasn’t off the planet yet. The cloth of the bag had cost him plenty, along with the clothes he wore. The expensive fabric was normally used for women’s gowns in the more risqué circles. It took on the coloring of the wearer, through some kind of light scattering that he didn’t entirely understand. All he knew was that he was warmer and still able to use his natural ability to camouflage. The cost would be justified when he collected the other part of his fee.
If he collected it.
Voices carried down the corridor, warning him of the crew members’ approach. The sexy voice he’d heard earlier reached his ears, but the words were unclear. They weren’t close enough. The female was a talker. Cifer laughed a little to himself. He would always know where she was on the ship.
“I need to check my plants. I had no idea Cyra would authorize an ER jump.”
“I know. I’m not ready either.” The enticing female had returned. He hadn’t even seen her yet, and already the urge to possess her threaded through him. “We have to lock down everything. Thankfully, the fuel was delivered. Not that it was late—this was just the latest window—but I hate waiting. It would be so much easier if they just showed up on time, like at the earliest time they say, instead of having to wait and wonder if they are going to arrive and if you should contact them. But you don’t want to get on their bad side, especially on a planet with only one supplier. That wouldn’t do.”
“Okay.” The gentle voice interrupted the other female. “I’ll check on my plants now. I’ll see you later in the galley. I think we may have some peppers ready to harvest.”
The room with the plants made more sense, but it was very unusual. Cifer pressed a hand to his stomach when it growled in anticipation. He’d nearly starved on Kolben. What organization keeps its food stores under lock and key?
“Are you hungry?”
The velvet tones coaxed him to answer. He opened his mouth.
“I have the fuel rods you need, hungry beast.”
