“Where is he?” Dez’s voice was so loud, Blaize jumped back and crashed into the far wall of the corridor. He turned his glare on her. “I told you to wait.”
Blaize didn’t move. She was prey, and he was in full predator mode. Freezing might not be wise, but it was instinctual.
“This is Cifer.” Veda spoke as soon as Dez turned back to the room.
Blaize crept up beside him so she could see in. There stood the impressive male who’d rescued her. Copper skin highlighted his brown eyes with flecks of green. Long brown hair fell just past his very wide shoulders. He wasn’t as tall as Dez, but he was thick with muscles. She had a strange impulse to ask him to remove his shirt.
“Furcifer Msuya. Cifer.” The stowaway held out his hand.
Dez growled. His normally gray skin had a red cast, and his yellow eyes practically glowed. She’d never heard him make that sound or look so angry.
Cifer was in big trouble. She had to say something. “Dez, he saved my life. He had to get off Kolben. I know it looks bad, but?—”
“Blaize, it more than looks bad. It is bad. He’s a stowaway.” Dez shook his head. “Veda. Showing him around? Really? And Blaize, why did you wait so long to tell me your concerns?”
“She didn’t know I was on board until after the ER jump. A fixture came loose from the ceiling.”
“Did I ask you to speak?” Dez puffed up even larger, blocking Blaize’s view completely. “Give me one reason I shouldn’t eject you right now.”
“I can pay, for my transport. I didn’t have the luxury of negotiating passage while I was on the planet, but I’m more than able to cover the cost of my travel.”
Blaize found herself believing everything Cifer said and wanting to hear more. But the last time she’d been enamored by a male, he had stolen her ship out from under her. She couldn’t trust her own judgment. Maybe Dez should space Cifer out the airlock.
“Dez, we can put him in the cargo hold. Talk about it with Cyra?” Veda was begging.
“I’m the security officer. I don’t require the captain’s approval to deal with security violations that threaten the safety of this crew.”
“But he didn’t threaten our safety. He saved my life.” Blaize clenched her jaw shut to keep from rattling on.
“His presence is a threat.”
“You didn’t even know he was here.” Veda’s voice carried into the hallway. She was never that loud.
“That’s exactly my point, Veda,” Dez barked back at her.
“Please, can we talk it over with the captain and the crew? He’s a good guy,” Veda begged.
Were they being taken in by a gorgeous male with a sexy voice who’d done one good deed? For all Blaize knew, the guy had engineered the accident so he could save her and make her his advocate.
“I’m more than willing to be placed in whatever holding cell you deem appropriate if you would please consider my offer. I can pay premium prices. I have no intention of harming anyone or being a burden of any kind.”
That voice. It caressed Blaize’s back and stroked her hair. She fell so easily under his spell. She shook her head and opened her mouth to offer her reformed opinion to Dez: eject the stowaway.
“Fine. You can stay in the locked cargo hold while we discuss the matter with the captain. We have security feeds in that area. If you do anything that I deem a threat, those will be your last actions inside this ship.”
“I understand. Thank you.” Cifer’s conciliatory tone might be just another manipulation, but it sounded convincing.
Blaize stuffed her fists into the pockets of her coveralls and stomped down to the engine room. Working on the systems would help her calm down and get over whatever power that male had with his voice. Apparently it worked on males, too. Otherwise, how would he have convinced Dez to compromise?
“Blaize, meet us in the galley,” Dez called to her.
She waved acknowledgment, but she had to inspect the light fixture first.
Blaize slumped into a chair in the galley, frustrated with the interruption. Her emotions swirled, disrupting any logical thought she attempted. She didn’t know anything about the Cifer guy, except he was a criminal stowaway and he’d saved her life. She huffed and balled her hands into fists in her pockets.
Veda fussed with the hot drink dispenser. For some reason, the medic prepared tea for any difficult discussion. There was no tea on Blaize’s childhood planet, and the inhabitants had survived plenty of difficult discussions—mostly. Veda placed the steaming cup in front of her. It would be bad manners to ignore it.
“Thanks, Veda.” She removed her hands from her pockets and wrapped them around the drink. The warmth seeping into her hands and up her arms did feel good. She took a deep breath. Maybe Veda had a point after all.
