Delivery (Star Line Express Romance Book 3) Read online

  “This is Joston Lynar,” Aeryen says, introducing me to Chlo, who I’ve known for months.

  “It is indeed,” Chlo says. “Are you two getting along?”

  “He let me fly the raft!”

  I wink at Chlo, who gets the message.

  “How was that?” she says.

  “I’m going to be a pilot!” says Aeryen.

  Then I notice that Chlo and Niya have been holding hands since we got off the raft, that both of them are teary-eyed, and also I have to get to the engine room, so it’s time for my exit.

  “Gotta go,” I say. “Aymee’s yelling for me.”

  “I’m coming too!” says Aeryen, who is apparently in charge. If we go to the helm, will he take over from Zavl’yn? Probably.

  “Aeryen,” says Niya. “You should stay here with us. Joston has to work.”

  “It’s okay,” I say. “Aeryen can help.”

  “You promised not to lie,” Aeryen says to me, his dead-serious persona rising to the fore.

  “Actually, I didn’t,” I say. “You’re the one running the experiment.”

  “What’s this all about?” says Chlo.

  “I’ll tell you all about it later,” I say. “Right now, we have to get to the engine room. Ready, Cadet Redmor?”

  “Ready, sir!” says Aeryen, already comfortable in his new role as commander-in-training.

  He rushes off, down the wrong corridor, and I have to race after him, corral him, and take us on the right path to the engine room. There, Aymee, who looks like she’s going to deliver her and Nik’s baby in about ten seconds, is pointing at Cyrs, who’s shaking his head.

  But he stops shaking it when he sees me.

  “There’s your guy,” Cyrs says. “The only one who’d be crazy enough to listen to you.”

  “Thanks for the praise,” I say to Cyrs, our cranky galaxy jumper. He’s working on the ship, but only so he can get to his destination. We picked him up on Gadnon—what a fucking hellish place, so hellish that it extinguished every thought of sex I’d had before we landed—and I expect he’s about to depart the Marinax. In fact, I thought he was going to get off here on Engra, but so far he hasn’t said a thing about it.

  “Oh, Joston,” says Aymee. She puts her hand under her abdomen and sits down. “Thanks for coming back early.”

  “I’m having lunch,” says Cyrs, who galumphs away.

  “I brought help,” I say to Aymee. “Cadet Aeryen Redmor, meet Aymee Desryx, chief engineer of the Marinax.”

  “Cadet Redmor,” Aymee says, and they shake hands. “What do you know about trafence boards?”

  For the first time since I met him yesterday, the overconfident Aeryen looks like he’s met his match.

  “I—” Aeryen considers the question with great care, frowns a bit, and then his face lights up. “Joston will show me!”

  “That’s my boy,” I say.

  Unthinking. Stupid. Careless.

  After today, I’ll never see this kid again. But he’s so wrapped up in the excitement of being on the Marinax and having flown the raft, that he doesn’t even notice what I’ve said.

  But Aymee did. I’m sure of it.

  “Come on,” I say to Aeryen. “We have work to do.”

  “Be careful,” Aymee says to me as I crouch down to inspect the trafence boards. Aymee would do this herself, but crouching has been out of the question for her for a couple of months now.

  I look back up at Aymee for a moment before I get to work. She’s seen Aeryen’s wrists. I’m sure of it. As I look away, I think she may have winced. But Aymee’s not the wincing type. I must have imagined that.

  “Be extra careful,” she says, and we both know she’s not referring to the trafence boards.

  Chapter 9

  Niya

  Chlo takes me back to her quarters, an embarrassingly large suite that includes two rooms and its own bathroom.

  “I know,” she says as we sit on a settee that looks like it’s from another galaxy, and it might be. The Marinax has been hopping around for the last few months.

  “It’s because of Lasson. He didn’t want to stay in my old quarters.”

  “Where is Lasson?” I say. “I was hoping to meet him.”

  “He’s doing business on Engra,” she says, and she doesn’t look happy about it. “I asked him not to, but he insisted. There’s really no way to argue with him. He always wins.”

  “I can’t believe you mated with Lasson Birtak,” I say.

  “Neither can I,” she says. “But I did. He’s not at all like you’d think he’d be.”

  “You mean insufferable, egotistical, and demanding?” Isn’t that what the richest guy on Choryn would be like?

  “Yeah,” she says. “But he’s not like that at all. You’ll see. He’ll be back at dinnertime and you’ll get a chance to talk with him.”

  “How’s this all working out?” I say. “Doesn’t he want to go back to Choryn?”

  “He said we’re going to stay on the Marinax until we find a place that suits both of us. Then we’ll discuss settling down.”

  “But how are they letting him stay here? I mean, you work here.”

  “He’s brought a lot of business to the ship. And he’s pals with the captain and Nik, so they let him—and us—do what we please. And, you know, he’s paying for these quarters.”

  “Chlo,” I say. “I have to talk with you while we can. While we’re alone.”

  “Aeryen?”

  “He’s—Chlo, Joston said that Aeryen’s Chengdry.”

  “Oh,” she says. “How could that be?”

  “You know what Chengdry is?”

  “I found out while I was on Choryn,” she says. “Lasson’s sister, Kaera, is mated to a Chengdry. Fitch.”

  “Joston said that it was Chengdry who settled Engra, millennia ago. Is that right?”

  “That seems to be true,” Chlo says. “But—that was millennia ago. How could Aeryen be Chengdry?”

  “That’s what I’ve been wondering. You’re the doctor—”

  “The former doctor,” Chlo says, and for the first time since I came aboard, I detect a note of regret and sadness in her voice.

  “I thought maybe you’d know.”

  “Sometimes long-buried genetic traits arise again, even centuries later. Spontaneously. Without warning. Like his vestigial tail.”

  “Chlo, he’s got these lovely hairs sprouting from his wrists. I’ve been shaving them, and he hasn’t started questioning me about them, but Joston said—”

  “Joston said. Joston said. It seems like Joston has said a lot to you. And the two of you look like pals. Like, um, maybe more than pals.”

  “Joston—” I stop myself before I say anything else, before I say Joston again.

  It seems that he’s become an integral part of my life even though I’ve known him for less than a day. And, worse, he’s become an integral part of Aeryen’s life. That’s obvious to anyone who sees the two of them together.

  “Chlo, I don’t want to make things hard for you on the Marinax. You’re living a great life here and with Lasson.”

  “You’d better tell me, Niya. We haven’t been able to say what we want for years now. And I know you need someone to talk to. You’re my dearest friend. You can tell me anything. You know that.”

  “Chlo”—I take a deep breath—“I want to ask you something, but you don’t have to answer now. You don’t have to ever answer. And I know it’s not right, but every day I get more worried.”

  “Just say it, Niya. I don’t mind. And of course I’ll answer, even if the answer’s not what you want to hear.”

  “Chlo, you haven’t been here for years. You don’t know what it’s like on Engra. The laws are twice as strict as they used to be, there are barriers up on all the roads anywhere near the palace, and there are whispers of rebellion.”

  “And?”

  “And Aeryen. He shouldn’t stay on Engra. I want to find another home for him, and I’m hoping you’ll help.�
��

  “Well, that’s so easy. Pack up your stuff and come stay on the ship for a while until we can find you a better world. There’s an empty cabin down the corridor. In fact”—Chlo gets up and goes over to a console on the wall and starts searching on a screen—“in just two months we’re going to be in the Triangulum. Lasson’s parents . . . but we’re not talking about Lasson’s parents. We’re talking about you and Aeryen.”

  “We’re talking about Aeryen,” I say. “I can’t leave Engra.”

  “Of course you can.”

  “I’ve told everyone that Aeryen is my sister’s and that she’s on a special mission in Majnia. The only way I can justify Aeryen’s leaving is if he’s going to be reunited with his mother. I can’t go with him.”

  “We’ll think up another story,” says Chlo, ignoring me.

  “Mated to a Chorynean and you’ve already taken on one of their most useful traits,” I say, and we both laugh.

  “Lying does come in handy,” she says. “Especially in a situation like this.”

  “I’m not going to leave,” I say. “It’s too suspicious. I want Aeryen to have every chance he can have. I don’t want to hamper his progress in life.”

  “You could never do that, Niya. You love him.”

  “He needs a father, Chlo. Did you see how attached he is to Joston? And they’ve known each other less than a day.”

  “Joston again,” Chlo says. “I suspect that it’s not just Aeryen who’s become attached to him.” She smiles, but when she sees my reaction, her smile vanishes.

  “Niya,” Chlo says, “you cannot possibly be involved with Joston Lynar, can you?”

  I open my mouth to answer, but no words come out, so I close it.

  “Joston—well, Joston’s a fun guy to have around and he’s a great pilot and a good crew member, but, Niya. He’s—I don’t know how to say this.”

  “He’s an irresponsible cad? Is that what you were about to say?”

  “I can’t speak to the cad part, and I’m pretty sure he’s not involved with anyone on the ship, but he’s not what you’d call the solid or dependable type. More like someone who’d be fun to have as a brother or a pal, not someone you could rely on to be your life mate.”

  “Chlo!” I say. “You’ve jumped to a crazy conclusion. He just came to dinner last night. That was all.”

  “Niya,” Chlo says, “you were my closest friend on Engra for years, and even though we haven’t seen each other in a very long time, I still consider you my closest friend. I know you really well. And add to that my now-intimate knowledge of the most adept liars in the Seven Galaxies—the Choryneans—and I have to tell you that I can spot a liar from two galaxies over.”

  “He did play with Aeryen for a while.”

  “But that’s not the part you’re leaving out, is it?”

  A brief flash of last night’s passion parades itself across my psyche.

  “No, it’s not.”

  “Okay,” Chlo says. “Here’s what we’re going to do. First, we’re going to get a raft and go to Engra.”

  “Chlo! You can’t go there. And I don’t want to ask Joston.”

  “You think he’s the only pilot on this ship? Nik Arca will help us.”

  “But, Chlo. You can’t go to Engra.”

  “No one will notice. It’ll just be for a little bit while we get your stuff and Aeryen’s.”

  “Chlo. Stop right there.”

  “Then we’ll fix up that cabin down the corridor. Your years as a flight controller will translate nicely to a post at the helm or in the engine room. Nik will help with that too. Then, when we get to the Triangulum, Lasson and I will help you and Aeryen find a new place to live. I hear they’re very open to new settlers there. See? Problem solved.”

  Before I can say anything else, Chlo’s on her comm, talking with First Officer Arca, who must be the Nik Arca she referred to, and she’s making arrangements for us to go to Engra.

  After she finishes on the comm, she says, “Nik says we’ll go tonight, after the vid screening—they’re showing Joston Parst even though they just showed it. Everyone demanded an encore last night but there wasn’t time. And, Niya, won’t it be fun to see it together again? We’ll be in and out before anyone notices us. We just have to make sure we’ve got an ally in the control room on Engra, and I told Nik you must know someone you can trust.”

  “Ozker,” I say. A reflex. He’s the one I trust the most there ever since Var left.

  “Good,” says Chlo. “Then it’s settled.”

  “But nothing’s settled,” I say. “I can’t leave. I just can’t. And there’s really no way I can spend two months on the Marinax.”

  “Because then you’d have to face up to your feelings for Joston Lynar?”

  Sometimes it’s a terrible thing to have a friend who knows you so well.

  Chapter 10

  Joston

  “Later, we’ll go over the schematics,” I say to Aeryen, who’s the most fickle being I’ve ever encountered.

  In less than a day, he’s fallen in love with piloting, with the Marinax, with the entire engine room and the trafence boards in particular, with intergalactic travel, with Aymee Desryx, and probably a little bit with me. But just a small little bit. And it’s only because I’m the catalyst for all his other new loves.

  If I’d landed on Engra and docked the way I was required to, he probably wouldn’t even like me. Well, come to think of it, I wouldn’t like me.

  “Thanks for fixing that, guys,” Aymee says, directing her gratitude more toward Aeryen than me.

  “It was easy!” Aeryen says. Gotta admire his crazy confidence.

  “Well, some are more talented than others,” Aymee says.

  “True,” Aeryen says, like he’s a wise old sage or something. The kid cracks me up.

  “They’re showing Parst tonight,” Aymee says. “Again.”

  “The Treachery of Joston Parst?” Aeryen says, practically boiling over with yet more excitement. “That’s my favorite vid ever!”

  “It would be,” I say, wondering what the hell I’m going to do tonight. See if Lasson’s got any of that Sircean brandy left, probably. And stay down in the engine room with Aymee while I overindulge in the stuff.

  “Sorry, Joston,” Aeryen says. “But it is my favorite vid. I love the part where that guy’s hand rots off!”

  “Yeah,” I say. “You cannot believe how many Choryneans there are with only one hand.”

  “Really?” Aeryen says.

  “Well,” I say.

  “You’re lying,” Aeryen says. “I thought you weren’t going to lie.”

  “I thought you were conducting an experiment,” I say, “not acting as my moral compass.”

  “Aymee,” Aeryen says, determined to never be in over his head, “I can’t be a compass, can I?”

  “Certainly not,” Aymee says as she repositions herself on her chair for maybe the twentieth time in the last two minutes. “Joston is lying. There’s no one on Choryn who’s had their hand rot off. Joston Parst is a made-up story. You know that—right, Aeryen?”

  “Yes,” he says, “and I think Joston is a great name.”

  “He’s not completely evil,” I say, defending Parst. “He does save that she-bear.”

  “Only because he has to,” says the know-all kid.

  “I give up,” I say.

  “Lunchtime,” Aymee says. “Hungry?” she says to Aeryen.

  “Yes!” he says.

  I help Aymee up from her chair.

  “When’s the birthday?” I say.

  “You’re having a birthday?” Aeryen says. “Will there be a party?”

  “I’m having a baby,” Aymee says, pointing to her impressive abdomen. She let me feel it once when the baby was kicking. Pretty amazing stuff, this procreation.

  “Not for another month, at least,” Aymee says. “So it’ll be a while before there’s a party.”

  “Too bad,” says Aeryen.

  I expect h
e thought that besides flying a transport raft, visiting the Marinax, fixing trafence boards, and keeping track of my inevitable lies, he was also going to get to attend a party.

  “Too bad indeed,” I say. “But you are going to get to sample some interesting Chorynean food. Actually, Aeryen, it’s Chengdry food.”

  Aymee stabs a glare at me in much the same way Niya’s done a few times. I guess I’m not supposed to say anything, but Aeryen’s going to find out sooner or later. Aymee noticed right away. Any Chorynean would.

  “What’s Chengdry?” Aeryen says in a rare admittance of ignorance.

  “It’s—” I start, but Aymee interrupts me.

  “It’s the most delicious food anywhere in the Seven Galaxies,” she says.

  “And—” I start again, but Aymee intercepts me before I have a chance to say anything else.

  “And it’s the specialty of our chef on the ship,” Aymee says. “You’ll love it.”

  “Let’s go!” says Aeryen. It’s obvious he’s dying to race around a bit, so I point down the corridor that leads to the mess and he takes off.

  “He’s got to find out eventually,” I say to Aymee when Aeryen’s well out of earshot.

  “He does,” she says, “but not today. And not from us.”

  I see Aymee wince again. This time I’m sure of it.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Chlo says I’m fine,” she says. “Right on schedule. Nothing to worry about. The closer to the delivery you get, the more sensations you have. I’m driving Nik crazy.”

  “I didn’t think Big World Terrans were capable of crazy,” I say.

  “If they’re married to a pregnant Chorynean, they are,” Aymee says as she readjusts the Big World marriage band on her left wrist. They have no such physical object to represent mating on Choryn.

  Then why am I picturing a similar band on Niya’s wrist?

  Maybe she was wearing a bracelet and I’m just remembering it. Or maybe she is mated and I’ve lost my ability to ferret out the truth and this image has arisen to remind me.

  “I hear there’s trouble on Engra,” Aymee says as we near the mess.

  “There are barriers up on some of the roadways,” I say, “but I didn’t notice anything else.”