Prime Obsession(31)

“Are all Prime males that possessive?”

“Wulf is. Most Prime males allow their women to be examined for medical reasons without being present.” Iolyn shrugged. “Give Wulf time. He just found you.” He paused then added soberly, “He’s afraid to lose you.”

Mel smiled at the earnestness in Iolyn’s voice. He wanted his brother to be happy and her to be happy with his brother. “Don’t worry so, Iolyn. I’m not going anywhere.

And Wulf likes to growl, and I like it when he growls. Think of it as ongoing foreplay.” Iolyn choked back a laugh. “I’d rather not think about that at all.” Movement from the floor halted her next comment.

“One of our friends is rousing. Think they’ll tell us anything?” she asked.

“No. They won’t.” Iolyn kicked at the one on the floor. “This one is a second cousin of ours. The one on the bed is a cousin by marriage. As of now, they are traitors. They swore oaths to fight the enemy of the Prime and, now, the Galactic Alliance. They have violated both oaths. They know under Prime law that they’ll be executed for their treachery, so why would they tell us anything?”

“For leniency, perhaps?” She stared at Iolyn, willing him to work with her on this.

“Leniency? Maybe the Alliance would allow such—and if Wulf asked, perhaps the Prime Council would also.” Iolyn paused. “But Wulf won’t be lenient. Ever. Don’t ask him, Melina. Not even for you would he spare the men who would’ve shot you as you slept. They have not only dishonored the Prime as a whole, but the Caradoc family in particular.”

Okay, so Iolyn wasn’t going to work with her on this. Damn. Too bad her telepathy only worked with Wulf.

“You know what this means, don’t you?” she asked.

“No.”

“It means we don’t know how many more there are on board. You and I can’t go around the ship, questioning each and every crew member without opening ourselves up for attack. If there are others, they’ll come to find these two—so I have to hide somewhere the enemy won’t find me—just until Wulf returns. Then he and I can go over the ship and root out the other traitors, with you and Huw covering our asses.”

“I agree. So, where do we hide you?”

Mel waved him into the main room of Wulf’s quarters. Better not to have this conversation around the enemy just in case they got loose before Wulf returned and all this was brought into the open. She followed Iolyn out and closed the door into the bedroom.

Speaking in low tones, she said, “I’ll hide in the maintenance tunnels. Preferably between the laser trap and the poison gas trap near the engine room entrance. Those are the two deadliest traps on board. No one would attempt to get to me through them. Wulf can come get me when he returns.”

“I can call Wulf back now,” Iolyn offered.

“No, if you use open communications, someone could monitor. We want any other rebels to think I am still locked in this room.” Mel pinned him with a stern look. “And you have to go about your business as usual.”

“Won’t they wonder why I’m not guarding you?”

“Did anyone know about that order other than Wulf and you?”

“No, only Huw, and he’s with Wulf.”

“Then the crew will think nothing of seeing you out and about doing whatever you normally do. The door will be locked, and the area around Wulf’s quarters will be off-limits per his previous orders.” Mel frowned. “You’ll need to watch your back, too. Ullyn and Prolow would’ve killed all of you that first time I boarded the Galanti. ”

“I’m going into the tunnels with you.” Iloyn held up a hand as she opened her mouth to protest. “No, Wulf would kill me if I left you alone. And any other traitors will just …

well, they’ll just have to wonder where we and their two murderous friends are.”

“That’ll drive them nuts.” Mel looked longingly at the closed door and thought of the now destroyed, comfortable-looking bed. “Can we find something comfortable to sit on?

That tunnel is cold and hard. Plus, some food and drink would be nice. I’m starved.” Iolyn smiled. “I can arrange that. We can enter the tunnel from Wulf’s closet. It is his emergency exit. Wait here, I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”

“Be careful. I’ll contact Wulf—light a fire under him. Maybe we won’t have to be in the tunnels any longer than it takes for him to get from the planet’s surface to the ship.”

“How are you contacting him?”

“How do you think?” She smiled and raised a brow at him.

He stared at her with open-mouthed awe. “Does the battle-mate connection work that far apart?”

“It does. I sensed him as he approached Obam IV. I suspect that as long as we’re in the same star system…” She shrugged. “Of course, he was in a rage and just pouring emotion into the atmosphere. But since I’m stressed and really, really want him here, I think I can manage it.”

Iolyn was speechless. His mouth moved and his eyes were moist with the strength of his emotion.

“It’s okay, Iolyn. I know that I’m something out of the current Prime milieu. You’ll get used to me.”

Iolyn came to Mel and pulled her into his body and hugged her. “You are a miracle, dear sister. Thank you for staying safe so my brother could find you.” Embarrassed by his emotional response, Mel shoved him. “Go. Find me some food and something to drink. I’d kill for a soft drink. I’ll hold down the fort.” Iolyn nodded, then left, locking the door to the outer hall behind him.

As Mel sought to touch Wulf’s mind, she prowled the outer room of his quarters.

Like the bedroom, its decor was uninspired. It had basic, utilitarian furniture: one couch, two chairs and a low table. Everything was black fabric-covered with silver metal trims and accents. A dark wood—or maybe it was an ebony stone of some sort—bar with various liquors on a mirrored shelf was featured in the corner of the room. In the other corner of the room stood a shelving unit with some books and trophies from various sports she knew were Prime in origin but had never seen played.

Maybe she could do better in decorating than Wulf; how hard could it be? Gods, was she thinking about getting all domestic and nesting? She shook her head. Her crew would never believe it. She was so undomestic she had to hire a professional shopper to buy her off-duty clothing. And cooking? Forget it. She used to help her mother make Greek food, but she mostly chopped and blended. Wulf wasn’t getting much of a mate.

Skirting the bar, which, she found, was made of an ebony-colored, striated stone that gave the impression of wood grain, she found a small cold unit and opened it. Eureka.

Juice. She pulled out a bottle of something that looked like orange juice and opened it.

Taking a whiff, she found it to be exactly what it looked like. She drank it down in three gulps.

The sugar surge raced through her body almost as soon as the juice hit her stomach.

A cold, masculine-tinged rage hitting her in the center of the same organ followed quickly on the heels of the sugar high. She’d gotten through to her gemat. To say he wasn’t happy was more than an understatement.

 “Wulf? What’s wrong?”

 “Melina? You should be asleep.”

 “Don’t equivocate. I’m awake, and feel your rage. What’s going on?”

 “We found the bodies of the scientists.”

 “They were dead, Wulf. I checked. I would never have…”

 “No, lubha , you wouldn’t have left anyone alive to be butchered. The animals desecrated the bodies, that’s all. It made me furious. I am sorry my rage awakened you from your healing.”

 “You didn’t.”

 “I didn’t what, love?”

 “You didn’t awaken me. The rebels coming to kill me awakened me.” Wulf’s roar of rage swept through her mind like the shock wave of an ionic blast.

Maybe she should have worked her way into the explanation instead of just dumping it on him. He wasn’t taking it well at all.



 “Wulf. Darling.” Darling? Wow, that had slipped out so easily. She blamed the snarling rage on her behalf. It demonstrated his love for her and made her hot. No one had ever loved her—or cared about her well-being—as completely as Wulf. “I’m fine.

 Iolyn and I took them out. Calm down, gemat . You’re giving me a headache.” She repeated her words and endearments until the roaring in her head settled to a low, rumbly growl. Damn, but she liked his growls.

Iolyn entered the room with two packs. He raised an eyebrow, questioning if she was ready. She held up one finger. He nodded and entered the bedroom, presumably to open the secret entrance into the tunnels.

 “Melina, you are truly fine?”

 “You can tell. Touch my mind, and through it, my body.” Soft strokes feathered over her. She shivered at the gentle, loving touches. She could’ve sworn his relieved sigh rustled her hair.

 “I’m coming back to the ship. Stay safe.”

She caressed his jaw in her mind and knew he felt her when his low, sexy groan tickled her consciousness. “Iolyn and I will camp out in the maintenance tunnels near the engine room where you first met me. We’ll set the traps.” She sent him images of her and Iolyn resting on camp bedding and pigging out on junk food.