Wulf’s laughter tickled her mind. “I love you, gemate lubha . I’ll be there soon, and we will seek out any others who might harm you.”
“That’s the plan, my love.”
Iolyn entered the outer room. “You done yet?”
“Yes. Wulf is coming. He knows where to find us.”
They entered the bedroom. Iolyn held a finger up to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. Mel noted that Iolyn had moved both the rebels to the bed, covering them with the remnants of the bedspread. He’d also blindfolded them.
Entering the closet, they shut the door. “You can set the traps after we get between them, can’t you?” she whispered.
Iolyn held up a small computer pad. “This will do the job. And I’m using a one-time set of codes. Only Wulf’s override codes can shut the traps off.”
“Good. Let’s go picnic. I’d like to catch a quick nap before Wulf walks me all over this ship, seeking out any other traitors.”
Iolyn laughed. “I’m betting he has other plans before you do that.”
“What could be more important than finding any other traitors?” Iolyn just winked and said, “Think about it.”
Mel’s burning cheeks were her only answer as Iolyn boosted her up and into the tunnel access.
Chapter Eleven
Wulf, along with Huw, entered his quarters immediately after making sure the landing party secured the bodies of Melina’s parents and the scientists in an empty shuttle bay. The few Antarean prisoners taken were escorted by ship security to the containment cells on the lowest deck. He would interrogate them personally later, much later. Let the apayebote stew for a while.
Eventually, the Prime would turn the Antarean prisoners over to the Alliance for justice, since that was the way things were to be done under the new treaty. The captured Antareans would never see the light of day again—they had attacked and killed innocent Alliance civilians. Even the more liberal Alliance didn’t allow murderous raiders to escape justice. It was one thing the Prime could truly admire about the Alliance: Justice was swift and met the crime.
Wulf stalked through the outer room to his bedroom. Even though he knew Melina had gone to ground with his brother in the tunnels, a sudden stabbing of fear pierced his subconscious, causing him to reach out to her, to check that she was safe. He touched her mind gently. She was safe. He drew in one calming breath and let it go.
He’d be with her soon, but first he had to deal with the two who would have hurt her.
He glared at the two lumps lying on his disheveled bed; they moved like two she-cats in a bag.
“Want me to see who they are?” Huw asked, a fierce frown on his face.
Wulf nodded, his jaw clenched from a combination of anger and disgust. No matter who they turned out to be, they were related to some of the most prominent families on Cejuru Prime. Disappointment tasted bitter in his mouth as he let out a low growl. This time the emotion was aimed at himself. He’d hand-picked this crew, wanting only a safe, secure crew surrounding his gemate warrior. He’d failed her.
Huw pulled the shredded coverlet off the two men and then turned them over.
Pulling off the blindfolds, his brother left the gags. Time for talk would come later. Right now, he just wanted to see who’d betrayed him, betrayed his mate. Huw’s gasp of shock echoed his own. Ensign Donte Caradoc, the son of his father’s cousin Darga, and Engineer’s Mate Regin Twiller, the husband of his cousin Mara, lay blinking against the brightness. Stun burns on their torsos bore witness as to how Iolyn and Melina had subdued them.
A flash of murderous rage burned away his bitter disappointment.
Turning to Huw, he found his brother was as angry as he. “Throw them in the containment unit.”
“With the Antarean prisoners?”
The bodies on the bed moved more erratically at Huw’s words, muffled cries escaped around the confines of the gags.
“Yes.” Wulf turned away from the obviously terrified traitors. “I’m going to retrieve my gemate. I want them out of here, away from her.” He walked toward his closet and the hidden escape tunnel. “Destroy the bedding and have the bed made up freshly. I don’t want anything that touched those two touching Melina.”
“Wulf,” Huw called out.
Wulf paused at the closet entrance and turned. “What? Weren’t my instructions clear, brother?”
“Putting them in with the Antareans might not leave them in a condition to tell us anything about who sent them—and about any others that might be on the ship.” Huw paused. “I suggest moving them across the corridor to my quarters, then Iolyn can help me guard them until you are ready to interrogate them.” Wulf muttered every Prime swear word he knew. He’d let his anger and guilt color his order. Huw was correct. There could be other rebels on board. As much as he would like to kill these two—and putting them in with the Antareans would be a death sentence—he needed to know more about what they’d intended. Melina’s future safety—
and that of his family—might turn on the knowledge he could gain from these two, and any others that might be on board. He couldn’t let his emotional response to their perfidy rule his actions now.
He nodded. “You are correct, Huw. Thank you. I let anger rule my tongue. I’ll send Iolyn to you as soon as I have Melina in my arms.”
Huw smiled. “I felt your rage, and share it, but knew you would regret it later. Go, get Melina. I’ll remove all traces of these two from the room.” Wulf’s smile grew shark-like. “As for these two, let them think about the fact that if they don’t answer my questions, and fully, they will be put in with the Antareans.” Wulf entered the tunnel through the hidden entrance. He could have entered through the engine room, but the fewer who knew where Melina had hidden, the better. Who knew when she might have to resort to the hiding place again?
Quickly covering the six levels between his quarters and the engine room maintenance tunnel, he stopped just before the first engaged trap. He pulled out his data link and connected to the ship’s main computer, then entered his override codes.
Scrolling to the screen containing the engine room tunnel traps, he shut them down.
Wulf skirted the corner and hurried through the ten-foot-long trap. Iolyn and his gemate were another ten feet past the trap. His brother sat on the floor with a blanket-wrapped Melina on his lap. Her head nestled on Iolyn’s shoulder. She was asleep, lines of exhaustion and lingering pain creased her forehead even in her rest.
Wulf fought the possessive jealousy that threatened to overtake him. This was Iolyn—and he trusted him.
Spotting him, Iolyn held a finger to his lips. His gold eyes glimmered with relief at Wulf’s appearance. “She just fell asleep. One moment she was telling me stories of a pirate raid on Centauri Sigma that she and her squadron had cut short and then she was out.” His brother smiled down at Melina. “She was worried about you. She couldn’t touch your mind once we were in the tunnels.”
“I’ve taken a page out of her book and learned how to shield.” Wulf bent down and lifted her from Iolyn’s arms. All the tension that had built since she’d told him of the danger vanished at the feel of her within his arms. He inhaled deeply, calming himself with her unique scent now underlaid with his from his shirt and his shower gel. “I didn’t want her to touch my mind and see her parent’s bodies. The bastards … well, you know what Antareans do.”
Grimacing, Iolyn stood up and stretched. “So does she, brother. She’s seen it firsthand. You can’t protect her from everything.”
“I can try.” Wulf rubbed his cheek against Melina’s silky black hair. She’d left it down; the silken tresses lay in waves over his arm. She mumbled in her sleep then turned her face into his chest and nuzzled him. A sigh followed by a slight upturn to her lush pink lips pleased Wulf. Even in her sleep, she recognized him.
“I’ll head back to my quarters through the tunnels. Huw has moved the two rebels to his quarters. You and he will stand guard until I can question them.” The two paced side-by-side through the tunnel.
“They won’t talk, Wulf. They know they are dead men.” Iolyn’s glance swept over Melina. “She’ll want to help question them. You know she has abilities that will help determine if they lie or not.”
“I don’t want her near them.” His mouth tightened.
“She’ll insist. After what Huw and I have told you—and now that you’ve seen her in action first hand—you should realize that she can handle it. She isn’t afraid of Donte and Regin. She knew before they even broke in that danger approached. She put together the plan to stop them. She’d not thank you for cosseting her.” Wulf sighed and rubbed his cheek against the top of her head. “You’re right… I know you are. I seem to be letting my fears for her rule my thoughts.”
“She won’t thank you for that, either,” Iolyn said with a chuckle, “In fact, she’d probably hand you your ass if you suggested she needed protection from the likes of those two.”
Wulf snorted back a laugh. “Yes, I’m sure she would try.” He brushed a kiss across her forehead and smiled when she wrinkled her delicately upturned nose in response.