The stasis chamber was still sitting in the cargo bay where we had left it, the tiny green lights on the monitor screen blinking every few seconds to confirm that the woman inside was alive. I peered through the glass, once again marveling at the frozen woman's raw beauty. What would I even say if I woke her up? And what would I say to Gol Zabras if I unwrapped his present a few days early?
Sighing, I glanced back over my shoulder to Raxyl. "Learn anything from the sensors?"
"I do not detect any trace of a signal emanating from the
Gazack
," he said, fiddling with the console on the wall. "If the tube is fitted with a tracking beacon, it is not currently transmitting."
"So maybe Maarka just tipped off the Vecs the old-fashioned way," I said. "We still have that med-scanner around here somewhere, don't we?"
"Yes. It is in the first aid kit where it belongs."
"No need to get snippy," I muttered, pacing over to the wall and opening the kit. I wasn't a doctor by any stretch of the imagination, but the Red Ring had taught me basic first aid. I had cleaned my fair share of pulse burns over the years, and I had learned a bit of cellular biology from the sawbones the Ring kept around the base.
"If you are trying to confirm her identity, the scanner is not very powerful," Raxyl said.
"No, but it could still give us a clue," I told him, activating the small device and running a quick scan over the stasis chamber. "According to this she's nineteen years-old and is in perfect health."
"Neither of which are surprising."
I frowned at the display as the results came back. "No, but her genetic structure has definitely been modified. The cellular composition of her skin and bones is very different than the average Velothi. The rest of this is just gibberish to me."
"We won't get any answers from scanners, Cole. You will have to speak with her."
"I know," I whispered. "Just stand back for a minute. I don't want to scare her."
A curious blue rippled shimmered up his neck scales. "Was that comment intended to offend me? Do you believe my reptilian visage is inherently more fearsome than—?"
"The fewer people she sees when she wakes up, the less intimidated she'll be," I interrupted. "Besides, if she was designed to serve Gol Zabras, she might respond better to a human face."
"Mm," he murmured. "A logical enough conclusion. I shall wait back here."
"Just don't jump out from behind the crates—she might be skittish." I leaned down beside the stasis chamber. "Sorry about this, sweetheart, but I'm going to have to end your nap a little early. I really hope you like protein malts, because that's all we've got on this barge until we hit another port..."
Taking a final deep breath, I mentally crossed my fingers and deactivated the stasis field. The tube hissed as it opened, and a cloud of white gas billowed out from the sides as the temperature normalized. Her heartrate slowly increased, and I watched in mild fascination as the tip of her tail began twitching around her leg.
I was genuinely embarrassed by how quickly I got an erection. As much I wanted to blame the stims still coursing through my system, I knew they had nothing to do with it. If my partner hadn't rudely interrupted my fun with the Kreen earlier, I might have had a touch more self-control. But now...
She stirred abruptly as her lungs refilled with air, and her eyelids slowly fluttered open. Velothi eyes had always fascinated me—the luminous blue orbs didn't have pupils or sclera. They looked almost...divine.
"It's all right," I soothed, placing my hand atop hers. Her skin was so soft it was like touching krinnar silk. "I'm not going to hurt you."
She inhaled sharply, then rapidly glanced back and forth across the cargo bay before her faintly glowing eyes finally settled on me. Her ruby lips curled into a wide, warm grin that was so alluring I couldn't help but smile back.
"Master," she said in a sweet, accented voice. "I have waited my whole life to meet you!"
I blinked. "I, uh...I'm not actually—"
She leaned up in the tube and kissed me before I could finish the sentence. I froze in place like a shell-shocked virgin, but she didn't seem to care. Her tongue plunged into my mouth, and she wrapped her wrists around my neck to pull me close. I eventually kissed her back out of pure reflex, and I actually shivered when one of her cranial tendrils curled lovingly around my earlobe. When my hands settled on her bare back, I couldn't help but drag my fingertips across her satiny skin. I really regretted not ordering Raxyl to wait in the cockpit...
She eventually pulled me close enough that I could feel her breasts pressing against me, and I was seriously tempted to untie the flimsy strap holding the top of her bikini in place. Surely her master wouldn't mind if I had a tiny peek...
"Wait," I gasped, finally mustering the willpower to push her away. "This isn't...I mean, I'm not..."
"It's all right," she said, tracing her finger along my chin. "I'm sorry if I startled you. I've just been waiting so long to finally meet you. I am eager to show you what I can do."
She kissed me again, and this time she actually crawled out of the tube and straddled my lap. Her hands feathered through my hair, her tendrils massaged my ears, and her tail...her tail started wriggling beneath my belt.
"No," I said, more forcefully this time. "I'm not your master."
She looked at me like I had just shot her mother. "What?"
"I had to wake you up early," I explained. "You're on a ship—my ship. We're still a few days away from your master."
"You are not Gol Zabras?"
"No."
"But you are human?"
"Last time I checked."
I swallowed and desperately tried to catch my breath. Having her body pressed so tightly against me made it difficult; having the tip of her tail halfway down my pants made it almost impossible.
"I might be the only other human in the whole damn sector, but I'm not Gol Zabras," I said. "I'm just the smugger he's paying to take you to him."
She glanced around the cargo bay again. "I see. I was not supposed to be awakened until I reached him."
"I know. We just had a little change of plans. But it will be all right—I'll make sure you get there on time."
She eventually nodded and let out a deep breath. "I apologize for kissing you so forcefully. When I saw that you were human, I assumed you were my master."
"Under different circumstances, I'd love to have you kiss me as forcefully as you want," I murmured.
She smiled again. "I am glad you did not find it unpleasant."
"Sweetheart, I don't think it's
possible
to find you unpleasant."
"You may be more right than you know," she said, studying me. "I have been attuned to your species at a psychological and genetic level. We have only just met, but I feel as though I already know everything about you."
