His groin started to ache then, his cock pushing against the restrictive, skin-tight body armor.
Enough of this. He gave himself a hard mental slap.The woman’s trouble.Just focus on protecting her. On staying alive. Jaw clenched, Malik shifted his attention back to the ceiling.
11. HER BIDDING
JENNA DRIFTED INTO wakefulness through the lingering threads of a dream.
She’d been back on Idral, wandering the awning-covered alleys of Melor’s markets, sweating in the ferocious heat. The dream had started pleasantly, for she loved the sprawling town. Despite that it was a busy spaceport and could be rough in places, she’d always felt safe in Melor—although her brother always insisted that she took a couple of bodyguards with her whenever she visited.
But in her dream, she’d wandered the stalls alone, inhaling the scents of spices from every corner of the sector. The dream had been a pleasant one until she felt a ‘presence’ dogging her steps. Her pursuer lay just out of sight, yet as she quickened her stride, she sensed them looming closer. Her pulse sped up, and she’d begun to run.
Blinking, Jenna opened her eyes. Heavy steel girders came into focus above her. She blinked again, and Idral and her stalker disappeared.
For a moment, she struggled to get her bearings—but then she glanced right, at the black-clad figure sprawled on the bed opposite, and everything came back. Suddenly, she wished she was on Idral, trying to outrun her pursuer. The reality she’d awoken to wasn’t any less dangerous.
Swallowing, she rolled onto her side before croaking. “How long was I asleep?”
“Nearly ten hours,” her bodyguard replied. He glanced her way, just as Jenna raised a hand to scrub at her eyes. “Don’t touch your face, My Lady.”
Jenna froze, wondering at his command, before she remembered her carefully applied face paint.
“Ten hours.” She pushed herself up into a sitting position. “No wonder my head feels foggy.”
Reaching for her tablet, she switched it on and brought up the latest newsfeed; it had refreshed when they’d stopped en route to Morith.
“Any updates?” Malik asked as she scrolled.
“No word on how Cathal’s trial is proceeding,” she replied, gaze tracking down the screen. “And there are still images of me … and you … plastered everywhere.” She paused there, her mouth pursing. “The governors of the Mir-Brennan planets are outraged … some of them are calling for our allied clans to stand with them. They want retribution for the attack.”
“I’m sure they do,” her bodyguard replied, his tone dry. “Their clan-lord has just been imprisoned.”
“I hope none of them are going to act rashly,” Jenna muttered. “Vigilante justice won’t help anyone, right now. Once I get in contact withTheStar Tempest, I’ll instruct the governors to sit tight.” Her mind started to churn then. She’d met with several of their clan representatives over the years and recalled a few of them were volatile and ambitious. “I’ll also ensure they all know I haven’t been kidnapped.”
Her pulse accelerated. The last thing they needed was one of the governors attempting to seize power while Cathal was locked up.
Malik nodded. “Are you hungry?” His mouth lifted at the corners. “I ordered food for myself a while back, but I’m ready for another meal.”
As if on cue, Jenna’s stomach rumbled. “I’m starving,” she admitted with a sheepish smile.
Malik swung himself upright. He then rose to his feet and punched the console next to the door. “Can we have two dinners delivered to Berth 82A?”
“Certainly, Sir,” a droid’s voice responded. “We have two options today … Reldin stew with poached—”
“We’ll have that,” the bodyguard replied curtly. “Send it up now please.”
“Of course, Sir.”
When Malik sank back down onto his bed, Jenna favored him with an arch look. “I might have wanted to know what the second option was.”
“Believe me, it’s all equally bland.” He pulled a face. “They use cheap Mir-Lelith food-replicators on most of the passenger liners.”
Jenna frowned. “What … they don’t have proper kitchens onboard?”
Malik raised an eyebrow. “Of course not.” He paused then, inclining his head. “This is the first time you’ve ever traveled on a commercial liner, isn’t it, My Lady?”
Jenna tensed. She didn’t appreciate his tone. “You’re right,” she replied, rising to her feet, and stretching her back and shoulders. “I’m not used to ‘roughing it’.”
She turned her back on him then. If he thought she was a spoiled, sheltered nob, then let him. She’d soon prove him wrong.
