Chapter 10
Anger raced through his veins as he left the girl on his bed and turned to deliver his part of the bargain to the Vanfian guards. The bastards had made sure to rough her up properly. The fact that she wasn’t capable of keeping her eyes open or wits about her had Nojan ready to skin someone alive.
“Here,” he growled, handing the fine cloth off to one of the guards. With narrowed eyes, he spoke. “If she’s damaged at all, expect to see me and an army at your fucking door.”
“Promises, promises. The girl is unblemished. She deserved far more for taking the life of one of our fellow guards. Not to mention stealing from the princess, who trusted her.” The guard shrugged and turned, walking back down the stairs that descended from the aircraft.
The other stood there, staring as if lost in a trance.
“Leave and do what you can to stop the others from returning.” Nojan gripped the side of the craft as he used his hypnosis on the guard.
“Yes, sir. Of course.” The cat-like creature turned and walked down the stairs, leaving Nojan looking after him. They were such odd beings, and yet, just as he was capable of finding beauty in everything, he certainly could see the delight the gods must have felt in creating the great Vanfia tribe.
He sealed the door as a notification beeped on the console of the cruiser. Nojan’s need to get back to the pretty girl in his bed was almost overwhelming and yet he knew getting them into the atmosphere and headed toward home was the only way to keep them both safe.
Dropping into his captain’s chair, he stifled a yawn and pressed the button nearest him, which blinked red.
“This is headquarters on Vanfia launch pad twelve-twenty. We’re going to have to ask that you extend your stay overnight. Something is wrong with our current weather system. We’re not able to verify if the meteor shower that occurred an hour ago is over yet. For your safety, we’d ask that you turn off your engine and remain docked.”
“I appreciate that, but I’m in a hurry to get home for personal reasons.”
Nojan leaned back in his seat and breathed in through his nose as the room spun. Weariness was soon to take him. He had very little time before he needed the ship to be on course and headed home. Only then could he allow himself to rest.
“I’m sorry to hear that, sir, but this really isn’t a request.”
“Oh, so it’s a command?” Nojan’s lip lifted in a cocky smirk. The Vanfians were known for their own cockiness, which knew no bounds. No other man would be required to bow before a foreign king or expected to respect his commands as long as no law was broken.
“Somewhat. Yes, sir.”
“And whose command exactly would this be?” Nojan was almost glad he couldn’t see the look on the asshole’s face that was trying to fumble through his lie without letting the truth of his deception slip into his voice.
“Why, the King of Vanfia, sir.”
“Right. I don’t serve the King of Vanfia, and I’m pretty sure I’ve broken no laws, so good day.” Nojan pressed the button to end the call and quickly worked the necessary sequence on his console to force the cruiser to lift off. It was time to move into the darkness beyond the purple nighttime sun of Vanfia.
Sirens were blaring in the background as he threw the craft into hyperspace, leaving him with the firm knowledge that departure was their only choice. The girl had been right. Rantel was going to lock down the ship, most likely board, and kill them both, but why? Why was the girl so precious to the king, or was this another hope of reclaiming some of his pride after Jazmine’s theft?
Nojan ran his shaking hands over his face and got up from his chair on unsteady legs. Crawling into the coolness of his bed beside the pretty woman in it would have been heaven, but he knew without a doubt that she needed aid. Her bruises would have to heal over time unless he did something about them himself.
His blood would cure her completely within a matter of minutes. But there was a risk associated with exposing himself to her, should anything happen to them before they made it back to the Vartik homeworld.
“She’s going to find out eventually,” he grumbled to himself and walked to the galley to get the first aid kit. The small white box that sat above the stove wasn’t going to do much, but he had to try. She might not appreciate him smearing black blood across her wounds, or even allowing a little of it to drip down her throat. Most people would find their ways vile, but he would use all of them if necessary to restore her.
After walking into the bedroom, he stopped by the table nearest the bathroom to set up the kit. He pulled his shirt over his shoulders and let it drop on the floor next to him. The temperature on Vanfia had been stifling, and wearing a shirt soaked in sweat in the coolness of his cruiser was less than comfortable. Besides, the angel was asleep.
After making sure he had what he needed, he walked into the bathroom and wet a washcloth with warm water. He squeezed it and glanced up to check his own appearance in the mirror.
“Fuck. Don’t let me scare the girl with my size.” He brushed his hair back and scoffed at himself as he left to take his spot on the bed beside her.
She was still curled up on her side, and he sat down on the edge of the bed and carefully rolled her onto her back before reaching up to brush long crimson strands from her face. His heart swelled in his chest as his cock twitched a few times in his pants.
The soft curve of her cheek was only outdone by her long black eyelashes. Her full pink lips were swollen, with blood crusted on the side of her mouth, and her right eye was swollen shut and turning a sickening shade of blue, but she was somehow still impossibly gorgeous.
“Poor thing.” Nojan reached out and brushed the cloth by her mouth softly.
She cried out and opened her good eye before trying to scramble back away from him. Her long white dress was stained with dark blue Vanfian blood, and the top was torn, showing her left breast almost to her nipple.
He hated himself for it, but his body hardened instantly, leaving him dizzy as he tried to push away the attraction and deal with the weariness instead.
