Chapter 5 : Rust Bucket

Theodora’s POV

The Emperor made a gesture with his hands and the double doors behind us flew open. “As you can imagine, I’m a busy man. Javier will brief you on all the details. I’ll authorize your departure from Ilios immediately,” Emperor Cyrus ordered.

My lips parted. There were many things I wanted to ask. Where were we going? What leads did he have? I hated uncertainty.

But Daxton talked first, “We need to refuel. And I’d prefer to get the details of the case before we leave.”

“Flying blind won’t help us find your daughter any faster,” I added.

Emperor Cyrus made a gruff noise of annoyance, but he kept his poise like an aristocrat. But underneath all that poise was a distraught father. I could see it in the tremble of his hands.

“I will have my attendants restock and refuel your starship,” Javier offered, stepping toward the throne. “You have enough to do, Cyrus, let me find Sol.”

I watched Emperor Cyrus’s shoulders settle as he released an anxious breath. “I know you will. But there is work to do.”

Javier nodded. “I agree. I will inform you of any updates.” He turned back toward Daxton and me. “Come now, I’m eager to see where I’ll be sleeping tonight.”

I let Javier walk in front of Daxton and me as the Emissary escorted us out of the Grand Hall, leading us back to the guard post to collect our weapons.

Javier collected his holster, a chest harness that hung off his shoulders, and a phaser clipped into it.

I guess even the Emperor’s brother had to turn in his weapons.

Daxton was annoyed with me; I could tell by how he huffed when he took back his weapons. I didn’t blame him. I was annoyed with myself. After all, I nearly landed us in a cell.

“Which Bay is the Peacemaker located at?” Javier asked politely.

“Bay 7,” Daxton answered.

Javier reached for the comm on his shoulder. “Fantastic.” He clicked the call button, speaking directly to the attendants on the dock. “Hi, Rodrigo…yes. Bay 7. Thank you.” He glanced back up at Daxton and me. “They will start refueling immediately.”

I should call Benji to give him a heads-up. I tapped my comm. “Benji?”

Instantly, I was greeted with the buzz of feedback with a static-y, “Yeah, Theo?”

“We will have a guest for the duration of the mission. Could you make up that spare room for me?” I asked, not hiding the dissatisfaction in my tone.

“Aye. Aye. That explains the attendants knocking on the window,” he paused, saying something I couldn’t hear. “They said they will bring us anything we need to restock…can we really get anything?”

Javier chuckled, turning to exit the gates as the guards pushed them open. The gray long-sleeve shirt he wore was rolled up to his elbows and I couldn’t help myself as I checked out those arms, the fabric straining around his shoulders.

Damn it.

I narrowed my eyes. If he was footing the bill, then I was damn well going to take advantage of it. “Yes, Benji. Get whatever you want.”

There was an excited, “Yes!” before the comm went dead.

***

“What? Never seen a spaceship before?” I asked, arms crossed.

We were standing on the dock outside of Peacemaker, Javier staring up at my ship. He glanced over at me and cracked a smirk. “It just doesn’t look like much.”

Ex-fucking-scuse me. I scoffed.

I narrowed my eyes, taking offense instantly. I glanced back at my spaceship, rust along the corners of the bay doors. Dust and dirt caked the various panels. Sure, she needed a little sprucing up, but she was still the sexiest spaceship from here to the Nebula 46 on the edge of the Black.

“I’ll have you know that Peacemaker is an Elysium-7. Best fucking ship of its class.”

“Oh…” Javier shrugged, that stupid fucking smile still present on his full lips. “I never would have guessed. Looks a bit like a rust bucket. Is it even safe to fly in?”

My teeth ground together. How fucking condescending can you be? Insulting the ship that has taken care of me time and time again. “Is it safe to fly in? You know what? Fu—”

“Ooookay,” Daxton interrupted, making me bite the profanity back on my tongue. “Why don’t you go inside, Javier? It’s nicer on the inside.”

The daywalker shrugged, offering me a coy smile. “I’d hope it’d be nicer on the inside.” Then he stepped into the cargo bay, climbing the steps to the main bay doors, me glaring at him the entire way.

He didn’t deserve to step onto my ship. I seethed. How fucking dare he insult my home.

“Theo…calm down. You’re being weird,” Daxton said once Javier was out of earshot.

“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down after being insulted,” I replied, venom leeching into my tone.

He crossed his arms. “I never thought I’d have to be the peacekeeper here. That’s your job.”

It was true, Daxton tended to have a shorter fuse than me, but Javier just cut that fuse in half. Probably had something to do with me being embarrassed. I always acted stupid when I was embarrassed. A one-night stand being around my friends, family, and ex…fling spelled disaster.

I took a deep breath. Professionalism. I could be professional. I only hoped Javier could be professional, too.

I waved my hand. “Fine. You’re right. I just don’t like this.”

“Neither do I, but whether or not we like it, we’re going to be in close proximity to this guy until the mission is over. Just try to be nice. He might just make bad first impressions,” Daxton said, dropping a hand on my shoulder to give me a brotherly shake and lighten the mood.

Javier made a better first impression than a second one. But there was no way in Hell I would tell Daxton that I fucked a client. Unprofessionalism at its best.

I sighed with a reluctant, “Fine,” and stepped inside the ship, pressing the speaker on the wall of the cargo bay. “Crew meeting. We have a guest. Be nice. I’m talking to you, Mads.”

I clicked off the comm and Daxton laughed. “Be nice. You’re funny, Theo. He’s never nice.”

“Well, if I have to play nice, so does he,” I muttered offhandedly as I closed the cargo bay door, new crates of supplies sitting in the corner, stamped with the seal of Ilios.

When I made it up to the living area, outside of the galley, I was greeted by my crew staring at Javier curiously.

Ellie was making a friendly conversation, as I expected. Benji had Javier’s tablet in his hands, scrolling high-end features. Mads was nowhere to be seen. Daxton stepped over to the door, hitting the button on the comm.

“Mads get your ass up here,” Daxton stated. “Crew meeting includes you.”

As if on cue, the bay door opened and Mads ducked under the doorframe, a dirty towel strung over his shoulder. “What? Our capacitor is rattling. Someone has to fix it.”

His silver eyes trailed over to Javier. “Ah. Daywalker. What’s he doing here?”

Javier eyed Mads intensely. “I didn’t realize you had a wolf on board.”

“And he’s a damn good mechanic. If that’s a problem, you’re welcome to leave,” I stated pointedly. “You know where the door is.”

I could feel Mads’s eyes flicker down to me for a moment before moving back to Javier. Locking eyes and waiting for the other to break. Tension thickened in the room. You’d think after centuries of being off the earth, werewolves and vampires would let go of all that ancestral competition, but at this point, it seemed embedded into their DNA.

Benji and Ellie were staring at them, afraid to say anything. But thankfully, it was Javier that broke the thick silence. “Not a problem at all. Just surprised. Anyways, I’ll have your captain explain the situation.”

Daxton laughed under his breath and took a seat on the couch next to Benji. “The floor is yours, Cap.”

Javier’s eyes shot over to me, brief shock flittering over his expression, but he covered it up well. A little sliver of delight coaxed up my spine at his surprise.

I stood in front of them, explaining everything thus far. Javier is joining us to find his niece, Sol on a time-sensitive mission. No exceptions. I left out the threat about jail time. That would only piss Mads and Benji off considering their criminal record.

I turned my attention to Javier. “Now what do we know thus far?”

“Well, our only lead is that Sol vanished around the same time as one of our top doctors, Amelia Perez,” Javier explained, taking his tablet from Benji to show me a picture of both Sol and Amelia.

Sol was a pretty girl, who shared the same striking features as her father and uncle. She seemed young, but it was difficult to determine their age. “How old is she?” I asked. Contrary to popular opinion, daywalkers and vampires weren’t immortal, just seemed like it from the human life expectancy.

Javier raised a brow. “She just turned nineteen.”

I hummed. “Young.”

“Too young to leave the planet,” Javier added. “She wouldn’t just leave. She knows how dangerous it is.”

“Do you have any coordinates or a VIN for the spaceship she left in?” I asked.

“Unfortunately, surveillance was scrambled the moment she left orbit. All we know is that she was taken. One of our guards was involved and is said to be piloting the spacecraft, but all others deny any affiliation.”

I took in the information, listening intently. I turned to Benji. “Set course to Zeus 9 once we’re cleared.”

Benji jumped up, “You got it.”

“Zeus 9?” Javier asked. “Why are we going to that slum?”

“Halfway point,” I said offhandedly.

Javier narrowed his eyes, unhappy with my answer, but I didn’t give a shit. Ellie shuffled uncomfortably and Daxton leaned over to murmur, “It’s okay. I’ll stay on the ship with you.”

She offered him a weak smile before standing. “If that’s all, I think I’ll go back down to the Medbay.” She turned to Javier. “Nice to meet you. I’m sure we’ll be fast friends.”

Confusion muddled his amber eyes, but he only gave her a nod before the petite water nymph disappeared down the corridor. Mads shortly followed, going back down the steps to the engine room without a word.

Mads didn’t like Zeus 9 either. Not because it was the equivalent of a urinal cake, but because of my contact.

The Pantomath. The man who knows everything for a price. A daywalker floating around in the galaxy? He would know where. That, and he owed me a favor. I’d come back from my meetings with the Pantomath with more scars than I had going there.

Most of the time it was worth it. The other times, it just hurt.

Daxton slapped his hands on his thighs. “So, I’m going to my quarters since someone woke me up way too damn early today and I’m sure Theo would love to show you around the ship.”

Javier glanced over at me with those heated eyes. I hated them and the way they made my belly coil.

I ground my teeth together. “Fine. Let me show you around this rust bucket.”

Daxton gave me a mock salute and headed off to his cabin.

I glanced back at Javier, standing there like he could buy the ship out from under me. Fuck him. To think this jackass was getting our stargazing room. He deserved to sleep in the cargo bay and be tossed around by the turbulence.

I bet my ship will look a whole lot nicer after a night in the cargo bay.

“Lead the way,” Javier said, voice smooth like butter.

In the overhead speaker, Benji announced, “Hey, we’ve just been cleared to leave. Prepare for takeoff.”

“You may want to hold onto something, cowboy,” I suggested.

Javier cocked an eyebrow. “Why? You’re not.”

“Suit yourself.”

The ship started to rise and, very quickly, Javier realized he should have grabbed something. Better than an orgasm, I swear.