Free Shadower by Catherine Spangler Page A

That done, he left her and returned to his cabin. After setting the alert, he crawled into his bunk. It had been a long cycle, and he was exhausted. Yet visions of fiery hair and golden eyes inundated his thoughts, and sleep was a long time coming.
     
    *  *  *  *
     
    Moriah saw the small light begin flashing on the cabin's control panel. She suspected Sabin had activated a security program, and most probably, the corridor was wired with motion detectors. She hadn't expected him to trust her, but it was better than being shackled. Oddly enough, she was beginning to believe he didn't intend to kill her, although she wasn't sure why. She'd never known any man who kept his word if it didn't suit his purposes.
    Yet Sabin had spared her life, when it would have been simpler to rid himself of her immediately. He could have left her to the Shielders if he didn't want to handle the deed himself. He didn't appear to be keeping her alive to satisfy his sexual needs, either.
    She didn't know what to think of any of this, except maybe he really meant to have her memory erased and then release her. Although grateful his intentions appeared benign, she wasn't inclined to let anyone alter her memory. Besides, she couldn't afford to lose any more time.
    She stretched out on the bunk, fingering her magnasteel bracelet. The bracelet looked common enough, like a thousand other adornments worn throughout this quadrant of the galaxy. But its contents were highly valuable, in more ways than one. More than just the four lethean patches lent the bracelet value, although each of those little patches cost at least a hundred miterons on the black market.
    Even more valuable was the Leor credit chip hidden inside the bracelet, especially considering her life would be forfeit if she lost that chip. It would also be forfeit if she failed to appear in time to bid on the iridon shipment, which was why she had to act quickly.
    According to her information, the auction would be held in eight cycles, giving bidders time to travel to the event. But she still had to find transportation and then travel to the auction site. With no time to waste, she had to use one of the lethean patches on Sabin at the first opportunity.
    She'd held off this cycle, giving herself a chance to get her bearings and recover from fatigue and hunger. But tomorrow, she'd wait until Sabin's guard was down and then she'd place a patch on him. Within a minute, he'd be out cold, and his ship would be hers. A twinge of remorse pierced her. She'd just had her own ship stolen, so she knew how he might feel.
    Surely this heap of rust couldn't be that great a loss for him, she argued to herself. Besides, she suspected Sabin Travers always managed to land on his feet. And her survival, along with that of Celie and the group members, hinged on getting to the iridon auction. She'd do whatever was necessary to ensure that.
     

 

Chapter Five
     
    The next morning, Moriah was awake long before Sabin deactivated the security program and came for her. She even had time to do her stretches and work through her fighting katas. Her kicks were a little stiff, but then she'd been in a cramped lav for several cycles. Her full range of motion would be restored with a few more workouts.
    "Sorry to be so late." He strolled into the cabin with his usual casual air. "I worked out this morning."
    Inadvertently, her gaze went to his biceps, bulging through the sleeves of his black flightsuit and then wandered to his impressive chest. He'd left the suit partway open, revealing a hint of dark hair. Forcing herself to glance up from his chest, she realized he'd showered. His dark hair, still damp, hung loose and silky around his shoulders. He'd shaved, too, the temporary lack of beard stubble lending a cleaner edge to his features.
    He was close to two meters of pure, rugged male. Her mouth grew dry, and her pulse sped up. Shocked at the unusual reaction, she reprimanded herself mentally. She knew better. She'd