Free Unchained by C.J. Barry Page B

pounding out the advance of the faceless encroachers.
Confusion reigned, panic clawed at her throat.
    Cidra braced herself for the final scene,
the inevitable conclusion, there was no stopping it. She waited for
the pain that would rip through her, the final blast, the same
conclusion to the same nightmare she’d relived over and over again
for ten years.
    She waited, but it didn’t come. Not this
time. A soft voice whispered to her. Her father’s voice. He was
there, in her mind.
    Run, Cidra. Slip out as
fast as you can, and no one will see you. His voice sounded calm and soothing. She wanted to say
something to him, anything. It had been so long. She reached out to
him.
    The blast finally came and it was over.
Cidra bolted up in bed like a shot. Heavy shudders racked her body.
She was soaking wet and shaking in the darkness. She yanked the
covers off and leapt to her feet, residual energy surging through
her.
    It had been different this time. Her
father’s voice, that had never happened before. The spell was
broken for some reason; the nightmare had changed. After ten years,
it had changed. Why?
    She stood in the center of her room, hugging
herself. There had to be a reason. What was it he’d said?
    Run . Slip out as fast as you can, and no
one will see you .
    She repeated the words again and again.
Suddenly, she stilled, her eyes focusing on the micropad lying on
the desk. “Oh Lord. That’s it.”
    Cidra spun around, hit the controls that
unlocked the adjoining passage and started knocking on the door.
She was about to try the comm unit when the door abruptly slid
open.
    Grey stood in the doorway, his body poised
for action, laser in hand—all warrior.
    “ What’s wrong? Are you all
right?” His eyes darted around her cabin checking for
trouble.
    “ A back door,” she
breathed, her eyes huge.
    Low light from his cabin lit her face.
Grey’s eyebrows furrowed with concern. “Cidra?”
    She repeated slowly, “A back door. The
landing bay. They slipped out of the landing bay.”
    He struggled to keep up with her. She was
obviously wide-awake, leaving him at a distinct disadvantage. Not
to mention that, for a fleeting moment, he’d hoped she just plain
wanted him and not to bounce some crazy idea off either.
    “ Cidra, I hate to break
this to you, but we watched that holo recording four times. Nothing
came out of the landing bay,” he explained patiently, lowering the
laser pistol and bracing his other hand above the
doorframe.
    She gave him a challenging look. “I have one
brilliant theory for you.”
    Grey exhaled and hung his head. “It’s late,
Cidra. Can we discuss this in the morning?”
    Her voice shook. “No. I need to see the
recording again.” She moved closer to him and placed her palm on
his bare chest. “I can’t wait until morning. Grey, please.”
    He sucked in a breath and froze. Her hand
felt like fire on his bare skin. He gazed down into those
beautiful, pleading eyes. It was the first time she’d ever called
him by his first name, and it sounded incredibly sweet. He was
aware that parts of him were waking up faster than others. He was
also aware with every ounce of instinct in him, without a doubt, he
was in big trouble.
    “ I’m going to regret this,”
he grumbled.
    She withdrew her hand at once and smiled
brilliantly. “Let’s go.”
    He raised his head and examined her from the
floor up with a slow, thorough gaze. Her gown was plastered to her
body, revealing every curve, every movement.
    “ If you walk around Calíbre looking like
that, I won’t be held responsible for the actions of my crew.” His
voice was low and deliberate.
    Cidra drew a blank and looked down at
herself. Her eyes shot back to him. For the first time, it dawned
on her that he was wearing only shorts. He was still standing in
the doorway with one hand braced on the top of the doorway, his
lean, powerful body now relaxed.
    Suddenly, the only cohesive thought in her
head was that he was magnificent.