Free LyonsPrice by Mina Carter

She’s just in denial.”
    “Yeah, yeah. Now fuck off and do something useful, like man
the guns so your brother can get some sleep.”
    Lyon shooed the loud-mouthed Gemini off and accessed the
flight plans. They weren’t far off the system they were holed up in at the
moment. He knew it wouldn’t be long before they had to move again. Somehow the
Fleet always managed to find their location. They’d even resorted to tagging
grain supplies with location beacons. He wrinkled his nose, what a waste of
good food.
    “Okay, we need to do a sweep before we get too close. Last
thing we need is to bring the Fleet right onto our doorstep.”
    Cael flicked him a look out of the corner of her eye and
smiled. “Already on it, boss man. Scan thirty percent complete.”
    Lyon settled into his seat and allowed himself to relax.
Their mission was nearly over and even if he hadn’t managed to get to talk to
his initial target, they were all free and clear with no causalities or loss of
equipment. And to boot, he’d picked up something far more valuable than
supplies.
    Samara. Not only was she something he’d protect to his dying
breath, but she was a certified medic. Something they needed with a few of
their women pregnant and nearing term. There were few things in this life that
scared Lyon. Having to deliver a baby was one of them. Best leave that to the
professionals, and from the records Cael had pulled from the Valkyrie ’s
mainframe, one of Samara’s specialties was midwifery.
    A smile curved his lips again. He’d left her curled up in
his bed sleeping. A soft feeling spread out from the center of his chest as he
recalled the way a lock of her hair had fallen over her face. Alarmed, he initiated
a diagnostic scan of his systems and then canceled it immediately. It was her,
the soft feeling was all centered about Samara.
    “Fuck.”
    Short and succinct. That was what he liked about Cael, she
didn’t mince her words.
    “What is it?”
    “We got a live bug on board.”
    That got his attention. Somehow Fleet had managed to get
something on the shuttle.
    “How the fuck did they manage that? We didn’t take
anything on board…” He paused at the same moment Cael looked at him, sorrow in
her eyes.
    “Boss, the signal is coming from your cabin.”
    * * * * *
    The door crashing open startled Samara from her light doze
instantly. The small room was suddenly filled with large bodies. Only this time
there were no smiles. Anger swirled around the small space and stole all the air
from her lungs. Cael and Lyon stood by the ruin of the door. Cael’s face was
perfect and blank, the expression in her eyes hard enough to send a shiver of
fear down Samara’s spine.
    If she thought Cael was bad, seeing that same expression on
Lyon’s face nearly paralyzed her. Icy chills stomped up and down her spine in
heavy boots, extending frozen fingers down her limbs to make them shiver.
    “W-what’s happening?” she forced out through fear-numbed
vocal cords. Clutching the sheets tight to cover her naked body, she scrambled
up the bed until her back hit the wall.
    The two cyborgs advanced and the threat of danger and
violence intensified. Samara’s heart slammed against her rib cage so hard she
was sure it would burst. She sought Lyon’s gaze, desperately looking for that
expression in his green eyes that had told her she was safe with him. The empty
expression she found was devoid of softness, filled with anger and a darkness
she didn’t want to put a name to instead.
    “Why don’t you tell us ?” His voice was sharp,
a hairsbreadth from a snarl, and his fists clenched and unclenched at his
sides. He swept a contemptuous look over her, from the tousled hair atop her
head to the bare feet peeking out from under the sheet and everything in
between.
    “I can’t believe I let a human fool me,” he sneered.
“What did they give you? An Altarian pheromone shot to ensure I’d bring you
along for the ride? I’ll bet you didn’t argue