Once Bitten Read online

  "Look, I don’t give a flying flip about your stupid immigration laws. I’m not immigrating. I’m visiting. Just let me do the tourist thing and then I’ll be off this rock at the speed of light." Bali couldn’t believe her rotten luck. Nine days in a cramped spaceship and now a cushy official was sticking his nose where it didn’t belong. She’d passed customs. The little bureaucrat was just being obnoxious. Probably had a thing against off-worlders.

  Become a courier, see the stars, she mocked to herself, quoting a popular advertisement. If they went through this every time....

  The stubby little fellow jutted out his chins, the second one jiggling like a bowl of jellied veal. Eyeing her formfitting, knee-length, black leather jacket with the low cut neckline with distaste, he said firmly, "We are strongly discouraging the Craft here, Miss Shane."

  Icki was going to die. She coughed, unsure whether to be amused or annoyed. After all, she was wearing pants and a bustier underneath. Black leather, sure, but they covered what they should. It wasn’t like her black boots had spike heels on them, either.

  She didn’t like making scenes and hated confrontations of all kinds. Normally she was so retiring, she made Amish women look like Amazons in comparison. But this was just the sort of thing to spark her dormant temper. Her evil instincts urged her to put on a show designed to make this jerk think twice about bothering innocent passengers with bad fashion advisers.

  Adopting the dramatic air of an ancient Victorian maiden, she raised her voice to an outraged, carrying howl. "Are you accusing me of being a hooker?"

  Several travelers in the spaceport turned to look at them.

  Shooting them an irked look, the man said, "Miss, kindly keep your voice down!"

  Enjoying herself--this from a girl who’d nearly flunked drama because of shyness--she bellowed back, "You’re calling me a whore and you want me to keep quiet about it?"

  That brought another man trotting over. This one had a grim set to his mouth and nervous eyes. "Is there a problem here?"

  Over the official’s sputters, Bali played to her gathering audience. Pointing her finger dramatically at the enemy, she said indignantly, "My papers are in order, but this pug here won’t let me pass. He says, judging by my clothes, that I’m in the Craft. Have you ever?" She was tempted to stamp her foot, but that might have been overacting. "I demand an apology, and I am never using this spaceport again." She hid a smirk of satisfaction at the sheen of sweat that suddenly sprouted on his upper lip.

  Her rescuer glared at the official. "Apologize at once, Mawkbar, and let the lady through. Expect an official reprimand on your records."

  Lips tightly compressed, Mawkbar managed to say a tight, "Forgive me, miss. Have a nice day. Welcome to Tantalus." It sounded as if he were chewing rocks.

  Concealing her mirth, Bali drew herself up with a long sniff and looked down her nose. She stalked through the security barrier, the other official dogging her heels.

  "Allow me to pay for your cab, miss. It’s the least I can do."

  If he wanted to, she wasn’t going to tell him no.

  The heat slammed into her the moment she exited the spaceport. Surprised at the humidity, she glanced at the cloudless blue sky and fierce sun, thinking that the captain should have warned his passengers about the heat. She snorted and slid on her shades, already feeling a sun glare headache coming on. He’d probably had a good laugh when she’d disembarked, imagining her sweltering in her leather. They hadn’t gotten along, but then she rarely took to men who made passes at her, and crude ones at that.

  Once in the transport, she gave the official a cool nod of thanks and let him close the door. "Domino’s. Gun it," she told the cabbie. The sooner she was off this baking hot rock, the better. First business, then pleasure. Or ... she bit her inner lip, trying not to think about the nature of her mission. Her plan was different than Icki’s--she suspected he was doing his best to rid her of her overripe virginity. Since her "over ripeness" was there by choice, she planned to befriend a Draconian instead, much as she had Icki. In her platonic version of events, the Drac would understand her dilemma, sympathize, bite her, and let her go on her merry way.

  Yeah, it might happen that way.

  The port city of Tantalus, Killaray was kept cool with a system of heat reflective bio-domes. Shimmering over buildings or entire blocks, the technology formed an interlocking series of energy umbrellas, allowing moving objects easy passage. The poor sections of the city could not afford this luxury, so many of the residents loitered or worked the sweltering daylight hours away under the domes. In spite of the high human traffic, the city was clean.

  Eager to see the sights while she was here, Bali rolled down her window to get the full effect. Many flowering plants and fruit trees dotted the sidewalks and window boxes. Rooftop gardens sprouted from almost every building, making her smile with anticipation. She’d never seen a city so alive. Killaray was built on the strength of stone and steel, but embraced the green world with a lover’s hand.

  The sunlight faded away to night as she watched, leaving the pastel streetlights to chase the dark away. Hard to believe that such soft illumination could have such a taming effect on the powerful night, she mused. How often did softness conquer that kind of black heat?

  Domino’s club was set on the edge of the city. Outside, it was plain gray stone with red, cut glass letters spelling "Domino" in English and Draconian.

  Inside waited the hottest thing this side of the sun. Or so said the rumors.

  Not that she expected to attract his attention. Anyone that gorgeous was never going to look her way. She was hoping for a mild mannered, nice sort of Drac. Rumor said that none existed, but surely it exaggerated. There had to be at least one among the many Dracs who made Tantalus their Mecca.

  If not, she was in trouble.

  The cabbie accepted his fare and let her out. "Getting an early night on it, are you?" He winked.

  Uncertain how to interpret the wink, she settled for a droll stare. "Quite."

  A line was growing outside the door when a bouncer propped it open, spilling music out around him. The golden glow behind him beckoned.

  He took the first ID, then looked the nervous owner over. "Nice try, kid. Try coming back when you can shave."

  Bali rolled her eyes and sighed as the kid slunk away. Ignoring her rumbling stomach, she cast an impatient eye over the parking lot and shifted in her sweltering clothes. It was so blasted hot, and she felt--moments later she felt nothing at all.

  Chapter 3

  Domino looked up in surprise as his door guard lugged an unconscious woman into the club. They’d once had an underage girl fake a swoon to get in, but she’d revived fast enough with a pitcher of ice water. Judging by this woman’s dripping black hair, she’d already passed the faking it test.

  "Heat stroke," Hari said, propping the stirring woman up in Domino’s private booth. Businesslike, he stripped off the woman’s long leather jacket. He dropped it on the seat next to her. "Nice armful. Too bad she’s not bright enough to dress down in hot weather." He left.

  She groaned and stirred. "I heard that." Her voice was groggy.

  Domino grinned and ordered her some iced fruit juice. She needed to cool down, and he needed to look at her.

  Hari was right--she was cute. Black hair, blue eyes now squinting open and a long, elegantly built frame. Nice curves packaged in a fetching leather bustier and tight leather pants. Pity she hadn’t exchanged them for a skirt. Tantalus demanded common sense fashion.

  She grunted. "Stop looking."

  "You dress like that and expect a man to ignore it?"

  "Fine, stop staring, then." She accepted the fruit juice from a server and pressed it to her head before sipping from it.

  "Here." Domino reached around her and gathered her hair up.

  She stiffened.

  He quirked a brow and used a set of clean chopsticks from the table to pin her hair up in a twisted bun. "Beautiful as it is down, you’ll be cooler
with it up."

  She eyed him suspiciously, then reached over and riffled in her coat pocket. She held a plain white, folded piece of parchment sealed with red wax between two fingers. "This is yours. Icki sends his compliments." Her expression smoothed out, though there was a note of cool defiance in her gaze.

  Curious, he slipped the card from her fingers--slowly. This was a woman he would take his time with, if he chose to answer her challenge. The odds were good--he’d never been the kind to face a dare without proving himself dominant. It was purely Draconian, and one hundred percent Domino D’rath. She’d learn, in time.

  He broke the seal and scanned the contents. "Happy Birthday. Consider her a favor repaid. She doesn’t know you know, and she doesn’t know who you are.

  Domino frowned. That was cryptic, even for Icki. A favor? He slid his gaze over her, quickly dismissing his first thought. She didn’t have the look of a hired woman, and it wasn’t Icki’s style. Wasn’t his style. So who, and what, was she?

  Standing up, he told her smoothly, "I’m going to make a call. Please wait here." The tone was pleasant, but he saw from her sharp glance that she’d heard the underlying command. Good. At least Icki hadn’t sent him a stupid woman. He moved into the glass booth set aside a little ways away for private calls. Ignoring the terminal, he pulled out his private communicator and leaned one shoulder against the wall, keeping the woman in sight. After a couple of minutes of relay static, someone answered at the other end.

  "Icki here."

  "Icki ... I got your card. Care to explain it?" He watched the woman lean back in the booth and close her eyes momentarily, as if her head hurt.

  "She didn’t tell you her name." It wasn’t a question.

  Domino laughed. "We haven’t gotten that far. She passed out on my front step and Hari deposited her at my table. I was more interested in getting her cooled down than in learning her name."

  There was an interesting silence on the other end of the line. "Hm. She wouldn’t have liked that. Prickly about showing weakness. Not surprising, when you consider who she is."

  Goaded, Domino drawled, "And who is that?"

  "Bali Itara."

  Domino stiffened and looked at his phone. Shock kept him mute for long seconds. Of all the.... "Are you sure?" he asked carefully.

  "Very. If you’d mentioned you were looking for her sooner, I could have hooked you up years ago. Bali and I went to school together."

  Memories, and raw emotion, crashed over Domino. He turned his face away from Bali, concealing his turmoil. He hated the name Itara with a soul deep loathing, but he owed the girl. He’d spent years trying to locate her, never dreaming that the child who’d set him free was actually Itara’s daughter.

  Pushing aside his anger, he said harshly, "What does she need?" He wanted his debt over with.

  This time there was silence on Icki’s end. "She’s in a bad way. I’ve given her some drugs to slow the damage, but she doesn’t have much time. Less than she thinks, in fact. Give her some fun. Whether she wants it or not, she needs it badly. It’s really all there’s left to do for her."

  Fun. Domino glanced at the morose figure at his favorite table. She was built for fun, that one, but he wasn’t in the mood. Especially not now. Itara! Just the thought of that name iced any heat he might have felt. Fun. He thought not. It would hardly soothe his honor or even their score. Well, she was Itara’s daughter, wasn’t she? She was bound to have someone hunting her head. Perhaps he’d even have a chance to save her life, and they would be even. With her face frequently on the newscasts as it was, she’d soon be recognized. A bodyguard was the least she needed, and she was stupid to travel without one. Then again....

  She doesn’t have much time. Less than she thinks, in fact. Icki’s words came to him and he grimaced. What was the use of saving her life if she was about to die? Would she even thank him? For all he knew, the death she faced would be brutally painful.

  He frowned as he remembered what the card had said. "She doesn’t know you know, and she doesn’t know who you are." If she didn’t know, then why was she here? Granted, Tantalus was where he’d choose to spend his final days, given a choice, but she didn’t look the pleasure seeking type. Instinct told him he wasn’t seeing all the pieces.

  "What aren’t you saying, Icki? You didn’t send a dying girl with no hopes to see me. That’s not your style." He’d known Icki for a long time. They’d met here on Tantalus and struck up a friendship that had withstood the yawning space between planets. They were men of the same mind, and Icki never gave up without a fight.

  Another long pause. "That’s her call, Dom. She’s got ... morals." He said the word distastefully, as one would say head lice. "Combined with her peculiar sense of honor and her dislike of being beholden, it’s going to take a minor miracle to get it out of her."

  "Or you could just tell me," Domino said menacingly. His patience was wearing thin.

  Icki snorted. "I’m shaking, Drac. You’re a sly enough hand with the ladies--you figure it out." He hung up.

  Domino gritted his teeth and closed the connection. One of these days, he was going to murder Icki.

  Chapter 4

  Bali ignored the Drac and nursed her headache. Handsome men made her nervous, and he was all of that. Sleek black hair touched his broad shoulders. And for a tall man, he was well proportioned. A fashionable black goatee framed his sensual mouth, and his teeth flashed white and straight when he grinned. The slightly elongated canines and golden eyes that marked him as a Draconian just added to her tension.

  She did not do men. Not for the first time, she wondered what she was doing here.

  He rejoined her at her table. "Well, that was informative."

  Her eyes widened and she drew in a quick breath. Icki had promised.

  The Draconian blinked slowly at her, his posture hinting at annoyance. "I was being sarcastic. Icki delights in jerking my chain. He didn’t even hint at why you traveled light years just to deliver a birthday card."

  Wariness edged her eyes. "I’m sightseeing."

  His gaze moved over her leather clothes. "I hope you brought some lighter outfits to do it in."

  That arrogant note of his set her teeth on edge. "Oh, I don’t know. I rather like walking around feeling like I’m trapped in a sauna."

  His teeth flashed in a quick grin. "There are worse things than looking at a sweating woman, I suppose."

  Those canines of his caught her eye. A frisson of interest hit her, sharp and sudden. What would it feel like to have them graze her neck? She looked away too late. He’d noticed.

  "Are you hungry, Bali? I can get you a bite, if you like."

  She appraised him for a rigid moment. Did he know? Icki had told him her name, but had he broken his word? He’d sworn the bite thing would be her secret to tell. Giving Icki the benefit of the doubt, she decided the comment was either the Drac’s way of flirting or a subtle rebuke. "I rarely eat out, thanks. Nor am I known for my sweet tooth." A lie, for though she rarely indulged, she had a decided weakness for dessert.

  "Too many sweets can ruin the palate. I was thinking of something more hearty." His low, rough voice made the comment suggestive.

  Feeling the water close over her head, she dropped the conversational ball with a thud. "I need nothing." She stood and tossed some money on the table to pay for her drink. "Excuse me. I have a ship to catch."

  Not if he had anything to say about it. Domino stayed her with a light touch to her arm. A fearful look flashed into her eyes and she stiffened. Just as fast, the signs were gone.

  She feared men. Or perhaps it was only him.

  Keeping his touch light, he stroked the underside of her wrist with his thumb, just once. "Stay. Be my guest for the night. The ships will still be there tomorrow. Icki would not like it if you ran off and deserted me." The soft tone and careful choice of words weakened her. She cared what Icki thought. Useful to know, but it faintly annoyed him. Were they lovers?

  Looking far more vulne
rable, she slowly resumed her seat. "He does nag. I never needed a brother with him around."

  A brother. Domino smiled and sat back. He ordered her another drink, this time something with a kick. Ignoring her words about not being hungry, he requested a sample of food to be brought and settled down to learn her secrets. "Icki said you went to school together. Did you become lovers afterward?"

  "No! We’re friends. I’ve got more sense than to get my heart mashed by a dragonfly like him. Besides, he’s my doctor."

  Domino didn’t see what one had to do with the other, but he let it go. "Then your haste to leave was because of another man? Do you have someone else waiting for your call?"

  "I’m not involved with anyone," she said impatiently. "I like it that way." She gave him a hard look. "Though I would be missed if something happened to me."

  He laughed. "I’m not about to make you disappear, sweetheart. At least, not without your consent." He winked. That ornery streak of hers was cute in a backwards sort of way. No wonder Icki had taken to her--she was just the sort of pet a man would enjoy taming. As an amusement, that is. She was far too prickly to consider as a lover.

  Their food arrived. He hid his smile as she attacked it with good appetite. He’d have to remember that she made a secret of even basic needs when she didn’t trust someone. The smile slowly died as he remembered that she had good reason to distrust.

  Chapter 5

  Helpless and chained to the wall, he’d watched his captor run tests on the girl. He couldn’t speak her language, but he’d understood her screams too well.

  The madman chattered on, then said something to her. He left through the heavy door.

  After a time, she struggled up and looked at him. The green gel had dried in places, giving her skin a plastic sheen. She said something to him. Unable to answer, he just looked at her.

  With a fearful glance at the door, she went to him. By the time she reached him, there were tears in her eyes. He knew what movement cost after a dip in the hellish waters.