Hitting the Target Read online

  A rush of horror filled her. How could she have forgotten she was wearing it? How could she forget even for a minute that The EYE could see everything she did, even here on the other side of the Great Barrier?

  No—oh, no! Everything I’ve been looking at was in the Star’s field of view! Does this mean the Commandant saw me looking at filth? He’ll know that I violated The Oath! He’ll punish me—I’ll be in so much trouble!

  She slapped one hand over the Mercy Star pin and turned off the link-box with the other. Then she sat there trembling, all vestiges of the warm desire that had been flooding her only moments ago turned to ashes.

  But it wasn’t my fault! How did I know that “porn” meant naked pictures of people doing indecent things? How long was I looking at it? Maybe I can argue that it was a mistake and I turned it off right away.

  But that was no good, she realized. She had been scrolling through the naked pictures for a good ten or fifteen minutes at least. That was longer than a quick mistaken glance at illicit material.

  Biting her lip, Mia admitted to herself there was nothing she could do about it now. She would just have to go on with her mission and collect as much information about Trey and his people as she could to give to the Commandant. Hopefully if she did a good enough job, he would overlook her indiscretion.

  And you have to seduce Trey—you have to finish the job, whispered a little voice in her head. Do exactly as the Commandant told you and maybe he won’t punish you or Neemah when you finally go back home.

  It was the only hope she had.

  Trey thought she looked a little stressed when he finally came home at the end of the day. A lot stressed, actually. Mia’s face was drawn, and her lush mouth was a thin line.

  “Hey, are you all right, little one?” he asked after he had kissed her gently on the cheek.

  “Oh, fine! I was just…just missing you all day.” She gave him a smile, but he thought it looked strained.

  “Was the stuff on the Interweb all right?” he asked.

  “The Interweb?” Mia went positively pale and her eyes widened as though he had accused her of some unspeakable crime instead of asking how her work had gone that day.

  “I mean, were the questions what you were expecting?” Trey asked, frowning. Why was she so upset?

  “Oh! Oh, yes…” She began to look a little calmer. “Yes, of course—it was all fine. And not much of it was new—I think I should be able to pass the test without any problems.” She bit her lip. “Unless the Kindred technology is also on the test?”

  “No, of course not.” He smiled, glad to see she seemed to be feeling better. “I told you, it’s new to everyone at the Care Center too. But it’s not hard to pick up—my people are pretty good at making our tech intuitive.”

  “So, can I take the test tomorrow?” she asked eagerly. “I don’t want to be stuck here while you’re far away in the Care Center all day.”

  “Well, I don’t know about tomorrow but I’m sure we can get it scheduled for some time this week at least. I’ll send a message to Lydiah and see if she can set it up.”

  Trey put down the packages he’d been carrying—some new clothing for Mia that he hoped would fit—and went to the desk in the living area. The link-box had been turned off but it was still open so he simply tapped the button to turn it back on.

  What popped up when the vidscreen blinked to life made him sit back and take a surprised breath.

  “Oh! Oh, no!”

  He heard Mia’s agonized moan behind him and turned to see that her face was rosy with a blush.

  “I didn’t mean to,” she babbled quickly, her eyes wide with anxiety. “I swear I didn’t! I just didn’t know what you meant by ‘porn’ so I typed it in and all this came up!”

  Trey saw that she was near tears of embarrassment and shame. Quickly he put an arm around her waist and drew her close to him as he sat at the desk.

  “Hey, it’s okay. Honestly, Mia—I’m not upset,” he said, hoping to calm her down. “I shouldn’t have joked about you looking up porn before I left. I’m sorry if all this shocked you—I should have realized you had never seen anything like it before.”

  “It’s breaking The Oath, looking at stuff like this,” she whispered, waving at the screen. “But somehow when I started looking…” she nibbled her lower lip and looked down at her hands. “I just couldn’t stop.”

  “Porn can be mesmerizing that way,” Trey said dryly.

  “Could you please turn it off?” she pleaded. “I’m just…I shouldn’t be looking at it. Like I said, it’s breaking The Oath.”

  “You know you don’t have to worry about that anymore,” Trey said gently, though he did close that particular window so she wouldn’t have to see the graphic images anymore. “You know The EYE can’t reach you here.”

  Mia gave a visible start and her face grew even paler.

  “Right,” she whispered. “Of…of course not.”

  But Trey could smell the scent of her fear in the air—bitter under the sweetness of her natural feminine aroma. He wondered again, what was she so afraid of? Did she really not feel safe, even on this side of the Great Barrier? Why did The EYE still frighten her so? Was it possible she still felt threatened by the sinister police organization somehow?

  Unbidden, Teela’s warning rose in his head.

  “…you’re an alien to our planet—an alien with advanced technology. I could definitely see The EYE sending someone to spy on you and get information on Kindred tech.”

  No—no that can’t be right. Mia isn’t some kind of a spy. We’ve been Dream Sharing—the Goddess sent her to me. It isn’t possible.

  Firmly, he put the idea out of his mind.

  “Come on,” he told Mia. “Let’s forget about all this and let me show you the clothes I picked out for you. I hope you like them.”

  She brightened visibly. “Oh, thank you, Trey—that was so kind of you.”

  “Well, we can’t have you running around in my uniform shirts all the time…although I certainly wouldn’t mind,” he murmured. He loved the way the satiny material of his shirt clung to her full breasts and how the hem ended a little above mid-thigh so he could see her shapely legs.

  “Trey…” Mia blushed but there was a smile on her face and the bitter tang of her fear was fading from the air.

  “Go on and try them on in the sleeping chamber,” he suggested. “Then you can come out and give me a fashion show—let me see if I judged your sizes right.”

  “All right.” Picking up the parcels he had brought in with him, she took them off towards the back of the ship.

  Trey watched her go, a smile on his lips at her obvious excitement. He had a feeling that the clothing she’d been allowed to wear in the People’s Republic was much more about functionality than fashion so these new clothes would hopefully be a treat for her.

  But though his feelings for her grew stronger with every passing moment, he couldn’t quite get rid of the seed of doubt that Teela had planted. Though he didn’t even realize it, it had taken root in his soul and sent out a tiny tendril of uncertainty that was almost impossible to uproot…

  Chapter Fourteen

  Unfortunately it turned out that the healer’s aide test couldn’t be scheduled for at least a week and a half because a special proctor was required to come out and administer it. And while he was at it, he could administer other, more advanced tests too, in case she felt up to taking them, Lydiah told her. Would Mia like to try for higher ratings so a wider variety of positions would be open to her?

  Mia decided she would. She had always been a quick study and very good at taking tests. And if she passed some of the more advanced certifications, she might even be able to work in the OR again—maybe even assist Trey as he operated. She had been wanting to get back to assisting during surgery ever since the Commandant had pulled strings and gotten her assigned to recovery instead.

  So they fell into a kind of routine. They woke in the morning and had breakfast or “F