And if Tannis got the treatment, then he’d have someone to share that journey with. He’d told her the truth, he didn’t believe in love. But he liked her, and he wanted her, liked the way she stood up to him, the way she melted in his arms, and that was a hell of a lot more than he’d felt in a long time.
So tomorrow, they would meet with Venna and head off to Trakis Seven. Hope they got there before the Church—though how they thought they could destroy the Meridian when it was a death sentence to set foot on the planet, he didn’t know.
Even so, their presence could be enough to stop them getting down to the surface. So they needed to move and fast because Tannis needed her Meridian and he needed answers.
Venna had been a scientist before she was changed, one of those dedicated people hungry for knowledge for the sake of knowledge, and she’d been relentless in her pursuit of the truth. Still, she’d found nothing of any use.
That was why Callum had decided to return to Trakis Seven himself. He’d never been back after that first crash landing, but he had an idea that the answers were there somewhere.
He stretched, suddenly realizing he was tired. Something else he hadn’t felt in a long while. Glancing across at Tannis, he found her watching him, and he stretched again and gave her a slow, lazy smile. “I’m going to bed,” he murmured.
Her gaze ran over the length of his body, and heat pooled in his belly. Then she looked away. “Good night.”
Maybe he hadn’t quite won her over. Yet.
Chapter Eight
The shuttle landed in the docking bay and the engines went silent. A minute later, the door slid open, and Venna strolled down the ramp. Beside him, Tannis let out a gasp, and he shot her a quick glance. Shock and something else showed on her face, but was quickly gone, her expression blanked out.
He frowned and looked at Venna, but could see nothing to cause the reaction. He was sure the two didn’t know each other—he didn’t think there was any way they could have met, and he saw no recognition in Venna’s eyes.
Venna was beautiful, but he’d always found her cold and rather calculating and so he’d never been interested in making their relationship personal. That had pissed her off; she was used to men falling over her. She was small and curvy, the complete opposite of Tannis, with a mass of blond curls and a rosebud mouth.
She gave Callum her warmest smile, then tossed Tannis a cold glance. “My luggage is in the shuttle. Take it to my room.”
She put a hand on Callum’s arm, and the smile was back.
“Take it yourself,” Tannis snapped.
Venna’s violet eyes turned icy. “Who is this…person, Callum?”
“Or better yet,” Tannis continued, “leave it on board. You can stay on your shuttle. The ship is full.”
Callum swiveled and studied her face. His first thought was jealousy, and he liked the idea. Still, he should reassure her, tell her there was nothing between Venna and him. Had never been anything.
But Tannis didn’t look jealous. He couldn’t define her expression. It was as though a mask had dropped in place. She raised an eyebrow when she caught him watching her.
“What?” she asked. “You want to give her your room—feel free.”
He frowned. “No, she can stay in the shuttle.”
“But—” Venna began, but he cut her off with a wave of his hand.
“Let’s go—you can tell me what’s been going on, and then we need to decide exactly how we’re going to do this.” The ship was already heading to Trakis Seven. He’d sensed the change in direction as soon as Venna’s shuttle had docked.
He waited for Tannis to lead the way, but she stood there, hand resting on her laser pistol, that icy-cold look in her reptilian eyes. A shiver ran through him.
“Well?” he asked.
“Well, what?”
“Are we moving? Or are we going to stand here all day?” What the hell was wrong with her?
She shrugged but then headed up the ramp out of the docking bay. Venna raised her eyebrows at him, but he ignored the implied question and followed Tannis. Venna fell in beside him.
Tannis led them to the large conference room in the center of the ship decorated in the usual black and silver with small tables and chairs scattered around the large area. They took seats around one of the tables.
“Okay,” he said to Venna. “So what’s been going on?”
She gave Tannis a quick glance and then started to give him a rundown on the past few days. But he found it hard to concentrate. There was definitely something wrong with Tannis.
She didn’t appear to be paying attention to the conversation. Instead, she gazed at the ceiling, one booted foot swinging, her fingers drumming on the arms of her chair.
“Are we boring you?” he asked.
She turned her head to look at him, her eyes cold and yellow, the pupils narrowed to mere slits. “Yes.”
Then she got to her feet and stalked from the room without looking back.
Tannis kept her pace slow until she heard the whoosh of the door closing behind her, and then she headed toward her cabin at a run. Her mind whirled, a whole load of disjointed thoughts and memories swirling around her head.