Farthest Space: The Wrath of Jan by Ellen Fisher Read Free Book Online Page A

head, gazing over his shoulder.   “Oh, no.”
    McNeill turned his head and saw an enormous, tawny creature bounding toward them.   “Stars,” he said under his breath.   “Look at the size of that thing.”  
    It was too close.   They weren’t going to make it to the lifepod.   He slid to a halt and put Vaish down, none too gently.   He didn’t have time to be gentle, although he regretted it when she hissed between her teeth and collapsed to the ground.
    He yanked his metal pipe from his waistband and ran toward the creature.
    “Are you crazy ?”
    He heard Vaish’s indignant voice behind him, but ignored it.   If he failed to kill the creature, there was a faint hope that if he drew it far enough from Vaish, it wouldn’t notice her.   With an injured leg, there was no way she could defend herself.  
    When the cat was almost on him, he stopped and braced himself.
    Stars, but the thing was big—the size of a pony, with two curving ivory fangs that really did bear a startling resemblance to sabers.   He didn’t stand a chance in hell of killing the thing without a blaster.
    Which he regretted, because it meant Vaish wasn’t going to survive, either.
    Not that he cared for Vaish in any sort of romantic way.   It was just that they’d worked together for five years, and he thought of her as… a friend.   Sort of.   A friend that irritated him like excessively tight underwear.   A friend that got on his nerves and argued with him unnecessarily.   A friend with a really gorgeous body.
    A body that was about to be eaten, if he didn’t get his mind back on this situation right now.
    The cat slid to a halt, so close that he could smell the strong, musky scent of it, and studied him.   Steven stared back at it, not sure what the hell was going on, but not liking it much.   He had braced himself for a fight, and now the creature was just… standing there.   Weird.
    Its green eyes shifted behind him, and Steven heard a rustling of grass.   He risked a quick glance over his shoulder and saw Vaish limping toward him.
    Damn the woman.   She never did what he told her to do.   Really, he was going to have to have her court-martialed.   Assuming they survived, which seemed pretty damned unlikely at this point.
    She stumbled up next to Steven and gazed intently at the cat, which stared back.
    “Go,” she said.  
    Steven felt his jaw drop open as the cat turned and glided away through the purple grass.
    Within moments the cat had disappeared.   Steven turned and looked at Vaish.   “What the hell?”
    She gave him a faint smile and turned, limping back toward the lifepod.
    “Excuse me,” Steven said.   “What did you just do?”
    She lifted her eyebrows.   “I didn’t do anything, Captain.”
    “You did so.   That was definitely something.”
    “That was nothing, Captain.”
    “Look, I know what nothing looks like, and that wasn’t it.”
    “There is no way you can know what nothing looks like, when by definition nothing is not visible.”
    “Okay.   Maybe it wasn’t nothing.   But it sure as hell was something.”
    “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, Captain.   I assure you, I did nothing.”
    “But—“   Steven sighed.   “Oh, the hell with it.   Never mind.”

Chapter 6
    When they got back to the lifepod, Steven insisted on examining Vaish’s leg to make sure it wasn’t broken.   She leaned back and tried to ignore his big hands sliding up and down her leg.
    It wasn’t easy to ignore.   Especially when his fingers pressed against her swollen ankle.   She groaned.
    Steven shot her his cockiest grin.   “I tend to have that effect on women.”
    “That was not a sound of pleasure, you idiot.”
    “You shouldn’t refer to me as an idiot, you know.   I’m your captain.”
    She lifted an eyebrow and quoted his earlier words.   “News flash, Captain .   Your job description just changed.”
    “So you’re telling me you’re free to insult