Shadower by Catherine Spangler Read Free Book Online Page A

his navigational pod. But the displayed coordinates, placing their location in a little traveled sector of the quadrant, were unfamiliar to her. The screen didn't even list a name for the planet they were on.
    This must be a Shielder settlement. Apprehension clawed at her. Damn Sabin Travers to the Fires. Not only was she not on a star base, but she was in the hostile territory of a race known for their barbaric lifestyle and warlike fierceness. Not that she blamed them.
    The Controllers had been trying to wipe out the Shielders for decades, and had managed to drive them to the far reaches of the quadrant. But the Shielders persisted in surviving, living on barren moons and planets no one else would inhabit. They even fought back with surprising tenacity—attacking Controller ships and bases and then escaping into the vast expanses of the quadrant.
    Moriah had no quarrel with Shielders, but she certainly didn't want to be at their mercy. The Controllers paid very well for information leading them to Shielder bases, and many beings were only too glad to provide such information for gold. Her knowledge of this Shielder colony's existence could well mean her death.
    She had to hide in the lav again and hope that Travers took them out of there soon. Quickly, she made her way back to the cabin. Just as she reached the panel, two strong hands grabbed her and spun her around. Heart pounding, she looked up at Sabin.
    He stared back in disbelief. "What in the Abyss are you doing here?"
    "I—I—" she stammered, willing her muddled thoughts to clear.
    His eyes narrowed, fury replacing disbelief. He took a step closer, crowding her against the panel, intimidating her with his sheer presence. "Answer me!"
    She could feel the heat from his body, feel the waves of anger radiating from him. Panicked memories sent her thoughts swirling like dust devils. Think, Moriah!
    "I never got off your ship before you left. I must have wandered into this cabin, delirious from the Jaccian poison."
    He pressed his hands against the panel, on each side of her head. "Cut the lies, Moriah, or is that Mara? I know you went back to Giza's after I treated your wound."
    He was too close, too threatening. Moriah battled feelings of being trapped and smothered. If she showed any weakness, she would be powerless. She forced herself to concentrate on what Sabin had just said. Since he knew her name, he must have her identification disc. He also knew she'd gone back to Giza's. Damn.
    "I must have gotten lost in the dark on Calt and boarded your ship by accident."
    "Yeah, right. And you've been inside this cabin the entire trip?"
    "Sleeping off the effects of the poison," she offered lamely.
    He snorted, obviously not falling for that. "Where have you been while I was planetside?"
    "I had just come out of the cabin when I saw you and tried to duck back in."
    "Likely story." He grabbed her arm and dragged her back down the corridor, stopping to look out the hatch. Scowling, he dragged her into the cockpit. His eagle gaze settled on the navigational screen. Moriah realized that she'd stupidly neglected to clear it. There, the incriminating evidence of their coordinates glared back at them. He raised narrowed eyes to her. "You're a liar. I'm tempted to dump you out and leave you here."
    "You can't do that! They'll kill—" She froze, realizing she was only incriminating herself further. What was wrong with her? Normally, she was quick on her feet. Lack of food must be dulling her wits.
    The murderous expression on Sabin’s' face sent another realization careening through her. One she should have fathomed earlier. He was a Shielder. That was the only way he could possibly know about this colony, the only way the inhabitants would have welcomed him.
    The Controllers had declared every Shielder a criminal, an enemy of the government. It was every citizen's duty to turn in any member of the race, a duty bearing a financial reward. Shadowers made the majority of their