She noticed though that his attempts to extricate his arm were half-hearted at best. Perhaps he was as curious about the casual touch of a female as he was about what it would feel like to hold an infant.
“The rule is that you aren’t allowed to touch an unbonded female Lasaran, right?” she asked.
“Correct.”
“Well, I’m not an unbonded Lasaran. I’m from Earth. So as Prince Taelon said, technically there are no rules governing interaction with me.”
A look of surprise crossed his face. The corners of his lips tipped up in a slight smile as he relaxed in her grasp. “I suppose you’re right.”
Eliana smiled.
Alarms began to blare.
Both jerked to a halt.
“What’s that?” she blurted.
“All crew members to battle stations,” a male voice called over the ship-wide speakers. “Repeat—all crew members to battle stations. We are under attack.”
Her eyes widened as she looked at Ganix.
The ship rocked beneath their feet as a muffled explosion carried to their ears.
Both stumbled and threw their arms out for balance.
Ganix took off running.
Eliana quickly caught up. “What’s happening? Who’s attacking us?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.” Another explosion rocked the ship, then another and another. “You should get your people to the escape pods.”
Alarm shot through her. “Really? Is it that bad?” This ship was freaking huge! What could possibly defeat it?
“We’re still in the qhov’rum.” He dodged to the side as several soldiers raced past.
Eliana still wasn’t sure exactly what a qhov’rum was, but like a wormhole, it allowed them to cover vast distances of space in a relatively short amount of time. “Is that a bad thing?”
“Yes!” he shouted over the boom of more explosions. “It leaves us less room to maneuver. We’re well-armed, but…” The ship shook with more booms. “Get your people into the pods just in case!”
The pause after that but was long enough to send a trickle of fear through her. “Where are you going?”
“Engine Room 1!”
“Stay safe!” she called after him as she turned down a different hallway. If Ganix thought she should get her people into pods, she would damn well get them into pods.
More soldiers raced past, going the opposite direction. Crew members did, too, both male and female. Putting on a burst of preternatural speed, she raced to the quarters that had been allotted to the Earth women. All the gifted ones stood in the open doorways of their quarters, fear painting their faces as alarms continued to blare and the ship rocked with more explosions.
“What’s happening?” Ava asked.
Eliana shook her head. “Grab your go bags. Quickly.”
Panic flared in every face as the women ducked into their quarters and returned with backpacks.
“The ship is under attack. I’m going to get you all to the escape pods as a precaution.” Without further warning, Eliana bent, tossed Ava and Natalie over her shoulders, and raced with preternatural speed to the closest escape pods.
“Get inside,” she ordered as soon as she set them on their feet.
The two shared terrified looks.
Eliana returned to the Earth women’s quarters, settled Mia and Michelle over her shoulders without a word, and headed back.
A blur swept past as she set the women on their feet, then zipped back toward her.
Fellow immortal Simone appeared beside them. She took in the four mortal Earth women. “Where are the rest of the gifted ones?” she asked with a French accent.
“Their quarters,” Eliana said. “I’ll go get them. Help these get settled in the pods.” Eliana raced away, retrieved Sam and Emily, and brought them to the pods.
On her way back for two more gifted ones, she swept past Ari’k and three other hulking Yona warriors running in the same direction. As soon as it registered that Prince Taelon, Lisa, and little Abby were in their midst, Eliana backtracked and skidded to a halt in front of them.
“Are you okay?” she called over the noise, turning to jog alongside them as they hurried down the corridor.
“Yes,” Lisa called back, her face pale.
Eliana looked at Taelon, who cradled the wailing baby Abby in his arms. “Are you going to one of the escape pods? I can get you there faster.”
He shook his head. “Royal transport. The Yona will get us there safely. See to the other Earth women.”
She nodded. “I’ve already gotten six of them into pods. I’ll go get the others, then help your people. Yell if you need me.” She zipped away in another blur of motion.
Dani and Rachel, two of her fellow immortals, arrived at the Earth women’s quarters at the same time Eliana did.
All staggered as another barrage of explosions rocked the ship.
“Ava, Natalie, Mia, Michelle, Sam, and Emily are at the pods,” Eliana called over the noise. “Simone is helping them.”
Dani nodded. “I’ll take Allison and Charlie.”
Rachel motioned to the last two gifted ones. “I’ll take Liz and Madeline.”
“Shield integrity compromised,” the ship’s computer announced in a pleasant female voice. “Shields at seventy-nine percent.”
Booms rocked the ship.
The scent of smoke reached Eliana. She exchanged a wide-eyed look with Rachel and Dani. “Go. I’ll help the Lasarans get to the pods.”
Dani and Rachel took off, racing down the corridors so quickly the men and women they passed would just feel a breeze and barely notice a blur of motion.
The last Immortal Guardian, Michaela, abruptly slid to a stop beside Eliana. “I saw the others at the pods and helped Simone get them settled inside. Is that everyone?”
Eliana nodded. “All accounted for. I’m going to evacuate the Lasarans.” She also wanted to check on Ganix. From the sounds of things, the battle wasn’t going well.
Michaela nodded. “I will, too.”
They sped away in opposite directions.
More booms thundered through the ship.
Eliana jerked to a halt before two Lasarans—a man and a woman—who wore maintenance uniforms. “Are you headed for the escape pods?”
Both nodded, eyes wide.
Eliana threw them over her shoulders and got them to the pods within seconds.
“Thank you!” they called after her in shaky voices as she sped away to help the next Lasaran.
“Shields at fifty-four percent,” the computer announced in the same pleasant female voice.
Eliana dashed through the corridors, helping every man and woman she came across get to a pod. As she did, she noted crew members hustling to put out a fire.
This can’t be happening.
She passed some of her fellow immortals as they, too, worked their asses off to get as many people as they could into pods. As the number of Lasarans she came across began to dwindle, Eliana detoured toward Engine Room 1.
Everyone she encountered, she helped reach a pod. She tried to help the Yona, but they refused, intent on defending the ship.
“What the drek are you doing?” someone shouted behind her.
“Shields at thirty-two percent,” the calm computer voice announced.