Merry & Seduced Read Free Page A

Jannike, you’ll have to manipulate the manual landing gear,” Nanu said, his attention on the controls. “Hurry.”
    “I can’t reach,” Jannike snapped. “Hang on.” She unclicked her safety harness just as the frigate slanted in the other direction. Her feet went from under her and she slid across the floor, landing against a panel of instruments, headfirst. “ Oomph. ”
    “You’re in the right place now,” Nanu said urgently. “Pull the red lever.”
    Jannike groaned, and Amme saw a trickle of blood rolling down the second officer’s cheek. Her movements were sluggish, and she missed her grab for the handhold when the Indy rolled again. She shot across the floor and thudded into another control panel just as the Indy struck the ground. “Fukk, Nanu. Can’t you fly this thing straight?”
    “Doing my best. Get the lever,” Nanu ordered.
    “Fukk you,” Jannike said and swiped some of the blood off her cheek. She half scuttled, half crawled across the floor toward the lever. She reached out, grabbed hold. “Got it.”
    The Indy bounced. Amme’s stomach dropped, and she jolted against her safety harness, her gaze on Jannike instead of the landscape and the green of trees whizzing past the view port. The Indy punched into the terrain. Jumped. Hit.
    Jannike moaned with each successive smack. Amme’s harness dug into her shoulders. She grunted. Beside her, Camryn growled, her feline rattled by the rough ride.
    “Hang tight. We’re gonna hit again,” Nanu warned.
    Outside, tree branches gouged the hull with nasty metallic shrieks. Amme’s receptors prickled at the sharp scratches, the small hairs at the back of her neck rising.
    “Come on, sweetheart,” Nanu crooned from between tight lips. The engines roared as the Indy battled gravity.
    Jannike tried to right herself, to scuttle across the floor but the Indy bucked and shrieked like a defiant beest . She cursed. Tensed to avoid another body slam as she slid, unable to gain purchase. “Can you please help instead of showing off?”
    “One more hop should do it,” Nanu said. “They’re getting smaller.”
    The Indy struck and the entire frigate groaned as if the landing pained her too.
    Amme waited for the ship to lift again. When it remained in place, she unclipped her safety harness and hurried over to Jannike. “Where does it hurt?”
    “My head,” Jannike said with a glare at Nanu. “It was his bad driving.”
    “You took off your safety harness,” Ry said. “Last time you did that you hit your noggin too.”
    “And both times I was trying to help,” Jannike said. “You’re the captain. You should have volunteered.”
    “Do I look stupid?” Ry smirked at her and Amme had difficulty holding back a laugh. The crew constantly sniped at each other, yet if anyone dared attack, they fought the foe as one strong unit.
    “Do you think anyone noticed us landing?” Camryn asked.
    “We’ve left a trail of destruction,” Kaya said. “We hit trees.”
    “This visit is doomed,” Camryn said. “ Doomed. This is a sign. We should leave right now.”
    “Coward,” Ry said.
    Camryn’s back straightened and another catlike growl emerged from deep in her throat.
    “Stop teasing your mate. Watch my finger,” Amme said to Jannike, and she waggled it from left to right in front of the second-in-command’s face. Jannike followed orders, and Amme nodded in satisfaction. “Normal reaction. She has a bump on her skull, but she’ll live. I’ll cleanup the blood for you.”
    Mogens hurried onto the flight deck. “If it’s safe to leave the ship, I’ll plant a spell, one to repel anyone who comes too close. You’re positive the atmosphere is safe?”
    “It’s safe,” Camryn said. “But take a reading first. It’s a good habit.”
    Nanu’s fingers danced over the controls. “I’ll put the shield in place. There. Done. Anyone looking at the Indy will see what he or she expect to see. Trees and more trees.”
    “But what about the