After dinner a few days later, Cygnus suggested they go for a stroll back down in the freezer compartments.

“What are we doing down here?” Iain complained as they strolled among the frozen bodies on Deck 37.

“This deck has good memories for me,” she replied with a grin. “Thought I might try to cheer you up. This was where you first woke me up, remember, and the first time you felt me up.”

He offered a half smile to her smirk. If you discounted the raging and monstrous ex-lover of hers that had to rip apart and stuff down an incinerator, it was a good time.

“What are we going to do?” he asked, gaze falling over the dark frosty outlines of the inhabitants of the other still occupied pods. “Find someone else to draw and quarter?”

“I hope not!” she replied with a disgusted look on her face. “Who knows what other kinds of nasty pieces of work are down here who aren’t built like Orwon was. No, I thought something a bit more kinky. Oh, now you’re interested.”

“I suppose,” he told her. And yeah, he guessed he was feeling interested again. If he was going to have to remain on the ship, it was better with her than without. “You sure you don’t want to try zero-gee again?”

“Maybe later,” she said. “Once we find enough padding for all the walls. The first couple times were a bit painful for my taste. Ah, here we are.”

They were at an empty suspension chamber. It was open, ready for a passenger, sleeper, victim, whatever. He turned to look at her, narrowed his gaze.

“See,” she said. “Memories of being naked…”

“And cold,” he offered.

“Not if you’re with someone with a decently high core temperature,” she replied in a playful tone.

Iain still wasn’t quite sure.

“What happens if turns on while were in there?”

“Then I suppose we’ll be caught in the act,” she told him. “Most of the species I know expand down there at cryogenic temperatures. So… what do you say?”

He looked at the cylinder, then at her, then started to pull off his shirt. He wasn’t going to continue denying how he was reacting to her.

“Can’t say no,” Iain replied with a grin.

A few minutes later they were snuggled in the capsule, although the mood wasn’t altogether bliss.

“That could have been better,” Cygnus offered in a slightly disappointed tone. “I thought it was going to last a bit longer.”

“I’m sorry, my species don’t handle cold that well,” Ian said, sighed as he adjusted himself in her embrace. “I just still wonder what that whole attempted escape was all for. If we weren’t going to get away, what was the point in trying to steal the shuttle? And why were you calling the ship for help? It just doesn’t make any sense to me.”

She traced a circle over the bare skin of his chest with a sharp nail, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

“That’s because you didn’t remember what you saw on the engineering station on that bridge,” she whispered in his ear him.

He could feel himself reacting again to her warmth, the shift of her body against his.

“What didn’t I see?” he forced out.

“That each and every one of the Transient Void’s starboard engines are out of alignment, not to mention regularly exceeding recommended temperatures,” she told him. “And then, after having to chase and repeatedly fire them when you veered to port would throw them even more out of phase, overheat them even more. This ship is going to need to set down, and soon, to get them repaired. Or it will severely shorten its operational lifespan.”

“Really?” Iain replied.

“Uh huh,” she told him.

“Then why didn’t you-?” he started.

“Hush,” she replied, slapping his chest. “You’re a member of an obvious sort of species Iain. Deception only works when the actor is highly skilled.”

He thought she’d actually over done it a bit. But he had to admit, she was good at eliciting the reactions she wanted.

“Ah, ready to try again,” Cygnus offered in a sexier tone.

“Almost,” he said, adjusting his position. “But one last thing. What happens when we get to a repair facility, what do we do then?”

“We’ll see when we get there,” she told him, moving around him to reach the perfect placing of their bodies. “There is a reason why I haven’t defrosted anyone of the males here. You’re perfectly good enough. Now, don’t complain, it’s not like I’m going to eat you alive and gnaw the bones.”

That sounded oddly like a confession to Iain. He felt her nibble a bit on his earlobe, sending electric jolts through him.

Then she whispered, “I tried it once. Didn’t like it.”

The lid of the capsule suddenly slid down, stopped halfway, along with Iain’s heart.

“Almost, but not quite” Cygnus laughed. “Gets your blood flowing, though, doesn’t it?”