Orion falls backwards, and spins around to see Wayta in all her hideous beauty, lowering the weapons he'd used and then looking up at Orion through her weapon of choice- her eyelashes.

My captain reaches for the gun at his holster. "Wayta, stay there. I don't want to hurt you, but the safety of my team and my charges are my first priority."

"Are you scared I might hurt someone you love again?" she asks demurely, her hospital gown, tone, and the way she holds herself making the perfect image of an innocent, injured girl who would never cause anyone harm. "Or, as the case was, someone you hated."

Orion seems to shake off the trance the witch Venetian has placed over him and clenches his fists. "You know nothing about love, and had no right to murder my father."

She shrugs one shoulder nonchalantly. "I never claimed to. I never claim a right to anything. But I do make it my privilege to complete my bounties."

Moving closer to my rigid captain, she walks her defiling fingers across his face. "And sometimes have a little fun along the way."

Orion remains frozen under her medusa touch for a long moment, and I consider re-weaponinizing our ship again.

Then, suddenly, Orion grabs that defiling hand, as well as the other, and spins her around to press her against the wall while he handcuffs her wrists together.

"You, Wayta, are under arrest."

Wayta blinks and holds Orion's gaze for a long moment. Then she throws her head back and laughs. Just laughs. As though this is all a joke to her. As though my captain is a joke.

I clench my hologrammed hands.

Then Wayta lowers her face to my captain's and looks him straight in the eye just as the sound of charging grown men echo down the hallway.

She stretches her neck and peers out the hallway. "Oh, here comes some of your father's men." Wayta cocks her head to one side and gives my captain a smug look, as if daring him to do something about it.

Orion glances at the door, and I know he's planning to just dash out and deal with it that way.

"Yes," I whisper. "Do it. Be smart..."

Somehow, even though I spoke through Orion and my telepathic link, it isn't him who seems to hear me. No, I see in Wayta's eyes that she knows exactly what we're planning, and I sense from her smile what precisely she intends to do about it.

"Orion..."

He begins to turn, but too late. Wayta moves as if to flee also, but then she slips, falling at my captain's feet, her hospital gown going all askew and making her look the very opposite from reality.

"Orion!" I yell, but he doesn't hear me. He doesn't even seem to hear the approaching gangsters anymore. I'm not sure he hears anything anymore, except for the Venetian's silent lies. He certainly doesn't hear the red flags or common sense.

Her amber eyes lock on his, and then Orion is bending down to help her up.

The fool. The blind, deaf, brick-headed fool!

The moment his hands clasps hers, she snakes up his arms and then pulls him down instead of him pulling her up.

Orion hits the ground, and before he can re-situate himself, she pushes herself up so that her lips are against his.

And then I really lose him.

-Banner by CannibalisticNecro

-Signature by -krystallite