“I know that Vengeance was drawn to Loris before he even touched her. Risk went to help Joy because he was watching her and saw the moment she lost her balance.”
Maddison recalled the way she’d ogled Havoc via the viewscreens before she’d even laid eyes on him in person. He might have a point, but she’d noticed there was something he hadn’t mentioned.
“What about you? Did you feel anything?”
“Yes. But I didn’t want to. I’m not like most of the others. Bysshe says I spend too much time inside my own head. I like to plan things carefully, and I do not like change.” He cocked his head and smiled ruefully. “From the moment my brothers spotted your ship entering the atmosphere, there’s been a lot of that.”
“So you didn’t want this. I didn’t either. This was not how the next chapter of my life was supposed to go.”
Maddison sighed and made a throwing-away gesture with her hand. It wasn’t easy to push past the doubt, but she still heard that insistent little voice telling her this was where she was supposed to be. “But that plan went out an airlock days ago. As new beginnings go, I think this might be a good one.” She touched his chest, splaying her hand over the center of his new marks. “But if you don’t want this…we’ll find a way to fix it so you don’t have to be responsible for me.”
“No.” He covered her hand with his and pressed it to his fur. “I meant what I said before. You belong to me, little star. And I protect what is mine.”
She leaned in and kissed his knuckles. “If you insist.”
“I do.”
She didn’t bother telling him that in some human cultures, those words held a deeper meaning. Then again, who needed words when she carried his marks on her skin? If there were any sense in the universe, that meant they were in this together. Always.
CHAPTER 9
It turnedout that the raft Maddison mentioned was a technological wonder. The small, solid cube of tightly folded fabric unfurled into a raft big enough for the two of them, with a rigid hull and a simple canopy that would shelter them from wind or rain. She said the stuff was something called Smart Fabric, and a small amount of power allowed it to form into several preprogrammed shapes.
That discovery meant he no longer had to worry about where they would sleep. He simply set the raft on the river, tied it to a sturdy branch, and then carried Maddison to their floating bedroom. It served as both a safe place to sleep and as a soft, comfortable surface for him to explore Maddison’s beautiful body.
Her cries of pleasure had blended with the song of the river, and he heard the music even after his little star fell into an exhausted sleep.
He slept too, but never too deeply or for long. There were too many threats out there, and some of them would be armed with more than teeth and claws.
When morning came, he’d untie their raft and let it float downstream. He’d find a sturdy branch to use as a sort of makeshift paddle and pole. If things went well, they’d be well on their way home before Maddison woke up.
At least, that’s what he wanted to happen. As it turned out, the universe had other plans.
He was drifting somewhere in the comfortable middle between full sleep and wakefulness when he heard the unmistakable sound of a ship. It was distant for now, but it was already growing louder.
Fuck.
He sat up quickly.
Maddison woke with surprising speed, sitting up and looking to him for information. “What is it?”
“There’s a ship in the area. I can hear the engine. You stay here. There’s no time to hide the raft, but if they scan it, we can make them think only one person is using it.”
She nodded and folded her arms across her naked chest. The motion showed off her new markings, and he wished he had time to admire them. Hell, he wanted to do more than admire his new mate, but there was no time. He couldn’t even take a few minutes to dress.
“You’re leaving?” she asked.
“For now. It will be easier to hide my heat signaturein the water. I’ll return once I know the situation.” He shrugged. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and they’ll fly away.”
“Luck has not been kind to me lately,” she said and shook her head as if already preparing for the worst.
Then she surprised him by reaching out to touch the center of his chest with one hand. “Come back to me.”
Her words sank into his soul, soothing some part of him he’d never acknowledged before. The place where he shoved every moment of loneliness and pain.
“I will.” Even as he spoke the words, he felt the weight of them. It was a promise straight from his heart—one he intended to keep, even if every mercenary in the galaxy tried to stand in his way.
He went over the side, the cool water closing over his head as he let the current carry him away from Maddison.
