Arin returned Rykal’s molten stare with a cold look. She could see the logic in his reasoning, but she wasn’t about to admit that to him.
“I-I thought you’d agreed to let us go,” Loic blurted, appearing crestfallen. “Just like last time.”
Rykal turned, raising a pale eyebrow. “Nothing in the Universe is guaranteed, human. Last time, you were takingArin to Earth for a little visit. Now that she’s back, there’s no reason for me to allow you to leave.”
Loic stared up at the ceiling. “You hear that, Baraka?”
In response, the doors began to slide closed. Rykal raised the bolt rifle, aiming at Loic’s head. He looked up at the ceiling, his eyes traveling in the same direction as Loic’s. “Whatever you’re contemplating, I wouldn’t,” he warned.
Baraka would have received that message loud and clear.
The metal doors shuddered to a halt, leaving a narrow person-sized gap.
“So what’s the plan, Rykal?” Arin’s tone was frosty and completely at odds with how she felt inside.
It wasn’t just fear. She’d seen enough of Rykal to know that he wasn’t an indiscriminate killer. Unlike the rumors she’d heard about Kordolians, he wasn’t unhinged or needlessly cruel or sadistic. He could be ruthless and coldly pragmatic underneath that deceptively playful demeanor, but he posed no danger to her.
A few misguided members of her squad had tried to kill him. That’s why they’d ended up dead, the poor souls.
“We’re going to wait to hear from your leaders,” Rykal informed her. “When they understand that they have no choice in the matter, we will go down there and hunt. In the meantime, I’m commissioning this transport.”
“You’re not to harm the captain or his navigator,” Arin growled. She’d resigned herself to the fact that Rykal wasn’t letting this one get away.
Rykal managed to look slightly offended. “Of course not.” Again, he lowered the bolt rifle, sparing poor Loic, who had turned pale, his skin glistening with a faint sheen of sweat.
Rykal managed to look so perfectly innocent and affronted that Arin was overtaken by a strange urge to laugh.
This damn alien was confusing her.
Her eyes wandered. She couldn’t help it. Rykal’s stance was relaxed; he appeared at ease despite the fact that a high-powered bolt rifle dangled from one of his hands. Arin took stock of the various weapons adorning his muscular frame, noting the long sword sheathed at his back and the two plasma guns strapped to his sides. Complementing these were numerous small blades, ranging in size from small throwing knives no longer than her hand to a large dagger that Arin knew had a vicious serrated edge.
She knew, because she’d seen him in action, slaughtering Xargek with fierce and savage precision as she directed the workers of Fortuna Tau to safety.
Fuck it. If he was going to stare, then she would stare back. Her eyes traveled up his body, taking in his honed figure. That exo-armor of his was a remarkable thing, molding to his body like a thick second skin, leaving little to the imagination.
Like all of the Kordolian warriors, Rykal was lean and sculpted, with broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist. He moved with graceful economy and deadly silence, and even though Arin had seen him single-handedly take down a fully grown Xargek with just that long Callidum blade of his, she suspected she didn’t know half of what he was truly capable of.
Scary, scary creature that he was.
Their eyes met, and Arin couldn’t help but notice that he had very long, very pretty eyelashes. They were the color of winter snow in the moonlight, and they framed eyes of brilliant gold.
Arin’s heart thudded against her ribcage, but her gun hand never wavered.
She was stuck in an exit pod with a scared young navigator and a lethal warrior from the other side of the Universe who was too damn pretty for his own good.
Who had just killed seven of her people.
Who had a face that was straight out of some fanciful ancient Earth fantasy tale. He was nothing short of exquisite.In another reality, he could have been mistaken for a dark elf or one of the fae-folk.
Looks could be deceiving. Arin tried to picture Rykal decapitating her man, Harris.
Why was that so hard for her to imagine?
“We need to talk,” she said, meeting his golden stare. “In private.” She had things to discuss with Rykal, but she didn’t want to talk about them here. The last thing she needed was for Loic to freak out and report her to the Federation.
The kid looked at her with wide eyes, as if she were a madwoman juggling fission grenades.
Rykal’s smile returned, and this time the menace was diluted with unexpected warmth. “Oh yes, we do need to talk in private. Let me just organize these humans and search their vessel. Then I’m all yours, Sergeant.”
