Her belly still felt twisted in knots, and the weight of losing Cathal crushed her chest, but her eyes were dry. Isla and Bea had retreated to their quarters, where they’d both been sedated after their ordeal.
But Jenna didn’t have that luxury.
She was clan-lady now—ruler of her clan.
There would be no sedation, and tears would be shed in private only. Not here. Not now.
Not when she was waiting for someone.
A man she could no longer avoid.
The whisper of the doors behind her warned her of his arrival. However, she didn’t turn, didn’t look away from the stars streaming by. They’d safely distanced themselves from the Mir-Ferrin battle cruisers, even as the enemy continued to fire on them, and had made the jump into hyperspace.
Idral was behind them, but it wasn’t lost.
Jenna’s mouth thinned, and she made her brother a silent vow.Cathal. I swear to you, I’ll take back our home one day … I shall see Mir-Brennan Tower rebuilt.
Resolve surged through her. The intensity of it stiffened her spine and made her breathing quicken.
And she would.
“My Lady.” Malik’s voice, low yet firm, sounded close behind her.
Inhaling sharply, Jenna swiveled to face him.
He was standing nearer than she wanted, and she took a step back, stopping short when her spine hit the wall of tempered glass behind her. Curse it, she couldn’t distance herself any farther from him.
Like her, Malik hadn’t yet changed clothing since their arrival uponTheStar Tempest.His cargo pants and close-fitting t-shirt were sweat-stained and covered in soot, grime, and red dust. His short black hair was disheveled as if he’d just raked his fingers through it.
Yet Malik’s expression was composed, his gaze unwavering. “You called for me?”
Jenna cleared her throat. “I did, Captain.”
Silence fell between them then, and Jenna drew in a few slow, deep breaths, to try and settle her suddenly racing pulse.
This conversation was necessary and couldn’t be put off. But now that Malik was standing in front of her—her bodyguard, her lover—the resolve she’d felt when she’d sent a utility-droid off to fetch him faltered.
Damn him, the man sent her pulse wild, even now.
“Firstly, I wanted to thank you,” she said, surprised at how cool, how controlled, her voice sounded. Good. At least, her years as the Mir-Brennan ambassador would serve her well now. “Your bravery ever since you saved my life on Aura Terminal will be recognized. You will be decorated for your service to my family.”
Malik stared back at her, a muscle feathering in his jaw. He then inclined his head. “I thought you were angry with me?”
Jenna sucked in another deep breath, her belly twisting. “I was,” she admitted, her voice betraying her. “But I realize now, you were only carrying out orders.”
“I didn’t want to leave him there,” Malik replied quickly. “Any more than you did … but your brother was doomed.”
“You swore an oath when you joined the Lord’s Watch … I understand that.”
His mouth tightened. “Do you? I’m not so sure.”
Jenna folded her arms across her chest. It was a defensive posture, yet she had to create a physical barrier between them.
“I’ll admit I felt betrayed,” she said after a pause. That was the truth; as they’d made their escape from Melor, she’d promised herself she’d have her reckoning with this man. Yet now that the crimson cloak of rage had drawn back, she saw that the situation was more complex. “But I wasn’t thinking at the time … I was too upset.”
“As you had the right to be.” He swallowed then. “I’m sorry, Jen … but don’t think it was an easy choice.”
“Don’t call me that,” she replied huskily.
