“I still need to deliver him to Gallus. That’s why he’s so eager to retrieve us. Because Commander Chaos is his. I keep forgetting what you remember, what you don’t.”
Ranek digested the information. “Commander Chaos is not… yours?” He’d wanted to say “ours,” but stopped himself.Disappointment filled him. He was beginning to think of them like a little family.
Hearing his name, Commander Chaos came waddling by, and Ranek bent down to pet him.
“No. But I really, really wish he were. I’m gonna miss him so so much when he’s gone.” She added her hands to the petting. “You’re such a good boy! Yes, you are!”
The pup wiggled happily under Ranek’s hands.
“And what if I tell you I’m currently jealous of this dragus pup?” He’d finally figured out what Commander Chaos was. A dragus!
Maya laughed. “You want to be a good boy too?” Then she reached up to ruffle his hair on her tippy toes. “How about now? You’re such a good boy!”
Her silliness had him grinning so hard it hurt.
As they worked together fortifying their position, the smile didn’t once leave his lips. He was truly happier than he’d ever been in his life. And he prayed to whatever deity he was supposed to believe in now that he could keep Maya forever and ever.
They had his shuttle locked up and the front doors and windows of the station thoroughly barred and secured. They were at the doors to the tunnels when she asked, “Say, do you think I can take one more soak in the hot spring before we block off the tunnels?”
It took him a moment, but memories of them fucking in the hot spring rushed in to fill his head. He grinned. That sounded like a perfect idea.
“Only if we soak together.” He pushed the doors open, shining a light inside to make sure the way was clear. “It’s safe,” he said when he was certain there were no signs of danger.
She bit her lip, her lust spiking, clearly remembering the same thing he was. She sashayed ahead of him, her hips moving sensually from side to side. He was so focused on her ass that he didn’t see the top flung at his face. Maya giggled, and Ranek found more clothes flying toward him.
“You have to catch me first, slowpoke,” she taunted.
For a heartbeat, he watched her naked form skip down the tunnel, lantern in hand. Amusement gave way to the natural instinct to chase her down and claim her. She thought she could outrun him. Cute.
He stalked after her, slow and deliberate, his clothes dropping to the ground as he went. His footsteps echoed down the corridor, and he inhaled through his mouth, tasting her in the air. He let the predator in him control his senses. She glanced back, her eyes bright in the glow of the lantern.
He let out a growl, low and menacing, and he saw the moment she realized she’d roused the beast in him. He was built to hunt, and she knew it. She bolted down the hall, and he gave chase, closing the distance.
She darted around the corner, but he was already there, cutting her off with a snarl. Laughter dissolved into breathless gasps as he pinned her against the wall. She struggled, pretending to fight, but her grin gave her away.
“Run all you want, Maya.” He leaned in to inhale the addictive scent of her lust. “But you’re mine. And I’ll always catch you.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Then he was thrusting into her, right there against the wall. The hot spring could wait until round two.
Chapter 23
Maya
“Oooh! Let me, let me!” Maya leaned in and smashed her index finger on the big red button at the bottom of the comm unit’s screen.
A shot exploded from the screen’s bottom straight at the pirate in the crosshairs. The pirates cussed and dodged, diving back behind their transport, which was getting dinged up really bad since the idiots had been stupid enough to park their vehicle so close to the station’s door.
But to their credit, they probably hadn’t realized there would be a set of robotic sentinels waiting for them on the roof.
Maya and Ranek had found a set of robots the miners had used to explore caves and offshoots of tunnels in the supply room, along with energy blasters meant to clear debris in the mines. With a bit of creative jerry-rigging they’d gotten them set up together. Linking the old technology to Ranek’s comm unit had been tricky but worth the hassle.
It had taken the pirates some time to realize the things shooting at them from the roof weren’t real people at all butrobots. And then even more time to actually disable one of them. Maya and Ranek only had one of the robots left, and it was running out of charge.
Another pirate darted out toward the door, and Maya tapped the button again.
