Heather lifted her face so that their eyes were locked. “I love you, Devlon. I’m not sure about moving to Drasta yet, but I know I want to be with you, if you want me.”
His lips came down over hers trying to express what he was feeling, but she needed the words as he’d needed to hear them. He pulled away.
“Heather, I am completely and utterly in love with you. If you refuse to move to Drasta, I’ll remain here on Earth to be with you. I cannot lose you now that I’ve found you, myhala asawani—my soulmate.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a heated look. “Are you going to make love to me?”
Growling, he reached for the buttons of her shirt. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”
She laughed and he smiled at her with humor and awe. This was very different than what he’d had before. It was never fun and lighthearted, and it was definitely never as sexually heated as this. What he had with Heather was special.
“Do you have to go back to your tent tonight?”
“I’m having the senior commander use my tent so that he can help monitor things safely.”
“That’s good. I have plans for you.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You do?”
“Oh yeah.” She pulled him up and tugged him the aisle so that they could lay on her actual bed. She had two bench seats welded together and a soft cushion as a mattress.
“When did you have that done?”
“While we were visiting the dome. It was just a minor adjustment, but at least your feet won’t fall off the bed.”
He chuckled. “That’s what I worry about, my feet falling off.” He started removing his clothes and felt her eyes on him the whole time. There was nothing sexier than having a female you cared about admiring your body.
“Are you joining me in bed or are you just going to admire my good looks?”
Just then she got a message on her communicator and sighed with regret. “I can’t. The other leaders are ready for the meeting. I have to go.”
*****
Heather was so frustrated. All she wanted was a little alone time with Devlon. The sooner she got this meeting over with, the sooner she could get back to him.
She headed to the subcar they were using as the meeting location. Mabel was waiting for her and followed her up the stairs. Everyone was already seated, and Mark was glaring daggers at her.
“Thanks for coming.”
“Heather, what’s going on here?” Tribe Leader Regan asked.
“I was attacked while visiting the dome the other day. The man was caught—he was one of the subway rats, I didn’t know him personally. Anyway, the rebels approached him and other rats wanting to hire them to do missions. This man was hired to approach me and get me to bend to the will of the rebels. If I didn’t agree, he was told to kill me and get me out of the way. I wasn’t the only one approached; Jerry has also been threatened.”
The other leaders gasped and whispered. She noticed Mark didn’t look surprised. “I called the meeting for two purposes. One is to let you know what happened to me and to Jerry. Has anyone else been approached or threatened?”
Everyone answered no, except Mark. “Mark?”
“It’s no big deal. Just agree to help the rebels and keep their presence known. They’ll leave you and your tribe alone.”
“You sold out, sold your tribe out!” Heather shouldn’t have been surprised.
“I…”
Just was Mark started to reply, the ground shook and a loud booming sound went off.
“Was that a bomb?” Mabel asked.
“What the hell!” She started to exit the subcar and found Devlon there at the door.
