“What about the ship overhead?”
“I imagine that if it could track us, it would have already. We’re not that far underground. They’re relying on ground patrols and visual scans.” He paused. “Your cybernetic eye—can it see Brakken heat signatures?”
“Yes. Through most barriers, up to about ten meters.”
“Then you’ll be our early warning system. You spot them before they spot us, and we navigate around them.”
It was a solid plan. Not foolproof, but better than running blind. I nodded against his chest.
“We should sleep in shifts,” I said. “One person on watch.”
“No, you sleep. I’ll keep watch.” He reached for his clothes.
“Baleck—”
“Between the two of us,youare the more effective warrior,” he said, and I detected no strain to his ego when he said this. “You need to be rested up, in case we need to battle our way out of here.” His tone left no room for argument as he quickly dressed. “Please, Iris.Sleep. It’s not long until dawn.”
I wanted to protest. To insist I could handle a watch shift. But exhaustion was creeping through my limbs, heavy and insistent. The adrenaline from the rescue, the escape, and what we’d just done together was wearing off, leaving me hollow.
“Fine,” I conceded, but I also snatched up my clothing and began pulling them on. Nothing about our situation was secure and neither of us wanted to be surprised in the nude. “But you will wake me up if anything happens.”
“I will.”
With both of us dressed, we settled on the bench together, my back to his chest. It wasn’t the most comfortable position—the metal was hard and unyielding—but his body was warm against mine, and his arm around my waist made me feel safe.
Safe. When had I ever felt truly safe?
“Iris?”
“Mmm?”
“Thank you for trusting me. With your body. With your scars.” His voice was quiet. “I know that wasn’t easy for you.”
My throat went tight. “Thank you for making it worth it.”
He pressed a kiss to my shoulder, right over the worst of the chemical burn scars. Tears pricked my eyes but I blinked them away. I was too tired to process any more emotions. Thiswas more “feelings” than I’d experienced in years, and that, too, added to my exhaustion. I felt a little wrung out.
“Sleep,” he murmured. “I’ve got you.”
And somehow, impossibly, I did. I closed my eyes and let myself drift, secure in the knowledge that he was watching over me.
For the first time in longer than I could remember, I wasn’t alone.
CHAPTER 17
BALECK
Iwoke Iris when the first hint of light filtered down through cracks in the ceiling far above us. She came alert immediately, no grogginess or confusion. Just one moment asleep, the next fully awake and assessing. A soldier’s reflexes.
We ate the remaining food from my pack and drank the last of the water. No point carrying extra weight when speed might save our lives. I kept myzavatand blade. Iris kept the blaster.
“Ready to see what we’re dealing with?” she asked.
I nodded, and we made our way back through the passage to the barricaded doorway. We moved the debris carefully, quietly, then climbed the stone staircase. At the top, I pressed myself against the wall while Iris moved to the opening that led to the tower’s base.
She scanned the area with her enhanced eye, then gestured for me to follow. We slipped out into the tower’s base, staying in the shadows. A narrow gap in the crumbling wall gave us a view of the ruins and the sky beyond.
The sun was high and bright, exactly what we needed. I could see the Brakken ship still hovering over the city, but its searchlights were off. They’d be useless in full daylight anyway.
