Breaker of the Unyielding Bastion
Outer Space didn’t do mornings.
The only light came from the strobe of passing stars, fracturing through the stateroom ports in silver beams.
Most times, however, the velvet void of Pegasi was a dark blur asThe Alatyrhauled ass toward Eden II.
Idan sat at the steel galley table, staring into a bowl of nutrient-dense oats, a fortified, mineral-heavy blend packed with dried fruit.
It was a far cry from the thick, cream-laden porridge he preferred back on the farm.
Still, he rated it, savoring it even though he shook off a pang of worry for his animals to focus on the woman seated across from him.
Fokk, she was gorgeous.
Sheba had her dark hair piled into a messy bun that highlighted the elegant line of her neck.
She was fresh from the shower, her skin flushed with a natural glow.
Her lips were still swollen, a vivid reminder of how hard he kissed her that morning as he made love to her.
Every day with her was a lesson in care, empathy, and full acceptance, concepts that didn’t exist in his former cold, transactional Sacran code.
He locked onto the memory of her grit: the way she fought for her patients and the absolute, ironclad loyalty she poured into her nursing squad back on Lattaya.
She gave her soul, heart, and body to him without any exhausting head games, moving with a vibrant, sultry confidence that left him breathless.
He also valued the way she respected his silence.
She never drowned their peace in ‘empty chatter,’ and she possessed a stillness and calm that wasfokkin’ attractive to him.
She accepted the entirety of him, the rough, sinewed hands of the shepherd and the menacing shadow of the soldier he was trying to outrun.
She was his anchor in a reality that was spinning out of control.
Further, helping her find her footing after everything she’d been through gave him a reason to stop obsessing over his own ghosts.
He caught himself wondering if, once the Sulfiqar shit-show ended, there was a version of destiny where he made her his, not just for the foreseeable future, but for eternity.
‘You’re staring,’ Sheba said, her husky utterance breaking into his thoughts.
‘Can’t help it. You’re breathtaking, my love,’ he rasped.
He kissed the back of her hand, and she smiled as Ki’Remi entered the room, the scent ofkahawatrailing in his wake.
Issa followed with a big bowl of scrambled eggs and a platter of fresh toast.
‘Good morning,’ she called out with a smile. ‘How did we sleep?’
The couple exchanged notes on their night as Ki’Remi set a steaming carafe on the table and leaned against the bulkhead.
‘You doing okay, Idan? Most men find a tryst among the stars fatal.’
Sheba paused, her spoon halfway to her mouth. ‘What tryst?’
Idan stared at the steam rising from his breakfast. ‘I took a walk on the hull at 0200. I needed the vacuum of space to ground my thoughts.’
Sheba arched a brow at him.
