10
Afew hours later, Veta woke. While she usually slept very lightly, the ambient noise must have been just enough to lull her into a deeper sleep.
The dark cave was still, and the only thing she could hear inside was the soft, ever-present sound of water flowing somewhere nearby.
And dripping.
Though the dripping was slow and steady. Like an ancient timepiece or metronome. It was soothing, in a way. The constant sound reminded her of she’d been trained when she was younger, to stabilize herself, so she didn’t get wrapped up into the emotions that could get her killed.
Women like her had a particular skill set, a kind that was used for specific missions, where learning someone’s secrets was the goal.
Keeping her real emotions protected, while pretending to become enamored with a target, was a skill she’d worked hard to learn. A trusting nap wasn’t going to be enough to win over the trust of a Rhimodian, however. They were known for their lack of attachment—those cyborg parts didn’t just make them stronger. They made them less emotional.
Connecting with him will take time, she imagined. She may have to pull back on her stubbornness and amplify her vulnerabilities.
She needed to—
“You have woken,” Wrathin said.
She jumped—okay, she might have exaggerated the reaction, but it was enough to get the desired result. She did, however, have to really look—his skin had adapted to the surroundings.
Wrathin paused like he wasn’t sure what to do. Of course, she had to take a breath as well. The tight silver suit was gone—mostly, anyway. It had changed into only tight shorts. Shorts that, once again, highlighted just how well-endowed he was.
Looking him over, with his shoulder-length black hair, and skin tones that matched the cave walls, and that jaw, he was undoubtedly anatomically impressive.
Perfect.
That was one way to look at him.
Perfectly lethal.
Just her damn type.
“I apologize for startling you,” he said.
His gaze raked over her.
Veta couldn’t help smiling at his voice—a deeper timber that, especially in the cave, sounded powerful and seemed to resonate all through her.
In a good way.
“You scared me,” she said, shifting around on her makeshift bed. Automatically, she posed in a more feminine position, thrusting her chest forward a bit, in that way that made her bosom look fuller.
If he wasn’t my Empire’s sworn enemy, I might have to make him a lover.
If only…
And like a punch, she could see the Emperor in her mind’s eye. Guilt hit her, and a pang sliced through her heart.
Her loyalty had never been questioned, and her devotion to the Empire had always remained unyielding.
Until her Empire had attacked her.
Not once, but twice, in one day, with intent to kill. Who was her Empire, right now, anyway? Was it personal or political? In Veta’s line of work, she made a lot of enemies. She did questionable things at the request of the Emperor. Occasionally people got mad about that.
All the more reason, right now, on this alien world, she needed to have at least one friend.
It looked like this Rhimodian was it.
