Jorusk gives me a wink. “Already hungry for more of you.”
We still have thirty minutes until we’re within range. But when Jorusk lets me stand on my own again, my legs give out.
He doesn’t hesitate to scoop me up. “Shower?”
I motion in the direction of my bedroom. He carries me inside and to the bathroom at the back. “Ooh. Rainfall shower?”
“It was one of my few joys in space,” I admit.
He taps the button and sets the temperature. When it streams, he steps inside and places my feet on the ground again. We wash up quickly, knowing we’ll arrive soon to the fleet of allies. When I’m done, Jorusk guides me against his hot body and holds me for a moment.
“No matter what happens, Bryn, I will always love you, admire you, and hold onto this memory of us.”
“You’re…not staying with me?”
“I want to stay. But I must accept that I may have to leave. I am useful in war.”
It’s not what I want to hear, but to deny reality is to set myself up for failure. I’ve learned that many times over.
“But if I leave, I will be certain you are with someone else. In fact, I would like you with Fieri or another Amphiran at the next opportunity.”
I push back from him and step out of the shower, not understanding why he wants me protected instead of fighting out there alongside him.
He stands for a moment like he doesn’t understand why I’m upset. Jorusk flares and dries in seconds.
I dry off with my towel, though it takes less time than usual.
“You don’t like that?” he asks.
I drop my towel in the laundry slot in my bathroom wall and turn to him. He is a glorious shimmering beast, and I’m afraid that what Fieri warned us about will come true. “Do not leave mebehind. I know you’re a soldier, and you have to go where you’re needed, but the way you say it makes me think you’re going to do something stupid, and you don’t want me out there watching your back.”
“I can’t promise what I can’t know, Bryn. You know that. But I will do whatever I can to always return to you.”
He guides a strand of hair behind my ear. “I don’t want to lose you either, so stay vigilant. But I have a feeling, knowing Aura, that he will be coordinating the mission. And he doesn’t like sending females into battle unless it’s absolutely necessary. Now, please. We need to get ready. And I want you in your best star suit.”
I walk up to him, eye his arrestor, and then claw it from his body.
Jorusk wheezes, grunts in pain with an animalistic noise, and glares at me with fire in his eyes. “What was that for?”
“I want you inyourbest armor.”
Jorusk’s anger vanishes. He collects me and kisses me with passion so fierce that it makes me want him all over again. He grinds his stiffening cock into my belly, then nips at my ear and jerks himself back. His muscles tense in quivering waves like he’s trying to decide what to do.
“Stop it, focus!” he growls at himself.
After a deep breath to calm the fire in his blood, he cocks his head and looks down at me with dark hunger. When he turns to walk out, he reaches back and slaps my ass.
“Come, my gorgeous mate. Aura is calling on your coms. And I do not want him to see you naked.”
21: Jorusk
I want to get this war over with so I can get back to focusing on my mate. She has dressed in a suit of gray armor that she says is for her space repairs. It has minimal thrusters, no weapons, but solid shields. So I tolerate it. I would prefer her in a more battle-worthy suit.
Aura has gathered forces onGravion, which has become a battleship since we liberated it three years ago. The civilians are now on his homeworld, building more ships for the Orillium orbs that reside in its mountains. They are capable in battle.
I hope we have enough.
We convene as a mass in a cargo hangar: Thorians, Draths, Amphirans, Mindor, Earthlings, and more. Nebulous fleets approach us from two sides. They have troop transports, frigates, cruisers, and fighters in great numbers.
