Ashley wasn't quite as excited as the others. She muttered to Xandros, “I just hope General Martinez doesn't find out I'm here. I'm sure as hellfire he'll rope me into some meetings.”
I imagined the General she mentioned used to be her boss or something. But I didn't ask. I said nothing. I couldn’t. Because the moment the shuttle’s landing skids kissed the atmosphere, something inside mesang. The resonance hit my bones like a tuning fork. This was home. Not the temple corridors of the Sythari or the hidden rebel outposts where I’d spent the last five years of my life.This. The blue curve of the planet, the pull in my blood, the way every cell in my body seemed to recognize the gravity, the air, the very spin of the world beneath us. This was where Ashera’s line had first drawn breath. Where I was supposed to have been born. Where I belonged.
A strange, nagging whisper brushed the edge of my mind—a feeling of something being off, not being quite right—but I shoved it aside. Not now. Not when every nerve was alive with possibility.
A wall of heat moved in behind me. Thyros.
“Pretty little planet,” he murmured, far too close for my comfort. His breath brushed the shell of my ear. “I imagine this must feel quite profound for you, little rebel. Returning to the cradle of your blood after so long.”
Before I could answer, his arm slid around my shoulders, heavy, possessive, pulling me back against the solid wall of his chest. The golden thread between us exploded into liquid fire. For one treacherous heartbeat, it feltgood. Too good. The now familiar heat flooded through me, raced down my spine, and pooled low in my belly. A slick, aching warmth bloomed between my thighs, sudden and humiliating. The bond didn’t just pull, itsang, promising pleasure and safety and something far more dangerous if I just leaned into him. My body wanted to melt back against all that hard muscle and let the fire take me.
No.
I whirled on him instantly, shoving his arm off with enough force to make my shoulder burn. “Don’ttouchme.”
Thyros’ crimson-gold eyes gleamed with dark amusement, but he didn’t step back. The bastard looked almost pleased by my reaction, as if he could smell exactly how badly my body had betrayed me.
Behind me, Rylan shifted in his seat, that cocky drawl dripping with challenge.
“Easy there, golden boy.” He leaned back. “She's with us.”
Thyros didn't move.
“And unless I missed something, that means she's under my protection.”
“Rylan,” I warned through gritted teeth.
“What? Somebody has to keep the oversized glowstick honest.”
Thyros' smile vanished.
“Besides,” Rylan continued, apparently deciding death sounded fun today, “she liked me first.”
The temperature plummeted. Thyros' crimson-gold aura flared violently, casting harsh shadows across the walls. For the first time, he looked away from me and directly at Rylan. Whatever expression crossed the Arkhevari's face must have made Rylan realize his mistake, and he shifted uneasily.
“You are confusing tolerance with weakness,” Thyros responded softly. Rylan opened his mouth. Thyros cut him off. “And protection with possession.”
The cabin fell silent, but Thyros wasn’t done. “I have no desire to own her.”
His gaze flicked briefly toward me. The look hit harder than any touch.
“But make no mistake, human.” His voice lowered into something ancient and dangerous. “If she calls, I will come.If she falls, I will catch her. If she is threatened, I will stand between her and whatever seeks to harm her.”
A slow smile curved his mouth. “And if she ever actually liked you, I suspect the universe forgot to inform her.”
Several rebels snorted. Rylan scowled. “Commander?—”
I finally whipped around, pinning both males with a glare sharp enough to draw blood. “That is enough.”
My voice cracked like a whip through the cabin. “Thyros, you will keep your hands and your threats to yourself. Rylan, if you provoke him again, I will personally stun you and leave you on this shuttle.”
Neither male looked particularly repentant.
“We are not doing this. Not here. Not when we are about to set foot on the most important ground any of us will ever touch.” My gaze swept over both of them. “Save your dick-measuring contest for after we survive whatever is waiting down there.”
Rylan sank back with a sullen mutter. Thyros’ burning gaze stayed locked on me, the golden thread still pulled tight between us, daring me to acknowledge the wetness still throbbing between my thighs and the way my pulse hammered in my throat.
I turned away before either of them could see how badly it affected me.
