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Wren’s breath came out shaky as she leaned against him. “How did you get on the ship?”

“Eden got to the cockpit. She lowered the force field so we could lock on to the ship.” He couldn’t stop touching her, drinking in the sight of her. She was bloodied, shaking, and her forehead was damp with sweat, but she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

“She made it. That’s good. I wasn’t sure about splitting up, but we needed to get control of the ship before the Gente figured out what we were doing.” Her gaze flicked to Daisy, and her eyes tightened. “I shouldn’t have brought her with me, but she insisted on fighting.”

Striker kept a tight hold on Wren as he turned. “Rexx will look after her. He’ll never let anything bad happen to Daisy.”

Rexx was leaning over Daisy, a rare look of concern on his face as he administered emergency medical treatment.

Striker turned back to Wren. “I’m so angry with you.”

Her eyes widened. “With me? Why?”

“Because... because you left me. I thought I’d lost you.”

She rested a hand on his cheek. “Striker, I never left you. We had a mission to achieve. We had to get the animals.”

“You put yourself at risk.” He growled low in his chest. “Don’t ever do that again.”

“I’m always going to do my job. And I’ll always have you backing me up.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I saw a video of what happened to you. I thought...” She broke off and looked away.

“You saw that?”

“One of the Gente showed me.” She swallowed and ducked her head. “For a second, I thought you were dead, but I never believed it, not really. I’d have known if something bad happened to you.”

“Of course. We’re connected. We belong together. And you don’t get rid of me that easily.” Striker cupped her face in his hands. “I’ll never leave you. You’ll always be my partner.”

He lowered his head and gently kissed her lips. Wren was back exactly where she belonged. And he was never letting her go.

Chapter 18

Wren kept hold of Striker’s hand as they headed off the Gente ship, through the airlock, and back to the Apocalypse. She’d never felt so happy to be home.

Striker kept looking down at her, his hand running over her back.

She squeezed his fingers to show she was doing okay, but her insides were shaking. That had been too close. If Striker hadn’t gotten there in time, that Gente would have pulled the trigger. It would have been over for her.

But of course, Striker was always there when it mattered.

They gathered around Cleo in the docking bay, a mixture of bruised, bloodied, and burned fighters.

“I’ll take you to the medical room. You need to get checked over by Angel,” Striker said.

She waved away his concern. “I’ll be fine for another half an hour. And Daisy needs to take priority.” She nodded at Rexx, who was already striding away, Daisy in his arms.

Cleo faced the group. “It’s good to have you all back. Does anyone need to get their injuries looked at immediately?” Her gaze flicked from Wren to Eden.

“I’m all good,” Eden said. “I’ve just got a few scratches.”

“You have a head injury.” Blaze hovered by her side, tension radiating from him.

“It’s barely noticeable. Will you still love me if I have a new scar?” She fluttered her lashes.

Wren shook her head. “I’m fine, too.” She shot Striker a warning look, and he kept quiet.

Cleo nodded. “I’ll keep this brief. We got our crew members back. That’s the main thing. Wren, Eden, you’re off duty for the next forty-eight hours. Make sure you get your injuries treated and plenty of rest. And if either of you have any concerns, go straight to Angel.”

“We know how to look after ourselves,” Wren said.