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He looked away. “Maybe you’re right.”

It was a bitchy move to say that, but they weren’t so different. Her mom exploited her to save her own ass, clear her debts, and get problems off her back. Blaze’s family was just the same. They had money and influence, but they were using their son to form an alliance that would favor them.

Eden sank back onto the cage floor. “You should stay with me on the Apocalypse. I don’t want another partner. It took me months to break you in. We can finally say no to the people exploiting us. Tell them we’re doing things our own way from now on.”

“I want to. I want to stay with you.”

They were both at a crossroads, and it felt like they were about to pick the wrong paths and walk away from each other.

Eden had never allowed herself to feel like this about any other guy. With Blaze, her heart sang. She got excited when she was around him, looked forward to seeing him every day, and loved being with him. And as hard as she’d tried to ignore it, she’d always known he liked her. He’d never hidden it. And he’d never given up on trying to get through her barriers.

He really was an amazing guy, and she’d spent all this time shoving him away. He had every right to walk into a life of ease and luxury and never think about her again.

Blaze was probably relieved to be going. She was no easy ride to be on.

Her stomach churned at the prospect of Blaze leaving and taking another woman into his bed. It spiked an arrow of jealousy through her heart.

Eden’s hands curled into fists. She hadn’t meant to do it, but she’d fallen for him. He’d slipped under her barriers. He was a part of her, and she didn’t want to let that go. She had to find a way to convince him not to form this marriage of convenience. To try something else. To try her.

Approaching footsteps made Eden jerk her head up.

Blaze growled. “Get ready. It looks like they’ve made a decision about what to do with us.”

***

An anchor of horrorclung to Blaze’s heart as the Pecket marched into the cargo hold. They dragged Eden out of her cage and threw her to the floor.

He roared and slammed his fist against the bars. He’d destroy them.

Three Pecket walked to his cage, their weapons trained on him.

“Make one wrong move and we’ll kill you,” one of them said.

Blaze snarled at him as he unlocked the cage.

“Get out.”

He dodged around them and raced to Eden. She was already getting to her feet, anger blazing in her eyes.

She stiffened for a second when he touched her then relaxed when their eyes met.

He brushed a finger across a bruise on her cheek.

The trace of a smile that crossed her lips tore into him. She was so strong.

“What a touching reunion. Your bond will make this even more exciting.”

Blaze glanced up to see a tall, broad Pecket standing in the doorway.

“That’s the head asshole,” Eden muttered.

“Good to know.”

“Which one do you want to kill first?” Eden kept her focus on Blaze. “I want the smug bastard who’s leading this idiot group.”

“We can take him out together if you like.” He gently squeezed her shoulder. “You doing okay?”

“I’ll be better when we’re out of here and back at the sanctuary with the animals, where they belong. And I’ll feel a hundred percent better when these assholes are dead.”