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His thoughts whirled through his head in a blaze of possibilities. Even though Sloane would protest, he had to get her out of here. The second she was stable, he was sending her to the Apocalypse.

She might hate him for doing this, but she needed rest and no more distractions. This medication would keep her stable for a few more hours, and that was all the time he needed.

He’d deal with the Siblet poison, but couldn’t focus on that while he was so worried about Sloane.

Even though it tore him up to be apart from her, this was the best thing for her.

***

“Thanks for taking suchgreat care of me.” Sloane still felt a little shaky even after Dallin had given her the temperature neutralizing drug, and she could barely keep her eyes open. But the sickness had faded, and she was able to stand without his help.

“Let’s get you somewhere safer,” he said.

“What’s wrong with here? I feel safe on the shuttle.”

“You’re not staying here.” He caught hold of her hand and gently tugged her to standing.

“Where are we going?”

“Follow me. I’ll show you.”

Sloane didn’t like the way Dallin wouldn’t meet her gaze as he led her off the ship. What was he playing at? He always got shifty when he was doing something he knew she wouldn’t approve of.

“Shouldn’t we wait for the test results? The analyzer is almost done.”

“I’ll be back for that soon enough. Then I’ll send the results to Angel. She can get to work on the antidote from her end, while I study it here. One of us will crack it.”

“Hold on a second. There were a lot of ‘I’s’ in that sentence. Are you staying here, but I’m not?”

He glanced at her as they walked into the corridor. “That’s right. And this isn’t up for discussion. You’ve almost died twice since we’ve been here.”

“No, I haven’t.”

“The Siblet beasts and the kidnap attempt?”

“Both of those things were mildly life threatening, and we easily defeated them together. We can’t break apart now.” She tugged on his arm, but he kept pulling her along. “Dallin, you need me. I know you’re smart, but I can help you. Don’t shut me out. I thought we were making progress.”

His hand briefly tightened around hers. “We are. But we can only keep doing that if you’re alive.”

Her heart sank. “Didn’t you enjoy our time together?”

“I did. Very much.”

“I don’t want it to be a one-off.” Sloane nudged him with her elbow, hoping to lighten the mood. “Especially now I know you’ve learned the entire works of the Kama Sutra. I need to know if everything you told me is actually true.”

His grim expression didn’t alter. “It is true. But we can work on that another time.”

“Work on it? You make our relationship sound like a project that hasn’t been completed.” Sloane tugged her hand out of his grip and stopped walking. “Dallin, I love you. I don’t want to be away from you. Sending me away is the wrong move.”

“You need to leave. I’ll put you on a shuttle so you can join the rest of the crew. Angel can take better care of you than I can.” Dallin caught hold of her shoulders. The serious look in his eyes silenced her protest. “Sloane, I must focus on making this antidote. You’re too much of a distraction.”

“It doesn’t need to be that way.” She didn’t like the detached look that had settled in Dallin’s eyes. He’d shut down, and she couldn’t figure out why.

“We’re getting you extra medication and supplies, then I want you back on the Apocalypse with the others. You’ll be safe with them.”

“I’ll be just a safe here with you, and I can help you figure out this antidote.”

“That’s if you can stay awake.”