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She turned back to Rann. His expression had frozen and for a second, he simply looked at her. She knew that look. Had probably given Stevie that exact look at least twice a day while they’d been loading the ship.

See what I have to put up with?

Her lips threatened to twitch. She pressed them together. No. He wasn’t charming his way out of this one, even if his colleagues were doing a spectacular job of making him look like the sensible option.

“They’re all with you?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“We’re mercenaries,” Ryke said, glaring at two of the other aliens when they opened their mouths to talk again. “We came to the rescue because Rann went undercover when he⁠—”

“Overheard your pilot.” Rann’s hand stilled against her neck.

She looked up at him. The amusement had gone from his face, and her fingers tightened where they rested against his chest.

“What about him?”

“Your original pilot was going to turn you over to someone. All six of you.” His jaw tightened. “I heard enough to know what he intended.”

Beside the doorway, Layla went still and Stevie’s gun lowered a fraction.

“So you took the pilot’s place?” Blythe asked. It was the only explanation.

Rann nodded. “Decided that wasn’t going to happen.”

She stared at him.

Back in the bay, she’d looked him over and found fault with everything from his age to the way he filled out those ridiculous coveralls. Had gone straight to Stevie to try to get rid of him.

But he’d been there to save them?

Her throat tightened painfully. She’d thought she couldn’t love him any more than she had a minute ago. Yeah, she’d been wrong about that too.

He hadn’t known her. Hadn’t known any of them. But one overheard conversation, and he’d decided to come save them anyway.

“You could have walked away,” she said.

“No. I couldn’t.” His brow creased and he shook his head. “Where I come from…”

He paused, obviously struggling with the words. The expression in his eyes was haunted as he looked down at her. “I spent years looking the other way and people got hurt. This time, I couldn’t look away. I didn’t.”

Her heart ached and she reached up to touch his face, her thumb brushing the stubble along his jaw. His expression softened beneath her hand, and she couldn’t even manage to be annoyed about the tears threatening again.

“My hero,” she murmured.

His smile returned slowly. Before she could say anything else, he took the gun still hanging at her side and passed it to Ryke.

Then her feet left the floor.

“Rann!” She caught his shoulder as he swept her into his arms, one beneath her knees, the other secure around her back. “I can walk.”

“I know. Don’t care. No mate of mine is walking,” he said, already striding toward the doorway.

She glanced past his shoulder as catcalls broke out behind them, heat rising into her cheeks. Yeah, that grin on Layla’s face was going to need dealing with later.

Much later, judging by the way Rann was moving.

“I’ll deal with your mess again then, shall I?” Ryke called after them. “Like this sniveling draanthic here? Covak, shut him up, would you?”