Epilogue

Three Crill Centurions move toward Calder, safely ensconced in their exosuits, threat bristling from every line of their bodies. The bloodthirsty crowd is going wild, pounding on the walls of the cage in a violent drumbeat, their voices uniting in a savage chant. Kill, kill, kill.

In the center of the ring, Calder waits, his body relaxed. If he’s bothered by the three hulking monstrosities closing in on him, he gives no sign. If anything, he looks almost bored.

I watch the spectacle, my pulse racing.

When they’re almost upon him, Calder moves. A Crill Centurion swings his arm, and Calder steps out of his way, ducks low and rolls between the fighter’s armored legs. He smashes his fist into the man’s throat and?—

“Elodie, Elodie, Elodie,” a high voice squeals. Calder walks into the engine room, a toddler riding on his broad shoulders. Filik, the three-year son of one of the Crill families we’re transporting.

I hastily turn off the vid, but not before Calder sees me. My cheeks flame. Watching my boyfriend fight Crill Centurions is a huge turn-on, but I didn’t expect to get caught. Awkward.

“The child wants cake,” Calder says, his eyes laughing at me. “I told him we’re out, but he said you’d make him some more.” He winks. “He’s only been on board for a few hours, but he’s already figured out you’re the softest touch on the ship.”

“Please,” I scoff, biting back my smile. My partner is an apex predator, and this kid has him eating out of his hand. I don’t know how he does it. “We all know who the softest touch on the ship is, and it’s not me.” I strip off my work gloves and stretch my arms out for the child. “Come on, Filik. Let’s go to the galley and see what we can find, okay?”

He transfers himself to me, wrapping his arms around my neck. “Okay.”

Calder takes my hand, and the three of us head in search of cake. “You like watching me fight, Elodie?” he teases. “Anytime you want to see my wrestling moves, I’d be happy to give you a demonstration.”

I give him my best quelling look. “We have a shipful of refugees, and you’re thinking of wrestling moves?”

He laughs. “I’m not the only one, am I? When do we reach Shanti again?”

“Two days.” And I can’t wait.

It’s been a year since the events of Luxaria, and I still want to pinch myself. Waking up with Calder every day, transporting Crill refugees to safety, picking up bounty jobs between mugalari runs—I can’t believe this is my life.

In the galley, I find Filik’s parents, Marta and Karon. The toddler promptly abandons us for his mother. I stick around long enough to make a cup of tea, and then, by unspoken agreement, Calder and I head back to the engine room, the one place on the ship we’re assured privacy.

“Zayd messaged me this morning,” Calder says. “He wants me to track down an escaped prisoner. Exclusive contract, a hundred thousand credit bounty.”

“What’s the catch?”

“It’s dangerous. Keefe was last seen in the Crill Empire.” He glances at me. “What do you think?”

I’ll admit—I was a little leery about Calder being a bounty hunter. But the first time we caught someone, I changed my mind. Simeon Kklack was a serial killer who terrorized his colony. He was sentenced to life in prison, but his wealthy family arranged an escape. Sending him back to face justice was one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done.

And the money helps. Calder insists on sharing every bounty with me equally, no matter how many times I point out I’m not entitled to half. The Wraith is his, after all; all I do is keep it running. Predictably, Calder isn’t swayed by my arguments. He can be stubborn like that.

With the credits I earn collecting the bounties, I can do so much good. The refugees flee their homes with nothing. Resettling them somewhere safe from the Crill Empire’s reach takes money, money I now have.

There’s also a real sense of community in the bounty-hunting world. I thought it would be competitive and cutthroat, but it’s surprisingly convivial. The Guild is well-run and keeps things fair. Sure, there might be some grumbling when a particularly lucrative job is assigned, but largely, everyone’s happy.

Between bounty jobs and refugee runs, I’ve also taken to restoring old junked-out cruisers. There’s a thriving market for antiques. The other bounty hunters hire me to fix their ships, and that’s fun too. It makes me feel like I belong. I’ve inherited a whole new community, and it’s amazing. It couldn’t be more different from my old life on Harte, where I didn’t go out, didn’t do anything, and toiled away for a future that was always just out of reach.

All thanks to Calder.

Calder’s waiting for me to reply. “Might as well. We’ll be heading to the Crill Empire anyway.”

“That’s my girl.” He moves closer, pressing me against the wall. “You look very pretty today, Elodie.”

I’m wearing overalls covered with engine grease, and I haven’t washed my hair in three days. There are fifty people on board the Blaze, and it’s only meant to hold half that number. Water, space, food, privacy—everything is in short supply.

“You’re losing your vision, I see. Shouldn’t your nanobots be healing you?” He kisses my neck, and a thrill shoots through me before I squirm away. “Calder, I’m sweaty and haven’t showered since Saturday.”

“And you smell like engine grease,” he says, ignoring my protests and kissing me again. “My favorite scent. I can’t wait to have the ship to ourselves, Elodie.”

“Why wait? I installed a lock on the engine door earlier today.”

“Genius.” He nibbles my lower lip, and a surge of heat engulfs me. I run my hands shamelessly over his biceps, luxuriating in the hard planes of his body. “Is that what you were doing?” He grins wickedly. “Because I thought you were hiding here, looking at vids of me fighting.”

My cheeks go red. “I can do more than one thing at a time,” I say loftily. Then Calder unfastens the tabs holding my overalls closed. His big hands find my breasts and squeeze, and I can’t think anymore.

Jarel Onel has gone underground.Nobody—not even Raz DaSilva, feared head of the Karven Special Forces—knows where he is.

Sarai, on the other hand, now works at Jama Biotech, Zayd’s family’s company. At first, I was afraid she was being held prisoner in the Karven Federation, but she assures me she’s there of her own volition. “Nobody’s using my work to make genocidal weapons,” she told me the last time we talked. “I consider that a win.”

Zayd recruited her personally, I hear. According to the grapevine—nobody gossips like bounty hunters—there’s more to the story than that. “Zayd was smitten,” Robin, one of my new bounty hunter friends, says. “Couldn’t take his eyes off her.”

Whether or not that’s true, Sarai seems like she’s settling well into her new life.

Speaking of Zayd, he calls Calder when I’m finger-combing some order back to my hair. “Calder, hey.” He looks over and notices me. “About that thing you’re looking for?”

I can feel Calder’s interest sharpen. “Yes?”

“I’ve located it.”

“You have?”

“I have.” Zayd grins. “You owe me for this, buddy.”

Calder waves it away. “Yeah, yeah. It’ll be my turn to pay for drinks next time we’re in a bar.” His eyes are positively shining. “Thanks, Zayd.”

“What was he talking about?” I ask when Zayd hangs up. “What’s he located?” I give my boyfriend a suspicious gaze. “Why do I think you’re planning something?”

“Because I am,” he says with a chuckle. “You’ll like it. It’s a nice surprise.”

I can try to pry the details from him, but from previous experience, I won’t get anywhere. Have I mentioned Calder can be pretty stubborn?

We might not have found Onel yet, but justice finally caught up to Foder Throop. Turns out he hasn’t led a blameless, spotless life the last ten years. Tanvi wasn’t his first victim, nor was she his last. Both the Harte Protectorate and the KSF wanted to talk to him. Last I heard, he’s in custody on Harte while the KSF and the Protectorate wrangle over who gets to deal with him first. Either way, he’s going to be locked away for a very long time.

When I heard he was in custody, I escaped to the engine room. It was in a room like this that Tanvi taught me how to disassemble my first turbo fan. I stripped a fan down to its component parts, my mentor’s voice directing me as I completed the task. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you,” I said aloud. “But Throop will never be able to do to anyone else what he did to you. And wherever you are, I hope that will help you find peace.”

Calder stretches lazily, his movement jolting me back to the present. His shirt rides up to expose a sliver of his abs. Yummy. “The door’s locked, and the ship is on auto-pilot.” He gives me a smoldering look. “You want me to show you some fight moves?”

I laugh. “Yes,” I say, kissing and holding him tight. My heart feels like it’s going to explode. “Yes, I would love to see your fight moves.”

Thank you for reading BLAZE!

BONUS SCENE ALERT: Want to know what Calder’s secret was? Here’s a hint: it involves Elodie’s mentor’s lost ship. Click here to grab it!

And if you enjoyed Blaze, check out the Warriors of Gehar series? Fearsome alien warriors, feisty human women, plus kittens! Check out a free preview of Alien In Charge by flipping the page.

Someone has attacked the Human Federation Ambassador in Gehar territory, and out of an abundance of caution, the Empress has assigned me to protect the human until the culprit has been caught.

The new Ambassador, and her kitten, Luna. (Short for Lunatic.)

Yes, seriously.I, Jehan D’arana, Shield of Gehar, have been reduced to guarding a cat.

Then I meet the Ambassador, and everything changes.

Because she isn’t a stranger. She’s my ex. Keomi Hearne.

The woman that got away.

The woman I want more than ever.

But every time I try to be alone with Keomi, her kitten is there. Watching me with a sinister sneer as I make my move. Tripping me up. Dive-bombing me from the top of a cupboard and scratching my face. (Not that a Gehar warrior would ever think to complain about a little blood.)

And then, the situation goes from bad to worse. Someone’s seriously trying to kill Keomi. Her work is sabotaged. Her staff is poisoned, and her skimmer is blown up.

This assignment just got very real.

I am Jehan D’arana, Shield of Gehar. No matter what the wickedly adorable kitten may think, I’m in charge. Nothing is going to keep me from protecting the woman I love.