Klaz

KLAZ

T he escape pod lurched, slamming me against the curved hull. Pain lanced through my injured side. I gritted my teeth, tasting blood. The pod’s systems hummed and whirred, struggling to compensate for the damage it had taken in the attack.

Cinta sprawled across the floor, her hair a wild tangle. She pushed herself up, wincing. Our eyes met.

“What in the seven hells were you thinking?” I snarled.

She lifted her chin. “I couldn’t let you die alone.”

Fury and... something else... surged through me. I clenched my fists. “So you decided to die with me instead? Brilliant plan.”

“We’re not dead yet,” Cinta retorted.

The foolish, reckless, infuriating woman. I wanted to shake her. To hold her close and never let go.

Her expression suddenly shifted, concern flooding her features. “What about the other passengers? We can’t just leave them with those pirates.”

I scrubbed at my hair, frustrated. “There’s nothing we can do for them right now. If we survive this, we can try to do something.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but then closed it, nodding reluctantly. “You’re right. But we can’t forget about them.”

“We won’t,” I assured her, then turned away, focusing on the flickering control panel. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Too late now,” Cinta said. She moved beside me, studying the readouts. “Life support’s failing. We’ve got maybe six hours of air.”

I grunted. “Five hours, forty-three minutes. If we’re lucky.”

Cinta rolled her eyes. “Aren’t you a ray of sunshine?”

Despite myself, my lips twitched. I squashed the urge to smile. “This isn’t a game, Cinta. You’ve thrown your life away for nothing.”

“For you,” she said softly.

I whirled to face her. “And what makes you think I’m worth that?”

Cinta met my gaze unflinchingly. “I don’t know. But I couldn’t stand by and watch you get spaced.”

“So you decided to get spaced with me,” I said flatly.

She shrugged. “Seemed like a good idea at the time.”

I snorted. “And now?”

Cinta glanced around the cramped pod. “Well, the accommodations leave something to be desired.”

A chuckle escaped before I could stop it. Cinta’s eyes widened in mock surprise.

“Was that... a laugh? From the mighty Renka? I’m shocked.”

I scowled. “Don’t get used to it.”

Cinta’s smile faded. She reached out, her fingers brushing my arm. “You’re hurt.”

I looked down. Blood seeped through my torn shirt. “It’s nothing.”

She snorted. “Right. Because getting stabbed is no big deal.”

I shrugged off her concern. “I’ve had worse.”

Cinta rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you have, big guy. But let me take a look.”

Before I could protest, she was lifting my shirt. I hissed as the fabric pulled away from the wound.

“Sorry,” Cinta murmured.

Her fingers probed gently around the injury. I tried to ignore how good her touch felt, focusing instead on the pain.

“It’s pretty deep,” she said. “We should bandage it.”

I grabbed her hands. “Save the supplies. It’ll heal.”

Cinta frowned. “That’ll take days, maybe weeks.”

I remained silent, watching her face. After a moment, understanding dawned in her eyes.

“Vinduthi heal faster than humans,” I said gruffly. “It’ll be fine in a few hours.”

Cinta’s fingers were still on my skin. She traced the green markings on my chest, sending a jolt through me.

“Fascinating,” she murmured.

I caught her wrist, pulling her hand away. “We need to assess our supplies.”

Cinta didn’t move, her wrist still in my grip. Her hazel eyes locked onto mine, a challenge burning within them.

She licked her lips, and I tracked the movement, like a hunter after the tastiest of prey. “Right,” Cinta said softly. “Supplies.”

With visible reluctance, she looked away, breaking the spell.

I released her wrist, my hand suddenly feeling empty. A growl rumbled in my chest, low enough that I hoped she couldn’t hear it. What was wrong with me? I’d known this woman for mere hours, yet she’d burrowed under my skin like no one else had in years.

I clenched my fists, willing my racing heart to slow. We were trapped in a damaged escape pod with dwindling oxygen. This was no time for... whatever this was.

“Let’s see what we’ve got,” I said gruffly, turning to the small storage compartment.

Her fingers danced over the latches, popping them open with practiced ease. I watched her methodical search, admiring her efficiency despite our dire circumstances.

“Not much here,” she reported, pulling out a small medkit and a few ration packs. “Some emergency water, a couple of thermal blankets. No weapons.”

I grunted, unsurprised. “Escape pods aren’t meant for extended survival. Just buying time until rescue.”

Cinta’s lips thinned. “About that... we need to discuss the distress beacon.”

My jaw clenched. I knew where this was going. “We’re activating it.”

“No, we’re not,” Cinta countered, her voice sharp. “If those pirates pick up the signal-”

“If we don’t, you’ll die,” I growled.

Cinta’s eyes flashed. “And if we do, they’ll kill you.”

I stepped closer, looming over her. “My life isn’t worth yours.”

“That’s not your decision to make,” Cinta snapped.

Frustration boiled within me. Why couldn’t she see? “I’m trying to protect you!”

“I don’t need your protection!” Cinta shouted, shoving at my chest.

The motion brought her face inches from mine. Her breath came in short, angry pants, and my gaze dropped to her lips, parted and tempting.

“Cinta,” I rasped, my resolve crumbling.

She surged forward, crushing her mouth to mine. The kiss was fierce, desperate. I groaned, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her flush against me. Cinta’s fingers tangled in my hair, nails scraping my scalp.

I lost myself in the taste of her, the softness of her lips. There was nothing but Cinta - her warmth, her scent, the small sounds she made as I deepened the kiss.

A blaring alarm shattered the moment.

We broke apart, gasping. Cinta’s eyes were wide as she stared at the flashing console.

“What is that?” she asked, breathless.

I pulled away from Cinta, my heart pounding. The alarm blared, its shrill tone piercing through the lingering haze of our kiss. I forced myself to focus on the flashing console.

“Critical systems failure,” I growled, scanning the readouts. My fingers flew over the controls, trying to isolate the problem.

Cinta leaned in, her shoulder brushing mine. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing good,” I muttered. The screen flickered, data scrolling past faster than a human could process. But I saw it. “Navigation’s down.”

As if to punctuate my words, the viewport shutters slammed closed with a metallic clang. Darkness engulfed us, broken only by the dim emergency lighting and the console’s angry red glow.

“Shit,” Cinta breathed. “We’re flying blind?”

I nodded grimly. “Looks like another malfunction. We need to restart the nav system manually.”

“Okay,” she said, a touch of her usual bravado creeping back into her voice. “How do we do that?”

I pointed to a small access panel near the floor. “There’s an emergency reset switch behind that panel. But it’s a tight fit.”

Cinta smirked. “Good thing I’m flexible.”

I rolled my eyes, ignoring the heat that flared in my gut at her words. “It’s not that simple. The panel’s recessed. I can reach it, but I won’t be able to see what I’m doing.”

Understanding dawned in her eyes. “So I guide your hands?”

“Exactly.”

We moved to the panel, Cinta kneeling beside me as I lay on my back. The pod lurched, nearly sending her sprawling across my chest. I steadied her with a hand on her waist, acutely aware of how close she was.

“Alright,” I said. “Open the panel.”

Cinta complied, her nimble fingers making quick work of the latches. “It’s open. What am I looking for?”

“There should be a red switch at the back, about halfway up.”

She leaned in, peering into the cramped space. “I see it.”

I reached into the opening, my arm brushing against Cinta’s side. She inhaled sharply, and I froze.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Fine,” she said quickly. “Just... ticklish.”

I grunted, trying to ignore how soft she felt against me. “Guide my hand to the switch.”

Cinta’s fingers wrapped around my wrist, her touch immediately sending inappropriate thoughts through my mind.

But still, I had to wonder. What would those fingers feel like, curled around something else?

“A little to the left,” she murmured. Her breath ghosted across my ear. “Now up... there. You feel it?”

My fingers brushed against something. “I think so.”

“That’s it,” Cinta confirmed. “Now you need to-”

The pod jerked violently, slamming us together. We stayed frozen, staring at each other in the dim light.

“Flip the switch,” I rasped.

She shifted, pressing even closer as she reached for my hand. “Okay, now pull it towards you and then push it back.”

I did as she instructed, feeling the switch click into place. For a breathless moment, nothing happened. Then, with a whine of protesting machinery, the systems began to reboot.

Cinta sagged against me in relief. “We did it.”

I allowed myself a small smile, wrapping an arm around her waist. “We make a good team.”

She looked up at me, a challenge in her eyes. “Was that a compliment, Renka?”

Before I could respond, the pod shuddered violently. Warning klaxons blared as the viewport shutters retracted.

My blood ran cold at the sight that greeted us.

A massive ice planet loomed before us, filling the entire viewport. We were plummeting towards its surface at alarming speed.

“Cinta,” I said, tightening my grip on her. “Hold on.”