Chapter 13

Lexi

I fumed. I couldn't believe that he'd just gone and locked me in on his ship. I wasn't an idiot, I knew it had been dumb to try to leave before, I'd panicked a bit, and we'd talked it over. There was no need for something like this. I crossed my arms and huffed as I glanced around Rurick's ship. It was a small, tidy place, with a slightly larger cargo bay you could reach through a single passage.

I'd already been in there to see if I could get out that way. Though if I were honest, the only reason I wanted out now was because it just felt wrong to be locked up. I didn't want to go anywhere, I just hated that he had gone to ‘fix' the problem, you know, kill someone. And I hated that I kinda freaking loved it at the same time too. What girl could honestly say that her man had killed for her? Rurick had, more than once at this point… and I was a twisted mess for finding that sexy, for finding it sweet but that was the truth. I liked him, a lot, and I liked it even more that he was willing to cross any line to keep me safe.

Jumping up from my seat on the rumpled, smelling-of-sex sheets. I started pacing around the room, no bigger than my old apartment, it felt somehow cozy and nice, and that was saying something, considering the pile of weapons hanging from the wall. I liked the fact that there were pictures of an older Terafin couple scrolling over a screen in the cockpit area, and another screen blinked with images of a male about Rurick's age, a Terafin toddler, and a smiling Terafin female. His family.

Okay, screw it. No longer mad, I had to admit that I was only upset because I didn't like that he was risking his life. He could act all cocky and tough, but a stray bullet could still kill him, and that would sign my own death warrant for sure. Not that that second part mattered nearly as much as the first, I just didn't want my Assassin to get hurt.

"I'm so messed up Dad," I said out loud. "But I think I fell in love with him. How's that for fast and impulsive?" Saying it out loud did make me feel better. Calmer. So I'd managed to fall for my knight in very dented armor, I'd fallen for that weird humor, the way he made my body sing, and the fact that he cared very much about his family, despite the job he had.

He called me his mate, and after our altercation at the hatch, I knew that was the truth. Even if humans didn't have mates, the Terafin did, and I was his. I could live with that, because face it, that was like getting offered a golden ticket. My belly tingled just thinking about the heat, the warmth, the adoration I'd seen in his eyes. I would never have to doubt for a single moment that I came first place. I could offer him nothing less in return.

But I still wanted to open that freaking door and figure out what the heck was going on out there. With my most precious belongings piled in a cubbyhole in the wall, it felt like the best option was to just fly off in this ship with him. Forget about doing the right thing, I was with an assassin now, I should just forget about being so law-abiding all the time. If I didn't, I was sure it was going to drive me insane.

Finally, I perused the weapons on the wall and picked up one of the large rifles. I had never used one before but I was sure Rurick was happy to teach me. Not a bad idea if I was going to hang out with him for the rest of my life. My stomach swooped with the thought, but not in a bad way. It was like a thrill shooting through me, excitement bubbling in my bloodstream.

Okay, yes, I was definitely in love with him if I thought sharing the rest of my life with him was that good. Now I just needed to figure out how I fit into his world. Maybe I liked shooting guns, maybe I could offer him backup or something when he went on jobs. My stomach churned then, not liking the idea of possibly having to harm anyone.

Determined to figure something out, I still headed for one of the computer consoles and looked up video tutorials on how to shoot this damn weapon. That was a lot harder than I expected it to be, mostly because it took me a minute to figure out what kind of weapon I was holding. I was still perusing text, my fingers moving along the rifle as I familiarized myself when a sound penetrated the ship.

Was that an explosion? What was it with Rurick and bombs? At least the ship's basic controls were fairly simple and I could easily manage to locate the outside cameras for a view. I spotted the shiny black and chrome hovercycle first, Rurick aboard it as he darted the machine through the sky in crazy aerial acrobatics. I could already picture him dryly explaining to me that those were evasive maneuvers.

Behind Rurick, a half-dozen more vehicles were chasing him through the sky, laser fire streaking from them toward my man at intervals. Not that any of it hit him, but still, my stomach was instantly rising through my chest, nerves rattling through my body. I clenched my fingers around the weapon, I now knew what button to press to fire it, and I was pretty sure I could just aim sort of past Rurick. I didn't need to hit anything to scare them off.

Just that damn door; if only it would open. As if my thoughts were finally heard, the airlock hissed and the portal opened. I stared at the sight of it, wondering if I was losing my mind or if I had mistaken myself when I tried earlier. I didn't wait long, scurrying over with the rifle cradled in my arms as though it was a baby, a very dangerous baby.

When I stuck my head out the hatch, I could see that Rurick was almost there, and his pursuers weren't far behind. I was suddenly struck with the thought that this seemed entirely out of character. He'd gone so far as to freaking lock me up in his ship, why was he leading the bad guys right to my doorstep now. He wouldn't. Unless… The thought struck me like lightning; unless he was hurt.

I crouched down, pressing the butt of the rifle to my shoulder, and sighted down the barrel like I'd just seen the military-esque dude do in my silly tutorial video. Through the little scope at the top, I could see much more detail and my worst suspicions were immediately confirmed, blood was streaking along Rurick's entire side, most of it was only visible where it had sprayed across his chrome cycle, his black clothes hide the rest.

I didn't even think about what came next. I just swung my scope to one of the guys chasing him, furthest out just to be safe, and then I squeezed the trigger. The rifle boomed, my ears ringing, and it kicked back viciously in my grip, the end of the rifle jumping up and slamming into my cheek so hard I tasted blood when my teeth clacked together.

Blinking tears from my eyes, I forced myself to regroup for another shot. Rurick was almost here, I didn't need the scope any longer to see he was in a bad way. His face was a grimace, blood dripping from his hairline. I bared my teeth in anger and took aim again. The handful of vehicles chasing him had slowed down a little, and with my second shot, they scattered left and right. This time, I was better prepared for the kick of the weapon and I managed to avoid another blow to my skull.

Rurick's cycle skidded to a halt close to the Striker, the hangar bay opening just enough for him to push inside. I was pretty sure a ship's shielding was strong enough to withstand a few laser pistol shots, but I still squeezed off another dozen shots to lay down cover fire. I wanted to make sure he was safely inside, that they weren't able to follow him in.

When they brought their vehicles down at the edge of the landing strip the Striker was on, they ducked behind the cover of a pair of large metal containers. Yeah, I wasn't ready to start exchanging fire with them. I leaped up and slammed my hand on the airlock panel, forcing the ship to seal the hatch.

I rushed inside, hurriedly propping the rifle back in the hooks on the wall I'd gotten it from. I did not want that thing to go off because I hadn't properly secured it. I was jogging toward the passage to the cargo bay, worried that Rurick hadn't made an appearance yet. Then there he was, coming down the corridor with his arm cradled against his chest. His azure eyes glowed as soon as he saw me, "Fuck, woman! You were magnificent!"

That would have made me smile if not for the sound of something rattling along our hull at right that instant. Then he lifted his arm a little from his chest and I realized the injury was below it, a sharp piece of shrapnel sticking from his rib cage. "Rurick! That looks bad," I said, feeling like an idiot for pointing out the obvious. I rushed to locate the first aid kit, I'd seen it earlier when I was roaming through his ship.

When I dragged it out from its wall cubby, the thing weighed a ton. Rurick had trudged past me and parked himself in the pilot chair, his one useable hand flying over the keys in front of him. He shot me a feral grin that didn't quite hide the hint of pain I could see in his eyes. With a final flick of his fingers, a boom went off outside the ship.

It made me lean around him to check the viewscreens and I gasped. The two metal shipping containers had been blown to bits. The vehicles, and whoever had been hiding there, had gone up in smoke. I was pretty sure a ship gun that powerful was not allowed inside Earth's atmosphere, but I whooped, good riddance!

"So," Rurick said while gazing thoughtfully at the destruction the way I was. "How about we blow this joint before Earth authorities show up? I know a lovely little bar we could buy." His lips were growing alarmingly pale but he seemed calm when he flipped open the medical kit and started pulling out supplies.

"Yes please," I said, heart racing as I watched him work. He seemed to know exactly what to do, and I found that rather alarming. I knew absolutely nothing about first aid but I was certain that a piece of metal sticking out of one's chest was bad news. "How do I help?"

He nodded at the chair at his side, "Just point her nose up and start flying. Automated protocols will do the rest." I was reluctant to leave his side but the threat of Earth authorities was real enough. I had never flown a ship, but Rurick calmly told me which buttons to press, I could do that. I was a first-grade button presser if that's what he needed me to be right now.

The ship wobbled a little when I lifted into the air, I pulled the flying yoke as instructed and aimed Striker's nose at the sky. Then I glanced back at him and cursed when I realized he was using some pliers to yank the metal from his body. "Oh fuck, Rurick that's… Don't you fucking die okay?"

He grinned, but the expression quickly shifted into a grimace of pain. "I love you too, sweetheart." The piece came out of his chest with a sickening, sucking kind of noise. He held it up triumphantly with one hand while slapping some kind of self-adhering bandage over the wound with the other.

"Identify yourself, unregistered flight path, return to berth or report," a voice announced loudly over the ship's speakers. I glared, it was none of their damn business where we were going. I didn't even know where we were going, a bar apparently, but where that was? No clue.

Rurick seemed calm as he finished up his first aid by injecting himself with something and then chugging a bottle of water. "I'll take over, as long you come sit in my lap." I glared at him but scooted over, unable to resist being close to him now that it seemed all the danger had passed. It had to be a good sign that his lips were no longer nearly white but back to their luscious pink and golden hue.

"Identify yourself now, this is your final warning. Your ship is locked in our targeting." That didn't sound good but Rurick scoffed and rolled his eyes. His arms came around me, both of them back to full use, his hands confident as he settled them on the pilot yoke.

"Are you ready for some adventure, Lexi?" he asked me, his eyes twinkling. The ship seemed to speed up, racing out of the atmosphere as alarms blared and that voice warned us to stand down or they'd open fire. Then they were firing, but Rurick seemed completely calm.

"Depends," I said breathily, "Are you planning on getting hurt again?" In answer, he slammed his mouth on mine, my toes curling as he licked across my mouth. That was a mark of possession and I was totally into it. I knew what his answer was, no pain, only pleasure. Now that was something I could get behind.

We careened out of Earth's atmosphere and the alarms fell silent, the voice gone, while not a single blast hit our ship. When Rurick locked our course in on some distant planet in a faraway solar system, it was final. Goodbye old life, hello new.

Rurick picked me up in his arms and strode across the ship to lay me on his bed. A hand-held tissue regenerator aimed at the massive bruising on my cheeks, his eyes tender. Yeah, I was ready. Ready for a life with him, wild, crazy, and a little dangerous.