Chapter 14

Harper

I was quiet as I watched Nick work. I thought I was masking my nerves, but I should have known I couldn't fool him. He said I was his mate, and I was truly starting to believe that. He certainly knew me better than anyone else, better maybe even than my granny had. Case in point, he glanced casually over his shoulder at me and his yellow and gold eyes sharpened.

"Are you okay, Harper? We're currently hidden. We can take as long as we want." He turned in his seat, pausing what he was doing so he could give me his full attention. I felt cornered and exposed when he leaned in and spread his pretty, white and red wings. Not in a bad way exactly, just like I had no way out but to tell him what was going on in my head. The problem was, I didn't know what was going on, only that I was really nervous about this next part of the plan.

I rolled a shoulder and looked back at the viewscreen that showed me the planet. Not just any planet but a big grayish ball of dirt, a mining planet already hollowed out by many years of destructive mining. I'd looked into that, how it worked, the machines and techniques they used. It wasn't anything pretty, and it lined up with what I'd briefly seen when they'd taken me into that vault.

The vault was probably my actual source of nerves. I didn't want to go back there and see that prison again. But what if that was the only way to get rid of this trauma? To heal from the past? With Nick at my side, I wouldn't be in danger, and it wasn't like we needed to go inside.

"You're sure just accessing the logs from the outside control panel is enough to establish a good timeline?" I asked him quietly. Nick wanted to get all the facts about when they put me in that vault and when Batok tried to retrieve me. I wasn't sure if it was going to help us or not, but he still hadn't managed to break the encrypted data on my stupid, old translator implants. He said it could take a long time, and doing something was better than sitting around waiting.

Yesterday, I agreed with that. Today, I was pretty sure I was okay with the waiting, as long as it took. "Yes, you could even stay on the shuttle, little Novi," Nick said, his voice rumbling with a tender warmth I was coming to expect.

Sometimes, I could see that his instincts tried to get the better of him, that they urged him to push me for more than just cuddles and kisses. He never let that side of him win, giving me that distance he'd promised so I could make up my mind about him.

"No," I denied immediately at his offer. It felt even more wrong to let him take all the risks alone, to sit on my hands while he took care of things. I was feeling frazzled by the idea of seeing that vault again, but I would deal. "I'll go. Just need to gather a bit more courage. I think I have to do this." If I said that out loud, maybe I'd actually believe it myself.

Nick gave me a look that said he didn't quite believe me, but at least he didn't pry more. He dipped his head toward me, brushed his mouth over mine in a quick caress, and then he turned back to tap at the console. "The station in orbit over the planet is there to coordinate supplies. The last time we were here, I got direct access when we boarded it. I should still have a backdoor to get inside. It will be the work of a minute to make us invisible to their sensors and download their logs."

I watched as he did as promised and tried not to fidget with the strap of my water canteen. He steered our shuttle down to the barren-looking planet with competent hands. This was it, time to face the music. "Looks like the mining camp with the vault you were in was abandoned a few months ago. The supply logs indicate that personnel were shuffled to other camps and no supplies have been brought to that location in quite some time."

It helped to listen to Nick as he listed more pertinent information. Stuff about how Batok hadn't been to the planet since his last visit a year ago, just days after Nick had rescued me. His voice was soothing, and if I just zoned out while I listened to his tone, I could pretend we weren't about to visit the location where I'd nearly died a horrible, slow death.

I didn't recall much of the planet from my previous visit, but I still found myself surprised by how dry and dusty it was. Nick parked our shuttle behind the barren, skeletal remains of what had once been a small stretch of woods. The trees and plants had all died and were now covered by a fine layer of dust. Just stepping out of the airlock and into the open air made my lungs seize up with a nasty cough from that same dust. It was terrible.

"The planet is dying," Nick said as he handed me a fresh bottle of water to sip from. He did not seem nearly as bothered by the dusty, stale air. A strong wind was whipping at my clothes and my hair, trying to push me over. My winged friend had come well prepared for the journey and what awaited us; he'd pulled out sturdy cargo pants and a thick coat for me.

"Soon the air will grow so thin that it won't be safe to breathe without assistance." He gave the dead trees a baleful look. "They must be close to finished stealing all the resources they deemed worthwhile. Last time I was here, these trees were still alive." He rolled a shoulder to dismiss the topic and pulled a pair of goggles from the bag he had strapped to his lower back beneath his wings. "This should help."

I put them on gratefully, glad I had something to keep the wind and dust from my eyes. The goggles instantly made the world jump into brighter focus around me, like a veil of dust and grime had been lifted. I could now make out the towering spire in the distance and the fortifications at the foot of it. I recognized that , and an icy shiver ran down my spine.

That spire was like a giant lance that pierced the planet, and when I turned in place, I could see the vague shapes of several more in the distance. My research in the past week about this place informed me that those huge lances, taller than skyscrapers, were surveying spikes that specialized ships launched into the planet from orbit before mining activities started. It looked dramatic and destructive, and it was awe-inspiring to imagine a spaceship capable of shooting lances as huge as these.

"Ready?" Nick asked as he stepped closer. His wing brushed against my back, sheltering me from the wind. He was wearing his black armor, as always, but he'd pulled on gloves too. Several drones were humming in the air around us, and his visor was over his left eye. It glowed in a gentle blue curve from the metallic device clipped to his head just above his ear.

He'd strapped several weapons to his body as well, guns in holsters on his thighs, and a narrow sword in a sheath against his spine. He looked ready for war. He looked like the warrior that he was with just enough of a hint of his more intellectual proclivities to make him look devastatingly smart at the same time.

I loved how confident he looked, and calm; his feathered mohawk rising proudly from his head, ruffled by the wind. When I gave him a nod, he smiled. It was a little tilt at the corner of his mouth, exposing one sharp canine tooth, and it was sexy as sin. His smile grew wider like he knew what he was doing to me.

He swept me up in his arms, which caught me by surprise, and then he was kissing me. I sighed into his embrace, still not used to how easily and often he claimed my mouth this way. His wings swept around us, cocooning me against his chest in a silky, feathery cage. It grew dark and quiet in that little sheltered nook, and I became all sensation and touch. My nerves and fears slipped away like quicksilver, lost in the tide of passion that swept through me.

It was getting harder and harder to resist him, to stay away. All my reasons were growing silly and weaker by the moment, especially when he conquered my mouth like the warrior he was. A man with only one goal in mind, to pleasure me beyond my wildest dreams. I knew that if I gave in, we'd have the best sex of my life. All I had to do was tell him that I wanted him.

"Come," he groaned against my lips, and I thought he was demanding that I come for him, just like that. His hand slid down along my spine and cupped my rear, yanking me closer. A sharp lance of pleasure burst through my abdomen and made my core spasm. It wouldn't take much; I ached for him.

A deep rumble made his chest vibrate against mine, stimulating my painfully hard nipples. "Blazing suns, Harper…" He yanked me higher, and instinctively I wrapped my legs around his narrow hips. His cocks made a firm bulge beneath my rear, radiating heat even through his armor, and I couldn't stop myself from moaning and wriggling against him. "That's not what I meant," Nick growled with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "But I'll oblige, my sweet little Novi."

He spun us and my back collided with the side of the shuttle, or rather, his wings did, and they cushioned my back from the cool metal. With the added leverage, he pressed his hips against mine and provided just the right amount of friction against my exposed core. I didn't question how he knew what I'd been thinking, just clung to him and let him push me over that edge.

I needed that, craved it. The past week had been one endless tease; our sexual tension had gotten thick enough to cut with a knife. His hips surged against mine, and his rampant cocks pressed against my core through the layers of our clothes. Enough was enough. I needed him, all of him. We'd figure out the rest later because it was inevitable we'd end up like this. The pull between us was too strong. It had been strong straight through a screen; so why was I denying myself?

My orgasm crested as those thoughts unlocked my mind, my heart. When the pleasure, like a sharp, sweet burst, hazed my vision, I focused on the one thing that would always be steady and true: my Nick, my thieving mate. His tigerite eyes glowed with that feral, possessive light that I knew so well by now, and I liked how much I tore at his control simply by being myself.

He held still, pressing close to me as the waves ebbed. I felt safe, protected by his sheltering wings and his solid presence. He was larger than life and as the pleasure faded, so did my remaining reservations about our visit here. He would keep me safe, he would take care of me.

***

Mitnick

My cocks ached fiercely, and especially my second mating cock had never been this hard, but this was not the time nor the place for a claiming. As I pleasured my pretty female, I never lost track of our surroundings. My senses tuned to more than just her breathy moans and the rapid pulse at her throat.

While my ears filtered the sounds of the wind and the rustling of the dead trees for any sign of danger, my eyes feasted on the flush in Harper's cheeks. She was wobbly on her legs when I backed away just enough for her to find her footing. "Steady, my sweet Novi," I said to her, struggling to mask the deep satisfaction I felt at causing all that.

"Nick," she sighed, her hands pressed against my chest while she attempted a stern look. "What are you up to?" I grinned, my eyes darting down quickly to where my cocks were pressing against my pants, rising toward my mate's soft belly. She groaned, rolled her eyes, and smacked my arm with a dainty hand.

"Distracting you," I said, my hands still clinging to her waist. It was time to get started. She seemed calm and relaxed now, and I wanted to get this trip over with as soon as possible. I knew the camp and vault were empty, but that was no guarantee that we wouldn't be located. A ship could arrive in orbit while we were down here, and their scans would instantly pick up our shuttle in this barren wasteland.

My drones were doing quiet reconnaissance, and all the data they gathered confirmed the information from the orbital station. The mining camp was abandoned, and there was nobody around for miles and miles.

"I appreciate it," Harper said, but it was clear that unease was already lurking at the back of her mind. That distraction wasn't going to last much longer. I checked the strap of her water canteen and the small pouch with rations on her belt. Then I made sure her goggles were on correctly before gathering her close against my chest.

She came willingly, laughing softly. "You aren't done?" Her fingers brushed my neck as she drew her arms around me, and my spine tingled from the tantalizing sensations. She didn't know what I was about to do; she hadn't realized it yet. I lifted her higher, pressing her against my chest while I flicked my free hand over my weapon's belt for a last check.

"I am," I said, "We're flying. Hold tight." Her eyes went huge in her face as the last word left my mouth; realization dawned quickly, but it was too late to protest. With a bunching of my muscles, I leaped into the air and swung my wings with powerful beats to get the airlift we needed. I didn't often get to fly through open skies like this, but I always kept myself in top flying shape.

We were soaring, accompanied by the sound of her startled squeak. Then we caught a thermal, and I spun us around so my mate could get more comfortable. From the hidden spot I'd parked our shuttle in, it was only a few miles as the Ifrea flew. My drones hummed gently as they followed us, their cameras recording the devastation wrought on this planet.

I only had eyes for our destination and the expressions of my sweet little Novi. After her initial shock, she was staring at the landscape with an open mouth. Her fingers dug into my neck with how tightly she was holding on, but that was the only sign she might be worried. "I'd never drop you," I said, "Never."

She tilted her head, her pretty sky-blue eyes enlarged by the protective goggles. "I know," she said, "But I don't have wings, so I'm holding on tight if it's all the same to you." That made me smile, and I obliged by tucking her more tightly against my chest. I reveled in the feeling of her body so close to mine; this was exactly what I'd been craving, one of my cravings at least, to fly with my mate.

I couldn't bask in the moment much longer. All too soon, those miles had been crossed, and I was circling above the abandoned mining camp. It looked different already, worn with disuse and roughed up by the rapidly devolving weather system on the planet. The gate stood open, flapping in the wind, and the laser cannons that had previously been mounted on either side were gone.

The mining pit was already filling with sand, blown in by the rough winds. That same sand had also made an admirable attempt at covering the roofs of the warehouses and other buildings. My sharp eyes picked out their shapes anyway, and the data provided by my roving drones did the rest. When I brought us in for a landing, I touched down at the door to the building that housed the vault.

"We're here."