Chapter 8

The lights were still low by the time Levi and Cora disentangled their bodies from one another. Levi could hardly believe what had just happened and how easily their attraction sprang to the surface rather than staying hidden under layers of innuendo and flirtation.

This was more than he could ever have hoped for when he was thrown into the cell with a perfect stranger. Cora was no stranger, though, and Levi realized with a flash that he didn't know if she ever had been a stranger. Maybe he had been destined from birth to meet her. He wondered if this was what it felt like to meet one's mate.

For now, though, he needed to focus on the Desolation Stone. Without retrieving it, everything else was moot.

As Levi gazed into her eyes, still dreamy from pleasure, he had an idea.

"I don't want to break the moment or anything," he told her, brushing a strand of hair out of Cora's face and smiling, "but now would be the perfect time to get back into that office."

His mind and body were racing with endorphins, and he felt ready to take on the world. He felt especially ready to take another crack at figuring out where the Desolation Stone might be.

To his delight, Cora smiled back.

"Well, this isn't exactly the sort of pillow talk I'm used to," she quipped, "but it's kind of sexy."

Levi grinned, planting another kiss on her lips before helping her up.

"That must be why I like you," he told her, letting his eyes linger as she straightened her clothes and ran a hand through her hair.

"Oh really?" she asked, looking up and taking a step closer. "That's why?"

Levi could feel the heat of her body close to his again. It made him want to pull her right back down onto the cot and finish what they'd just started, but he knew now wasn't the time.

"Among other things," he joked. He flashed another smile, catching the humor in Cora's eyes before turning to check outside the cell.

All was still quiet, and he figured the office would be empty by now. With a quick swipe of his comm, Levi disabled the cell door again. They were off, sticking close to the walls and to each other as Levi led the way back to the office.

This time, no light shone from inside, and the two of them snuck in under the cover of darkness.

"So, you think you can get in?" Levi asked as Cora sat down behind the desk and pulled up the holoscreen.

She held up her own comm. "You're not the only one with fun toys," she said with a wry smile.

Levi grinned, impressed once again by Cora's mind. He watched as she linked her comm up with the computer and typed rapidly on the holo-keys. A dissonant sound came from the device, accompanied by an error message.

Cora didn't take her eyes off the screen, or her fingers off the keys, as she tried to find her way around the error. Levi, however, was beginning to get nervous. The sound hadn't been too loud, but if someone happened to pass by in the hallway, they'd probably come to investigate. The glow of the screen would be enough to give them away, even in the dark.

Levi made his way to the door, just in case, peering out from a crack. The hallway, luckily, remained unoccupied. He only hoped Cora would be able to hack in quickly.

Another error sound rang out. He turned to see Cora frowning into the screen, her fingers still racing.

At that moment, something from the hallway caught his eye, and he turned back. At the same time, he held up a hand, bidding Cora to pause. The keys fell silent behind him.

Outside he heard the distinct sound of footsteps. Straining his eyes, he saw another flicker of movement right at the end of the hall. A Jorvlen was roaming the silent ship, and Levi prayed they wouldn't come this way.

Another flicker of movement and then nothing. Levi held his breath for a moment, hearing only his own heartbeat as everything else fell silent.

When he was sure the Jorvlen had moved on, he nodded to Cora.

She nodded back, but the look on her face told him she was just as tense as he was. Luckily, no more error sounds emitted from the computer. Soon, Cora was waving him over.

"I'm in," she whispered. "And I found something."

Cora gestured to the screen, and Levi let his eyes fall on a picture of the stone. There it was, the deep red Desolation Stone he'd seen Zyair bring back, shimmering with an other-worldly light. They had to find that stone.

"You look over this. I'll keep a lookout." He was already moving back toward the door.

Cora was still scanning the documents, and he hoped she'd have the good sense to record it all on her comm. He caught himself, though.

Of course, she will, he told himself. She's no novice.

Another flicker of movement shocked him out of his thoughts. He peered down the hallway again, taking care not to open the door any more than a crack. He only hoped whoever was out there didn't look in this direction and see the soft glow of the screen cutting through the dark.

More footsteps echoed down the hall, closer this time, and Levi held his breath again. He and Cora couldn't be caught in this office. He knew that. But it seemed the two of them couldn't leave the office, either.

He almost jumped out of his skin as a voice suddenly spoke into the still and silent night.

"Daytime will begin in half a flick," the tinny Jorvlen announcement rang out.

"We need to get out of here," Levi whispered to Cora. She nodded and then shut down the holoscreen immediately.

She met him at the door, and he gestured that they needed to be quiet and slow. With painstaking patience, he pushed open the office door. As long as the hallways were dark, they still had a chance of getting back to the cell unnoticed. They just couldn't draw any attention to themselves.

As quickly as they could while still remaining silent, they crept toward the end of the hall. The footsteps he'd heard earlier had already receded, but he had to remain alert.

They approached the end of the hall, and Levi peered out. On the left was the hallway that led back to their cell, but as Levi turned to the right, he saw the back of a Jorvlen striding away from them.

Was this the Jorvlen he'd heard outside the office? Or had he come from their cell block and already seen that he and Cora were missing?

Levi took a deep breath. No. If that was the case, an alarm would be blaring out across the ship, not just the regular morning announcement.

Levi waited until the Jorvlen was out of earshot before taking Cora's hand and sneaking down the left corridor.

By the time the daytime lights came on, they were both back in the cell where they'd started, falling into a deep sleep. Levi rested especially well with the knowledge that the Jorvlens were none the wiser and that he and Cora were undoubtedly one step closer to finding the stone.