Chapter 14

FOURTEEN

Hot sun.

Tight— his arm.

Bare skin, broad chest, and rippling muscle.

The warm wind whipping all around them.

And the roar of engines—strangely muted and alien-sounding because they were alien.

She closed her eyes. She couldn't bear to look anymore. They were so high above the ground, just hanging there, the thin metal cable hauling them up at impossible speed.

It was so thin and flimsy-looking, and Dragek just trusted it would hold them both? She braced, anticipating the snap, the fall…

But it never came.

And his grip on her never relented, even when she stiffened and clung to him so tightly she might crush him, her legs wrapped around his like a clamp.

All of a sudden, the noise stopped. They were somewhere silent and cool, and the warm rush of the wind and the gentle burn of the sun on her face—those familiar things were gone.

He set her down on a solid surface.

She became aware of the pounding inside her chest and the harsh rasp of her breath. She became aware of the excruciating pain in her foot and in her hand and his overwhelming presence…

Still wrapped around her.

Slowly, she opened her eyes…

And came face-to-face with his overwhelming presence.

They were in a dim cabin of sorts, a quiet, empty space illuminated with soft blue light. The walls and ceiling were pitch-black, organically curved like the inside of a seed pod.

The dark background only accentuated his pale, silvery features. His obsidian eyes gleamed in the faint blue light, framed by long, dark lashes that were surprisingly delicate.

Her arms were still wrapped around his neck. Through the thin cotton of her shirt, she could feel his smooth, bare skin, his warmth, the steady rise and fall of his chest.

Her heart was hammering wildly, and her breaths were shallow and rapid, as if she'd just sprinted around the block.

He was completely unaffected, as cold and calm as still, icy water.

Could anything faze this guy?

"Don't be alarmed," he said quietly. "We're on a small cruiser bound for the Darkstar facility on Earth. This might look different to what you're used to, but there's nothing sinister about it."

"I…" She looked around, trying to make sense of the ship, hardly believing she was here—on an actual alien ship. "Are we moving?"

"We are."

"Wow. It's so quiet."

"It has superior sound-dampening technology." One corner of his mouth curved upwards, betraying his amusement. "This is a fairly ordinary ship."

Jade felt a strange ripple: warm, faintly tingling, and not entirely unpleasant, as if she'd been engulfed by magical energy. It danced across her skin, raising goosebumps on her arms. It traced down her spine and swirled through her belly, fluttering through her chest and sending a frisson of heat between her thighs.

They were so close.

So close she could feel his raw, physical power against her tired, aching body. And suddenly, she didn't feel so tired anymore, almost as if she'd absorbed some of his dark energy.

So close she could smell him—crisp, clear, undeniably masculine. Some highly irrational part of her wanted to bury her nose in the hollow of his neck and inhale him.

No. What?

She untangled her arms from his neck and rocked backward, only he wouldn't let her go.

His arm around her waist was like freaking granite.

He was so strong.

He could probably break her in two if he wanted. But right now, he was just holding her.

"If I let go, you will end up bearing your full weight on that broken foot of yours." His voice was low and deep, a cross between a rumble and a whisper. "It will cause you pain."

"You are… surprisingly considerate for a…" The words escaped her. "I don't even know what you are."

"I'm a lot of things and nothing much. Just someone who can fight well enough to save you from your own kind." His lips parted, revealing the points of his gleaming fangs. "And I'm very selective about who I'm considerate toward."

The full force of his attention almost made her melt in his arms. How easy it would be to let him overwhelm her, to let him take control of everything. Stars, he certainly had the strength and power to do so.

It struck Jade that she was completely helpless here. Even more so than if she'd allowed herself to be taken by the MWA. Because in the domain of the Kordolians, she didn't know a single soul apart from Dragek.

And she had to trust him completely.

If she couldn't…

She was done for.

"I'm guessing that all of this— you appearing all of a sudden—has something to do with the voices I hear… and the fact that we were able to meet in my dreams."

"Correct."

"And you… you know what all of this is, don't you?" With her good hand, she gestured toward her temple. Her left hand was starting to throb again. Dragek's mesmerizing appearance could only distract from the pain for so long.

"Not entirely, but I know more than the fools that were trying to take you." He shifted his weight slightly so she was leaning back against his arm. She felt his biceps bulge and flex against her back.

The raw physicality of him… the immense, carefully contained strength.

Funny, she was only really noticing it now, but he was a big guy.

Being in his arms was starting to make her feel a certain way. If only she could forget about her predicament and drown in this feeling a little.

"So, what happens to me now?" She almost wanted to thank him for pulling her out of the mine, but she still wasn't convinced that his intentions were entirely pure.

All she could do was wait and find out—and try to keep her wits about her.

His dark brows drew together ever so slightly.

She struggled to read him. She didn't know whether he was annoyed or just thinking. How could someone be so close—almost intimate—and yet so guarded?

He twisted his body ever so slightly, arching his back.

Then he moved, his body as fluid as water yet hard and strong as granite.

And all of a sudden, she was in his arms, so damn effortlessly , as if she weighed little more than a feather.

It felt like she was floating.

She was so, so tired… and aching all over.

Why fight it? What's the point?

"Before anything else happens, we get you healed," Dragek said. "Then, you rest. Worry about what's to come later. When you're ready."

"Oh… all right." There was nothing else she could say or do right now.

Because what he'd told her made perfect sense.

And for the first time in a very long time, the noise inside her head was gone.