Chapter 18

EIGHTEEN

As they arrived at the Fleet Station's vast docking bay, Dragek mulled over something that had been bothering him for a while.

They'd given him far too much freedom.

Since Ashrael had released him to retrieve Jade, Dragek had received no orders, no interference, and no discipline.

His masters had pretty much left him to his own devices, which, in this case, consisted of watching over the human.

Jade.

He was surprised at how well she'd tolerated Zyara's treatment, even though she was obviously fatigued and somewhat frightened.

The whole time, he'd been encasing her wild ka'qui with his own, trying to contain it and shield her fragile mind from the outside noise.

So far, it seemed to be working.

Even if he could admit to himself that he had no fucking idea what he was doing.

He glanced across to the passenger chair, where she sat in a reclined position, asleep.

Her expression was pure innocence. The guarded look had melted from her face, leaving her vulnerable.

How could someone exist in such a state in his presence? Pretty much everyone who encountered him was terrified of him—well, before, anyway. But she wasn't. As soon as their transport entered the void of space, she'd drifted off, her long eyelashes fluttering as exhaustion claimed her.

How could his masters leave such a defenseless creature in his possession? He could harm her, kill her, use her as a hostage…

But they already knew he wouldn't.

How did Tarak and Ashrael know him so well? Did they have a skilled psychic amongst them, one who could peer into his thoughts without being detected?

It didn't matter anyway because there was a kill-switch inside his body. One wrong move, and they could eliminate him on the spot.

Ultimate freedom, ultimate prison.

The ship landed seamlessly, barely making a disturbance in the atmosphere. The general's fleet was better equipped and better operated than the old Imperial transports he was used to traveling on.

The pilots were better trained.

The guards were less edgy; more disciplined.

Everything here was a mirror image of the Old Empire, only better.

And they had humans.

They didn't treat them badly, either.

That was another thing that had shocked him. His kind had always viewed other alien species as inferior, and they had treated them as such, often cruelly.

For the most part, Dragek had been indifferent toward aliens—including humans—until he'd encountered her. And even then, he had to ask himself whether he would have cared a whit about her if she didn't have the Talent.

But Tarak and his people were gentle toward their humans, almost reverent. The ability to cast ka'qui allowed Dragek to observe many things. During his imprisonment, he'd been shocked to learn that the Kordolians of the Darkstar Mercenaries considered humans their equals.

Mere humans.

The feared First Division could be… gentle.

He still didn't understand how such a thing had come to pass.

How different they were now. It was as if the old imperial way of thinking had never existed.

He shook his head as he rose to his feet. There were still outliers: factions from the Noble Houses that wanted to wrest power back from the Darkstar Group and revive the Kordolian Empire.

Did they honestly think they could win against Tarak al Akkadian and his elite warriors?

To have any chance against the might of this fleet, they would have to do something extreme.

Disquiet rippled through him.

Doing something heinous—something that had the potential to kill thousands, even millions—he wouldn't put it past them.

The ones who had once given him his orders… he knew their nature well enough. In the past, if they'd willed the destruction of a world or a civilization, it wouldn't have bothered him.

But now…

What was he, exactly? Whose side was he on?

As he watched her sleep, he turned life, the Universe, and the depths of hell over in his mind. He cast outwards with his ka'qui whilst holding her essence in a silent, invisible cocoon.

He felt the vast stillness of the Fleet Station.

The sheer absence of chaos.

Everything was orderly and peaceful.

As it should be.

And even though the ship had landed and the guards outside had discreetly moved into place, he didn't stir.

For she was asleep, and she was the most sublime thing he'd ever seen.

It was the first opportunity he'd had to study her properly . He could hear—no, sense —the steady beat of her heart. He could feel the rise and fall of her chest and the gentle rhythm of her breathing, no longer ragged and labored.

He padded across to the far wall and sat down on the floor, crossing his legs and placing his hands—palms facing upwards—on his knees. Barefoot and bare-chested, he relished the feeling of the cool cabin air against his skin. He closed his eyes and embraced the stillness, the silence.

Then, he extended his sixth sense, letting his second-sight drift over her.

He could hardly believe he was alone with her—this curious creature who had addressed him so boldly the first time they'd met.

He took in her human features: soft, rounded, delicate. Her gently feathered brows and the lustrous mass of her hair. The slender column of her neck. Her smooth, delicate skin. It was so obvious she came from a comfortable existence where she didn't have to become marred by the scars of violence or hardened by cruelty.

There was something else, too. Something that had been tugging at his senses ever since he'd physically encountered her in the mine.

Something he couldn't detect through dreams or thought-walking.

Her scent.

It had crept up on him; at first, he didn't understand what it was. Just a tendril of exquisite fragrance mingling with the dust and the blood and the machine-metal smells in the mine.

And he'd been so focused on maintaining control—on protecting her untrained mind from the noise—that he'd barely noticed when it surrounded him, infiltrating every last part of his consciousness.

At last, he fully opened up his senses and let it wash over him. It was warm, rich, and heady. It was the essence of a sun-drenched world: lightness, innocence, and vitality.

If his existence was cold, dark, and barren, then this was the antithesis of all of that, and he had no idea how to handle it.

He took a slow, deep breath, taking in her heady aroma and turning over every note, every tendril.

From far off, another presence was approaching, but he ignored it.

This freedom… he didn't know when he would get to enjoy it again, so he might as well luxuriate in it.

Might as well seek the forbidden.

For although he'd never known the feeling of lust or even wanting— the Mistress had kept him under such tight control—he could now begin to understand a fragment of what had driven the others to become mated.

He could understand how they'd succumbed to this exquisite madness.

For the very first time in his existence, he felt a tendril of arousal.

He was tempted to throw caution and control into the galactic slipstream and just succumb to it.

His cock stirred.

He let it happen, but he didn't act on it.

He simply allowed the feeling to course through him, giving it free rein.

The knife-edge of arousal was both sublime and torturous because he knew there was nothing he could do about it right now.

There would be no relief.

The presence outside drew nearer.

It wasn't an ordinary presence. It was one of his kind.

Her aura was immense. She couldn't properly contain it. She didn't possess that level of skill yet, but then again, she didn't need to.

She didn't hunt from the shadows, under a cloak of invisibility.

She wasn't an assassin, accustomed to stealth.

She was protected.

This was Noali , Ashrael's mate.

Dragek hadn't actually spoken to her before, but he knew who she was. He'd sensed her presence countless times.

She was coming to meet Jade, no doubt. Actually, she would be the most suitable one to take over Jade's care from here on in.

So why was it that he felt so selfish right now?

He didn't want to let the human go just yet.

He wanted to savor this moment for a little longer, to keep her all to himself.

Besides, she was sleeping so peacefully, and after all that she'd been through, her fragile human body needed the rest.

So he reached out to the formidable human with his mindvoice. Can't it wait? She is asleep.

Oh, hello, Dragek. It's nice to meet you too. I've heard a lot about you. Her reply was calm and unflappable; she certainly wasn't intimidated by him. I suppose it can wait. Based on what Ash has told me, I'm guessing she's awfully tired, and you don't want to disturb her rest.

Something like that. She is sleeping deeply.

Well, I suppose that's reasonable… and rather considerate of you. I'll be nearby, then. Why don't you watch over her and call me when she's ready?

Very well. But answer me something.

Yes, Dragek?

Not too long ago, I was sent to kill one of your kind. And now you're leaving this… untrained, valuable human under my watch. Why are you and your people so trusting of me all of a sudden?

Dragek… Noali's mindvoice softened a fraction. We understand that you weren't acting of your own accord. Believe me, as Ash's mate, I can understand a little of what that would have been like. I have already looked into your soul and gotten a sense of your intentions. I know you wouldn't hurt that woman.

Dragek's surprise spilled over. Peered into his soul? When had she done such a thing?

Because surely, he would have felt it.

You may go now, Noali, he growled, bristling, indignant, drawing the protective cloak of his ka'qui around both Jade and himself. I'll alert you when she's ready. Until then, she is not to be disturbed.

It's all right, Dragek. I understand.

And with that, the human left him to become lost in his thoughts and this newfound feeling of slow-burning arousal, which was barely contained for now, and only because he was so very good at control.

This… it couldn't last forever.

It was merely a fleeting moment; an anomaly in the shifting tide of his existence.

Sooner or later, there would be a disturbance, a threat. He wasn't psychic; he just understood how the Universe worked.

And Tarak al Akkadian would call upon him to do the very thing he'd been created for.

At least this time, he might agree with the motivations.

A faint sigh escaped his lips as he looked down at his very own hands—battle-scarred, blade-callused, stained with enough blood to darken the stars.

Of course he wouldn't hurt her.

But would Jade be so trusting of him if she knew what he truly was?