Page 100 of Stars in Halo

Katya shrugged with a sad shrug. ‘They’ve made their beds. Now, until I return, you’ll be safe here. The Khosana DKRT has promised you and the kids can stay here for as long as you like.’

‘Sante,’ Kiko said with a soft smile.

‘Perhaps look at it as a holiday. The staff here are the best. I’ve already been offered massages, facials, and a personal chef,’ Katya laughed.

‘But this is no escapade, my darling,’ her mother urged. ‘His Highness is playing a dangerous game; we’re all pawns. Our lives, our families, and our existence are at stake. So while I hold the fort here, go with your Rider and fight for us.’

Katya raised a brow. ‘My Rider?’

‘Don’t you think I have eyes, child? I see how you two look at each other, and I approve.’

‘He doesn’t see me that way, mada, not after everything I put him through.’

Her mother clucked. ‘He more than likes you, Katya. He’s not Akira, who treated you like shit. What man comes charging in on a sleek ship to rescue an older woman and twelve kids unless he’s invested in you? Think about it.’

Katya’s face was a canvas of shock.

Kiko enveloped her in her arms with a laugh. ‘Take your blessings where you find them, daughter. Now kiss your sleeping princess and go,’ she said, squeezing Katya’s hand. ‘I’ll see you soon again, I know it.’

Katya nodded, her eyes brimming with mist. ‘I’ll be back for all of you before you know it. I swear it.’

Kiko gave her a fierce hug once more before the younger woman turned and left the room.

Shared Bliss and Happiness

The rear deck airlock to the Tachy slid open.

To reveal the stunning woman standing on his step, framed by the clear lilac skies of LeCythi’s early morning.

Xion’s eyes raked over her.

He took his sweet time.

All he could think about was how her eyes glinted with vivacity, how the scent of her hair aroused him, and how her skin was so soft beneath his touch.

She, in turn, met his gaze with a steady calm that belied the pulse beating at an erratic rhythm on her neck.

He tamped down the urge to lean it, bend into it, lick that spot, nip it raw.

With a suck of his teeth, he turned on his heel and tracked inside his craft.

She followed.

He needed a moment to collect his thoughts before he faced her.

Climbing to the bridge, he stood for a beat, looking out at the view screen, taking a few additional moments to process the emotions swirling around him.

Without warning, a tingling sensation washed over his entire body.

His metanoids sparked, and his heightened intuition kicked in.

A flurry of images flooded his mind like when he’d met her.

He saw them together, surrounded by family in a beautiful, warm home filled with laughter and love.

It was so vivid that it was like a glimpse into a parallel universe, a life full of shared bliss and happiness.

The sensation was so intense that his heartbeat pulsated in sync with the prescient vision.

---