Page 136 of Stars in Halo

On the Tachy, Katya’s body locked, and her breath hitched.

Xion froze, arms around his woman, his thoughts racing with a million and one questions.

He sensed Katya’s anger radiating off her as she sat rigid in his embrace.

Her gaze was fixed on Akira as a silent battle of wills passed between them.

Studying both of them as the weight of the buccaneer’s words hung in the air, a tiny shadow of doubt crept into Xion’s mind.

But he tamped it down.

He believed in Katya. He had seen the fire in her eyes, the unwavering love for those she cared for that burned within her. And he trusted her, perhaps more than he had ever trusted anyone.

She had to have a plausible explanation, and he exhaled, parking his questions for when they were alone.

Xion sliced his eyes from her pale face and back to the holo screen.

Refusing to rise to the bait, he signalled his intent to Kisan with a chin lift.

‘Take him to Notus and lock him away until Kainan and the Council decide what to do with him,’ Xion murmured, his voice cold and cutting.

The Eden II Guardians acknowledged the directive with chin jerks, escorting Akira away as he continued to spew threats and curses.

Xion touched a button on his captain’s chair, and the live feed winked off.

Alone in the quiet aftermath of the chaos, Xion turned to Katya, his grip on her tightening.

Their eyes locked in a silent exchange laden with unspoken truths. Their intertwined fates hung heavy in the air, a precarious balance between trust and doubt.

She trembled, and he tagged it.

‘Are you okay?’ His gentle voice contrasted with the adrenaline-fueled moments that had just passed.

‘I think we need to talk,’ she whispered.

‘Agreed. Mirage, a moment please.’

With a whisper of sound, the AI de-materialised.

Leaving behind the couple alone on the bridge.

Xion lifted Katya off his lap and rose himself, tugging her arm.

She followed him to the lounge at the far corner of the space, and they settled in.

A Desire for Higher Heights

Xion stretched out on the divan, sighing, and ran his hand over his jaw, beard, face, and locks while exhaling.

Katya sat waiting, heart pounding, bracing for the inevitable rejection or incandescent anger.

It never came.

Instead, the Rider knifed up, placed his hands on his knees and propped his chin on his fists.

‘Tell me about her. Is she the toddler called Kaaia?’

Katya met Xion’s eyes with a shuddered breath. ‘Naam, that’s her name.’

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