Page 88 of Stars in Halo

Fokker.

Duke stuck a tongue in his cheek and lifted his hands. ‘It’s your party now or funeral. Take your pick.’

Xion grasped the freakin’ kinai didn’t just mean the rescue op, and he lifted a subtle middle finger salute to his mate before the screen winked out.

‘May I come too?’ Katya breathed.

He turned and tagged her soft eyes on him.

Xion groaned. ‘Woman, you are going to be the death of me.’

When she tilted her head, exposed her delicate nape and gave him the most pleading expression, he melted and assented with a sharp nod.

‘Fine, but only if you do as I say. Mirage, plot a course to the rendezvous; shields up, please.’

‘Done,’ the AI replied.

‘Sante for that,’ Katya blurted out.

He ignored her for a few minutes as he conversed with the AI via their neural link.

When Xion turned to look at her, his gaze pierced her with such intensity that she shivered.

After a beat, he spoke up. ‘After we rescue your kids and situate them, you won’t get to walk scott-free.’

She bit her lip.

‘You owe me,’ he growled. ‘You’ll need to return with me to Eden II. To help me unravel this clusterfokk and work out why the hell some Iccythrian ruler needs our data, the Serpent’s Iris and my noids.’

‘Of course,’ she whispered.

‘Until then, let’s focus on the mission at hand.’

‘I can’t think of anything else,’ she murmured, and Xion caught the flash of pain in her eyes.

An irrational urge to fold her in his arms overwhelmed him.

He gave in, reaching for her.

She gasped, surprised, when his fingers wrapped around her wrist and waist, lifting her to his lap and encircling her in his clasp.

She stiffened.

‘Relax khaliya. Just calming your nerves.’

She conceded and let herself slump into him, sighing against his chest.

Their connection, which had been sorely tested, flickered to life once more.

‘They’ll be OK; you’ll be OK,’ he rasped, stroking a hand over her back.

‘I just want to dilate time and hasten the children’s rescue,’ she whispered into his torso.

‘It will happen, woman; have faith,’ he growled, overcome with feeling, shaken to the core by how much she was affecting him, wanting to take all her troubles away.

After a minute, she pulled away, her eyes misting over.

She gave him a nod of thanks and tracked to the other side of the bridge, where her bag lay.

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