Page 63 of He Will Always Love Me

“Wow, you’ve had quite a journey,” I say. “Although I still wish you hadn’t tried to leave me out of this.”

“I’m sorry,” he replies. “I just thought –”

He’s abruptly interrupted by a sudden alarm sounding from near the front of the ship. “What the fuck,” says Hyx, scrambling for the door.

I follow after, but I’m thrown against the wall as a force bolt hits the tiny craft with a glancing blow.

“We’re under attack!” says Hyx. “Who would be mad enough to attack us at warp speed? We’re a damn courier ship! Quick, grab a seat,” he adds.

I climb up off the floor and dash for the seat next to him. I only just have time to get my belt on when we’re hit again. The force bolts can’t do much damage to the ship while we’re in warp drive, but every one will knock us off course. If they throw us off course enough, we could easily collide with a planet or star.

Hyx acts quickly to drop us out of hyperdrive. We decelerate close to a small blue planet. “I don’t know where we are, but the sensors say it’s inhabitable,” he tells me. “We should put down there. Maybe they’ll overshoot and miss us, or maybe they’ll follow us down. Either way is better than being sitting ducks out here.”

I am filled with apprehension, suddenly afraid that maybe Hyx was right after all. I’m loathe to admit it after fighting him so hard on this, but only minutes back together, and we’re being shot at?

I don’t want to die again. I realize suddenly that all my protesting otherwise wasn’t entirely true. The thought of actually dying now that it seems to be right in front of me chills me to the bone. Even as I feel my courage falter under pressure, I remind myself that I came here to face whatever happens at Hyx’s side, and that’s what I’m going to do.

I touch his arm as we come in to land in a forest clearing. “Whatever happens, even if it’s the worst, we will find each other again. We always have, and we always will. Nothing can keep us apart.”

At my words, his eyes soften and the worry eases. He leans over and kisses me. “Forever,” he whispers in my ear.

There is a jolt as the attacking ship comes into land behind us. We leave the ship, waiting to see who the perpetrator of the attack is and what they want.

The door of the other ship slides open, and Elyzin steps out. He has a laser sword in his hand, and he’s smiling.

“The fucking piece of shit,” Hyx spits.

Elyzin steps forward into the clearing. “Shall we dance?” he asks Hyx mockingly.

Hyx steps forward to meet him.

“Be careful, my darling,” I say, realizing that Elyzin has betrayed Hyx. Remembering that Elyzin always betrays Hyx.

“There are no rules,” Hyx growls and pulls out a plasma dagger from his pocket.

CHAPTER 33

HYX

The wooded clearing is completely silent. It is like the impending battle has cast a pall over the place. Even the forest dwellers are holding their breath.

“What are you waiting for?” Elyzin goads. “We can circle one another all day if you like.”

“Why are you doing this?” I ask, stalling for time while I await an opening.

“Because I must,” he replies cryptically and lunges at the same time.

I step quickly, evading the blow. Managing to spin so that I can catch him off guard before he recovers, I kick him in the back. I know I don’t have much for weapons – I wasn’t exactly preparing for a showdown now. So the first thing I need to do is disarm him.

I have sparred with Elyzin more times than I can count. I know how evenly matched we are. I would say that over the years in our friendly matches, I won more times than him. But not enough to make me confident of victory. He is still a formidable opponent, and I am on my guard.

But I can use my familiarity with him to my advantage. I do just that, lunging as he falls to the ground and the sword clatters from his hands. Already, he’s reaching to recover it, so I desperately try to get there a second before him and kick it as far away as I can.

Though it’s officially out of his reach now, I am not foolish enough to believe I have the upper hand just yet. I’m sure he has a trick or two up his sleeve, and all I have is a dagger.

I make my own lunge, and sure enough, he pulls out a laser whip I wasn’t even aware he had on him. It flicks out, threatening to disarm me in one easy move. But I know Elyzin well enough to use it to my advantage.

While he’s using the whip, his right side is vulnerable. I fake a step left, and while he flicks the whip in that direction, I turn abruptly the other way and graze his arm. There is a scalding hiss as his skin is seared away.

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