Page 42 of Sublime Target

She didn’t sense anything malicious from him, but…

“Nothing bad is going to happen to you,” Jerik said gruffly as if sensing her hesitation. “When you’re with me, you’ll be safer than anywhere else in the Universe. But it’s completely up to you. If you change your mind, I’ll let you be.”

She really did feel like he was being genuine.

And how could she pass up an opportunity to see inside one of the most mysterious and awe-inspiring alien civilizations to ever come into contact with Earth?

All right. Let’s do this.

Something stirred inside her—an old feeling she hadn’t experienced for a very long time.

It was the sense that there was more to this existence than her job and her security and her day-to-day routine.

There had to be more, surely.

She stepped forward.

“Hold onto me.” He wrapped his arm around her waist, clutching her securely. He was warm and every bit as strong as she’d imagined. “Put your arms around my neck.”

Clarissa reached up, extending her arms, clasping her hands behind his broad neck.

She felt as light as a leaf as he lifted her, and suddenly, they were flying through the air, higher and higher, until Clarissa could see the endless cityscape stretching out below. She saw the buildings, the shorelines, small strips of golden-white beach nestled against the verdant gardens of the ultra-well-heeled.

A gust of wind swept past, causing them to sway. Clarissa couldn’t help it—a loud shriek escaped her, and she inadvertently wrapped her legs around his, fearing she would fall into oblivion.

The Kordolian chuckled softly. “I won’t let you fall, Clarissa.”

His self-assuredness was maddening.

How the hell had she gotten herself roped into this?

Unable to take it anymore, she closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest.

Even though they were dangling from a precarious height, suspended only by a thin cable, she somehow believed him.

Impossibly, he made her feel safe.

And all of a sudden, the wind stopped, and everything went silent.

He released her waist. Her feet landed on a solid surface.

She opened her eyes.

The sky was gone. A black roof curved overhead, momentarily disorienting her. She blinked furiously as her eyes adjusted from the bright light outside to near-darkness.

Small blue lights nestled in the walls allowed her to see. She stared at Jerik in shock as his visor retracted, revealing his crimson eyes.

On Earth, in the bright light of day, he’d looked slightly out of place, but in his spacecraft’s shadowy interior, he was perfectly in his element.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” she said, her voice light and breathy.

“It worked, didn’t it?” His eyes widened a fraction, and for a moment, she almost got the sense he was in just as much disbelief as she was.

But then the moment passed, and he reverted to the stern, impenetrable alien commander.

His face itself was a study in ruggedness—he reminded her of a sculpture; a bust of some powerful figure from ancient history. His broad forehead was slightly furrowed, his thick eyebrows were drawn together, and his lips were pressed together in a tense frown. His jawline was strong and hard, and there was a bend in the bridge of his nose as if it had been broken once upon a time.

The severity of his appearance was accentuated by the absence of hair, which suited him perfectly; she couldn’t imagine him any other way.

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