Page 140 of The Edge of Dawn

Tension entered her voice, and Dragek understood perfectly well. It was the Mating Fever. She felt it, too. The thought was enough to make him aroused all over again.

He both cursed and exulted at the fact that the powers that be had pulled him away before he’d gotten the chance to consummate with her and relieve the curse of the Mating Fever.

But would he have felt like this—his senses enhanced, his fighting instinct stronger than ever, his ka’qui overflowing—if he wasn’t in the grip of the Mating Fever?

There’s no way I won’t come back to you, he said fervently.

How ironic that this bond between them underpinned everything.

Tarak had moved further ahead. They were close to the entrance now.

Suddenly, the water was clouded with blood.

Tarak had already dealt with one of the underwater guards. He was utilizing the advantage of confusion to go after the other.

Sometimes, it was easy to forget that the general was every bit as ruthless as his reputation told.

Dragek swam ahead, tasting the bitterness of Kordolian blood in the water. He reached into the deep well of his ka’qui and pulled it across his body, letting it ripple over the seamless saladin fabric of his skinsuit.

Even though he was underwater, the same principles applied. He slid into the dimension between worlds—the void.

You’re the only protection I have against myself.

You remind me of all that is good.

He closed off part of his mind, shielding it from her—hiding the fact that he was about to cause a lot of death.

How selfish he was. He needed her to be with him, but he didn’t want her to see this part of him.

He swam through the blood, past a drifting body, leaving Tarak behind to deal with the other one. He entered the tunnel, a narrow passageway through ancient rock. Particles of light filtered through him from above—he was invisible, after all.

He swam toward the surface, kicking silently, one hand reaching for the long sword at his back.

The ones that were about to fall… maybe they were the way he’d been—subservient, with no knowledge of the outside Universe, no control over what they did.

Maybe.

It didn’t matter. The stakes were too high.

He would do what he always did, even if it meant he had to follow them into another dimension entirely.

After all, he would rather risk losing himself than have her entire existence wiped out.

FORTY-FIVE

Dragek emerged in a hidden corner and scanned his surroundings.

The tunnel had led him into a small pool at the foot of a vast cavern. Slender stalactites hung from the roof, glistening with moisture. The floor of the cavern was carved from smooth stone dotted with strange, flat, plantlike organisms with lobular foliage that gently swayed back and forth. They emitted particles of light, glowing in the darkness.

It was warmer in here. Not oppressively so, but just enough to remind him that this wasn’t Kythia.

His attention was immediately drawn to the large, machine-like structure in the center of the cavern. About the size of a modest passenger transport, it sat on a natural stone platform.

It was unlike anything Dragek had ever seen on any civilized planet. It reminded him somewhat of a Kordolian structure, but it appeared far more intricate.

It was made of Callidum, shaped like an oval but tapered at the ends, rising up toward the roof of the cave. More like a pod, he supposed, with the ends opening up like petals, revealing just a sliver of light.

Around the base of the structure were a series of interlocking metal circles—at least five in total. He thought they were inscribed with thousands of tiny, glowing glyphs, but from where he was, he couldn’t be so sure.

---