Page 24 of Forbidden Desires

The lift opened andDelsa, the second in command, walked out. “Commander, they plan to wipe us from the face of the galaxy. I’ve been monitoring their internal communications.”

The weapon they fired hit them, knocking Delsa off her feet. Anyone not being held down was tossed across the room. Amelia was stable and so was Zylar. She felt when his emotions changed. Sadness went through him like a whip cutting flesh. Behind it was the resolve that some species couldn’t take a hint.

Shields down to fifty percent. One more hit like that and we’ll be defenseless.” Was it another voice or the same one speaking? Amelia didn’t know all her concentration was on Zylar. His long, nimble fingers played across the keyboard like it was an instrument.

“They are charging weapons.” Zylar never flinched or turned away from what he was doing. Amelia had to give him credit for being single-minded. When they discharged their weapon, Zylar touched a button and a weapon from the ship met it blowing it up between the two vessels.

“Let the records show that I gave them a chance for peace.” Zylar’s fingers played over the board in front of him, and then several weapons left the ship detonating on impact.

“Their shields are down.”

Zylar hit another series of buttons, and the ship in front of them was blown to smithereens. He picked Amelia up, holding her closer.

“Commander,” Zylar said before they left the bridge.

The emotions from the bridge crew bombarded her before the doors to the lift closed. His crew respected him, adored him, and wanted to be like him someday. Some loved him and she knew it was brotherly love and most were grateful they were on his ship.

She hit him on the chest. “When you said this was your ship, you meant it was your ship!” Her voice was a little loud. He’d have to forgive her, and she’d call it shock. Commander Gylor commanded the ship because most times Zylar couldn’t be bothered with it, but in situations like the one they just left, he was always there making decisions in the background.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She could hear the sadness in her voice. Just one more person who lied to her.

“Listen to me. I knew you were my mate, but I didn’t know who you were.”

She wanted to call BS but stopped to think. It helped that she could feel his emotions. Feeling them allowed her in to his pain and that hurt. It made her feel something other than human, not a monster, but how would the scientists look at her if they knew? She’d become a medical experiment for the greater good, of course.

“Females have wanted you because they thought you were rich since you owned a ship. They also thought you were handsome, so they were getting the best of both worlds, a rich and handsome male.”

“Only you.” He laughed. They were greedy sycophants who wanted what they thought they deserved and were willing to walk over me or any other male to get what they wanted.”

She took her time to dissect his words and the emotions flowing over her. She realized that his ‘only you’ comment meant that only she could see the good in life after having lived the bad. The rest was what he believed was going on and she gave him a nod. He was probably right, it seemed women were women no matter what world they came from. Some wanted nothing but fortune and fame while others wanted love and a home and there were always those that straddled the fence.

“I don’t care about your name, fame, or fortune.”

“Then it’s a good thing that it’s now your name. Fame, and fortune. The empath that brought the healer to his knees.”

“Did I bring you to your knees?” She was flirting with him, but part of her knew that there was a battle coming and she didn’t expect to live through it.

The male who used her turned her into a missel that he directed at her family was still out there and he wouldn’t rest until she was dead. Her time with Zylar felt like it was ticking away, and she didn’t want to miss one second with him. Was she in love? No, not yet. She was in deep like and lust. If he proved to be the male he presented himself to be, she could fall for him, but why? Sooner than she liked, she’d be dead, and she didn’t want him grieving too long for her.

She wanted him to grieve some. Just not long. Life moved forward, and she wanted him to move with it.

“That look on your face tells me I won’t be happy with whatever you’re thinking.”

“I didn’t know healers had crystal balls.”

“You say some of the strangest things.” She laughed because being here in the Guardian had given her the time away from hercousins and Earth to start feeling whole again. Zylar was a large part of it.

She didn’t want to lose him, but if she did, then she wanted every memory she could take with her.

Amelia reached out, pulling him down for her to press her mouth against his lips.

“Amelia?”

“I know this is the eye of the storm, but I want to take advantage of it. Before I’m fighting for my life and yours, I want to make some good memories with you.”

The door to their lift opened, and he carried her to their cabin. She was all in from this moment forward. What did she have to lose? Zylar. That’s what she was going to lose. The pain hit her in the center of her chest, and she cried out.

His hand was there, rubbing where hers had been clenching.

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