Page 43 of Wrath

He looked at me expectantly. If I refused to share what my thoughts of Kevin had been, Wrath wouldn’t insist and respect my wish. That and his apparently honest lack of jealousy prompted me to open up.

“I was just thinking that Kevin always used to strut his stuff around the house, buck naked,” I said with an embarrassed chuckle. “Whenever I came home with someone, I had to call ahead to make sure we wouldn’t walk in on him in his birthday suit. It was all the funnier that he was otherwise a bit of a prude with strangers and couldn’t understand people that went to nudist camps.”

Wrath chuckled as well. “He sounds like us, growing up. We were always naked. Our mentors and caretakers were constantly after us to at least put some pants on,” he said, with a fond expression on his face as he reminisced. “Doom and Rage were the worst. Those two were always a menace. Then again, we spent a lot of time outside, playing rough, and rolling in the mud. We would either soil our clothes or tear them.”

“That was the excuse you gave them not to get dressed?” I asked in disbelief.

“Yes,” Wrath said, shamelessly. “And it wasn’t an excuse. When we get back to Khepri, I will take you to the Dragon City. You can see all the children playing there and what a mess they make of themselves. Once our little brats start running around, you’ll learn.”

My stomach flip-flopped upon hearing those words. I seriously wanted children, and the thoughts of miniature Wraths running around in the mud filled me with an almost painful sense of longing. When my mate’s gaze flicked to my right shoulder, I realized my hand had subconsciously found its way there again, where the bonding bite should have been. I jerked my hand away, heat creeping up my cheeks.

“I want nothing more than to bind you to me,” Wrath said, his voice suddenly dropping an octave. “Your body is ready, but your mind isn’t quite there yet.”

“Because of Kevin?” I whispered.

“No,” Wrath said gently, shaking his head. “Because of me.”

My brows shot up in surprise and confusion.

“Right now, you are attracted to me,” Wrath explained. “But I want you toloveme. When we bond, it will not just be our bodies that will become one, but our souls as well, fully intertwined. Considering how hard it was for me not to bind you last night, I must up my game in wooing you. I need you head over heels in love with me as soon as possible.”

That made me laugh.

“Well then, Mr. Sexy Warrior, just keep up what you’ve been doing, and you might get your wish even sooner than you expect,” I said in a seductive voice. “You are quite literally sweeping me off my feet.”

“As it should be,” he replied with a purr before kissing me.

Breaking the kiss with obvious reluctance, Wrath finished dressing, then we headed to the mess hall for a quick breakfast. Dread and Myriam were already on their way out and offered to go do the final fly over of the base. They returned half an hour later, confirming that everything still looked perfect. Having survived the inferno, the camera of the probe in the stasis room confirmed nothing would ever rise again from there. With joyful hearts, we left Narjin with Linette at the helm.

Aside from the disturbing news we were receiving about numerous other rescue or recovery missions also facing violent incidents involving Coalition troops gone rogue, we expected an uneventful trip back home. That certainly proved true during the first twenty-four hours following our departure. And then, shortly after lunch on the second day, Wrath received an urgent message from Chaos.

My mate immediately called an all-hands meeting in the boardroom. As soon as we settled down, he fired up the 3D holographic projector at the front of the room, displaying an image of a Coalition frigate that I immediately recognized as the Nomad, Marcelle’s vessel. Most of its lights were off, as if it was suffering from some sort of power outage.

“Remember this vessel?” Wrath asked. “Ever since it slipped through our fingers, Chaos has been tracking its movements thanks to Myriam’s tracker. Right after our departure from Narjin, the Nomad changed directions to take what Chaos believes to be an intercept course. Tabitha’s analysis also seems to support that theory. As they wouldn’t have caught up to us for another three days, Chaos had been looking for possible reinforcements. Our vessels had comparable firepower, and he wanted to make sure we would have the upper hand.”

“But they don’t have our combat skills,” Linette said with a haughty expression that made us all laugh.

“Agreed,” Wrath said with an indulgent smile at his Soulcatcher. “But you know Chaos. He always accounts for every possibility, which has often saved our collective asses.”

“Fair enough,” Linette conceded with a teasing smile. “So, what’s his plan?”

“Actually, the situation has changed,” Wrath said, frowning. “This is the current state of their vessel, as reported by our scout drones in the sector. The Nomad has dropped out of warp in the middle of nowhere, and then most of its power appears to have shut down. Over the past three hours, the vessel has been drifting in space. Thirty-minutes ago, it sent out a distress signal.”

“What?!” Dread exclaimed, echoing our collective thoughts.

“Assuming there are no other rogue Coalition vessels in the vicinity, we are the closest ship able to respond,” Wrath continued. “Wewantto be the first one there.”

“Indeed,” Varnog said, a troubled expression settling on his exotic face. “How do we know it’s not a trap?”

I recoiled at that comment. But Wrath didn’t seem surprised in the least, having visibly already considered that possibility.

“Go on,” Wrath said.

“We emptied their vessel of anything they had stolen in the base,” Varnog explained. “We found nothing else on board that could cause enough mayhem as to set them adrift. That is, unless they picked up something questionable over the past three or four days. But they know we transferred all their loot to our vessel. It seems mighty convenient that they set on an intercept course the day of our departure and are now asking for help. It sounds to me like they are luring us to them so that they can take back what we confiscated from them.”

“Agreed,” Wrath said. “That was also Tabitha’s theory. She would be proud of her pupil,” he added with an approving look at Varnog.

“She better be, considering the ridiculous amount of homework she constantly gives me,” Varnog mumbled with a false annoyance that failed to hide his pride at the compliment.

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