Page 64 of Ruin

“Report,” came a husky, feminine voice.

Lira’s spine automatically snapped straight at the command in that voice. Turning, she zeroed in on the speaker and had to stop her jaw from falling open.

“Captain Muru,” Ruin and Hush both greeted, dipping their heads respectfully.

Copying the gesture, she tried not to stare too blatantly while Ruin briefed the captain on everything that’d happened during the mission. It wasn’t easy. She was a fiercely beautiful Voragon and one of the most striking females Lira had ever seen.

Her lavender scales were a shade darker than her skin and flecked with gold and bronze that caught the light. She was tall at just under six and a half feet, but the pale purple, draconic wings folded neatly at her back made her seem even taller, as did the backward sweeping horns jutting from her forehead.

A long, powerful tail swished idly as she listened to Ruin's report. Large, almond-shaped, mint green eyes narrowed and the scales over her brow furrowed when he got to the part where he’d rescued Lira and killed Vargot.

Those mint eyes focused on her assessingly—surprise, then speculation flickering in their depths at different parts of the story.

Lira felt like she was being dissected under that piercing stare. There wasn’t any cruelty that she could see, which kept it frombeing completely unsettling, but it still took effort to resist sliding just a little farther behind Ruin.

When the guys finished, the captain turned and called out, “Seer.”

A female Rodian twisted in her seat. “Yeah, Cap?”

“Dig out everything you can on an element called veherium, but be quiet about it.”

“On it.”

“Fuckin’ corporations. Always up to somethin’,” the captain growled under her breath. To them, she said, “You two look like shit. Go get fixed up.” She leveled those assessing eyes back on Lira. “Does anyone else know the location of that planet?”

Lira shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Then I hope you plan on staying aboard.”

“I- yes? I want to.” She didn’t realize she’d reached out to Ruin until the captain’s gaze fixated on her hand.

The scales over Muru’s brow lifted. To Ruin, she asked cryptically, “Bound?”

He cleared his throat and nodded. “If all goes well.”

The female’s lips curled ever so slightly. “Well then. In that event, go see Whisper after. He’ll get her on the crew list.”

“My gratitude, Captain.”

Once back in the corridor, Lira released a shaky breath. “She’s beautiful and very intimidating.”

Hush chuckled. “Mmhm. She’s also fuckin’ terrifying when she’s pissed, and scary good with a blade.”

Lira didn’t doubt that one bit.

“She said ‘crew list’. Does that mean I won’t just be a passenger?”

“That’s right. You’ll be a crew member, with a job and a stipend, just like the rest of us.” Ruin drew her closer against him and bent to nuzzle her hair. “I told ya you’d be welcomed.”

Relief and a burgeoning sense of belonging washed through her. She was being accepted here, among Ruin's people. His family. It was more than she'd dared hope for.

“Hurry up, would ya?” Hush prompted from up ahead. “The sooner we get patched up, the sooner we can hit the mess. I'm fuckin' starved.”

Ruin snorted. “You're always starved.”

“Bein' this pretty takes fuel,” Hush quipped back with a grin.

Lira found herself smiling at their banter, the last of her nerves fading away. It felt good here. Right. Like maybe this could be home.

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