Page 49 of Ruin

An adoring, lopsided grin spread across his face.

Coming up to stand beside him, Hush quipped, “If you don’t ask her to be your life partner, I’m gonna.”

When Ruin cut him a warning look, the expression on the male’s face wasn’t flippant. It was admiring.

“I’m gonna miss you after I kill you,” he growled.

Hush chuckled and stepped forward over the Vor’s dead body. He glanced back over his shoulder with a taunting smile, seemingly unconcerned despite the deadly seriousness with which Ruin had delivered the threat.

“You oughta be thanking the luck moon I’m a good friend, or I’d just woo her without warnin’ you.”

Well, fuck. Now, he really was gonna have to go kill his best friend.

Chapter 16

Ruin shifted, trying to find a position that was even vaguely comfortable. The maintenance passage running under this section of level eighteen’s docking bay was, thankfully, big enough to fit him and Lira. But staring upwards for hours on end was shit.

“It looks so… normal, up there,” she whispered.

He hummed in agreement, tracking aNa’vahguiding a cargo hover over their heads.

The plasiform floor appeared opaque to the beings above, but from below, it was semi-transparent, providing an excellent vantage point to watch the buzz of activity. Some were dock workers, designated by their matching attire. Others were visitors arriving or departing. All were oblivious to the eyes watching them from below.

For all that Skeldra was used as a haven for the criminal and corrupt, for the most part, it was run as smoothly as just about any other spaceport he’d been on. Of course, he didn’t imagine Vargot would’ve let Lira visit the more civilized areas.

Glancing down at her, he caught the ends of her pale, silky hair, letting the strands glide between his fingertips. “You hungry, little bird?”

Her breath hitched as she leaned into his touch, but she shook her head. “Not right now.”

He made a mental reminder to ask again in a bit. Gaius was scheduled to arrive in just a few short hours, and he wanted to make sure she’d eaten something before then.

Thanks to Hush, who’d hacked into the port’s systems, they knew which bay Gaius’s ship had been assigned to dock in. The Drifter was up there now, along with Lira’s bot, disguised as a maintenance worker, so he could plant small but powerful explosives around that bay while Ruin and Lira acted as lookouts.

On threat of breaking off one of his horns, Ruin had gotten Hush to promise the bombs were only to be used as a last resort.

Ever since that shit show onB’voc VIIa couple years back,Ruin had a real healthy respect for how tenuous life was this close to anatmo-bubble.

Capable of allowing ships to pass through without losing the slightest bit of breathable air, the atmospheric shields were stable and trustworthy… right up until they weren’t.

His neck cracked as he rolled it for what felt like the hundredth time. The sound echoed in the cramped maintenance passage, making him wince. He was getting too old for this shit. Or maybe just too big.

If he was being fair, he knew the crick in his neck wasn't from watching the comings and goings above. It was from sleeping in very cramped confines.

After quickly packing the supplies they needed last night, they’d hightailed it to his secondary hideout. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to fit three beings and a bot. To say they’d been uncomfortable was an understatement.

He’d spent the night sitting up with Lira curled in his lap and Hush's elbow jabbing into his ribs.

The lack of privacy was something he’d long since gotten used to when on mission, but it’d seemed to needle his little bird. She’d been restless and fidgety. He thought killing that merc was bothering her, but when he asked, she’d assured him that wasn’t it. He believed her, but then she wouldn’t tell him whatwasbothering her.

She'd even slept fitfully, twitching and letting out these soft little moans, which meant he also slept like shit. And with a hard cock.

Drawn from his thoughts by the weight of her gaze, he glanced down only for her to quickly return her attention back to watching the port above. A few minutes later, he felt it again. And again. Each time he glanced at her, she quickly looked back up at the semi-transparent floor, suddenly fascinated by the feet shuffling past.

Finally, on the sixth go-round, she didn’t look away.

His ears immediately flushed, though damned if he could say why.

Peering at her a little warily, he cleared his throat. “What?”

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