Page 42 of Guardian's Soul

Hannah shook her head. "If we're going to die, I want to be here. With you."

Her words hit me like a plasma bolt. I turned to her, momentarily stunned. "Hannah, I…"

She shook her head again stubbornly. Her eyes conveyed allkinds of messages, words she couldn't put together just yet that should be reserved for a more tender moment between us.

Words I fully understood because the same emotions were running through me. There was so much I wanted to tell her but not now, not like this.

"By the Black Abyss, we're not going to die," I promised, meaning it. I was a Space Guardian. I knew how we thought and planned, and I would put a stop to this evasiveness right now. So far, I had played nice because I didn't want to kill the innocent, and these Space Guardians were innocent. They, just like me, had no idea what the Ohrurs were up to, and I hated the idea of having to kill them, but if it came down to them or Hannah, the choice was simple.

I cursed again as the computer plotted our course for what felt like an eternity before I turned the ship to full attack mode. A vessel came up on my viewscreen, and I fired at it, exploding it into a myriad of little pieces. Frygg, that ship should have had its shield up like mine. My gut sank at the thought that I had just killed a Space Guardian.

There was no time for dwelling on it. Another hostile tried to get above us, and I turned the ship into a nosedive before pulling it up and firing another round of plasma into another. This one had his shield up because it didn't explode like the first one did. I wondered if those unknown males were like those I had encountered in Possedion's mansion. Young, not fully trained. That would explain why the first ship blew up like that. The pilot had been too inexperienced to turn his forceshield on.

My anger at Possedion grew. What were the Ohrurs up to? What was all this?

"Route calculation finished," the computer finally announced.

"Take us out," I commanded. A small jerk moved through the ship, and the star-sprinkled void of blackness turned entirely black as we were going so fast. My eyes weren't able to keep upwith speed any longer, creating the illusion of us flying through complete blackness. I lowered the screens so that the dizzying sight was now covered by a myriad of screens announcing the ship's status in every minute detail.

I let out a deep breath. "We made it," I said, allowing myself a moment of relief. "The Ohrurs won't be able to track us now."

Turning to Hannah, I saw her gripping the nearby console, her knuckles white. "That was… intense," she managed, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and exhilaration.

I nodded, feeling a surge of affection. "You did well. Not everyone handles their first combat so gracefully."

She let out a deprecative snort. "I'm not sure if nearly pissing my pants qualifies asgracefully."

I stepped over to her and took her lovely face between my palms, wincing at the darkening bruise on her cheek. "Trust me, you did really well."

A small smile slipped over her lips. "Really?"

I nodded for emphasis. "Yeah, really." And then I kissed her.

HANNAH

The kiss heatedall the emotions I had kept suppressed until then. My fear for him, for me, the adrenaline rush of the mission, the fight with Possedion, and the near-death experience during the wild race through space. I clung to Thrax with all I had, needing the reassurance that he was alive and unhurt. In my mind's eye, I saw him again stalking those Space Guardians back at the mansion. Jeez, could that man be any sexier? He had looked like a predator about to sneak up on his prey. No, scratch that. That's exactly what he had been: a predator.

Mypredator.

Heat flooded my pussy at that thought.

Effortlessly, Thrax picked me up and carried me to our quarters. There, he put me on my feet and began undressing me.

"I've been dreaming about doing this," he mumbled, pulling my pants down.

He went down on his knees, and I lifted first one leg, then the other, to help him take my pants and panties off. Then, ever so slowly, he rose, gently stroking my legs in the process. My skin pebbled under his touch, and my breath hitchedwhen his fingers brushed against the sensitive skin of my thighs.

"Your legs are mesmerizing," he said before alternatingly trailing kisses up both legs.

He grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head, followed by my bra.

"So beautiful," he rasped.

And I felt it, too. At that moment, I felt beautiful. I was a personal trainer. I assessed other people's bodies and thought I had always been able to objectively see mine, but in hindsight, I realized I had focused too much on my imperfections. The little jiggle by my thighs, instead of the sexy curve to it. My abdomen was flat but pretty void of muscles. No matter how hard I tried, I didn't seem to gain any there. Now I liked that it was softer compared to his rock-hard body.

His black eyes smoldered in the light as he took me in from head to toe. I wasn't even a little embarrassed to stand there stark naked in front of him.

He raised his hands, and his fingers traced the outline of my breasts as if I were a marble statue.

---