Page 26 of Her Lawless Prince

Fuse punched her ribs. Payton roared and slashed his face. Fuse screamed in pain.

“Stop moving,” Nyle ordered. “I don’t want to hit you.”

“Shoot him!” Rita yelled.

Payton left Fuse bleeding on the cockpit floor. She leaped onto the empty pilot’s seat.

The cockpit was not designed for combat. Bulky chairs created obstacles in the small oval room. Seeing the blaster aimed toward Nyle and Rita wrestling on the floor, she instantly pounced on the man holding it. He panic-shot at Payton. She felt the graze of heat over her shoulder, but she was already in the air. Her body slammed into him, knocking him back. His cry was cut short as his head bounced off the metal edge of the console with an uglythunk.

“Don’t you dare touch my—” Yevgen appeared in the doorway. A grinding noise accompanied his sluggish movements. “Oh. Well done, love.”

Payton turned, ready to devour Rita. Nyle had her restrained. One arm hooked her neck as she tried to kick.

“Stop,” Nyle ordered. Rita kicked harder.

Payton forced the animal to retract into her body. The primal instincts were hard to control, especially when her heart was beating fast from the fight. The smell of blood came from Fuse, and he wasn’t breathing. She had not intended to kill him.

Payton pushed to her feet as fur turned to flesh and asked, “Want some help?”

“Can you please stun her?” Nyle jerked as Rita fought him.

Payton crossed toward Yevgen and grabbed his blaster.

“Release her,” Payton said.

Nyle let the captain go. Payton stunned her the moment Nyle was clear of the blast. Rita dropped to the floor, motionless.

“You’re bleeding.” Nyle moved toward Payton, stumbling around Rita to get to her.

“We need to secure the prisoners,” Payton said. “They probably need a medic.”

“I do not think that will bring the big one back to life.” Yevgen leaned against the doorframe. “They can wait. I require blood.”

She glanced down at Fuse. “I didn’t mean to kill him.”

“He chose his path,” Yevgen dismissed. “I need blood.”

“Your ribs,” Nyle insisted, taking her wrist to lift her arm slowly out of the way. “Let me see.”

Payton stood naked after her shift. She pulled her arm gently down as it hurt to move. “It’s fine.”

Even as she said it, she winced as she glanced down at the red splotch where Fuse had kicked her.

“That’s not fine,” Nyle said. “You need a medical booth.”

“Itwillbe fine.” She ignored the pain. “Let’s secure the prisoners and get this ship on a new course.”

“What were you thinking? Charging in here like that?” Nyle demanded. “You could have been killed.”

Payton frowned and didn’t answer him as she looked around the cockpit. A long console lined with buttons, toggles, and blinking lights demanded attention. The wide viewing screen showed an expanse of stars, barely appearing to move as they dotted the blackness of the high skies. Their constellations meant nothing to her.

“You’re reckless and dangerous,” Nyle fumed, “and being around you is…”

“What?” She turned back to him and put her hands on her hips in defiance. Her glare dared him to go on. “Being around me is what?”

“Just…” He took a deep breath.

Payton cut him off before he had the chance to finish. “We don’t have time for this. Yevgen, chart a course for someplace safe, then see if you can reach Rick Hayes or any of his crew.”

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