Page 148 of Stars in Umbra
She undressed, eyes locked with him, her entire body pulsing with need.
His touch was almost hesitant, as if she might vanish under his fingers.
She answered him with a feverish intensity, her mouth taking his in a kiss of pure need.
Mo’s hands were reverent, his lips a study in want, his whispers a mix of Sacran plus the murmurs and groans of a man undone.
He pressed against her, a solid, anchoring weight in the intimate space.
They made love beneath the shadowed curve of the hull, every caress worshipful, each breath a silent vow.
The cloaked gunship hovered in the stillness of a sleeping sky.
While below, the lights surrounding Thrall Estate glimmered, its residents unaware that a reckoning had already begun.
25
Down And Dirty Work
RINA
Rina stood on the upper deck of the Corvette as morning light bled through the high mountain mist.
She and Mo had been awake for hours, finalizing their infiltration plan.
Mirage, seated at the central console, had her hands deep in the estate’s network, her fingers flicking across the holographic surface like a virtuoso at her keys.
‘I’ve created your credentials, photos, and a ten-year career path,’ Mirage said, her tone as casual as if she were ordering tea. ‘Your pseudo alias is Sidoni Malvern. You’re an Impressionist artist who has exhibited in Vellana, Sirocco, and the New Rambasa Gallery of Art. His office reached out to you to scout you for a permanent piece in Thrall’s private collection.’
Rina raised a brow. ‘They did, am I that talented?’
‘You’re brilliant, enigmatic, and expensive. So am I, because I was the one who hacked their AI and implanted your name into their scouting list.’
‘You’re scary. Glad you’re on our side.’
‘Hellfokkinyeah.’
As Mirage spoke, a mannequin rotated in the center of the deck, draped in a sleek black gown with glimmers of silver like frost under moonlight.
Embedded into the seams were nanite circuits and camouflaged micro-lens clusters, as well as multiple hidden cameras in folds, beads, and the delicate embroidery of the neckline.
‘It’ll relay full-spectrum feeds back to us,’ Mirage said. ‘I’ve tied it to your neural link. All internal recordings will be routed through my glimmer channel and scrubbed before they reach your cortical buffer. No trace.’
By evening, the Corvette was quiet as final preparations kicked into gear.
In the captain’s quarters, Rina stood in front of the wall mirror, adjusting her earrings as the last touches settled into place.
Her hair was swept up in an elegant twist, her eyes smoky, and her lips the color of aged merlot.
She caught the tread of approaching feet and turned to face Mo.
He slowed, his lips turning up, eyes tracking every inch of her. ‘Fokk.’
She smirked. ‘That good?’
He walked to her slowly, hands sliding around her midriff and clasping her close. ‘You’re lethal.’
He kissed her long and hard, his mouth lingering with heated passion.
