Page 71 of Taming Chaos

“Fucking monster, let me out!” Relahek’s muffled screams echoed from behind the closed door. Torin ignored him and lengthened his stride, thinking only of Seph.

Was she hurt?

Was she in danger?

The possibility drove him a little bit insane as he moved faster and faster, leaping over scattered furniture and random objects. He kicked a fallen statue out of the way, cursing Relahek for collecting so many useless pieces of junk.

All the while, tremors rocked the ship, filling him with a sense of dread. Any moment now, another missile could hit, and…

“Seph!” he yelled hoarsely, entering the small lounging chamber where she’d been sleeping.

“Torin?” At the sound of her voice, relief flooded through him. The feeling was so unexpectedly powerful that it almost brought him to his knees. “I’m here.”

The cabin lights were on, bathing the chamber in a soft glow. The sofa had been thrown against the wall. Colorful cushions were scattered across the floor, and they slid down as the ship tilted again.

Torin rushed to Seph’s side. She huddled in the opposite corner, as far away from all the junk as possible, clutching a large square cushion over her head.

She was naked, just as she had been when she slept.

“What’s happening?” She tried to rise to her feet, but minute vibrations alerted Torin to an incoming hit, so he dropped to his knees and protectively curled his body around her.

Boomboomboom! The ship shook again. As they began to slide, Torin unsheathed his claws and stabbed them into the floor, anchoring himself. With his other arm, he held Seph close, tucking her head against his body and shielding her against the violent rocking until the waves died down to a gentle lull.

Then finally, there was calm. The floor and walls became perfectly still; almost too still for his liking.

Something was happening out there, and the trained soldier in him itched to get out and find out what in Kaiin’s Hells was going on.

But he would not leave her.

“What was that?” Seph asked again, a sliver of fear entering her voice. “Did we just pass through an asteroid storm?”

“I don’t think so,” Torin replied softly. He shifted to his knees and brought his hands to her face as she looked up. “Are you hurt?”

“I don’t think so…” She winced as he traced the area below her left eye. The skin there was tinged dark red but not broken.

Bruised.

“You’re hurt,” he growled, wishing he could have been here when the ship started rocking.

“I’m not bleeding, and I’m pretty sure nothing’s broken.” She waved away his concern. “Whatever it is, it’ll heal. Not as quickly as you might, but it will.”

The sight of her in even the smallest amount of pain stirred a disproportionate amount of emotion in him. Really, how would he ever cope if something serious happened to her?

He wouldn’t. That’s why he had to make sure nothing ever happened to her.

Slowly, gently, he helped her to her feet, tucking her wayward hair behind her ear.

“I suppose I should get some clothes on, just in case…”

Their feet left the ground.

“Gravity!” Seph yelped, her face scrunching up in confusion. “We’ve lost gravity!”

Torin wrapped his arms around her. “Let’s get you dressed,” he agreed calmly, snagging her breast-garment—she’d called it a bra—as it floated past. He managed to snatch her pants and her left boot as he contemplated the possibility that they might actually have to go back out there… into the corridors of the Skalreg Va.

“Why is the gravity off?” As they rose up to the ceiling, Seph clutched him more tightly, growing tense.

“It’s either a malfunction, or intentional.”

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