Page 48 of Shattered Silence

“Enki, we’ve got company,” Layla yelped, ducking her head behind the protective walls. A torrent of plasma surged through the opening, hitting the opposite side of the cabin. Enki lunged, pushing Layla to the floor as a wave of blistering heat washed over them.

He turned his body into a shield, covering her face with his hands. “Sylth, close doors,” he commanded, and he immediately heard the doors snap shut.

To his relief, the heat dissipated.

“Layla,” he whispered, bringing his hands down to caress her cheeks. Her eyes were squeezed tight, but they flew open at the sound of his voice. “It is all right. You are safe now. Plasma can’t penetrate the walls.”

She blinked furiously, coughed, and shook her head. The dazed look melted from her features, replaced with an expression Enki had never seen directed at him before.

Not fear.

Not hatred.

Concern.

Layla wrinkled her nose, sniffing the air. “Me, I’ve just got a few singed ends. Nothing like the smell of fried hair,” she made a face. “But goddamn, Enki. How much of that blue fire can your body take?”

“Enough,” he grunted, allowing the helm to melt away from his face so he could look directly into her eyes.

Layla didn’t flinch, nor did she regard him as if he were some sort of abomination, even though she knew nothing about his unique… capabilities. “I promise not to ask until we’re out of danger, but at some point, you’re going to explain all this, right?”

As Enki stared at her face, he felt the storm of the Universe swirl around them. Outside, soldiers wielding plasma guns approached, and somewhere in Enki’s mind, the Tharian flailed and battered at his defenses, trying to find an opening.

It occurred to him that the Tharian always seemed to break through when he was angry.

And now he was…

Watching Layla. Feeling her lithe, slender body beneath him. Listening to the rasp of her breathing.

Impossibly, a smile grew across her pink lips, revealing a cheeky flash of her slightly-apart teeth. “I like the audacity of your plan.”

Enki frowned and inclined his head, wondering how she could be so flippant when she’d just narrowly missed getting toasted by plasma fire.

“Using the enemy’s ship as your escape vessel?” She smirked. “You clearly have no respect for the big bad Kordolian military.”

“There are worse beings in the Universe,” Enki murmured, knowing he should be paying attention to his surroundings, but wanting to indulge in her presence just a moment longer.

“Clearly,” Layla replied dryly.

Enki almost smiled, even though he’d forgotten how.

Chaos was all around them, but when he looked at her, he felt calm, and the passenger in his mind went silent.

The dull boom of a plasma blast shook the hull, jolting Enki back into reality.

You need to move.

He got to his feet, extending a hand to Layla. She didn’t hesitate as he pulled her up and led her toward the navigation pod. He gestured toward the curved Qualum seat next to his. “Sit. We are leaving.”

For a moment, Layla just stared at the seat, her expression serene despite the noise from outside. “That thing that looks like an ergonomic pile of black spaghetti in the vague shape of a chair? Sure. What could possibly go wrong?” She let out a laugh that was half relief and half nervousness as she collapsed into the passenger chair. “After today, nothing can surprise me anymore. Not even you.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Layla’s dark brows drew together as she shot Enki a look that was filled with unexpected… heat. “Well, when you put it like that…”

“I do.” Enki surprised even himself with his forwardness. The words had come naturally, without a second thought. For the first time in longer than he could remember, he felt… hopeful. “I have never wanted to get to know a human before.”

“I’m honestly flattered.” A hint of pink suffused her delicate cheeks. Enki didn’t understand what that sign meant—he’d never been interested in human physiology up until now—but her racing pulse and dilated pupils told him she was receptive. “Surprise me, Enki. Give me something good. I don’t even know where you’re taking me, but it has to be better than this fucking nightmare.”

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