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  “Aren’t they supposed to be afraid of us?” She grasped desperately for those lessons she’d learned about animals as a child, but she’d always been far more interested in mechanics and paid as little attention to life sciences as she could.

  “It’s your planet,” Dryce shot back. “Shouldn’t you be the one telling me?”

  Now was not the time to argue, not with wolves surrounding them and ready to attack at any moment. “Shoot your blaster towards one of them,” Peyton suggested. “That could scare them off.” Loud noises, bright sounds, no animas were going to like that.

  “Or they might attack. I would have shot them already if I thought I could get them before they got us.” Dryce didn’t sound panicked, which helped a little. Only a little. A pack of wolves were nearly close enough to touch and they didn’t have much hope of making it to their vehicle before an attack.

  “Do you have another suggestion?” she asked tightly. She and Dryce were barely moving now and one of the wolves had stepped out of the cover of the trees, ready to pounce as soon as they started running.

  Dryce placed his hand on her arm. “If this doesn’t work, I’ll hold them off. You need to make it to the helicopter.”

  Hold them off? One man against a pack of wolves? Peyton was excellent at math, and she knew how that equation balanced out. “We go together,” she insisted. “I’m not leaving you to die.”

  His fingers tightened. “You need to make it. The mission can continue without me. We start from the beginning without you, and we’re running out of time.”

  She stared at Dryce as if she was seeing him for the first time. Gone was any hint of the playful playboy who seemed to be made of nothing but slick lines and nonsense. Here she stood next to a warrior and she prayed she didn’t have to leave him behind. The man beside her just might be worth knowing, if she ever had the opportunity.

  Dryce pulled away from her and levelled his blaster at one of the trees. He shot for a branch and for a moment nothing happened. Then a flash of red burst out and the branch snapped, crashing to the ground near one of the wolves. It yelped and bounded off and in quick order the rest of the pack followed.

  And suddenly the woods around them were just forest again, no longer filled with dangerous animals ready to attack at the first instance of weakness.

  Peyton wanted to sag to the ground in relief as exhaustion washed over her, but they kept trudging forward. And less than half an hour later they made it to their helicopter which was sitting where they’d left it as if nothing had happened.

  Peyton kept glancing over at Dryce as they disengaged the passive cloaking and did a final investigation to make sure that nothing had tampered with their ride. He must have been satisfied, since he waved her forward to stash her bag in its proper compartment, his face as serious as it had been while staring down the wolves.

  He’d been willing to die for her.

  It was enough to make her stumble in her tracks. No one had ever sacrificed for her before, not even her parents. But this warrior who she’d insulted, who she’d thought was nothing more than a pretty face and an empty smile, had been willing to lay down his life to make sure that she could continue their mission. To make sure she remained safe.

  If she brought it up, she knew that he’d say he would have done it for anyone, and that made her respect him even more. It showed her that he truly was the warrior he claimed to be, a piece of a greater whole that was going to save this planet.

  The crush she’d been doing her best to ignore unfurled within her, emotions expanding until she feared that she couldn’t keep what she was feeling off her face. She didn’t know if she wanted to. They were in the middle of the forest, far away from home, and in the middle of a mission where they couldn’t afford to get distracted.

  But the intensity on Dryce’s face when he caught her gaze did her in. She took two steps and closed the distance between them, tilting her chin up until she met his eyes. His startlingly red eyes. His nostrils flared and then they moved.

  Her arms went around him as his hands cradled her hips and their lips crashed together in a kiss strong enough to topple every single restraint she’d been trying to put in place. His tongue darted against her lips and Peyton opened for him, longing for the taste she’d been dreaming about for longer than she’d cared to admit.

  She was in trouble, and there was no place she’d rather be.

  IT WAS A BATTLE TO keep from touching her lips as they got back in the helicopter and flew away. Peyton had to keep her eyes trained ahead of her, otherwise she was going to stare at Dryce with far too much feeling. Was she fucking crazy? She was in the middle of a massive message flirtation with another guy and just went ahead and kissed the biggest player in the Detyen Legion.

  And he’d kissed her back like the world was ending.

  She could still feel the imprint of his hands on her and she wanted more. Wanted it now. Wanted him. That wasn’t going to work. It couldn’t.

  But when she tried to open her mouth to explain the kiss away, to tell him that it was a mistake and it wouldn’t be happening again, nothing came out.

  In her head she could list the reasons it was a one off: they’d just survived almost being attacked by wolves, Dryce was the only other person there, he was too hot to be legal. And they weren’t going to be attacked by wolves again, so the other two things didn’t matter.

  Her hands gripped the edge of her seat as Dryce engaged the engines and they lifted off. The one good thing about her raging panic was that it was too strong to be overwhelmed by her fear of flight. For the first time in her life, she almost enjoyed the view as they climbed higher and higher and she saw the forest stretch out like a sea of green all around them.

  Yeah, she could understand why some people would love this. But she could also imagine what would happen if the engine failed and they plummeted all of those meters to the hard ground below.

  Oh. There was the terror she’d thought that she’d avoided.

  “Breathe,” Dryce cautioned, taking his own deep breaths as if to show her how it was done. It was the first thing he’d said to her since they’d pulled apart and she didn’t know if she was grateful for his silence or resentful.

  Had the kiss been so commonplace that he didn’t think they needed to say anything about it? Or was his mind just as mixed up as hers was? She wanted to ask. She didn’t want to know.

  Peyton sucked in a breath so deep it made her lungs hurt.

  “And let it out,” Dryce reminded her.

  She didn’t want to, but her body protested and her eyes watered, and she slowly deflated as her lungs emptied. “I don’t like flying,” she reminded him, as if she could make him believe that was the only reason she was having a problem right now.

  “I’ll make this as quick and safe as possible,” Dryce promised.

  It shouldn’t have done anything to calm her. Why should she trust him when he said that? But he’d included safety, not just said that he was an experienced pilot. No, he would be as safe as he could while taking them to their next destination.

  “I know.” It came out as barely more than a whisper, but the promise settled Peyton’s nerves as they flew onto the spot that had been designated as a safe place to camp for the night, out of the range of any of the coordinates that they were exploring.

  The sun was starting to set as Dryce set them down and Peyton’s stomach rumbled, reminding her just how long it had been since she’d last eaten.

  “Our meal packs aren’t exactly gourmet, but they’ll settle your hunger,” Dryce promised as he powered down the helicopter and pressed several controls that must have done something important.

  “They can’t be as bad as the shit I ate in grad school,” Peyton muttered loud enough for Dryce to laugh.

  “Don’t be so sure,” he said. “I’m almost certain these were devised by the soul—” he cleared his throat and looked away, his brow furrowed as he examined one of the controls.

  “Is something wr
ong?” she asked. As far as flights went, the one they’d just endured was... not terrible. Peyton didn’t want to contemplate their ride suddenly breaking down. She could fix it, of course, but her confidence in her mechanical abilities would definitely be put to the test. Ask her to disarm a bomb possibly capable of blowing up the planet? No problem. But fixing a helicopter she’d later need to fly in? No, thank you.

  Dryce shook his head a little, as if he was trying to clear his thoughts. “No, no problems. We should get our tent set up before it gets dark. The warming block we’ve got stowed will heat up the food, which makes it slightly more palatable. And there’s plenty of water.”

  That all sounded okay, until her brain wrapped itself around one point. “Wait. Tent? Singular?” She was supposed to lay beside Dryce all night in an enclosed space, surrounded by his body and his all too seductive scent? And somehow remain sane? Maybe it would be smarter to brave the elements.

  “Yes.” He seemed puzzled by her question. “Why would we need more than one for two people?”

  “Because—” She bit her lip to keep from saying any more. Anything that came out of her mouth would be telling him far too much, and she didn’t want his head to get any bigger.

  But Dryce’s expression shuttered and he didn’t exactly frown, but he seemed hurt. “I would never do anything to you without your consent. If that is what you’re worried about, I can sleep outside.”

  “I never said you would! I don’t think that!” She wanted to reach across and grab onto him, to assure him that she didn’t think he was the kind of guy who didn’t take no for an answer. But she couldn’t quite bring herself to admit that saying no was the problem. Because if he asked, she wasn’t sure she had the strength to deny him.

  Not after that kiss. Not after he’d said he would give his life for hers.

  Dryce looked at her for several beats, still clearly pained, but he said nothing. Eventually he opened the door and unbuckled his restraints. “I’ll begin to set up.” And before she could respond, he left her there alone, more confused than ever.

  Chapter Ten

  Dryce had to get his temper under control. Discovering that he had a temper was a wonder unto itself. He’d never been one to lose control of his emotions, to let other’s words anger him. But at the suggestion that he might do something harmful to his mate he wanted to protest and find a way to make her understand that she was with him, that no harm would ever come to her.

  Of course, he quickly realized that forcing her to do anything was no good way prove that he meant her no harm. But the idea that he would force himself on her? That he would ignore her and take her without consent like some ravening beast or monster? If she thought him capable of that, perhaps there really was no hope for them.

  He’d been so hopeful earlier, in those moments after her kiss. He’d never expected her to make a move, especially not so early in the mission, but if he closed his eyes he could still taste her against his skin, could still feel the press of her lips against his. He’d kissed and been kissed more times than he could count, but those few seconds with Peyton gave him more pleasure, more enjoyment, than the most sensual nights he’d ever had before. He could barely remember why he’d wanted others so badly when he sat next to her, those attractions mere embers to the blazing inferno that was his feelings for her.

  He took a moment before reaching for their supplies, counting slowly and breathing carefully. By the time he was unfolding the tent he could think a little more clearly, and when Peyton joined him a few minutes later, it only hurt a little to think of what she’d suggested. Even if she’d immediately denied that was what she meant, he wasn’t sure he could believe that. He knew what she thought of him. Why would she assume anything else?

  They worked in silence and it only took a few minutes to anchor the tent and get their sleeping rolls set up inside. Outside Peyton set up the warming block and pulled out two meals, leaving them to heat on the softly glowing brick. It would keep them warm and provide a little light, but wasn’t nearly as obvious as a fire, so they were in little danger of detection from any hostile forces. Dryce doubted they had much to worry about in this stretch of forest, but procedures were procedures.

  When Dryce sat down he was sure to keep a little distance between himself and Peyton, making sure she understood that he would come no closer without an invitation. They couldn’t avoid sleeping in the same quarters, but he would do his best to make her comfortable.

  “For god’s sake,” Peyton said after several minutes of strained silence while they ate, “I said I was sorry. Stop fucking sulking. It was stupid, I told you that. And of the two of us, we clearly know which one is more likely to throw herself at the other.”

  Was he sulking? That seemed a little extreme. But Dryce didn’t usually deal with rejection. When he singled out a partner, they were happy to spend the night with him, happy to embark on all the pleasures he wanted to share. Then again, he’d also encountered people who waved him off with a smile or a shake of their heads. And he’d never before done anything but shrug off the rejection.

  But a rejection from Peyton was unthinkable. She was the one person in the entire universe meant for him. He’d traveled thousands of light years and only found her by some miracle. And yet she didn’t know what she meant to him and he knew that if he told her now, she’d only run away. But sulking was not something a warrior should do, and Dryce would not stand for it any longer.

  He summoned his best grin and leaned in until their shoulders almost brushed, the heat caught between them a living thing. “There’s no need to throw yourself,” he said. “But if you do, I’ll be here to catch you.”

  Peyton dragged in a ragged breath and suddenly the air around them teemed with the promise of something more. Dryce realized that he’d been doing this all wrong. Giving his denya space was not the way to make her want him. No, she was strong and her mind as bright as a star. She needed to be challenged, needed to know she was wanted and given all of the evidence a scientist could wish for to prove it was true.

  Dryce dropped his hand down and dragged the outer edge of his knuckle over her forearm and watched as she shivered. And she didn’t pull away. “You’ll always be safe with me,” he promised. “And I’m right here. Any way you want me.”

  That seemed to break her out of her spell and she pulled away. “For now,” she muttered.

  No, they were done with that. Dryce opened his hand and placed it on her wrist, her pulse fluttering under his fingers. He didn’t grasp hard enough to hold her in place, but she didn’t yank out of his hold. “You are the only person I see, Peyton. I’m not looking for any other.”

  “So you’re saying that your reputation is all talk?” The thread of hope in her voice could have driven him to his knees.

  “I won’t lie about my past,” even if he now regretted parts of it. Not because it hadn’t been fun, but because it made his denya doubt that he could want her and only her. “But it doesn’t matter now.”

  “Why not?” Still she didn’t pull her hand away, but tension thrummed under her skin, her muscles clenched tight enough to hurt.

  Dryce froze, indecision stealing his voice. If she could not feel the bond between them, he didn’t know how to make her believe in it. And if she turned from him now, he could compromise their entire mission by disrupting the fragile accord they’d managed to come to.

  Peyton took his silence for something else and finally pulled her hand away. “I’m not looking for a hookup,” she said, putting nearly a meter of distance between them. “So let’s just pretend that we never kissed and this conversation never happened. Okay?”

  She raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to agree. She would be waiting for a long time. Dryce’s timing was terrible, but there was nothing about his mate he was willing to forget. Not ever.

  THE TENT WAS SUFFOCATINGLY hot despite the chill in the night outside. Peyton didn’t sleep well, but she’d be lying if she tried to blame it on the heat. No, it all had
to do with the hulking, way too sexy, hunk of alien muscle lying just out of reach of her fingertips. Not that she’d actually tried to reach out and touch him. That would make her the queen of mixed signals, feeling him up in the middle of the night after making it clear that nothing was going to happen between them.

  God, she’d wanted so badly to believe him when he started spouting that bullshit about not looking at anyone but her. And then in his next breath he’d proved it was all a lie, and a line, something he was feeding her to make her let down her guard so she could be just another one of his conquests.

  There were so many other Detyen warriors who could have joined up with her on his mission. Why had she been stuck with the one who made her burn?

  Morning was a quiet affair, and Peyton was just happy to escape the cloying heat of the tent. It was difficult to believe that just a bit of fabric and two bodies could create a sauna like that, and she didn’t look forward to the coming night. If anything, sleeping in tent had given her more motivation to get through this mission as quickly as she could. Once they were done she’d return to her own bed and never need to look at Dryce again.

  She tried to tell herself that the pang in her chest at that thought was a happy feeling, but a yawning chasm of hollowness didn’t really feel that way.

  Maybe things wouldn’t have seemed so dire if she could message DF, but even the thought of him wasn’t enough to raise her spirits. And when she tried to imagine who he might be, a disturbingly desirable image began to form of a towering alien with bluish green skin and a killer smile.

  “Any updates?” She forced her mind back on the job, plowing through a simple breakfast before packing up her share of the camp and storing it back on the helicopter.

  “No,” Dryce replied. “We’re to proceed to the second location and use our discretion.”

  And after a week of meetings with the SDA and the Detyen Legion she understood exactly what that meant. If there were hostiles waiting, they were simply doing recon. If not, they’d do just what they’d done the day before and look for a bomb for her to defuse.