Page 52

“Boyfriend?” I raise an eyebrow, even though she can’t see it. “Is that what I am now?”

She pauses, glancing over her shoulder with that wicked smile of hers. “What do you want me to call you? Future husband? Alien overlord? Mr. ‘You’re Not in Charge’?”

I can’t help the smirk that pulls at my lips. “Keep talking like that, and you’re not getting a ring.”

The door shudders again, and I refocus, my muscles straining. “Olivia?—”

“Done!” she shouts, triumph in her voice. “Engines overloading in three... two...”

“Run!” I bark, shoving off the door and grabbing her hand.

We bolt for the nearest exit, the sound of the door groaning open behind us as the Grolgath break through. The ship lurches as the engines begin to destabilize, and I pull Olivia closer, shielding her body with mine as we race against the clock.

“You know,” she pants, her breath hot against my chest, “for a guy who hates banter, you sure do a lot of it.”

“Blame you for that,” I mutter, but there’s no real venom in it.

Because, damn it, she’s right.

"Know what tomorrow is?" I ask, watching her fingers dance across the alien control panel.

"Kind of busy at the moment." Olivia's brow furrows as she concentrates on overloading the engines. "Unless you want this whole ship to explode with us still on it?"

"It's our wedding anniversary."

She pauses for a split second, those green eyes flickering to mine. "Our twentieth?"

"Our thirtieth." I can't help but grin, admiring the way her suit hugs her curves. "You look damn sexy for a fifty year old."

"I stopped counting at twenty nine." Her fingers tap out the final sequence. "All set here! We have five minutes until the engines blow."

"Time to go then." I grab her hand, my palm tingling at the contact even through our protective gear. We sprint down the corridor toward the hangar bay, our boots echoing against the metal floor.

We round the corner at full speed and screech to a halt. A Grolgath patrol blocks our path, their weapons trained on us with obvious delight. Their reptilian faces twist into grotesque smiles, scales gleaming under the harsh ship lighting.

A blur of red and black scales streaks past me, moving with lethal grace. My son Var tears through the Grolgath patrol like they're made of paper. His fighting style mirrors my own - precise, economical, deadly. Pride swells in my chest as I watch him dispatch the last enemy with a spinning kick that would make any Vakutan warrior proud.

"Mom, Dad, did you see?" Var's grin stretches wide across his face, those green eyes - so like his mother's - sparkling with excitement.

"We saw, son." I clasp his shoulder. "Now let's get to the shuttle before this ship goes boom."

We sprint through the corridors as a family, our footsteps perfectly in sync. The hangar bay doors slide open at our approach, revealing my ship waiting exactly where I left it. The sleek vessel practically hums with anticipation.

The ship's engines roar to life under my touch. Olivia slides into the co-pilot seat while Var straps himself in behind us. We blast out of the hangar just as the first explosions rock the Grolgath vessel. The fireball chases us through space, but my ship is faster.

As we descend through Earth's atmosphere, clouds part before us like a curtain. I steal a glance at Olivia, my heart swelling. Even after thirty years, she takes my breath away.

"I love you, Livvy."

She turns to me with that smile - the one that made me fall for her all those years ago. The one that still makes my pulse race.

"I'm pregnant, Dar."