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But even as he spoke he knew that he would not leave. If they did not arrive, he would go in search of them.

“We’ll be there. But you’ll have to release me first,” she added dryly.

To his shock, the tip of his tail had circled her wrist. The action had seemed so natural he hadn’t even noticed, but when he mumbled a hasty apology and released her, he immediately felt the loss. As if in response, the child reached out and touched his tail again, a quick, gentle caress, before taking his mother’s hand. A strange warmth filled him, and he had to fight back the urge to accompany them as they hurried away. They would be safer and attract less attention alone.

In the meantime, he would move the unconscious Ruijin guard to a less obvious location. A large waste disposal container proved a suitable hiding place, and the fact that the guard’s headhit the metal side when Thraxar tossed him inside meant that he would remain unconscious for a longer period. Once that was accomplished he strolled casually back to the gate, still fighting the urge to go after his female and child.

“Leaving so soon, Cire?” one of the guards at the gate asked, and he shook his head.

“I need to check the calibrations on my engine first. That is why I originally stopped here, but since I had a crate of Partallan liquor on board, I decided to do some trading as well.”

The guard who had questioned him grinned.

“I’ll be sure and get some as soon as my shift ends.”

“You know old Cartan will charge the moon for it,” the other guard grumbled.

“It will be worth it.” The first guard grinned at him. “Glad you stopped by, Cire. Do you need any help?”

He managed to refuse politely and headed back to his ship before the guard decided to get any friendlier. The ship was not directly visible from the guard post and opening the engine compartment would provide additional concealment. He had been telling the truth when he said that he’d stopped on Jellix V in order to check his engine, but even though he started to examine it, he was too distracted to concentrate.

He didn’t expect that his female would take the entire hour. In a place such as this one, a prolonged absence was sure to be noticed. However, he had not expected her to appear so quickly. His tail twitched as he caught the faint scent of flowers, and he looked up to see her hesitating by one of the piles of rocks left when the landing field was cleared. His heart skipped a beat, but he forced himself to wait patiently as she cast a nervous glance in the direction of the guard post. Then she straightened her shoulders, activated the disrupter, and hurried towards him holding her son’s hand.

“This is your ship?” she whispered as they joined him, eying it doubtfully.

TheSarexwas a modified trading vessel, built for long-range solo operations. It was more than adequate for his needs, but it was dwarfed by the surrounding ore transports, and probably looked too small in her eyes.

“Yes.” He didn’t elaborate. TheSarexwas more than transportation; it was his home, his sanctuary—and he was about to share it with strangers.

As he lowered the landing ramp, he felt an unexpected surge of uncertainty. Was he making a grave error? He’d survived on his own since the Red Death by remaining detached, by avoiding complications. This female and her child were the definition of complication.

Yet when the boy looked up at his ship with wonder in his eyes, humming that soft, melodic sound, he couldn’t bring himself to regret his decision.

The ramp descended with a soft hiss, and she hesitated, clearly having second thoughts herself.

“I gave my word,” he said quietly. “You will be safe here.”

She nodded once, took her son’s hand, and stepped onto the ramp. As they entered his ship, he felt that strange tug in his chest again—a sensation he hadn’t experienced in years.

His tail, once again acting of its own volition, curled slightly toward the female as she passed.

He forced it still, unsettled by his body’s betrayal. This was a temporary arrangement, nothing more. He would transport them to a Patrol station, then continue his solitary existence. But as he followed them on board, that solitude no longer seemed quite so appealing.

CHAPTER THREE

Kara stood frozen at the top of the ramp, her heart hammering against her ribs as the enormity of what she was doing crashed over her. During their furtive journey through the barren landscape surrounding the ship, she’d been too focused on avoiding detection to think about anything else. But as Thraxar joined them, his powerful body looming over her, she realized how little she knew about him. What if she had made a terrible mistake?

She had just placed her life—and more importantly, Rory’s life—in the hands of a complete stranger.

“Are you having second thoughts?” he asked, his black eyes unreadable.

“About a hundred of them,” she admitted as her fingers tightened around Rory’s hand. Despite the strange urge to trust him, her survival instincts warned her to be cautious. But even without the threat of Drask seeking revenge, they needed to get away from this place.

He nodded calmly. “A wise approach. Trust should be earned, not given.”

His matter-of-fact acknowledgment of her suspicion caught her off guard, but the very fact that he didn’t try to convince herhelped calm her nerves. He stood there patiently as he waited for her to gather her courage, but his tail swayed slowly from side to side and she remembered the way it had wrapped around her wrist in that oddly comforting gesture.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked again.