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‘She already has from her cell.’ Miral spun her chair back to the console. ‘You just keep winning it by existing.’

Xander finally cracked a smile, soft and stunned as he gazed at Savvine.

Savvine leaned into him, brushing her shoulder against his. ‘Told you we’d be fine, honey.’

He lowered his mouth to hers, his eyes glinting with hope.

Life on theSombrabecame even more poignant after they discovered how compatible they were.

They hosted weekly dinners with the Signet strong guard, rowdy meals with Santi trying to out-cook Kaal, and Miral teasing Savvine about her ‘domestic goddess nesting era.’

On weekends, Savvine and Xander retreated to his lakeside cabin, just the two of them.

There were strolls along the lake’s edge, Xander’s hand warm against her hip as fireflies flitted and flashed over its still waters.

They fished, built fires, raced skimmers across his private beach, and made love naked until they collapsed breathless in the sand.

In that intermedial world between galaxies, meteors, and stars, Savvine thought that maybe, just maybe, this was what eternal bliss looked like.

32

Dances With Wolves

XANDER

The sun slipped beneath theSombra’slagoon horizon and bathed the lake in molten copper.

Xander stood by the hearth in his cabin’s living room, adjusting the cuffs of his formal Signet uniform.

The dark coat, tailored with impeccable precision, came cinched at the waist with a silver-detailed belt and flared at the hips in a nod to old Terran naval wear.

Epaulets stitched with platinum thread framed his shoulders, and a crimson sash hung from his left, the traditional marker of his CO’s role in the Signet Company.

A gleaming plasma-cut blade rested against his thigh, more ceremonial than practical.

His boots were mirror-polished and black as obsidian, and the collar of his white undershirt was folded back just enough to show the edges of his neck glyphs.

He appeared every bit the rogue commander of a mercenary and security fleet.

He turned, sighted his woman, and slammed a sinewed hand over his heart. ‘Fokkme.’

Savvine stepped from the primary in a floor-length gown of lustrous gold and deep jade, the fabric clinging to her curves.

The garment shimmered when she moved, a constellation of silk catching the light.

Her earrings, solid emerald drops in a rainfall of gems, swayed as she walked, and a matching necklace rippled on her collarbones.

Her dark hair was swept into a loose chignon and threaded with tiny jade crystals that glinted with every step.

She was barefoot, the hem of her dress whispering over the floor.

Xander’s breath hitched.

‘You trying to kill me,mi leona?’ he grunted, his need for her ratcheting, his timbre hoarse.

She gave a slow twirl, her smile a weapon all its own. ‘You like?’

‘Like isn’t the word.’