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Ki’Remi ground his teeth, but he stepped back.

‘Fine, proceed,’ he gritted because he trusted her despite every screaming rational bone in his body.

That was the freakin’ problem.

He didn’t want to, not when he had proof of the power she wielded against their assailants.

It gave him pause, for she was more potent than anyone he’d ever met other than Kainan, his Sable brother.

While keeping her in line was sometimes critical, he sensed he needed to tread carefully and give her freedom with caution.

Maybe she’d let down her barriers and give him insight into why she was being pursued.

Perhaps in a less stressful environment.

Where she’d let down her guard and share with more readiness.

Maybe even give him more than he asked, admitting to himself that his craving for Issa Elaris was ratcheting.

ISSA

Since coming back from Alloria, Ki’Remi avoided her unless they were in surgery or discussing a case.

Issa discerned the shift, and it bit at her craw.

He didn’t serve her with abruptness, nor did he outright ignore her.

Still, he maintained a deliberate distance, calculating, brooding, sorting through whatever storm was unraveling in that mind of his.

That was fine. She needed the space, too.

When she wasn’t in theater or doing her hard rounds, she remained in her quarters, taking full advantage of the days off she’d been given and freakin’ earned.

She showered, read, and napped.

Most of all, she thought of her past now chasing her and the enigmatic, sensual asfokkman who witnessed her secret.

She hoped he’d keep it that way.

In time, the dreadnought was in orbit over Eden II.

The lunar planet loomed through her quarter’s window as the stealth cruiser exited the cold abyss of open space.

The surface, often a ghostly shade of silver, glowed diamond-bright under the System’s twin suns.

Blue-gold light cast arcs of illuminance across the high-rise skyline of the extensive moon sphere.

Its duplicate rings floated around it like jeweled circles.

Sky Spires jutted upward like gleaming obsidian pillars, the massive solar collectors thrumming with the paired stars’ gathered energy.

Below, the city thrived in levels.

Air lanes teemed with sleek transports, hover bikes, elevated trams, and maglev trains, weaving through the atmosphere in an artful dance.

The surface streets were lined with polished duracrete walkways, towering glass structures, and neon-lit holo billboards flashing adverts in every known language.

It was a metropolis that never slept or ceased moving.