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“Storage—”

“Was mostly wiped out by the raiders,” Thrash answered my question before I could finish.

Blinking the grit from my eyes, I looked over the room. My gaze rose to the emergency lights mounted along the ceiling, still intact. The shock-proof casings on the lights had saved them, and the dim illumination allowed me to quickly assess our situation. The doors on two of the three large storage closets hung crooked on their hinges. They’d been completely cleared out. Even the awful never-goes-bad packed meals were missing. Dents and holes peppered nearly every piece of machinery. Debris and dust covered everything. The entrance to the ramp had completely caved in.

We were trapped.

I wouldn’t panic. Not yet. It was only a matter of time before our continued absence would be noted back at the base. Since the climate control was out, the team would know where to look. The danger lay in the damage to the tunnel and the cave system as a whole.

If it was only the tunnel, we could be out by the end of the day, but if the integrity of the cave system was jeopardized, things would get tricky. It could be a month or more before they could safely dig their way inside.

Thanks to Thrash’s body heat, the cave’s frigid climate wasn’t an issue. The underground ice would be difficult to reach but solved the question of hydration. My gaze slid toward the ravaged storage closets. Food was another issue. It had been a long time since I’d looked inside, but hopefully something remained in the untouched inventory.

Resigned, I sucked in a deep breath. Unprepared for the sultry scent that invaded my senses, a white-hot bolt of lust arrowed straight to my core, causing my pussy to clench.

Sweet, scorching solar systems!Slowly, my locked and straining muscles relaxed.

Thrash scooted forward, his groin behind my ass, broad chest against my back. The scent of him wasdoing thingsto me.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I bowed my head. My hair fell forward, hanging heavy and loose over my shoulders.

I laughed quietly to myself. On the bright side, it wouldn’t be long before I wasn’t concerned with food. Thrash’s pheromones would soon be all-consuming, and I would be consuming him.

The touch of his fingers against my neck as he moved my hair behind my shoulder sent a cascade of shivers over my body. He drew his hand down my back to rest against my spine. “Are you okay?”

Not trusting myself to speak, I nodded.

“You won’t like this suggestion, but I can bind you here and go to the other side of the room.” Gently, he gripped my chin and turned my face so that I could see him over my shoulder, seated behind me. “It’s the best I can do. I’m sorry.”

Laughter grated against my raw throat. “How do you live like this?”

“I don’t.”

My brows drew together. “What are you talking about? If you aren’t popping those pheromone blockers like candy, the base is a nonstop sex party.” Not that anyone but me complained. “I thought Drakovian could control their pheromones.”

Like a weapon.

“Of course we can,” he said. Treating me as if I was woven of atohi yarn—fragile, delicate, and beautiful—he drew the back of his knuckle along my jaw. “But once we meet our mates, we lose control. It’s a biological mechanism that ensures we attract our partner. This is how I know you are mine.”

Something inside my chest cracked open. His touch and his words swept inside, while his scent continued to build, faster than I’d ever experienced. With each heavy beat of my pulse, my core tightened, and inner muscles clenched. I was a goner. “It could be anyone on the team.”

And damn if that idea didn’t turn my stomach. What was wrong with me?

“My pheromones did not slip the leash until I met you.” His hands continued their gentle caresses, roaming along my throat, my shoulders, down my ribs and up my back. “And I met you last.”

He was right. “I’d been on a remote job.”

“Asoloremote job.” He clarified. “I was with the entire team for two days before you returned, and my pheromones flared.” He smiled, and my gaze dipped to those kissable lips. “You, Tori, are my mate.”

He inched back then, and I felt the loss of his touch like I’d stripped off my clothes. Bare, naked, and vulnerable.

“If you’re near, I won’t be able to keep my hands off you.” His voice was deep and rough.

Exactly how I wanted him to fuck me.

Holy void! Where had that come from? Flustered, confused, and also never more sure of something in my life, I shook my head. I knew where that came from. I’d thought about having him inside of me from the moment I’d first laid eyes on this beautiful man.

I’d just returned from a remote mission and was greeted by my overly excited team who informed me that we had a new crew member. Annoyed at being assigned a new member without any notice, I went to learn who UFIS had the audacity to send and found Thrash exercising in the heavy gravity room, muscles flexing with exertion, and that glorious body glistening with sweat.