Page 52

Zephyr

“ A re you ready for this?” I asked, turning to Sherrod in the cockpit of our new shuttle.

He blew out his lips and shrugged.

“I mean…do I have a choice?”

“Of course you do. I could go in myself, you don’t have to be anywhere near this.”

He stared at the Intrepid as we approached, the tension rippling in his body.

I knew that he was a wanted man as far as the Gex-Corps was concerned, but I also knew that Captain Drake was a reasonable male who wouldn’t do anything dumb.

If I told him that Sherrod was on our side, he’d believe me. And if he didn’t, Kier would.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” I murmured.

“I’m not worried about that,” he waved his hand.

“O-kay, then what’s the problem?”

He hesitated before turning to me.

“I’m about to meet your brother, the only family you have besides your stepdad and I…it’s dumb, but family is a mystery to me. What if I fuck it up?”

I wanted to melt right then and there. This tough man, who had stared down the absolute worst scum in the universe for most of his life, was nervous about meeting my brother.

I jumped up from my pilot’s seat, plopped down onto his lap and pulled him down for a long kiss that left us both breathless.

“He will like you because you make me happy. He’s not great at showing it, but trust me, it’s going to be fine. And Chloe will absolutely love you.”

“Yeah? I hope so.”

“And even if they don’t,” I leaned back to look at him, “you’re stuck with me. There’s no way I’m going anywhere without you, no matter what they say.”

I could feel the tension drain out of him and he slumped forward.

We’d survived the worst people in the galaxy these past few weeks, not to mention a lifetime of fighting battles that weren’t even ours to fight. And yet, he thought I’d walk away if my brother didn’t like him?

The pinch of protectiveness hit me and spread through my body. There was no way anyone was tearing us apart ever again. I’d burn the universe first.

“I love you,” I said, catching his eye. “I’ve never said that to any lover until you. But I tell you all the time because I need you to believe it. And maybe I also need to remind myself that this is real because I never thought I’d see you again.”

“So what you’re saying is,” he smirked, “that I’m stuck with you.”

“For the rest of your life.”

“I think I’m okay with that.”

After the fight with Cypher and the Krynn coup, we’d spent a full week on the station helping Lady Prina secure her position as well as just healing.

Zelena had internal injuries she’d tried to shrug off that had required surgery, and the Lazarus Drive that Sherrod had used wasn’t as efficient as he’d thought.

There was damage to some of his internal systems that needed repair.

And thanks to Norris, the expulsion of the dormant nanites consisted of several days of vomiting and fever for me.

But at the end of all that, we were given a shiny new shuttle decked out with luxuries that I’d never even heard of and several hundred thousand credits to do whatever we wanted.

The biggest boon, however, had been a standing invitation to the Krynn territory, which had been closed off since Seraph had taken over.

I had no idea when or why we’d need such a thing, but Sherrod assured me he could think of several ways in which it would come in handy.

When the three of us were healed enough to actually get out of bed, Zelena, Sherrod and myself did some research on Norris’ dying words.

I remembered what Varnok had said about the original test subject being King Sylthor’s betrothed, and so I called in a favor with Queen Althea of Sanctuary to see if her husband knew anything about it.

He remembered the situation and the information she passed on was far more chilling than I could’ve imagined.

With that and the planet Norris had mentioned, we were able to put together a briefing that contained enough information to potentially track her down.

But, after our close call with the bio weapon, neither Sherrod nor I wanted to handle this.

We figured that we had earned a little down time, and in all honesty, there were times we both still had pain from our injuries.

Eventually, we’d be back in the fight, but this one required something neither of us were: A Gex-Corps officer in good standing.

And besides my brother, there was only one I truly trusted.

Captain Antony Drake.

Which was why we were about to board the Gex-Corps flagship and ask for help.

Our cuddle session was cut short by docking instructions for the Intrepid and I settled back into my seat as we navigated into the bay.

It took about a half hour to get everything stowed and ready.

I could tell by the way his fingers twitched and the set of his mouth that Sherrod was still nervous but it was less than before.

I wove my fingers between his before we disembarked, and he had a death grip on me, not that I was planning on letting go.

When we made it down the ramp, we were met with a security detail led by a tall Talosian male, and my brother standing nearby.

I didn’t even acknowledge the security detail.

Instead I dragged Sherrod with me as I walked up to Kier.

I wanted to throw my arms around him, but he hated being touched by anyone except Chloe.

So I settled for a warm smile and a nod.

“Sister,” he said, his deep timbre virtually emotionless, but I heard the joy hiding behind it.

His eyes skated to Sherrod, a small frown developed between his eyes.

“It’s best to make introductions in private,” I said.

“Of course,” he replied. “The captain is waiting for you in his private chambers. If you would follow me?”

“Hold on, Lieutenant,” said the Talosian, “we need to do a security sweep first.”

“Lieutenant, this is my sister and her friend. I trust her with my life and I know you realize how rare that is. She is not a threat and I will take it as a personal insult if you attempt to detain her.”

“It’s alright, Kier,” I said, smiling up at the security officer before spreading my arms wide. “Proceed.”

Sherrod bristled next to me, having let go of my hand and also spread his arms out. The scan was quick and as we both knew, showed that we had weapons on us, and hidden in our forearm compartments. The Talosian confiscated the weapons, even the ones in our cyber unit.

“You may go now,” he said, dismissive.

“Asshole,” Sherrod muttered, taking my hand.

I tried to hide my grin and failed miserably. Kier’s astute gaze drifted to our entwined hands, then with an arched eyebrow he looked at me with a hundred questions burning in his eyes. But he was smart enough to know that this wasn’t the place and escorted us to the captain’s quarters.

I was used to these types of ships but even I had to admit to a measure of awe when it came to the Intrepid.

She was the first in a new version of Galaxy class starships, equipped with the newest in weapons, tactical, navigation, medical.

Everything about her was larger and faster than any of the others.

So I wasn’t surprised that Sherrod was desperately trying not to gape at the beauty of the ship we were being hurried through.

“I’d feel jealous but I know you’re mine,” I whispered to him outside the captain’s quarters.

A chuckle burst out of him as he gazed at the arched hall, clean floors and beautifully appointed control panels.

“I never thought I’d regret not being able to go into the Academy but…damn.”

“The Intrepid is a most impressive vessel,” Kier said, standing in front of us as we waited to be let in.

“Uh…yeah, very,” Sherrod responded.

“There is no reason to feel nervous,” Kier said, “the captain is a very amiable person. He values honesty and courage, two values you would have to possess for my sister to trust you.”

“Thanks.”

“It is simply an observation.”

The doors to the captain’s quarters slid open and we entered into a large living space with a fireplace to the right and a beautiful holographic window in front of us displaying the stars.

To the left was the chef’s kitchen where the captain held brunch and dinner parties for the crew.

In front of the island, where a variety of foods were laid out on platters, were comfortable stools and on one of them was my brother’s mate, Chloe.

My eyes widened when I took her in and she gave me a joyful grin, getting off the stool with Kier’s help.

Her baby bump was more of a ball now and I was trying to remember how far along she was supposed to be.

Kier immediately placed a hand on her round belly and the tiniest hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth.

“I think I’m misremembering how far along Kier said you were,” I said, giving her a hug and kiss on the cheek.

“Apparently mixed species babies grow very fast,” Chloe replied.

“The baby requires sustenance,” Kier declared. “I will make you a plate.”

“Your brother is constantly stuffing food in my mouth,” Chloe complained with a playful pat on his arm.

“The accelerated rate of fetal growth combined with the hours you spend on your feet necessitate a specific caloric threshold.”

“In other words, I’m pregnant and eating for two.”

That hint of a smile almost became an actual one and he gave Chloe a small kiss on her forehead.

“Precisely, priash.”

Chloe’s eyes trailed behind me and she held out her hand as she advanced toward Sherrod.

“I’m Chloe’Ahn, you must be…?”

“Sherrod,” he replied shaking her hand and letting it go fast when he saw the way Kier was scowling at him.

“He’s mine, dear brother,” I chided, popping a small, deep fried mushroom into my mouth. “And she’s yours, don’t growl at him.”

“It is a reflex. Atavarian males are known to be quite territorial while their mates are with child. I apologize.”

“Thanks.”

I felt Kier’s eyes on me as I ate another mushroom, Chloe and Sherrod chatted behind me.