Page 5 of Ruin (Villains for Hire)

L ira sat cross-legged on the bed, tracking Ruin's every movement as he strapped an array of wicked-looking weapons onto his body. The sight stirred something deep within her—a heady mix of awe, longing, and a strange sense of safety.

Noticeably absent was any hint of fear.

She’d witnessed firsthand how lethal he was. His towering height and hulking frame, the scars criss-crossing his pale skin, the dark tattoos inked on his head, face, and body—they all lent an aura of danger that should’ve had her trembling.

Yet as she watched the ripple of muscle beneath scarred skin, it wasn’t unease that had her shifting restlessly on the bed.

Cheeks warming, she recalled waking beside him, their bodies intertwined. She'd worried for a moment that he’d push her away. But he’d simply held her tighter, a low rumble vibrating from his chest in a soothing rhythm that lulled her back to a sense of security. Of home.

For the first time, she’d slept peacefully. No nightmares. No jolting awake at every little sound.

Someone would doubtlessly say she was latching onto him because he’d rescued her, that she was merely projecting a desperate need for protection onto the first person who hadn't brought her harm.

Lira knew better.

He made her feel safe, yes. Cared for. Seen. Sensations so unfamiliar, they were dizzying.

But something inside her knew this wasn’t a passing infatuation.

Ruin’s gravelly voice cut into her thoughts. “I need’ta scout the location before my target arrives. Get the layout, mark exits an’ entrances. Assess security.”

She nodded, leaning forward. “Who’s the target?”

“Human male named Gaius.”

She sat up straighter. “I know that name. He’s with some kind of corporation.” Frowning, she muttered, “What was it called?”

“Onyx?”

Her gaze flashed back up to his. “Yes! That’s it. Vargot was making a deal with him.”

Ruin stilled, those pretty yellow eyes boring into her. “What deal?”

“I- I don't know much,” she admitted apologetically. “Just that Vargot knew about a planet with some kind of element he called veherium . He wanted to trade the location of the planet to Gaius for a lot of credits.”

“So Vargot was the trader Gaius was comin’ here to meet. You know anythin’ about veherium?”

Lira shook her head, tendrils of pale hair slipping free to brush her cheeks. “Vargot didn’t know what was so special about it. He’d planned to try to coax that information out of him when they met.”

“Did you overhear anythin’ else about Gaius?”

“Vargot said he was an ‘uppity fuck’, and he was leery of his augment guards. Vargot didn’t trust augments.”

“That’s good, little bird. Very good.”

Pleasure swelled in her chest, but morphed to panic at his next words.

“I’ll be back soon. You’ll be safe here. I’ll activate the security measures soon as I leave.”

Her fingers twisted in the thin sheet, knuckles paling. “No, please!”

What if something happened to him out there? What if he never came back?

Ruin paused in securing one of the many blades holstered at his thigh, gaze swinging to her. He looked at her as if he could see straight through to the terror gripping her insides.

“Easy now, little bird. I got the whole place rigged. You’ll be safe here, I promise.”

Scooting to the edge of the bed, she peered up at him imploringly. “Please, Ruin. Don't leave me alone. I can't- I don't… ” she trailed off, throat too tight to force the words out.

His harsh features softened. Kneeling in front of her, he gently uncurled her clenched fingers, grunting at the half moons in her palms left behind from her nails.

“I can't guarantee your safety out there.”

“I know. That’s okay. I’ll be careful, I promise. I just- I don’t want to be alone.”

His jaw worked, and for a long moment, the only sound was their mingled breaths. Then, finally, he gave a low growl of acquiescence. “Fine. But you do exactly as I say, when I say it.”

Relief left her dizzy as she nodded furiously. “Exactly as you say.”

His eyes narrowed to slits. “I mean it. One misstep an’ I'll haul your pretty little ass right back here. Understood?”

Trying to keep her composure, she looked down quickly, hoping to hide the smile playing on her lips, only to feel her dimples betray her effort.

Peeking back up at him, she murmured, “You think my ass is pretty?”

He blinked rapidly and a purple flush spread up the edges of his pointed ears, making the numerous piercings stand out even more.

Clearing his throat, he stood abruptly and bent over his arm, tapping on the sub-dermal implant. “Shoes. S’time to go.”

Still smiling, she hurried to put on the shoes he’d found for her.

Lira pressed herself against the cold metal, straining to see around the corner without exposing herself. They were in an unused passageway between walls, so there shouldn’t be anyone else in there, but she didn’t want to assume the way was clear.

He was trusting her not to fuck this up for him, and she refused to let him down.

Squinting to see in the dark, she waited for him to signal it was safe to move, then slipped around the corner, hugging the wall as Ruin followed close behind her, graceful and silent as a wraith, despite his imposing bulk.

Reaching the end of the corridor, she stopped and moved aside so he could peer out through a tiny gap in the hatch. After a few tense seconds, he straightened and shrugged off his heavy cloak, hanging it on a rusted peg.

“Should be clear enough to move quicker now,” he rumbled in that soft, gravelly rasp she liked so much. “You ready?”

“Ready.”

With a ghost of a smile curving those harsh lips, he scooped her up in one smooth motion and tucked her securely against his chest. She looped her arms around his thick neck and locked her legs around his waist, happily molding herself to him.

The moment he opened the hatch, the noise of the spaceport just beyond the wall enveloped them, the sudden racket making her flinch. Raucous laughter, the clanging of metal against metal, and shouted conversations all twisted together into a chaotic din that set her nerves jangling.

A large hand settled on the back of her neck, the weight of it grounding her.

He set off at a ground-eating lope, clutching her tight while somehow remaining utterly silent.

She focused on the reassuring thud of his heartbeat against her ear, the coiled power rippling beneath scar-mottled skin with each stride.

Reaching the end, he surreptitiously exited the corridor, coming out behind a merchant’s stall in a bustling marketplace. Still holding her, Ruin fluidly joined the crowd, becoming just another body among many, moving at a clip that implied purpose without being hurried.

For her part, Lira was busy gaping at the sights over his shoulder.

Level eighteen was beautiful and so… clean. Wide manicured paths and open courtyards were lined with stalls and kiosks. Multi-colored awnings provided shade from lighting that mimicked sunlight instead of the garish neons she was used to.

Everywhere she looked were plants. Hanging in pots, filling decorative vessels, and growing directly out of the ground.

Even the air here was different: warmer, cleaner, and scented with the delicate fragrance of alien flowers overlaid with exotic foods.

Perhaps most noticeable was the change in the people on this level.

The variety of species was basically the same, but gone were the tattered rags and desperation clinging to those who inhabited the lower sectors.

Here, everyone was well-dressed and moved with arrogant confidence, draped in layers of luxurious fabrics, jewelry, and ostentatious accessories. The advertisements shifted, too, politely hinting at their disreputable wares and services instead of stating them outright.

Looking into the gazes of those they passed, she decided maybe they weren’t so different, after all.

They were better dressed, sure, but they still had the predatory glint in their eyes she was used to seeing in the criminals and scumbags with which Vargot associated.

Making a sudden left, Ruin ducked into an alcove tucked behind a towering hedge and set her on her feet.

“Stay here, stay hidden. Be my eyes, hmm?” He drew a tiny silver disk no bigger than her thumbnail from a pocket and handed it to her. “You see anythin’ suspicious or need me, click this twice.”

Hiding the nerves she felt at him going out there alone, she nodded sharply.

He shot her a look of approval, lips curling ever so slightly. “Good girl.”

Then he was gone, stalking off toward the archway separating the market district from the lodging district. Somehow, he managed to appear like he belonged among all these wealthy beings in their refinery, despite not being dressed anything like them.

Tucking herself tighter against the hedge, she swept the area, eyes darting from one face to the next, wary of every potential threat.

Unable to help herself, she scanned the crowd until she spotted the back of Ruin’s tattooed head. He seemed to flow between the oblivious patrons, each step purposeful yet unobtrusive.

She refocused on her immediate surroundings when a group of red-skinned Drifters passed by, tails lashing merrily as they jostled each other, swapping crude jokes. Lira shrank back involuntarily, scars twinging with phantom pain at the sight of their short black horns and flashing white fangs.

One of them glanced her way, amber eyes narrowing as his nose twitched, no doubt catching her fear-laced scent. She forced herself to remain still, knowing better than to flee.

After an endless second, the Drifter's gaze slid off her dismissively. The breath she’d been holding whooshed out, and she clutched the disk tighter.

The minutes ticked by at an agonizing crawl. She resisted the urge to fidget and kept her mind firmly focused on watching for danger instead of letting it slip off into daydreams.

Just when she thought she couldn't bear the suspense any longer, she spotted Ruin working his way back through the crowd toward her.

There wasn’t even time to feel relief before a prickling sensation crawled up her spine.

She went still, searching for the source of that intuition. Her gaze fell on a trio of Voragons in the distance, their armored draconian scales gleaming under the artificial sunlight. Their reptilian eyes fixed on one figure: Ruin.

Were they guards? Thieves? People he knew?

She thought guards by the way they were dressed.

Her heart hammered against her chest, eyes bouncing from them to Ruin and back again, indecision warring. Should she press the disk? Call out to him? Do nothing?

Seeing the Voragon in the middle tense to move, she darted out of the alcove before she could second-guess herself, using her small stature to her advantage to quickly weave between bodies.

A flash of pale skin and black tattoos had her shifting direction.

Inhaling, she fought down the fear Vargot had beaten into her about speaking above a whisper and forced herself to call out, “There you are!”

His head snapped toward her, yellow eyes widening before narrowing with concern.

She glanced furtively at the Voragons, then focused back on Ruin and pasted on a happy smile. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, my mate.”

Without pausing, she strode right up to him, pushed up on tiptoe, and hooked her fingers over his shoulders, pressing her body intimately close to his.

For a split second, he was stiff with surprise, but then his gaze flicked to where she’d just looked and understanding dawned. He relaxed into her, those massive hands coming to rest on her hips.

“Been right here, waitin’ on you, little bird. D’you get lost?”

Lira bit her lip and nodded, wincing apologetically.

“C’mere,” he rumbled, drawing her closer.

Her heart lurched as he bent, dipping his head to brush his lips tentatively against hers. Sucking in a quick breath, she froze, stunned by the contact.

And then she melted into him.

Ruin made a sound low in his throat and slid one hand up her back, burying his fingers in the hair at the nape of her neck. Slanting his mouth over hers, he kissed her. Truly kissed her.

The noise and bustle faded away. There was only this, only him.

All thoughts of acting, of pretending for the Voragons' benefit, fled as desire blazed through her veins.

When his tongue flicked her upper lip, she opened for him with a moan, fingers spasming on his shoulders. His taste, smoky and exotic, flooded her senses. His scent enveloped her—dark and decadent, laced with the haunting sweetness of Xhendan leaves.

Growling, he straightened, lifting her until she wasn’t touching the ground at all. And then he devoured her, claiming her mouth with a hunger that made arousal bloom hot and slick between her thighs. Gods, she craved his touch like she'd never craved anything before. Every nerve ending sang with heightened awareness of him.

All too soon, he began to pull back, placing one last lingering kiss on her swollen lips. When he set her on her feet, she swayed dazedly, lips tingling, breath coming in soft pants.

Blinking up at him, she found his golden eyes had darkened to molten amber, the slit pupils blown wide with undisguised hunger. For a moment, his gaze burned into hers with such piercing intensity she wondered if he was going to snatch her back up for another go.

But then he swallowed, attention shifting over her shoulder.

“C’mon, little bird. Need to get outta here.”