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M etal bit into Davis's palms as sweat snaked down his spine.

He finished the rep with muscles screaming before the barbell clanked back into position, but his attention wasn t on the weights.

Across the gym, Mira was stretching with Jesh, and he couldn't look away from the way the little human woman s blonde hair escaped the messy bun at the nape of her neck, or the determined set of her jaw.

"Eyes on your lift, Tell," Covak rumbled behind him. "Unless you want that weight crushing your face."

Uh, yeah. Right.

Quickly, he refocused, his muscles tensing before he drove the barbell upward. But his attention was still on the two women across the room. Halfway through his set, Mira faltered mid-pose, arms trembling as her spine arched.

He dropped the barbell onto its rest with a clang. "She's pushing too hard," he said, half-rising from the bench.

Covak's hand landed on his shoulder. Yeah, leave it. Jesh knows what she's doing," the Vorrtan said, his voice low.

He tried to shrug Covak s hold off, but it was like iron, so he glared up instead. Jesh is a cybernetically enhanced supersoldier. She doesn't understand human limits."

Covak snorted. "And you do?"

"Better than a cyborg."

"Mmm." Covak circled the bench, adding another weight plate to each end of the barbell. "Strange. I don't recall you being such an expert on human physiology before. Thought you were an engineer.

He glanced at the extra plates and scowled at Covak, who merely grinned back, amber eyes gleaming. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means let Jesh do her job. Covak gestured at Mira. She needs to build her strength and confidence without some man rushing in every time something looks difficult."

He opened his mouth to argue but closed it as Mira dropped from her pose with a frustrated huff. Instead of the defeat he expected, she reset her stance immediately, determination hardening her features.

"Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "But if Jesh pushes her too far -"

"What exactly will you do?" Covak's fangs gleamed in a taunting smile. "Challenge Jesh to combat? I'd pay good credits to see that."

He rolled his eyes and slid under the barbell again. "Spot me, asshole."

His fingers wrapped around cold metal, muscles bunching in anticipation. The additional weight should've strained his shoulders and chest, but the barbell rose smoothly. Covak's eyes narrowed slightly.

"You've been holding out on me, pretty boy, the Vorrtan commented lightly.

Davis ignored him, focusing on controlled breathing. One, two, three. His arms should've been burning, screaming, failing by now, but instead they felt energized, like the exercise fed something within them rather than depleting them. He counted in his head. Three more and he was done.

Across the gym, Jesh guided Mira through defensive stances, quick movements, unrefined but promising. When Jesh positioned herself behind Mira to adjust her arm position, his fingers tightened around the barbell until his knuckles whitened and he lost count. Fuck.

"Your heart rate just spiked," Covak drawled.

"Can you not?" he growled, slamming another rep out.

Covak tapped his nose. "Enhanced senses, remember? You reek of territorial male."

He sat up, shoving the barbell onto the hooks with enough force to make the frame shake. Mira glanced over for a second before Jesh caught her attention with another instruction.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered, snatching a towel from beside the bench.

"Sure you don't." Covak leaned against the wall next to the bench, arms folded across his massive chest. "Just like I don't want to snap the neck of anyone who looks at Jesh wrong."

Davis stared at him. "That's different."

"Is it?" Covak's expression dropped serious. "My entire species was engineered for war. Combat, protection, possession, it's in our blood." He nodded across the gym. "But that doesn't mean Jesh needs me hovering over her, or that she's not capable of crushing most threats herself."

Davis watched as Mira moved through a counter-strike against Jesh with unexpected speed.

"Jesh could fold you into a pretzel if she wanted to," he said.

Covak tilted his head to one side. "What s a 'pretzel'?"

"Earth food. Twisted bread." His eyes locked on the curve of Mira's spine as she pivoted into another stance. Then she dropped to her ass. "The point is, Jesh is probably more dangerous than you are."

"Probably," Covak agreed cheerfully. "The mate bond doesn't care about logic, Tell. It's about instinct." He tapped his forehead. "Smart males learn to use this to override that. Women have the hots for men who respect their capabilities, not ones who treat them like porcelain."

Davis snorted. "So now you're a relationship expert?"

"I'm bonded," Covak said, chest puffing out with pride. And you're what... stalking?"

"Fuck off."

Covak grinned and gestured to the bench. "Another set. Get your head in the game this time."

Davis slid under the bar again, feeling the cool metal against his palms. As he lifted, his mind flashed to the observation lounge.

Mira beneath him, her back arching, breathless gasps as she came apart under his hands and mouth.

Heat surged low in his abdomen. Her taste lingered on his tongue, sweet and addictive.

The memory of her eyes after, heavy-lidded and satisfied, lips swollen from his kisses.

Ryke's damn comm call interrupting just as -

Next time he'd turn his bloody comm off so they wouldn't be interrupted. And he'd take his time with every inch of her until she trembled and begged and -

You're growling," Covak said. I didn t know humans could do that.

He blinked, suddenly aware of the rumble in his chest. Clearing his throat, he focused on his breathing.

"Just concentrating," he muttered.

Covak snickered, the sound a deep rumble. Sure. If that's what humans call it."

Davis channeled his frustration into the workout, even though the weights felt too light. He d have to up his weights next time.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Mira duck under Jesh's extended arm, coming up in a defensive stance. Her face flushed with exertion, and triumph lit up her smile when Jesh nodded approval. His chest swelled with something like pride.

Mine.

"You're doing it again," Covak said.

Davis exhaled hard. "Doing what?"

Growling, Covak's voice dropped lower. And your scent has changed. I m gonna have to get a peg for my damn nose if you re gonna keep stinking up the place with lust.

And we re done. Jesh ended the training session with a clap. Mira rolled her shoulders, satisfaction evident on her face despite the exhaustion in her movements.

Great progress today. The cyborg smiled. "You're picking up the movements much faster than expected."

Davis sat up, watching her towel off. His gaze tracked sweat droplets down her neck, disappearing into her workout top. He remembered the taste of her skin there, her pulse jumping beneath his lips.

"Jesh," he called out. "Got a minute? Need your input on something in engineering."

Jesh turned and focused on him with an assessing gaze. "Of course."

Covak frowned, his gaze flicking between Davis and Jesh.

"Mira," his deep voice cut through the gym. "You need food after that workout. Proper protein to rebuild those muscles you're developing."

Mira hesitated, glancing between Jesh and Davis. "I can grab something after I shower -"

"Nope," the big Vorrtan cut her off. "Food first. Ship's nutritional protocols. Very important." His massive hand settled on her shoulder, steering her toward the exit. "Tell me, have you tried Latharian protein clusters yet? Much better than your human supplements."

At the door, Mira glanced back at him. Their eyes locked, and heat flashed through him. Then she was gone, Covak's culinary lecture fading down the corridor.

Jesh watched them leave before turning to him, her arms folded. "There is no engineering issue, is there?"

He shook his head. "No. But we need to talk about Rann."

* * *

"I'm listening." Jesh studied him quietly as the gym door closed behind Mira and Covak.

Davis glanced around the gym. It was too open. Too exposed.

"We should move somewhere -"

"We already have privacy." Her expression didn't change, but her weight shifted. Combat-ready, even in conversation. "The monitoring systems in this section are temporarily experiencing a feedback loop. Standard training footage."

His eyebrow quirked up. "You can do that?"

A small smile curved her lips.

"Only a cancer-class battle computer could break my encryption now that I have all my abilities back." A hint of pride colored her voice. "Even Jex would struggle."

Well, shit. He hadn't realized the extent of her capabilities. He'd seen her in combat, even watched her interface with the Lady's Dream, but this level of security control was new.

"Useful trick."

"Not a trick. Standard battlefield countermeasure." She folded her arms. "Now. You wanted to discuss Rann."

He moved closer, lowering his voice despite her assurance. The equipment in the gym smelled of sweat and metal, with lingering traces of Mira's scent that he found himself unconsciously tracking.

"During the firefight at the trading post," he began, forcing his focus back to the matter at hand, "I noticed something about how Rann fought."

Jesh remained still, giving nothing away as she watched him.

"Carry on."

"The way he fought against those attackers wasn't adaptation or mimicry." He crossed his arms, leaning his back against the weight rack. "He wasn't countering their moves or improvising responses. He was using the same fighting style they were."

"What do you mean?"