Page 17

Wolf Among Wolves

SAVVINE

A s the Corvette touched down in a plexiglass-floored hangar nestled into the massive rear cargo bay of the Signet capital ship, Savvine braced herself.

She wasn’t sure what she expected, probably hard lines, harsh lighting, gunmetal walls stained with old memories.

A prison with some polish, sterile corridors, and steely stares.

What she got was not that.

La última Sombra was a war-born leviathan, sleek and savage, forged in the deep void with the spine of a predator and the poise of royalty.

From the outside, it bristled with firepower: rail guns lined its flanks like sharpened fangs, swivel-mounted missile launchers tracked along its hull, and comms arrays spiraled like elegant antennae of a space-faring leviathan, always listening.

Her skin of blackened alloy was laced with voidglass, silent, light-absorbent, invisible when cloaked.

Inside, the dreadnought was all grace and grandeur.

She descended the ramp and found herself bathed in warm, amber-toned illumination. Clean air brushed past her cheeks, perfumed with hints of citrus and flowers.

The ambiance hummed with quiet energy, walls clad in dark obsidian steel softened by inlays of burnished gold and backlit veins of aetherite.

Waiting at the bottom, leaning against a chrome-plated railing with one hand tucked into his belt and a disarming smile carved across his face, stood a man.

One who made her forget her momentary troubles, even her name, for a moment.

‘ Hola , jefa ,’ he said with a slow grin, eyes sweeping her in one appreciative glance. ‘Welcome to the última Sombra . Name’s Santi. I’ll be your charming escort today.’

Damn, the way he said ‘boss’ was sexy, sensual, suggestive, and respectful all at once.

He was also absurdly handsome, with sun-warmed skin, shoulder-length blackberry-dark hair, and a jawline sculpted by a divine demi-god or a skilled black-market gene modeler. Muscled but graceful, he was danger wrapped in silk.

He wore a matte combat shirt open at the throat, dog tags glinting beneath the collar. His smile was trouble, and his blended Spanish-Kwavi accent needed to be made illegal.

She searched for a word to describe his magnificence, found none, and capitulated with a husky, ‘Hi.’

Her eye was caught by movement to the left.

A giant figure stepped out of an engineering shaft a few feet away, barefoot, soot-slick, half-naked to the waist.

He wore grime-covered durable work trousers in thick triple-stitched synth cotton with reinforced knee pads and pockets, reflective patches, and held up by braces that hung over his naked muscled chest.

Tools hung off a waist belt, and he carried a massive wrench in one hand.

His entire body was ropey with muscle.

Shoulder-length violet hair clung damp to his neck and over his right eye.

The visible left eye, hell, it was a map of old violence.

It was scarred from temple to cheek as if someone had raked him with a blade dipped in hate. The skin around it had long since healed, but not kindly.

His gaze was unreadable, molten golden behind a rough, brutal exterior.

He slowed his roll the moment he saw her.

His nostrils flared. A slow, extended inhale that made her spine ripple in warning.

Then that gilded eye raked her. From head to heel and back again.

Savvine’s mouth went dry.

Santiago’s voice broke the thick, electric pause. ‘Bone, this is Savvine Bianchi. Chief of Security on the Eterna . She’s here to meet Xander.’

The massive barefoot man didn’t reply.

His gaze and frame locked onto her like a predator who’d just found its quarry.

Raising his head, he sniffed long and deep, eyes still fixed on her, scenting her, nostrils flaring, from only a few feet away.

Savvine stiffened, every instinct firing in protest.

This wasn’t curiosity nor a greeting.

This was darker. He looked at her like he wanted to pin her down and never let go.

He took a step forward.

Santiago stepped too fast. He shoulder-checked the bigger man without hesitation. ‘Brother,’ he said, firm and low, ‘you need to be gone.’

Bone didn’t move. Not at first. Then, so slowly it was almost theatrical, he moved back, his mouth twitching.

It wasn’t a smile, nor was it kind, nor cruel. It was a predatory smirk like he’d marked her, and he intended to make sure she belonged to him.

Then, just as suddenly as he’d appeared, he turned and stalked off down the corridor, bare feet thudding against metal grates.

She didn’t breathe again until his silhouette vanished through a side hatch.

Savvine let out a shudder. ‘Who the hell was that?’

‘Ignore him,’ Santiago muttered, jaw clenched. ‘He’s the loner of the pack.’

She turned her head. ‘The pack?’

Santi shook his head like it was the start of a story she’d have to earn to hear. ‘I’m sure Xander can explain.’

But even as he led her on, she glanced once over her shoulder, skin prickling where Bone’s eyes had ripped over her.

She had the sickening, breathless feeling that she’d just been imprinted.

Savvine blinked. ‘Are all Signet men this friendly?’

‘Only the irresistible ones,’ Santi said with a wink, then gestured toward the long glass corridor ahead. ‘Come. Prepare to have your mind thoroughly blown.’

Not knowing how much more she could take, she walked beside him, on crystal-plated hallways that curved through the ship, as the view that unfurled around her stole her breath.

This wasn’t just a ship. It was a city, a floating kingdom.

Gone were any signs of the prison this vessel had once been.

No bars. No cold cells.

Instead, she saw markets, bright with fabric, food, tech stalls, and spices. Families strolled beneath soft lighting and organic archways.

Cafés and terraces bloomed with life. Children laughed and chased each other, darting between grown-ups with school slates under their arms.

‘Kids?’ she whispered.

The Eterna had youngsters on board, but she had not expected any on a mercenary vessel.

‘Schools too?’

‘Two,’ Santi replied. ‘Three, if you count the rebel science academy. They grow wild engineers in that one.’

The impressive aspects kept coming.

Pressure-responsive flooring cushioned every footstep. Doors whooshed open without a sound, revealing interiors more akin to a luxury diplomat cruiser than a former dreadnought destroyer.

Each chamber gleamed with subtle design, including command decks with crystal-clear holo displays and conference rooms ringed in smoked glass.

Gravity stabilization ensured the gentlest sway beneath one’s feet, while scent-control systems diffused calming cedar, ozone, and citrus notes through the vents.

What should have felt cold and clinical radiated warmth, balance, and command.

Along with laughter, conversation, the hustle and bustle, and the energy of a happy population.

It was a capital vessel once built for imprisonment, yet re-imagined for everyday freedom.

It was a paradox that Savvine couldn’t help but admire.

The ship was brutal in silhouette, nonetheless smooth in soul.

A beast, yes, but one with every modern comfort, refined luxury, and the unmistakable fingerprint of the mysterious man who commanded it.

The leader she had yet to meet.

The levels they passed revealed more: an apothecary stocked with vials and herbs, a hydro-garden with glowing fruit, pharmacies, reading rooms, and a string of open-air cafés beside a vertical moss wall.

The elevator they entered was spacious enough to house a whole squadron but held only the two of them. The transparent synth plex walls offered a complete panorama.

Savvine’s breath kept catching in her throat. ‘It’s beautiful.’

Santi inclined his head, the corner of his mouth tilting. ‘We sweated blood for every square inch, jefa .’

The lift doors opened, and Savvine stopped breathing.

Before her stretched an entire deck the size of a small suburb, carpeted in rolling, vibrant green grass, and tall trees swayed under an artificial breeze.

Plus, feathered, singing birds darted between forest glades.

Sunlight filtered down from a vaulted plasma sky, warm and golden.

A reservoir sat at the center, sparkling like a dream from another lifetime.

Savinne gaped at the sprawling lagoon with clear blue water and sandy, smooth banks, along which children laughed as they fed docile swan-like creatures drifting in the shallows.

She turned in place, stunned. ‘You have a freakin’ lake on a warship.’

Santi stepped forward and gestured to a sleek, floating buggy gliding toward them. ‘ Claro . Alexandr insists on balance. War readiness upstairs, peace and loving downstairs.’

She glanced at him, speechless.

He slid into the driver’s seat of the hovercraft and patted the spot beside him. ‘Come. Alexandr awaits you by the water by his private beach.’

Savvine shook her head, still dazed, and climbed next to him.

As they skimmed across the grass and tree-lined path, she blinked, still unable to believe the beauty of the space.

Santi brought the craft to a gentle stop at the edge of a glade.

It sloped into the water, which shimmered with golden light, dappled by the rustle of nearby trees, where more birds cooed in the branches.

Santi nodded at the shoreline. ‘He’s waiting for you.’

Savvine squinted at the back of a man in the distance, standing waist deep in the shallows. ‘He’s fishing.’

‘You don’t say.’

The tease in Santi’s smirk was undeniable.

He leaned back with one arm slung across the top of the buggy’s seat, enjoying himself. ‘Get in the water for a chat. You’ll find he’s full of surprises.’

She mumbled a curse under her breath, grabbed her bag, and climbed down from the hover flyer, brushing the hem of her coat.

‘ Sante for the ride.’

She received a two-finger salute from the rakish man before he took off.

She wandered down the path to the beach, stopping just short of the shore.

Her polished, clean boots were nowhere near lake-ready.

‘Wading in boots is a hard no,’ she muttered, toeing off her footwear and socks and tossing them onto the ground by a worn leather bag.