Page 37

She winced.

‘Still, we endured it,’ he said. ‘Together. We forged a brotherhood in that abyss.’

He exhaled again, this time slower. The pain was still present, but distant now. Healed over, not raw.

‘Then came the Great Apocalypse.’

Her mouth twisted with bitterness. ‘I remember that all too well.’

He nodded. ‘Only it wasn’t just power grids and satellites.

A series of bombs went off all over the planet in the Apocalypse wars.

Some of those weapons were detonated beneath our cells.

We believe it was more than just about the conflict above ground.

A secret United Earth operation was trying to retrieve a weapon, ancient and not of this world. ’

Savvine leaned forward.

‘They must have tripped it, triggered, and detonated right under us. It should have killed us all.’

His eyes darkened. ‘But it didn’t.’

His timbre deepened. ‘Instead, it changed us.’

‘How?’

‘The blast didn’t just obliterate walls.

It shredded the veil between the physical and spiritual planes.

The forest above the prison, the animals, the spirits that existed in it for centuries, were too caught in the bloom, as were we.

An unknown element in that detonation bound their essence to ours. ’

He pressed a palm to his chest. ‘It’s hard to explain, but I sensed it when it happened.

The howling. The clawing. A presence older than time crawled into my veins, into all of us.

It joined us to the spirit guardians of the forest, at least that’s what we’ve concluded, as we could not find any other sane explanation. ’

He nodded. ‘At times, I sense that what fused with us wasn’t just an accident, it was purposeful.’

‘To what end?’

Xander gazed out the window into the distance. ‘Perhaps an aetheric entity, trapped on Earth, wanted its liberty, so instead of escaping into oblivion after the explosion, it found hosts in us. I have no answers except that it gave me my freedom, and I will be forever grateful.’

Savvine shivered at the prescience of his words, even as Xander continued.

‘Santiago and I bonded with what we believed were canis lupus, gray wolves. Fast, instinctive, brutal. Mak and Kaal took on more of the alien genetic material. Their aether burns colder, and when they bite, they can suck souls, which makes them almost vampiric. Still lycans, but darker. Bone, Boaz, and Zev? They’re dire werewolves.

The largest aetheric lycans in existence.

Fierce, unmovable. When they shift, you feel the stars quake. ’

Savvine stared at him in wonder. ‘I’ve been on this flotilla for years and only caught whispers of your abilities.’

‘We prefer to keep our competencies under the radar, and only use them with discretion.’

‘How do they work?’

‘Twenty questions mi cielo ?’ Xander teased.

She stuck her tongue out at him, and he growled and tried to lunge for her, but she escaped.

‘Please, I want to know.’

With a huff, he went on. ‘It’s not just a shift. It’s a surge. We disappear for a second, like light pulled through a prism, that returns laced with aether. It injects us with energy, speed, and strength. It’s saved our lives more times than I can count.’

‘But only in defense,’ she murmured.

His lips twitched. ‘ Naam . That’s the vow. We don’t attack unless we’re attacked. The spirits made it clear. This power was a gift to protect, not to dominate.’

Savvine swallowed. ‘What about the prison? How did you get out?’

A grim smile played at the edge of his mouth. ‘After the blast, nothing much was left of it. The ceilings collapsed. Most of the guards were gone. We crawled out through rubble and fire. The first thing we saw was the night sky.’

He glanced up now, as if seeing it again. ‘I remember Santiago falling to his knees, just breathing. First free air in over four years.’

Savvine whispered, ‘What happened after?’

‘We ran together,’ he said. ‘We disappeared. Off-grid. We tried to find our families, but many had died in the nuclear blasts that engulfed Earth. We dealt with our shitty grief, and tried to understand what we had become. But it didn’t take long before the universe came knocking, and Earth was no longer a sustainable place for us.

We needed out. So we tooled up the Sombra on our dime and searched for work to keep us relevant to the flotilla.

We found that the rich individuals, mafia families, and wealthy dynasties desired protection, and we had ex-soldiers and fighters keen to get to Pegasi and defend and fight for their right to passage.

We merged the two needs and created Signet. ’

She studied him, her voice soft. ‘But you’re not just security personnel.’

‘ Nada ,’ Xander said. ‘We’re remnants of an ancient entity, one left behind in the bowels of Earth. Chosen by spirits we might never understand. Survivors. Guardians. Monsters, maybe, but with a moral compass it seems.’

She studied him with new eyes, his words sinking deep into her marrow.

Xander leaned back in his chair, gaze steady on her. ‘We may wear uniforms now. But the wolves are still inside us. They always will be. The thing is, woman, can you handle the lycan in me?’

She smiled up at him with that slow, sultry curve of her mouth that always seemed to undo some essential part of him. ‘I think it’s fokkin ’ hot.’

He chuckled even as his heart lurched.

Fokk .

Emotion roiled in a thunderclap over him as he stared down at her.

She sprawled beneath him, skin flushed, still naked, hair tangled like spilled ink across his torso.

He couldn’t breathe. His chest rose and fell too fast.

As well as the joy he expected at her acceptance, a storm of chaos churned inside him as doubt tore through him.

Because even now, he already knew this early in their relationship: She was the one thing he’d never survive losing.

That was when her fragrance hit him.

Not just her heady blend of vanilla, spice, and amber, but her.

He now realized that her clean, natural scent calmed and centered him, even in the thick of battle, as when they fought the Lombardis.

It felt sacred, freakin’ righteous as it reached into his panic and centering him, calming his fraught anxiety.

His pulse steadied.

His heart, still slamming, began to beat in rhythm with hers.

Fokk . She and her scent were becoming his anchor and mainstay.

Still, he turned his head away before she caught the twist in his expression.

One that screamed, ‘ I’m already yours, and I don’t know how to survive without you. ’

His mind and soul skittered.

Sharing his harrowing past triggered all the fear and worry of loss he worked so hard to bury away.

Fokk, he had lost so much.

If anything were to happen, would he endure losing her as well?

With no warning, he got the urge to escape the moment, the emotional tsunami bearing down on him.

‘We should shower and dress,’ he rasped. ‘I’ve got a bathroom next door.’

Unaware of the maelstrom in his heart, she propped herself on her elbows, hair tumbling wild, lips still swollen from his kisses, and gave him a lazy, languorous smile.

Then she reached for him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Pressed a long, deep kiss to his mouth that tasted like fire and honey.

He almost lost it again, his hands gripping her hips for dear life.

‘Come on,’ she murmured, brushing her thumb across his lower lip. ‘Let’s not keep your pack waiting.’

He nodded, silent, forcing the panic down, burying it under layers of command.

They showered together, a quiet ritual without words. She soaped his back, and he rinsed her hair, stopping to linger between kisses.

Despite her embraces and her acceptance of him, he felt naked, vulnerable, and fought off the urge to run.

Still, he managed to mask and appear composed when they stepped into the corridor toward the mess, ready to celebrate with the rest of the Signet crew.

Unbeknownst to her, Xander’s pulse raced because whatever this thing between them was, it was no more straightforward.

He wanted, nada , craved, more.

Part of him craved all of her, forever.

Yet another hidden aspect of his soul was terrified of giving it up, of surrendering all the restraint built over the years.

Hell, he thought. I’m fokked .

SAVVINE

The mess hall of the Sombra throbbed and reverberated.

Music pounded from the overhead sound system, deep bass syncing with the thunderous energy reverberating through the deck.

The ship’s crew packed the space from wall to wall, from lean warriors, engineers with greased hands still stained from battle repairs, to med-techs laughing between bites.

The entire Signet Company was off-duty and letting loose.

The moment Savvine stepped through the doors beside Xander, all clamor seemed to pause, then explode.

The pilots were the first to react, slamming their palms on the long, brushed steel tables.

Plates rattled, cutlery bounced, and hollers rang like a war chant.

The gunners and coders followed, drumming their legs on the floor in unison, thumping fists against walls, and issuing whistles and cheers that swelled into a deafening storm.

‘Bianchi!’ someone called. ‘Bianchi!’

‘Queen and freakin’ ace pilot!’ another shouted.

Savvine froze in the doorway, her cheeks already glowing. Her hand fluttered toward her hip like she wanted to reach for a gun, or maybe just something solid to hold on to.

Xander caught her waist and pulled her to his side. ‘ Mi reina , they adore you now,’ he said into her ear, lips brushing her skin. ‘You took down the Lombardi prize ship; for that, you’re a hero.’

She turned to him, flushing. ‘This is too much. I didn’t do it alone.’

‘ Nada ,’ he murmured, his fingers stroking her back, leaning in to whisper. ‘But you sure as hell made it legendary. Makes me want to hand you the keys to my racer.’

Her eyes lit up. ‘For real?’

He blew hot air over her lobe, sending shivers down her spine. ‘Anytime you want her, she’s yours, mi cielo .’

Savvine bit her lip, her eyes dancing as Xander’s eyes fell to her mouth.

‘ Fokk me, you’re beautiful,’ he breathed.

Just then, Santi swaggered through the crowd toward them, two decanters of champagne in one hand and a carton of chilled beer tucked under the other. ‘ Mi gente !’ he roared. ‘Let’s get this party started!’

Bottles popped. Laughter burst from every direction.

They found a table where plates loaded high with fire-roasted chorizo , buttery garlic prawns, and paprika-laced chicken thighs appeared.

Servers brought trays of paella , and sliced jamón ibérico was passed around like treasure.

Pitchers of sangria glinted red and gold beneath the lights.

A dome of fried plantains cradled chili-glazed wings on the center table.

Ever the dramatist, Zev insisted on balancing sangria glasses and a beer schooner on his head for fun until Boaz, chuckling, relieved him.

Savvine tried to blend in, sipping her drink, nodding at compliments, but the spotlight never left her.

Unaccustomed to the attention and getting overwhelmed, she glanced about for reprieve.

Ducking her head as another cheer rose, she leaned to Xander. ‘Honey, I need the bathroom,’ she whispered, eyes darting toward the hallway.

He inclined to her, his voice all velvet. ‘Don’t run too far.’

He brought her close and gave her a scorching kiss.

When she pulled away from him, her eyes gleamed, her face flushed, and her cheeks were hot.

With a press of her lips and a sigh, she slipped away.

XANDER

Xander brooded as his eyes tracked her departure.

The second she was left, Santi dropped beside him, beer in hand.

‘Well, well,’ he drawled. ‘It’s going well then, cabrón ?’

Xander took a swig of his ale. ‘Statement or question?’ he groused into the bottle.

Zev threw an arm around Xander’s upper arm from the other side. ‘Facts, hermano . The lean in. How you two sit shoulder to shoulder like you’re sharing secrets from another galaxy.’

Kaal, deadpan as always, called out from the other side of the table. ‘The gazes. The ones that last too long, where she bites her lip and you forget the rest of us exist.’

Santi leaned in with mock gravity. ‘The knee-touching, brother. Or that time she rested against you for a whole briefing. You didn’t even flinch.’

Xander groaned, rubbing his face. ‘Didn’t even notice we were doing it.’

‘Oh, you two are lit up,’ Zev said, lifting his beer. ‘So. How serious is it?’

Xander hesitated.

He stared into the amber swirl of his drink, gathering his thoughts.

His heart jolted for his growing fever, for Savvine was ever ratcheting.

‘I’ll say this,’ he rasped. ‘She’s wise. Doesn’t lead with flash, but she fits into our world like she’s always belonged here. Doesn’t look down on us. Fights like a damned demon. Races like a fire-spitting goddess, she’s still soft where it counts.’

Santi canted a brow. ‘So, is she forever material?’

Xander inhaled, bracing himself for what he was about to reveal.

It emerged with a savagery that surprised him when it left his lips. ‘I believe we’re knotted. I’ve marked her and intend to claim her as mine for freakin’ eternity.’

Kaal whistled long and loud at Xander’s growl. ‘Does she know that? She’s a Bianchi, and they and the other Syndicate members have labeled our kind as untouchable. How will you deal?’

Xander’s eyes smoldered with an unholy flame. ‘I’ll use my spectral energy to change her mind.’

‘You’ll manipulate her?’

‘ Fokk no, I’ll persuade her, and if anyone comes up against us, I’ll rip them apart.’

As he spoke, he swore he scented his woman. He raised his nose and breathed in deeply, electrified, already missing her.

Zev bumped his shoulder. ‘ Que cabrón, sounds like you’ve given in to the pull of the knot.’

Xander raised and pointed his bottle in a challenge. ‘ Sí , pendejo , and you appear green with envy. When’s your turn, player?’

The friends chuckled, clinking their beverages in an informal toast.