Page 49

She curled up again in the chair beside him, her fingers linked with his beneath the sheets.

The gentle beeping of the monitors and the slow rise of his chest lulled her into rest.

By morning, she woke to the sound of her name, said in a muffled, strained groan.

‘Savvine!’

She bolted upright, eyes adjusting to the med-bay’s dawn light.

Xander was out of his hover bed, gripping the doorway to the bathroom. His teeth were gritted, and his massive frame trembled.

He was half-slumped on the door jamb, breath shallow, sweat beading along his forehead.

‘I can’t, I can’t lift my hands right to get my shit off. I can’t shower.’

His timbre was hoarse with frustration.

‘I’ve got you,’ she murmured, rushing to his side and sliding her shoulder under his to help him through the door.

Inside the stall, she caught his weight with her body and helped him peel off his hospital gown, her touch gentle and reverent. She led him onto a stool.

‘Let me run a bath, it’ll be more relaxing for you, baby.’

He studied her silently as she adjusted the temperature, letting steam rise around them.

She then stripped, and he raked his eyes over her naked shape, eyes gleaming as she guided him into the water’s heated embrace.

He sighed as she reached for the soap and stepped in behind him, sinking under the surface, her thighs on either side of his hips, his back to her front.

‘Savvine-.’

‘I said I’ve got you, honey.’

Her touch was caring and tender, and he sighed in surrender, leaning back into her.

She worked the suds along his shoulders, arms, over his chest, down his back, the tension in his muscles leaking from him in increments.

Easing his head back to her shoulder, her fingers moved through his hair, rinsing sweat and ash and massaging his skull until he almost purred.

Instead, he grunted with pleasure and closed his eyes, surrendering to her attention.

Many minutes later, she rinsed him and then rose to help him.

He took her hand, his trembling, as he stepped out on shaky limbs, clasping her hips to steady himself.

She held onto him, even though he loomed over her.

‘I’m not letting you fall, honey, not now, not ever,’ she murmured, kissing his temple.

‘ Sante , belleza ,’ he whispered.

She dried him, helped him into fresh clothes, and kissed him again on the cheek, brow, and fingers.

There was nothing sexual in the moment, just intimacy, care, and tenderness.

Later, curled up beside him in his hover bed, he pulled her close with the bit of strength he possessed.

‘I don’t deserve you,’ he mumbled, his lips against her hair.

She held him tighter. ‘Stop. I should be the one saying that given how many times you’ve saved my ass now. Also, I’m with you because I adore you, flaws and all, and I know you feel the same way about me.’

‘Damn straight, mi cielo , damn fokkin ’ straight.’

The medbay was a haven of silence save for the rhythmic pulse of the machines monitoring Xander’s vitals.

He reclined on the bio-bed with his eyes half-lidded, the deep wounds along his torso now faded to angry pink streaks.

Savvine sat curled beside him on the edge of the mattress, her fingers combing through his hair, more out of habit than necessity.

His breathing steadied, but the battle had left a fog in his muscles, and sleep still pulled at him like a tide.

The door hissed open.

Miral strode in, lean and composed, dressed in her flight uniform once more.

Behind her came Kaal and Santi, sporting fresh gear. However, their faces were still weary from all the cleanup after the skirmish.

Savvine glanced up, face brightening at the sight of Miral in one piece. ‘You’re back to yourself.’

The synth AI’s regenerated shimmering form sashayed in a svelte jumpsuit, with jeweled metanoids glittering all over her silhouette.

She appeared untouched by the war they’d just waged, and smirked. ‘I’m doing more than that. I ran a full combat sim this morning. I’m lethal, baby.’

‘Damn,’ Xander murmured without opening his eyes. ‘She’s back to being smug as fokk .’

‘Damn right I am,’ Miral said, stepping to the foot of the bed. ‘Look at you. Charred, seared like steak, and still managing to act cocky.’

Xander opened one eye. ‘It’s a talent.’

Kaal snorted. ‘Now, who’s arrogant? Bet you he’s also been roaring like a wounded war god.’

Savvine gave a mock eye roll. ‘He’s so demanding. I’ve had soap him down, too.’

Santi groaned. ‘Spare us the visual. The kinai almost died and still somehow lucked out.’

Xander let out a chuckle, wincing as his ribs twinged. ‘I’m lying here like a scalded sausage and you’re all jealous.’

‘Damn right,’ Kaal muttered. ‘I’ve never had anyone bathe me like that.’

‘You want a bath, fight a synth bot with nuclear teeth,’ Miral said dryly.

They chuckled, the easy rhythm of shared survival settling in.

Silence followed for a beat.

It wasn’t awkward, just full. Like they were all quietly acknowledging they’d stood on the edge of an ugly fate and survived its horrors.

Xander’s head rolled to the side, his body giving up its struggle to stay conscious.

Savvine smoothed a hand down his shoulder as his breath slowed.

Miral’s voice softened. ‘He’s tougher than he looks.’

Savvine nodded, eyes on him. ‘He scares the hell out of me sometimes.’

‘You’re badass too,’ Kaal said. ‘You endured a monster. Don’t sell yourself short.’

Santi leaned back against the wall, folding his arms. ‘You both went through fire.’

Miral placed a light hand on Savvine’s arm. ‘We all did, and we’ll go through it again if we have to. Together.’

Savvine studied her companions.

Miral, with her razor-calm poise, Kaal, with his quiet strength, and Santi, with his smirks and grins that masked a kind, generous soul.

Emotion hit her hard: gratitude, peace, and an acceptance of the pack as her new family.

She nodded once. ‘ Sante for everything, and for helping me realize kin is not always blood.’

‘All thanks to you,’ Santi drawled. ‘For saving us from Xander’s eternal brooding. The man was on the edge of imploding without a woman.’

‘ Fokk you and your envious ass,’ came the slurred, drowsy curse from the bed.

They all laughed as Xander’s mouth twitched.

Savvine smiled at her man. He gave her hand a squeeze, his fingers still intertwined around hers.

His breathing slowed, that telltale rhythm of healing sleep settling over him.

Miral tilted her head and gave a small, rare smile.

‘He’s finally shut up,’ she murmured. ‘Now let’s share what we think about him.’

Savvine smoothed her thumb over his knuckles before pulling away. She stood, stretching a little.

Miral gestured with a jerk of her chin. ‘Walk with us.’

Savvine took one more glance at Xander and then left the room with Miral by her side.

Santi and Kaal followed, less battle-worn. Their body language was loose, but their eyes were alert.

They slowed at a hallway alcove overlooking the hospital’s observation deck, out of earshot from the recovery room.

Savvine leaned her arms against the rail, eyes on the trio. ‘Talk to me.’

Miral stopped beside her. ‘We have an update.’

Savvine blinked, breath catching. ‘On the Eterna ? My family?’

‘ Naam .’ Kaal stepped up, his timbred rasp softer than usual. ‘The external security seems to have collapsed along with the crat synth bot’s implosion. So we managed to slip a recon drone into your ark ship this morning.’

Santi flicked on the holo button of his wrist tab and spun it in his palm.

The flickering image hovered before Savvine: a sweeping shot of the Venantia Eterna’s vast internal dome, where families huddled in communal spaces under emergency lanterns.

Her mother and sister were visible among them, seated on rolled bedding mats, tired but safe. A few crew members passed by in the background, thinner but on their feet.

‘They appear-’ she breathed, swallowing. ‘They seem okay.’

‘They’re alive,’ Miral confirmed. ‘A little lean, dehydrated maybe, but the dry stores still have about two weeks of ration packs and purification tablets.’

‘What about Eugene?’ Savvine asked, her voice turning to iron.

‘Gone,’ Miral said. ‘At least, in a synth bot physical sense. There’s a faint coded signature of his left on his pleasure yacht’s systems, almost like a ghost in the machine, to coin an old Earth phrase.

All crat presence outside the Eterna is negligible.

No synths. However, onboard, his droids are still operational, marching along the corridors, reacting as programmed.

Decoding and overriding their settings is possible if we can get inside. ’

‘We conducted a security loop-back test,’ Kaal added. ‘We noted power surges dip lowest during the ship’s twilight cycle on the Eterna’s artificial day clock. Tomorrow evening gives us a four-minute window.’

Savvine’s shoulders tensed. ‘I want in.’

Santi and Kaal exchanged glances.

‘You sure?’ Kaal asked.

‘ Naam .’

‘If the boss says nada -,’ Santi began.

‘I’m his boss,’ Savvine said, lips twitching.

Santi groaned. ‘Don’t we know it?’

‘You own the man,’ Kaal muttered.

Savvine raised a brow. ‘Do I now? I suppose I do. It appears you, Signet men, want to be claimed and owned. When are you two you going to let a pair of strong, smart women to hand your asses to you?’

‘ Fokk off,’ Santi cursed, with a lilt to his voice.

She lifted a middle finger at the trio, walking back into Xander’s room as they all laughed, united in camaraderie, the kind forged in fire and war.