Page 6 of Zayrik (The Protectorate Warriors Alien Fated Mates #6)

Nyla

I HAD three problems .

One. I was stuck on a smuggling ship with someone I believed to be a Protectorate warrior who was too damn observant for his own good.

Two. Said warrior was now digging into the ship’s past, which meant it was only a matter of time before he put the pieces together.

And three?

He looked too damn good leaning there, all relaxed dominance and silent judgment. Like he was sizing up my soul.

I mentally slapped myself for that last thought. Zep trilled from his perch his tiny body warm against my shoulder.

Nav’s voice hummed dryly through my neural link. “You’re being reckless again.”

I ignored him.

Zayrik stood across the cockpit, arms crossed, staring at me like I was a puzzle he was two moves away from solving.

I didn’t like that.

“Alright, thief,” he drawled. “You’ve got that look .”

I arched a brow. “What look?”

“The shit’s about to go sideways look.”

Damn. He was paying attention .

Not good.

I forced a lazy smirk. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Zayrik didn’t blink. Didn’t move. Just watched me. Like he already knew I was lying.

Nav hummed in my ear. “See? He’s smart. I like him.”

My mouth tightened. “Not the time, Nav.”

“Your AI giving you trouble?” Zayrik asked, his mouth quirking up at one corner.

“He’s my problem, not yours.”

Nav switched to external mode, his voice now audible in the cockpit. “Rude. But fine. I’ll just wait for your inevitable disaster.”

I shot the wrist device a murderous look.

Zayrik’s amusement only deepened. “You two always this dysfunctional?”

“We have a system,” I muttered. “He’s annoying, I ignore him, somehow we stay alive.”

“A flawless methodology,” Nav commented dryly.

Zayrik exhaled, getting back to business. “So. You wanna explain why your whole face changed when I said we were two days out from the nearest outpost?”

I frowned. “I have one face.”

He smirked. “Not when you’re lying.”

Shit. This wasn’t good. Because he was right.

Two days wasn’t good. Not for me. Not for anyone .

Not because of the ship itself. Because of what it meant .

Vask’s network was spreading.

If I was right, he wasn’t just looking for me.

He was looking for everything.

And this ship?

It was a thread in the web.

Which meant if we stopped at the wrong outpost? If the wrong people saw me?

If Zayrik figured out exactly what I was running from?

I was screwed.

I leaned back in my seat, forcing all of that deep down.

“You’re paranoid, Captain ,” I murmured. “Maybe you should get some rest.”

Zayrik let out a quick breath. Half a laugh, half frustration. “You’re impossible.”

“You’re observant. It’s a problem.”

His smug grin widened. “For you?”

I grinned. “Maybe.”

He moved closer, his tall frame casting a shadow over me. “You know, most people try to hide their secrets better.”

“Perhaps I’m not trying to hide them,” I countered, tilting my head up to maintain eye contact. “Maybe I just don’t think you need to know.”

Leaning down, he said in a low voice, “Perhaps what you don’t realize is that I already know more than you think.”

My pulse stuttered. Bluff? Or truth?

“Is that so?” I managed, keeping my voice steady.

He was near enough I could make out the lighter blue flecks in his midnight eyes.

Close enough that I caught the scent of him. Something masculine and clean that shouldn’t have been so distracting.

“I know you’re running from someone powerful,” he said quietly. “I know this ship has connections you’re afraid of. And I know—” he paused, his gaze intensifying, “—that whatever you’re carrying is worth killing for.”

I swallowed hard.

Nav, unbothered by the sexual tension suffocating the room, cut in again through our neural link. “So just to be clear, your plan is to keep lying until he either figures it out or throws you out the airlock?”

I rolled my eyes.

Zayrik pushed off the console, still watching me. I didn’t like how much he watched me .

Because he wasn’t distracted by my words. He was watching the things I wasn’t saying .

And worst of all, I didn’t hate the way his eyes lingered.

“Since we’re stuck together,” he said, voice low and easy, “how about we try something new?”

I blinked. “What?”

He stepped closer. Not threatening . Just... close .

Close enough that I had to tilt my head to keep his gaze. Close enough that the heat coming off him curled into my skin.

“Honesty,” he said.

I scoffed. “That’s adorable.”

He grinned, flashing teeth. He liked this . He liked the challenge.

“Think about it,” he said. “Before the engines die and I have to drag the truth out of you myself.”

The way he said it sent an involuntary shiver down my spine. Not from fear.

“And how exactly would you do that?” The words slipped out before I could stop them, my voice lower than intended.

He didn’t answer right away. Just looked at me. Like he was imagining it.

His eyes darkened for a fraction of a second. A moment of tension stretched between us. Something electric and dangerous.

Then he straightened, breaking the spell.

“I have my methods,” he said simply. Then he walked away.

Left me there. Thinking. Stewing.

And for the first time in a long time. I wasn’t sure how long I could keep this up.

And I wasn’t just talking about my secrets.

I WAS LOSING MY EDGE . I could feel it in the way my body sagged. The way my fingers ached from gripping controls too tightly. The way my ribs throbbed from the wound I wasn’t letting slow me down.

I’d held my own in our little power dance, but the truth? I was burning out. Fast.

Zep climbed onto my shoulder, pressing warm against my collarbone reminding me I wasn’t alone .

Nav, of course, had thoughts . “Your heart rate suggests fatigue. You are running at thirty-eight percent efficiency.”

I scowled, rolling my head against the seat. “Shut up, Nav.”

“I could. But that would not change the fact that you are... statistically speaking, making poor survival choices.”

Zep trilled softly, curling against my jacket like he agreed.

Traitors. Both of them.

I should have been strategizing my next move. But my body had other ideas.

I barely reached the nearest room with a bunk before my knees said absolutely not.

Just five minutes.

I stretched out, ignoring how good it felt to not be on my feet.

Zep curled up against my chest, his tiny claws kneading at my jacket. A comfort I didn’t deserve.

Nav’s voice softened just slightly . “Are you going to tell him?”

My stomach tightened. I knew exactly what the AI meant.

Zayrik.

He wasn’t an idiot. He’d already figured out that something was off. He just didn’t know how bad it really was.

I stared at the ceiling. “There’s nothing to tell.”

Nav hummed, like it didn’t believe me. “Interesting. Your vitals suggest otherwise.”

I glared at my wristband. “I swear to the stars, Nav—”

“Your hands are shaking.”

I froze . Then slowly curled my fingers into fists.

Nav wasn’t wrong.

I felt too much. And I hated it.

I was good at surviving. Good at making things up as I went. But this? This was different.

I had no idea how to handle someone like Zayrik.

His confidence, his presence, the way he looked at me like he saw something I wasn’t ready to show.

It had been easier when I thought I could ditch him at the next outpost.

But now? I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

I exhaled, turning onto my side. I wasn’t ready for whatever this was. Not yet.

Zep let out a soft chirp, curling closer.

I let my eyes close.