Commander Bruvan looked at me and I looked at him. I felt like I was in an Old West showdown.
“Bruvan.”
“Phan.” He crossed the distance and stood before me. Toe to toe. I would have said nose to nose, except he was at least a foot taller. And towered over me, as I'm sure he intended.
I put my hands on my hips but didn’t step back. I looked up to find him scowling at me. “Show me what you've got, Phan. And then stay the hell out of my
way.”
Oh yeah, I’d volunteered to be an Interstellar Bride, to ensure I was as far away from this one particular person in the entire universe. Yeah, that hadn’t worked out so well.
Chapter 11
Dorian
* * *
The battle alarm sounded, jolting me instantly alert from a dead sleep. I threw on my uniform quickly. I remembered Chloe was at the control deck, safe with Commander Karter. Seth, I knew, was out on a ReCon mission. I’d heard his comm unit ping when he was in the shower earlier and had quickly dressed and run out before I fell back asleep.
I grabbed my weapon, holstered it.
Seth faced the same uncertainty we all did every day, and we'd both come to terms with it. I just hoped Chloe could, too.
Uniform and boots on, I left our private quarters and made it to the pilots’ debriefing room in record time where I was shocked to find Chloe standing with Commander Karter and Warlord Anghar on the edge of the room. A few feet away was a group of warriors I did not recognize. Their armor was strange, embedded with odd silver circuitry that I recognized well as Hive tech.
Their leader appeared to be glaring at my mate and I did not like the way he looked at her. Hell, I could tell just by looking at him he was an asshole. But I could sense that from Chloe through the collar, knew she was more than familiar with this man. She hated him. But he underestimated my Chloe’s fire, for she glared back, not backing down one inch. I felt shame tinge her pride, her resolve to stand her ground.
My pride at having such a brave, beautiful mate swelled even as the seriousness of the situation slammed home. Every pilot we had was in the room. No one was sleeping. Commander Karter himself walked to the front of the group and began briefing us on our mission which, for now, was a basic scramble alert. We had to be ready to go at a moment's notice. Apparently the giant Atlan we’d taken off that freighter with ReCon 3 had woken from the ReGen Pod and warned the commander of some sort of trap. That my Chloe was in the middle of it didn't surprise me at all. But I could feel a shocking mix of emotions coming from her. Emotions I had no hope of deciphering now.
Shame. Guilt. Fear. Rage. Resolve.
There was no softness in her now. She was a warrior.
It felt like she was already engaged in battle.
I'd be going out soon and I breathed a sigh of relief when the commander informed us that all ReCon and assault teams had been called back to the Karter as a precaution.
“Pilots, head to the flight deck,” Commander Karter said. “Be prepared to depart at my command. Good luck.”
I was leaving then, but Seth was on his way back. He would be here. Life or death didn't matter to me any more or less than it ever had. I wanted to live, but I had to fight. The only thing I cared about as we were dismissed was making sure my mate was protected.
I rose and made my way over to Chloe, who was surrounded by Atlans and Prillons who seemed twice her size.
I pulled her aside and drew her into my arms briefly, just so I could take her scent, her touch with me into battle. I wrapped my arms around her and she squeezed me tightly. I placed a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. I felt her need for me through the collars and I was sure she felt the same in return.
“Come back to me, Captain,” she whispered. “I’m totally in love with you.”
My heart threatened to burst at the words. The feeling coursed through me, and I couldn’t hold back what I felt for her. She sensed it through the collars, but I wanted her to hear it, too. To know the truth of it all. “I love you too, mate, to death and beyond.”
I let her go, but walking away from her was one of the hardest things I had ever done. I knew she'd be safe on the battleship right next to Commander Karter, but Seth wasn't here. Not yet. Both of us would be out there, in danger. But it was the best I could do.
Chapter 12
Dorian
* * *
“What are we doing here, if we’re not flying the freighter? It’s our ship.” The Prillon pilot seated next to me in the freighter’s launch bay looked as unhappy as I felt. His name was Izak, and we’d been flying together for two years. He was a damn good pilot, perhaps even better than me. But he wanted answers I didn’t have.