“Don’t care. The number, Cormac. It’s not going to change the way I feel about you, so just tell me.”
“You said you loved me.”
“I do.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Shut the hell up and tell me the number.”
10
Abby
“One hundred and seventy-three outsiders. Three traitors inside the legion.”
“One-seven-six. Got it.” I released the last buckle and stepped away from the wall. “Are we on that planet? Ma-tear-ee? Whatever you said?” I might have paid more attention if I hadn’t been so worried about dying when he told me.
“Latiri 4. Yes.” Cormac unbuckled as well and turned to look at his control panel. “We are just outside an abandoned structure. We should be able to reach it easily. Perhaps a ten-minute walk.”
“My legs are short. Better make that fifteen. Does this place have air we can breathe?”
“Yes, but it is not ideal. We will suit up, walk to the base and take refuge inside until the evacuation team arrives.”
“How will they know where we are?”
Cormac pointed to one of the flashing lights on his panel. “This beacon is coded for Styx legion only. Anyone else will only be aware of random light frequencies moving through space.”
“A secret code. Cool.” I looked around, ready to get the hell out of this pod. I wasn’t claustrophobic, but this experience might change that. I wantedOUT. “Where are the suits?”
Cormac opened a panel on the floor and sorted through items. He placed a dark gray suit and helmet at my feet and removed a second for himself. The suits were accented with startling silver accents across the chest and a large band of silver on both upper arms. The helmet bore a brighter striping pattern as well. He lifted a large pack from below the floor as well. “These suits will filter and optimize the atmosphere so we can breathe it for days without any issue as well as protect us from radiation. The pack is full of rations and water.”
He stood and opened another panel, this one at the back of the cubby I’d just been standing in. Inside were weapons. Space guns. Little silver pistols that looked like shiny toys. Big knives with blades that were black, not silver metal. They looked incredibly sharp.
Cormac removed everything. Every single weapon. I had no idea where he was going to put it all.
“Take off your clothes and put on the suit.”
“Naked?”
“Yes.” He was all business, not a hint of the passionate lover I’d been spending time with. This version of Cormac was intense. Abrupt. He made me feel like he had everything under control, but I also felt alone. Unseen. I realized terror was the spice running through my blood. I’d been riding an adrenaline rush, and now my hands shook so badly I couldn’t get my clothes off.
“Cormac?”
“Yes?” He stuffed two knives and the weapons into the pack, leaving two small silver pistols and one larger, rifle-sized space gun on the floor. He had already set two knives on top of his suit.
I tried to answer, but it felt like my lungs were shaking. Impossible, but I couldn’t keep my airflow steady.
Cormac stopped what he was doing and looked up at me. “Abby.” His tone softened when he said my name. He stood, and I rushed into his arms. “You’re shaking.”
“I’m sorry. I think it’s adrenaline.”
With a gentleness I’d come to expect from him, he cupped the side of my face and lowered his head for a slow, dominant kiss. I relaxed into him with muscle memory I didn’t realize I had. He was mine. He was safe. He was sexy. He was everything.
He pulled back and rested his forehead against mine. “Better?”
“Yes.” I sighed. It wasn’t from the kiss but from the strong feel of his arms around me. “But I’m still shaking.”
I let him go and managed to strip and step into the suit with bare feet. Built-in boots enveloped my feet, adjusting to fit perfectly. I pulled the suit up over my hips, got my arms in the correct holes and stopped cold at the sight of Cormac in his suit.