“How are you? ” The weight of her blaster felt heavy against her thigh. After reclaiming it, the weapon felt tainted. It had wounded Damon and helped kill Ulric. Still, if she remembered why she carried it in the first place, everything else would soon fade.
“Now that I’m leaving Eden with you, I’m fine,” Damon said.
She sighed. He’d told her of his decision as soon as they’d left the cave the night before. “Are you sure? With Aleena gone, everyone’s going to be lost. They’ll need someone to help them get back on track.”
“That’s what Levi and Milo will do. They’ll lead them into a fair society with a chance at democracy. They don’t need me. I don’t really belong with them.”
“Where do you belong?” Her heart skipped a beat while she waited for his answer. What did she want to hear, anyway? After what happened with Ulric, she wasn’t sure.
He shrugged. “Wherever life leads me, I suppose. As long as I follow the magic, I’ll be okay.”
She smiled. “Just promise me something, okay?”
“What’s that?” His gaze met hers, and it was a little darker than usual. As if the weight of what had gone on around them had taken a toll on his spirit.
“From now on, we’ll be honest with each other.” Of course, she meant it more for her sake than his. After all, shewas the one who’d kept things from him, not the other way around. Though, he did tell her one big fib. “Since you’ve already lied to me, I thought we should agree to honesty from now on. Forget about everything that’s happened and move on.”
Damon nodded, but said, “When did I lie to you about anything?”
“Well, you told me you didn’t have any mechanics on your planet. Yet, there are two. One of them also happens to be an electrician!”
“I didn’t know about Levi and Milo. It was as much a surprise to me as it was to you,” he said with a smile.
“So, you’re really going to be part of my crew, huh?” A worm of anxiety wove its way tightly inside her stomach. After taking charge of the ship, she’d never had anyone on Promisewith her. She stuck her hand in her pocket and touched the bronze key for comfort. Did she have to keep from wearing it now, since Damon would be nearby most of the time?
“Of course, unless you’ve changed your mind,” he said. His thumb ran crazy circles around the back of her hand.
She clenched her thighs together, trying to walk as casually as she could but bit down on her bottom lip when the ecstasy raced through her. Her cheeks heated.
She opened her mouth to answer but didn’t get the chance.
“We’re done!” Levi called from the height of the tree where her ship was still lodged.
She hadn’t even realized they’d reached the spot. “Excellent.” I really can’t wait to get out of here.
Alex pulled her hand from Damon’s grip. With the surge of the orgasm slowly fading, she started to scratch her hand. During all the commotion, she’d forgotten to replace or even remove the bandage, and it had been bugging her since they’d stepped out of the relative safety of the fortress. She didn’t want to alarm Damon, so she’d kept quiet.
Now, it was too unbearable to stop. She scratched it, wanting to tug the bandage off.
“What’s wrong? You’ve been doing that a lot.”
“It’s just getting a bit itchy. That’s all,” she said between gritted teeth.
The concerned look on Damon’s face made her feel self-conscious.
Levi and Milo landed simultaneously on the ground beside them. They each dumped their tool bags into the waiting cart, which appeared to be a little less full than when they’d taken off. Their long hair was matted with sweat and grease, and their faces were covered in it.
“Is it all fixed?” she asked. Excitement bubbled up inside her. Until she’d caught a glimpse of Promise,she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed her ship. It might be a rust bucket and not so great to look at, but it was her home. The only real home she’d ever known.
Levi nodded. “We fixed all the mechanical and electrical problems, but you do have some cosmetic issues. We’re not equipped to fix them.”
“That’s okay. I’ve got a bodywork guy who can help.” She wondered how Damon would be affected while travelling with her, as she randomly ran into the string of ex-lovers she’d left scattered along the way. Still, she hadn’t committed to anything but offering him a place on the ship.
Besides, she’d probably have to build new contacts so Sackor wouldn’t find her.
“Damn!” She scratched her hand.
“You two better get going,” Damon said. “It’s already getting dark.”
Milo looked overhead.
“Are you guys sure you don’t want me to seal the fortress completely?”
“No, Damon. We don’t need to.” Levi shook his head. “We can’t get out without you, anyway.”
Alex watched him hand over the dreadlock he’d cut off, as well as the small canister of his blood. She’d watched him cut his forearm and hair before they left Eden.
Damon shrugged. “Either way, this should be enough for you to get in and out of the barrier whenever you need to. I’ve put some of my magic into both. If you change your mind about not sealing the village off, you still have time to pour the blood into the hole.”
“Thank you.” Levi took the offerings and shoved both things into his pocket.
The sun’s rays seemed to draw down faster. A definite trace of twilight already surrounded them.
“Come on, Milo.” Levi held out his hand, and the other man took it. They made a cute couple. It was good to see them being liberal with their mutual affection.
“We need to go, too.” Damon wrapped his hand around her wrist and yanked her forward.
“Don’t move!”
The slimy voice poured over her body and left behind the trails of disgust it always roused inside her. She looked at her hand and yanked off the bandage, wishing he hadn’t had a way of tracking her down.
She gasped when a tiny eye stared back at her from inside the crook of her hand. The yellow eye had a green slit in the middle, and blinked continuously.
Damon followed her gaze. His frown deepened.
“Is this the first time you noticed my surveillance on you, dear Alex Wales?” Sackor stalked out from the thick foliage with a blaster in his dark right hand, and a smile on his hard face. Two of his goons followed close behind, with their own blasters pointed. One stood on each side of their leader.
“What the hell do you want?” Alex tried to ignore the eye staring back at her. There wasn’t enough soap in the galaxy capable of making her feel clean after this.