Kiss of the Night by Sylvia Day

stood outside the shuttle pod and gazed at the nearby forest. The brightness of the twin suns was slowly waning as the day lengthened into late afternoon. Tall, green grass grew to her hips. Swaying gently in the fragrant breeze it resembled the rippling waves of water in the lake just beyond the rise. Birds larger in size than she was flew in the air above her in swirling, dipping patterns she remembered fondly from her childhood. Despite the bleakness of her present task, it didn’t detract from the knowledge that she was home. It had been a long time since her last visit. Too long.
    Shortly the authorities would come to investigate the unauthorized landing, but that wasn’t what worried her. The local police could be dismissed with a quick eye scan to verify her identity. It was Alexei Night that gave her the shivers. Vampires were predators. He would be able to track her easily if he wanted. And that was one thing she’d never doubted about him—he wanted. Badly.
    “Let’s get out of here,” she said grimly, her fingers finding comfort in the grip of her blaster.
    James stepped out of the shuttle and raised the ramp, sealing the craft. “I have everything we need.”
    They jogged quickly across the packed dirt of the clearing and slipped into the woods, heading toward the public transport hub just a few kilometers away.
    As they moved silently through the golden trees, Bree felt occasional brushes of awareness along her spine. Alex couldn’t be on her heels yet, there were still a few hours left before nightfall, but she was as cognizant of him as if he walked directly behind her. She quickened her pace.
    Some type of tampering had happened to James, she didn’t doubt her droid’s claim. But why would Alex need to access her PA when her own thoughts were an open book? And who had he been communicating with the last week of their journey? She couldn’t see any reason for him to have shared her information with anyone unless he’d meant to profit from it. Despite how well that fit in with his past record and his reputation as a criminal, she couldn’t believe Alex would hurt her for credits. She was, however, starting to believe that he loved her. Or maybe she was just hoping he loved her. But if she was hoping for his love, wouldn’t the implication be that her own feelings were stronger than she’d acknowledged?
    What a fucking mess.
    Don’t say a word, James , she warned silently.
    For once, her droid used his undeniable logic to keep his mouth shut.
    * * * * *
    Alex hit the catch on his boot and watched as his footwear sealed automatically. Straightening, he arched his neck, adjusting the fit of the scabbard that was slung across his back. His laser sword clung to his thigh and his blaster hung fully charged in the holster at his side. Normally, he wouldn’t need anything more than his own physical power, but he had no idea what he was walking into and he had Bree to worry about. He’d need the wooden sword at his back if he had to face off against his own kind, the blaster if he fought a droid and his laser sword—with a massive helping of good fortune—if he fought against a Shinite.
    Growling with frustration and unbearable worry, he began to pace. He’d landed on the surface an hour ago, but he had to wait for the cursed twin suns of Tolan to set.
    Bree was close despite her three-hour head start. He could sense her. His shuttlecraft’s unique tracking signal had made it simple to find and he’d landed at the closest port. It was a public transport hub and they’d protested mightily at his request to land. His ship, the Renegade , was a deep-space Starwing, far too large for the design of the simple local hub. He’d had to beg, barter and plead for the clearance to land and in the end it had cost him a case of Anneri wine. The beverage wasn’t illegal, but it was very hard to come by and very expensive.
    The soft beeping from the bridge told him the suns had gone down far enough that it was