was no telling if it was a trap.
“Dammit, Chief, get your Valorian under control. He’s
attacking Jackson,” Mase called over the comm.
Kendra cursed and raced to the skiff.
“Destiny’s gonna have our asses if her man gets dead.”
Reeva’s voice rang with anxiety.
Kendra smirked. She knew the history of every person in
Destiny’s employ. Jackson’s record proved he could hold his own, but from what
she’d seen so far, so could Azros. He was the wildcard. Kendra reached the
clearing and was hit with the feral scent of Azros. Her heart stuttered in her
chest. She bared her teeth. Danger. Was this territorial madness? Fuck! Fear and adrenaline mixed, and she did the one thing no sane woman would ever
do in her life—launched between two fighting men.
“Azros, stop.” She narrowly avoided Jackson’s fist, and used
her forward momentum to hit the Valorian at waist level. It was a dangerous
move, and one that she would have never done against an enemy. Her body was too
vulnerable to a counterattack.
She hooked an arm around his leg and twisted her body,
tangling him up. He roared against the hold and fought like a wild man .
Fate! He was going to seriously hurt one or both of them if he didn’t come
out of it. “Azros.” Panic cracked her voice. Azros froze.
“Kendra?” The hesitant question surged relief through her
system.
“Yeah. He’s the not the enemy. Stop. Fighting.” They both
sucked in deep gulps of air. Azros was a tough man to grapple with.
Reeva arrived and flashed on the torch. She kept it to the
ground, but Kendra’s eyes burned from the light. “Hello, Jackson.”
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. “Kendra. Reeva.
Where is Mase?”
“Here.” Mase stepped from the shadows.
“Jackson. One of yours?” Azros slowly untangled himself from
her body.
“One of Destiny’s men. Higher up the food chain.” She looked
up at Jackson’s grim face. “Much higher.” She let Azros go and debated
remaining on the ground. The rocky surface was almost comfortable at this
point. Hell, her back was stuck between pain and pleasure, and she wasn’t doing
a thing.
Azros held out a hand and she took it, letting him drag her
to her feet. She slapped her hands against her uniform, dislodging dust in a
puffed cloud.
“Sorry about that.” Azros held out a hand to Jackson. “Azros
del Mar, Valorian Prime.”
Kendra froze mid-swipe. “Del Mar?” He’d only introduced
himself as a Valorian Prime.
Azros blinked, and bowed as if in apology. She couldn’t see
the expression on his face, but imagined he was disgruntled. “Forgive me,
Kendra. It’s my formal last name. Valorian Prime is my title, like the word
chief from your subordinates.”
Kendra raised an eyebrow and stepped away from the two men.
It irked her that he didn’t tell her his full name. If he hadn’t been so
close to the edge, would he have let that much slip to Jackson? It’s not
like you’ve told him everything, either.
“Jackson Riley.” They gripped forearms in common
introduction.
If Jackson was here, that meant Destiny was alone. A fact
that didn’t sit well with her. At all. “Why are you here?”
“I’ll brief you on the way.” He looked around the area,
likely searching for Mase, who’d disappeared again. “Reeva and Mase are to
report back to the facility ASAP. They’re needed for a debriefing.”
“Get moving, you two.” Kendra pounded a fist with Reeva as
the woman passed. She looked at Jackson. “What about us?”
She heard Mase’s grumbling as he climbed into the skimmer.
Reeva’s quiet laughter as she followed behind. The group moved away from the
thrust path and waited until the skiff thundered off to continue the
conversation. Her eyes grew accustomed to the dark much quicker than she
expected. Jackson looked worried, and that was scary.
“You get a special debriefing, all your own.”
Azros silently stepped up against her back, providing a
comforting support.
“Lucky
“Dammit, Chief, get your Valorian under control. He’s
attacking Jackson,” Mase called over the comm.
Kendra cursed and raced to the skiff.
“Destiny’s gonna have our asses if her man gets dead.”
Reeva’s voice rang with anxiety.
Kendra smirked. She knew the history of every person in
Destiny’s employ. Jackson’s record proved he could hold his own, but from what
she’d seen so far, so could Azros. He was the wildcard. Kendra reached the
clearing and was hit with the feral scent of Azros. Her heart stuttered in her
chest. She bared her teeth. Danger. Was this territorial madness? Fuck! Fear and adrenaline mixed, and she did the one thing no sane woman would ever
do in her life—launched between two fighting men.
“Azros, stop.” She narrowly avoided Jackson’s fist, and used
her forward momentum to hit the Valorian at waist level. It was a dangerous
move, and one that she would have never done against an enemy. Her body was too
vulnerable to a counterattack.
She hooked an arm around his leg and twisted her body,
tangling him up. He roared against the hold and fought like a wild man .
Fate! He was going to seriously hurt one or both of them if he didn’t come
out of it. “Azros.” Panic cracked her voice. Azros froze.
“Kendra?” The hesitant question surged relief through her
system.
“Yeah. He’s the not the enemy. Stop. Fighting.” They both
sucked in deep gulps of air. Azros was a tough man to grapple with.
Reeva arrived and flashed on the torch. She kept it to the
ground, but Kendra’s eyes burned from the light. “Hello, Jackson.”
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. “Kendra. Reeva.
Where is Mase?”
“Here.” Mase stepped from the shadows.
“Jackson. One of yours?” Azros slowly untangled himself from
her body.
“One of Destiny’s men. Higher up the food chain.” She looked
up at Jackson’s grim face. “Much higher.” She let Azros go and debated
remaining on the ground. The rocky surface was almost comfortable at this
point. Hell, her back was stuck between pain and pleasure, and she wasn’t doing
a thing.
Azros held out a hand and she took it, letting him drag her
to her feet. She slapped her hands against her uniform, dislodging dust in a
puffed cloud.
“Sorry about that.” Azros held out a hand to Jackson. “Azros
del Mar, Valorian Prime.”
Kendra froze mid-swipe. “Del Mar?” He’d only introduced
himself as a Valorian Prime.
Azros blinked, and bowed as if in apology. She couldn’t see
the expression on his face, but imagined he was disgruntled. “Forgive me,
Kendra. It’s my formal last name. Valorian Prime is my title, like the word
chief from your subordinates.”
Kendra raised an eyebrow and stepped away from the two men.
It irked her that he didn’t tell her his full name. If he hadn’t been so
close to the edge, would he have let that much slip to Jackson? It’s not
like you’ve told him everything, either.
“Jackson Riley.” They gripped forearms in common
introduction.
If Jackson was here, that meant Destiny was alone. A fact
that didn’t sit well with her. At all. “Why are you here?”
“I’ll brief you on the way.” He looked around the area,
likely searching for Mase, who’d disappeared again. “Reeva and Mase are to
report back to the facility ASAP. They’re needed for a debriefing.”
“Get moving, you two.” Kendra pounded a fist with Reeva as
the woman passed. She looked at Jackson. “What about us?”
She heard Mase’s grumbling as he climbed into the skimmer.
Reeva’s quiet laughter as she followed behind. The group moved away from the
thrust path and waited until the skiff thundered off to continue the
conversation. Her eyes grew accustomed to the dark much quicker than she
expected. Jackson looked worried, and that was scary.
“You get a special debriefing, all your own.”
Azros silently stepped up against her back, providing a
comforting support.
“Lucky
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