string until his boot had already hit it. Something rattled off to his left, and the light in the cabin window was instantly doused. He crouched down, hand on his weapon, ready to defend himself is necessary.
The hinges on the door squeaked, breaking the stillness of the night. He held his breath and listened, ready to draw his weapon if he heard the unmistakable click of the practically ancient firearms used by many of the settlers on the planet. Instead, he heard something he hadn’t been expecting at all.
“Redwood?”
It was a woman’s voice. Small. Nervous. Startled that the asset wasn’t a man, he stood quickly. His gaze moved to the open doorway where he could only see the vague outline of a person. “Driftwood,” he called out, his voice steady and strong and hoping to put her at ease.
“Careful,” she urged. “You’ve hit the security lines.” A flashlight switched on and illuminated the zigzag of clear fishing lines with silver cans dangling from them. “This way.” She used the flashlight to show the path he needed to take.
He followed the guiding beam of dim light until he reached the porch where there were more lines stretched along the stairs. He hesitated at the base of them. In his culture, a man didn’t walk into another man’s home when his wife or daughters were there alone. Different settlements on the planet had different rules about these kinds of things. Some were much more conservative and patriarchal. Others were more progressive and relaxed. Not wanting to start off on the wrong foot, he asked, “Is your father home?”
“Right over there.” The flashlight beam bounced to an area off to the left. There were two simple headstones visible. “Right next to my mother.”
He was glad for the darkness and the way it lessened the awkwardness. “I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” she assured him. “It was an honest question. And,” she added hurriedly, “before you ask, there’s no brother or uncle or cousin or husband. It’s just me.”
He grimaced. Too many horrible things could happen to a vulnerable woman alone in the woods. Considering how young her voice sounded and the Shadow Force’s reputation for breaking the rules when it came to their assets, he couldn’t ignore the very real possibility she was just a kid. “How old are you?”
“Old enough to die saving your friend, apparently.”
“I’ve seen kids die in war. There isn’t a minimum age for dying.”
“Nineteen,” she said. “Is that old enough for you?”
He swallowed hard, wondering if that was meant to be flirtatious or serious. Erring on the side of caution, he chose not to follow up with the remark that burned the tip of his tongue. “Yes.”
She waved her flashlight to beckon him inside. Skipping the questionable steps altogether, he used his superior size and strength to hop straight to the very top. He heard her sharp intake of breath, and he worried he had scared her. The porch whined under his weight, and he wondered if he was about to crash through weathered wood.
“Come inside, sir.”
His gut clenched. She was being polite, but his brain went straight to sex. Like so many of his kind, he had a dominant streak that yearned to be set free with a mate, but he refused to capture a woman in the Grabs. Occasionally, he would visit a poppy, but it was rare and only when he felt so on edge, he couldn’t handle it on his own.
So, hearing this woman with her sweet, gentle voice call him sir heated his blood. He mentally chastised himself. She didn’t ask for him to come here to seduce her. She was cooperating to help save one of his own.
“Watch your head,” she urged, aiming the flashlight at the door frame. “You’re a lot bigger than I expected.”
He stifled a groan at the sinful image her words conjured. Stop. Thinking. With. Your. Dick.
Ducking to clear the door frame, he stepped into her cabin and shut the door behind him. This close, he caught the earthy, woodsy scent of her. She moved quietly, her footsteps silent on the floorboards. Anticipation built as he heard her strike a match. What did she look like?
A lamp flared to life. She had her back to him, but he could see the dark braid trailing down her back. She was absolutely tiny. Smaller than any of the other women who had been Grabbed by his friends. As she lit another lamp, more details were revealed to him. She