as a soft light began to glow.
Hakon finished tying the used ration package to the frame. “I’ll push the ship back out of the way. Couldn’t think of anything else that would keep the heat in, and honestly after the day we’ve had, neither of us are up for standing guard duty.”
I stared at the light. “You modified the heating element. Clever.”
“Won’t last long, not much left after it finished its primary purpose,” he shrugged. “But I thought it might help with any buried alive thoughts you might be having.”
“I hadn’t been having any until you mentioned it. Thanks.”
He sat, resting his back against the trench wall, and patted the ground next to him. “We’ve been a little busy with that whole surviving thing. But maybe we should start sharing a little information. It might help.”
I studied his face. The beginnings of a heavy beard shadowed his jaw, but his eyes were the same. The danger I’d imagined lurked behind them was real, no doubt about that.
But somehow, not for me.
A strange heat started in my belly. At least, not in the way I’d worried about.
I took a deep breath, tried to clear my mind as I scooted over to sit next to him. “You’re on. Point for point.”
“You’re a little competitive, you know that?”
“My brother’s brought it up more than once,” I admitted.
His eyebrows raised. “Family information so soon in the game?” He nodded thoughtfully, as if just as careful with his words as I was. “Okay, I’ll trade back. I have brothers, too.”
“Really? Are they nearby?” I don’t know why, but that little glimpse of his family intrigued me.
Unfortunately, it also reminded me of how complicated things had gotten.
Luca, standing on the bridge of the Foil next to Uncle Ran.
Neither of them where they were supposed to be.
I pushed the thought away. I didn’t want to be upset.
Not now.
Not with Hakon so close that the trench seemed to fill with his spicy scent.
“Nope,” he laughed. “Not unless someone’s already sent a message back home about our hasty departure from Station 112.” He chuckled, scrubbing his fingers through his hair. “Don’t get me wrong, they’re fantastic, but occasionally a pain in the ass.”
“That sums it up,” I agreed, suddenly desperate to ask more, but not wanting to answer more questions about my own family.
Hakon placed his hand over mine gently. “That wasn’t so bad, was it? Two down.”
“And a million to go.” I swallowed hard.
The mission was all that mattered.
No one could be trusted.
But now, if I was going to get off this rock, maybe I’d have to make an exception.
“I took the contract on Station 112 to get information,” I blurted.
He rubbed the back of my hand softly in small circles. “Not sure if it really counts if I’d already figured that out,” he said. “Cloning my access card so you could break into their systems was kind of a giveaway.”
Even in the dimming light, I could see him. Sense him.
“I guess that’s true,” I laughed. “ExaTek is my home corp. My family corp.”
He didn’t look surprised. Honestly, he didn’t look like the admission meant anything at all.
Odd.
“I gotta say.” Hakon turned my hand over, tracing patterns into my palm. “I’m not exactly up to speed on all the corporation politics in the sector. That doesn’t mean much to me, but I can tell it does to you.”
An impossible thought struck me. “You’re not from the Areitis Sector?”
“Nope, as strange as it is for me to say it, we’re part of the Empire now.”
I shifted to stare at him. “The Empire is still around?” I gasped, amazed. “From everything I’d ever read, it seemed like it would’ve imploded on itself, broken up into savagery by now.”
His fingers found mine again in the dark, pulled me back next to him. “It almost did. A couple of times, actually. But it’s pulled itself back together.”
The Empire.
Still out there.
It was too much to imagine, too much to think about.
And with every burning, teasing touch of his skin upon mine, for once in my life, it was easy to put all the worries and all the plans aside.
“As fascinating as this is,” I decided, “I think I’m done talking now.”
The flickering light made it easy to swing myself over and kneel across his lap, until our faces were a hair’s breadth apart.
“Do you feel like you have anything you need to say?” I murmured.
Hakon answered by gripping my hips, digging his fingers in and pulling me tightly against him. Groaning at the