that reminded him of when he’d held back from kissing her when she wanted it and distracted him from the matter at hand. Finally, EJ said, “Fine. I believe you. You don’t think I’m a criminal. Now put me down and go tap into the comms system so we stand a chance of getting out of here.”
He placed her back on the floor but, instead of releasing her, immediately leaned down to kiss her. She didn’t pull away immediately, which was a good sign, but she didn’t melt into him. EJ shoved at his chest and staggered back, her breathing ragged. Nokx reveled in the faint taste of her on his lips, his hearts beating faster. “We will go to the communications station together, then determine whether we need to release the prisoners. If the Sraibur has already dealt with the Slasu ships, we do not need to concern ourselves with the crew on this ship.”
“We?” EJ clenched her jaw, a muscle ticking under the smooth skin, and stared past him at the long corridor.
“There is strength in staying together,” he said, and he meant it not just for trying to escape the ship. He meant it for the rest of their lives. “You know the ship and can navigate us out of any ambushes, and I am strong enough to defeat anyone here and have the connection to the Sraibur. Do not be foolish just because you’re angry with me.”
She glared at him for a long, long time, and the seconds ticked away as she struggled with some emotion he couldn’t identify. EJ steeled herself and stepped back, shaking her head. “How can I... How can you expect me to trust you? How can I believe you won’t abandon me again? Betray me again?”
His chest ached. Nokx didn’t know how to make her believe. He didn’t know how to prove it to her in that moment, when the alarms blared across the ship and the structures around them trembled in an attack, when they raced against a clock and hid from murderous guards. There was one thing he could offer that meant more than anything else in the universe to him, and he offered it freely. Only to her.
Nokx pulled the sheathed blade from his belt and went to one knee before her, holding out the knife hilt-first. “This is my dagger; it is key to a Xaravian warrior’s honor. To lose it in battle or allow another to take it from us is a dishonor greater than one can bear. But for you... I give it gladly. I trust you to use my blade honorably, Ellie Jane. I give you the thing I value most and worked my life to earn. It is yours.”
She blinked rapidly, brushing at her cheeks despite the dirt and grease on her hands, and attempted to scowl at him. “You abandoned me. You just l-l-left me and they dragged me off that ship like I was trash. They threw me away. How could you let them do that? I fought as hard as I could and I begged you to help me and you weren’t there. You didn’t come. I needed you to help me and you didn’t.”
The tears spilled over and a raw, ragged sound escaped in a rush as she turned away. Nokx felt lower than the lowest sandsnake. His fury boiled low that Faros and his crewmates were the cause of the rift between them. He would have a reckoning with his fellow warriors. But first he had to protect EJ, save her. Save them both. Nokx remained kneeling, but leaned forward to catch her wrist and drag her back to him.
It was a testament to how miserable she was that she didn’t resist. He held EJ tight and maneuvered her until she sat on his thigh and they were nose-to-nose. Nokx breathed her in and searched for the right words to convince her of his feelings, of his need for her and her alone. His eyes locked on her intriguing green gaze and a knot formed in his throat. Alarms blared and the gen ship jolted, beginning to list to the port side, and his arms tightened around EJ as he struggled to keep his balance.
Nokx searched for a way to escape the narrow corridors, in case things got even worse, and wondered if they’d waited too long.
Chapter 37
EJ
She wanted to believe him. She wanted to take that beautiful knife and know that it was a connection to Nokx