look he gave her when she pulled away. A flicker of hurt flashed across his face at the action, almost making her put it back before she stopped herself. With him this close to her, she couldn’t keep her thoughts together, so she needed to at least try to put some distance between them for her own sake. Her focus needed to be on the endgame and not the hottie in front of her, no matter how much her body wanted to remind her it was alive. “We’re wasting precious time here arguing with Clicky. The buyer was going to be meeting Cruum and Talis yesterday. I have no idea if they’re still here, but the longer we wait, the worse the odds get.”
“I agree.”
“How do you want to handle Clicky, then?” She posed the question with a few ideas in mind but wanted Axis’s take on the sitchy. He might know how to get them out of this problem easily, considering he seemed familiar with them and all. Not to mention the fact that they could actually understand each other. “I don’t know how our wires got crossed, but the little guy doesn’t seem like he’s budging on this whole marriage thing, and we don’t have the time to keep this up.”
“That’s easy,” he answered cheerfully without pause, his fangs showing clearly as he graced her with another wide smile that had the same effect as the one before. “You’ll become my bride.”
“B-b-but,” she sputtered, unable to believe she’d heard him correctly. His idea was the exact opposite of what she’d expected it to be, which shocked her silent for a moment. What was even more shocking to her was that he seemed totes okay with the suggestion.
Nova’s mouth opened and closed a few times as she tried to figure out what the hell she’d missed. She had to have missed something, right? “I thought maybe you could try bribing him or something.”
“A grophki would never take a bribe, even if I offered him one,” he answered with a shake of his head as if that were something she should have known. “Especially since he considers himself your protector. It’s simple. You become my bride, and they’ll allow you to leave with me. The trip to Phaeton One is fast enough that I can be back here searching for the others before dark falls.”
Nova jerked back at his response. She had no issue with the part about them getting married. After all, she’d originally signed up to do just that, and her lady parts were more than on board. It was the little detail he mentioned about ditching her to go on a rescue mission alone that made her bristle. No way would that fly, and if he thought she was simply going to fall in line, Axis had another think coming. She’d made a promise to herself to see this through, and that’s exactly what she was going to do.
“Ummmm, no,” she drawled with a shake of her head. “You’re crazy if you think I’m just going to be sent away while you go in and save the day.”
“Euphoria is not safe—”
“Yeah,” she snorted, taking offense to his tone. If there was one tone that didn’t fly with her, it was a condescending one. It generally caused her to react immediately—and not well. “No shit, Sherlock. I’ve been a prisoner here for months. Months!” Her voice rose in volume the more riled up she became. “I’ve been whipped, I’ve been starved, and I’ve been terrified that I was going to die every single day. You know what, though? I’m still alive. Don’t mansplain how dangerous this hellhole is. I’ve survived it!”
Axis held his hands up in a defensive gesture. “That’s not what I—”
“Furthermore,” she growled, on a roll, “who do you think you are to tell me what I can and cannot do. I’ve gotten this far without you just fine. Just because you’re a ‘big scary Phaeton,’” she said, gesturing with air quotes, “doesn’t mean I have to do anything you say. You don’t own me, and the same goes for Clicky, for that matter!” Nova leaned to shoot a look past the Phaeton at the little alien that she had thought was her friend.
Yeah, he deserves a little anger too, she thought. “Yeah, I’m talking to you!” she yelled when he looked at her with startled eyes. “You suck!” She punctuated her rage with what she assumed was a fairly universal gesture, since he hissed and