“Did they have family?”
“They said they did, but no one ever looked for them and they were on their own for almost a full planetary year before Artemis offered them a way out.”
“You became friends.”
“More than friends. Family. It’s the three of us against the world. We clung to that, used it to strengthen ourselves. It was only as we grew older and our training increased that we understood what Artemis had truly done.” Sass’s eyes were bleak. “She tethered us, chained us to her as if we were wrapped in titansteel manacles. Only one of us is sent out at a time. The others are hostages. If we fail or don’t return, one or both will die.”
“It’s risky.” One of them might forsake the others.
“I’ve watched many die a horrible death, knowing the ones they thought loved them had betrayed them. I won’t do that to them. I can’t. We may not be blood, but they’re my brother and sister.”
Her pain was palpable. He understood it all too well.
“The items being auctioned off? They belong to my brother.” The harsh truth fell between them, a dividing line with both of them on opposite sides.
She sucked in her breath. “Fuck.”
That was the perfect description of the situation. They were both fucked if they didn’t win.
“He was on a scouting mission when he missed a check-in. We investigated and came across chatter about an auction of a Gravasian blaster and blade. I need them back. We protect our technology at all costs. But more than that, I need to know if they’re Ivar’s. And if they are, I need any information I can squeeze from the seller. I will get my brother back.”
“And I won’t let my family die. Where does that leave us?”
He reached over the table and cupped her chin in his hand. “I’m a Gravasian assassin. You’re an intelligent and capable assassin. Between the two of us, we should be able to come up with a plan that enables us both to get what we want.”
“I don’t see how that’s possible. I know too much for you to allow me to live. I’m not stupid. I’ll fight and I might even win, but even if I succeed, your people will only send someone else for me, and likely for my family. That’s how it works, right?”
“Yes.” Gravasian retribution was swift and without mercy. Its purpose was to keep other people from screwing with them. As a tactic, it was quite effective.
A sense of calm certainly settled over Spear. They could do this. They would do this.
Decision made, he uttered the words that would change the course of his destiny.
“Help me win the auction and get the information I need and I’ll aid you in freeing your family.”
****
She grabbed the hand holding her face and stared into his eyes. He had to be lying. Why would he make such an offer? It didn’t make any sense.
Her heart pounded in her chest and sweat beaded on her body. Everything she’d wished for was right within her grasp.
She didn’t trust it. Couldn’t. Look what had happened the last time she’d taken a chance and believed. That was how she’d ended up in Artemis’s grasp.
But his golden gaze was steady and held hers. Maybe he was one hell of a liar. Maybe he was telling the truth.
Could she really afford not to take the risk?
A healthy caution warred with the hope stirring inside her. If anyone could help her get free of Artemis, it would be a Gravasian assassin. He had the finest advanced technology at his fingertips and skills she could only dream about.
“Why would you promise me that? You could kill me, dump my body in space, and go to the auction on your own. You don’t need me.” And that burned.
He stroked his fingers along the curve of her jaw. “I know I don’t need you, but I want you.”
A shiver raced down her spine, followed by a blast of sensual heat. There was no mistaking the sexual intent.
“You’re really Gravasian?” It was too surreal. They were the phantoms of the known worlds. No one knew much about them. Only that you fucked with them at your own risk. They answered to no other authority but their own.
“Is it true that the Alliance sent a fleet of warships to Gravas and that you destroyed them all?” Gossip about them spread like wildfire on an agra-planet—fast and out of control. It was always explosive and seemed over-the-top crazy.
“They should not have threatened us.”
His matter-of-fact reply should have terrified her, but it gave her hope. This was a race of people who knew how to get shit done.
“And honor is everything?” She’d heard that whispered by many. If a Gravasian gave his word, it was as solid as the titansteel that came from their world.
“A male without honor does not deserve to live.”
Wow, that was a pretty black and white view of the world. “No room for mistakes?” How could anyone live up to such standards?
“Ah, sweet Sass.” His deep voice vibrated over her skin and penetrated to her core. “I am risking it all for you. If you betray me, my life is forfeit.”
She shoved up from the table and backed away. “No. Don’t do this to me. I’m already responsible for two lives.” If it came down to a choice between her family and Spear, who would she choose? It should be an easy decision, but it wasn’t.
Slapping her hand over her racing heart, she struggled to breathe. She’d gone on her first job when she was sixteen. She had no idea what the person had done or why Artemis had ordered their death. And she hadn’t cared. All that mattered was protecting her siblings. She’d gone after dozens since and had never failed.
She’d never lost any sleep over it, either. Maybe that made her a bad person, but she’d done what she’d needed to in order to survive. She made no apology for that.
The edges of her vision closed in. She hung her head and gasped for air. Spear watched her intently but kept his distance and his silence.
Breathe.
Drawing on her years of training, she forced her body into calmness. She hadn’t been this frightened since her mother hadn’t returned for her all those years ago, but she was no child now. She was a deadly weapon, a fighter.
She straightened and stared at him. He was standing, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression unreadable. Oddly enough, his detachment helped her regain control.
“I won’t be responsible for your life.” Bad enough three already hung in the balance without adding another.
“It is done.” The finality of his words landed with the subtlety of a laser cannon blast.
“It makes no sense. You’re an assassin. A Gravasian assassin. You’re ruthless. Unbeatable.”
“Yes.”
She couldn’t get a read on him at all. “You must need my help for something.” That was the only thing that made sense.
“No.”
Her fingers toyed with the hilt of one of her knives. His one-word answers made her contemplate violence. One corner of his mouth twitched. He knew it, the bastard.
“I’m no one.” She would have died on Ramos 3, her body nothing more than trash on the dirty streets, if Artemis hadn’t plucked her up and taken her. Why would he take such a huge risk for her?
The fine hairs on her nape rose as he stalked toward her. For a huge man, he moved with a fluid grace that was both mesmerizing and deadly. She held her ground, refusing to back down.
At six feet, she was tall for a woman, but he made her feel small. This close, she had to tilt her head back slightly.
“You are not no one.” His breath was warm on her face. The heat from his large body stole the chill from hers. “You are mine.”
Fear cooled her blood at his declaration. “What do you mean?”
He traced his fingers over her face and neck, across her collarbone, and down her arms, leaving goosebumps in his wake. “I’ve never wanted another woman the way I do you.”
She briefly closed her eyes and let herself believe, even for a second, that it was true. But like any dream, reality came swift on its heels.
“Maybe so, but it’s temporary. I don’t know much about your culture, but everyone knows your males demand purity in their women. We both know I wasn’t.” Like always, she was temporary, had been her entire life. Artemis had never let her forget that her continued living depended on her usefulness, her ability to perform.
And while she loved Zaxe and Delphi, the fact remained that they were twins and had a shared past that didn’t include her. Without meaning to, they often left her feeling as though she was on the outside.
Her mother was the only one she’d ever truly felt safe with, and she’d left Sass alone in a world that didn’t want her. That wasn’t fair to the woman who’d given her birth. She knew her mother had to be dead or she would have returned.
Didn’t make the abandonment hurt any less.
He ran his hands back up her arms and clamped them around her biceps. “Who is to claim otherwise? Tell me who the men were, and I’ll kill them. Then you will have no worries.”
“You’re out of your mind.” Remember who you are? Remember the people counting on you?
“I must be.” The slight humor in his tone was jolting.
“This isn’t a joke,” she snapped. “There are lives on the line.”
“And my brother’s is one of them.” He was all business now. He’d taken a physical, but also a mental step back from her. Once again, a wall had come down between them, leaving her on the outside, alone.
“It’s up to you, Sass. What will you do?”
She licked her lips, her mouth dry. If she did this and it backfired, she and her siblings were dead. But if it worked, if he was telling her the truth, she had a chance for all of them to be free.
You’re mine.
His words settled in her heart. Oh, she didn’t believe for one second she was anything but temporary. A man like that didn’t plan a life with a woman like her. Not when his culture demanded otherwise. He did care for her. If not, he’d never had made such an offer.
There was no denying the truth—he didn’t need her alive. If anything, his life would be less complicated with her dead.
Could she take the chance?
If there was one thing she’d learned, it was that life was short.
If she could free her siblings and be with Spear, even for a short time, wasn’t it worth the risk?
Meeting his gaze, she slowly nodded. “I’ll help you get the auction items and any information about your brother. In return, you’ll help me free my family.” She held her hand out. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
****
Spear slowly released the breath he was holding. Her agreement shouldn’t matter, but it did.
It would be simple enough to lock her in the ship and take care of business on Oasis on his own. He worked better alone. Always had.
But if he kept her and her siblings died, she’d fight him to the death. Having her blood on his hands would be the end of him.
Assassins had no limits. They couldn’t and still be effective. But he’d found his.
He wanted Sass beside him when he went to sleep, to wake with her by his side. With her, he could be himself. She respected his abilities, accepted him for who he truly was. But he was greedy and wanted more. He wanted her to welcome him into her arms, to gift him with all her sighs and moans as he pleasured her. And he didn’t want it for a few planetary days or weeks or even planetary cycles.
He wanted it for forever.
She didn’t believe him. He understood that. Her life had shaped her beliefs about herself. And while she had no shortage of confidence in her skills, she saw little value in herself beyond them.
He was having a hard time believing it as well. Her purity, or lack of it, didn’t matter. Jealousy roared to life inside him, but he shoved it down. She was his now and that was all that mattered. She had loyalty. That was more than evident. She was willing to risk anything, to die to save her family.
Some men would see her as a weakness, a liability to be eliminated. An assassin couldn’t afford to have any weak spots. Intellectually, he understood this. But a deeper, more primal part of him roared that she was his to protect.
Mating madness.
It was whispered about among Gravasian men. It was a true mating, a powerful desire that would not be denied. It was believed that this rare type of mating allowed their woman to have a greater power over them, which disturbed many warriors. It was also said a male fought harder and with greater skill, protecting what was most precious.
He’d always thought it nothing more than a story, an interesting folktale. Now he wasn’t so sure.
There was a beast crouching deep inside him, ready to wreak havoc on the known worlds if anyone took Sass from him. Madness? Definitely. But releasing her was no longer an option.
He took the hand she offered, pulled her to him, and slammed his mouth down on hers to seal their deal.
Her fingers speared through his hair and yanked him closer. Instead of fighting to get away, she fought to get closer.
She tasted of the stew she’d eaten, but underneath it lay her own unique flavor. He drove his tongue into her mouth, tasting and taking. His body was on fire. This was beyond need, beyond lust, and into the realm of madness.
There was an underlying violence that should have disturbed him, and it might have if she wasn’t just as lost as he.
She bit his bottom lip. When he growled in protest, she dove back in, her tongue battling his.
He curled both hands around the top she wore and yanked. It was sturdy and only partially ripped away.
“Quicker to use the fasteners.” Her laugh was strangled and tinged with desperation.
“Can’t wait.” He grabbed a dagger from his flightsuit, slipped the razor-sharp blade under the garment, and yanked up. The fabric split in half, exposing her firm breasts.
He didn’t even care that she had a dagger in hand, had pulled it as soon as he’d drawn his. By the depths of Gravas, she was a warrior all the way to her soul.
“You going to use that?” he asked.
“Only if you don’t get that flightsuit off.” She slammed the weapon back into the sheath and pulled at the tab on the suit.
The cabin was only steps away, but it was too far.
He peeled down the flightsuit and battlesuit to his waist, his breath catching in his throat when she ran her hands over his chest, her fingers skimming his pecs.
His cock throbbed, threatening to explode if he didn’t get inside her in the next minute. He’d never been this out of control.
Lifting her off her feet, he shoved her against the wall by the door. She twined her legs around him, rubbing her leather-covered mound against the hard ridge of his shaft. Her moan stoked the fires of lust ripping through him. Her arms around his neck, she kissed him, giving him everything.
Now. Now. Now.
He wanted to stroke her velvety skin, play with her breasts, feast between her thighs.
No time.
He forced her legs down until she was standing. Then he spun her around until she faced the wall. Before she could protest, he dragged her pants down and delved between her thighs. Her sex was wet, her essence coating his fingers.
“Spear.” She tilted her hips back, pushing his fingers deeper into her.
Too fast. He knew it and still couldn’t stop.
He shoved down his clothes far enough to free his cock, pulled her hips back slightly, and pushed the head of his shaft into her.
Hands pressed to the wall, she tilted her head back and groaned as he forged deeper. “Yes. More.”
Giving them what they both needed, he fucked her hard and fast. His balls slapped against her sex with each thrust. The line of her back grew taut. The muscles in her arms rippled as she clawed at the wall.
“Let go.” He needed her to trust him enough to allow him to take her like this, to dominate, if only for the moment.
“You let go,” she got out between gasps.
Her demand surprised a laugh from h
im. Then his balls drew up tight. He reached around her and stroked his thumb over her clit. Her inner muscles squeezed him until stars exploded behind his eyes and his cock jerked.
His orgasm slammed into him, but he kept pumping his hips, needing her to come. Then she cried out and almost fell headfirst into the wall. He managed to catch her before she did any damage.
Leaning against the wall, sweat coating their bodies, they both struggled to breathe. Something had changed between them. There was no going back.
Chapter Eight
“Computer, engage boosters.”
“Engaging boosters,” the metallic voice confirmed.
Strapped into the seat beside Spear, she stared out the viewing window on the ship. The world blurred. She was thrown back in her seat as they jumped through space. Her fingers curled around the arms of her chair and she held on.
It was faster than any other jump she’d ever made. His ship really had kickass tech.
Over the past day, they’d held a truce, an unspoken agreement not to discuss what would happen when they arrived on Oasis. They hadn’t discussed much of anything.
Neither of them was used to sharing, to being this close to someone, and they’d both retreated a step.
They’d slept, eaten, and had sex twice more. She was sore but didn’t care. Being close to him, having his big body moving over, under, and inside her kept her fears for her family at bay. Time was running out.
The empty sensation in her stomach wasn’t due to hunger. Her muscles twitched, ready for action.
The world slowed and their destination loomed before them. “I estimate we have about three planetary hours until the auction, maybe less,” she informed him. Even with the jump, the difference in planetary cycles had to be factored in, along with their travel time. And they didn’t have an exact time for the auction.
“We need to get the Rotten Rooster.” Spear piloted the ship toward the docking station rather than allow the computer to do it, his actions sure and precise. His intensity was palpable. Once again, he was remote, all softer signs hidden beneath a steely exterior.
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