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“Here!” whispered Levi finally, pointing up.
Cora hurried to join him and grinned. “Give me a boost.”
Levi gave her a look. It wasn’t disapproval, not at all, but it implied he was worried about her. For a second, they looked into each other’s eyes, and that creeping sense of fear came back into Cora’s belly. They shared an unspoken acknowledgment that they both needed to get out of there unharmed. And most importantly, together.
A second later, though, Cora found herself climbing up into the vent shaft. Levi’s strong arms hoisted her the rest of the way.
According to the map she’d found on the computer the night before, the mainframe should have been toward the bow of the ship and then on the second right. With both exhilaration and anxiety coursing through her, she cast one last look at Levi down the shaft before crawling toward the mainframe.
Sure enough, the hum of the ship’s computer got louder and louder as she crawled down the vents. When she reached the mainframe, she smiled.
Shoving a hand in her pocket, Cora pulled out a minuscule jump drive she’d swiped from the office the night before. She plugged it into her comm and then plugged the comm into the mainframe via one of its stray cables.
A few taps on her comm got her all the files related to the Desolation Stone, which she transferred to the jump drive. As she waited for the information to transfer, she couldn’t help but think of Levi back in the maintenance room.
It was unlikely that anyone would find him there, but every second that passed made the anxiety in her chest grow. She loved doing this with him, loved working together, loved risking everything for the sake of justice.
But the more time she spent with Levi, the more she recognized that some things felt riskier than others. And losing him was one of them.
When her comm beeped softly, alerting her that the transfer was done, Cora breathed a sigh of relief. She scrambled back down the vent shaft as fast as she could without making too much noise until she found herself peering back down at Levi’s lovely dark hair.
He must have heard her coming, because he suddenly looked up, grinning.
“Miss me already?” he joked.
You have no idea, Cora thought. Instead, she asked for his hand to help her down. As she grasped it, a wave of relief washed over her, soothing her fears. There the two of them were. Still alive, still safe, and most of all, still together.
Chapter 10
Levi had been worried about Cora until the moment she got back to the maintenance room.
He knew she could take care of herself, but he was feeling more and more connected to her. He couldn’t stand even the thought of anything happening to her that was out of his control.
Five times in the past, he had seen his brothers recognize their mates, so he had more insight from their experience on what he could expect. And he had no doubt he had found his.
Relief had flooded him when he saw her creep back through the vents.
Once he helped her down, they both peered down the halls to make sure no one was coming.
“I think the coast is clear to make our way back.” He glanced at her quickly. “Did you get everything you need?”
She had a proud smile on her face. “Sure did.” She held up a jump drive.
Levi wanted to kiss her confident smile, but he knew he would be too tempted to stay in her embrace rather than get the rest of the job done. They needed to get a move on in case their empty cell was discovered.
He led the way, not wanting Cora to be spotted should a Jorvlen decide to monitor the dark halls. His need to protect her came naturally. Levi hoped she didn’t take it to mean he thought she was incapable of looking after herself. Just, if one of them had to take the fall, he preferred it would be him.
They made it back to their cell without much trouble.
With the bars back up and humming, Cora and Levi huddled in the corner on the floor.
“Some files are broken, but it all pertains to the stone. I don’t have the room to download it all on our comms right now, though,” Cora said as she shoved the jump drive safely into her pocket.
“It’s probably not safe to go over it right now anyway. We don’t want to get caught with contraband or do anything that would cause them to separate us out of suspicion.”
Cora gave him a suggestive look. “You don’t want to be separated from me, huh?” she teased.
“Not particularly. It’s safer this way. Plus, I enjoy your company.” Levi stared into her big brown eyes. He could get lost in them if he wasn’t careful.
