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"Is he going to make it?" Zoe's voice is barely above a whisper. The rest of us are too caught up to answer, lost in the unfolding ballet of survival.
"He has to," I utter. "Come on, come on," I chant under my breath, watching each maneuver like it's a lifeline thrown across the void. My heart pounds to the rhythm of his ship darting closer and closer.
"Please," I whisper, not sure if I'm begging or praying. "Please."
His ship twirls, a final pirouette through the wreckage, and my throat tightens. Miraculously, he manages to navigate through the chaos and emerges unscathed.
My relief is short lived as a pulse of bright light erupts from Qhix's ship. It rips across the divide, fierce and silent as a scream. My hands fly up, instinctive but useless against the glare.
"Scheisse!" Romy curses in German. "Why is he firing on us?"
Before anyone can even think to respond, the air crackles with an electrical surge. A sudden shock courses through my body, causing my muscles to spasm and seize. I am left paralyzed, unable to move or speak as the electric current pulsates around me. It feels like a thousand needles piercing every inch of my skin.
And then... nothing.
I blink open heavy eyelids to see his face hovering above mine. Qhix, with his too handsome features and warm, frosty blue gaze. Instead of his usual cocksure smirk, his expression is pinched with worry.
My chest tightens; a funny fluttering sensation makes it hard to breathe. There's so much I want to say, yet all my words feel inadequate and insignificant in this overwhelming moment except, "I love you."
I blurt out my confession, raw and unpolished. My heart hammers against my ribcage, waiting to be reciprocated. Silence stretches, taut as a wire as surprise etches its way across his features.
"I'm sorry," my voice falters. "For not telling you sooner... for hurting you." My eyes cling to his, searching for absolution in those pale blue depths. "I claim you as my mate. That is... if it's not too late and if you still want me."
The space between us dissolves as Qhix pulls me to him, his lips finding mine with a reverence that steals my breath. His taste is intoxicating, an untamed essence.
I let out a breathless gasp, Qhix breaking away just enough to whisper against my lips, "I will never stop wanting you, my pet." With each word, his tone becomes more fervent and possessive, making me feel both desired and cherished. "And I love you too."
His hot breath tickles my skin, his tender sentiment reverberating through my entire body. With gentle fingertips, he brushes away a stray strand of hair from my face. His touch is electric, my heart tripping over itself as a wealth of emotions consumes me. The moment is too perfect, and I wonder if I'm dreaming.
"How are you here?" I squint up at him from where I lay cradled in his warm embrace.
"We boarded the ship after shorting out the power and attaching a tow beam," Qhix grimaces. "Sorry about the blast from my ship's dyri cells. It works like a stunner, and that's why you're lying on the floor."
I go to sit up, worried about the other girls, but Qhix holds me tighter. "Easy. Go slowly. There'll be lingering effects from the blast."
Qhix is right, my head begins to swim along with vision as he helps me to sit up. "What about the other girls?"
"Your friends are fine," he says, planting a bracing hand at my back so I don't fall over. "Their mates are looking after them."
"There’re three more girls to add to our ranks," I say. "They were already onboard."
"We know." Qhix stands with me in his arms, carrying me over to where most of the other girls are resting against the wall. "Come see for yourself."
My sight remains blurry, but I can make out Stacy, Zoe, and Darcy sitting with their respective mates, Drax, Mordox, and Rooke. They look up at the sound of our approach, their faces lighting up.
Romy is there too with Bruke hovering nearby. She smiles, taking in the sight of me in Qhix's arms, her deep purple hair shining like an iridescent halo against the dim lighting of the ship's interior. She bites her bottom lip nervously, glancing at Bruke longingly before looking away quickly.
Stacy's bright green eyes glitter with excitement when she sees me. "Hey, you two lovebirds," she says teasingly.
"Hey yourself, Captain Stacy," I reply. "Looks like you saved our hides again."
"Not me." She shakes her head. "Qhix and Rooke are the heroes. All I did was turn the ship around. They were the ones who Han Solo'd through that flood of debris like they were flying the Millennium Falcon."
"Who is this Han you speak of, Stacy?" Drax narrows eyes, his scales rippling down his back as if readying for a fight.
"No one. Just a fictional character in the movies I told you about," she soothes her yellow-haired mate.
"You don't give yourself enough credit, Stacy. You did more than any of us could have done," Elle mumbles, the length of her dirty-blonde hair half hiding her face. Shy and fearful, she reminds me of Zoe when I first met her on Tirius. Afraid of her own shadow.
