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After a moment, I lock my fingers around her hips and drive upward, resuming the brutal rhythm.

“I harbor entirely terrifying feelings for you.” I force the words out through gritted teeth, my body straining against her tight hold. “I admire your ruthless, brilliant mind. You outmaneuvered monsters and built a kingdom in the ash. I have never looked at anyone the way I look at you. I never will again.”

She leans down, and her mouth crashes over mine.

We move together. A violent, flawless synchronization. Our breaths mingle, tasting of salt and adrenaline. The twin beats of my hearts align with the frantic thumping against her ribs. The tension snaps. We shatter at the exact same moment.

I flood her with another scalding release. A quiet ache tightens my chest in the aftermath, a fleeting pang of regret that my nanites strip the fertility from my seed. I want to give her everything.

We remain tangled in the blankets, our skin damp and cooling in the night air. Maggie rests her head against my chest, her breaths evening out into a slow, steady rhythm.

I press a kiss to the crown of her head, inhaling her scent. I stare at the vaulted ceiling and the dark volcanic-stone walls of my manor, listening to the rush of the lower lakes echoing through the open balcony doors. For centuries, this estate has served as a silent fortress. A beautiful, empty cavern to rest in between endless wars. The quiet always suited me.

Now, the silence feels heavy.

I look at the shadows stretching across the stone floor and picture the vast, empty rooms filled with the chaotic noise of children. Our children. The fierce, clawing yearning wraps around my throat, thick and suffocating. I imagine little girls with Maggie’s piercing blue eyes and my dark hair. I picture boys with glowing amber filaments pulsing along their cheeks, possessing their mother’s terrifying, brilliant intellect.

I want to fill this house with her legacy. I want to replace the ash and ghosts of Earth with a living, breathing future on Avaris.

But she drew a line in the medical bay. A boundary I swore to honor. I swallow the bitter ache, tightening my arm around her waist, resigned to wait as long as it takes for her to trust me.

Maggie’s fingers trace a slow circle over my ribs.

“I want to be tested.”

Her voice is quiet. Barely more than a whisper.

My body turns to stone. Both of my hearts stall against my ribs, missing a crucial beat. The oxygen vanishes from my lungs.

I tilt my chin down, forcing her to look at me. “Are you certain?”

She lifts her head. The icy barriers are completely gone. Her eyes meet mine, stripped of all defenses, radiating a soft vulnerability.

“I am.” Her palm flattens against my chest, right over my galloping hearts. “Run your scan, Spymaster.”

The last thread of my restraint snaps.

I roll over, pinning her back against the mattress, and crush my mouth against hers. It is a savage, bruising kiss. I pour every ounce of my desperate devotion into the slide of my tongue, devouring her gasp, branding the taste of her into my marrow.

I tear myself away before I lose the ability to move entirely.

I vault off the edge of the mattress, my bare feet hitting the cold stone floor. I snatch my discarded dress uniform from the rug and shove my legs into the heavy trousers, my hands moving with frantic, uncoordinated speed as I yank the fabric up my thighs.

Maggie props herself up on her elbows, the blanket pooling around her waist and exposing the pale length of her torso. A highly amused smile tugs at the corner of her lips.

“What exactly are you doing?”

I yank my tunic over my head, snapping the metal clasps closed across my collarbone. “I am getting you tested. Now.”

A laugh escapes her throat.

It is a bright, genuine, unshielded sound that settles deep in my chest. She shakes her head, tosses the blankets aside, and reaches for her own discarded clothes to humor my impatience.

20

MAGGIE

The automatic doors to the science lab aboard the Sovereign open with a nearly soundless whoosh, and I march through them with my head held high. We called ahead, letting the Sovereign’s chief medical officer know why we’re stopping by today.