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Jasmine nodded and stepped further out of the alcove, lowering the blaster’s tip so it wasn’t trained on either Tulla or me.
“I made sure theGloryDazewouldn’t be impacted by the explosions. My original mission was to blow up all the motherships.”
I raised my eyes to Tulla and wondered if she found Jasmine’s confession to her mission any less reassuring than I did.
“Are there any explosives still live?”
Jasmine shook her head. “No. Your father’s shuttle is the only one that wasn’t inside the perimeter I coded. There are none left.” Her voice was low and robotic but with a tinge of sadness. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
I sighed and shook my head at her slightly. “I appreciate that… But, I am not entirely sure you know what you have done.”
“No?” She tilted her head at me, and I couldn’t help but remember tracing her jawline with my fingertips, biting into her neck, pulling her hips back into me, and feeling her hands grip me tight. I shook the thoughts away even as my heart ached. “I think what I have done is clear a pathway for you.”
I gently brushed her shoulder, leading her toward the exit of the engineering bay. She shuddered at my touch, but I wasn’t sure if it was from fear or relief. “You’re not entirely wrong, Jasmine. But what kind of pathway does that leave you?”
She stopped so that I ran into her, my body pressing against hers with the memory of the electricity between us. Her golden-flecked eyes peered up into mine, and she could have stolen my soul right then. A beauty, a brain, and a warrior beast…
“Whatever pathway you intend to give me.”
Our eyes remained locked as engineers hustled into the bay, as the klaxons and lights blared, as wreckage drifted outside.
What about the wreckage between us? Would there be a way back to the bond that had been forming after what she had done? I licked my lips as I contemplated her. Could what she had done actually make our relationship stronger?
Tulla cleared her throat, breaking our gaze away. Jasmine looked at the floor, hands still grasping the blaster tightly, and allowed herself to be guided into the hallway.
Jasmine walked in front of us, her back rigid and taut. Tulla leaned in to whisper to me. “What is your plan, sir? Will you take advantage of this?”
“I don’t know yet…”
“Sir, if I may speak frankly, I am not sure you have a choice. You know your father better than anyone… What Jasmine has done clearly benefits you. Do you think he can see anything other than that?”
I didn’t reply, but I knew how true her words were. My father heaved a heavy swath of heads from necks when any betrayal was even whispered about in the ranks. Plenty of good Krafina soldiers had been caught in the collateral. I was doubtful that being my father would make any difference to him as he dealt out punishment.
I had been reluctant to take a human bride for all the cliché racist reasons. Jasmine had surprised me, proven me wrong, and built a fondness in my heart.
And that was all before she proved herself a willing warrior in the battles of the empires.
What more could I wish for from a bride?
She glanced over her shoulder at me as we stepped onto the bridge. How could she melt me with such a look even as she held a blaster that I still couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t use?
Regardless of the direction I was being pushed in at the moment, would I ever be able to trust her again?
Jasmine moved to the side as we stepped onto the bridge. I kept my eyes on her as she clutched the blaster. My executive officer gave me a quick briefing on the damage toll.
One hundred twelve Krafina. Total destruction of the shuttles. Kressel and his crew of ten were the only ones who had evaded the explosions. TheGloryDazewas launching work pods out to the wreckage to keep it contained, but we were not expecting to find any survivors.
Jasmine leaned against a wall and kept her gaze toward me. Her eyes were misted as if thinking of something far away. Tulla stood not far from her, which I respected. If Jasmine needed to be disarmed, Tulla could do it in a matter of moments.
“Braxl!” The bellow was more ferocious than usual as my father burst onto the command deck. Wine still glazed his eyes and flushed his face, but his steps had no stagger. One other of his crew was with him. The others were likely still passed out on the shuttle.
I stepped in between him and his line of sight of Jasmine.
“What the hell happened? Who set those charges? You swore you trusted all the crew of theGloryDazewith your life. You said you would die for them! Are you prepared to do so now?”
The crew had quieted, and someone silenced the klaxons as my father and I faced each other. I stood straight and solid before his puffed-up, irate frame.
“Tell me now that this is not your doing, son. Tell me that you didn’t wipe out all of my closest comrades so that you could make a play for power?”
