He smiled. “Utterly fierce.”
Grinning, she gave him a quick kiss.
Ziv’ri rose to provide her with a place to sit.
But she waved him back down and sat on Jak’ri’s lap. “I’m all sweaty. Do you mind?”
Jak’ri grinned. “Not at all.” Your sweaty skin has been melded to mine on numerous pleasurable occasions, he murmured telepathically, calling to mind the many times they’d lost themselves in ardently exploring each other’s bodies.
Flushing, she leaned against him. Flirt.
In the center of the room, Eliana twirled her staff and addressed the room. “Okay,” she said with a grin, “whose ass am I going to kick today?”
Almost every warrior present threw a hand up to volunteer.
Laughing, she pointed. “Looks like it’s your turn, Maarev.”
A burly warrior strode forward, catching the staff another tossed to him.
“How fast do you think I can knock you off your feet today, big guy?” she taunted with a friendly smile.
He grinned. “Not as fast as I can knock you off yours.”
In the next instant, the fighting began. Eliana bore that same fantastical speed that amazed him so much in Ava. Jak’ri expected her to conquer the other warrior within seconds. But the Segonian surprised him by activating his full-body camouflage.
In a flash, he disappeared, blending seamlessly in with the background. His staff dropped to the floor.
Vuan, Jak’ri wished he had access to that technology. No one was sure how the Segonians managed to do that, so it gave them one srul of an advantage in battle.
Eliana abandoned her staff, too, and stood poised for action, her expression alert.
Loud calls burst from the small crowd, some favoring Eliana, some favoring Maarev.
Jak’ri didn’t know how Ava’s friend could possibly defeat an opponent she couldn’t see and—
Eliana spun suddenly and struck out with a kick.
A thud sounded. Then Maarev reappeared, sprawled on the floor on the opposite side of the room.
Jak’ri gaped.
Eliana grinned. “That’s for sitting next to me after you ate mamitwa last night.”
Laughter erupted.
Ava looked at Dagon. “They all love her, don’t they?”
He smiled. “Every one of them.”
Shaking her head with a smile, she patted Jak’ri’s hands and rose. “I’m thirsty. Want to come with me to get a drink?”
“Of course.”
Silence replaced the boisterous laughter and cheers inside as the training room door closed behind them.
Her heart light, Ava smiled up at Jak’ri and took his hand.
He looked good. Healthy. Rested. Relaxed. And so incredibly handsome.
Butterflies fluttered in her belly as she led him toward their quarters.
“Don’t you want to go to the mess hall?” he asked.
“No. Our room will do. Once I quench my thirst, I could use a shower.” Leaning closer, she said in a loud whisper, “And if you play your cards right, you can join me.”
A chuckle rumbled up from his chest as his lips stretched in a grin.
Damn, she loved him.
As soon as they entered their room and closed the door, Ava dropped his hand and opened her mouth to deliver the news she’d withheld until they were alone.
“Greetings, Ava,” the ship’s computer said in a calm, female voice. “You have one new message from—”
“Not now, CC,” she blurted, her eyes meeting Jak’ri’s.
He smiled. “Eager for that shower, are you?” Resting his hands on her hips, he drew her closer. “I admit I am, too. It’s been far too long.”
She laughed. “We just made love this morning.”
Bending his head, he nuzzled her neck. “Exactly. Far too long.”
Tingles flared to life at the touch of his lips and raced to the rest of her body. But Ava tamped them down. “There’s something I want to tell you.”
Raising his head, he stared down at her. He must have sensed the import of her news, because all sensual playfulness left his expression. “What is it?”
Ava rested her hands on his chest. “Lisa and Taelon arranged for me to speak with Queen Adironsia and King Dasheon.” She had never spoken to royalty before, so she’d been beset by nerves when she’d addressed the Lasaran monarchs this morning.
Dread entered his beloved features. “Do they wish the Segonians to convey you to Lasara?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to them about. I told them I had agreed to travel to Lasara to see if I could find a lifemate among the Lasaran men and help them repopulate their planet after the Gathendiens’ bioweapon had reduced their numbers, but that I hadn’t anticipated being kidnapped by Gathendiens or”—she smiled up at him—"falling wildly in love with you.”
She heard his heartbeat pick up, felt it pound beneath her fingertips. “I told them, with all due respect, that I can no longer envision myself being happy with anyone but you and asked them to please relieve me of my obligations.”
His throat worked in a swallow. “What did they say?”
“They apologized for failing to ensure my safety and for everything I’ve endured. They told me I would always have a home on Lasara.” She slid her arms around him and locked them at the base of his spine. “But if my heart is with you, they wish us an eternity of happiness together and will provide me with whatever I need to start a life with you on Purvel.”
A long sigh slipped from him as he dipped his chin and pressed his forehead to hers. “Will you start a life with me on Purvel, Ava?”
She smiled. “Purvel. Lasara. K-54973. Even Promeii 7. I’ll start a life with you anywhere, Jak’ri.”
He huffed a laugh. “Not on Promeii 7. That planet is insane.”
She smiled. “So I’ve heard.” Then uncertainty rose. “They also told me that—now that the Gathendiens have inadvertently transformed me into an Immortal Guardian—there are measures we can take to prevent you from aging. Measures the Sectas can provide us with that would enable us to always be together.”
“Truly?”
She nodded.
He tilted his head to one side. “Though the Sectas often seem a cold, clinical race, I have heard that they highly value love.”
Ava plucked at the fabric of his shirt. “Is that… something you think might interest you?”
“Living forever with you?”
“Yes.” Becoming an Immortal Guardian would lose pretty much all of its appeal if she had to watch Jak’ri grow old and die.
He pressed his lips to her forehead. “I can think of nothing that would interest me more.”
Relief suffused her as she relaxed against him.
“Do you think I’ll fit in on Purvel?” she asked, though that question didn’t trouble her as much now that she’d watched Eliana interact with Dagon and his crew.
Jak’ri smiled. “My family and my people will love you as much as the Segonians love Eliana.”
She grinned. “The Segonians love Eliana a lot.”
He chuckled. “Yes, they do.” Then his lips found hers in a tender kiss. “And I love you, sakara.”
Her heart swelled. “I love you, too.”