Trinity spoke up next. “I’m with Rossi. Same objectives.”
“And I’m with his lordship and Sabre. We’re to do a level by level sweep looking for captives, priority given to locating Nyx’s last clone,” Aria said. “Secondary missions are to subdue anyone not in this room and mark any labs for further investigation once the ship is secure.”
Nyx nodded in gratitude. This time they’d be looking for any genetic material Absalom might have onboard, including maturation tanks and cloning labs. Anything they found would be identified and eventually destroyed. Dax had given her his word.
“I’m with Jessop. Same objectives. It’s my job to identify medical areas while Blink shoots the bad guys like the badass that she is.”
Aria snorted in amusement. “And don’t you forget it.”
“And I’m going with Caldwell and Jessop in case someone gets hurt and Caldwell has to switch to medic mode and split off to treat one of the team,” Kurt stated.
Eric spoke up next. “My primary goal is to take down the ship’s defense systems, shut down any system wipes , and start the transfer of data to the Malora.” He stopped, then turned to face Nyx. “Then, I’m going to accompany Nyx when she goes off on whatever insane plan she has to find Absalom and take him down.”
She stared at him. That was not the plan they’d agreed on. She was supposed to be disabling the escape pods and shuttle bays, which was where she thought she had the best chance of finding Absalom when he tried to flee. “That’s not the plan.”
“I’m changing the plan.” Eric took her hand in his and squeezed. “Did you really think I was going to let you do this alone, starshine?”
“This isn’t your mission.”
He stood and pulled her into his arms. She could have resisted, but she didn’t want to. If this was their last moment, then she wanted to feel him hold her one more time.
“You need to understand something. Your mission might be to find Absalom and make sure he pays for what he’s done, but I have my own mission.” He leaned in and brushed a tender kiss to her mouth, letting his lips glide over hers and sending tingles all the way down to her toes. “In case you haven’t figured it out, yet. My mission, is you. I know who you are, Nyx. You’re the only woman I care about, never doubt it.”
She should have pushed him away, or turned her head, or said something to stop him, but instead she twined her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He groaned deep in his chest, one arm coming around her back to hold her close, the other cupping the back of her head. They came together perfectly, two halves of a whole she’d been denying existed. His mouth was a brand against her skin, and as his tongue tangled with hers she could taste a hint of cocoa and whipped cream. For her, it was the best flavor in the galaxy, because it reminded her of him.
Heat poured into her, and something deep inside her chest cracked open.
She held him tight as hope, bright and beautiful, welled up inside her. She wanted him. More than she’d wanted anything else in her entire life, she wanted this, and she couldn’t have it.
He whispered her name against her lips with a reverence that made her heart soar. “I love you. Whatever happens next, whatever choice you make, I needed you to know that.”
She shivered, eyes closing to hide the tears that burned her eyes. He loved her. She didn’t doubt his words for a moment. How could she? But she couldn’t answer him, either. There wasn’t time for all the things she wanted to say, so she kissed him, slow and sweet this time, letting him taste her tears as they fell.
It was all she could give him.
“About damned time,” Cris muttered.
There was a muffled sound of someone being kicked with a combat boot, followed by a grunt. “Hey! What was that for,” Cris demanded?
“Ruining the moment. Seriously, Trip, don’t you have any romance in your soul?” Aria asked.
“I did. Then someone I know told me to toss it out an air—” There was another thump, louder this time, and Cris stopped talking mid-sentence.
Nyx pulled back, knowing their moment was over, but Eric didn’t let go of her. Instead, he gently brushed the tears from her cheeks, then kissed her one last time. “This conversation isn’t over. It’s just on hold,” he told her.
“Until later,” she agreed.
“Later.” There was a wealth of promise in that single word, and it made her heart ache to know there wasn’t much chance she’d ever be able to collect on that promise.
Chapter Fifteen
Eric was struck by a powerful sense of deja-vu as they all stood, geared up and ready to go after the Gray Men, all waiting on Dante’s signal.
It wasn’t exactly the same, though. This time he wouldn’t have to search for Nyx. He’d be right behind her, watching her back as she went up against the man who’d held her prisoner for years. He glanced over at Nyx, who was standing beside him in serene silence, one hand resting lightly on the grip of the blaster Dax had provided from the ship’s stores. She was wearing borrowed body armor, the black, form-fitting pieces making her look hotter than a supernova. She looked good in anything, and nothing at all, but he liked her best when she looked like this: dangerous and ready to wreak havoc.
She was holding the bulkhead with her other hand, and he shifted his grip so that he could hold the same one. He wanted to be close to her. Hell, he didn’t plan on letting her out of his sight, because he still couldn’t shake the feeling she didn’t plan on coming back from this mission.
“Dropping out of stealth mode in three, two, one, mark.” Dante announced. Incoming fire slammed against their shields only a few seconds later, and they all braced their feet as the ship reacted to the impact. They had to be using kinetic missiles to make the ship shudder and rock that way.
“Well, they seem friendly,” Aria quipped.
There was a riff of tight laughter but it didn’t change the level of anticipation in the air.
“What’s going on, Strak?” Dax asked.
“Their shields were stronger than anticipated, but I got through. They’re crippled. I’m taking out their weapons at the moment. These guys have military-grade defenses, sir. Impressive ones.”
Another shudder rocked the ship, though it was significantly less powerful than the previous barrage.
“Damage report?” Dax asked Eric. He turned and scanned a display on the wall behind him. “Shields holding at seventy-six percent. No damage.”
“Strak?”
“Target has been immobilized and defenses destroyed. I’m bringing us in. The primary boarding location is a go. Contact in less than ninety seconds.”
There was a collective intake of breath as they prepared for the next stage. Dante had done his part, now it was up to them. Eric looked around, meeting his friend’s faces and reading the determination in their eyes. They were here because of him. They’d risked their careers because they believed in him, and now they were risking their lives following a plan he’d come up with. He cleared his throat and everyone turned to look at him. “I just wanted to say thank you. None of you had to come with me, but you showed up anyway. You’re the best team, and the best friends, in the fraxxing galaxy. So, thank you.”