How she hated needing money so badly that she was stuck doing errands for pirates.
Not to mention her shitty luck. Like being picked at random to have her cargo searched the one time she agreed to do this for Jed.
“It better be,” she growled.
“My brother wouldn’t lie to me.”
Those words had barely left his lips before a group of enforcers surrounded them.
Eve acted nonchalant. “There a problem?”
The sergeant narrowed his gaze on her. “You’re hauling contraband that’s a Class A felony in this system.”
Gaping, she glared at Jedi.
“No,” he sputtered. “Check the manifest!”
“We did and it doesn’t match the contents.”
She wanted to strangle her SIC . . . and his brother. “Are you serious? I thought you checked it.”
“I did.”
“Every piece?”
Jedi opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. “Well, no. Not every single piece, but my brother swore to me that it was just regular medical supplies.”
“Your brother’s an asshole.”
Jed didn’t argue.
And Eve didn’t relent. “What did you inspect?”
Jedi gnashed his teeth. “The piece my brother handed me.”
She cursed under her breath. “How could you be so gullible?”
“He’s my brother.”
“And your brother just gave you a life sentence.” The sergeant jerked his chin toward them.
Great. I get Jayne out so that I can take her place . . . “Halt!” That deep, resonate voice rang out to stop the officers from handcuffing them.
Eve couldn’t breathe as she recognized it.
Jinx.
She’d know his voice anywhere.
Her heart pounding, she turned to see him drawing near. His presence was commanding.
Without acknowledging her or Jedi, he stopped in front of the sergeant and folded his hands over his chest. “What are you doing?”
“Arresting criminals.”
Jinx shook his head. “You’re interfering with a League operation.” Curling his lip, he raked all of them with a sneer. “Do you realize that you just blew a three-year operation with your supreme stupidity?”
Now the sergeant was duplicating Jedi’s stutter. “W-w-w-what?”
“They’re undercover operatives for us. You’re lucky I’m not arresting you.”
The sergeant immediately ordered his enforcers to release them. His color draining from his face, he turned back to Jinx. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Commander?”
Jinx didn’t break any of his brutal demeanor. “Make a note of the Remorseless and her crew, and ensure you never bother them again.”
“Yes, sir!”
Eve didn’t say a word until the sergeant and all of his enforcers were out of earshot. “Nice. I’m working with The League now?”
One corner of his mouth lifted into an almost smile. “Prefer the alternative?”
“No.” She glanced to Jedi. “Hey, sweetie, why don’t you go and inspect that cargo your brother framed us with?”
“I’d rather . . .” His voice trailed off as he caught up to her line of thought. “Actually, I’ll go get a drink to settle down my shit-my-pants tremors. Be back in about an hour?”
She winked at him.
Jed took off so fast, he practically left a vapor trail.
She caught Jinx’s frown as she crooked her finger for him to follow her.
Jinx knew he should walk away. He’d done what he came to do and now . . .
I’m an idiot.
And he was about to become an even bigger one as he followed her into her ship.
She hit the release to call up her ramp, then grabbed him so fast that he was pinned to the wall as she kissed him senseless.
“Eve–”
“Shut-up and get naked.”
He hissed as she laved his throat. Unable to stand it, he picked her up until she was eye level with him. “You know this is suicide, right?”
She pulled his sunglasses off so that she could stare into his eyes. “Tell me, right now, that you don’t feel about me the way I feel about you and I’ll never see you again.”
Just the thought of those words made him sick to his stomach.
“But if you have felt the same lonely hurt that I have over the fact that you’ll never seen me again, then don’t push me away.”
He couldn’t deny she was right. That was exactly how he’d felt every second they’d been apart. “I don’t want to hurt you or cause you to be hurt.”
“The only way you could do that is tell me that you don’t care and leave me.”
He swallowed hard as fear and pain lodged in his throat. “They will kill you.”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “I’m hard to kill, baby cakes. Let them try.”
Closing his eyes, Jinx damned himself for his weakness. “I love you, mi amita Evara.”
Eve had learned enough Euforian that she understood Evara was a pet form of her name. “Mi amita?”
“My dearest.”
She smiled up at him as she felt warmth spreading all through her body. “And I love you, mi amita.”
He laughed. “Mi amito. Amita is feminine.”
Returning his laugh, she bit softly at his bottom lip. “Look on the bright side, Jinx. You know I’m willing to die for you.”
He cupped her face in his hands. “No, Evara. I want you to live for me. That’s all I ask.”
And when he kissed her this time, she knew she’d done the impossible.
She’d claimed the heart of the unattainable.
And so had Jinx.
Neither one of them had ever wanted to be attached to someone they could lose.
Here they were.
Screwed.
But most of all, she knew that both of them were willing to defy any and every one to have each other. To risk their lives to be together.
How many people could ever say that?
Also by Sherrilyn Kenyon
New Titles
Eve of Destruction
Born of Blood
Dark Places
* * *
Night Pleasures
Night Embrace
Dance with the Devil
Kiss of the Night
Night Play
Sword of Darkness
Knight of Darkness
Seize the Night
Sins of the Night
Unleash the Night
Dark Side of the Moon
The Dream-Hunter
Devil May Cry
Upon the Midnight Clear
Dream Chaser
Acheron
One Silent Night
Dream Warrior
Bad Moon Rising
No Mercy
Retribution
The Guardian
The Dark-Hunter Companion
Time Untime
Styxx
Dark Bites
Son of No One
Dragonbane
Dragonmark
Dragonsworn
Stygian
Deadmen Walking
Death Doesn’t Bargain
At Death’s Door
* * *
* * *
Born of Night
Born of Fire
Born of Ice
Fire & Ice