Dayna paused in the doorway of the gym, watching Rillian sparring against what looked like an entire gang of fighters.

The faint flicker in the men made her realize that they were some sort of solid holograms.

Rillian shifted and dodged with a fluid grace that made her mouth go dry. He was shirtless, wearing a soft pair of black workout trousers. His muscles flexed, and he landed hard blows, spun, and kicked out powerfully. His holographic opponents blinked out as he struck them. He swiveled, bringing his fists up to hit again.

The man was gorgeous.

It was one thing to have an attractive package, it was another to know how to use it.

Dayna let herself admit the full extent of her attraction. The times she and Rillian had kissed, she’d felt…alive.

For the first time in a very long time, she’d thought nothing of aliens, pain, captivity, and nightmares. She’d felt like a woman and she’d felt like something in her life finally made sense.

He wasn’t as bulky as the gladiators. His chest was lean with delineated muscles, and his abdomen was tight and ridged. She pulled in an unsteady breath. He’d have no trouble swinging a sword, if he wanted to.

She watched him spin, then leap high, delivering a powerful front kick. He took down another opponent, but a second slipped in from the side and landed a blow to Rillian’s lower back.

He stumbled and let out a hiss. She realized then that the program delivered some sort of pain response when a hit connected.

Rillian made a sound and took the fighter down with a hard chop. He paused, heaving in air, and turned.

That’s when she got a clear view of his muscled back…and the symbiont lying along his spine. She let out a sharp gasp.

God. It looked like an alien creature that had burrowed into his skin. It glowed a bright silver-blue.

She felt an answering throb in the stone on her chest. They both had these alien lifeforms that were now a part of them.

Suddenly, he turned, his gaze on her. “I’m not in a good mood.”

Dayna toed off her shoes and moved onto the mat. “I don’t mind. You don’t have to be glossy, suave Rillian for me all the time.”

He frowned at her, lowering into a stretch. She moved over to study the fancy fight-simulation controls on the console beside the mat. “How do you make a hologram solid?”

“Ultrasonic technology that creates touchable force fields.” He stretched his arm, his biceps flexing. “The program projects sound waves that create a sensation of touch.”

“I’d love to test it out.” She’d been using the gym a lot the last few weeks, but had no idea about the holographic simulation. It had been far too long since she’d flexed her martial arts skills.

He shot her an unreadable look, then moved to touch the controls.

Around her, lights whirled, and several brutish-looking aliens appeared. They were covered in scales, with sharp claws, and each towered over her by at least a foot. She moved into a fighting stance and raised her arms. The first alien attacked and she leaped forward to meet him.

As she ducked, kicked, and hit, Dayna felt her muscles warm-up. She dodged and landed several good blows. One of her opponents blinked out. She smiled. Take that, asshole. Working across the mat, completely absorbed in the fight, she took out another target.

The last fighter rushed at her. She blocked, but he got a punch in and she felt an electric shock vibrate through her. She gritted her teeth. Ouch. Motivated, she swung her leg, landing a hard kick to the alien’s gut. He staggered, and she slammed an elbow into his face. His image dissolved.

She straightened, grinning. A light sheen of sweat covered her skin.

“Ready for more?” Rillian asked.

“Bring it.”

A large mob of different aliens blinked into existence. Rillian strode out to the center of the mat and stood beside her.

As the fighters rushed at them, Dayna and Rillian exploded into action.

They moved together. She brought one big alien down, and Rillian swung in behind her to protect her back, while slamming an unforgiving fist into the face of another attacker.

Finding a rhythm, they worked together to plow through their opponents. Between blows, Dayna let out a laugh. God, this was fun. She hit a smaller alien in the chest, and when she spun around, two more were coming at her. Big brutes. Shit.

Rillian slammed into one, but she couldn’t avoid the fist of the other. It rammed into her jaw.

She staggered backward, electric pain zapping her. “Ow.” She kicked out, and the alien winked out of existence.

There were no more left.

Rillian gave her a small smile, one that held a dangerous edge. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

He touched the controls. “I’m moving it up to the next level. Think you can keep up?”

She narrowed her gaze. “Don’t worry about me. But if you can’t keep up, I’ll compensate.”

That dangerous smile again.

Opponents appeared, and they didn’t pause, rushing in fast. Dayna immediately lost herself in the fight, anticipating Rillian’s moves. She ducked under his arm, ramming an uppercut into an alien’s stomach. These fighters all moved faster, hit harder. She and Rillian both swiveled, landing twin back kicks to another pair of fighters. Then, as Rillian bent low, she rolled over his back, legs swinging as she kicked an incoming fighter.

Soon, Dayna was sweating. Her shirt was damp, and loose strands of her hair stuck to her forehead. She ducked a fighter’s arm, then swung out with her foot, before she followed up with a hard punch.

Finally, they took the last opponent down. Dayna leaned forward, pressing her hands to her knees.

Rillian turned to pick up a towel that had been set out on a bench and wiped his face. Once again, her gaze moved to his symbiont, and the muscled back it was attached to.

He glanced over his shoulder and caught her looking. He turned to give her a better view.

“Sorry,” she murmured, grabbing herself a towel.

“Don’t be. Feel free to look.”

Unable to stop herself, she moved closer. She wanted to touch it, but she wasn’t sure she could. But Rillian stayed still, and she lifted a hand. She gently touched the muscle beside his spine. The creature looked embedded to his spine. She lightly touched the symbiont, and he tensed.

She froze. “Does it hurt?”

“No.” His voice held a low, husky edge.

It looked like it was made from bony cartilage and filled with silver-blue fluid.

“It’s known as a Vraskan symbiont. A lifeform from a mostly uncharted star system far from here. They are extremely painful when they attach, and kill most of their hosts.”

She hissed out air. “But you survived.”

“I did.”

“And my symbiont?”

“I haven’t seen one exactly like yours before, but I’ve seen similar ones. It’s native to Carthago, and like mine, feeds on energy.”

Then he pulled away. Damn, the man was so hard to get a read on. Dayna was used to utilizing her observation skills to get a gauge of people and what they were feeling. Rillian confounded her.

But from what she could tell, he was angry. At the murders, or perhaps at this desire simmering between them.

“Want to fight me now?” She set her towel down.

He spun, brow furrowed. “I don’t think—”

God, that face. “Well, if you’re afraid…” She shrugged a shoulder.

Silver sparked in his eyes and he dropped his towel. “Bring it on, Earth woman.”

“Sure thing, Slick.”

They moved onto the mats and started trading some easy kicks and hits. But she knew he’d never work his anger off with a few easily-blocked kicks.

Dayna decided to fight dirty. She’d learned a few tricks training with her fellow police officers. You didn’t make it on the streets without knowing a few.

She dropped low, chopping her hand against his thigh. She unconsciously pulled on some of the enhanced strength of her symbiont.

He grunted and staggered. Then, with a growl, he came after her. She spun away and felt the rush of air as he swung at her. She blocked the hit, gritting her teeth as it rattled through her. She turned and he matched her, their bodies brushing. She jabbed an elbow into his ribs.

Dayna felt strength coursing through her. Maybe this part of having a symbiont wasn’t so bad.

As she and Rillian danced across the mats, she saw more silver bleed into his eyes. Kick. Chop. Punch. They spun yet again, and she found herself pressed up against him. She smelled healthy male sweat and the dark spice of his cologne.

And she sensed the energy of him. Bright, hot, and jagged.

“The symbiont enhances your anger,” she said.

“Sometimes. It doesn’t generate feelings, only amplifies them.” He spun away, and they moved back across the mats in a series of hits and kicks.

Then Dayna changed things up. She leaped at him, taking him by surprise. Her knees hit his torso, and when they landed on the mat, she was straddling his chest.

Gripping his wrists, she tried to slam them over his head.

But he was too strong. She shoved, but he moved, his palms pressing against hers.

“That anger will eat you up if you let it,” she said. “You need to let it go. I know what it’s like to find dead bodies, to know that you were too late to save them. To know that there’ll be more.”

“I never let go.” He pushed up, rolling her across the mat. They wrestled and she scissored her legs, trying to get on top again.

“It isn’t good to hold it in,” she panted.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Suddenly, he pushed at her with a huge wave of strength. Her back slammed onto the mat, and she ended up with a furious male on top of her. God, he was so much stronger than she’d thought. He’d been holding back all this time. His face was close to hers, set in harsh lines.

One of his hands circled her throat, his fingers pressing to her pulse point. His eyes were pure molten silver.

She went still. She’d driven him to lose his control.

Then she felt a sharp tug in her chest. Sensation spread through her. He was pulling at her energy. No.

He was feeding from her.

Fear shot through her. She remembered the desert witch feeding from her. Pain, horror, and helplessness.

“No!” She shoved against him, her body going wild as she struggled.

All of sudden, Rillian went stiff and cursed. He released her, and then his body was gone from hers.

Shakily, she sat up, pushing her sweaty hair off her face.

He was facing away from her, his back stiff and his symbiont glowing. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s…okay.”

“No, it isn’t. You were right, Dayna. My symbiont likes more than just energy.”

“What?” she asked quietly, a sense of dread washing over her.

“My symbiont likes to kill.” His face was the hardest she’d ever seen it.

Horror slammed into her. In her head, she saw her sister’s murdered body.

Rillian’s eyes flashed. Like he knew exactly what she was thinking. All emotion bled out of his face. “Yes, back on Earth, I’d be a monster you’d lock away. Don’t push me again, Dayna. You’re here to learn, so let that be a lesson for you.” His voice was as cold as ice.

Then he turned and left her there.

Dayna collapsed back on the mats. God, when had her life become so damn complicated? She ran a shaky hand over her chest. She felt a pulse of energy from her symbiont and this time, she didn’t block it or ignore it.

Abduction, captivity, torture, host to an alien symbiont, and completely lusting after a dangerous, powerful, and complex alien man who just admitted he could be a killer.

No. Rillian ruthlessly controlled everything, including his symbiont. He took care of his employees, he allied with the House of Galen to help others, and he didn’t let anyone close.

Except her.

He was no killer.