Chapter 9

Xan and Sloan walked back to the cargo in silence. He knew that his rejection of her suggestion to connect to D’Arian had taken her by surprise. Xan hadn’t meant to frighten her, but he hadn’t let her know how difficult losing his family and his position in life had been.

Now that he was free, Xan needed to make his way and determine his destiny without the burden of the crown on his head. He also knew that if he were to go back to D’Arian and try to take his place on the throne, a bloody battle might ensue, depending on who held the throne now. He wasn’t going to take that chance. Also, being in the palace of his youth without his family would only be a daily reminder of all that he’d lost.

When he was on the Arrow, Xan didn’t feel as though he had lost much at all. The crew members he’d met so far were friendly and open to him. Then there was Sloan, Captain Sloan, his D’Auriel. Her miraculous appearance and rescue of him had placed him in her path, and he did not intend to leave her anytime soon if she would allow it.

He’d felt the spark of attraction between them when their hands touched. He hadn’t meant to share his visions of his life with her in the med bay, but the relaxation her touch gave him caused them to flow naturally to her. It was an unchecked reaction to share with her those parts of himself that he had tucked away.

They rounded the final corner on the way to the cargo bay. Sloan showed him around the space. There were various loaders and carts to move equipment. Giant metallic containers, in some places stored much higher than seemed safe, filled the cavernous space.

“As you can see,” she spoke, her voice echoing in the room while she spun slowly around, showcasing the area, “we could use some help with this place. Our last crew member who was on cargo duty got married and headed to a colony to settle. So, people have been picking up cargo work on an as-needed basis and ducking out on that whenever possible.”

“What do you need done here?”

“Mainly making sure that the containers are secure. A lot of these are backup supplies we pick up on different drop-offs. Those over there”—she pointed to a neatly organized pile strapped down with thick black chains secured to the floor—“are the rods for drop off on Seru Prime after our stops at the Gru Asteroid Belt and Halkon. We tend to be better at organizing other people’s things than our own.” She leaned against a giant stack of containers. A jolt of the ship had them both trying to stabilize themselves.

Xan saw the containers sway before Sloan did. Sloan glanced up just as the entire stack of containers began swaying in the air. Her eyes shot around searching for an escape but could tell that the way the containers would drop would put her in harm’s way no matter which way she ran. Xan moved to her quickly and pushed her down onto the cold metallic floor, then braced himself above her. He felt the sharp impact of the containers on his back. He hoped that with his renewed strength and back plates, he would take the brunt of the fall across his back, and they would both be fine. At least that’s what he hoped.

“Xan, watch out!” Sloan yelled, peering over Xan’s shoulder as he tucked her farther under him and braced himself for the impact. The containers crashed all around them, their fall ringing out across the open space until the only sound around them was their own heavy breathing. The fallen containers were strewn all over the cargo bay. Many were damaged, mainly dented, in the fall. The containers weren’t light, but the weight of their crush had been enough to push Xan closer to Sloan.

They stared at each other, breathing heavily as the danger from the falling cargo passed. Sloan studied him with gratitude in her eyes, and he couldn’t help but beam back at her.

“Thank you,” she said, breathing out.

“It was no problem at all,” Xan said, equally as out of breath as Sloan.

With their faces only inches apart, Xan took in her full lips that glistened in the light of the cargo bay and couldn’t help but want to kiss them. He saw Sloan gazing at his own lips, which he hadn’t even realized he had been licking in appreciation of hers.

As Xan slowly lowered himself the last inch to be within a hairbreadth of her lips, Sloan closed her eyes and arched her back, pushing her breasts against Xan’s chest and drawing a groan from him. As their lips met, a chirping sound erupted in the silence between them. Breaking the trance that Xan seemed to have over her, Sloan shook her head and reached down to grab the comm clipped onto her thigh.

“Captain, letting you know we had an energy burst jolt a while ago. All systems are operational, and there has been no structural damage to the ship.”

Xan pushed himself up and held out his hand to Sloan to help her stand. She glanced at his hand, hesitating before grabbing it and yanking herself to her feet.

“Good to hear. How did it happen?” she asked, motioning him toward the main door.

“We’re checking on it now.”

“I want a full report, and wake Eaon if you need to.” She picked up her pace, Xan following behind. Sloan disconnected the comm and spun back to Xan.

“Do you think you’ll be able to handle it?”

Xan cocked his head to the side, unsure of what she meant.

“The cargo bay. It’s even more of a mess right now, but from the way you handled those containers I’d say you’re probably better suited for it than anyone else. Do you want the job?”

“Yes, of course. Anything I can do to help.” Xan nodded enthusiastically.

“Great! As soon as Erl clears you for work, you can report to Dev to get it all sorted out. I’ve got to head back to the bridge. Can you find your way back from here?” she asked, checking her comm pad.

“Yes, I can.”

“okay. I’ll check in on you later in the med bay. Have a good day, Xan!” She took off running down the corridor.

Xan felt the hold on his chest loosening. It had tightened when he’d been on top of Sloan. That he’d been able to protect her from the containers made his chest puff up. He felt a surge of pride, something he thought he’d lost forever. Xan would do whatever it took to be of use to Sloan and whatever it took for her to treat him as an equal. This was another reason he had no desire to return to D’Arian. A marriage was in many cases a match made for the good of the throne, not the good of the king and queen. Xan didn’t need that life anymore and didn’t know if he even wanted it if he could be with Sloan. And he would. Xan would make her his.