Rorax stared at Laura, shocked by his own words. Why in the Thousand Stars did I tell her that? But there was no going back from it now. The truth was out, and unless he wanted to try convincing Adele that it was a joke, that was that.

The way she was staring at him made it clear that would be an uphill struggle at best. Laura's eyes were wide, and she was clearly taking him seriously. Muttering something under her breath she grabbed his wrist with surprising strength.

"What the fuck do you mean, you're not a pirate?"

It was almost funny how intense she was. Almost. But the pain and shock on her face were all too real, and he couldn't bear to see her hurting. Now that he'd started he had to carry on with the truth.

"Keep your voice down," he said, gesturing around with his free hand. The last thing either of them wanted was for one of the other dragons to overhear this conversation. "I'm here to infiltrate the pirates, to bring them down. Now that I've found their base, all we need to do is hold out until Emperor Verikan's forces arrive to take out the pirates. As I told you, it's all under control."

Her punch caught him by surprise, hitting his arm hard enough to sting. Laura didn't look happy at that revelation.

"So what am I, bait?"

"Yes," he admitted, rubbing his sore arm. "I suppose I deserve that. I needed a prize that Korgan couldn't turn down, someone he'd take a risk for. I knew he'd be suspicious of me, but if I turned up with a prisoner as valuable as Adele St. George... there's no way he could argue with that."

Anger burned in her eyes, her rage flaring as he spoke her name. Then, slowly and unwillingly, she began to laugh. It started as a suppressed giggle and grew until she was doubled over clutching at her stomach. Rorax looked on, confused.

"What's so funny?" he asked eventually. He didn't enjoy being laughed at, especially not by her. She looked up at him and shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. With a growl, he got up and stalked away.

"I'm sorry," she wheezed at last, managing to get herself under control enough to speak. "Are you serious? You kidnapped me because you're trying to infiltrate a pirate crew?"

He didn't turn back, looking out over the ruins of the atmosphere generator and shaking his head. Getting his own emotions under control, he replied.

"Yes. Though I don't see what's so funny about that."

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Except that you stole the wrong woman."

Rorax frowned, turning to face her and trying to understand what she was saying. Looking up at him, red-faced from laughing, she was fighting to control her mirth.

"This isn't a laughing matter, Adele," he said, trying to be stern. That set her off again, and he had to wait for her to get herself back under control.

"You're right, it isn't," she gasped. "And I doubt Adele would be laughing. But she's not here. I'm Laura Martigan, her bodyguard."

A roaring sound filled his ears at that and the world seemed to fade away. Adele — no, Laura — was still talking, but Rorax's mind wasn't following her words. His thoughts raced as he went over the last few days, seeing how much more sense that made. Of course she's more like a knight than a princess, he thought. She is a knight, a warrior. Thousand Stars, what have I done?

"You've been lying to me since we met," he said, the words out before he realized how little sense that accusation made. Laura grinned.

"So have you, idiot," she said, without anger. She seemed to relax, now that their secrets were out, and he could feel his own tension fading. At last he could be honest, even if it meant being an honest fool.

"You're right, and I'm sorry about that," he said. "I wish I could have told you sooner."

"So do I, believe me," Laura said, stepping closer. "I thought you were just another pirate. But don't think this gets you off the hook. I'm still pretty pissed that you kidnapped me."

Rorax surprised himself by laughing. He couldn't keep it down, the situation was simply too absurd. "I had no other way in, and it worked. That's always the best defense of a tactic, isn't it? I promise I won't let any harm come to you. But... if the others find out that you're not a valuable prize, they won't feel the same way."

"That's one reason I didn't speak up as soon as I knew Adele was home and safe," Laura said. "I figured I needed to keep up the pretense until I got out of here."

Frowning, Rorax considered that. He hadn't quite caught up with all the ramifications of the situation. "I presume that LakeTech isn't actually planning on paying Korgan to get you back. So what was your plan for when it got to that point?"

She shrugged, looking embarrassed. "I didn't really start with one? I hoped that LakeTech would pay, but that was always a long shot. My job is to keep my client safe — getting out safely myself, well, that was a problem for later."

Rorax had to smile at that. He'd lost count of how many problems he'd gotten himself into the same way, and he couldn't help admiring a woman who did the same. But he'd never done anything as dangerous as this.

"That was stupid," he said aloud. "There's no telling what will happen when Korgan works out what's going on, and that's bound to happen sooner or later."

"That's why I want you to leave with me," she said, grabbing his hand. "Take me to safety, come with me, and we'll both be okay. If you've already reported where this base is, you don't need to wait for the emperor's forces to arrive, do you?"

There was something she wasn't telling him, he realized. One last secret to get her to tell. He could see that Laura wasn't pleading for her own safety. She was worried about his — and while he was pleased that she wanted him to be safe, there had to be a reason for her concern.

"The Dragon Guard will take days to get here, and the more information I have before they arrive the better," he said. "If I leave now, my brother will suspect that something's wrong, and he might take precautions. He might even abandon this base, and then we'd be back to hunting him down. This would be a setback for him, but he could rebuild."

He sighed unhappily, looking up at the cavern's roof high above them. "There's something that you haven't told me, something that I ought to know. I assume it's your plan to escape. What is it?"

Laura looked unhappy with that answer. Her hand squeezed his, a warm feeling that made him long for more of her touch.

With his other hand, he brushed her hair from her face, savoring the warm feel of her skin. They were so close now, and her lips looked so deliciously inviting, he nearly forgot about his question. But she didn't, and before he could lean in for a kiss, she spoke again.

"I've been in touch with Adele," she said. "She's getting a bead on this location from the communicator in my suit, and LakeTech is going to take out the pirates themselves. The plan is that they'll attack when the pirates are expecting the ransom."

There was a flash of guilt in her eyes as she looked into his. "I shouldn't tell you this. But I don't want you getting hurt in the crossfire. I didn't want it even before I knew you weren't a pirate, Rorax."

He nodded, frowning. "That's a terrible plan. You'll be in the middle of the fighting, and a human rescue team won't stand a chance against dragon warriors."

"Hey," Laura objected, "I nearly got you when you attacked, didn't I? Anyway, all I'll need to do is run. They'll be firing missiles at the ship, not attacking in close quarters."

Rorax winced at the memory, flexing his injured wing. "You hurt me, that's true. But I wasn't willing to fight with lethal force, then. Your rescuers are biting off more than they can chew here — and while they aren't important to me, you are. I won't let you get hurt, Laura."

"Are you feeling an obligation for dragging me into this? Maybe you should have thought of that before you brought me here." Laura pulled back, but Rorax didn't let her go. He met her hot gaze steadily and spoke.

"You and your employer were desecrating the body of one of my kin," he reminded her. "That's why I thought it was fair to use you as bait for this operation — if you'd not gone poking at things that don't concern you, I wouldn't have been able to grab you. I don't feel guilty, Laura. I feel something else, and I know that you do too."

He pulled her closer and heard her breath catch as he leaned in to speak softly into her ear. "I need to keep you safe because you're my mate, and I care for you. Don't deny that you feel the same for me; why else would you have warned me about this attack?"

Laura shivered, not trying to pull away. Her voice was quiet, taut, as she replied. "I don't know. I don't even know what exactly you mean by 'mate.' I just know I don't want you to get your stupid head blown off in the exchange."

Rorax chuckled, leaning in to kiss her neck. She tasted sweet, and the little gasp his touch wrung from her made him growl into her. He could feel himself harden as his teeth nipped at her skin, and his desire for the woman in front of him rose to a pitch he couldn't ignore.

Questions, plans, those could wait for later. Now there was no reason for them not to act on their need for each other.

He pulled her close, pressing her armored body against him. Laura grabbed at him, taking hold of his head and pulling his lips to hers. The kiss was electric, sending a shockwave through him as their lips met. Her tongue pressed against his, the two of them locked together, and Rorax thought he might explode with need.

His hands explored her suit, trying to find the catches that held it on. With a frustrated growl, Laura pushed him back.

"You'll take too long," she said, tugging at the suit. Rorax stepped back to watch as she peeled it off in parts, dropping them in her hurry to be naked for him. Soon she was standing there, face flushed and chest heaving, wearing only the thin undersuit.

She looked magnificent. Rorax let his gaze wander up and down her body, admiring her curves, the way she moved, the beauty of her pale skin. His hands flexed, eager to get to grips with her curves, but he held himself back. Not yet. He wasn't going to rush this.

As she reached for the zipper of her undersuit, he shook his head no. Reaching for it, he slowly pulled it down, freeing her full breasts and admiring them. Laura's flush spread down her neck, and Rorax growled hungrily at the sight. Laura's answering gasp made him want her all the more.

Patience, he told himself, pulling the suit carefully from her arms. He didn't want to rush things, nor could he risk damaging her suit. It would have made more sense to let her finish stripping, but he wasn't going to miss the chance to undress his mate. Not this, the first time he'd see her naked.

She stood still, letting him guide her as he pulled the suit down over her hips, taking her panties with it. His fingers traced down her legs as he lowered the suit until she could step out of it and stood, magnificently naked, in front of him.

The nervous look in her eyes warred with an intense need, a hunger equal to his own, and he grinned. His cock was hard as iron, harder than he'd ever been in his life, and her gaze dropped to it before she looked away with a gasp. Rorax chuckled, reaching out to caress her, turning her face up to look at his again.

"Come here," he said, and Laura practically jumped at him.

As good as holding her had felt before, it was nothing compared to the feeling of her naked body against him. Rorax pulled her to him and it was as though she was made to fit against his body, her breasts pressed against his chest as she kissed him eagerly, desperately. The scent of her, the feel of her, the sound of her breath all combined to drive him wild.

Lifting her off the floor, he kissed Laura passionately. The fire of her lips on his made him shudder against her as he carried her down to the floor.