“You’ve been through enough.” Jude moved back to Octavia’s bedside. He didn’t want her put at any more risk. She’d barely survived her last encounter with the State.

“I agree,” said Sophia. “Octavia, I understand your desire to help, but you need to rest. You’re still completing your first treatment of the dragon serum.”

“This is all I need,” said Octavia. “I’ll have this and be fine.”

Sophia smirked. “It doesn’t work that way. You’ve not been looking after yourself for a long time. The serum is good, but it can’t work miracles. If you push yourself to the breaking point, there’s no guarantee I’ll be able to put you back together, no matter how much serum I pump into your veins.”

“I’m prepared to take the risk.”

“I’m not.” Jude rested a hand on her shoulder. “You can still help. You don’t need to be in the thick of the action to do so. You can help from here.” He saw the anger in her eyes but refused to back down.

With a disgruntled sigh, Octavia nodded. “Fine. I’ll help from here. But only if you’ll be my partner.”

The words left Jude feeling good. He loved the thought of them working together and being partners. He wanted that in every aspect of their lives together.

“Gather everyone in the briefing room in an hour,” said Danni. “The priority is to figure out where this vaccine is being manufactured and how advanced they are.”

Jude felt Octavia tense under his hand. He looked at Sophia. “Will the serum infusion be complete by then?”

Sophia checked the serum bag. “It will be done in ten minutes. But I strongly recommend you don’t leave this bed.”

“I will only walk to the briefing room,” said Octavia. “I’ll go slow. Jude will help me if I need it.”

“I’ll be right by your side,” said Jude.

“You people seem to think I give out medical advice for fun.” Sophia stalked back to her office.

“There goes her good mood,” said Jude.

“That was a good mood?” asked Kade.

Danni gave them all a nod before heading to the door. “I’ll see you all in the briefing room.”

“I might be late.” Jude glanced at Octavia.

“We’ll be there,” said Octavia.

Danni’s eyebrows rose. “Only if you’re fit enough. Don’t push yourselves too hard.”

Kade unhooked his port screen and followed Danni to the door. “I’ll run this data through another program. It will clean up a couple of patches of muddled data. But we’ve got what we need. We can decode the conversations.”

As soon as Kade and Danni had gone, Octavia glared at Jude.

He pressed a finger against her lips before she spoke. “I know you’re pissed at me for saying you can’t go into the field. I just need to keep you safe. Damn, when I saw you injured, when I thought something bad had happened to you...” Jude looked away.

The anger in her eyes faded as she pushed his finger away. “I understand. But I can keep myself safe.”

“You don’t have to do it on your own anymore,” said Jude. “You have this whole place looking out for you. Make use of it.”

“There is something I’d like to make use of.” She slid from the bed, stood on her tiptoes, and pressed a kiss to his lips.

Jude inhaled her scent, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her to him as he did so, being careful not to disturb her serum IV.

She pulled back and laughed self-consciously. “I look hideous. I can’t believe you still want me.”

He kissed the scars on her cheek and ran his hands over her head. “I’ll admit, it’s an unusual look. But I’ll want you no matter what you look like.” He rested a hand over her heart. “It’s here that counts.”

She inhaled sharply and kissed him again. “You remember that when I am old and haggard and complaining about you leaving your socks on the floor.”

“Are you planning to be around for that long?” His grip tightened on her waist.

“You can count on it.”

Jude bent and covered her mouth with his, sliding his tongue in to meet hers.

Sophia cleared her throat loudly.

Jude broke their kiss and looked up.

Sophia stood in the doorway of her office, her arms folded over her chest. “When you’ve finished molesting my patient, I suggest you leave. Otherwise, I’ll insist you have a second round of treatment.”

Jude pressed another kiss to Octavia’s lips. “Can the patient have bed rest away from the medical bay?”

Sophia nodded. “So long as she’s appropriately monitored. Checks every two hours.”

“I don’t need monitoring,” said Octavia. “This serum is great. And the pain relief Daisy gave me means I can barely feel the laser burn.”

“You need someone to look after you in case there’s a complication,” said Sophia. “The serum will be doing its work, but you still need to be monitored.”

Jude looked at her. “You can stay with me until you’re recovered. If that’s okay with Sophia. I want whatever’s best for Octavia.”

“That’s fine by me,” said Sophia. “One less patient clogging up the beds is not a bad thing. Daisy, unhook Octavia from the IV. Make sure she comes back tomorrow for a check up.”

Daisy nodded as she got to work. “You shouldn’t feel any ill effects from the serum. If you get sick or dizzy, come back here right away.”

“I will.” Octavia held her arm out as Daisy unhooked the IV. “I’ve got someone keeping an eye on me. He won’t let me get away with anything.”

Daisy grinned and ducked her head. “It’s good to have someone like that.”

Jude wrapped his arm around Octavia’s waist, feeling like he was handling a precious package. They left the medical bay and took their time walking toward his quarters.

“Once we figure out where the vaccine is being manufactured, I’ve got a network of listeners who can help,” said Octavia. “We can use them to pass on warnings about the vaccine and destroy any supplies that might already be in circulation.”

“That will be crucial if it’s already out there,” said Jude.

“We should do that now.” Octavia turned to Jude.

He shook his head and tugged her along the corridor. “We need more information before we send anything out. We can’t panic people before we know everything.”

Octavia sighed but then nodded. “It sounds as if the State are still making the vaccine. We might have intercepted this in time.”

“There have been no reports of mass deaths or sickness. The State will want this to be coordinated. I bet they’ll promote the vaccine as some super cure to get people ready for it. They’ll have to vaccinate over a short time frame. They can’t risk people realizing what’s going on or they won’t get vaccinated.” Jude unlocked his quarters and they walked in.

Octavia sagged against him. “There’s so much to think about.”

He held her up as he led her toward his bed. “No more thinking for you. You get some sleep. We’ll figure this out. Kade needs to work his magic on the rest of the information. Once that’s fully decoded, then we’ll have our answers, and can figure out how to stop them.”

“I still want to help.” She turned toward him.

His heart clenched as he saw the worry in Octavia’s eyes. He needed to get rid of that look. “You have helped. You’ve done more than you need to. No more fighting.”

***

THE EXHAUSTION AND fear Octavia had held back for so long surfaced in a breath-stealing rush. She felt her legs give way beneath her.

Jude’s strong arms caught her as she sagged against him again.

Resting her head against his broad chest, she took several deep breaths. The capture by the soldiers, the imprisonment, the threat of a mind wipe, almost losing Jude, and now this sick, twisted vaccine. Holy dragons, it was too much.

Jude didn’t hurry her as she worked through the panic. He let her lean on him. She wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled him to her. She drank in his scent, and felt the rub of his shirt against her tender cheek and the way his fingers held her tightly. They were finally alone. She could stop pretending she was a super woman. She’d been so terrified in the interrogation center. She’d been certain she would die. Or worse still, Jude had been killed, and she’d lost him.

Octavia’s breath hitched, and a shudder ran through her. Jude had rescued her. He’d arrived when she’d needed him the most and saved her. She would never forget that. Some of the panic and fear left her. She became aware of Jude’s hard chest muscles underneath her cheek and the steady thrum of his heart.

She twisted her head and kissed the fabric of his shirt. “Thanks.”

“For what?” His voice was deep and low.

“For everything. For being here. For looking out for me.”

“Always and forever.” Jude’s hands stroked down her back before he lifted her chin and ran a thumb along her scars.

On instinct, she tensed, but then relaxed. It was Jude. Her scars didn’t bother him, and the fact she’d lost her hair hadn’t fazed him either. He was amazing.

He kissed her lips. It was a soft, gentle touch, demanding nothing but stirring a heat inside her. “How’s your cheek doing? The bruising has already lessened.”

“It feels better.” Octavia didn’t care about the fracture. She wanted more of Jude. She grabbed his shirt and yanked him closer before sliding her tongue into his mouth.

Jude growled in response. He slid his hands down her back and cupped her backside.

She felt how hard he was. She wanted him, more than anything. A few little injuries would not stop her.

Jude took a deep breath and pulled back from their kiss. “This is not resting.”

“I have a new lease on life.” Octavia kissed his lips again.

Jude grinned as he pulled her shirt up, sliding his hands across the bare skin of her back, always avoiding her laser burn.

His touch brought her skin to life as he caressed her, wiping away the fear and pain she’d felt for so long.

Jude made short work of the shirt’s buttons before easing it off her shoulders. “How’s the laser burn?” He placed lingering kisses on her collarbone before kneeling and unzipping her pants.

“It’s healed.” Octavia’s core heated as he slid her pants down her legs and pulled off her boots. She wore no underwear. She stood in front of him, naked, as he kneeled before her.

Desire filled Jude’s eyes as his hands slid up her calves, along her thighs, and around to her ass.

“I should shower,” she said huskily.

“Do that later.” Jude eased her back on the bed and kicked off his own boots. “Lie on your front so you don’t aggravate your injury.”

Licking her lips, Octavia turned slowly onto her front, resting her undamaged cheek on the bed. Her pulse raced as she heard the zipper on Jude’s pants come down and his clothing drop to the floor.

Desire made her shake as she felt his weight descend onto the bed.

His hands ran up the muscles of her calves in a slow, firm motion. He massaged her tired flesh, his fingers heating her skin. He worked the aches and the kinks out before sliding his hands up her thighs, edging her legs open as he did so.

Octavia couldn’t help but moan as Jude continued to work on her muscles.

“Does it feel good?”

“It feels incredible,” said Octavia. It had been such a long time since anyone had touched her in this way. She was so used to being roughly handled, or not being touched at all. She realized how long it had been since she’d felt desired and desirable. Her injuries had kept her hidden from everyone for fear of the disgust and rejection she’d experience. She’d hidden from finding love or seeking physical contact. Only now did Octavia realize what she’d been missing out on.

Jude’s fingers slid higher up her thighs. She bit her bottom lip to stop another groan sliding from her lips.

He gently pushed her legs wider apart. His fingers skimmed her wetness, and a growl escaped him.

Octavia couldn’t help but grind against the bed, desire flooding through her as Jude’s hard fingers inched closer to her core.

She gasped as she felt his bare flesh make contact with her back.

“I’m trying to make you relax,” he whispered in her ear, a smile tracing through his words.

“It’s having the opposite effect.”

“Do you want me to stop?” His hands slid off her thighs and rested on the bed.

“No!”

Jude chuckled and massaged her buttocks and hips. “I promise you, when all of this is over, I will spend all my free time making you happy.”

“Does that include naked massages?”

“I’ll insist on it.” Jude’s fingers slid back to the top of her thighs and he brushed across her slick folds.

She gasped again and pushed back against his hand, aching with desire, wanting to feel him inside her.

His fingers moved away. He gave a deep, throaty chuckle. “Sorry to tease. You’re just so damn sexy. It’s hard to resist you.”

“Then don’t resist.”

“I promised Sophia I’d look after you,” said Jude. “That means you can’t do anything to exert yourself.”

“How about I lie here and you do all the work? She’d think that was fine.”

Another chuckle. “As tempting an offer as that is, when I fuck you for the first time, I want to make sure you don’t break. And I want to look you in the eyes as I come deep inside you.”

Octavia felt a flood of heat run through her. “I won’t break. Why don’t we try now?” She didn’t care that she was practically begging Jude for sex. All she could think about was his hands on her flesh, igniting a fire inside her. She wanted to feel him, all of him.

Jude’s hands shifted to her lower back and his fingers eased away the aches as they slid up her spine. “You don’t know how hard I’m resisting you. You’re so beautiful. You’re everything I imagined you would be and more.”

Octavia’s passion faded. “I bet you didn’t imagine the scars and lack of hair.”

“They only make you more interesting.” Jude kissed behind her ear before sliding his lips over her scalp.

“That feels oddly sexy,” said Octavia. “Nobody has ever kissed my bare scalp before.”

“If it turns you on, I’ll do it for as long as you like.” His fingers moved up to her shoulder blades, avoiding the laser burn.

Octavia groaned as they creaked under the pressure. Days of tension and worry had collected in them. She felt a delicious mix of pleasure and pain as he massaged the kinks out.

He worked on her shoulders for several minutes before his hands slid down her arms and he rubbed her arm muscles. Jude finally reached her fingers, sliding each one between his, gently working the tension away. He lifted each hand and kissed the palm before sliding his hands up to her shoulders again.

Despite how turned on she was, Octavia felt her eyelids grow heavy. She wanted to fight it. She wanted to remember this forever. She didn’t want to miss the incredible feeling of Jude’s hands sliding over her, easing her pain and making her feel alive.

“That’s so good,” she mumbled as a veil of sleep descended over her.

The last thing she remembered was Jude’s lips against her ear. He was saying something, but she couldn’t hear him. She had lost the battle to sleep.