Zhim stood in front of Galen’s desk. Galen’s office was big, and dominated by windows that overlooked the training arena below. The muffled sounds of gladiators, busy with their training on the sand, drifted up to them.

The imperator sat at his desk, his hands steepled on the glossy surface. Ryan perched on the edge of the desk, watching Zhim steadily. She was wearing her hair loose today, and it almost reached her shoulders, in a dark, silky fall of black.

Zhim mentally shook himself. He wasn’t here to notice Ryan’s hair. His gaze dropped to her mouth and lingered. He remembered the taste and feel of it. Drak. Focus.

“My data borer uncovered something problematic in the Srinar data.”

Ryan frowned. “What?”

“It has a liquescent lock on it.”

She leaned forward. “Which means what?”

“That it is uncrackable without a certain key. The encryption algorithm is like liquid, shifting and flowing. This one also appears to have an added layer to it. It lets you think you’ve broken the encryption, and then it delivers you fake data.”

“God.” Ryan ran a hand through her hair in a frustrated gesture.

Galen sat back in his chair, his mouth a flat line. Ryan slid off the desk and started pacing, her body moving with edgy energy.

“We have to get into that data, and find Dayna and Neve,” Ryan said. “We can’t forget about them.” Her dark, sad eyes speared into Zhim.

The concern on her face…bothered him. A part of him wanted to help her and take that look away.

And then he wondered if he was coming down with something that was giving him these ridiculous urges. He’d survived his own hell, and for years, he’d only focused on himself. He did as he pleased, when he pleased, and didn’t let other people’s worries and concerns get to him.

But Ryan…she was digging in under his skin and he didn’t like it.

“We won’t abandon Dayna or Neve.” Galen’s deep voice echoed in the room. “What do you suggest, Zhim?”

Zhim let out a breath. “There’s only one option, but it’ll cost you.” He saw Ryan shoot him a glare.

“Go on,” Galen said.

“I need to take it to a hacking den.”

Ryan moved closer. “A hacking den? What’s that?”

“Not a nice place,” Zhim answered. The less she knew about hacking dens, the better.

Galen shifted in his chair with a creak of leather. “Hacker junkies gather there, always plugged into the system, their bodies addicted to the flow of data.”

“But they’re the best at what they do,” Zhim said. “And a den’s combined hacking power means they can get into almost anything.”

Ryan rubbed her hands together. “Great, when do we leave?”

He turned slowly to face her fully. “You are not coming.”

She arched a brow. “Oh? When did the universe implode and you get the right to issue me orders?”

Frustration zinged through him. “Hacking dens are dangerous, unpredictable places.”

The toes of Ryan’s soft sandals bumped against his boots. “I can handle myself.”

“They know me at the best den in Kor Magna. You could spook them, and then we’d get nothing.”

She snorted. “I’m a foot shorter than everyone on this planet, Zhim. I’m hardly intimidating.”

But she was. She had an energy that radiated off her and made people pay attention to her.

He had to find a way to stop her from insisting on this plan. “And if you have a panic attack while we’re there?” he asked quietly.

She froze. “Low blow, Zhim.”

“Believe it or not, I’m trying to protect you. Hacking dens are dark and dangerous, and shut away from the real world—”

“Like I was at Zaabha. Like I was on the Thraxian ship.” Hands clenched and unclenched, tense lines bracketing her mouth.

He saw those terrible shadows darken her eyes again, and he hated that he was the one who’d put them there. But he was trying to help her.

Ryan lifted her chin, her eyes glittering. “I have to go. I need to go, otherwise I’m letting the Thraxians, the Srinar, and the guards who beat me at Zaabha win.”

Drak. Zhim shoved his hands on his hips, and looked at Galen for help. He understood Ryan’s reasons for wanting to go, better than she knew, but he did not want to take her.

And he was starting to realize that saying no to this woman was a difficult thing.

Galen simply lifted a brow.

“You’re caving to this tiny woman from a distant planet?” Zhim ground out.

“I don’t respond to taunts, Zhim,” Galen replied. “But I’ve learned that all these humans are stronger than I ever expected they could be, and Ryan has the skills to help you.”

Drak, drak, drak. Gut churning, he glared at Ryan. “Fine. You can come.”

She broke out in a smile and pressed her hands to his chest. “Thank you, Zhim.”

Her touch burned through his thin shirt. She fisted one hand and knocked it against his ribs.

“Well. What do you know? There is a heart in here,” she murmured.

An electric tingle ran through him. “Don’t push your luck.”

* * *

Ryan followed Zhim down a rock-cut ramp and into the underground market.

Wow. The cavernous space was filled with rows of stalls, and crammed full of people. Some wore robes, others were in jumpsuits, and a few were obviously gladiators, with their bare chests, harnesses, and fighting leathers. The din of conversation and laughter echoed in the space.

Light filtered in from aboveground, through both natural and purposefully made openings in the roof, and the plain, rock walls were a creamy yellow. From the look of the vendors’ stalls, you could get just about anything down here: alien fruits and vegetables, weapons, clothes, jewelry.

She turned around, and almost tripped over the silver-gray cloak draped over her shoulders. It was sewn with the symbol of the House of Galen on it—the head of a helmeted gladiator in profile. It offered her some protection when she was out in Kor Magna. Zhim moved ahead of her, and she hurried to keep up with his long strides. Damn her short legs.

She spotted some stalls loaded with random electrical devices, many of which she didn’t recognize. Instinctively, she knew she could spend hours at the market, just wandering around. She moved under a bright circle of light filtering down from the city above and arched her head back. The rough walls of the sinkhole were fascinating. She’d barely scratched the surface of the markets, but already, she loved this place.

“Stay close,” Zhim bit out, scowling back at her.

The information merchant seemed tense today. He led her through the main hustle and bustle of the market and into a wide tunnel. But as they traveled deeper underground, the tunnels got narrower and darker. And quieter.

There were no crowds down here. Instead, small clusters of people stood in the shadows, falling silent when Zhim and Ryan passed by, and watching them with assessing eyes. The air was dank, and filled with a strange smell.

They passed an arched doorway, and inside the room, large pillows were scattered around on the stone floor. People were draped everywhere, on top of the cushions and each other, and a thick haze of smoke floated against the low ceiling.

“A taint den,” Zhim said quietly, as they moved along.

Taint. The other women had mentioned the drug as one of the hazards of Carthago. She saw that many of the people in the den were passed out, or drugged out of their minds. She shifted closer to Zhim.

He continued down the corridor and led her to another doorway. This one was blocked by a heavy, wooden door covered in several gouges, and what looked like scorch marks. A rectangular, black, metal peephole was set in the center of it. Zhim knocked briskly.

The peephole slid open, and an eye pressed to the hole.

The eye widened. “Zhim! What an honor.”

There were a few clicks and whirrs, and then the door swung open. A thin, edgy man was standing on the other side, shifting from foot to foot with excitement. He looked at Zhim with something akin to awe.

He didn’t even notice Ryan.

“Zeever. I’ve got data with a liquescent lock on it. I need someone who can crack it.”

The man let out a low whistle, and a metal eye swiveled around in a metal eye socket, where his normal eye should have been. Ryan let her gaze run over him. Wires stuck out of the skin of one of his arms, surrounded by ugly scars. He had several haphazard tech additions to his body.

“Go in, go in.” Zeever waved them toward an inner door. “The Sisters could do it. Or Enni.”

Zhim nodded. “Thanks.” As he strode through the door and into darkness, Ryan hurried to keep pace with him. A blue light glowed ahead.

They stepped into a large room, packed wall-to-wall with a mish-mash of electronics and computer equipment. Ryan just barely controlled her gasp. The blue glow was coming off all the screens.

The place was warm and stuffy, and reeked of unwashed bodies and smoldering electrical components.

She noticed the people now. They were all sitting in front of screens, their eyes glued to whatever they were doing. Some wore headset-like devices, others had gloved hands moving through data projected into the air. One man was lying on his back tapping on a screen as it floated above him.

A woman with wires coming from her fingers was plugged straight into a computer system. As Ryan scanned the room, her stomach turned over. Most of the people in here had electronic components surgically implanted into their bodies.

“Welcome to the number-one hacking den in Kor Magna,” Zhim said, his voice low.

“They’re just like the taint addicts,” she said.

He nodded. “Yes, they crave being plugged into the system. This is the only place where they feel something. Fear, success, exhilaration, frustration, happiness. For most of them, it’s better to be jacked into the flow, than to face the hard, meaningless lives they’d have above.”

But it wasn’t real. Ryan loved computers, programming, and hacking, and she always had, from the day she’d been given her father’s old, hand-me-down comp. But she’d never let herself forget that being online wasn’t completely real. She also needed hugs, conversation, food, sunshine, laughter with friends. Sex. Her gaze shifted to Zhim. The blue glow cast shadows over his face.

She saw something in his eyes. “You were here, once.”

He nodded. “When I first landed on Carthago.” He gave her a grim smile. “I was a scrawny stowaway, with nothing to my name but my tattered clothes. And the info I’d stolen off the computer of the starship I’d stowed away on.”

Instantly, Ryan could picture a lanky, thin boy with nebula eyes. She hated the thought of him in this place—hungry, desperate, and wanting to feel connected.

But she understood. She’d felt the same way when she’d been locked up at Zaabha.

“Enough of the past.” He grabbed her hand. “Come on.”

He led her over to a man sitting behind a semicircular desk. He had pale skin, and straw-like hair pulled back off his face. Ryan could see a faint scale pattern on the skin of his cheek, and wires linked him directly from his temple to the computer. He stared at his screens, slack-jawed.

“Enni,” Zhim said.

The man didn’t respond.

“Enni, it’s Zhim.”

The man blinked. “Zhim?” Enni blinked again, focusing on them. His eyes had vertical, elongated pupils. “Drak me! Long time.”

Zhim smiled. “Yes, it’s been a while.”

“Saw your fancy penthouse. Other day. Surfing the newsfeeds. Article. Looks liquid. Can I visit?”

It took Ryan a second to catch up with Enni’s rapid-fire, broken speech.

“Any time,” Zhim said.

She saw a muscle tick in Zhim’s jaw. He clearly liked this man, but she was pretty sure Zhim knew that Enni would never visit. He wouldn’t unplug long enough to visit the surface.

“You’re very rich. Far, far from old days,” Enni said, with a grin that revealed rotting teeth. “Not young, obnoxious hacker, now.”

Zhim snorted. “I might not be young, but people will tell you obnoxious still fits.”

Enni barked out a laugh.

Then Zhim’s face turned serious. “I’ve got data with a liquescent lock on it. Need someone to crack it.”

The hacker pursed his lips, and a nictitating membrane flickered over his eyes. “Liquescent. Tricky.”

“Will you take a look?”

“Sure, Z.”

Zhim leaned over and tapped on the screen to bring up the Srinar data. “This drive is on my private system. There’s the data.”

Enni leaned forward, his gaze on the screen. Being plugged in meant he didn’t need to use his hands. On the screen, Ryan saw the data ball whirl and spin.

Eyeing the empty food wrappers littered on the desk, Zhim asked casually, “You eating, Enni? You need me to bring you anything?”

“I eat. Eat, eat. When I have to.” Enni’s eyes were flickering. “Eat, eat. Wastes good screen time.”

Zhim sighed, and Ryan thought she saw sadness ghost briefly over his features, before it was gone. Following some crazy instinct, she leaned into him.

He held himself still, but didn’t move away.

That’s when Enni noticed her. “Woman. You got a woman?” His eyebrows rose.

“Can you break the lock?” Zhim asked.

But Enni’s focus was on her. “Zhim never has woman. Sometimes pretty, glossy dolls. Dolls like his money. Only stay one night.”

“Enni. The liquescent lock.”

The hacker blinked. “Right.”

“I’m Ryan,” she said. “Zhim’s friend.”

“Friend? Zhim no friends. He came from Skora. Bad planet, bad planet. No time for friends on Skora. Too busy. Survive, survive.”

“Enni.” Zhim’s voice was sharp now.

“Can’t break this, Z. Need more firepower. Ask the Sisters. Ask Sisters to link with me. Together, we can break.”

“Thanks, Enni.” Zhim leaned over and put some coins on the man’s desk. Then he grabbed Ryan’s hand, and pulled her across the room to a dark corner.

Suddenly, the walls seemed to close in, the shadows thickening. Ryan’s steps faltered. The glow of the screens, the murmur of voices, and the darkness, all reminded her of Zaabha.

She’d spent days on end locked in the desert arena’s systems room. Sometimes they’d forget to feed her, and most of the time, she’d spent the nights sleeping on the hard floor.

“You okay?” Zhim asked.

She nodded, gritting her teeth.

Suddenly, his hands were on her shoulders, pulling her close. “You’re fine, Ryan. We’re in Kor Magna. In the hacking den.”

His dark, spicy scent filled her nose, and she breathed it in deep. Zhim. She wasn’t at Zaabha.

He eyed her steadily, then nodded. “Come on.”

He pulled her over to where three women sat cross-legged on cushions. Their data was projected in the air in front of them—columns of alien symbols. The women were all of indeterminate age, with white skin and blue hair. Each one of them had milky-white eyes.

“Hello, Zhim.” They all spoke together, with low, modulated voices.

“Sisters. I have a liquescent lock for you to crack. Can you link with Enni?”

They all started whispering, moving their hands in the air in a complicated dance. “We can. We’re linked with him.”

The women’s eyes all started flickering, and they got to work.

“It is difficult,” the woman in the center said.

“Very difficult,” the second woman said. “Not easy.”

“We’ve cracked part of it,” the final woman murmured.

Ryan’s heart clenched.

“But only part of it,” the central woman added.

“Let’s see.” Zhim leaned over, to look at the data floating in the air.

Together, the three women shook their heads. “You need to plug in and fly.”

Zhim heaved out a breath, and took a set of goggles that one of the sisters was holding. One of the other ladies held up another set to Ryan.

“Ryan, no…”

“I’ll stay right with you,” she told him. “I promise.”

He nodded, and they pulled the goggles on. Lights swirled in front of Ryan’s eyes.

“Be ready,” he warned. “It can be a hell of a ride.” She felt his fingers brush her temples as he checked her goggles.

And then, suddenly, she was flying through data. Oh, God. In real life, she felt Zhim wrap his arms around her, his big body pressed against her back.

“Need to keep you grounded.” His breath was warm on her ear.

But Ryan focused on the data racing past her, and the feeling of flying. The feeling of freedom.

She laughed. She sensed Zhim’s presence in the system with her, and together, they ducked and weaved through the data. Every now and then, she saw glowing streaks that she realized were other hackers flying through the system.

It felt so good. She understood how this could be addictive. It was exhilarating.

“We’re flying,” she said.

“Yeah.” She heard the smile in his voice.

She reached out and touched the data. It ran off her fingers like water. She flicked it toward the bright presence beside her.

Zhim laughed and splashed her back.

It was so good. So fun.

Here, there was no darkness, no beatings, no fear.

But it wasn’t real. Ryan pulled in a deep breath and repeated those words to herself.

Then, to reinforce the words, she focused on the big, solid body wrapped around her in the real world. She shifted in Zhim’s embrace and felt a hard erection prodding her ass.

Desire rocketed through her.

That was real.

She shifted against him on purpose, and felt a hand grip her hip. A low growl sounded in her ear.

“Stop that,” he murmured, his voice dark and silky.

“The lock is broken.” The Sisters voices speaking in unison broke through their shared moment. “Your data is decoded.”

Really? Ryan’s heart leaped, and she watched the data flow in front of her swirl around.

“I’m copying it,” Zhim murmured. “We need to leave the system now.”

A part of Ryan didn’t want to leave. She’d be more than happy staying here, where it was free and fun. No panic attacks or nightmares.

But she knew she had to.

No problem ever got solved by ignoring it.

Ryan shoved her goggles up on the top of her head, and disorientation made the room whirl. Then Zhim’s handsome face came into focus. She slumped against him. “Whoa.”

He cupped her cheek, his other arm snaking around her. “Just take a second to get your balance.”

“That was…something.”

“Yeah.” He reached up and stroked her hair.

Ryan leaned into him, absorbing his warmth, and listening to the beat of his heart. Desire was a low simmer in her belly.

And all of it was real.

She went up on her toes and kissed him. She heard the sudden whispers of the Sisters, but soon she was swept away in the kiss. Zhim gripped her hair, tilting her head back so he could plunder her mouth. She kissed him back with every pent-up emotion inside her.

Finally, they pulled apart, staring at each other.

Zhim cleared his throat, and they both turned to see the Sisters silently watching them, with those white eyes.

“Thanks, Sisters,” Zhim said.

“Yes, thank you,” Ryan added.

“Come back to visit us.”

Ryan and Zhim moved back through the hacking den. Soon, they were back in the entryway, and Ryan had only taken one step when Zhim grabbed her, spun her around, and pushed her up against the wall. He pressed in close, his body hard against hers. An electric tingle skittered over her skin.

“Did you like being plugged in?” he asked.

“Yes.” Her voice was breathless.

“If I touch you between those slender thighs of yours, will you be wet?”

His sexy words made her belly jump. “Yes. But it’s not from being plugged in.”

He tilted his head.

She skimmed her hands up his arms. “It’s because of you.”

He kissed her again, rough and fierce. Ryan moaned against his mouth. The taste of him was way more addictive than any alien computer system.

His mouth slid down her neck, his hands skimming down her body.

“Touch me.” The words were ripped from her throat and she undulated against him.

He did, his hands moving up to cup her breasts. They felt swollen and heavy, her nipples pushing against her shirt.

A giggle made them break apart, and Ryan spotted Zeever scurrying away. Zhim rested his forehead against hers, the sound of his breathing loud in her ears.

“We need to go,” he said.

She nodded. “Did you see anything in the data? Anything about Dayna?”

“No. But I saw someone else mentioned.”

Ryan tensed. “Who?”

“Neve.”