“Come on, come on—” Dragon whispered, his eyes drilling holes on the metal surface in front of him.

The hatch door had been closed for less than five minutes, but it could have been a week to Dragon. His frayed nerves couldn’t take much more as he imagined that the worst was happening on the other side of that wall.

Time seemed to have slowed to a crawl. He paced. His body tensed with every passing second, and his heart raced. If Lewis didn’t open that door soon, Dragon would tear it down with his bare hands.

More seconds passed, stretching his patience to the breaking point.

His soulmate was dealing with a sadistic assassin all by herself, and his mind was running in circles, feeding him the most terrifying scenarios. If Maarlo took Jade with him on his ship, there was no telling what might happen. Dragon would scour the entire universe to get her back, and he would stop at nothing to save her, but the mere idea of Jade alone with that psychopath made Dragon sick.

His inner clock told him that only a minute had passed in real life, and he was sure that he couldn’t go on for another sixty seconds doing nothing. Finally, the slightest hiss resonated from the hatch door. The sound of whirring gears reached his ears, and Dragon placed himself before the opening wall.

A circular hole formed at the center of the unfolding sections of the door. Dragon looked at the scene unveiling inside the landing arm. The rebel lay on the floor. Maarlo was dragging a recalcitrant Jade toward his ship. The assassin looked up. With glowing blue eyes that clicked as he changed his focus, he stared at Dragon for a moment before slapping Jade hard. Jade slumped to the floor. Maarlo grabbed a fistful of her shirt to pull her up. He stepped behind the threshold of the inner chamber that led to his ship, shoving Jade behind him.

Dragon bellowed in anguish. As soon as he could fit his body into the still-opening entrance, he crossed into the landing corridor and sprinted toward Maarlo. Jumping over the unconscious rebel, Dragon launched himself forward as Maarlo pushed the command to close the hatch door.

Dragon hit the closing frame with his shoulder, cleared the door, and rolled inside the inner chamber of Maarlo’s ship. The assassin threw Jade against the wall and stormed to attack Dragon who met him head-on. Maarlo threw a punch that Dragon deflected with his forearm. With a side kick, he threw the assassin off balance and followed with a series of strikes to the man’s throat.

Towering over Maarlo, Dragon raised his knee to finish his opponent with a hammer kick to his solar plexus. At the last moment, Maarlo’s hand came up and jerked Dragon’s foot, sending him to the ground. The roles reversed, it was now the assassin standing over Dragon. Maarlo jumped with both feet and landed heavily on Dragon’s chest. The heels of his boots were reinforced with stainless-steel plates and crushed several ribs.

Steadying his breathing, Dragon moved before Maarlo could hit him a second time and cave his ribcage. A side kick and a hand chop sent the assassin against the wall. Dragon didn’t give him time to react and followed him to the ground, pummeling Maarlo until his knuckles broke.

Rage blinding him, Dragon saw Maarlo’s hand reaching toward the corner only when it was too late. The nuzzle of a small flare gun swung toward him, aimed at his eye. Maarlo’s finger reached for the trigger.

Jade launched herself at Maarlo, deviating his aim just as he pulled the trigger. The flare scorched Dragon’s neck and chest, burning his flesh and pushing him backward. Maarlo rose, turning toward Jade. Dagger in her hand, she jumped back, then feigned a thrust to the left, instead going for the opposite side.

Maarlo saw through her trick and moved out of the dagger’s trajectory. “I taught you everything you know.” He laughed, dancing on his feet as if he were having fun, mocking her attempts.

Dragon pushed himself onto his feet. Maarlo kept pivoting on his heels, making a circle around Jade. When Maarlo had his back to Dragon, Jade attacked the assassin one last time, running straight at him. Maarlo’s laugh resonated loudly in the small chamber. At the last moment, instead of hitting Maarlo, Jade threw the dagger at Dragon, who grabbed it midair.

Shouting, Dragon embedded the blade into Maarlo’s neck, severing vertebrae with a resounding crack and killing him on the spot.

“Are you okay?” Jade was at his side right away.

“Just a burn,” he answered, taking her in his arms as he began to shake. “Are you okay?” His hands roamed over her body, making sure she wasn’t injured.

“I’m fine.” Jade kissed him. “We’re fine.”

“He won’t hurt you ever again,” he said, his eyes cutting to Maarlo’s corpse lying on the floor.

“We beat him.” She snuggled in his embrace.

Nodding, he kissed her crown and inhaled her scent. “Now let’s get rid of the Academy,” he said.