Locked in the brig, Dara nonetheless felt it when the ship streaked. Her stomach bottomed right out, and reality stretched as the ship moved.

Moved where?

She hated not knowing what was happening. Did the citadel follow them? Where was Karo?

Had they truly escaped? She’d almost begun to despair. Of late the drones were finding them faster and faster. Or at least they were homing in more quickly on Karo. If only she could split the amulet she wore in two.

She didn’t understand how it helped, only that when she wore it, she was more or less invisible to the drones. Which helped when it came down to a fight.

She’d gotten good at evading capture. Practice did make perfect.

This last escape, though, was due to luck. And one handsome captain.

My husband. Possibly not for long. She’d promised him a divorce if he saved them. Odd how she found herself reluctant. Yet she also understood why he’d want to make it legal. They were married in name only. Years apart. Secrets separating them. Secrets that even now she couldn’t divulge—and some that even I’m in the dark about.

Her teacher had warned her early on that there was something special about Dara. That, in order to survive, she had to remain hidden. And she’d done a good job, too, until she met Kobrah. Her weakness. My first and only love. Because of him, she’d woken a slumbering threat. A threat that she just couldn’t seem to shake.

I shouldn’t have involved him.

She’d tried so hard to keep him out of this. To keep him safe. Now she had no choice. She needed his help to save Karo because, in the end, her daughter was the only thing that mattered.

The streak ended with a bone-jarring lurch, and she heaved a deep breath, blinking as she wondered how long she’d been holding it and how much time had passed. Minutes could run oddly during flight.

An alarm sounded.

“Breach in the hull. Personnel in the affected area are urged to evacuate. Repair teams prepare for weld.”

Where did the damage come from?

The ship wasn’t done with its messages. “Streak in five minutes.”

Another one? And so quickly, too.

A shudder in the floor widened her eyes. She knew that sensation from flying her own ship.

Impact. Did someone fire on them? Had the citadel managed to trail them during the streak? Hard, but not impossible. Not with their technology.

She moved to the door of her cell and banged on it. “What’s going on?”

No reply. She hit the portal a few more times, yelling, “Damn you, Kobrah! Tell me what’s happening.”

“Streak imminent.” The ship computer relayed the instructions, and the countdown arrived quickly.

Three. Two. Bang. Warning sirens blared all around.

One…

She tumbled to the side as the ship streaked again. A short one, or so it seemed. Then even shorter as they streaked again.

And again.

By the eighth one—head pounding, ears ringing—she’d already thrown up twice.

She hung over the basin for a third go when she noticed the ship remained smooth. Her stomach stopped churning. She took a deep breath.

And screamed, “What the fuck, asshole?” It felt good. It did nothing to change her situation.

She paced as she waited. Kobrah would see her when he was good and ready, which could be awhile. A heavy sigh escaped her. Might as well make herself comfortable. She grabbed a blanket from the cubby in the wall, added a foam pillow, and had a nap on the cot that projected from the floor.

It had been awhile since she’d not slept with one eye open. She rested, knowing Kobrah would keep her safe.

She couldn’t tell how long she slept. The door opened with a swish, and she woke instantly. She crouched on the slim cot, cursing the fact her knives were missing and that she had nothing to fight with but her bare hands. Which could do more damage than she’d ever let Kobrah know. He knew she could do some hand-to-hand combat, and she never hid her targeting skills with a gun, but for some reason, she’d downplayed the fact she knew how to incapacitate a good number of species with well-placed jabs.

But now he suspected the truth. Or at least understood Dara was more than she’d let on. What that meant for her…

Kobrah stalked in. Alone. His face a blank mask, however his eyes blazed.

The door sealed behind him.

She tried to appear casual. Flicked back her hair, sat down on the cot, and regarded him coolly. “About time you showed up.”

“Don’t give me attitude. Not now. Do you have any idea how many people want me to flush your ass out of the nearest airlock?”

If he wanted to kill her, he’d have done it already. “Did you come here to see if I’d beg for my life? Because that won’t happen.”

“I shouldn’t be here at all.”

“I’m surprised any of us are here after that streaking stunt. Or were you trying to set a record for vomiting passengers?” She arched a brow.

“Didn’t have a choice.” Said with a scowl. “Somehow, the citadel kept following us. Took us five jumps before we found the miniature drone hiding in the bay relaying our coordinates.”

“There are drones on board?” She slammed to her feet. “I need to see Karo.”

He blocked her way even more thoroughly than the door. A big man, he filled the small space of her cell with his presence.

The fact that he loomed meant she had to crane to see him.

He glared. “You are not going anywhere. The child is fine.”

“If there was one drone, there could be more.”

“I know, which is why it took eight jumps before we found them all.”

“Are you sure?”

His steady gaze searched hers. He nodded. “I’m sure.”

“How bad is the damage?”

“Other than the hull stuff?” He shrugged. “We lost a cargo hold and all its contents, mostly seeds and farming equipment.” Which they used to trade with the colonies who thought it more valuable than any rock or metal. “No lives lost, so one positive.”

She eased out a breath. The crew already hated her for the lives lost as a result of her actions. She’d probably be dead already if they’d lost more. “I’m sorry I got you involved.” She truly was.

“Involved in what? Gonna explain that to me now?” he growled. “You said you stole something of theirs. What did you steal? The gypsies are determined to get their hands on you.”

“I know.”

“So give whatever you took back.”

“I can’t. And I didn’t really steal it. It was mine to start with, but they refuse to see it that way.”

“I should hand you over.”

“You can’t do that.”

“You’re right, I can’t.” His eyes blazed, and his fists clenched by his side.

She stepped closer. Could it be… Could he still care? She reached out, and he flinched away.

“Don’t.” He uttered the word with a cold glare. “Don’t think I am doing this for you. I’m doing it for the child.”

Her lips flattened. “She is your child, too.”

“Impossible. You were never pregnant while we were together.”

“I was. You just didn’t notice. And I never told you.”

He snorted. “How can you hide a nine-month pregnant belly?”

“Because I didn’t carry her for the full term.”

His brows shot high. “You used a steel womb?” The derogatory term used for women who chose a mechanical surrogate rather than have a baby naturally.

“I didn’t have a choice.” She’d not even known she was pregnant until the end of her first trimester.

“Why? Explain to me what’s going on.”

She hung her head instead. “I can’t.” Couldn’t tell him because she wasn’t even entirely sure herself. Her teacher had told her growing up that the Rhomanii would be out for her blood because of something her parents had done. She hadn’t expected that vendetta to extend to her child.

Annie warned me. And she didn’t listen.

“Can’t?” He barked the word as he raked a hand through his hair. “You seem to think you’re calling the shots here. Have you forgotten who’s captain of this ship?”

“I’ve forgotten nothing.” She would carry the guilt the rest of her life.

“Except how to tell the truth. Petrov is running a genetic match as we speak. Care to come clean while you still can?”

She raised her gaze to meet his. “She is your daughter, Kobrah.”

“Let’s say by some fucked-up chance she is. I still want that divorce.”

Which was better than him opting to become a widower. “I’ll give you what you want when you get us to safety.”

He loomed closer, the heat of him scorching. “I don’t think you’re in a position to bargain.”

No, but she did have one tool left in her arsenal. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. Hoped she’d properly read the reason for his anger.

Her mouth pressed against the hard line of his lips. For a moment, she wondered if she’d misjudged. He felt like stone against her, nothing like the man she once knew.

Then it unleashed. The passion that stole her breath. The desire, molten hot.

His hands cupped her ass and drew her upward that his mouth might better plunder hers. She laced her arms around his neck, the intimate contact the first since their last time together.

Her back slammed against the wall, but she reveled in the brutish passion, every bit as frantic as him. Her hands grasping at every part of him. Her mouth devouring.

She reached between their bodies to touch him. Found him ready, the hard steel length evidence of his desire. She squeezed and panted, “I’ve missed this.”

She should have kept her lips sealed.

He groaned. “Fuck me, what am I doing?” He shoved away from her.

“Kobrah.” His name emerged soft, and she reached for him.

Evading her hands, he turned away. “No. I can’t do this again. I won’t.”

He walked right through the wall that opened only an instant before he would have hit it. He didn’t look back. Didn’t tell her what he planned to do. She couldn’t stand not knowing.

“Kobrah?” This time the word held a query.

He paused and turned to face her, his face a cold mask with no sign of passion.

“What are you going to do?” She hated the plaintive note.

“You will stay here until further notice.”

“But—”

The doorway disappeared, leaving Dara alone.

She rubbed her tingling lips.

He’ll be back.