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  “I would’ve.”

  “What?” Sienna asked Jax.

  “If I was in his shoes, I would’ve shot me.”

  “Well, then it’s a good thing you’re not. In his shoes, I mean.” She cracked her tight neck. “Men. I’m done with both of you. Tour’s over. Fini.” She walked away from the two men with the start of a migraine climbing up the back of her head. The guys were wise not to follow.

  She punched in the PIN on the keypad outside her door, the lock clicked. She stepped inside and tossed the drades onto the dresser, not bothering with the lights. Instantly, the colors melted into the darkness. Squinting, she tried to make out the bold crimson couch in the middle of the room. No luck. It seemed that her human eyes had adapted no better to the dark than when she first stepped foot in the underground bunker.

  Not that she needed the lights here. She knew the small room blindfolded. The minimalist but warm feng shui décor. Legian had let her furnish everything, which was a very good thing. His concept of style was worse than a color-blind Tasmanian devil.

  Sienna headed straight for the soft bed. Pulling the thick down comforter around her, she mentally willed the stress to leave her body.

  Several minutes later, someone knocked on her door. She groaned and didn’t raise her hand from her eyes when another loud knock pounded on the door. “Go away.”

  “It’s me. Jax,” the voice called out from the other side of the door.

  “No solicitors.”

  There was no response, but she had no doubt he was still out there. Knowing her chances for a nap were shot, she got up with a sigh and went to the door. “Fine. But I’m only letting you in so I can kick your ass,” she grumbled, unlocking the door before walking back to the couch without acknowledging her visitors. “Lights full,” she muttered, and the lights brightened to an Earth daylight setting.

  Jax stepped through the door, followed by his shadow. Bente didn’t seem one bit bothered. He grabbed a pair of Legian’s sunglasses off the wall, walked over to the fridge, grabbed three beers and sat on the other end of the couch. He handed her a can before tossing another can to Jax who caught it with one hand.

  Jax hung his drades off his T-shirt collar and ran a hand over his buzz cut. “This whole arrangement is … fuck, I’m out of my element here.”

  Sienna popped open the can and took a long drink. “That’s one lame ass apology,” she muttered as she turned the TV on and began flipping through channels. One good thing about advanced technology was that the Sephians could hook into all the cable channels. Too bad there wasn’t anything good on. A thousand channels, everything crap. So she turned to Jax, who still had Bente positioned behind him like a shimmery shadow.

  His eyes narrowed and before taking a drink, he said, “Who said I need to apologize?”

  She glared up at him. “You act like I chose this. Three months ago, my life was normal. Until Legian crashed into my back yard. Then I got these.” She motioned to her soullare. “And my world changed.”

  “Why did you get them if you didn’t want them?”

  “Because they’re not tattoos. They’re soullare.” She enunciated the word with a flair of drama. “They appeared on my skin like magic. They only show up on a Sephian’s tahren, which is basically the same as a spouse, except that they bond for life, and their soul or some kind of mumbo jumbo picks their mate for them. When Legian and I hooked up, I got the soullare. And trust me, once you get them there is no going back. Matrix speaking, I chose the blue pill, and here I am.”

  Jax stared at her a moment before leaning back, a snarl on his lips. “How can you be so casual about sleeping with a fucking ET?”

  Sienna narrowed her eyes. “Because my only other option is to dwell in the past. I can’t change the past, but I can sure as hell control how I deal with today.”

  “But it still doesn’t make sense. You’re human. Tats don’t just show up on our skin.”

  She shrugged. “That’s what the Sephians thought, too. Evidently, DNA speaking, our two races are similar enough that the soullare works between the two. Apolo says it’s because humans carry the latent soul-bond gene and we haven’t evolved enough to access it. My theory is that the bond is something contagious, like a virus. But the truth is, no one knows. The med-tecs here have examined me eight ways to Sunday. And believe me, it wasn’t fun. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Sephians learned their medical techniques from Draeken torture chambers. I have never seen so many probes in different shapes and sizes in my life.”

  Sienna shivered, thinking back on the long hours of cold, painful tests. The tests would have gone on, too, if Legian hadn’t stepped in and carried her out of there. With their bond, he felt everything she felt, at a muted level. She’d never seen Legian so angry. She thought he was going to kill Doc. Good thing he didn’t since he was the only medical professional that had some clue to human anatomy. Doc had worked in a Draeken medical facility before the war. And it sounded like Draeken and human anatomy was frighteningly similar — aside from the Draeken’s extra appendages, that was.

  “Speaking of which, has Doc hunted you down yet?”

  Jax’s look of disgust made her giggle.

  “Yeah, he’s more curious than a cat. Even with all his tests, he still doesn’t have a clue why I got the soullare. Whatever it is, it forms some kind of funky empathic bond between two people, making it damn near impossible to be apart.” She set her beer on the coffee table and interlaced her fingers to show her point. “Not that I would want to, but I don’t think I could leave Legian and survive. The bond is that intense.”

  “Believe me, I know. My room is next door.” Bente smiled that famous bad-boy crooked smile of his. The one that drove women crazy and picked too many fights with men.

  She threw a pillow at him, which he caught without a flinch in one hand.

  Jax leaned forward and tapped his forefinger to his lips. “This could change things in public opinion. It’s one thing to know that we’re not alone in the universe. It’s a whole other thing that a human could be tied permanently to an alien, especially with no choice in the matter.”

  Sienna shrugged. “It took me awhile to get used to the bond. But then it hit me. We go on countless dates and spend all this time trying to pick out a suitable spouse. The divorce rate is through the roof so clearly something’s not working. The soullare is simply a sixth sense of sorts that goes straight for the keeper. I can speak from firsthand experience that it shouldn’t be a big deal. Legian is first and foremost one hundred percent male, and that trumps where he was born any day of the week. I’m thankful to have met him.”

  “If you say so.” Jax paused to down the last of his beer. “So is it the same for the Draeken and humans?” he asked on his way to the fridge.

  “I have no idea.”

  “You mind?” he asked as he grabbed another beer.

  “Help yourself,” she replied.

  Bente threw a hand in the air. “Send one here.” He caught the cold beer and cracked open the can. “We don’t know anything yet about Draeken and human compatibility. The Draeken and Sephians are biologically compatible, but we don’t know if they are compatible with humans.”

  “The only way to know is to catch one and run tests,” Jax said.

  “Good luck with that.”

  Jax looked at her when she spoke.

  She rubbed her hands together. “It’s just that they’d have a tough time blending in with humans. Get this. They have wings.” She stretched out her arms.

  “Wings?”

  “Crazy, isn’t it? Tell him, Bente.”

  “Sienna’s right. The Draeken have pale skin like humans, but they tend to be slightly larger. And they have wings.”

  She leaned forward. “But their wings aren’t like angels’ wings. No feathers. Oh no, their wings are covered in skin. Like dragons. So they look more like demons.”

  Jax raised his brows. “Or bats.”

  She shrugged. “They cover their wings in ta
ttoos and keep adding ink throughout their lives. Gives them quite the look.”

  His eyes squinted. “Wings would make a secret infiltration of our world much more difficult.” There was a lot of thinking going on in Jax’s head by the look on his face and how he downed his beer. After a big gulp, he looked directly at Bente. “Can the wings be amputated?”

  Bente nodded. “They can, and we’ve seen it done. But it’s rare. Generally only half-breeds have it done. More out of shame than anything. It’s rare a pure-blood would ever do it. Their wings are a source of pride, and proof of lineage is displayed across the skin. With how low their numbers now are, they would have to be desperate to go to such measures. Also, the wings are fully functional. To remove them is kin to removing a major organ. And, their ability to take flight has given them a significant advantage in many battles.”

  “What are their key weaknesses? How did you defeat them?” Jax asked as if he were studying for an exam.

  “We beat them with just enough luck and far too much sacrifice,” a voice said from the doorway.

  All heads jerked around to see Apolo walk through the door. Legian followed directly.

  “Hey.” Sienna smiled to Legian. Oblivious to everyone else in the room, he walked to her, sat on the arm of the couch next to her. She leaned into him, and he hugged her closer. “What have you two been up to?”

  Apolo answered first. “Legian has debriefed me. It sounds like you were very lucky.”

  She leaned forward. “I can explain.”

  He waved her off.

  She leaned back, never taking her eyes off the Sephian leader. She could have sworn the sadist enjoyed pushing her buttons.

  “Actually,” Apolo continued. “Meeting Lieutenant Jerrick was fortuitous. Krysea and I spoke, and we both agree there is much we can learn from each other.” He turned to face Jax. “What are your thoughts, Lieutenant?”

  “Well,” Jax drawled out. “You didn’t start out on the right foot by setting up shop on American soil, nor by your subterfuge. But I don’t think finding something mutually acceptable is impossible, either. But, like I’ve been telling you guys, it’s not my call.”

  Apolo’s lips thinned. “I look forward to talking with you more about the possibilities. In the meantime …” Apolo turned to face Sienna. “I need to return to some other matters at hand.” Then he turned and left the room without another word. The room fell silent.

  “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone with my tahren,” Legian said before kissing the top of Sienna’s head.

  “That’s my clue.” Bente pulled himself up, walked to the fridge, and grabbed a couple more beers. He motioned to Jax, who followed with a guarded look. Once the door clicked close, Sienna hopped up, tapped the keypad, and the locks slid into place.

  She sashayed around the table and back toward Legian.

  He grabbed her arms and pulled her roughly to him. His kiss kicked up a torrential storm of desire. Thinking became impossible as she clutched his wide shoulders and yanked him closer. His skin glimmered with every breath he took. His flesh was warm to the touch, fueling her passion for him, building a fire within. She felt so much. Too much. She thought back to Jax’s reactions earlier, and her muscles tensed as she tried to tamp down the emotion.

  Suddenly, Legian broke the kiss. “What’s wrong, tahren?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Sienna. You know we can’t lie to each other. Tell me.” His words were a murmur as he ran the back of his hand down her cheek.

  She pulled back a bit, far enough to place her palm over his beating heart. “It’s just that, well, what I’m trying to say is that I enjoy the passion. God, I do. The past few months have been heaven. But it also scares me. It really scares me. Everything has happened so fast, it is all so much to handle. I haven’t been with many men in my life. And I’ve only been with you since Bobby.”

  “What are you getting at?”

  Her forehead rested against his chest. “I don’t know. Sometimes, the intensity of it all freaks me out. I’ve been alone for so long. Now that we’re together, I’m never alone. Even when we’re not together, you’re inside me. I can feel you. Then there’s this base. I never see the sun anymore. Everything’s literally alien to me. Sometimes I feel like I’m losing myself. Then, last night, seeing other humans again — ”

  “Is it because of the human?”

  Sienna winced. “Jax? What does he have to do with anything?”

  “It’s obvious you are taken with him.”

  “Whoa. I am not ‘taken with him.’ He was Bobby’s friend. And he brings a bit of humanity to this place.”

  “So it’s your late husband then? Does Jax remind you of what you had?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I’ll never forget Bobby. But you’re not Bobby’s replacement. What we have is different. This — ” she motioned between them “ — is about you and me. No one else. Never anyone else.”

  Emotion radiated from him. Lightning shot through his black eyes, a sure sign that he was on a precipice.

  “Legian? Talk to me.”

  “What are you saying, Sienna?”

  “I’m not saying anything. I just needed to vent my thoughts. Things bottle up inside until I feel like I’m going to explode. Sometimes I wish things would slow down so my head would quit spinning.”

  “Your head hurts?”

  “No. Not like that. I’m saying things have moved so fast that I’m afraid of losing me in all of this.”

  Legian backed away. She couldn’t tell if he was pissed off, sad, or disappointed. His feelings that flowed into her were too turbulent to translate.

  “It’s you I want, Sienna. Not a shell of you. I have no desire of taking that spirit away from you. If it is time that you need, then time is what you’ll have. If you prefer a human for companionship over me, that too I will understand. I won’t like it, but I’ll understand. I will never force your love or expect you to change for me, my tahren. Never.”

  With that, he kissed her forehead, spun on his heel and walked out of their room.

  Her jaw dropped. “Legian?” she whimpered through the closed door, not really expecting a response. After a minute of standing there in a daze, her legs gave out, and she fell back on the couch in a heap of frustration.

  Suvaste. Men. They just didn’t get it.

  Chapter Nine

  The mission began like all the rest, although it felt different. More excitement in the air. Like something big was going down. It was exactly what the Sephians needed. They had been growing progressively antsy over the past several weeks. Inactivity didn’t blend well with hardened military folks. It was common to see at least one argument in the Commons daily. The training room had become packed.

  Sienna couldn’t find peace even in the gardens. Normally serene, they were buzzing with activity. With everyone out and about across the base, she felt claustrophobic. A big mission couldn’t have come at a better time.

  Like usual, Apolo’s briefing was closed to everyone but his trinity, which meant she wasn’t allowed. She’d found herself in the mood to destroy something. And so it was back up to the training room to take out her frustrations at the shooting range. She’d picked on Jax for needing to let off some steam, but the truth was she had more than a little steam to let off herself. Kettle, meet Pot.

  As she hefted the laser gun in her hand, Sienna couldn’t help but appreciate Sephian technology. She could shoot the hell out of a target without ever having to reload. And that was exactly what she did. She didn’t know how long she fired. All she knew was that by the time she released pressure on the trigger the target was nothing but smoking black ash. A burnt-metal scent and haze filled the room. And her mood hadn’t improved. Not one stinking bit.

  On the bright side, now she could actually hit the target every time. Huge improvement. To her credit, shooting laser guns was completely different than regular guns. Give her a twenty-two and she could nail a beer bottle from twenty yards.
You’d think Sephian guns would be easier to use, but they weren’t. They were much more sensitive and overly precise, even without the kick, making it nearly impossible to hit a target more than several feet away. Good for a sniper, bad for wild shooting, hail-of-bullets Sienna “Shotgun” Wolfe.

  Even practicing a full hour every day, she still didn’t have as good of aim with a Sephian gun as she had with a regular gun. Three months ago, Sienna’s first target practice session knocked Legian to the ground with tears in his eyes from laughing so hard. It pissed her off and was also a great motivator to get some mean shooting skills. Legian wouldn’t laugh now if he were here.

  Dammit. She stomped a foot. Right when she was getting peacefully distracted, why did she have to go and think of that big lug again? With a sigh, she slid the gun into the holster on her thigh.

  “I never thought you had it in you.”

  She snapped around and grabbed at her heart with one hand and the gun with the other. “Jeezus, Lea. Stop doing that. I could have shot you.”

  Nalea pursed her lips. “That would have been a bitchy thing to do. I don’t think I would be your friend anymore if you did that.”

  “Yeah. Because you’d be dead.”

  “Doubt it. Your aim’s getting better, but you’re not that good yet,” she retorted.

  “Better than your clichés.” Sienna tried to look serious and couldn’t help but smile. And they both laughed. She leaned back against the way and eyed her friend. “So, how’d the briefing go?”

  Nalea ran a finger down a line in the wall. “Fine.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the target — or, at least what had been the target. “I wondered if you might be here. Legian seemed out of sorts tonight. Everything okay?”

  Sienna shrugged. “Fine, I guess. We’re taking a breather right now. That’s all.”

  Nalea’s eyes widened. “I have never heard of tahren taking ‘breathers’ before.”

  “I bet you have also never heard of a human tahren before now, either, have you?”

  “Good point,” Nalea conceded.