The Fringe. Rebels according to the Federation, freedom fighters to those on the outskirts of the sector, who didn’t want to be part of the domineering Federation. Where do the boundaries lie when one side wants to expand and the other wants its independence?
“Dramos. Quite a journey,” remarked Mason.
“His battalion was put in… stasis.” Her voice cracked. “The ship was old, older than this one.”
He sighed. “It failed, the stasis tube?”
She sniffed, wiping away a tear. “Yes. All of them did—the temperature controls set the liquid too cold. The ship was an autopilot and the commander asleep, the alarm didn’t go off. All of them, nearly three hundred soldiers died in that frozen liquid. Tomas was one of them.”
“I’m sorry, Jade. That’s awful. Now I understand your fear.”
“I miss him.” She eased out of his comforting arm and switched off the cube. “It was an accident, seeing his face.”
“One day you’ll be able to look at him and smile back.”
“Not yet. It’s too raw.”
He reached down and began to remove his boots. She knelt down and helped him.
“Thank you,” he said softly. “Was his death the reason why you left Malimor? To make a difference?”
She nodded. “Somehow, I had to make up for his lost soul by saving others. On Kalamar.”
“Kalamar is a problematic planet. The Federation wants to bring order to it. However, I don’t think the answer lies in using Stratums.”
Jade placed his boots under his desk, where he liked to keep them. “Each to their own. Isn’t that what you said?”
He cocked his head to one side. “I did. We’re good, aren’t we? I know in my heart you are my everything, Jade.”
The heat rose into her cheeks and she came to kneel by his feet, resting her hands on his knees. “Yes, I feel the same.”
He smiled. “Good.”
“Curtis?” she asked, wanting to draw a line under the mission.
“Tucked up asleep. I’ve also double-sealed his cryo chamber with an explosive. If he wakes up for any reason, the moment his tube opens, his head will be blown clean off. I’m not taking any chances with him on board.”
She didn’t argue with his safety measures. The idea of Curtis escaping was terrifying.
“Now, sweetheart, let’s review your role in his capture.” He tipped her chin up. “Did I not say don’t engage Curtis?”
She had an answer for that. “I didn’t. He engaged me in conversation. I could hardly tell him to get lost.”
Mason pursed his lips. “True. As for your courage and quick thinking, you impressed me. The device… it would have been impossible without that. I want to show you my gratitude.” He drew her up. The expression of his face told her everything she needed to know—he wanted her.
It was what she needed from him. Give herself to him and let him lead her back to where she felt secure and content. It wasn’t just about the sex, although it was fantastic; it was the surrender, the total release that came with his control.
“Take me,” she said clearly, wondering if he thought she was too upset to do it.
The brightness in his eyes intensified, the shadow on his face lifted—he, too, had been stressed by the last few hours. He cupped her face in his hands and traced his thumbs along her cheekbones. The gentle caress was a prelude of what was to come. She reveled in it and closed eyes, calming her breathing, relaxing her shoulders.
“Good,” he murmured. “Keep doing that, keep letting it all go.”
“I can’t stop this feeling inside of me.” She opened her eyes. “It’s telling me you’re the one. The only one I will forever love.”
He bent down and kissed her lips, pressing his mouth firmly onto hers, and he held her there in a passionate embrace. The warmth of his kiss was an acknowledgement and it meant the world to her, having that connection made real. Easing back, he dropped his hands. The tired lines around his eyes had dissolved away, replaced by a new energy.
When he spoke, the tonal quality was deep, enriched by firmness and delightfully familiar to her ears. “I love you so much. I want you every hour, every day. You’re going to give me access to all of you when I demand it, regardless of what you’re doing. I’m going to pleasure you in ways that your darkest fantasies never touched. Do you want this, Jade? Do you want us to explore those places?”