Page 29 of Her Lawless Prince

Nyle nodded, still trying to control his jealousy over that fact. “How could you marry him?”

“I didn’t think it mattered.” Her answer was so simple, so honest.

And he hated it.

“I can think of very little that matters more than our connections to other people.” He would have given anything to have a woman like her by his side all those lonely years. Nyle put his hand against the scanner. It blinked red. Frowning, he gestured to Payton. “You try. Yevgen probably gave you clearance.”

Payton pressed her hand to the scanner. The door to the small storage area slid open.

“The food simulator they let me use is in here.” Nyle led the way inside. Lights sensed their presence and turned on. The simulator sat on a small table next to the supply drawers. “Those trapped in the sleeping chamber will have an emergency medic. It will keep them alive for a few weeks. We should at least feed that boy. What do you think he’d like?”

“Traveler pouches?” Payton shrugged. “Maybe just a variety of things. Too bad Rita is in there with him. I’d just as soon let her starve if not for the fact that she has a child. I feel bad for the boy. This doesn’t seem like the ideal way to raise him.”

“He appears healthy and cared for.” Nyle began typing recipe codes into the simulator. He pulled out a traveler pouch and handed it to her. “Eat something. You said shifting takes a lot of energy.”

Payton took his advice and bit into the pouch. He handed her a second one before starting a tray for the boy.

“You should eat too,” she said. “You gave Yevgen a large volume of blood.”

Nyle didn’t feel like eating. “Yevgen doesn’t deserve you. I’m not sure any man does.”

She chuckled. “Because I’m frustrating, reckless, dangerous, and no man deserves to be trapped with that?”

“Yes, to frustrating, reckless, and dangerous.” Nyle returned her smile. He felt like he knew her, probably more than he should have. He thought of those years watching her through Yevgen’s feeds. “And fascinating, brave, intelligent, stubborn, wild, beautiful.”

She set her food down next to the simulator. “Go on.”

“It doesn’t seem real that we’re here. Like this.” He couldn’t stop staring at her face.

Payton glanced around. “In a storage hold materializing food for prisoners?”

“Together.” Nyle knew he wasn’t making sense, at least not in the eloquent way he would hope to in such a situation. What was it about her that made all intelligent thoughts turn into a jumbled mess in his mind? “I’ve seen you before.”

She didn’t move as she stared at him.

Nyle closed his eyes. The mixture of smells surrounded them in the small room, coming from the tray of food he had materialized. He hadn’t paid attention to what he’d prepared. All his attention was on her.

“I mean to say, I’ve seen you on Yevgen’s video feeds that I watched before coming to Qurilixen.” He opened his eyes to look into hers. “Something about you captivated me, and when I finally saw you, in real life, I was struck insensible.”

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“I realize I might not have another chance.” Nyle lifted his hand, letting it hover in the air between them. He wanted to touch her, kiss her, hold her. He felt as if every inch of his body pulled into her gravity. “We could have died today.”

Her lip curled slightly, but she didn’t appear joyful. “We could die every day. That is why it is important to live a worthy life.”

At that, he dropped his hand. “You’re right, of course. I forgot who we were. Forgive me.”

“And who are we?”

Was she toying with him? He took a deep breath and turned his attention back to the food simulator. He pushed random buttons. His hands shook as he was unable to concentrate.

“You are a princess,” he answered. “I am the last man in the universe who can be held responsible for what happened on Cysgod. My life is not worthy of yours.”

He had spent decades mentally churning over his past, every conversation he could remember, every project he worked on, and every passing interaction he’d had with coworkers. He tortured himself with things he should have noticed, words he should have said, forms he should not have signed. He could have said no to them replicating his genetics. He could have followed up with the organics laboratory to see what they were doing with his cloned organs.

“Did you conspire to hurt the Cysgodians?” She touched his arm. The softness of her fingers caused a shiver to work over him.

“Ignorance is not an excuse. It is my body that made it possible for them—”

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