Page 87 of Tempting Jupiter
“Seneca was right. Mercury is fast.” She’d been using Bug to work with him to locate the mercenaries and disarm the explosives. Unfortunately, Bug’s energy-pack was draining fast with such intense use.
Jupiter grunted in response.
The hacker, whose name was Knock, made a distracted sound of agreement. He wore a headset that covered one ear and positioned a microphone to the side of his mouth. Primitive, but functional. He’d been working with Creek and the freed prisoners to lock down the ship’s crew.
She’d been keeping an eye on Seneca, but he and the mountain sized Carn had the bridge under control.
Jupiter moved closer. “Is everything okay?”
He’d picked up her concern over the last bomb and the low power warning flickering in the corner of her vision. “As fast as Mercury is, we won’t be able to disable that last bomb if Bug can’t make the distance. I don’t think I can talk him through a manual disarm.”
“Can the ship survive if it explodes?”
“Shit,” said Knock. “Did you say bomb and explode?”
Jupiter growled. “Concentrate on your own tasks.”
Knock waved his hands in the air. “Yeah, yeah. Okay. Just give me a heads up if we’re all going to die.”
“The ship can survive, but it would be a rough ride. We might have damage in the landing bay.”
Jupiter made a concerned noise. “Mercury and Carn’s mates are still in the landing bay.”
“And the shuttle pilots.” Knock had clearly not stopped listening. “You need a hand?”
“Mercury.” Feeona spoke to him through the ship’s intercom to conserve Bug’s power. “I’m going to land Bug on your shoulder. We’re losing power too fast.”
She waited for him to nod. There was never a break in his stride.
“If Bug goes dark before you get there, you need to run directly back toward the bridge to get clear of the blast.”
Somehow, he managed to pick-up his pace.
It wasn’t going to be enough.
The flashing low power warning stopped.
She grabbed Jupiter’s arm. “I need to go there.”
Without question, he scooped her up and swung her onto his back.
“Knock, warn Mercury.” She tossed it over her shoulder as Jupiter launched into motion.
She directed him through the endless taupe corridors from memory, unable to keep her connection with the ship’s systems. His feet pounded the floor and his chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. He was there and he was real… and he’d trusted her again. She wasn’t worthy of his trust. She wanted to press her face to his back and soak in his warmth while she still had him in reach.
Instead, she kept her eyes open, concentrated on the reality of the moment, and gave him directions. “Next right.”
His ear twitched as her breath brushed it.
They had to make it in time. The goon with the explosives hadn’t planted them yet. Maybe the explosives weren’t armed. Her breathing accelerated, even as Jupiter’s held steady. How long would it take her to disable the bomb without Bug? “I’ll find a way,” she muttered.
Jupiter made a grunt of agreement. “You always do, my mate.”
His mate. The words started an ache in the pit of her belly. She wasn’t meant to be his mate. She could never put him first as he deserved. Seneca was the one to do that. But what if Sen had been right about mates being forever? If she’d condemned him to needing her when his heart should belong to Seneca, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.
The long hallways started to blend together. God, she was tired. “Next left. He should be right around the corner.”
“I smell him. And Mercury.” As he approached the corner, she could hear Mercury and the mercenary fighting. There were no words. Only the heavy thud of blows.
