Page 27 of Signed, Sealed, Seduced
I was the distraction.
And Henrok... Stars, what must he think? After sharing that moment on the observation platform, after opening up to me about his past, now he’ll discover I was nothing but a tool in someone else’s game.
“I need to see Henrok,” I say, my voice cracking slightly. “Now.”
Vex’ra’s expression shifts to something almost like respect. “Yes,” she agrees. “I believe you do.”
The weight of the container in my hands feels like it’s going to crush me. I’ve spent my whole life being careful, being smart, avoiding exactly this kind of situation. But somehow, I still ended up as someone else’s pawn.
And worst of all, I might have put the one person who’s shown me genuine kindness in terrible danger.
I need to find Henrok. I need to explain. I need to make this right.
Even if it means losing whatever we might have had between us.
8
An Accord
Suki
Idon’twaitforan escort. With the container clutched in my hands like the bomb it essentially is, I storm through the corridors toward the command center. The guards follow, not attempting to stop me but clearly alert for any sudden moves. Zaterrans we pass flatten themselves against walls, their eyes widening at the sight of a human female marching through their sacred halls with such purpose.
Let them stare. I’ve been played, used as a pawn in some game I don’t understand, and I’m done being passive about it.
More than that, I’m terrified of what Henrok will think when he learns the truth. The memory of our moment during the ion storm burns in my chest—the way he’d looked at me, the vulnerability in his voice, the connection I’d felt building between us. Was it all meaningless if I was just an unwitting saboteur?
The command center doors are closed when I arrive, two senior guards blocking the entrance. They straighten as I approach, hands moving to weapons.
“The First Blade is in council,” one informs me. “No entry.”
“Tell him Suki Vega is here with his override beacon,” I snap, my voice sharper than intended. “He’ll want to see me.”
The guards exchange glances, uncertainty evident in their posture. One speaks quietly into a comm device, then nods sharply.
“Enter,” he says, stepping aside.
The doors slide open to reveal a large, circular chamber dominated by a holographic display of the Zater Reach system. Around it stand several Zaterrans in formal attire, their conversation halting abruptly as I enter. At the far side, standing with his back to me, is Henrok.
Even from behind, he radiates controlled power—shoulders set, spine straight, every line of his body speaking of commandand authority. But there’s something else in his posture, a tension that wasn’t there before.
He turns slowly, his expression shifting from irritation to something else as he registers my presence—and what I’m carrying. Those garnet eyes lock onto mine across the empty space, and I see the exact moment he realizes what I’m holding.
“Leave us,” he commands, his voice resonating through the chamber.
The other Zaterrans withdraw without question, filing past me with curious glances. I notice how they give me a wide berth, as if I’m something dangerous. Maybe I am. As the doors close behind them, Henrok’s gaze locks with mine across the empty space.
“You opened it,” he says, his tone unreadable.
“Damn right I did.” I stride forward, anger and fear propelling me across the room. When I reach the central display, I slam the container down on its edge. “You thought I was a gift? Turns out, I was just the gift wrap.”
He doesn’t flinch at my outburst, those garnet eyes studying me with unsettling intensity. But there’s something else in his expression now—concern? Disappointment? I can’t tell, and it’s killing me.
“Explain.”
“This,” I gesture to the container, “is an override beacon for your defensive grid. At least, that’s what Vex’ra says it is. And someone used me—my ship, my job, my whole damn life—to deliver it right to your doorstep.”
Now he moves, closing the distance between us with those long, predatory strides. I steel myself for his anger, for accusations, for the moment he realizes I’m not worth the trouble.
