Page 47 of Her Alien Cyborgs
“You sure?” Hezza asked. “What am I saying? Of course you’re sure. You’re the cyborgs. I’m just the squishy meat sack flying this ship.”
Any reply was cut off when she hit the thrusters and theGambittook off vertically.
“I think I’ve said this before,” she grunted through gritted teeth as the ship fought to break free of the moon’s gravity. “Brace yourselves. This next bit is going to be fun.”
At least this time, he knew what her definition of the word meant. Fyr’enth grabbed his harness and braced his feet against the deck. They were on the run. Again.
CHAPTER 18
Thefundidn’tlast long. Hezza knew they were screwed before they left the planet’s gravity well. The moon’s orbit had it on the same side of Taza Four as the approaching IAF ship, and by happenstance, its rotation also had it facing toward theFalcon.
The ship chasing them was already close enough for a target lock, and no amount of fancy flying would change that.
“We need a new plan,” she said before explaining the problem. Then she turned to look back at them, her stomach tied in knots and her throat thick with fear. She could not and would not lose them.
“Any suggestions?”
“That female is from theBright Arrow, which means she’s been after us since the beginning,” Fyr’enth said.
“And despite all the course changes and tricks you pulled, we never lost them,” Kalan said.
Fyr’enth finished the thought. “Which means they’re tracking us.”
She’d come to the same conclusion. “Someone on theBright Arrowslapped a tracker on theGambitwhile I was parked on their flight deck. Thosefraxxingsneaky sneaks!”
“Sneaky sneaks?” Kalan chortled. “That’s the best you can do?”
“I’m busy trying to think of a way out of this,” she protested. “I’ll come up with something better before we tell anyone this story. If we live that long.”
“We’re not dying today.” Kalan’s tone was raw and edged in defiance.
“No, we’re not.”
While they talked, she continued to fly them away from the incoming ship. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it bought them more time to come up with something else.
After three frantic minutes of brainstorming, they had only one idea. It was horrible, dangerous, and desperate, but it was the only shot they had.
“You’re sure you can do this?” she asked them for the third time.
Kalan bared his teeth in frustration at her question. “Yes. We spent hours in the sims learning now to spacewalk. Will it be the same doing it for real? No, but it will be close enough.”
She’d muted the AI for this conversation. She didn’t need tactical updates or another reminder that they were being hailed by theFalcon.
Sending the males she loved into the void in badly fitting suits that could barely accommodate their wings felt like the wrong call to make, but none of them had any choice.
“Do it.” She undid her safety harness and stood up so she could face them both. “One of you will need to stay inside and manage the tether. Do not leave thefraxxingairlock until the ship’s AI has found the tracker. No sense in risking yourselves until we know where the bastards hid it.”
“We’ll suit up and stand by.” Fyr’enth unstrapped, stood, and pulled her into his arms for a sizzling kiss that made her wish they could just go to bed instead of dealing with this mess.
“You do that,” she held him longer than she should have before slipping past him to do the same to Kalan. “And don’t you dare get yourself hurt. Do you hear me? I’m tired of facing the universe on my own. If I can’t do it with you at my side, I’m not doing it at all.”
Kalan hugged her so hard she heard her ribs creak. “We’re not going anywhere without you. Not even into whatever lies on the far side of death.”
“I’m holding you to that.”
When she finally let them go, she waited until they were out of sight before she allowed a few tears to fall. She hadn’t felt like this since she’d first held her tiny daughter in her arms and realized that she would die before letting anything happen to her.
Anya had been the center of her universe once. She still was in some ways, despite being a grown woman with a life and mates of her own. What she felt for Kalan and Fyr’enth was different but also the same. They were her everything, and she wasn’t giving them up to anyone.
