The Phoenix Warrior. Copyright © 2017 Ella Drake.
All rights reserved.

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His height giving him an advantage, Piotr leaned over the small table until he stopped a hand’s breadth from her face. Though she wanted to bolt, she remained in place. He murmured low, “Don’t worry. The batteries are working, and our ship will be here in a few days.”

“Yes, no need to worry unless the star decides to implode.”

Piotr winced. “You have time.”

Anna grew quiet. Unable to sit near Piotr for a moment longer, she rose to show him to the door. With what she hoped was a neutral expression, she stood at the portal. “I want to thank you. I don't know what we’d have done without your help.”

“No need to thank me.” In a slow, languid move he rose from his seat. “Do you intend to take my warning about Koschei? You cannot trust his motives.”

“I'll think on it and run some scenarios through the comp for analysis, but if nothing else, I suspect his motives for sending us to a supernova.” Not knowing what to do with her hands, she flexed her fingers. “Good night, Piotr.”

For a long moment, they stood there. Awkward with the silence, Anna waved toward the door, and it opened automatically. A strange loneliness overwhelmed her with the subtle invitation for him to leave. With all the craziness going on with the ship, she wanted to climb into her bunk and curl up into a ball.

When he stopped beside her, she recognized that look in his eye. The one before a man leaned in for a goodnight kiss. He didn’t. He wouldn’t. In the short time he’d been on board, he’d shown kindness toward her and made no advances despite the currents between them.

No, he’d not touched her. Which was what she wanted.

A pang of regret almost had her put a hand on his arm to stop him leaving, rather than spend another night alone, but she didn’t. She couldn’t.

He brushed by her, and the first full body contact with a man in three years made her dizzy. Only a hand’s reach away, he stopped and faced her. Her shoulder kept her vertical as she leaned against the wall with weak legs. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears.

Blackness washed over her, but she strained to keep the memories at bay. She managed to stay in the here and now, but her body erupted in fine tremors and immediately slicked with perspiration.

Piotr inhaled deeply. Her attention snapped to him, narrowed on his lowered brow. Concern for her plainly stamped on his visage, he stood so close all she had to do was straighten from the wall to be in his arms.

She didn’t.

Piotr cupped her cheek and ran his thumb under her eye. Had she cried? Did she slip into that black place and not even know? She shuddered and leaned into his hand. When he brushed his thumb over the seam of her mouth, she could taste the salt of her tears. Her lips parted of their own accord, and desire flooded all the places that had slept for years.

“I would erase that fear, if you let me,” he whispered, but he didn’t wait for a reply.

Warmth radiated through her until she overheated. She glanced down to her PCU to check her thermals. Fine. They were fine. One slight touch, and for the first time since the temps were lowered to conserve power, she didn’t crave a thermal blanket.

“I might let you,” she whispered.

Though he was gone, and the lounge outside her door remained completely empty, a warble answered, echoing from the transport tunnel.