“What happened to the Kusanagi?” I ask.
“It retreated, heavily damaged.” She tilts her head. “Why do you care?”
“There were Terrans on board that ship,” I reply. “My people.”
“Is it your people that concern you? Or your lover?”
“Tyler, don’t go …”
“Cat’s not my—”
“She was.”
I nod, swallowing. “But that’s not Cat anymore.”
“Mmm.”
Saedii leans in closer, swaying like a snake, watching me through the haze of her long black lashes. I can sense it in her if I try—the rush of the battle we’ve just escaped, her thrill at the scent of blood and smoke and fire. She feels almost … drunk on it. And look, I know there are way more important things at stake right now, but a part of me can’t help but notice how good she looks, remembering the sight of her as we fought side by side, her eyes alight, my blood pounding.
Saedii presses her fingertips into my chest.
“We Warbreed have a saying, Tyler Jones. Anai la’to. A’le sénu.”
“I don’t speak Syldrathi.” I scowl down at her nails, long and black, pressing hard into my skin now. “And that hurts.”
“Live for tonight,” she translates. “Tomorrow we die.” She drags her fingers down my chest, nails catching in the fabric. “We who were born for war learn not to waste time on trivialities. Void knows when our time will run out.”
I nod, thinking about anything but the parts of her body now pressing against me. “We have a saying like that, too. Carpe diem. Seize the day.”
Black lips curl into a smile. “Ours is better.”
I wince as her nails dig deeper into my skin. “Stop it.”
“Make me.”
“I’m not kidding,” I growl, pushing her hand away.
As my skin touches hers, she moves, grabbing my wrist quick as blinking.
I gasp as a bolt of pain shoots up my shoulder, the throb in my head forgotten as she tries to twist me into an armlock. I break her hold, backing off with my hands up. “Saedii, what the hells is—”
But she’s closing before I even finish speaking, smile twisting into a snarl as she feints toward my face. Almost faster than I can see, she claps her hands onto my shoulders and brings her knee up between my legs.
Lucky for me, Saedii has landed this move on me a few times already—I mean, the boys didn’t feel lucky at the time, but, you know, live and learn. My muscle memory kicks in, and I block her strike.
“Have you gone crazy?” I demand.
She draws back a fist to hit me, but I shift my weight, twist aside. Letting her own momentum work against her, I shove her in the spine, sending her crashing into the wall, and she whirls on me in fury.
Her kick takes me in the solar plexus, and I tumble over the medi-cot, smash onto the ground, grunting as a heavy weight slams atop me.
Saedii is straddling my chest now, pinning my wrists to the floor. Her braids fall in black curtains around her face as she leans in close, breath hissing. I see a smear of purple on her pale skin, realizing with horror she’s split her lip. “Oh Maker’s breath, I’m sorry, I—”
And my words die as, without warning, she crushes her mouth to mine.
About a thousand thoughts crash through my skull simultaneously. I remember this is a girl who wore the severed thumbs of former suitors around her neck for jollies. Warriorborn, bred for bloodshed, daughter of the Starslayer himself. I remind myself that the Unbroken are at war with Earth and, technically, I’m a prisoner here—she’s my captor, she’s my enemy. There’s a war for the whole galaxy being fought out there, and I’m lying here with two meters of Syldrathi warrior princess on top of me.
Problem is, there’s two meters of Syldrathi warrior princess on top of me, and all those thoughts are having trouble getting a fair hearing.
Saedii’s kiss is hungry, urgent, her fingers squeezing tight around my wrists as her body surges against mine. I find myself kissing her back, her feelings, her thoughts, her want, washing over me and fueling my own. Her braids tumble around my cheeks, hips grinding against me as she sucks my lower lip into her mouth and bites down. Hard.
“Ow!” I hiss, pulling back. “What is wr—”
She kisses me again, half laughing, half snarling. But I can taste blood now, hers and mine, pain slicing through the new split in my lip.
“Get off me!”
“Make me.”
“I mean it!”
“So do I, Tyler J—”
She gasps as I break her grip and push her off. But moving like quicksilver, she crashes into me again, hands clawing for my throat, and we struggle, hissing, bleeding, rolling on the floor. She’s strong, lean, writhing like a snake in my grip, but finally I get hold of her wrists and push them into the floor, pinning her down with my weight.
“Maker’s breath, will you calm down?” I roar.
Saedii lies underneath me, gasping, hair disheveled, eyes aflame. Wrapping her legs around me, she leans up to lick the blood off my chin. And I feel her thoughts echoing in my skull as her lips curl in a dark, playful smile.
I would if you actually wanted me to.
I gasp as she lunges for my neck, sharp teeth cutting my skin.
But you don’t want me to. Do you, Tyler Jones?
She cinches her legs, pulling me in tighter. And I know this is insane, but I also know she’s been in my head this entire time. She can literally feel my thoughts and … she’s right.
Saedii laughs, and our lips collide again, and she twists her hands free of my grip so she can slip them up under my shirt and drag her nails across my skin. She kisses me like she’s starving, hunger bleeding into me, drowning out every other thought inside my head. Our hands are all over one another, she rips my shirt off, and we’re both saved from the question of how far it might actually go by a faint vibration buzzing underneath my right palm.
“Um …”
We ease apart, my heart hammering. Eyes locked on hers, I reluctantly lift my hands away.
“I … think that’s for you.”
Sighing, Saedii slaps the silver comm badge on her chest.
“Report.”
Now, here’s the thing—I kinda lied before. I don’t speak Syldrathi nearly as fluently as Scar, but I’m good enough to follow the gist of a conversation. Catching my breath, licking my bleeding lip, I listen to the voice of her second-in-command, small and tinged with electronic reverb. I think he asks forgiveness for interrupting, but Saedii cuts him off.
“Erien,” she snaps, eyes flashing. “Speak.”
I hear a few words I know well. Message. Battle. Terra.
Saedii’s eyes meet mine then. The reminder that our people are at war rises between us, slowly suffocating the mood. Her long legs unwrap from around my waist, and I ease myself off her, sitting back on the cold metal floor. Dragging my hand through my hair, I realize my fingers are shaking.
I can taste her blood on my lips.
Saedii asks for news about her father. There’s a halting reply, and she twists up to her feet in one smooth, serpentine movement. I catch the words no patience and riddles. Again she asks about the Starslayer.
The only word I understand in the reply is gone.