Shay jerked her head up at the noise. As soon as her eyes fell upon him, her startled expression gave way to a grin. She straightened, letting the blaster fall to hang by its shoulder strap at her side, and raised a hand to wipe sweat from her face. “Look what the cat dragged in.”
Drakkal lifted a brow. “Arc already used that one. Doesn’t affect me anymore.”
“Fur real? I thought it was clawver.”
He jabbed a finger at her. “You’re not allowed to talk to Arcanthus from this point forward. Clearly he’s distracting you from your duties.”
Shay laughed. “Man, he wasn’t kitten when he said cat puns make you fur-ious.” When Drakkal just glared at her, she waved her hand, laughing harder. “Okay, okay! I’ll stop.”
Drakkal tilted his head back, drew in a deep breath, and released it in a sigh. “If the Consortium knew about such puns, they wouldn’t have invited terrans to Arthos. Maybethey would’ve gone so far as to quarantine your species on Earth.”
She snickered. “You like it. Admit it.”
He smirked. “All right, I can admit it. I’m feline a little better about it now that you’re involved.”
Shay burst into another round of laughter. “Good one.”
Drakkal’s amusement faded slowly, leaving only… What was it he felt for her? Attraction, lust, and desire—all slightly different nuances of the same thing—but there was much more to it. Admiration and respect, certainly. For the rest, it seemed too early to tell; the feelings were too new to identify.
He swept his eyes over her body again, drinking in her curves and her petite but enticing form. Even her stomach, swollen by her growing cub, somehow made her body lusher, adding an undefinable yet undeniable appeal. But it was the perspiration on her skin and soaking her clothing that stood out the most in that moment. It was the result of Shay pushing herself hard despite her situation, had been the result of her seeking out her limit and defiantly shoving against it.
Pride flooded his heart, and he accepted it even if it wasn’t technically his to claim—because she’d not yet chosen him.
“You did well,” he said.
She crinkled her nose, and her lip drew back in distaste as she approached him; the omnidirectional floor was locked in place now, having been deactivated along with the simulation. “I’m rusty as fuck and out of shape.”
Drakkal took that as an opportunity to study her body again—any excuse was good enough. “I enjoy your shape.”
Her cheeks, already pink, darkened further. She glanced at him briefly. There was appreciation and shyness in her gaze—and a glimmer of interest.
“That sim you were running is designed for a squad,” he said. “Not many people could’ve made it that far alone.”
When she reached Drakkal, Shay stepped around him and squatted down to retrieve a bottle of water and a towel from the floor beside the door. “Why do you have training programs for squads in here?”
As she stood up, she opened the bottle and took a long, deep drink.
Drakkal turned toward her and leaned a shoulder against the doorframe. “This place used to be the headquarters of a security company. Up until a few decades ago, the Eternal Guard used to contract out security in sectors like this, basically making private companies the peacekeepers. People liked that even less than they liked the real peacekeepers. They decommissioned all these stations and left behind anything that would’ve been too much trouble to haul out—like these simulation chambers.”
“And how did you guys end up with this place?
“Arcanthus hacked the Eternal Guard systems and found it in their records. It hasn’t been used in thirty-five years, so he updated the records to reflect that it had been sold off fifteen years ago and transferred ownership to a shell company.”
Shay grinned. “So, you guys are running a criminal operation out of astolenformer police station?”
Though Drakkal had never heard the termpolice, the way she’d used it made it easy enough to decipher what it meant. He couldn’t help but grin in response. “I thought that was funny, too.”
She took another drink from her bottle and raked her eyes over Drakkal. “So, where have you been, stranger?”
“Working. Turns out I might’ve let things stack up for a few weeks while hunting for a certain terran.”
She lowered the bottle, tucking it between her arm and her ribs, and raised the towel to wipe her face and chest. “Ah, well.And here I was wondering if my big, ferocious protector was abandoning me.”
Drakkal released a low, rumbling purr. “Call me your big, ferocious protector again,kiraia. I like the sound of it.”
She chuckled and locked her eyes with his. “I thought you might.”
Pushing off the door frame, Drakkal closed the distance between himself and Shay. He took in a slow breath, relishing her scent. “Kraasz ka’val, you were so close this whole time, but I’vemissedyou.”