Even though Xzavic isn’t the only one who’s weak in the knees, I pull my shit together. Smiling at the camera, my words coming out in quick staccato bursts, I say, “Look, honey, I have over 26,000 credits. I’ll take two laser rifles.” I hold up two fingers with a smile.
Titan
I’m not surprised when my slave collar shocks me so hard every nerve in my body lights up in pain. My urge is to roll into a tight ball, but my muscles don’t respond to my commands.
Blaze is at my side, shrieking in pain. I can’t help her. I’m writhing in my own misery.
Hahn is screaming so loudly I can hear him over Blaze’s agonized howls.
“Fuckers! Cheats! Make the network look bad…” I can’t pay attention to his words, just the relief that I’m not being shocked anymore.
Unable to move more than an arm, I reach until I encounter Blaze’s skin. It’s covered in a film of sweat, as am I. It’s the body’s natural response to torture.
Forcing Hahn’s voice out of my awareness, I find the strength to flip over and tug Blaze up against me. Her face is full of tears and snot, her eyes huge in her face as she babbles wordless noises.
Pulling her even closer, I nestle her head to my pec as I fold her into my arms, trying to provide comfort.
“Xzavic,” she breathes against my skin.
I stroke my palm down her hair. The beating with the whip of nine tails, the harsh bite of the slave collar’s shock, neither of those succeeded in stealing my masculine power from me. This? Not being able to soothe my female? This tears at my heart. I feel like a failure.
“It will be okay,” I whisper the lie into her ear.
Her little hands surround my upper arms. Holding me tight seems to ground her. I feel her muscle tone return as her body moves, molding itself to me.
She wriggles to put her mouth to my ear. “We’re going to get those fucking rifles, Xzavic. If it’s the last thing I do. The network’s more powerful than us, but they’re not smarter.”
She doesn’t know what she’s saying. Theyaresmarter. What she just did was dumb. It will be her death sentence.
Frankly, I think she’s right. I think shewillget those rifles. But did she hear what she asked for? Two of them. How does she think this will play out with two rifles when it all comes Down. To. One?