Chapter 9 - Samantha #3
“What’s going on here?” Jason’s voice rings out. “You started the party without us, Ayden?”
“And this must be the lovely Samantha,” adds Xenon.
“Sam, are you alright?” Logan rushes in, eyes wide with concern.
A groan from the corner reminds us Albert’s still here, beaten and cowering.
“Dad?” Logan hurries to his side. “What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?”
“I’m innocent!” Albert wheezes, thoroughly unconvincing.
We all turn to Sam.
“You remember the Nalgou horn powder trade we talked about last year?” she asks.
“You mean the one that put Ayden in worse shape than me?” Logan scoffs. “Yeah, I remember! I come here expecting spa treatment, and he hogs all the sympathy!”
“Exactly. Turns out gullible idiots are still lining up for that crap. Buddy the Feral—” she gestures at the unconscious thug, “—wanted to take over the trade and demanded Dad supply more. They came to collect.”
“Dad, what the hell?” Logan explodes. “You realize you put Sam in danger again?”
“Don’t talk to me like that, kid! I’m still your father!”
“My father?” Logan barks. “You mean besides the five minutes of effort it took to knock Mom up?”
“You’ve always been a difficult boy, always talking back. That man,” he nods at me, “was right to take you away from here.”
“That man’s been more of a father than you’ll ever be. And now that Mom’s gone, I’m taking Sam with me. She’ll be safer at a Confed base than near you!”
“Hate to break it to you, bro,” Sam cuts in, “but I’m an adult. I make my own choices.”
I agree with Logan, honestly. I’d sleep better knowing she was stationed somewhere safe.
“Sam, you don’t get it. You’ve only ever known Gekkaria.”
“So I’m some clueless hick now?” she snaps.
Logan should really change the subject. But he barrels on.
“I just want what’s best for you. The world’s full of darkness.”
“You’re right—I’m a big ol’ optimist,” she says sweetly. “I wake up full of delight!”
“Huh?”
“I rise and shine! Get it? Anyway, I’m not going.”
“If you ever change your mind...”
“I’ll let you know. But for now, what are we doing with those two losers?”
I glance at the unconscious goons and silently ask Xenon for backup.
Jason sighs. “Guess we’re hauling them to the nearest prison base for trial.”
“Damn it, I was hoping to stay a few days!” he grumbles.
“You could stay the night and leave tomorrow,” Sam offers. “You can use Mom’s old room.”
“Gooz?” Logan and I ask in unison.
My whole body tenses at the idea of her sharing a bed with someone—not that she meant it that way.
“This is Gooz!” she says proudly, pointing to a tiny mauve furball asleep on the couch.
That thing’s alive? Looks like a purple puffball. Logan relaxes.
“So that’s your new pet?”
“He’s a Gouzil. Be nice!”
We decide who sleeps where. Jason and Xenon stay on the ship to watch over the prisoners. Logan takes Olivia’s room. I get the couch.
Now everyone’s asleep. Except me.
The evening went well. We all shared stories about Olivia. Jason and Xenon listened respectfully, even asked questions.
We gathered around the big composite table, empty plates and glasses scattered like the remnants of a feast. Nostalgia hung in the air like perfume.
Now, silence. Just me, the couch, and a half-finished bottle.
I shouldn’t have drunk so much. I told myself it would dull the pull I feel toward Sam. Instead, it numbed everything else—my judgment, my restraint.
She’s in the next room, asleep. And here I am, shirtless, restless, haunted by her.
Her lips. Her curves. Her light.
Why her?
Maybe because her brightness pulls me out of the darkness I’ve lived in my whole life.
Maybe because when she looks at me, she sees me—not Logan’s partner, not some elite Sentinel. Just… Ayden.
A soft noise breaks my thoughts. A door. Bare footsteps on the floor.
I see her glide toward the kitchen, cloaked in a white tunic that might as well be transparent.
I should’ve stopped drinking.
I rise before I know what I’m doing. She turns, startled, her lips parting.
“Ayden, you—”
Her words vanish as I kiss her. Hard.
I press her back against the wall, devouring her lips. She moans softly, encouraging me.
I break the kiss and brace my hands beside her face, staring into her dazed eyes.
“You need to stay away from me,” I whisper.
“Why?” she breathes, voice thick with want.
Her body’s just inches from mine—might as well be naked and pressed against me. Her scent… damn it. I can smell her desire. That’s it. I’m done.
“Go back to bed, sweet girl,” I try, one last time.
“No way,” she murmurs, eyes blazing.
My blood ignites. Normally, I’d fight it. Tonight? I surrender.
I wrap her in my arms and pull her close. Her softness contrasts my rough skin, driving me mad.
I kiss her again, more desperately this time. Her hands roam my neck, chest, hair. She grips my head, deepening our kiss.
She shifts uncomfortably under our height difference, so I lift her by the thigh, setting her against my knee. She rocks gently against it, seeking friction.
When she tenses, trembling and gasping, I realize—she just...
Her wide-eyed look confirms it.
I step back, releasing her.
“Ayden?” she whispers.
What have I done?
I touched Logan’s baby sister. He’s going to kill me.
“Go to bed,” I say gruffly.
She starts to protest, then bolts, eyes full of tears.
I stand there, shaking—ashamed. Ashamed of the drink, of giving in, of hurting her, of pushing her away.
I wait an eternity before collapsing back onto the couch.
Morning. I intercept Logan as he exits his room.
“Logan, we need to talk.”
He grabs tea and joins me outside.
“Sounds serious.”
“Remember our training with Master Haruki? He said changing partners sometimes helps avoid unhealthy routines.”
Logan pales, tea halfway to his lips. His gaze—Sam’s exact gaze—burns into me.
“You want to switch partners.”
“I’m leaving with Xenon and Jason. After the prison stop, they’ll drop me at HQ. Admiral Akifumi will assign me someone new. Stay with your sister until they send a replacement.”
His face contorts in confusion and pain. Before he asks, I confess:
“Sam and I kissed. I can’t stay.”
He punches me. Once. Then again. I let him.
When he raises his fist a third time, I catch it.
“Enough. I won’t fight you. You’re my friend. I deserved those. But if you hit me again, I’ll hit back.”
“She’s my little sister!” he growls.
“She’s nearly nineteen. And she’s... stunning. I didn’t plan it, but it happened. I know there’s no future for us. That’s why I’m leaving. I won’t risk coming back here with you and making the same mistake.”
He’s furious. I see it in his clenched jaw, his trembling hands.
But he also knows I’m right.
I’ve had all night to process it. He needs a moment.
At last, he nods. Barely.
I nod back, turn around, and head to the ship.
Leaving Gekkar Creek.
And the girl I can’t stop wanting.