Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Axton watched the neon green leak away from Xenia’s eyes. And a glowing red take them over.
Fuck. He’d known something had been wrong when she’d interfaced with the Sync in his office, but he’d ignored it.
Again, he’d missed something important and he’d failed her.
She eased her arm off a little. “Now, I must select the best way to kill you. I believe my knife would make too much mess.” She raised her other hand. “I think my electrical implants would be best.”
“Xenia, I know you’re in there. Fight this.”
Her red eyes flashed. “Any humanity is gone, Prime Saros.” She pressed her palm to his neck and zapped him.
Axton’s body jolted. The pain was outrageous, electricity racing through his body.
He activated the secret failsafe systems that had been embedded in him when he’d become Prime. A secret implant that gave him auxiliary strength when he needed it.
“I’m sorry.” He pushed her off him, and she flew several meters away, slamming into the ground.
He had to find a way to bring her back before he had to hurt her.
If he could bring her back.
Damn the fucking Rahl, still messing with his people. And now his woman.
Xenia was back on her feet. She set the Codex aside and flexed her hands. Her face was completely blank. There was nothing of the woman he’d made love to, fed breakfast to, who’d fallen in love with the taste of zhoma-berries.
She charged, moving so incredibly fast. Before he could take another breath, she hit him.
They smashed into the side of a cruisership, then fell onto the dirt. As they wrestled for control, they rolled across the hard-packed ground, sending up a cloud of dust.
Damn, she was strong. She rolled on top, straddling him, her knees digging into his sides. Hard.
Axton fought to draw a breath. His hands were wrapped around her wrists battling to keep those deadly palms away from him.
“You can’t win.” Her tone was as cold as an ice-planet winter.
“Says who?” He used all of his strength boost to roll them. He trapped her beneath him, using his weight to keep her down. He slammed her arms above her head.
Their faces were only inches apart.
“I’ll fight for you,” he whispered. “It doesn’t matter what happens, how hurt I am, I’ll keep fighting.”
Her eyelids flickered. It was brief, he barely noticed it, but it gave him hope his CenSec was in there, fighting for control.
She tried to buck him off, but he gritted his teeth and held on.
Then he lowered his head and kissed her.
She tried to bite him, but he forced her mouth open, pouring everything he felt for her into the kiss.
She stilled, her body rigid beneath him.
He pulled back, his cheek pressed to hers. “Feel, Xenia. Feel all that emotion. I’m planning on falling in love with you, so you have to come back.”
“I am a machine to do the Rahl’s bidding.”
“Fuck that. You aren’t a machine. You aren’t your implants, or your programming. I love your strength and your intelligence, but I also love your softness too.”
She stiffened. “I am not soft—”
“It’s okay to be vulnerable with those who care about you, those who…love you.”
The red in her eyes dimmed a tiny fraction. “No one has ever loved me.”
“I will.” He let go of her hands and slid his fingers into her hair. “Come back to me, Xenia and let me love you.”
The red drained away and her body sagged. “Axton?”
“I’m here.”
She gave a small, contained sob. “I could have killed you.”
“Never. It wasn’t your fault.” He kissed her. At first her lips didn’t move, but then her arms wrapped around his neck and she kissed him back.
“The virus took over.” Her lips trembled. “I lost control of everything, was barely conscious of what was happening.”
“And now?” he asked.
“I have the virus contained.”
“Good. We’ll have the Security doctors take a look and remove it.”
The breath shuddered out of her. “It was the perfect trap. They wanted a CenSec to follow this little treasure hunt and fall prey to the virus so they could kill you.” She shook her head. “I should have seen it.”
“Hey.” He tipped her chin up. “I meant it, for all our enhancements, we’re still human. And being human means we sometimes make mistakes, and we aren’t perfect or infallible.” He sat up and pulled her onto his lap. He held her tight and never, never wanted to let go.
She looked at him, her eyes once again their beautiful cobalt blue. “That applies to you too, Axton.”
Axton stilled. “What?”
Xenia stared into that handsome face that had somehow become vital to her. “You need to admit that there was nothing you could have done to stop Dax and the Rahl during the coup. Your guilt is eating you alive. It’s time to let it go.”
“I’m the Prime—”
She raised a brow. “Being human means we sometimes make mistakes, and we aren’t perfect or infallible. It sounded very wise, but I’m wondering if the man who told me that is an idiot after all.”
He gripped her chin, forcing her head back. “He’s got you in his arms, so he can’t be that idiotic.”
She wanted to see him get rid of the darkness riding him.
“Let the guilt go,” she said. “It’s time to focus on the future.
” She lifted a hand and traced her fingers down his cheek.
“You once told me that sometimes we need someone. I understand now. Someone to hold us in the dark and lead us to the light.”
“I’m the Prime. I should have—”
“There was nothing you could have done. It’s time to accept that, and move on.”
He released a shuddering breath.
“I’ll help you,” she murmured. “How ever long it takes.”
He cupped her jaw. “That means you stay with me. That you’re mine, Xenia.”
Feelings rushed through her—unfamiliar and frightening ones. “I want to fall in love with you, too.” She felt all the color drain from her face. Oh, had she really said that? That meant… “If we do this…that means I might become…” She couldn’t force the words out.
“Prime Consort.” Axton smiled. “Your cheeks just went white. Seems I’ve finally found something my tough CenSec is afraid of.”
“I hate parties. And I’m not…charming or diplomatic. I can’t make small talk.”
“I don’t give a fuck about small talk, Xenia.” He teased her lips with his, sipping at her mouth.
Needing the contact, she straddled him, her hands sinking into his hair at the back of his neck. The kiss changed in a blink, and they plundered each other’s mouths. He tasted so good, felt so good.
“I see that you don’t need any help.” Xander’s voice rang out around them.
Axton started, and Xenia went as stiff as metal. Oh, no.
“Oh my stars, are Axton and Xenia kissing?” This from Malin. “This is so perfect.”
Xenia buried her face against Axton’s chest. This could not be happening. “I’m going to stay here and maybe they’ll go away.”
He stroked a hand down her back. “They were going to find out anyway.”
“Yes, but I would have preferred my boss didn’t find out by seeing me wildly kissing his brother.”
Axton laughed. “While straddling him on the ground.”
She groaned again.
“We’re fine,” he called out.
Xenia gave him a final squeeze and got to her feet. She bent to retrieve the Codex, then steeled herself to look at Xander.
He looked his usual composed self, but she thought she detected faint humor dancing in his eyes. She held out the Codex. “We retrieved the Codex Da Vinci.”
“So I see. Well done.”
A team of CenSecs poured into the area. Xander pointed. “I want you all to fan out and check for any more booby traps. I want this area secured.”
“I heard the traps trigger and called Xander,” Malin said.
Axton stood beside Xenia, close enough for her to feel the heat of him.
“Xenia needs to be checked by a medic,” he said. “The Rahl managed to upload a virus into her systems, and she took a projectile to the stomach.”
“I ran a quick diagnostic, everything is fine—”
“You’ll see a medic.” His tone was unyielding.
She blew out a breath. “I don’t—”
“Please.”
She threw her hands up. “Fine.”
He pressed a quick kiss to her temple. “Thank you.”
“So, you seem very comfortable kissing my second in command,” Xander noted.
“I’ve been doing more than just kissing her.”
“Axton!” Xenia slapped him in the chest.
Malin laughed, and Xander looked like he was fighting a smile.
“I’m also falling in love with her,” Axton added.
Xenia’s heart melted. She was helpless to resist him. This time she kissed him—in full view of Xander, Malin, and all the CenSecs surrounding them.
His hands gripped her shoulders. “I haven’t forgotten about that medic.”
Damn, she was hoping he would.
Xander waved a black-uniformed CenSec over. “Dexter, can you check Xenia out?”
Sucking in a breath, she yielded to seeing the medic.
Axton leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I’ll make it up to you later. We can eat lots of zhoma-berries…in bed.”
With his promise warming her, she let Dexter lead her away. Then she took a deep breath and surrendered herself to the lovely journey of falling in love with Axton Saros.
“I always knew she felt.”
Axton turned from watching Xenia argue with the huge CenSec medic. “You never talked to her about it?”
“No. She’s damned good at her job. And she fought so hard to hide it, to be perfect.”
“She’s perfect as she is. With the emotion.”
Xander nodded. “I’m working with the Security scientists to combat the emotional deadening that too many enhancements causes.
My own experiences—” his gaze found Malin where she was helping some of the CenSecs dismantle a booby trap “—have shown me that emotions can make us better at our jobs, not worse. And they give us so much more in the process.”
“I’ll do everything I can to help,” Axton said.
Xander gave a short nod. “I’ll get the Codex back to the museum. It’ll be in place for the reopening on the weekend.” Now he smiled, a wide smile Axton had never seen before. “I’m really happy for you, brother, and for Xenia.”
Axton clapped a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Thanks, Xander.”
“You better keep her happy. You know she collects knives, right?”
Axton laughed. “Yeah, I know. I find it strangely attractive.”
Moments later, he stood with a grumpy Xenia who’d just finished with the medic.
“See, told you I was fine,” she said.
“He said you still need to see the doctors back at Security to double check.”
“Enough nagging.” She tilted her head. “What were you talking about with Xander?”
“I’ll tell you about it later.” He took her hand. “Right now, I have a big bed and a very large bowl of zhoma-berries that need some attention.”
She laced her fingers with his. “I haven’t had a better offer, so let’s go.”
As they walked back to their transport, Axton planned in his head. He’d ply her with berries, love her until she was exhausted, then tell her she was coming with him to the museum reopening party.
Her first outing as his future Prime Consort.
Hmm, he was going to need a lot of zhoma-berries.