Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
GWENDOLYN
I’m not sure what to feel—watching a spaceship so large my mind can’t comprehend its vastness explode—on one of the monitors in front of me.
Murgul did that… alone, and I have to take a moment to contemplate just how lethal he really is.
If Murgul can do something like that by himself, what else is he capable of?
More importantly, do I want to know, and does it change how I’m beginning to feel about him?
The first inkling that something wasn’t going to plan was when Bikar’s body language changed and he leaned forward, frowning at something on one of his many displays.
I’d been too afraid to distract him from whatever it was that he was doing by asking any questions, so I just sat there, a little ball of anxiety, curled into Murgul’s chair with my eyes glued to the screen showing his vital signs.
The elevated heart rate I’m currently seeing could be due to a variety of things. It doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong with Murgul, but the fact that it’s still beating much faster than it was when he entered the Korgon ship is telling.
Another voice abruptly barks out of the console in front of Bikar, making me jump in alarm. “Zenith, this is Ruarc. Bikar, you better start answering, or I would not want to be you when Slavic gets a hold of you!”
Uh oh, that doesn’t sound good at all.
I must have made some sort of infinitesimal sound because Bikar looks over his shoulder and holds his index finger up to his lips in a signal to keep quiet. “A little busy up here right now,” he replies with an impertinent quip. “So be a good brother and distract him for a few rotations.”
Staring at Bikar with wide, astonished eyes, I watch as he flips a small switch and cuts the transmission before cutting his eyes over to me, his tone nonchalant. “I think it would now be wise to point out that none of my other brothers are aware of what Murgul and I are doing.”
His words trail off, and he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. Just as I am about to reply with some sort of scathing comment, the Zenith jolts as if we’ve hit something or something’s hit us, and I yelp in alarm. “What the actual fuck is happening, Bikar?!”
“Oh, nothing to worry about, just the blast percussion hitting the Zenith. I turned us the tic Murgul was attached to the tether, so we’re at a safe distance.”
His jaunty reply does nothing to make me feel any better. Ice fills my veins when the full scope of what he’s said sinks in. “Does that mean Murgul was still outside the Zenith when that thing blew up?”
An awkward, stilted silence is my answer before he finally replies.
“Technically, he was inside the Zenith before the first wave of the percussion blast hit us, but technically, yes, he was outside the safety of the Zenith when the Korgon liner exploded. You have no need to worry, though, Gwendolyn. He is safely aboard now. Tell him to bring me the data block at his earliest opportunity!”
Making a sound of distress, I jump to my feet, completely ignoring Bikar before rushing out of the helm room and down the hall to the cargo bay.
Fear is beating at me, and I have to know that he’s okay.
The little room affixed to the side of the plunderdome is my destination, since that appears to be the entry and exit point for this little jaunt across the Void.
If Bikar is to be believed, Murgul is safely aboard and there’s no real reason to be this worried, but I have an urgent need to make sure he is safe and sound.
It’s a driving demand from deep inside me.
I’m not sure when, but his gentle care for me snuck past the defenses around my heart, and I’m well on my way to falling in love with him, if I’m not already there.
But right now, I don’t have time for any in-depth introspection.
Barely stopping long enough for the bay entry door to open, I make the corner too fast and slip. A cry of alarm escapes me, and I brace myself for pain when I inevitably fall. But instead, familiar strong arms catch me and swing me up away from the unforgiving surface of the floor.
Sighing in relief, I look up, only to freeze at the sight that greets me.
“Hello, precious one.”
“Who… who… what are you?”