Tessi gasps and clutches me.
Retracting my teeth, I run my tongue over the punctures until they stop bleeding.
But Tessi doesn’t let me go. She holds me close, her breath gliding up my neck like she’s turned on. Then I feel the nip of teeth biting into my neck.
What the hell?
Tessi draws blood, then licks my short coat clean.
Esrynne tilts toward Carnas who’s practically drooling over Tessi’s unexpected bite claim of me. “She insisted on honoring our culture. So I gave her extensions of her natural teeth.”
My Shifter stirs violently. I close my eyes and soak in the twinge of pain so that I will never forget it.
“A promise of more later,” Tessi leans back and licks the sharp points of her new canines.
“When did you plan that?” I ask.
“After the labyrinth. Esrynne is a kick in the pants.”
Ohni lifts her hands. “I present Zorin and Tessi Aegeris!”
Hearing Tessi’s name followed by mine fills me with so much energy and hope that I snatch her up and kiss her hard.
She hums a soft moan.
“Zorin…” Marne steps up beside Onidus. “I’m sorry, but we need to go.”
I cradle her in my arms as I follow our crew to the ship docked the the edge of the balcony. Onidus leaves to fly Tessi’s ship. Kren and Davarok also depart, flying my Star Slasher.
I hike up the ramp of our M-pack ship and settle Tessi into my lap as Esrynne and Ignus pilot us away from the dock. Carnas closes up the ramp, and Rorsar takes the seat by our main guns with Spike. Marne soon joins them like they’re expecting a battle upon entry to Mindor.
“You may want to take one last look at Earth, Tessi,” I suggest. “I need you in armor. We’re heading into hostile space.”
She looks out at Earth and then back at me. “You’re my world now. That one doesn’t matter anymore.”
Radar jumps into a seat beside us and lies down. His ears are perked up, and his tongue out as he pants and looks at Tessi.
“Esrynne gave me the rundown of the situation. I will save the dress so I can wear it another time for you.” Tessi dances her brows suggestively.
“I love your flirtatious side.”
She kisses me softly, bites her lip, and gets up.
Ignus speeds us up. “Reports are coming through of more attacks. The sooner you can get Azrim on board, the sooner we can kick the Nebs out of our system.”
“I’m not sure that will be enough,” Marne says. “They’re taking more than just our kind. Nebs are sending their Myndrous mutts to wreck Earth, Caligno, Ksion, and others.”
“Lunas aren’t even our kind,” Esrynne mutters. “We should let them learn what they have forgotten and go help those who need alliances as badly as we do.”
Our entire crew falls silent.
“What? Does it really take a female to see their manipulation game? Fuck. Lunas are using us as a shield for things they don’t want to deal with so they can live in blissful ignorance. So we stop protecting them, let them see reality, and save their own asses. We build our own pack. I’m tired of wiping their noses and still having to deal with their steaming piles of shit.”
Carnas leans back in his seat and studies her for a long breath. A grin eases across his face. “I’m with you.”
Esrynne glances back at him, gives him a once over with more attention than she’s ever given any of us.
Scuffling boots across the floor make Esrynne and Carnas look away from one another as Tessi walks up to me dressedhead-to-toe in armor. She looks down at me as she sits on my armrest.
