Then he cupped her cheek. She gripped his wrist—to push him away or hold that contact there? She wasn’t sure.
“Nera, when I look at you, I don’t see someone who belongs to anyone but herself. I see strength. Independence.”
She swallowed, the nasty feeling inside her ebbing…just a little.
She looked into blue eyes as deep as forever and realized Niklas Phoenix was far more dangerous to her than any foe she’d ever faced.
CHAPTER SIX
Niklas stood on the bridge, tuning out the excited murmurs of the crew.
They’d come off the Sol Bridge several hours before. They’d passed a huge red gas giant that he knew had been called Jupiter in Terran times, and then an asteroid belt, and a small red planet. Mars had once been home to a thriving Earth colony. He would have loved to have seen it. One day.
Their destination would be coming into view shortly.
And seeing the Earth was a far greater prize.
He didn’t hear her approach, but he suddenly knew Nera was behind him. After the altercation with Gunn and his slave, Nera had been absent, staying in her cabin for the remainder of the trip.
One of Nik’s hands curled into a fist and his knuckles throbbed. They were raw. He’d spent the last day in the ship’s gym, beating on a spar-droid. The idea that Nera had been someone’s slave…it left an acid fire in his gut that needed to burn, roar, and consume.
But he’d known that wasn’t what she needed when she’d been lost in that darkness in the corridor. She needed hisstrength, his understanding, that he saw she’d escaped whatever hell she’d been trapped in.
“Sleep well?” he asked.
“Not really.” She moved up beside him. “We’ll be at Earth soon?”
He allowed the change of subject. “Yes.”
“Visual range,” one of the crew called out.
Nik tensed, excitement a zing through his blood.
The small orb grew in size, filling the viewscreen. He sucked in a breath.Earth.
The old records had spoken of a blue-and-green plane of vast oceans, and continents of brown and green. All teeming with life.
That wasn’t what was left.
It was truly now a dark Earth.
The oceans and land were now shades of black and gray.
Humanity had fought over power, money, religion, and just about anything they could until they’d deployed experimental nuclear weapons the world had never seen before against each other. They had obliterated cities and killed billions. They had destroyed forests and farmland, and ended families. Some people had escaped, moved to distant colonies, gone on ships headed for a new life. And some of those ships had been packed with ancient treasures and art in an effort to preserve history.
But so much history had been left behind, and now it was gone.
If there was anything at all left, he vowed to find it. And let the rest of the galaxy see it.
“Heading into orbit now.” The crew worked like a streamlined team, obeying their captain’s orders, and soon theMagellanwas in orbit, everyone staring in awe at the planet below.
Avril’s face was filled with excitement. “Okay, we’ll be taking one of the shuttles down. Don’t worry, it’s a large expedition shipand has everything we’ll need. Bring all your belongings with you to the shuttle bay. The ship’s called theDrake.”
“After a duck?” Gunn asked incredulously.
Avril huffed out a breath. “No, after the famous Terran explorer, Mr. Gunn. See everyone at theDrakein twenty minutes.”
Nik wasted no time grabbing his things from his cabin. Soon, he was strapped in, bouncing with the turbulence as theDrakedescended to the planet’s surface. Nera, Solomon, and Gunn were also all seated in the smaller cockpit. This ship’s flight crew consisted of a pilot, co-pilot, and comms officer. It reminded Nik a little of theInfinitas, although it was still much larger than Zayn’s baby.
