Born of Fire

Well, there was that. Leaning back in her chair, she watched as he worked on the terminal, pulling up info for their coming adventure.

He’d pulled his hair back into a ponytail. His whiskers were dark against his tawny skin and made him look even more dangerous. It pained her to know how much tragedy he’d faced in his life.

Alone.

“Do you ever think about getting married again?”

Syn froze at her unexpected question. He glanced down as his mind flashed on the wedding ring he had in his pocket that he’d bought for her. Against his best efforts, he imagined what it would be like to live his life with her.

But that was stupid and he knew it.

“No,” he lied.

Shahara felt her heart break at his answer. So he did still love Mara. She should have known. And who could blame him? His wife had been beautiful, well-schooled and well-bred. All the things she wasn’t.

You’re defective. No matter how hard she tried to feel otherwise, she always came back to that one single truth. Life had broken her early and she’d never recovered.

What do you care? You don’t need anyone in your life. You’re stronger alone. Better. Part of that was true, but she was still human, and being human was about making connections. About feeling a part of something.

You’re a part of your family.

Stop whining. You’re alive and you have a good life. Granted, it’s in poverty, but it could be worse. You don’t have to visit your siblings in a tomb.

Like Syn.

That snapped her out of her melancholy. She had no right to complain about anything, and the most important thing for her to focus on was getting Tessa back.

It was midafternoon when they arrived at the gallery. Shahara was starting to feel battered by the constant time zone changes—another serious drawback to space travel. Her body had a hard time making the switch and she no longer remembered what time it was back at her home base.

But Syn didn’t look any worse for the wear.

As they approached the posh and hoity gallery that was housed in an all-glass building, the doors, which were flanked by two steel male bodies four stories tall, opened automatically. Suspended from the ceiling was a huge green human eye that focused on them and followed their path in a large circle as they approached the receptionist’s desk. The foyer was stark white and as antiseptic as a hospital. If not for the huge red sign over the receptionist’s head designating it as Berringer’s, she would have gone back outside and rechecked the address.

People bustled all around the lobby. Most of them were buyers holding computer ledgers while the rest were workers trying to make deals and set appointments.

Shahara turned to ask Syn how he thought this would work when a sultry voice laughed, cutting her off.

“Wicked, wicked Syn.” The woman’s voice cooed at him in a way that made Shahara see red. “Whatever brings you to my little art gallery? I thought you preferred private showings?”

How could one woman make such an innocuous word sound so dirty?

Syn flashed her a dazzling grin that highlighted his dimple to perfection. “I was looking for you.”

Oh yeah, that didn’t help at all. Now Shahara wanted to slap both of them. It might have helped her jealousy if the woman wasn’t quite so gorgeous, or voluptuous.

So incredibly perfect . . .

It was obvious from her meticulous manicure and soft, unblistered hands that this woman had never held a blaster. Never had to lift an eyebrow to do anything other than snap her fingers to have someone else wait on her.

And the more Shahara looked at her, the more she despised the long-legged brunette who stared at Syn as if he were a tasty morsel she was just dying to gobble up. She didn’t know why, but an image of the woman licking her fingers while trying to seduce him with her gaze went through her mind.

Keep that up, woman, and you’re going home bald . . .

“And just what do you want with me?” she purred suggestively, draping a long, shapely arm over his shoulder. She pulled him close, her breasts pressing against his side. Gah, the nerve of her open flirting. Didn’t that kind of display get someone fired? “The same as last time, I hope?”

Syn wanted to shove Donya away, but she could be a major bitch, and, if she felt slighted in any way, she’d storm out and he’d never get a chance to look over the catalogs he needed to see. So the best thing was to play along. “If I only had more time, I’d gladly oblige. But I’m afraid I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

Her hungry look made him cringe. Yet worse than that was the way she trailed her finger down the low-cut front of her shirt, opening it up until he had a perfect view of her bare breasts and nipples.

“Come now. I can’t think of anything I’d rather be than completely filled with Syn. If we try hard enough, I’ll bet we could get it down to fifteen minutes.”