Those words choked her because she knew how rare and sincere they were. It was a trust she had no intention of betraying. Nodding, she moved closer again. If she didn’t get the chip out, they’d be a moving target from now on. All of them.
They’d be able to find Caillen and kill him whenever they wanted to.
I have to do this.
Steeling herself for it, she made the incision.
Caillen went rigid, but he didn’t make a sound as she very carefully extracted the chip from his body. Ew. It looked like a bloodied silver bean. Just as Caillen had said, it was about the size of her smallest fingernail and held a tiny wire sticking out of the top.
Fain tossed her a small packet of sterilized coagulant for the wound. She applied it, then gently patted Caillen on his undamaged right cheek so that she wouldn’t hurt him. “All done, sweetie.”
He screwed his face up in distas he pulled his pants up and fastened them. “Well after that testosterone-shattering experience, I have no more dignity to worry about. Ever. Anyone have a cushion I can sit on? A really big fluffy one? Hell, let’s even make it pale pink with bows on it just for good measure.” He took the chip from her and crushed it under his boot heel while she went to wash her hands.
Fain gave him a cocky grin. “Look on the bright side, drey. You’ve never had much dignity anyway. I know. I’ve seen the P.O.S. ship you pilot.”
“Thanks, Fain. Your personal support means so much to me. Glad I can rely on it.”
“Hang tight,” Chayden said an instant before he banked sharp left and slung Caillen into a control panel.
Cursing, Caillen banged his injured leg and butt cheek. Pain exploded through him with such ferocity that for a moment he thought he might pass out. But as soon as he caught his breath and glanced to the right, his heart stopped beating.
Desideria.
She was lying sprawled on the ground, half in and half out of the head.
Please be all right. Please be all right.
He ran with a limping gait to where she lay on the floor. Terrified, he turned her over as gently as he could. Her features were pale, but she was still breathing. To his instant relief, she opened her eyes and frowned up at him.
“You okay?”
She nodded slowly before she pressed her hand against her forehead.
Caillen held her tight until his rage took hold of him. “Good, ’cause I’m going to kill that bastard brother of yours.” Rising from the floor, he reversed course so that he could reach Chayden and beat him down until he whimpered for death.
That was the plan that went to hell when he saw what Chayden was flying through. All in all, the man was doing a phenomenal job on the horde that had descended while Desideria had tended him. There were League ships everywhere. All of them armed and loaded for pirate.
Crap.
Without conscious thought, he tried to take the controls.
Chayden slapped at his hands. “Sit your ass down. I can handle this,” he said between clenched teeth. “Both of you strap in.”
Angry at the bitch-slap, Caillen wanted to hurt the man. Normally he would. But now wasn’t the time.
Desideria sat in her chair and called out to him. “C’mon, Caillen. Let’s not distract the pilot while he’s fighting for our lives.”
Galled to the center of his soul that he was having to trust his life to someone else’s piloting abilities, he followed suit. “I don’t like being a passenger.”
“Yeah, now you know how I feel,” Fain muttered. “Suckillen. Lee back here. However it could be worse.”
“How so?”
“You could be the pilot.”
Caillen rolled his eyes at the Andarion. But honestly, he had to give Chayden credit. The man twisted through the gauntlet and came out between two cruisers with the narrowest of margins—it was a miracle they didn’t scrape metal. Chayden pulled back and they shot up at the steepest of angles. Just as the alarm sounded that they were target-locked and about to be blown apart, Chayden maneuvered into a wormhole.
The ship went dark, then exploded in speed as the natural opening propelled them across the universe.
For the moment, they were safe again.
Caillen let out a long breath. “I think we’re probably running out of luck at this point and I know my underwear can’t take any more abuse—not that I wear underwear, but if I did it would be soiled. How many more near misses do you think we have in us?”
Hauk laughed over the intercom. “Collectively or individually?”
Chayden leaned back slightly in his chair. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I always run at an extreme deficit.”
Hauk came through the door and joined them on the bridge. “So what’s the plan now?”
Desideria answered before he could even part his lips. “We need to get to my sisters.”