“Love you, too.” Zarya wasn’t sure if Sorche heard that last bit or not. She’d hung up, laughing with Lise.

Her heart light, Zarya studied the remote, trying to find a way to use it to call Darling and thank him for what he’d done.

But it seemed to only receive calls, not make them.

She pressed the button for Gera who answered right away. “Yes, Mistress?”

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Gera. How do I contact Lord Darling?”

“You don’t, Mistress. It’s forbidden. He will come to you when he has time.”

Well that instantly sucked all the warm tender feelings out of her. How rude! Call her when he was ready? The very thought flew all over her.

Making sure to keep the ire out of her tone, she tightened her grip on the remote. “Thank you, Gera.” She cut the feed, then got up to go find him.

But as soon as she limped her way to the door, she had another rude surprise.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

None of the doors opened. She was locked in like a well-kept pet.

Darling’s head ached from all the shit he was supposed to go through and answer. For hours, he’d been listening to reports from the other gerents and administrators, whining about everything imaginable. Most of it absolute crap.

How had his father stood it? No wonder the man had migraines all the time.

It was like refereeing a hundred spoiled toddlers with ADHD.

You know, Dar, there’s no problem so big that an adequate supply of explosives can’t cure it.

There was that. But people tended to protest being blown up.

Bunch of krikken weirdos.

He glanced at the half-empty bottle of whisky on his desk. It was tempting, especially given the throbbing pain in his head and back. A pain that wasn’t helped by his eyesight dancing against his will.

But he didn’t want to be numb right now.

He’d rather see a pair of amber eyes set in the face of the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. Even though he was still angry at her. Even though she’d betrayed him.

He still wanted to be with her.

I’m an effing idiot…

But before he could stop himself, he was headed out of his office and up the stairs to her room.

His body already on fire at just the thought of seeing her, he opened her door.

In the next instant, a fluffy slipper flew at his head. He dodged it, but not before another followed so close behind that it hit him in the arm. “What the hell?”

“You rotten bastard!”

Other things came flying at him so quickly that he couldn’t even identify them. They slammed against the door and walls, many shattering while others made loud thuds before crashing to the floor.

Damn, she could aim. In fact, she was deadlier with a blaster at a distance than he was.

And with his limited vision, he wasn’t as good at dodging projectiles as he used to be. Darling took cover behind the end table. “Zarya, what’s gotten into you?”