“This is a dangerous place. I explained this to you.” I’d even given her a small ion blaster and shown her how to use it. She’d been naked at the time, which meant I’d been distracted by the need to spread her wide on the chair and lick her pussy until she begged me to take her.

I’d bitten her again, as well. I was out of control. Out. Of. Control. I’d spent less than a day in her presence, and my mate had somehow managed to completely destroy me.

We made it to the ship without incident, and I told Abby to wait at the entrance while I did a quick sweep. Once I knew the ship didn’t have any unwelcome guests, I settled her in the co-pilot’s seat and went back out to inspect the work I’d had done.

Modified thrusters and an upgrade to the power line that operated the onboard S-Gen machine. Most ships this small did not have one, but this was my brother’s ship, the flagship for Styx legion, and we made sure it had the best equipment our credits could buy. What we couldn’t buy, we stole. That was just our way.

Inspection done, I boarded the ship, locked us in and joined Abby. She had removed her helmet, her golden hair falling around her shoulders. She’d asked me if the S-Gen machine could produce something called a ‘scrunchy’ for her hair. My blank stare had made her shake her head and tell me to ‘never mind.’ When I’d asked what that meant, she told me to forget about it.

I did not ask more questions but vowed to ask Styx’s human mate, Harper, about it later. If my mate wanted one of these ‘scrunchy’ things, she would have one.

“Are you strapped in?”

Abby patted the shoulder harness, the straps obviously too loose. “Yep.”

Bending over her, I tightened the straps—all of them—despite her protest.

“That’s too tight.”

“No. That will keep you in your seat.”

“Okay, grumpy pants. What’s the matter with you? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?”

“What does the side of a bed have to do with my pants?” I buckled myself into the pilot’s seat, my straps equally as tight. They had saved my life more than once.

“Nothing. But what’s wrong? You seem to be in a very unhappy mood. Are you angry with me?”

“Absolutely not.” The power core and propulsion systems fully operational, I steered us out of the station’s docking bay as I considered what to tell her. I could not tell her the truth, that I had become consumed with worry, with the need to protect her. “The station is not safe for you. I simply want to get us home as quickly as possible.”