Assassin's Hunger by Jessa Slade

Author:Jessa Slade [Slade, Jessa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: alpha male bad boys, paranormal romance, futuristic romance, Science Fiction Romance, wounded damaged, general fiction, Susan Grant, Linnea Sinclair, Nalini Singh, assassin, science fiction romancefuturistic romancespace operaromanceparanormal romancealpha male bad boyswounded damagedassassin hot sexy romanticaSusan Grant, Nalini Singhgeneral fiction and Firefly, Fringe, Continuum, Star Trek, Star Wars, Edge of Tomorrow, space opera, hot sexy romantica, Firefly, romance
ISBN: 9781941547045
Publisher: Red Circle Ink
Published: 2014-09-20T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

As he often did when he was troubled, Eril got out his knives.

And started baking.

Most of the crew was occupied with damage repairs or prepping for flying into the storm, and they’d rotated through the galley to grab RTEs. But he was a lowly supply clerk without any real skills so he received no messages requesting his assistance.

Which only left him time to recall in excruciating detail the expression on Shaxi’s face as he pushed her away.

He used the nanotech knife to slice viciously through the frozen pixberries, unwilling to wait even the few seconds necessary to defrost them in the wave-oven. Besides, the sensation of chopping off tiny heads wouldn’t be as visceral if they weren’t frozen.

Appalled at his own violent thoughts, he let the hungry knife fall from his fingers to the cutting board. He stared down at the vivisected fruits. Their dark purple juice stained the blade and his fingertips.

He braced his hands on the counter and closed his eyes.

It had been a mistake.

He couldn’t quite identify which part had been wrong—kissing her or stopping her from kissing him more—but definitely there’d been a fuck-up of galactic proportions.

And because of it, something had changed. He’d done terrible things, monstrous things in his time as the underwriters’ lone wolf left hand. Seducing a lonely woman was nowhere near the worst. And yet even though she’d been the one covered with dust and blood, he was the one who felt dirty.

He turned away from the cutting board to wash the juice off his hands and realized they were shaking.

What had she done to him? Had her unstable biotech somehow undermined his own convictions? But unlike her, he wasn’t programmed to carry out sometimes unsavory missions. He did it because he’d seen there was no choice. Sometimes terrible, monstrous things were done in the hopes of someday making the universe a better place.

Even as he reminded himself of that truth—the only way he could justify his existence—he found another woman’s face floating in his mind. She’d be older, with Shaxi’s strong, curved body, but without the scars. Though her features were hard to picture, he thought they’d be soft and smiling as she browned butter for her little daughter.

Until she sold the girl into encoded servitude.

How had she justified herself? If he ever sat down with her, with their lives spread out as a choice of dishes before them, he wondered if either of them would be able to stomach the bitter dregs.

Gut churning, he spun away from the counter. And caught a glimpse of that white shock of hair, retreating out the mess hall doorway. Obviously, she’d seen him and instantly turned on her heel. As if seeing him made hunger preferable.

“Shaxi. Wait.”

He thought for a second she’d keep going. She’d said she wanted him to forget her name.

But she paused. Slowly she pivoted to face him, one brow arched in question. Her eyes pinwheeled with almost solid gold as the embeds concentrated at some intensive but secret task.

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