Page 105 of The Mercenary's Hidden Heir
"Real ones," she says, fierce. "Not some fake synth-farm garbage."
I grunt a laugh.
"Maybe a little patch of land," she murmurs. "A house. A real kitchen. Kids running wild."
I look down at the little ones, sleeping like the dead against her side.
"Already halfway there," I say rough.
She smiles.
Soft.
Hopeful.
The kind of smile that makes a man believe in miracles.
"We could do it," I say, surprising myself with how much Ibelieveit.
Her fingers find mine under the blanket.
Squeeze tight.
"I know," she whispers.
I kiss the top of her head.
A small thing.
But it feels like a vow.
Silent.
Solid.
No more running.
No more surviving.
It’s time to startliving.
For them.
For her.
For all the future we almost lost, and fought like hell to keep.
CHAPTER 28
KELLI
Space hums soft around us, endless and deep.
It’s been weeks since we left Glimner’s charred bones behind.
Weeks since the ship became something more than just a metal box flying through the stars.
It’s home now.
