Rayna’s eyes popped open with a squeak—well, her eyes didn’t squeak, butshe did; more a squeal, really—when he swung her up into his arms. “Put me down.”
“Ijustpicked you up.” He tightened his grip behind her shoulders and under her knees and wheeled sharply, forcing her to grab his neck to steady herself. “I try not to second-guess my decisions.”
“How nice that must be for you,” she whispered. “Ever since I woke up, I’ve been wondering what I did wrong.”
“Nothing,”he snapped. “Blackworm was in the wrong. You were just in the wrong place.”
“And where you’re taking me now, that’s the right place?”
He looked down at her bowed head, her tousled brown hair clouding her features. In the rush of returning to Azthronos, it had been some time since he’d indulged in pleasures of the flesh. Not that he was interested in indulging with a closed-world kidnapping victim.Even if she was a cozy armful, one hand splayed on his chest, her rounded bottom—barely covered by the short shirt—bumping against his belly as he walked. At his silent perusal, a flush added color to her face, but he worried it might be a fever from her wounds. He was already responsible for eleven billion beings. What was one more?
“I’ve got you now,” he said finally. “And I’ll make sure youget where you want to be.” He fell into step behind the rest of the away party who were herding the remaining Earthers back toward the station airlock.
And told himself firmly, no, his arms werenotthe right place for her at all.
