Adrik (Titans #1)

Chapter 30

Adrik’s body jerked inside the tank, his brows spearing down hard as he glared at Obaida.

“Shhhit!” Vashti hissed and asked quietly, “Wh-what do we do?”

“I should have never touched her,” Obaida admitted hurriedly. “We need to leave.”

Ember heard footsteps exiting the Med Bay, but her gaze stayed on Adrik.

Inside the tank, the little Zio Drones were in a frenzy. They were attempting to reattach themselves to Adrik, but he was thrashing in the liquid, ripping the medical leads from his body. He looked furious. He looked…heavenly. The possessiveness that had flashed in his gaze when he’d seen Obaida holding her hands had something molten unfurling low in Ember’s belly. She liked that he’d been jealous.

Heart hammering in her chest, Ember tried to calm herself. What did she do now? Did she help him? Did she leave him so he’d calm and settle so the Zio Drones could return to their task? Casting a quick glance toward the door Obaida and Vashti had exited, she considered the latter, but a loud bang had her attention snapping back to the tank.

Adrik’s eyes bore into her, commanding her to stay, his fist pressed into the glass separating them.

Mouth falling open, Ember’s parted lips at the heat she saw in Adrik’s eyes. Taking a step back, she lifted a hand to her throat.

Adrik’s hardened gaze dropped to her feet and held momentarily before his eyes sliced back up to collide with hers.

She knew what the look meant. ‘Don’t run.’

Dropping her hand, Ember lifted her chin and swallowed down her fear. They’d just survived the Renx together. Adrik had come for her when he shouldn’t have. He had no business risking his ship, his men, or himself for her. But he had. He’d risked it all…for her . And for doing so, there was a looming punishment. She owed him. She owed him her life. She owed him everything because, for her, he’d risked everything. That meant more to Ember than anything ever could or ever would. No one had ever come for her. No one, aside from Vashti, Kyan, and Nova, had ever cared whether she lived or died. No one, until Adrik. He’d gone out of his way to prove to her that she wasn’t a prisoner on his ship. He’d been patient and gentle in ways that she knew had to be foreign to a beast like him. And truth be told, she hadn’t just sacrificed herself to the Renx for her sisters. She’d done it for Adrik too. She’d done it to repay his and his men’s kindness. She’d done it because she knew they were honorable and would keep her sisters safe.

Looking at Adrik now, Ember realized she was in this. All in. For him! Overcome with emotion at the realization that she loved him, Ember didn’t even bother swiping away the tear that slipped free as she lowered her defenses and stepped forward. A step that said, ‘I’m here. I’m not running. I’m yours…if you’ll have me.’

In the tank, Adrik’s fierce expression wavered, his eyes dipping to her feet a moment before lifting back to hers. She read the understanding in his gaze. He knew what she was trying to convey. In the silence and alone, the two of them were suspended in each other’s gaze and in the knowing. They were meant for each other.

The moment was shattered when, in a blink, Adrik went into beast mode. His fists pounded on the tank, and loud booms filled the room as the glass slowly started to fissure.

Ember didn’t retreat when water began leaking from thin cracks in the tank and slowly streamed toward her feet. She wasn’t running from Adrik and this thing that was blossoming between them. Not anymore. He’d saved her and almost died in the doing. Just as she’d been willing to sacrifice herself for him, he’d done the same for her. He was good. Now, he’d be hers.

Adrik reached up and ripped off the apparatus that covered his mouth and nose. Dropping it, the face covering floated to the bottom of the tank, where it settled with a soft click as a steady fountain of oxygen bubbled up from the device.

Worry had Ember shouting, “No!” She turned and hurriedly sought out a tool to break the glass before Adrik ran out of breath.

Another loud pound rattled the tank, and then there was a loud creaking sound that drew her attention. Turning slowly, Ember watched as the fissure in the tank rocketed up the face of the glass before an explosion of glass and water had her flinching back. The tidal wave came for Ember, and her eyes went wide. Her arms shot up to protect her face just as her legs were swept out from under her. She went down fast and braced for the inevitable jarring impact, but it never came. Instead, strong, vice-like arms caught her. Adrik pulled her hard into his body and held her safe. They were carried across the bay floor as the tank emptied fully.

When they finally slid to a halt, Ember lay atop Adrik, breathing hard and soaking wet. Lifting her chin, she locked eyes with him. He didn’t speak, he simply stared at her with fierce intensity.

She stammered, “A-are you okay?”

Jaw clenching, he jerked his chin down once in silent reply.

Eyes on his, Ember wanted to tell him everything she felt. She wanted to relay her gratitude and affection, but no words came. Instead, her eyes dipped to his mouth. Involuntarily, her tongue darted out to lick her lips before her eyes lifted back to Adrik’s. The heat was back in his expression now. It, combined with the already fierce intensity of her emotion, had goosebumps rising all along her flesh as a bolt of desire shot straight to her womb.

Finally, Adrik’s lips parted; his voice was low, gravely from disuse, as he growled, “You’re terrifying.”

His admission had chills blasting up her spine. She got it. She was thinking the same thing. He had the potential to be everything she’d ever wanted or an end to her completely. In her head, Obaida’s words came rushing back, ‘You’re the only thing he never dared hope for.’ She’d spent nearly her entire existence surviving on a mustard seed of faith. It had been enough to sustain her, so trusting in Obaida’s admission was enough. Uncertainty tried to rear its ugly little head, but Ember forced it down. Adrik was big and scary. He was strong and masculine in a way she’d never witnessed. He was the most dominant being she’d ever met. He was a monster. But was he her monster?

Lifting a shaking hand, Ember curled it around the back of Adrik’s neck. Her eyes held his an instant before she leaned down and sealed her mouth over his.