“Steady?” he asked, avoiding her eyes as he waited to make sure she wouldn’t fall once her foot touched the ground.
“Yeah,” she breathed, keeping her palms flat against the furs covering his chest.
Stepping back but not letting go, he looked around to see how Colby was handling the others. One of them was pointing in his direction, stomping a boot every now and then as she obviously yelled something at his second in command.
“Oh, Rue,” the woman in his hold breathed, shaking her head inside the helmet attached to her suit. “Might as well help me hobble over there before she gets any more worked up.”
“Sorry?” he asked, offering her the support she needed to hop a step or two before growling deep in his chest. “Fuck it.”
He couldn’t stand to see her struggle, or even possibly hurt herself even more in an effort to keep his distance. It was physically impossible as the urge to protect and care for her was overwhelming. Scooping her back into his arms—this time carrying her against his chest—he winced when her helmet smacked him in the jaw.
“Oh shit. Sorry,” she yelped, leaning into him so she wouldn’t bobble any more than necessary as he walked them across the cavern to the others.
“My fault,” he said shortly, trying to distract himself from the bundle in his arms by going over the small tasks he knew were waiting for him in the city.
“I’m Lucy,” she said, introducing herself in such a soft voice that he could barely hear it over the blood rushing through his ears at her closeness.
“Sparx,” he bit out, gritting his teeth when she patted his pec with her gloved hand.
He’d been without female company for far too long if a touch so simple had the ability to make him harder than he could ever remember being.
“Sparx,” she repeated, his name never sounding sweeter than coming from her lips. “I like it.”
“You do?” he asked with a gulp, unsure why the idea of her simply liking his name made him want to puff up his chest. Slowing his steps toward the others, he tried to give them even just a few more seconds alone.
“Yeah,” she said before letting out a deep sigh. “Brace yourself.”
“What?” he asked with a frown before the woman who had been yelling at Colby was directly in front of him.
“I can help her from here,” she instructed, holding out her arms as if she were physically able to take Lucy from his hold. As if she were something he’d pass over without care.
“Who are you?” he asked, tightening his grip in case Lucy thought he was about to let her go.
“She’s my bestie,” Lucy answered at the same time the other woman spoke.
“Veruca Salazar, and who the fuck are you?” her friend snapped, practically baring her teeth in a snarl.
“I am Warlord Sparx,” he answered, walking around her with Lucy still in his grip, ignoring the way she followed at his heels.
“Sir?”
“We will wait here for you to run the Phaetons back to their shuttle,” he instructed, ignoring the women crowding around them. “Make it fast. Lucy needs the attention of our healers, and I do not want to make her wait any longer than necessary.”
“Yes, sir.”
He watched as Colby and Bonner maneuvered Trex back onto the transport, the man still unconscious from the one blow Sparx had delivered. As Bonner buckled Trex into the seat, Colby turned back.
“Go through the ice. Not around,” Sparx instructed, not caring if it made the ride any rougher for the males on board, as long as it made the trip faster.
“Understood,” Colby answered with a nod before climbing into the driver’s seat.
“I will have to put you down for just a few moments while I open the gate,” he told Lucy, with Rue not far from his elbow as she continued to follow the pair.
Looking around, he spotted one of the crates Colby had been in the process of opening. It wasn’t the softest of places for her to sit, but since he needed both of his hands free to operate the gate, Sparx didn’t necessarily have a choice.
The moment he stepped away, Rue was checking over her like a worried mother figure, the pair whispering back and forth quickly.
“Stay,” he ordered, the word coming out gruffer than he’d intended.
“She’s not a dog,” her friend snapped, turning to glare at him through the visor of her helmet.
“I am more than aware of that fact,” he said, giving the pair an abbreviated bow before moving to the gate.
Triggering the lock to open the gate, Sparx ignored the urge to look back and check on Lucy.
“Duty first,” he reminded himself.
His role as Warlord of Fyeir had always come first, just like it had for his uncle before him. His Uncle Rowin had been beloved by the people of Fyeir and rightfully so. Without a mate of his own, he’d focused all of his energy on making Fyeir prosperous, and he had succeeded.
Just like Sparx had done since he’d claimed leadership.
Just like he would do until the day he died or became too weak to lead.
Closing the gate, Sparx stood and stared at the panel that showed the speeding vehicle on the radar as it made its way to the landing field. He could see that Colby was following orders and plowing straight through the ice and snowdrifts, making a straight shot for the landing field. Judging by the distance on the radar, Sparx figured it wouldn’t be long before his second in command was back and helping with the volunteers who seemed to be getting restless as they waited.
The sighs of annoyance drifting to him on the crisp air didn’t bother him one bit though. The women were safe and warm in the matching Phaeton suits they were bundled up in, and that’s right where they’d have to stay until Colby returned. He needed some distance, in order to keep his focus on what was important.
Focusing on the
