Nox was impatient to get Rayne alone. He’d almost thrown the match beneath the tree branch to take her then and there. Made all the more tempting because he knew she’d welcome it.

Creativity.

Imagination.

Rayne’s punishment required both, and, as Nox marched naked into the treeloft, he was hungry to mete it out of her, one swell at a time. Korac followed inside until they both stopped in the living room.

As the women glided in, pleased with their victory, Nox asked, “What will it be now? We’re at your mercy… For the time being.” He met Rayne’s eyes on the last and let her see everything he had planned in his.

She shivered.

“Perhaps you should allow us to dress before you get more than the view you bargained for.” Korac’s voice was dry as he gestured toward Nox.

Sagan clapped, jingling the chain-mail shirt. “Of course. It’ll make things easier while you two cook dinner for us. I’m famished.”

Nox laughed, and Rayne visibly softened at the sound. He cherished her response. “Very well.”

After folding his arms, Korac said, “I enjoy keeping my wife satisfied.”

The smirk on Rayne’s face as she pulled Sagan against her side was devilish. “Good to know you’ll be enjoying yourself while Sagan and I take a shower. Ta.” With a cheeky wave, she dragged the Seamswalker with her around the corner.

Korac’s brows went high.

Nox chuckled deep in his chest as he slipped into some pants, saying, “They will have a time with you, old friend. Come. Let’s make our women a feast while they provide us a show.”

“A show?” A frown marred Korac’s perfect face. It conveyed even while he dressed in his pajamas until he followed Nox into the kitchen and stopped… everything. The half-Aegis General even quit breathing.

On the shower side of the sheet, Rayne was absorbing her clothes while lifting Korac’s chain-mail shirt over Sagan’s head. She went to her knees and kissed Sagan’s stomach and slipped the Seamswalker’s tiny shorts down. After Rayne discarded those, she activated the water. With their fingers raking through their hair, the girls turned their faces toward the spray and let it pour down their curves and the contours of their muscles.

“Soldier, stand down,” Nox ordered.

For the first time in a million years or more, Korac had lost his composure around Nox and gaped. In an attempt to defend his lack of self-discipline, he pointed at the scene and opened his mouth. Closed it. Then, like the water washing over the girls, restraint washed over Korac, and he wrenched his eyes off the view at the same time Rayne kissed Sagan.

Even with seven million years of practice, it was taking every ounce of Nox’s command over himself not to react.

With his back ramrod straight, Korac collected stored root vegetables and set to preparing them.

This was good. Productive distraction. Nox set some meat onto roast in the island’s hidden spit.

Chopping vigorously to disguise the kissing sounds, Korac said, “I’ve never seen you so happy.”

Backs to each other, Nox said, “Nor you. In fact, I recall you being an Icarus of fewer words.”

“Between finding my birth family, marrying Sagan, adopting Echo, and learning you’re alive, I find myself in a better humor these days.”

Quite the fortune to recount, and Nox was honored Korac counted his resurrection among them. But there was only one item he wanted to ask about. “What’s it like having a daughter?”

Even though Korac was still busy cooking with his back turned away, Nox could hear the smile in his voice as Korac said, “Everyday is an adventure. She whistles along with my singing. Just last week she shed her first feather, as white as my hair. We think she’s ready to open her gliders for the first time, but we’ll see. I hope we don’t miss it.”

Nox grinned at the pride in Korac’s voice, and he felt grateful his best friend knew this kind of peace.

“You’ll meet her.”

Perplexed, Nox turned to find Korac leaning back on the counter with his arms crossed. His expression was matter of fact as he repeated, “You and Rayne will meet Echo soon. And Pax, if it were up to me. It’s strange. The imperial Prince is why I’m here. Pax told me it was time to find you.”

“I would like to meet them.”

Nox turned at the same time as Korac to find Rayne and Sagan standing on the kitchen side of the sheet. They’d wrapped themselves in towels and smoothed their wet hair back from their faces. Rayne’s smile was radiant. The blush on her face after the performance she’d just put on was one of the contradictions he loved about her.

Nox cupped Rayne’s cheek and kissed her.

With their foreheads together, she said, “Thank you for cooking,” against his mouth.

Nox licked the taste of her from his lips before teasing, “Rayne, why are you in a towel when you can grow your clothes?”

“Nox, why were you naked most of the afternoon? Oh, yeah. ’Cause you lost—Yip!”

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That was one of his absolute favorite sounds from her. Nox had picked Rayne up and plopped her down on the nearest counter. “If my nudity was your prize, then we’ve both won.”

“Uh. You guys? We’re still here.” Sagan’s friendly interruption was enough to make Nox bark out a laugh.

Rayne’s eyes sparkled with it.

From behind Nox, Korac said, “We were just discussing the best venue to confront Celindria next—Wait. This is Pehton. Your majesties, unless you’re ready to oust yourselves, keep quiet.”

Rayne asked, “Aren’t you going to put on a shirt before answering—”

Nox cupped his hand over her mouth as the Lyrik appeared in the projection. He glanced apologetically at Rayne to find their hearts racing and something unexpected in her eyes. The craving to explore more of her kinks gnawed at Nox. It would have to wait.

“General, where the hell have you been?” The orange-feathered Lyrik opened boldly with her superior. From what Nox had heard of her, feisty certainly fit the bill. Incredulous, Pehton scoffed, “Are you shirtless? Again?! Korac, we’ve talked about this.”

Sagan leaned into view, dressed in a towel, and waved. “Hey, Pehton. You caught us at a bad time. Is everything okay?”

They were taunting the poor woman.

Korac kissed his wife’s cheek for encouraging the ruse and smirked for the Lyriki Warden as he asked, “Is it that you feel left out? Because you’re welcome to join us.”

There was a pause, and Nox realized Pehton was counting to ten. Still on the counter behind him, Rayne snickered and perched her chin on Nox’s shoulder to watch.

Pehton said, “Celindria was in possession of Cinderken’s volition. She’s also controlling F8 and the hives and anyone who went through a Divine Booth with a port. Razor is conscious inside a nacre. And there are less than ten thousand Probabilities left in the Matrix.”

How?

Nox wasn’t asking how Celindria’s reach was so far—He could never underestimate her. But the Probability Matrix…

After allowing them to absorb the news for a moment, Pehton continued, “Has Zero given you anything which could help us?”

No longer smirking, Korac said, “Give me another day, and we’ll return with a plan.”

Pehton narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. “What are you really doing out there?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, and I think it’s best if you had some plausible deniability, General Warden.”

She turned those garnet eyes on Sagan, who ducked hers a little in shame as she said, “Trust us. Please.”

Pehton glared between the two of them before relenting with a sigh. “Fine. Let me know what’s happening as soon as you can, and I’ll back you up. Over and Out.”

Sagan pouted. “I feel scolded.”

Korac kissed her temple, and the two fell into conversation.

Nox turned to find Rayne in sleep pants and a strappy top so tight he could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra. The complement of her blue pajamas made her eyes sparkle. With her hair smoothed back, Rayne’s face was fresh and bare.

Rayne’s sudden shy smile affected Nox as she said, “When you look at me, I feel beautiful. Like actually. Not the way the Tritans or other people say it. I know you know everything about me, and you still look at me that way.”

“You’ve seen yourself through my eyes and know it to be true. I’ve said it, and I’ll never stop saying it. Out on the battlefield or here in this kitchen, you are the most beautiful being in this galaxy.” And I love you rang in the air between them.

With a flutter of her eyelashes, Rayne blinked back tears. She took a deep breath to say—

“The roast is burning, and you are not mating in front of us.”

After three years without Korac, Nox realized how much he’d missed his General’s humor.

After Sagan changed out of the towel and into a shirt which matched Korac’s pajama bottoms, they sat down to eat.

Summarizing the conversation, Rayne said, “So we’ll be at the premiere of my biopic?”

Across from her, Nox assured, “Celindria is everywhere now, and she knows the Shadow will be there. If you and I attend, I can try to convince her to surrender.”

Sagan set her fork down and asked, “And if she doesn’t?”

With an expression which showed Korac’s appreciation for the scale of this operation, he said, “Then we arrest everyone she’s inhabited.”

“I wish I knew what she wanted. Other than Nox. You know? What’s her ultimate plan?” Rayne asked a good question. They knew nothing of Celindria’s purpose.

He took her hand and kissed it. “We’ll defeat her. Together.”

Korac’s gagging made them both look over at him. The General said, “Sorry. I just realized this is what Sagan and I have been doing to Xelan and Tameka all this time, and now I owe them an apology they will never get.”

Rayne laughed.

Sagan cut in. “Well, because you two are such fantastic cooks, I am now full and sleepy. I’m heading to bed.”

“Korac and I volunteer to let you ladies have the bed tonight.” Nox knew the significance of his offer.

Like he’d been slapped, Korac whirled on Nox with an icy glare, threatening to freeze Nox’s taunting grin.

Rayne cried, “Really?!” Her genuine elation was reward enough for spurning the General.

Without taking his eyes off Nox, Korac flattened his voice and said, “Yes. Really.”

Sagan kissed her husband’s cheek. “Thanks for understanding, babe. We promise to be quiet.”

While the girls cleared the table, exchanging heart-racing glances, Korac mouthed, “I. Will. Have. My. Revenge.”

Ignoring him, Nox asked, “Seamswalker, have I mentioned I’m a massive fan of you splitting a planet in half?”

“Aw. Thanks. It broke every bone in my body, but I appreciate the compliments.” She leaned down and kissed her husband’s cheek again. “Isn’t Nox the best, babe?”

Through gritted teeth, Korac said, “Oh. Yes. The best.”

Nox followed Rayne to the stairs, while Sagan dragged Korac with placations. “My sweet wonderful husband. Thank you for understanding.”

“Of course, amos.” Korac finally accepted defeat. “Anything for you.”

On the first step, Rayne leaned forward and kissed Sagan’s collarbone, up her neck, and whispered in her ear. On a shaky breath, Sagan relayed, “Rayne wants me to tell you boys, ‘good night and don’t do anything we wouldn’t do.’”

Nox shook his head, Korac rolled his eyes, and the girls giggled before racing each other up the stairs. Their night looked far better than the one ahead of their partners. Without the bed…

At the same thought, Nox and Korac looked at each other and said, “You’re sleeping on the floor.” “I’m taking the couch.”

Korac’s shirt which Sagan had been wearing flew over the banister and landed on the floor beside them.

While Korac was distracted with snatching up the shirt and folding it, Nox claimed the long end of the L-shaped couch. The General turned, realized Nox’s ploy, and made a noise in disgust. The best soldier took the short end, legs dangling off further than Nox’s.

A few minutes of silence passed with them both staring at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of the girls reuniting. They were not quiet as promised, and Nox’s heart pounded in his chest with Rayne’s excitement.

Korac asked, “Can you see anything?”

Nox searched above, fruitlessly. “Not a damned thing, but…”

Both men inhaled deeply. The sweet aroma of watermelon and honeysuckle filled the air. Earth summer. Beautiful.

Pissy, Korac jabbed, “You know you don’t deserve Rayne right?”

“I’m reminded of it every time she gives me the look.”

Even in the dark, Nox knew Korac was frowning as he asked, “The look?”

Nox pictured it. Rayne’s lips slightly parted, and her eyes bright with wonder shining in them. He said, “You know my meaning. Even if whole armies arrived to raze your kingdom to the ground, it’s still perfect as long as she keeps looking at you that way.”

Korac barked out a shocked laugh. “Poetry?! You really are in love.”

Nox’s heart rate plummeted, taking his breath away. Something was wrong. He sat up to—

“Nox! Korac! Something’s wrong!” Sagan shouted from the banister.

Light emanated from the upstairs and painted the loft in its blaze.

Rayne.