Chapter 37: The Price of Possession

The high-pressure hydraulic lifts of Outpost 79 groaned like dying beasts under the sixty-ton weight of Sterling’s Nightmare. The suffocating stench of scorched star-iron, cooked plasma, and burnt-the-fuck-out wire insulation billowed through the subterranean staging bay in thick, acrid clouds. Sparks showered onto the grease-stained concrete as the rig’s cooling vents hissed, dumping clouds of scalding white steam into the freezing garage air.

Before the main drive assembly had even spun down, Jax kicked the rear hatch open with a deafening BANG. He dragged three crates of stolen dark-matter ammo across the corrugated deck, metal screaming against metal. "Toby! Soren! Get your useless asses down here with the cranes! We’ve got enough Class-A battery cores to power a small fucking moon or blow this entire sector straight to hell!"

Valerie dropped off the rig's roof rack like a shadow. Her combat boots hit the concrete with a heavy thud as she set her anti-materiel sniper rifle onto an assembly rack. She ripped her heat-singed tactical jacket off and tossed it into the oil, leaving her in a tight, ribbed black tank top stuck to the sheen of sweat on her collarbone. Her dark eyes instantly locked onto Phoenix.

Phoenix stood by the rig’s mangled front grille, cursing under her breath as she dragged a grease rag across her throat, wiping away a sickening mix of hydraulic fluid and enemy blood. Her chest heaved. The crimson dragon light in her eyes hadn't faded, pulsing like live voltage beneath her irises from the sheer adrenaline of the Sector Seven slaughter.

Before she could take two steps toward the armory, a towering shadow blocked the light.

Killian planted himself directly in her path. He had ripped his upper breastplate off, exposing his broad, vein-mapped chest and massive shoulders. Sweat ran down the deep trough of his sternum, making his skin gleisten under the harsh halogen rigs. He was breathing like a fucking furnace, his stormy blue eyes locked onto her with suffocating, dangerous focus.

"Boss," Killian growled, his voice a low, raspy vibration that vibrated right through the concrete floor. "We need to clear the war rig’s secondary power bay. The conduit line is fucking overheating."

Valerie sauntered over, the heels of her boots clicking sharply. She leaned her hip against a tool locker, a predatory smirk curving her lips as her eyes traced the hard, glistening lines of Killian’s back. "The conduit line is fine, big guy. I checked the telemetry before we hit the goddamn perimeter. You just want her behind closed doors so you can have your turn."

Killian didn't turn his head, but his jaw clenched so hard a muscle twitched violently in his cheek. "Shut the fuck up, Valerie. I'm talking to the Boss."

Phoenix let out a throaty, breathless laugh, slinging her filthy rag at an oil drum. She stepped right into Killian’s personal space, her boots sliding between his wide stance. She tilted her head back, slamming her palm flat against the hot, bare muscle of his chest, feeling his heart hammering against her skin like a caged animal. "Is that right, Killian? You gonna lecture me on engine maintenance, or are you gonna stop fucking sulking about what happened in the transport?"

Killian’s hand shot out like a steel trap, his thick, calloused fingers wrapping tight around her wrist. He yanked her an inch closer until the leather of her vest crushed against his warm skin. The metallic, raw scent of his body rolled over her in waves.

"I don't fucking sulk," he rasped, his thumb digging hard into her pulse point. "I claim what's mine."

"Is that a threat, giant?" Valerie purred, stepping up tight behind Phoenix. Her gloved fingers slid around Phoenix’s waist, dragging her back until Phoenix’s spine hit Valerie's chest. Valerie leaned in, her lips dragging against the shell of Phoenix’s ear, her warm breath sending a spark straight down Phoenix's spine. "Because last time I checked, she doesn't belong to any single bastard."

The sheer sensory overload—Killian’s iron grip out front and Valerie’s warm, dangerous weight behind—sent a rush of pure fucking fire through Phoenix’s veins. Phoenix snapped her head back, hooking her forearm around Valerie’s neck and yanking her down into a brutal, filthy kiss.

Valerie tasted like bitter black coffee, copper, and gunpowder. She groaned aloud against Phoenix’s mouth, her fingers digging deep into the soft skin above Phoenix’s hips, her nails biting through the fabric as she nipped hard at Phoenix’s bottom lip until Phoenix tasted blood and hissed in pure approval.

Killian’s blue eyes flared with a psychotic, possessive spark. With a dark growl, he let go of Phoenix’s wrist, grabbed her by the hip, and hauled her completely out of Valerie's grip, slamming her back against the side of the war rig’s star-iron hull.

The metal plate rang out with a hollow, deafening CRASH. Phoenix just laughed, her crimson eyes blazing fully to life as she locked her legs around Killian’s waist, her knees digging into his flanks.

"Show me then, Killian," Phoenix taunted, her voice thick and raspy against his neck. "Prove you can handle all of this shit."

Killian captured her mouth in a heavy, ruthless kiss that stole the air right out of her lungs. His broad hands slid under her thighs, holding her weight against the vibrating hull like she weighed nothing. Phoenix gasped into his mouth, digging her nails into his shoulders, feeling the intense, suffocating heat radiating off his body.

Valerie didn't back off for a second. She pressed right up against Killian’s broad back, her hand gliding across his bare shoulder blades, her nails tracing down his spine. She reached around his hip, her gloved fingers trailing up the inner curve of Phoenix’s thigh, making Phoenix arch her back with a sharp, ragged gasp.

"Greedy fucking Boss," Valerie murmured against Phoenix’s throat, her teeth dragging over the sensitive pulse point right above her collarbone. "You're going to break him before we even hit the Spire."

"He won't fucking break," Phoenix panted, her lips brushing the sharp angle of Killian’s jawline as his hands tore furiously at the metal buckles of her tactical harness. The heavy leather strap snapped loose, hitting the steel deck with a loud CLATTER.

Killian’s mouth dragged down her chin to her neck, his rough stubble scraping against her skin while his thumb unzipped her combat vest, shoving the reinforced fabric aside. His heavy palm cupped her hip, his touch direct, possessive, and completely raw. "I am not breaking," he growled into her skin, his breath scalding against her collarbone. "I'm not going fucking anywhere."

Before the bay could turn into complete, unhinged chaos, the garage’s overhead warning klaxon burst into a series of ear-splitting shrieks.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

The industrial speakers overhead crackled with deafening static before Soren’s voice blasted through the garage, high-pitched and frantic as hell. "Uh, Boss?! Boss, stop whatever high-intensity fucking team building you're doing down there! The Imperial Academy Board just answered the broadcast! They're on the line right now!"

Phoenix froze, her chest heaving, her fingers still tangled in Killian’s hair while Valerie’s hand remained pressed firmly against her bare waist.

A slow, vicious grin spread across Phoenix’s face. She rested her forehead against Killian’s slick collarbone for three heavy seconds, taking in his scent before unhooking her legs and sliding down his body until her boots hit the concrete. She yanked her torn vest straight, her crimson eyes gleaming with pure, lethal intent.

Killian let out a harsh, heavy breath, his jaw tight as hell as he pulled his chest plate back over his shoulders, though his dark gaze never left her face. Valerie simply straightened her tank top, running a hand through her hair and flashing Phoenix a filthy, promise-filled wink before grabbing her sniper rifle off the rack.

"Come on, heavy hitters," Phoenix purred, her voice dripping with venom and excitement as she turned toward the command elevator. "Let's see how much Vice-Headmaster Sterling’s pathetic life is actually worth to those corporate bastards."