Free Orient Fevre by Lizzie Lynn Lee

was losing the battle. Even if I shifted, I still couldn’t get out of the knife range before Mac speared me with all seven inches.
    I persevered, though deep in my mind I knew I was going to die, but I wasn’t going to make it easy for him. Just when the tip of the knife pierced my skin, something dark flashed behind Mac.
    Maybe I was delirious, but I thought I saw Levy.
    Mac’s body left the ground, flying away. I heard his scream echo as he fell onto the bottom landing. I mumbled in disbelief as I let go of the knife. Pain seared my nerve endings, but I ignored it, my attention riveted to the unbelievable sight two stories below.
    I saw a dragon. The black majestic beast unfurled its forty-foot wingspan and advanced in Mac’s direction. Mac cursed and tried to get to his feet, but his attempt was futile when the dragon swished its tail. I looked away. I didn’t want to watch. Shrieks of agony filled the room for what seemed like the longest minutes in my life. My accidental husband Levy was finishing the job for me.
    I cried, laying on the cold surface of the steel flooring. My body felt cold, numb. The part of me that still loved Mac, even though he’d tricked me, lied to me, and almost killed me, died away as he met his own comeuppance. Female stupidity? Maybe. I’d almost married that son of a bitch. My body shook as the screams died away, replaced by the sounds of hurried footsteps reverberating through the engine room’s ceilings.
    My body trembled as I felt a gush of wind blow in my direction. The dragon perched on the railings before morphing into the man I’d come to know too damn well in the past few days. Levy stared at me, anguished.
    “Violet, you’re hurt.”
    I jumped into his arms, burying my face against the hollow of his throat. His body was warm, as naked as mine, and slicked with blood and sweat, but I’d never felt so calm in my life. I heard shouting from people, and I might have heard Captain Hawk’s voice, too. I ignored my surroundings and tightened my arms around Levy’s neck. He patted me, giving me comfort as I cried my head off for no reason—for every reason. But I knew when I stopped crying, I’d be okay.
    The storm was over.

Chapter Five
     
     
     
    The doc took me hostage in the sickbay for several days after the lockdown to patch me up. I had regeneration therapy and all my wounds were healed. I didn’t know why he made such a fuss about my minor injuries, but then I guessed he did it under the direct orders from Captain Hawk. My captain didn’t want me around while he did a cleanup job and tied up loose ends. Since I was the reason the V-data had gotten hacked, Hawk wanted me contained while the spooks from corporate headquarters came and did their investigation. Oh, and did they investigate! By the time they finished, they knew what brand of underwear I wore and what my favourite sexual position was. By the end of the scrutiny, Hawk came to me with bad news. I’d been fired for the security leak.
    “No hard feelings, Cross. I fought for you, but the company has zero-degree tolerance against espionage, whether you are directly involved or unfortunately being used by your fiancé.”
    “I understand, Captain.”
    Captain Hawk looked discomfited. “I hate to see you go. You’re the best first mate I’ve ever had.” He took something from his pocket and gave it to me. It was a small black velvet box containing a silver medal. “The company is compelled to give you an award for your heroism. You saved us from disaster. You stopped Mac from blowing us to pieces.”
    I would have laughed if it hadn’t been such an irony. They awarded me for doing such a great job, and by the way, I was fired, too. You were great. You sucked.
    I didn’t know what to say to my captain, so I settled for something simple. “Thanks.”
    “Listen, I’ve talked to people and some are interested in having you on board. Give them a call.” Captain Hawk handed me a data chip. “Again,