Free Taking Command by KyAnn Waters & Grad Stone

around her waist and pulling her back flush against his chest. His other hand covered hers as he guided their joined fingers over the console. Together, they piloted BioOne, making slight shifts in her trajectory.
    Shon glanced up as the dome vanished and the endless blackness of space surrounded them. In the far off distance, vivid colors swirled. “Is that the Rincon?” Just saying the words had adrenaline flowing through her veins.
    Tarik chuckled. “No, just a distant system. But don’t worry. I’ve navigated the Rincon. There’s no reason to be scared.”
    “I’m not.”
    “I can feel you trembling.”
    She was trembling, but not from fear of the Rincon. Not to say she wasn’t terrified to navigate through the impossible. But Tarik, being wrapped in his strong, capable arms, unsettled her in ways she’d never been before. A need, sharp and intense, drilled into the core of who she was. With the whole of her being, she knew she belonged with this man. Not for sex, although she would hate never experiencing his touch, kiss, or the way his cock slid deep into her pussy again.
    “What happens once we’re in the Rincon?” she asked to help distract herself from her thoughts. For her whole career, she’d searched for a purpose. Perhaps she’d finally found one in Tarik, BioOne, and exposing the Tri’Neith for their treachery.
    “We’ll meet up with Jone Morry and the others who fight against the Tri’Neith. We have BioOne, but our grievances run deep. People want to trust their government. But few know what is really happening. Those, like me and my associates, are quickly eliminated when discovered. But we have men on the inside. Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to get to BioOne.”
    Men like Darcolm. He could be just such an asset to Tarik. She nodded, but what she really wanted to know was if there was a place for her in his group, a place for her with him. “You’ll always fight?”
    “Yes.”
    Emotion welled in her throat. Of course, he would. Tarik was a man of honor. Strange that, in such a short period of time, she could go from believing him to be a space pirate to wanting to stand by his side to fight the Tri’Neith. She stepped out of his arms and walked toward the edge of the dome, staring at the red, purple, and green swirling maelstrom in the distance. “What will you do with BioOne?”
    When he didn’t answer, she turned to him.
    Tarik’s mouth pulled into a tight line, and his jaw ticked. “Some in my group would use her the same way the Tri’Neith would. That’s why there are those on both sides who think she should be destroyed.”
    Shon cocked her head to the side. “One ship becomes two. Does BioOne reproduce? Is there a chance that BioOne could fail to follow your commands and organize missions on her own? One ship, as she now is, can be controlled. What happens when there are more like BioOne? She’s sentient so wouldn’t that make the ships a race, a species capable of determining their own future? How would you or anyone else stop a fully mature, fully sentient ship?”
    Tarik ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know.”
    Shon raised a brow. “You don’t know? Tarik, if not you, who? You created her. Both of us can hear her in our thoughts. How far is her reach?” Shon covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh, my god.” She finally realized the full power and danger of the ship. The ship could end all wars…or begin a new era of unrest that could stretch across the galaxy.
    Shon ran her hand along the wall. Heat seeped into her palm. BioOne was alive. “You can’t destroy her.” Tears burned behind her eyes. “But you can’t truly command her.”
    “She’s only a weapon in the wrong hands. That is why I’m on my own. I’ll regroup with Morry and the others, but I won’t be staying. I created her. Now I have to protect her.”
    Bile rose into Shon’s throat. She could feel the weight of his words, the reason he risked his life for