Knell by Viola Grace Read Free Book Online Page A

flirting back, so that was a positive sign.
    She restarted her audio memorization and did her yoga until the team returned. The news reports only recapped the events that she had already seen and she had her education to attend to.
    When Loxin came through the door, Dot got to her feet. He pulled his helmet off and tucked it under one arm, and his features showed exhaustion again.
    She walked up to him and put her hand behind his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. His free arm snapped around her and lifted her up until neither of them had to strain.
    She heard the others unsealing their helmets, but she didn’t care.
    Jekross calmly said, “I’ll get us something to drink. Oh look. Oracle has prepared tea and sandwiches. I am really going to have to show her what foods are corollaries for ones she grew up with, I mean…once Loxin puts her down. I am betting ten credits that it will be in three minutes.”
    Ralos chuckled. “I would go for five.”
    Yekesh said, “Ten.”
    Against her lips, Loxin smiled as he wrapped his wings around them and dropped his helmet to get a better grip.
    She opened her mouth under his urging and wrapped her arms around his neck. The feel of his tongue sliding along hers made her shiver and her skin tightened in reaction. She felt hot, shaky and on the edge of control, but she had no idea what was coming next.
    There was a strange safety in making out with him while he was dressed for battle. He couldn’t do anything too invasive with his hands and his crotch was safely confined. There was nothing safer than kissing a man in a battle suit as long as there weren’t weapons attached.
    When her lips were numb, her body was humming and her senses had completely shorted out, he slowly lowered her to the floor.
    Yekesh cackled. “Pay up!”
    Blushing, Dot pressed her fingers to her lips and looked up at Loxin. “Apologies.”
    He chuckled. “And apologies from me. Your lips must be numb.”
    They were but she didn’t tell him that.
    “I believe I said I would show you that portrait. Would you come with me while I get cleaned up?”
    She looked at everyone else, and they were all staring at her expectantly. “Better with you than facing the gathering of gazes here in the living room while they relive the glory of your successful day.”
    Loxin grinned and took her hand with his, hauling her down the hall and through the door next to hers. She should have been surprised but it seemed appropriate.
    He had a stand for the armour and settled his helmet before reaching for the armoured ridge across the top of his wings. “This is annoying but it has definitely come in handy. With the right swipe, I can slice through stone.”
    “I am guessing that is a good thing. From what I have seen, you don’t use standard weapons.”
    He grinned and hung the ridge up on the stand. “Correct. If we used weapons, we would be standard law enforcement and we are not.”
    He pulled off his gauntlets and flexed his fingers. “As nice as it was to have you in my arms, I missed the feel of you.”
    She chuckled and wrapped her arms around her torso. “Oddly enough, your armour made me feel safe.”
    He backed into the stand and it gripped the armour, triggering the release.
    The suit hissed and parted along unlikely lines, pulling back to let him out. The shoulders folded open like a flower petal, freeing his wings and upper portion of his chest. The segment around his waist unclasped and swung loose.
    The plates over his legs lifted and let him step free. He was wearing a thin black bodysuit and nothing else.
    “Wow. That looked uncomfortable.”
    “You get used to it.” He bent and flared his wings out to their full extent.
    When he straightened, he shivered slightly before his head came up. The scarlet iris was glowing. “I think I should take a cooling shower, but in the meantime, here is the image I received from Yacaro.”
    He leaned over his desk and pulled up a file that projected an image onto the