Page 18 of Klaz

I grunted, unsurprised. “Escape pods aren’t meant for extended survival. Just buying time until rescue.”

Cinta’s lips thinned. “About that... we need to discuss the distress beacon.”

My jaw clenched. I knew where this was going. “We’re activating it.”

“No, we’re not,” Cinta countered, her voice sharp. “If those pirates pick up the signal-”

“If we don’t, you’ll die,” I growled.

Cinta’s eyes flashed. “And if we do, they’ll kill you.”

I stepped closer, looming over her. “My life isn’t worth yours.”

“That’s not your decision to make,” Cinta snapped.

Frustration boiled within me. Why couldn’t she see? “I’m trying to protect you!”

“I don’t need your protection!” Cinta shouted, shoving at my chest.

The motion brought her face inches from mine. Her breath came in short, angry pants, and my gaze dropped to her lips, parted and tempting.

“Cinta,” I rasped, my resolve crumbling.

She surged forward, crushing her mouth to mine. The kiss was fierce, desperate. I groaned, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her flush against me. Cinta’s fingers tangled in my hair, nails scraping my scalp.

I lost myself in the taste of her, the softness of her lips. There was nothing but Cinta - her warmth, her scent, the small sounds she made as I deepened the kiss.

A blaring alarm shattered the moment.

We broke apart, gasping. Cinta’s eyes were wide as she stared at the flashing console.

“What is that?” she asked, breathless.

I pulled away from Cinta, my heart pounding. The alarm blared, its shrill tone piercing through the lingering haze of our kiss. I forced myself to focus on the flashing console.

“Critical systems failure,” I growled, scanning the readouts. My fingers flew over the controls, trying to isolate the problem.

Cinta leaned in, her shoulder brushing mine. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing good,” I muttered. The screen flickered, data scrolling past faster than a human could process. But I saw it. “Navigation’s down.”

As if to punctuate my words, the viewport shutters slammed closed with a metallic clang. Darkness engulfed us, broken only by the dim emergency lighting and the console’s angry red glow.

“Shit,” Cinta breathed. “We’re flying blind?”

I nodded grimly. “Looks like another malfunction. We need to restart the nav system manually.”

“Okay,” she said, a touch of her usual bravado creeping back into her voice. “How do we do that?”

I pointed to a small access panel near the floor. “There’s an emergency reset switch behind that panel. But it’s a tight fit.”

Cinta smirked. “Good thing I’m flexible.”

I rolled my eyes, ignoring the heat that flared in my gut at her words. “It’s not that simple. The panel’s recessed. I can reach it, but I won’t be able to see what I’m doing.”

Understanding dawned in her eyes. “So I guide your hands?”

“Exactly.”