Anakin's Fortress - Book II (temporary cover)

Nineteen - Sangfroid

All the Empire, they cannot sever us. If I were dead and you were still fighting for life, I'd come back from the darkness. Back from the depths of hell to fight at your side.
Year 11

—————

Kat

After I put on one of Anakin's huge shirts, I stop in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, the sounds of him rustling around in the refresher behind me.

"What did Thrawn first say to you when he got here?" I frown and focus on the slight reflection of him in the glass.

"Like, how did we greet each other?"

He chuckles as he enters his huge bedroom, working toward his bed. He's been doing that more lately—laughing. In the window, I see him throwing the wet pillows from my hair onto the floor.

"On the shuttle, he brought it up."

"The shuttle I was flying?" I finally turn and cross my arms.

He relaxes onto the one remaining pillow and puts his arms behind his head. "I hear everything, remember?"

I smile sweetly. "Then you know what he said."

His hand reaches out in the familiar motion of using the Force and pulls me toward him. "I will, but I'm feeling impatient," he says, and though his voice is still the same, his eyes say he isn't joking about his impatience.

He gives me enough slack to put my legs where I want them, which is on either side of his hips, of course.

"He said he's heard of my beauty."

I purse my lips when he smirks. "Don't you think there are more important qualities people could gossip about?"

His grin widens. "It is true there are more important topics, but none of those qualities can outshine your beauty, Kitten."

I burst into laughter and grip his hands. "I'm quite smart."

"Precisely. They don't need to know that anyway."

"It makes me uncomfortable when you sweet talk me," I admit with a sly grin.

"I know," he says and tugs me closer. "And I'm not sweet-talking you, I'm giving you enough compliments so some other man can't give you more, and whisk you away."

"I don't think it's compliments that win me over," I giggle. This gets a decent laugh from him, making me feel victorious.

"Good," he finally says. "Because people want to meet you, my Kitten, and they will give you compliments, and I will get jealous. Accept every compliment—but kill a man if he touches you because it will be a mercy compared to what I will do to him."

"What do you mean?" I ask with narrowed eyes, suspicion growing within me.

He puts a palm to my cheek. "Word of this day will spread like rhydonium. Those who have heard of you will only grow more curious. And of those, the most dangerous are also the ones with the power to make a meeting happen, one way or another. If you did not want to step into the playing field, Kitten, you shouldn't have boarded one of the most controversial officer's flagship and ordered the destruction of an Imperial agent."

My jaw drops open in surprise. I am appalled; I did what needed to be done for Leia. "How was I supposed to know he's controversial?"

He has the audacity to chuckle. "You met him," he says as if that should explain it. "He wasn't too different with you than he is with command, except he gave you more answers than he usually does," he adds with a small eye roll.