This time, when her jumpsuit falls to the floor, I notice her as a woman, and I hate myself for it.
Her figure has filled out. Her ribs are no longer showing. Her breasts are soft and round. Her nipples are the most delectable shade of pink-brown. Her body is all lush curves and touchable skin.
Stop that. I mutter a curse at myself under my breath because she’s obviously in distress, and I’m a lecherous asshole who is trying hard not to stare at her. Averting my eyes, I slide the sleep shirt over her head, make her lie down, and tug the blankets over her. I turn the lights down to dim, and then turn to leave. “I’ll be in the cockpit,” I murmur. There’s enough space there that I can stretch out on the floor.
She sits up. “You’re leaving?” There’s an edge of panic in her voice, and her expression is distressed. “Please…”
“You want me to stay?”
She nods.
I close my eyes for a long moment. This situation hasn’t been easy from the start, and it doesn’t get any easier with each passing day. “Okay. I’ll be right here.”
I climb into bed. Naomi under the blankets, me stretched out stiffly over them. She laces her fingers in mine and closes her eyes. In less time than I would've thought, her breathing evens out, and she falls asleep.
Just as it has every single time she touches me, the rathr disappears.
And I tell myself what I always tell myself. What I’ve told myself the first time she touched me. What I continue to tell myself every single day.
It doesn't matter.
An hour later, I’m beginning to doze off when my comm vibrates.
Naomi’s sound asleep. She’s let go of my hand and she's lying on her side facing away from me, cocooned in a blanket.
I silence the comm and slide out of bed, moving silently to the door. Entering the galley, I answer the call.
It's Zunix, who, like Dariux, used to be a spy before he was exiled. “Where are you?” he asks. “Are you okay? Is Naomi Knoll with you?”
I frown. “Didn’t Taman tell you? Yes, she’s with me. We’re on our way to the Wekat Exchange, which is where we’re supposed to meet the Cindifin shuttle. Why? Has the plan changed?”
“No.” Zunix sighs in relief. “The plan has not changed. Dariux wanted me to check in with you. He would have done it himself, but he's busy putting out a few fires of his own.”
I go around Zunix’s projection, pull out a bottle of Vabrian from a cupboard in the galley, and pour myself a glass. “One of those fires better be figuring out how the Empire found Bestea.”
“Oh, trust me, it is.” Zunix’s expression turns grim. “We had drone cameras recording what they did. Ru’vi herself landed on Bestea.”
I suck in a breath. Ru’vi is the Spymaster of the High Empire. Lennox is the High Emperor, nominally the most powerful person in the Zorahn Empire. But I’m more concerned about the Spymaster, who hides in the shadows and accumulates power. “Why?”
“Our best guess—she’s looking for information on Tarish.”
I start to ask another question, and then remind myself I don’t care. I can’t afford to care, because when that happens, people get hurt. People die. Koval was executed, as were thousands of Draekons. “Did everyone get away safely?” I ask instead.
“Yes. We were lucky.” He grimaces. “Replacing the headquarters will be expensive.” He clears his throat. “Ah well. We’ll hunt for spies and plan our countermeasures. In the meanwhile, you have your mission.”
“About that,” I interrupt. “I have a problem. Naomi Knoll cannot travel to Noturn. She's too fragile.” I can’t protect her. “She'll get in the way.” If something were to happen to her, I would never be able to forgive myself. “She’s in no condition to participate in this mission. We’ll arrive on the Wekat Exchange in a few hours. You can’t be too far away. Have a shuttle meet us there to take her back, because she can’t come with me.”
Zunix shakes his head at once. “Sorry, I can't do that.”
“Do not fuck with me, Zunix.”
“We've already updated your cover story,” he replies. “We spun a story about your whirlwind romance. Told the House of Cindifin you couldn’t bear to be apart from your new bondmate for three months. Everything’s all set up. Everyone’s expecting a couple. After all that, if you show up without Naomi, people are going to ask questions. They’ll start digging into your identity.”
“You don't understand,” I snap. “She is a liability.”
The words are out of my mouth when I see a shadow under the door.
Kashrn.
Naomi heard me.
This isn’t good. This is very bad. I want only good things for Naomi. I want her to be safe, and I want her to focus on her recovery. Hurting her feelings isn’t part of the plan. Bast. “Fine,” I tell Zunix. “I have to go.”
I cut the call and run my fingers through my hair. It’s too late to wish I’d activated a cone of silence before talking to Zunix. Naomi’s heard at least some of my conversation, and I need to face the consequences. Bracing myself for her wrath, I open my mouth. “Naomi, I know you’re there.”
She throws the door open with a crash. She enters the galley, her eyes ablaze. Ignoring me, she threads her way around the table to the food syn and punches the buttons with violence. “Don’t mind me,” she says, her voice cloyingly sweet. “I’m just here for some tea.”
“You heard my conversation with Zunix.”
Her back is stiff. “I don’t want to discuss it.”
“Naomi,” I begin. “You don’t understand. I—”
She whirls around. Her cheeks are flushed, and her expression shows barely contained rage. “I don’t
