“I will retrieve her and walk her out after I am done with my own testing.”
Torun smiled. “You are joining a team?”
“Oh, god, no. I don’t have a socially serving bone in my body. I am trained for research, but I have to maintain my credentials to continue working on team accessories. I need to keep my rating up so that I can experiment with the weapons on myself.”
He blinked, the bright glow of his eyes getting stronger. “You can withstand our weaponry?”
One of the researchers snorted. “Of course, she can take them point-blank. She designed them all.”
Zera looked at him. “Torun, how close are you?”
There was a slight scuff of his boots, and she turned around slowly. He let Hron loose and inclined his head. His purple skin with jagged lightning marks was her favourite colour. The suit that he was wearing was a deep blue that was nearly black. His hair was held off his face with a thick clasp at the base of his neck so that the rest of his locks hung down to mid-back.
He stepped toward her. “I am pretty close.”
She looked up and up again. His eyes held her hypnotized, and it took an effort to look away.
Hron unintentionally came to her rescue. “Torun, how long are you in the city?”
She was easing away and froze when he said, “Overnight. I will be taking meetings in the morning before rejoining my team.”
She took a step away from him. “Right. So, that’s it. I am going to lure some evil people out into the open and then kill them. I just wanted you all to know because I will need witnesses regarding my unhinged state of mind at this particular stage.”
One of the peacekeepers frowned. “Unhinged?”
It appeared that they needed a demonstration. She picked up the boardroom table, scattering the group, and she smashed it down with a scream before going and punching the smart glass.
Torun grabbed her from behind and lifted her off her feet. He murmured softly, “They get the point.”
He carried her into one of the nearby offices, and when the door was locked, he whispered, “I am so sorry about Susara.”
She exhaled, inhaled, and started sobbing, his arms holding her arms down and supporting her around her ribs. This wasn’t the crying of shock, the weeping of grief; this was the acknowledgement that half her soul was gone.
Torun held her while she wailed and didn’t mention that she was shaking the walls.
When she quieted, he set her down in a chair and then left. He returned a moment later with a cold cloth for her eyes. “Easy, Zera. That was a lot to get out.”
She mumbled her thanks and spent the next few minutes cooling her eyes until she could see out of them again. Crying blood when truly upset had only happened once before, when Susa’s parents were murdered.
Torun was crouching in front of her, and when she looked at him, he smiled sadly. “You should have called me.”
“You were busy with work. I told you back then that I would never step between you and duty.”
“You did, but I also told you that I would come when you call.”
She smiled slightly.
“Dirty girl. That too, but you have the right to make demands on me.”
“Um, no, I don’t. We are not exclusive.” She used his phrasing.
“This business of yours was my suggestion. I know that you need more, but I can’t always provide it. The few times that we have gotten together with my team have been... memorable.” His eyes went hot. “However, you and I alone have been the moments I look forward to. I come back here far more than I should, and I don’t regret anything.”
He stroked her cheek, and she leaned her head into the touch. “You are an expensive habit, Zera.”
She swallowed. “That was never my intention.”
“No, but it has highlighted a need to the project. The Blind Dates are actually a budget point for the teams. We are more effective as a team if we can get what we need from a scheduled servicing.” He smiled. “Also, we are far more friendly to those we are assisting.”
Zera looked at him with narrowed eyes. “How friendly?”
“Jealous?”
“Yes. Being greedy is one of my characteristics. You know that.”
He chuckled and exhaled slowly, his eyes warming again. “Yes, I definitely do. It is one of your more endearing characteristics.”
She asked him. “How secure is that lock?”
He smiled. “Pretty secure. Why?”
“I need a little more comforting that won’t get you out of your suit.”
“Pity.” He caught her and got to his feet as she held his face and kissed him as if he was the last man in the world.
She pressed the cold cloth to her lips and sighed. “Sorry for mauling you.”
He was leaning against the desk with her cuddled against him, his hand smoothing over her back.
His eyes crackled with power. “I will pay you back this evening.”
She blushed and checked her com. “Eleven hours?” She blinked. The money was astronomical. “Is the rest of the team coming or something?”
He chuckled. “They wanted to come, but we voted that I would be the one to represent us. If things work out tonight, I will be able to invite them along for their favourite parts.”
She shivered at the thought, and he stroked her cheek. “I think that you are ready to return to the meeting now. For what it’s worth, you have thought it out to a frightening degree. How long will Susa’s body hold up?”
She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “Two weeks at the outside. I can supplement her when I am inside her.”
“Now, serious question. Did you ever go with her to Mentor as a date?”
She nodded. “Twice. It was a party for a new associate and some kind of an anniversary.”
“Did you do any hopping?”
She chuckled. “A little. That is how I knew the doll maker’s work when I
