Nova’s brain was working overtime. “Who was the warrior that ran off with Deena?”
“Oh, um,” Nisha hummed as she thought. “Kilan.”
“And everyone knows about what he and Deena did?” she asked.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Nisha said. “It was a really big deal. They were on the brink of civil war over it.”
Nova gaped at her. “Over one couple?”
“Over whether even one Decanted woman should be allowed to leave Hissa,” Nisha explained. “Remember, that was before they found out that not all the Decanting tech and knowledge had been destroyed. They were working on the assumption that finding women like us was their only chance of survival. It says a lot about their species that they decided that valuing women's freedom was more important.”
Nova wanted to believe so badly that it hurt. Did she dare return with Miran and risk losing the freedom she’d only recently gained, or did she run?
She’d already invited him to go, and he’d refused. Did that mean he didn’t really love her?
Nisha had given her more to think about, and she wasn’t sure what to do with all the information.
Chapter 16
Miran
His impatience must’ve shown because Section Commander Belor and several other high-ranking officers finally gave up on getting more useful information out of him and released him from active duty on the Ardent or his gunship.
He was free to court Nova for the rest of the journey, not that he wouldn’t help the crew when needed, but he’d be at the very bottom of the labor request chart.
Everyone knew he’d slept with Nova, even though he hadn’t officially said anything. They simply knew. From the mumblings, he knew they were all waiting to see if mating marks showed up on her skin before trying to get her attention.
He’d left Saris standing outside his room because some of the crew might not be willing to wait.
There was no doubt that the red design would appear around her neck and shoulders to show that they were a biological match. After their rocky start, he was going to have to work damn hard to convince her of his love and devotion.
He was looking forward to every moment of it!
Glancing at his data bracelet, he saw a message from Saris noting that Nova was eating in the galley with Nisha. He didn’t know Nisha well, but it was clear she and Warik had already formed a strong bond. Having the two women become friends could only help his case.
He rushed to the galley to find Nisha talking animatedly about something and Nova nodding. Even as he walked across the mostly empty galley, he noticed a table of warriors staring at them but trying not to be obvious about it. It was probably because Saris was there that they didn’t approach the women.
Suddenly, Warik barreled past him to stand next to Nisha. “They need you on the Assist.”
Both women stood up with concerned expressions.
“What’s wrong?” Nisha asked.
“What can I do?” Nova asked at the same time.
Warik ignored Nova and focused on Nisha. “There's something wrong with the monitoring tech. I thought you might be able to figure out how to make it work more consistently.”
Before she could agree to help, Warik grabbed her hand and led her away. Nova tried to follow.
“Do you need help with the children?” Nova asked. “I could help keep them calm or help the menders and med techs.”
Warik answered over his shoulder as Nisha jogged to keep up with him. “You’re not needed.”
Nisha didn’t notice the exchange or Nova’s dejected expression, the scarily intelligent woman was busy mumbling to herself again. She was probably already solving the problem before she even knew the entire issue.
It was clear that Nova hadn’t noticed Miran yet. He rushed to her side and gently touched her arm. She looked up at him, a little startled.
“Miran? I thought you were in a meeting,” she said.
