“Quen—" Erik started hesitantly.
“You said I needed to prove my worth, and I thought the same thing. Let me talk to him. He wants the project to be a success, but that means he needs me on Earth. He needs to let me go home.”
“That doesn’t align with what we were discussing yesterday,” I reminded her. “And it’s a temporary solution. What happens after you conclude E.L.I.?”
“We’ll have time to figure it out.”
“Let me see what he wants first. I’ll ask him to see you.”
Erik smiled at her. “I’m happy to stay while you—"
“I don’t need a babysitter, Erik,” Quen cut across him. “I’ll be fine on my own.”
She detached herself from me and went to the counter. As her palms touched the surface, it turned to a shimmering gold.
“For fuck’s sake,” she hissed the curse. “Gray, can you fix this, please?”
Walking up behind her, I placed my hand on the countertop but the black marbled with the gold in a tangle of swirls.
“Sorry, darling.” I kissed the back of her head. “It looks like your changes have some permanence here.”
“How long will you be with Hunter?” she asked, grabbing the coffee pot and pouring a mug with a little more vigour than necessary.
“I’ll keep it brief. I don’t want to be around him any longer than I have to be.”
“What do you think he wants?”
We both looked at Erik, who shrugged and said, “Your guess is as good as mine. Progress update? Lay down the law?”
“Don’t worry,” I told Quen, rubbing her hip with my palm.
“Easier said than done,” she mumbled, sipping from the mug. “I’ll be on the grounds. Come back in one piece.”
She reached up on her toes and kissed me. My arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against me as I deepened the embrace, tasting bitter notes of coffee. Quen hummed into the kiss before pushing me away with some help from her aura.
“Go,” she ordered, waving me off as she slipped past Erik. “Figure out the best way for us to play our first move.”
Once she disappeared from the room, Erik’s shoulders sagged and he directed his attention towards me.
“What’s that look for?” I asked. He looked utterly pathetic, as if he was a puppy who’d been kicked.
“I’m not used to people being so cold with me,” he mumbled. “She forgave you for being stuck with Archer.”
“I’m her favourite,” I reminded him smugly.
“And I’m meant to be universally loved.”
“You look a moment away from stomping your foot and having a tantrum, Erik.”
He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t like people being upset with me.”
“She’s not exactly known for her cool temper. Even you’re not naïve enough to believe she’d be okay with the way we left her to fend for herself down there, with no help. The fact we hid things from her.”
Nodding, he asked, “Would you like me to stay while you deal with Hunter?”
“Yes. But for your own safety, stay out of her way.”
* * *
