“That’s true. It looks like you’re free to go, but Kristen will be here a little longer. We’re going to look at that knee a little deeper, and Laura is breaking out in hives as we speak.”
I step out of the medical thing and walk over to where Tracy is standing. “You wanna take a walk with me?”
“Nahh, you go on. I’m going to hang out in here for a little bit because this crap is fascinating. I think I’ve found my calling in life.”
“Well, don’t hit any buttons that might accidentally turn them into mindless bimbos.”
“So, in other words, make sure they remain the same?”
“Yep.”
“Don’t get lost since we’re supposed to meet up with Ember later, something about makeovers.”
“I’ll find ya.”
I walk out of the medical area and roll my shoulders, not really sure why I feel so anxious on the inside. Deciding one direction is as good as the next, I turn left only to find that the halls all look the same. I pass a few more odd-looking creatures, they nod as they walk by, and I try not to stare. Humans might be common in their world, but horns and scales are not … or were not common in mine.
Shockingly, I turn a corner only to find the Captain and Falon standing in front of a set of crates. Stepping back around the corner, so I can hear what they are saying, I’m eavesdropping like a kid trying not to get caught by her parents.
“You are expecting me to simply have blind faith in you, Falon. A self-proclaimed pirate who has willingly admitted he is the male you go to when you need something.”
“My word is all I have, Captain.”
“That is normally not good enough for me, and if it were not for Destiny’s extreme safety measures. I would never allow you to be in this storage area. How did you obtain your set of skills, Falon?”
“I wish I could say I stole them, but I, along with several of my brothers, were taken from our parental units right after birth. Murgul, the youngest, got the worst of it, but the species experimenting on us selected each of us for different procedures.”
I hear him click something metal together. Click, click…
“That is how I obtained these little accessories. Once I stopped fighting their advancements as they called them, the neuroprocessor they inserted into the back of my skull integrated with my brain. If things had not come to pass in the order they did, I may have become the weapon they were trying to fine tune. At one point, my mind became so integrated in their code that I even forgot who I was.
It took time, but finally Slavic and my sire arranged a detonation in the mines, freeing as many of us as they could. Kallen, my brother’s mate, was able to get me unhooked, and when I realized what they had done to me, I became a monster they could not control.”
“This is the Aynar your brother Slavic spoke of?”
“The very ones.”
“So, you all have been in hiding or on the run ever since?”
“Yes, we survived by picking off other ships’ cargo; therefore, the pirate designation. We did not even know our mam was alive until recently when we were reunited due to a Velgriddix ship we attacked and disarmed.”
“We have much to learn about the Void and the species it holds in secret from the rest of the solar system. How willing are you to help us with this endeavor?”
“As long as you keep your promise and send the provisions to my mam and her extended family, I will tell you all I know and help where you allow me. I have no loyalties to the many monsters who lurk behind the Veil.”
“You know it was foolish of you to jump onto this vessel, right? Things could be a lot worse for you right now because I am not one who easily trusts.”
“Captain, I could not let her leave without me.”
“I wish I could say I would have done something differently, but I almost died retrieving my mate in the vacuum of space from a failing pod. Females will push a male to his breaking point and beyond, but they are worth it in the end. I have duties to tend to, and now you have a job to complete. I would imagine that with your unique skill set, you will have this particular issue finished in no time.”
“I am happy to earn my keep, Captain EvO.”
“We will see.”
I practically run down the hallway trying to find somewhere to hide so that the captain doesn’t catch me standing in the hall listening. Ducking into a deep recess in the hallway, I tuck myself against the wall, waiting until I hear the captain’s footsteps going in the other direction. And even though I’m curious about what Falon is doing, I decide to head the other way. My mind cannot handle more of him right now.
CHAPTER 10
