“Doubtful. Spearhead is way too secure,” she says grimly. “But we’ve been monitoring the chatter. I haven’t been able to speak to him directly, but I’ve linked with one of the Mods there, and she’s passed some messages to him. Dad says he’s doing fine and not to worry about him.”
Of course he said that. Griff would never want his daughter to fret.
The horse I’m riding is a spunky mare named Dotty who doesn’t know the meaning of patience. She keeps trying to break into a canter, and I keep having to rein her in. Meanwhile, Tana’s mount, a sweet colt named Racer, does not live up to his name whatsoever. While his dam is wired for speed, his hooves click slowly against the rocky trail in a slow, calming rhythm.
“Why did I get the lazy one?” Tana sighs as the colt suddenly stops so he can chomp on a piece of grass.
My mare whinnies, unhappy. “Mine belongs in Z,” I muse. “She’s dying to run.”
Tana urges Racer forward with the nudge of her boot heels. He picks up the pace but only slightly. The trail widens so we can rideside by side now. We don’t speak for a while, but it’s a comfortable silence. Tana and I have never needed to fill the space between us with mindless conversation. But she also knows me well. I feel her watching me from the corner of my eye, until finally she lets out a knowing chuckle.
“Come on. Spit it out. Let’s talk about it.”
“About what?”
“Whatever’s on your mind.” She pauses. “Is it about him? The captain?”
“I already told you, that’s over.” Other than Gray and Xavier, she’s the only one who knows I was involved with Cross.
“Just because you’re not together doesn’t mean you’re not still locked.”
“I did something stupid last night,” I admit.
“I’m shocked.” Her lips twitch at the corners as she fights a laugh.
“I almost kissed Gray. I want to say it’s because I was on seraphis—”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“The Faithful spike their grange with it,” I say wryly. “But I can’t entirely blame it on the root. A part of me really wanted to kiss him.”
“And that’s a problem because?”
“Because he has a girlfriend. And I have…I don’t know what I have. A self-inflicted broken heart, I suppose.”
Tana whistles softly, which makes my mare think that givesherpermission to charge. The next thing I know, she’s trying to gallop down the trail.
“Whoa,” I say, urging Dotty to a stop, and she neighs at me in accusation. “Hey, it’s not my fault your son is a lazy ass.”
I wait for Tana to catch up, trotting forward with the colt.
“You know what the best cure for a broken heart is?” she says, picking up where we left off. “You move on.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Sure you can. There’s no shortage of attractive men at the Dagger,” she points out. “Including your pilot…”
“Gray has a girlfriend,” I repeat.
“Who he doesn’t give a shit about.”
“He cares about Karra,” I protest.
“He cares about you more.”
That gives me pause. “You’re suggesting I use Gray or someone on the base to get over Cross? It feels wrong to use someone else.”
“It’s not using anyone. Like I said, it’s called moving on. That doesn’t mean you rush into something. Just be open to the idea of somebody else.” She hesitates. “I know you loved him, but you can’t have a relationship with a Prime. Eventually there’ll come a day when they have to choose between you and their people. And they’ll never choose you.”
