“Uh huh,” he says. “You going to invite me in?”
“Do I have a choice?”
Curran shrugs. “If it makes you feel better, then sure.” He follows me through the open door and seats himself in his favorite chair. I take the chair opposite him and start to unlace my boots. “Heard you went down to detention.”
“I did,” I reply. “Checking on how progress is going on the hearings.”
“And did you see Vertage while you were there?”
“I declined to visit with any of the individuals being held,” I say, peeling off a boot and dropping it on the floor before starting on the other.
“He’s really gone rather rabid,” Curran says softly. “I think he’s given up on any pretext of feigning innocence in favor of promising vengeance.”
“Is this just your way of telling me to be careful again?”
“Would it work if it was?”
I sigh and drop my other boot before leaning back in the chair. “For the record, I didn’t bring any additional personnel with me and the haleens on my day off because it’s hard enough to see what’s going on around me without another two to five people in the way. I was keeping an eye out, but most of the time it was just the four of us. When we were at the lake, any of us could have seen someone coming for miles.”
Curran seems somewhat comforted by that. “Just don’t take any unnecessary risks,” he says.
“Hey,” I say, reaching out a hand to him. He takes mine in his and squeezes gently. “I won’t,” I say. “I promise.”
“You know,” he says without letting go of my hand. “You should probably tell Zann and the others. Although Vertage’s anger is directly mostly at you, I doubt he’d be upset if anything happened to any of them too.”
“I mentioned something of the sort. But I’ll bring it up again,” I say, squeezing my friend’s hand.
“All right,” Curran says after a moment of silence. “I’ve said my piece. I’ll let it go for now. But just remember that if something happens to you, I’m in charge here. And no one wants that.”
I chuckle and nod. “Amen to that,” I reply. When the door closes behind him, I let out a heavy sigh. I know Curran worries about me, but I’m honestly a little more worried about Krish, Davix, and Zann. While I doubt that someone or several someones could hurt them in a straight fight, I wouldn’t want to see them hurt. If I’m honest with myself, I’ve gotten kind of attached to them. If I’m honest with myself, I’m probably more that kind of attached to them at this point. Maybe I’ll try to track them down tomorrow after their interview over at the shipping docks.
I don’t manage to track down Davix, Krish, or Zann the following afternoon and I don’t see them at dinner, though I hear from Liu that the freight master was very impressed with their strength and is eager to put them to work. I debate with myself over stopping by their quarters to see if they are there. They certainly don’t owe me anything, and I don’t want it to seem like I am keeping tabs on them. But I do want to see them. I am surprised when I turn the corner to their quarters and hear voices echoing through their door. I am about to turn around and leave when the doors slide open.
“Commander!” Ryder announces cheerfully. “Come celebrate with us!”
I glance into the room where I see Wenschel and a handful of other soldiers laughing and talking. Zann and Krish are chatting happily with them, and they both smile when they see me. Davix is sitting off to the side by himself, but he nods in my direction as I step inside.
“What are we celebrating?” I ask.
“They got jobs and are going to stay,” Wenschel announces happily. I notice Johansen is beside Krish, her leg pressed against his as she beams at him. “I was sure we’d have to be saying goodbye any day now,” Wenschel continues.
“It is all thanks to Corrina,” Zann says, as the heads in the room turn towards me. I am suddenly uncomfortable with all of the attention.
“Well, I’m glad things went well today,” I say. “I just stopped by to see how it went. I’ll let you get back to your party.”
“You do not wish to stay?” Krish asks. I wonder if I am imagining the disappointment in his voice.
“I’ve got stuff to do,” I reply, cheerily. “I’m sure we’ll talk more later.” And with that, I turn on my heels and leave the room.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Davix
I slip out of our chambers soon after Corrina leaves. Krish and Zann are enjoying the company, but the humans are loud and I do not want to be around them right now. Besides, I am certain that one of those women is going to try and convince Zann or Krish to breed with her, and the thought of it unsettles me. I know that my brood brothers will say no, but I still do not want to be around for the question. I wander through the hallways aimlessly, finally finding myself at the lift to the observation deck. I pause for a moment before pressing the button and stepping inside when the doors open. It is dark and quiet at the top, and I enjoy the solitude. I frown when I hear the doors close and hear the lift move. When the doors open again, I am crouched in the shadows at the far end waiting to see who steps out.
I am surprised when Corrina emerges alone. She steps quietly to the railing and leans over it, staring into the distance. She lets out a sigh and turns her back to the railing before sliding to the ground and tipping her head back to gaze at the stars. She does not look like she has stuff to do, as she sits for a long time in thedark. I shift silently, unsure whether I should make my presence known. Instead, I simply watch as she stares upwards. The lift sounds again, and Corrina hurries to her feet. She is waiting when the doors open and nods as she steps around a noisy group of soldiers who are exiting the lift. I wait quietly for several moments after she disappears from sight before emerging and pressing the button myself. The new arrivals do not seem to notice me as I step into the lift and descend.
Once I exit, I follow Corrina’s scent down a series of hallways I have not seen before. As her scent disappears, I realize that I am standing in front of a door. Perhaps this is her chamber where she sleeps. I press a hand against the door for a moment before jerking my hand back and escaping back the way that I came. I am baffled by the feelings that Corrina stirs in me. I have never felt quite this way for another individual. The sight of her, the sound of her voice, and the scent of her bring me joy. A part of me wants to talk to my brood brothers about it, but I do not know how they will react. Perhaps they will think me foolish. More likely, they will ask me questions that I do not know how to answer.
I let out an irritated breath and decide to return to our quarters. If the humans are still there, I will ask them to leave. But that is not necessary, for only Krish and Zann are present when the doors open. Krish is scowling, an expression I am unused to seeing on his face. I glance at Zann in question, and he shakes his head.
