“C’mon, Karta. She’s not worth it,” one of his crewmates called. They were clustered near the door to their ship now.
Karta ignored Mace and glared at the female. “You’re gonna regret this, bitch. You should have been nice to me.”
She hissed like an angrypeskin. “Come near me again and I’ll break something else.”
“Your damsel in distress has a temper,”Xaber sent.
“She’s notmyanything.” Mace paused a heartbeat before adding.“And you know damn well why I got involved.”
He did it because of all the times he hadn’t been able to protect his batch-sisters. At first, it had been because his programming demanded obedience. Later, it was because theycouldn’t risk anyone learning that they were all self-aware. The price was high, but they’d all agreed to guard that secret, no matter the cost. His choice today couldn’t erase the past, but maybe it would help him sleep a little better in the future.
Mace stayed silent and glowered until the idiot finally walked away, still muttering under his breath.
None of them relaxed until the entire group was inside their ship and the door had slid closed behind them.
The female blew out a long breath and looked up at him with an uncertain smile. “Thank you.”
Then she shoved a hand against his chest and made a show of pushing him away from her. “Though I wouldn’t have needed your help if you hadn’t been in my way. Where thefraxxdid you come from, anyway?”
This time, he didn’t fight her. He let her go.
She almost stumbled as she moved away, as if she’d expected him to try and control her. That explained the wary smile. She was worried her troubles weren’t over.
That pissed him off. Not because he wasn’t that kind of male. Because it meant she’d met someone whowas. It also stung that what little trust she’d had in him before was gone now, but he wasn’t going to dwell on that issue. They were strangers, and she didn’t owe him anything.
“Stop with the resting murder face and say something nice,”Xaber chided him over their link.
“Back off, pretty boy. I’ll deal with this my own way.”
Despite what he said, he attempted to soften his expression the way Xaber had taught him. Then he pointed to the docking port of their ship a few meters away. “We came from our ship over there. And you’re welcome. Happy to help. I’m, uh, sorry I ruined your escape plan. I wasn’t expecting you to turn and run. The way you hit him, I thought you’d stay and give him a few more lessons in manners.”
He took a moment to get a proper look at the female in front of him. She was taller than average with a slender frame hidden beneath the bulk of her coveralls. Her hair was dyed cobalt blue and cut military short at the sides. The top was a profusion of tight curls that fell over her forehead and distracted from her delicate features.
He watched her react to what he’d said about manners. Her warm brown eyes glinted with mischief, and she seemed to relax slightly. “I thought about it, but I don’t need that kind of trouble. In fact, I should go before Corp-Sec shows up.” She gestured toward the ceiling. “This whole corridor is under surveillance. There could already be someone on the way here.”
Xaber shook his head. “Those cameras are monitored by AIs, not living beings. The system will only flag something as a problem if it continues for more than a few moments or if someone commits a serious crime.”
“And assault isn’t serious?” the female asked with a hint of incredulity.
Xaber snorted. “You must be new around here. By local standards, that was a simple misunderstanding.”
Her dark skin went a little ashen, and her shoulders tensed again. When she glanced past them, Mace knew she was planning a hasty exit.
“Nicely done. You just told her she’s not safe out here,”Mace sent to Xaber. It wasn’t often his smooth-talking batch-brother miscalculated.
“Fraxx.”
Xaber raised his hands in what Mace assumed was supposed to be a calming gesture. “I should have worded that better.”
“You think so?” Her voice was sharp, and her body language was still screaming that she planned to bolt at any second.
To his surprise, Mace realized he didn’t want her to go. Before he could overthink things, he spoke up. “Leaving is agood idea. Will you agree to let us walk with you? It would be safer.”
She gave an almost imperceptible nod. “That works.”
“Holy fraxx, when did you learn how to be nice?”Xaber asked via their link.
“Shut up or I’ll toss you out an airlock and go have dinner with her instead.”
