Mace felt a brief pang of envy. He lacked his batch-brother’s gift to put other beings at ease. Then he remembered Xaber’s recent mistake and smiled to himself. He’d been the one to soothe Tix that time.
“We should go…somewhere. If we keep standing here, our tail might get suspicious,” Tix said.
He agreed with her assessment. “Are you hungry?” he asked.
She raised one brow and fixed him with a questioning look before schooling her face back to something more neutral. “I’m not sure what that has to do with my current problem.”
Xaber answered before Mace could, “We were headed to a place we like to grab dinner. You’re welcome to join us.”
Tix’s gaze moved from Xaber to Mace and back again, assessing them. Mace waited while she considered the offer. He hoped she accepted it. If nothing else came of their meeting, at least he’d have someone else to talk to while he ate his pizza.
“Thank you. Hopefully our tail gives up and goes back to his ship once he realizes I’m not going to be an easy target.” As she spoke, she managed a bright, cheerful smile that was clearly intended for their unexpected audience.
Xaber continued the performance, offering her his arm in an old-fashioned gesture. “Then we shall escort you to our preferred dining establishment.”
She actually laughed as she took Xaber’s arm. “Lead on, good sirs.”
Mace waited a beat before following. He needed to cover their rear and ensure that the fool tailing them never came close to Tix. Whatever they were planning, it wouldn’t happen. He’d make sure of that.
CHAPTER THREE
Tish didn’t feel entirelycomfortable with her current situation, but she couldn’t see another option. Going with the two cyborgs who had intervened on her behalf didn’tfeeldangerous. At least, not as risky as going off on her own. Not if someone really was following her.
That didn’t mean she trusted them. Not exactly. Her dads had taught her that it was always best to rely on herself instead of other beings.
After a few steps, she let go of Xaber’s arm and fell in behind him. The second she did that, some of her anxiety faded. It was much easier to move through the crowded parts of the station this way. When she walked alone, she had to dodge and weave to keep out of everyone else’s way. It was one of the reasons she avoided the busier areas. No one made room for her the way they did for the big cyborg in front of her. It wasn’t his good looks that encouraged them to move out of his way, either. It was the aura of menace that clung to both of her escorts.
With no need to watch where she walked, Tish avoided ogling Xaber’s tight butt by allowing herself to be diverted to the bustle and thrum of Defiance Station’s main promenade.
Beings from a variety of species were present, though most of them were human. Occasionally, one of the Vardarians would take flight to fly over the more crowded areas. She’d never seen one of that species until coming here. Amadox Station was too small and out of the way to be of interest to most beings, especially the newest arrivals to this part of the galaxy.
The station itself was very different from the one she had grown up on. Defiance had only been in operation for a few short months, and everything still looked new. This part of the station had ceilings several stories high. Viewscreens several meters across were set up at regular intervals along the outer bulwark of the station. Cameras from outside fed images to these screens, creating the illusion of windows. The interior was painted in warm shades that contrasted with the cold void outside. There was no night or day on Defiance. She’d heard that the residential areas altered the lighting to mimic different times of day, but on the entertainment levels, it was always bright, loud, and busy.
Residents moved through the area with the quick, determined pace of someone with a goal in mind. The majority wandered more slowly, taking in the ambiance and letting themselves be drawn in by flashing advertisements, raucous music, and eye-catching displays of goods. The air was thick with the scent of roasted meats, freshly baked bread, and other delicacies being sold from a number of kiosks scattered around the area.
She tried not to pay attention to the fragrant smell of food, but it didn’t work. Her mouth watered and her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything but a pouch of lukewarm nutri-gruel since this morning. Hopefully, the whoosh of the mag-trains that zipped across the ceiling covered the noise.
Someone cut between her and Xaber, forcing her to pivot out of his way. It felt as if the crowd swallowed her immediately.She hurried to catch up, but no one gave way. Anxiety took root quickly, the way it always did when she ventured into the more crowded areas. She hated the way it made her feel shaky, overwhelmed, and disoriented. She’d never experienced anything like it until she’d set foot on this station.
The feeling frustrated her. She was a strong, independent woman who could space-walk in the void with nothing but a thin tether and a bit of fabric between her and a quick but unpleasant death. If she could do that, why did the noise and bustle of this place send her into a flat spin with no way to pull out?
“You okay, Tix?” a male voice asked from somewhere nearby.
She spun toward it and found herself face to chest with Mace for the second time that day.
She tipped her head back and managed a weak smile. “I’m fine. Just not good with crowds.”
When the big male smiled, it was like watching a star come into view from behind a planet, a sudden flash of light in the darkness that usually shadowed his features.
“Me neither,” he admitted. “You should try the scowl and growl technique. It works for me.”
He folded his face into a terrifying glower and rumbled deep in his chest.
She immediately leaned away from him, and the scowl transformed into another smile. “See? No one wants to get too close to the scary ones.”
She laughed and then tried to imitate his expression. She probably looked ridiculous, but he nodded with approval. “Now bring your hands closer to your chest and stick your elbows out. No one here is going to give you space. You have to take it for yourself.”
She waited for him to take the lead, but he simply pointed in what seemed like a random direction. “I’m the rear guard, so I need to stay back. Xaber is about five meters that way.”
