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CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Kesser was pulled by Talley into the chamber allocated to her friend. The doors shut behind them.
That merely gave them the illusion of privacy. Her lips flattened. She was well aware her cyborg, with his enhanced senses, could hear everything they would soon say.
A part of her didn’t care.
Because he clearly didn’t care about her. Her heart ached.
“So spill.” Talley whirled around and faced her. “What’s going on with you and the big gray hunk? The two of you are either eye fucking the fuck out of each other or you’re on the verge of jettisoning the other being out of the ship. There’s nothing in between those extremes.”
“I like him.” Kesser wasn’t proud of the wail in her voice. “I really, really like Strike.” She loved him with her whole being. “But he plans to leave me, Talley, maybe permanently, to go find that sector-destroying weapon.”
“Then go with him.” Her friend rolled her eyes. “The prospect of a little danger has never stopped you from accompanying me on our not-at-all-thought-out escapades. And fuck.” She waved her arms. “You came here to save me and Tsadok, didn’t you? That was super dangerous.”
“He didn’t ask me to go with him.” That realization had dealt a severe blow to her confidence. Kesser lowered her gaze. She now doubted her appeal, her abilities, her value. “Circumstances forced him to mention his mission while he was with me.” She had been by his side when they’d confronted the Powluk in the tunnel. “Or I think…I think he would have left without saying anything.”
Talley sucked air through her teeth. “Why are males such dumbasses?” She shook her head.
Kesser said nothing. She suspected Strike wasn’t the dumbass in their relationship.
“Okay. Okay.” Her friend shook her arms and shoulders as though she was limbering up for an extreme activity.
Dealing with heartbreak was a high-intensity enterprise. Kesser felt that truth.
“You know about the mission now.” Talley poked the air with her right index finger. “And you won’t allow him to leave without you.”
“Won’t I?” A smidgeon of Kesser’s self-assurance returned.
“You won’t.” Her friend sounded certain about that. “When have we ever waited to be asked to do something? Never.” She answered her own question. “You tell him you’re going with him, and if he doesn’t like it, tough bovine shit for him.”
Kesser lifted her head. “Yes, tough bovine shit for him.”
“You’re going with him on this mission,” Talley told her.
“I’m going with him on this mission.” Kesser repeated the statement. It felt…right.
“You won’t let him leave without you.” Her friend’s gaze locked with hers.
“I won’t let him leave without me.” She would fight for their relationship, and if she lost that battle, she would, at the very least, know she tried her hardest. “I’ll train more, and my cyborg won’t have to protect me as much as he did on this rescue mission. He’ll sustain fewer injuries.”
“Wait. What?” Talley’s eyes widened. “He sustained injuries?”
“He healed.” Kesser pushed away that guilt. “And I won’t be as much of a hindrance in the future.”
“You’re never a hindrance.” Her friend hugged her.
She had been a bit of a hindrance. Kesser hugged her back. “You’ll take care of my mom while I’m gone?”
“Your mom is the leader of our planet. She can take care of herself.” Talley’s tone was dry. “But yes, I’ll ensure she doesn’t work herself into a medic bay.”
Kesser would communicate with her mom every planet rotation. She’d also take an extended break from her role at the academy.
And she’d remember to bring her own weapons this time.
Fates. There were a lot of preparations to make. Excitement flowed through her.
If her cyborg let her join him.
