Page 70 of Meteor Storm

“I know what you’re going to say and I am aware it was bred out of us in the last thousand cycles.”

“There are many traits in our DNA that lay dormant until one rare monrian soldier possesses it. Let me ask you this. If the council says she is to be returned to her people and you are forbidden from having any further interaction, what would you do?”

“I would accept my sentence, of course.”

“And how would you feel knowing you will never see her again?”

I stayed silent, my jaw tightening at the idea. Any words I was expected to say would be a lie. The words I wanted to say would be against our codes.

“And,” he continued. “If her life was on the line, would you sacrifice your honor as a monrian to save her?”

“These questions are a game, Yuros. You mean to set me up.”

“I do not mean to set you up. It has been a very long time since a monrian has chosen an emotional or physical bond over following the system. A system that forbids bonds for this very reason. It compromises our ability to be objective. To follow orders and to fulfil contracts.”

“And? If I am compromised, what do you think the council would do?”

I already knew the answer.

“Initially, I thought perhaps your trial would focus on the unwillingness of the human. But she’s expressed clear willingness on her part. Or some version of it. Now, it seems more about a growing connection between the two of you, which can be just as dangerous. If they’re unable to see reason, you may be sent to a base for reconditioning. It wouldn’t be unexpected after what happened. But I will relay my observations. The woman does not harbor any hatred toward you. She’s also exhibiting strong attachment, as are you. And,” he sighed. “There is the matter of your khof kaar. It was lost in the event of your death. There is a lot to consider.”

“She seems comfortable with Sunhai. Perhaps she does not need my aid on this journey.”

“No, I think it best that you continue to be close to her.”

“You understand that—”

“I understand all I need to.”

Never had I been given an order or a suggestion that I feared I could not follow. Never had one been so difficult to comply with. I simply nodded, spooning more stew into my mouth to distract my tongue.

“I uncovered your records,” Yuros continued. “I understand you are many cycles from your retirement. I had hoped that if you were closer, the council would be more lenient. As it is, death or serious injury would warrant retirement early.”

The corner of my mouth lifted. “I did die,” I muttered.

“Therein lies the confusion. Your situation is complicated, to say the least, but we cannot do anything until we get to the Edda.”

I glanced once more at Penny and immediately regretted it. She was so…

I put my thoughts on pause, not wanting to get caught up in her presence again. We were not a pair. Our time together was forced and based on survival. I knew traumatic situations often caused people to cling to each other. If Yuros was right and she was attached in any way, I had to assume that was the reason. As for me… I had no excuse.

Nor did I have an answer.

As I stared, Penny’s eyes drifted toward me while Sunhai was trying to explain something to her.

Our gazes locked and I swore I could see the same longing in her eyes. The urge to cross the room and touch each other. The want to breathe each other in.

I wanted to hear her voice.

I wanted her to kiss me again so I could do it properly.

I hissed a curse and abruptly stood from the table. Yuros seemed unsurprised and continued sipping on his drink as I marched out of the common room, attempting to distance myself from the thing that was causing me such stress.

I made my way to my quarters, hands coiling into fists and flexing over and over out of sheer frustration. Frustration with myself. With Penny. With everything. I had been a completely different man before Ursa. I awoke in a different world, collared, disgraced, and condemned. Fighting was easy. Surviving was easy.

And then Penny appeared, so different from the others. So fragile and yet so incredibly resilient.

So beautiful. Beautiful in so many different ways.