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So, she had noticed that look, too.
“All of those things make sense,” Rafe said, feeling petulant.
“How?” Jade asked.
“They make sense if he wants to court you,” Rafe told her as if he were explaining something to the tiniest nestling.
“He doesn’t want to court me,” Jade said quickly enough that Rafe was pretty sure she understood the fury that idea would bring to the surface in him.
She’s afraid of us, he told the dragon inwardly.
Good, the dragon said. Let her have some respect.
It’s not the same thing, Rafe tried to tell it.
“He might want to court you,” Tally told her. “But you didn’t flirt back, so that’s good.”
Rafe made the mistake of letting a growl make its way out of his mouth.
Jade’s eyes flashed to him, and he was surprised at the fury he saw in them.
“Why shouldn’t he court me?” she asked lightly, turning her attention to Tally.
Tally’s eyes went straight to Rafe, but Rafe looked away.
Tally cleared his throat, clearly feeling uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was headed. Rafe didn’t really blame him.
“I’m thirsty,” Rafe barked out.
He stalked away from the sleigh to get some distance from Jade and cool off.
Hot lust and rage pounded through his veins, even as his heart broke. He wasn’t sure how he would survive the night, let alone the time between now and when the Invicta sent his replacement.
And yet…
Even the distance between them now felt like it was pulling him apart. It was as if a piece of his heart was tied to her. How did she not feel it?
Breathe, he told himself.
He was finally pulling himself together again when the others began to shout for him.
Sighing, he turned around and jogged back.
“Come get your water,” Jade said. “We want to get on the road. Tally has exam prep in the morning.”
He nodded, and they all watched as Nanee-12 poured the reservoir of water into a pitcher.
He waited for her to pour it into their mugs, but instead, she plunged her finger in.
“Temperature within acceptable range,” she announced. “Lead content: acceptable range, nitrates: acceptable range, bacteria: acceptable range. Other chemical abnormalities detected. Estradiol: exceeds the acceptable range, do not drink.”
“Oh,” Jade said suddenly, her eyes widening slightly.
“Wow, maybe we should warn him that something is leaching into his water supply,” Tally said.
“It is not possible for that chemical to leach into the water supply,” Nanee-12 said immediately. “It does not exist naturally on Sigg-3. It is a scientific impossibility.”
“So, someone added it to the water?” Rafe asked, trying to make sense of it. “But why?”
