Part 14 (2/2)

Her only solace from that horror was that Talyn had been too young to understand the insults his own grandmother had given him.

If only she'd been so lucky.

But that was then, and thankfully Fain had been born with his grandmother's heart and not the black lump of soulless coal that functioned as his mother's.

As Fain led her onboard his s.h.i.+p, she paused. ”Where are the showers?”

He took her to the crew deck and a small shower stall. ”You won't have water until after I launch. It'll take about five minutes for it to flow.” He jerked his chin to the small room across the hall. ”You can wait in my quarters until then. There's a launch seat in the wall.”

”Okay. Thanks.”

He opened the door, then left her alone. As soon as he was gone, she felt strangely awkward to be in his intimate quarters without him. She didn't even know why, really. Other than this was his home whenever he wasn't docked on a planet or base.

With nothing else to do, she glanced around the small room that held a medium-sized bunk, monitor, fridge, sink, and small personal cooking unit. Very basic, serviceable, and clean. Sterile even.

It was so...

Cold.

Try as she might, she couldn't see Fain here. It would have to be cramped for an Andarion of his size.

What did he do here? Other than sleep or lose his mind from absolute boredom?

How could he not run a crew? It was rare for anyone to not have at least a copilot. For safety reasons, if nothing else. s.p.a.ce travel was a harsh and lonely mistress, fraught with unseen dangers that came up fast, furious, and unforgiving. Did his personal survival mean so little to him?

”Buckle in. We'll be launching in three.”

Startled by his deep voice over the intercom, she folded the emergency anchor seat down from the wall and harnessed herself to it.

The monitor turned on to show Fain's face.

Galene quirked an amused smile. ”Checking up on me?”

Color stained his cheeks. ”Wanted to make sure the chair worked. It's never been used before. At least not since I've owned the lady-s.h.i.+p.”

She pulled playfully against the straps. ”I'm all secured, Paka. You can launch.”

Snorting at her use of the Andarion word for dad, he obeyed. To his credit, the s.h.i.+p slid smoothly into s.p.a.ce under his masterful skill. And when the screen went dark and he told her she was free to use the shower, she actually missed seeing his handsome face. She barely caught herself before an invitation for him to join her slipped out.

I am so messed up.

But she couldn't help it. She still loved him more than she ever wanted to admit to. And she hadn't been with anyone else. No other male had ever touched her. Not even for a kiss.

Only Fain.

While she could have easily registered for a sanctioned relations.h.i.+p with a male years ago, especially with her military rank, she'd refrained. She'd told herself that she hadn't wanted to hurt Talyn with it or risk how an Andarion male might treat her son, given Talyn's low caste. But the real truth was, she'd never wanted to risk anyone else hurting her the way Fain had. Never wanted to feel the pain of having her heart ripped out and callously fed to her.

d.a.m.n you, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d! She could still feel the raw anguish that day in the locker room when he'd stood there, staring at her, denying nothing about Omira. Still feel the deep betrayal of learning he'd married that b.i.t.c.h, and that they were living together in wedded bliss while she was struggling on the streets, alone and pregnant with his child. She hadn't even been eligible for her obligatory military service or their barracks housing because of the pregnancy. She'd been forced to wait until Talyn was six months old before they'd allow her into armada training, and her son into the military nursery program.

Even then, they'd refused to allow Talyn to be kept with the other children lest he taint them with his father's Outcast status. Her meager pay had been docked substantially for his segregation fees, and they'd been given the worst in base housing because of Fain's crime in defaming his prestigious bloodline. For years, she'd endured humiliation and shame. Had watched the way others scorned and mistreated her beautiful son.

Gah! It was so frustrating. This endless cycle of wanting to kiss Fain and beat him senseless for everything she needed to hate him over.

Trying not to think about it, she showered quickly. But it wasn't until she finished that she realized she couldn't open the door.

”You've got to be kidding me.” Horrified, she tried every way she could think.

Nothing worked. Embarra.s.sed and humiliated, she hit the intercom.

”May I help you?”

She froze at the unexpected, s.e.xy Andarion female voice. ”Who is this?”

”Storm. And you are?”

p.i.s.sed off, in short. ”Galene.”

”How may I help you, Galene?”

”You can start by telling me who you are.”

”I already told you. I am Storm.”

Was she intentionally trying to start a war? ”And what's your position on Commander Hauk's s.h.i.+p?”

”I am Commander Hauk's s.h.i.+p.”

I'm such an idiot. Storm. Storm Dancer. This was the AI autopilot. Duh... But in her defense, most s.h.i.+p systems didn't have a voice that could double as a p.o.r.n actress. Nor were they usually so sentient sounding. This one appeared to have a sultry, sardonic personality, something that was highly advanced for a s.h.i.+p's system. ”Oh. I'm trapped. Can you open the shower door for me?”

”Of course, Galene.” The hydraulics hissed. Still the door remained closed.

”Is there a problem?”

”One moment, please. I am running diagnostics.” Yeah, that was a bit snotty in tone.

Awkward and exposed, Galene tried to remain patient, but it wasn't easy. No one wanted to be trapped naked on a s.h.i.+p. In a small cube.

After a few extremely long minutes, Storm returned to the intercom. ”Fain? Forgive me for disturbing you. But I fear we have a matter with the shower door that requires a manual override. Do you wish me to automate my body for it?”

Galene's jaw dropped at that stunning disclosure. ”And what does this body look like?”

”I'm on my way,” Fain said hurriedly. In fact, he made record time getting to her, which really made her wonder what he feared so much.

Crossing her arms over her bare chest, she listened irritably as he struggled with the controls in the hallway. ”Having trouble?”

”Did you hit the release on your side?”

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