Eighteen

Chapter

“So, let me get this straight.” Nancy had been fluttering around Hayley and Katie like a supercharged butterfly, taking charge of all their needs herself, even though every single Cygnian warrior and their soulmates were in the circular common room aboard the Arrow and ready to help. Thanks to Nancy, both women were clean, dressed in comfortable clothes, and enjoying a nourishing meal, all in an extraordinarily short amount of time. Rom had never met anyone so efficient—except perhaps her soulmate, Tarn.

“Rom and this Hayley are going to take the Arrow while Zakarri and Mindy take his ship to look for Not-Here-Hayley, and they’re going to like triangulate her location using their telepathic connection to her,” Nancy said. She pointed at the Scorpiian who was standing against the wall as far from the others as he could get. Mindy was enjoying her own meal at his feet.

“And where the Arrow goes, I go,” Tarn said.

“And where you go, I go.” Nancy sauntered over to her soulmate, smiling. When she reached him, she leaned against his chest. He bent down so she could pull herself up on her tip-toes and rub their noses together.

It was weird. Kind of cute, but… deeply weird.

Hayley was smiling at the exchange. Maybe Rom would have to try rubbing his nose against hers at some point to see if she liked it. Earthlings abounded with odd gestures of affection.

“Meanwhile, the Centauran vessel that we captured will be turned over to the Vegans so that they can analyze its technology,” Lar said.

“I still think we should give it to the Coalition,” Sophie said. “The Centaurans have taken so much from the Sadirians. It’s time they gave something back.”

“If you give the ship to the Coalition, it will be seen as an act of war,” Dean—no, Zakarri said.

“And you would know all about those,” Sophie snapped.

Zakarri nodded. “That’s why you should listen to me.”

“Or,” Nancy broke in loudly, “we could give it back to the Centaurans. As a gesture of goodwill. I mean, technically, I’m a Centauran now myself. I could be an ambassador or something.”

“That is actually not a bad idea,” Becca said.

Nancy beamed. “Seriously? Wait, the returning the ship part or the ambassador part?”

Becca ignored the question, turning to Kral instead. “Since the ship was damaged by a Cygnian, we should probably repair it before returning it.”

“Absolutely.” Kral grinned, baring his teeth as he did in anticipation of a particularly enjoyable battle. “And since it’s a design we’re unfamiliar with, we’ll have to ask our allies, the Vegans, to assist with this.”

“Better be sure to get our own scans as well,” Becca suggested. “In case we run across any other Centauran vessels that need help in the future.”

“Being an ambassador between Cygnians and Centaurans is going to be hard, isn’t it…” Nancy said, her smile falling.

Rom laughed, shifting next to Hayley so that he could hold her closer against his side while she ate. Her eyes sparkled with energy, and her cheeks still held their color. Nuar, their medic, had examined Hayley, Katie, and Mindy and said they were all fine. They needed to get back to Cyan and let her do her own exam, though. The Vegan xenobiologist would be able to use her advanced technology to make much more sense of whatever Norem might have done to them.

“Our first step is for Lar, Sophie, Tarn, and Nancy to pilot the Centauran ship back to Earth,” Kral said. “Tarn, see if you can get their cloak working. I don’t want to raise the alarm if anyone sees a Centauran vessel approaching, even if it’s with the Arrow .”

“Understood,” Tarn said.

“As soon as we get everyone checked out, we can begin our rescue mission,” Kral said.

“We’re heading out now.” Zakarri stepped away from the wall.

“What?” Hayley said.

Mindy hurried over to Hayley and jumped up to lick her chin. “ I’ll check in with you every day. Twice a day. Our connection is clear and I’m stronger now .”

“ I’m still going to miss you ,” Hayley thought. Rom could feel her keeping a tight hold on her emotions, not wanting to trouble Mindy with them.

“ I’ll miss you, too, but it’s only for a little while, ” Mindy thought back. “ Just till we find first-friend-Hayley. ”

She gave Hayley one more kiss, then trotted back over to sit next to Zakarri.

“Mindy needs to be examined by Cyan, too,” Kral said. “We don’t know the extent of her modifications. There could be complications you don’t foresee.”

“Life is filled with unforeseen complications,” Zakarri conceded. “Mindy and I are in agreement. I’ve seen her files, and she’s heard Norem speak of her enough that we’re certain she’s in no danger. We won’t wait a moment longer before looking for Hayley.”

“It’s what Mindy wants to do,” Hayley confirmed.

“I can’t believe it, but I agree with him,” Sophie said. “I don’t want to leave Hayley out there with Norem. Other Hayley,” she added, glancing at Hayley apologetically.

“Let’s make this a little easier for everyone,” Hayley said. “I can go by my middle name, Lynn.”

“Are you sure?” Sophie said. “You never really liked that name.”

“My perspective has kind of shifted on a lot of things,” Hayley said. “I’m kind of loving everything about Hayley now. And this is a way to simplify things.” She glanced up at Rom. “Are you okay with that?”

“I will call you whatever you want me to,” Rom said. “Lynn.”

She smiled, her cheeks flushing. “Okay, now I really like that name. Especially when you say it.”

“Time to sound-proof another bedroom,” Tarn said.

“Might want to do the same for engineering.” Bron, the only Cygnian cyborg in existence grinned at his best friend.

“Oh… Really?” Nancy’s face turned bright red. “Sorry about that.”

“Focus, people,” Nuar’s soulmate, Lian yelled. She stared around the room and said, “What were we talking about? This damn pregnancy brain…”

Nuar sat next to her and handed her a fresh bowl of ice cream. “We were talking about how the others learned of the need for sound-proofing after you moved into my quarters with me.”

Lian scowled at him, before she smirked. She turned back to her ice cream, scooting closer to him on the bench seat where they sat.

“If I can jump in with an ‘unforeseen complication’ of my own,” Katie began, “I’d like to go with Dean and Mindy. I mean Zakarri and Mindy. Dammit, everybody needs to pick just one name and stick with it.”

“I work alone,” Zakarri said.

“And see where that’s gotten you.” Olivia’s low, quiet voice somehow always commanded attention. She stared up at Zakarri with eyes that glowed the same blue as her soulmate, Bron’s, now that she carried their children.

Mindy looked up at him and whined, her tail thumping on the floor where she sat. He scratched her head, staring at her intently. Rom was certain they were communicating, but he wasn’t privy to their conversation this time.

“I can help you,” Katie said. “I don’t think the late Norem had a chance to let the others know about my abilities. Get me close to his tech, and he won’t know what hit him.”

Zakarri scowled. “You’re really going to trust yourself with the most notorious criminal in the galaxy?”

“If I trust you with a dog, I trust you with myself,” Katie said, laughing.

Nancy leaned closer and loudly whispered, “He likes animals more than people.”

Katie leaned forward and mimicked her whisper. “A lot of people like animals more than people.”

Rom swore he saw Zakarri’s lips twitch up in a smirk. He was pretty certain that group would be okay. He was still a little worried about Hayley—Lynn. Her nervousness rang clearly through their bond. Not about their mission to find Hayley, but about heading back to Earth.

He leaned in and said, “What’s bothering you?”

“I was just wondering what David and Shannon will think of all this,” Lynn said. “What will they think of me?”

Sophie plopped down beside her on the bench and threw her arm over Lynn’s shoulders. “Mom and Dad will think what I do. What we all do.”

“Which is?” Lynn hesitantly asked.

Sophie pulled Lynn closer. “How lucky we are that now we get to love the two of you, twins.”

Lynn burst into tears, wrapping her arms around Sophie’s neck. The next thing Rom knew, he was being nudged out of the way as Amy and Becca joined them in their embrace.

Becca nuzzled Lynn’s head and said, “You’re family. Nothing gets in the way of that.”

He gave them another moment, then said, “Not that I’m trying to get in the way of anything, but I’d really like to take my soulmate to our quarters so she can get some rest.” He took Lynn’s hand and helped her to her feet.

“Sure,” Amy said. “‘Rest.’”

“Amy,” Lynn chided.

“‘Lynn and Rom, sitting in—’” Amy began, in a sing-song voice.

“Shut it!” Sophie clamped her hand over Amy’s mouth, playfully pushing her onto her side on the bench. Amy promptly reached up and stuck her fingers between Sophie’s ribs, making her shriek with laughter and roll onto the floor.

“Don’t start something if you can’t finish it!” Amy said, a broad smile on her face.

Sophie sat up and said, “Oh my god, little sisters are such a pain.”

“Little sisters are the best,” Lynn said. Sophie reached up and gave her hand a squeeze as they passed.

They were a little ways down the corridor when they heard someone hurrying up behind them. Rom didn’t sense the person, so it had to be either Katie… or Zakarri. He turned around, somewhat reassured when the Scorpiian held up his hands in a gesture of peace.

“I just… I need one moment,” Zakarri said.

Rom looked to Lynn, who nodded. He stayed close, but took a step back to give them a little space.

“What is it?” Lynn asked.

“I um…” Zakarri ran his hand through his hair, a nervous gesture Rom had only seen the Scorpiian do in Lynn’s presence. “You have her memories,” Zakarri said.

“Dean—sorry, Zakarri…” she began. “I can’t tell you things that she doesn’t want you to know. It’s not my place.”

“I know,” he said. “I get that. I’m not asking about anything that happened before. And I know that I’ve ruined our chance for…” He glanced up at Rom and shook his head. “For something like what you have. I just want to know if you think… Do you think she can ever forgive me? Because I don’t think I can ever forgive myself if she can’t.” Silver liquid pooled in his eyes, until he blinked it away quickly.

Rom couldn’t believe it, but he felt for the guy. If he had had a chance with someone like Lynn, someone full of caring and honor and with such strength and compassion, he didn’t know if he’d ever recover if he messed it up. Especially as profoundly as Zakarri had.

Lynn took a deep breath, then let it out. “I think that you both need to realize that what’s happened to her—what’s… what’s still happening—is Norem’s doing. He’s the one who’s hurting people. But, you’ve hurt people as well. You have a lot to atone for.”

Zakarri nodded. “Yeah. I get that.”

“Maybe while you’re looking for her, you should start trying to make some of that right,” Lynn said. “At least, what you can.”

He nodded again. “Thanks.”

“Sure.”

Zakarri took a step back, but Lynn rushed forward and hugged him. His eyes widened in surprise. Then he hugged her back, a brief moment of peace washing over his features. He released her and stepped away again, his eyes downcast.

He nodded and said, “Good luck to you both. I really mean that.”

“Good luck to you,” Rom said. “You’re going to need it out there.”

Zakarri briefly met his steady look. He gave a curt nod, then turned and was gone.

“I think I’ve used up all of the adrenaline my body can ever make for emotionally charged exchanges,” Lynn said. “Can we please go take a nap now?”

“Absolutely.” Rom swept her up into his arms, then turned and headed down the corridor. He leaned in, never breaking his stride, and said, “You sure you want to sleep right away though?”

Lynn laughed, the care-free sound something he wasn’t sure he’d ever hear from her, let alone this soon. He counted himself among the luckiest men in the universe to hear it, to hold this exceptional woman in his arms.

He would never let her go.