Chapter 62
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
NORA
“Wake up,” a smooth voice spoke to her, pulling her out of sleep.
Nora shot upright. She had fallen asleep over the desk in the corner of the command desk.
“Calm,” Airik said beside her. His eyes had dimmed further, and the shadows beneath them had deepened.
“I’m sorry.” She wiped her face. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“I like you sleeping near me.” Airik gave her room to stand, then led her to the galley.
It was another metal room, slightly larger than the others, with a black machine built into one wall.
A ledge was built into the other wall, serving as a table, and hard, backless stools lined up beside it.
No pictures. No posters. No hint of color or comfort.
Torren sat on a stool at the far end, his long hair tied back.
He squeezed brown nutritional paste directly into his mouth, then tossed the empty pouch onto a stack of discarded ones on the ledge in front of him.
He flashed them a quick smile before ripping open a new pouch and starting the process again.
The room was so small it didn’t have a surveillance ball, though the one in the hallway looked like it could capture some of what happened inside.
“It can’t see us in this corner,” Airik said, leaning down, letting her use him to climb onto one of the stools. Her legs dangled at least a couple of feet off the ground.
He brought her a bowl of green broth with white chunks floating on the surface. “The best I could find,” he said, turning so he stood with his back to the wall, his body blocking her from Torren.
His hand lingered at the edge of her bowl. He looked up toward the sensor just outside the hall. As he bent low, the wariness on his face twisted Nora’s insides into a tight ball. “Touch me,” he whispered, a plea disguised as a command.
A sheen of moisture gleamed on his skin.
She lifted a pinky, then rested it against his forefinger, keeping the rest of her body very still.
“Nora,” he whimpered, all pain and desperation. He shut his eyes, twirling his finger around hers. Longing surged through the small point of contact, the heat of his skin like a blazing star forced through the eye of a needle.
Heavy footsteps sounded in the hall.
Airik tore away with a frustrated groan, leaving Nora feverish and close to tears. She turned back to the bowl with the uniform squares. Whatever they were, Airik must have cut them up for her. Using her hands, she stuffed them into her mouth. If this was all she could have of him, she’d take it.
Choking down the salty broth, she caught her breath as she heard Xallix enter the room, pause for a terribly long second, then continue to the device in the wall.
Her back was turned, but she heard him press a button on the black box, then sigh as he leaned against the wall, his textured skin scraping against the metal.
All she saw of him was the edge of one black boot tapping as he waited.
He said something, stretching out the words so even Nora recognized they were exaggeratedly slow, as if he were speaking to someone with a lagging mind. Airik didn’t react, but she noticed his finger start to twitch. In the corner, Torren let out a huff and laughed.
After four long, measured breaths, Airik said to her, “Leave.”
She didn’t need to be told twice.