Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Mace checked the time again. He had six minutes left.
He’d long since learned that beings didn’t react well when someone like him loitered in front of their business.
Most of the time, that didn’t bother him.
Tonight, he wanted things to go well, and that included avoiding confrontations with beings Tix might have to interact with later.
Like the manager of the hotel she was staying in.
He forced himself to slow his pace, but he couldn’t do anything about his brain. He kept jumping from one thought to another, only to circle back to the same thing a few minutes later.
He was nervous. He knew that. What he didn’t understand was why. He’d blown up tanks, stared down armies, and survived combat conditions that could take out a nantari rhino. Why the fraxx was his nervous system going into overdrive now?
The answer was obvious. Tix. A simple name for one of the most interesting, capable, and attractive females he’d met in a long time. His batch-sisters would have adopted her by now, and he could imagine them sharing every embarrassing story they had about him and Xaber.
Thinking about the missing members of his family always stung, no matter how much time had passed. He missed them all, and he always would. It helped to know that tonight he’d keep a promise he had made a long time ago.
He heard Star’s voice again, as clear as it had been the eve before a battle they didn’t expect to survive. “If you make it out of this shit show and I don’t, promise me you’ll live well. You hear me? Be true to yourself, and show those corporate bastards they didn’t break us.”
That was why their ship was named the Live True. It was a statement of intent. One that they were still trying to live up to. Tonight felt like a step forward on that journey. This wasn’t about survival or trying to get ahead. This night was about desirable company, good food, and live music.
And that’s why he was nervous. Because tonight mattered.
He checked his reflection in a shop window as he passed.
Everything looked good. He’d trimmed his beard before leaving the ship, and his clothes were freshly laundered.
His shirt wasn’t one he’d have chosen. It was a long, sleeveless, black tunic with a rounded collar edged in silver.
It reminded him of the style many Vardarians wore, though without the slits in the back to accommodate that species’ wings.
It was comfortable enough, but no sleeves meant no way to cover the scars on his arms. He knew they made other beings uneasy, though he didn’t understand why.
They were reminders of his pain, not theirs.
He turned to go and then caught sight of his face. His reflection scowled back at him. Veth. Was that what Xay meant when he accused him of having resting murder face? He forced himself to relax. That was better.
He didn’t try to smile. Meeting up with Tix at her hotel would make that happen naturally.
Calling her temporary residence a hotel was generous.
It offered small, coffin-sized pods you could rent by the hour, the day, or the week.
He’d stayed in enough of them over the years to know what they offered, and it wasn’t much.
A thin mattress, a lockable cubby for your personal items, and limited privacy.
Given a choice between staying awake for two days or renting a pod?
He’d happily roam the station and catch up on sleep later.
As he approached, a stunning female caught his eye. He was on a date and shouldn’t have noticed her, but he couldn’t help himself. It wasn’t until he took a longer look that he realized the beauty was his date. That was Tix.
She’d traded her too-big coveralls and work boots for snug-fitting leggings beneath a tunic-like top that fell to mid-thigh. Her shirt was a light, flowy fabric dyed in various shades of blue. The outfit enhanced everything about her, flattering her long legs and delicate curves.
She smiled as he approached. “Hey.”
“Wow. Uh, I mean, you look amazing.” He gestured at her, still trying to process the transformation while ignoring the surge of blood to his cock. He’d have to save an image for Xaber to let him see what he’d missed.
“Thanks.” She dropped her head to hide behind the tumble of her cobalt-blue curls. Before she did, he saw the way her lips lifted into a smile and her cheeks darkened. Flustered was a good look for her, though he opted not to say so.
When she raised her head again, the smile was still there. “You look good, too.” She pointed to his forearm. “Nice ink.”
He held out his arm so she could see it better. “You know all cyborgs have barcodes? Xaber and I got these to cover them.”
The tattoo was done in black ink and depicted a skull with a flower atop it. The petals were stylized to look like gravestones. One for each of his fallen family members.
“I like it. I’ve always wanted to get a tattoo, but I never found a design that spoke to me. This suits you. The artist did a good job.”
“You can tell him that the next time you see him. Xaber drew it.”
“I will. That male has hidden talents.”
“Definitely do not tell him that. He’ll offer to demonstrate his entire skill set.”
“Noted.” She straightened up and smiled. “What about you? How many hidden talents do you have?”
“None.” He shrugged. “I’m big, strong, and good at hitting things. That’s pretty much my entire résumé.”
She made a soft tsking noise. “I don’t believe that, and I don’t think you do either.”
And there it was, the core reason he wanted to spend time with this female.
She saw him—not his size or his scars but the male he was inside, the being he wanted to be.
He’d promised Star he’d live a life that was true to who he was.
He didn’t know who that being was, but he had a feeling Tix could help him figure it out.
“Maybe not. I’m a work in progress.” He grinned down at her. “And right now, I’d rather talk about you. What’s one of your hidden talents? You can tell me on the walk over to the Forge.”
They walked in silence for a few minutes before she finally spoke. “I don’t actually know what I can do. Besides fix stuff, I mean. My dads run a ship repair business out of a small station so far out it makes the Drift look central. There wasn’t much to do out there except work.”
“You can defend yourself,” he pointed out. “Who taught you that?”
“My dads. They served in the armed forces before I was born. That’s not really a talent, though. That’s a basic life skill. At least, it is where I’m from.”
He wanted to ask where that was, but he didn’t push. He had already noticed she didn’t share a lot of details about her life before she came to Defiance. Fair enough. He didn’t share much about his life either.
“Actually, there is something I’m good at.
Cooking. That was also a survival decision because my dads’ attempts to make food usually involved cursing and smoke.
It was learn or spend my formative years eating nothing but the stuff out of our bargain-brand food processor.
” She wrinkled her nose. “Nutritious. Yes. Tasty? Not so much.”
“We should learn how to cook. I mean Xaber and me.” He twisted to look at her as he spoke because he needed to see how she reacted to what he said next. “Maybe you could give us some lessons?”
The only change in her body language was the widening of her smile. “Maybe. I thought it might be good to teach you two how to take care of your ship, too. If you’re interested? That way, the next time you need to do a repair, you can do it yourself.”
It made sense, but he didn’t like the insinuation that she wouldn’t be around to make future repairs. It was probably too soon to think that way, but he preferred a future where she stuck around.
The promenade was as busy as always, which meant their walk to the central mag-lifts involved weaving through rowdy groups of off-duty revelers and beings in a hurry to reach their various destinations.
Occasionally a Vardarian flew overhead. Taking flight let them avoid the throngs, but they still had to dodge fast-moving drones and the occasional air-car. As much as he’d like to have wings, this wasn’t the place he’d choose to use them.
As the crowd thickened, Tix stopped walking at his side and moved behind him.
He understood her reasoning, but he didn’t like letting her out of his sight.
She was garnering more than a few appreciative looks, and it rankled him.
She was with him. If they wanted a beautiful female to spend time with, they could find their fraxxing own.
The mag-lifts were packed, but he managed to claim a corner near the door for the two of them. He pressed himself as far into the wall as he could to give Tix room in front of him.
Her grateful smile made the discomfort worth it, and it let him make eye contact with one human male who was clearly working up the nerve to chat with her.
He didn’t know he was growling until Tix twisted around to face him and placed a small hand in the center of his chest. “It’s okay, Mace. We’ll be out of here in a few more seconds.”
He nodded and raised his hand to cover hers. She didn’t pull away. In fact, she moved closer. In a whisper only he could hear, she said, “I know I’m safe with you. That makes it easier to do this.”
Safe. No one had ever said anything like that to him before. Words failed him, but maybe there were no words for a moment like this. He simply squeezed her hand and waited for them to reach their floor.
At that moment, she could have asked him to slay a star-dragon, and he’d have done it without hesitation. Even if they were a myth, he’d find a way.
When they left the lift, it felt like the most natural thing in the universe to keep hold of her hand.
Let them look. Now they’d know she was with him.