“Would it really be so bad to admit that you feel drawn to her?” Igid’s voice softens, and her expression turns serious as she blinks her large strangely colored eyes at him.
Snapping his head to the side, Rovos gives her a long look. For the briefest moment, I could swear I see longing flash across his features. But then, just as quickly as it appeared, it’s gone. He turns back to the screen, the blue glow making the gray tones in his skin look black.
“For the first time in—” He runs a hand over the top of his head, spearing his fingers through the longer strands of hair. “In a long time, I’m content with the direction my life is going. For once, things are uncomplicated. So the last thing I want right now is a distraction.” His head rolls toward Igid, and he compresses his lips into a thin line. “No matter how appealing the package she comes in might be.”
My fingers tighten around the doorjamb, and butterflies come to life inside my stomach. He thinks I’mappealing?Why do I like that so much?
Shut up, Anna!He also called me a complication and a distraction.
“Content is not happy, Ro,” Igid says quietly.
“Happy doesn’t last forever,” he counters.
Igid snorts, “Nothing lasts forever. Not even content.”
Rovos says nothing, and the silence stretches between them, until Igid leans back in her seat with a huff. “I know someone who might be willing take the human to a safe place. If that’s what you truly want for her.”
I suddenly feel like someone doused me in ice-cold water. Just what does Igid mean bysomewhere safe? Is going home not an option after all?
“There is no record of her home planet, and even Treto hasn’t been able to find any record in the Xar-ad’s files, so as much as I wish to, I can’t return her to her home.” Rovos breathes out a long sigh without looking at her. “The least I can do for her is make sure she finds somewhere she’ll be safe.”
It’s like the floor drops out from under me. If I wasn’t holding on to the doorjamb, I think I would have crumpled into a heap. I tell myself it shouldn’t bother me that Rovos is so eager to get rid of me. I mean, I’ve only known him for a day. Or has it been two now? Either way, he doesn’t owe me anything. I’m the one who owes him after everything he’s done for me.
My weight shifts as I step back from the doorway, and the floor under my feet gives out a loud groan. Blood floods my face as Igid and Rovos both turn, catching me eavesdropping.Damnit.
“Um, hi.” I give them a brief wave and force myself to step into the open. I’m already caught, might as well own it.
Rovos’ thick brows drop low over his eyes in a scowl while Igid grins at me.
“We were just talking about you,” she says cheerfully, as if I didn’t know that.
Forcing myself to move further inside the control room, or bridge, or whatever it’s called, my eyes dart from Igid’s to Rovos’, and I’m caught by his intense stare. My mouth goes dry, and I find myself unable to look away.
Igid’s head swings between us like someone watching a tennis match. “I’m going to go take something apart before my sleep cycle,” she announces as she pushes herself out of the chair. Before she leaves, she narrows her eyes on Rovos. “Think about what I said.”
My eyes follow her as she disappears into the hallway. “Huh, that explains all the—” My hands gesture to the bits of machinery that litter the corners.
“Igid is a brilliant mechanic,” Rovos says, leaning back in his chair. “But she has no attention span, so she’s constantly starting new projects without finishing the last.”
“May I?” I gesture to the now vacant chair beside him.
Rovos nods, and I have to climb into the chair that is clearly made for a creature twice my size. The entire time his eyes follow me, watching my every move. When I finally get seated, my feet dangle over the edge, making me feel even smaller than I already am.
“Um, thank you again. For the room and shower and… for everything.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad the clothes fit,” Rovos says with a sharp nod at my attire.
My hands slide over the borrowed clothes. “The pants are a little long, but I appreciate you letting me borrow them. Thank you. Again.”
He nods, and a tense silence stretches between us, neither seeming to know what to say, even though a hundred questions churn through my mind. I want to ask him how he became a bounty hunter. How he met his crew. What planet is he from? What are his people like? Did he really mean me when he mentioned not wanting a distraction in a pleasing package? Will he really send me away? Why does it hurt knowing that he will?
But all of those questions seem to stick in my throat.
And so the silence stretches between us until I can’t stand it any longer and blurt out, “I want you to know that I’m willing—” I snap my mouth shut. Wait. Oh god. “I mean, I know nothing about… but I—” My cheeks are burning as I listen to the verbal diarrhea that’s flowing out of my mouth. Everything I’m trying to say is coming out all wrong, and it’s not helping that Rovos is smirking at me.
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and start over. “What I mean to say is, I want to pull my weight. Even though I don’t know much—or anything, really—about ships or space or… or anything like that.” Just please don’t send me away.
“I expect nothing from you, Annah.” Rovos leans forward, bracing his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together between us. “You are a guest here, for as long as you remain on my ship.”
