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“Would it require a visit to the Citadel?” Arcon didn’t sound pleased with the idea.
It was Kyrex’s turn to shrug. “I think that’s what he’s expecting, but I can tell him you want to have the conversation remotely if that’s what you want.”
“No. I’ve got to face down these ghosts eventually.” Conviction filled Arcon’s voice as he concluded, “Tell him I’m looking forward to the conversation.”
* * *
Eden paused near the greeting station of the bustling restaurant and scanned the seated customers for Ansley and Kendra. There were only three restaurants in the Citadel so they were always busy. This one served casual comfort food, so it was the most popular of the three.
“May I help you, mistress?” the host asked with a practiced smile.
“I’m meeting friends and I just spotted them, but thank you.” She hurried across the crowded room and joined her friends. They both stood up and hugged Eden as if it had been years and not weeks since they’d last seen each other.
“Jessie’s taking bets on how long you’ll hold out before you let Neloff and Kyrex claim you,” Kendra informed Eden as she scooted her chair up to the table.
Eden laughed. “Hello to you too.”
“What Kendra really wants to know is if she’s lost her bet,” Ansley explained. “She was sure you would return a happily claimed woman.”
“Sorry, K.” She made a pouty face then smiled. “It’s getting harder and harder to refuse them, but it hasn’t happened yet.”
“I’m not sure I would have lasted this long,” Kendra responded. “I thought Neloff was good looking until I saw the other one. He is a golden god.”
Golden god? Eden thought for a second then laughed. It felt so good to just sit here and relax with friends. “Sorry to disappoint you, but that was Arcon, my mentor. Both of my mates have dark hair.”
“That hunk is a mentor?” Kendra fanned her face dramatically. “Where do I sign up?”
“She’s right,” Ansley said quietly. “If he is here to drum up business, he’ll have lines wrapped around the entire spiral.”
The top portion of the Citadel formed a wide, spiraling walkway. An observation deck, offices, and meeting rooms were situated along the walkway creating an intriguing combination of function and pleasing aesthetics. “I’m not even sure he’s staying. He has business with Zevon, but the president could very well need him for an off-world mission.”
“That would be tragic,” Kendra persisted.
“Enough about the golden god,” Ansley dismissed the topic with the wave of her hand. “I want to hear about Neloff and Kyrex? Why haven’t you allowed them to claim you yet?”
The waiter arrived to take their drink order, giving Eden a moment to decide what she wanted to say.
“Well?” Ansley prompted as soon as the waiter walked away.
“I was on Houkdi for less than two months,” Eden defended. “I still have plenty of time.”
“What about the shared dreams?” Kendra objected. “Those went on the entire time you were here at the Citadel.”
“Fine. Twelve or fourteen weeks,” Eden amended. “Who makes a life-changing decision in three and a half months?”
Ansley laughed. “I let my mates claim me in less than one, and I can honestly say it’s the best decision I ever made.”
“That’s just it.” Eden lowered her voice to an urgent whisper. “You were allowed to choose your bond mates, but the question should have been when, perhaps even if, you wanted to be claimed at all.”
Kendra looked at her in confusion. “That’s not a choice for any of us. The founders made sure of it.”
Ansley shook her head, expression darkening. “The founders compounded the problem, but the choice was taken from us long before we were born. Conduits must join with the other parts of their triad or they become unstable, even dangerous.”
“I don’t accept that.” Stubbornness lifted Eden’s chin. “There has to be a way to give us back the choice, or at least a little more control. We were irreversibly changed. I understand that. But suppressants can?—”
“Suppressants are dangerous,” Ansley stressed. “They compound the volatility of activation.”
“They need to be improved,” Eden agreed. “But someone can do that for us and I intend to find them.”
