“That does feel better,” Sefina remarks and looks back at me. “Thanks.”
We share a quiet moment as Kelta flies us deep into the forested mountains.
Please see that I’m not trying to hurt you.
“Boosters are in there, too,” Kelta cuts in.
I break out of the trance Sefina has put me in and dig through the kit. “I thought we were out of these?”
“Clover engineered a few for critical assets in the field. The BlazeStar had enough supplies for some things, but Keanna and Cara have been foraging and replenishing what they can.”
I select two boosters, one for Sefina’s healing and another for her energy, and ready the injectors.
“Hell no. No more shots!” Sefina unbuckles her chest harness and reaches for her belt.
“These aren’t going to put you to sleep, Sefi.”
“I don’t care! No more needles.”
Kelta chuckles to herself. “Sefi. That’s sweet.”
I bite my tongue to avoid snapping at a Brother’s mate. Any Titan would beat me to a pulp for it.
“Fine,” I say, planting both on Sefina’s shoulder at once. “After these.”
She writhes and jerks, trying to pull away from me, but I keep her steady with ease. “What is wrong with you?”
I toss the spent cartridges in a bin on the ship. “Nutrient booster and one for infections. The tunnels aren’t clean. Emergency surgeries are always messy.”
“Heard about that,” Kelta remarks as she highlights the target landing zone in the distant trees.
“About what?” Sefina asks.
“That you sent out a pulse from your head that scared off welvirs,” Kelta offers. “I mean, it’s all over the Titan coms.”
Kelta taps a screen, and it displays all the feeds of every Titan in the area. Fury speaks with Chaos about guard posts during takeoff. Tangle and Shifter are arguing about a crack in a wall. Amp relays the stats of the BlazeStar engine he’s working on to Clover.
“My DNA unlocks it because my mother built ships,” Kelta offers, giving me a pointed look. “So you can’t lie to me and expect me to believe it. I hear everything up here, including thoughts that belong to Titans I can’t quite trace. So I’m just as eager to get this range extender back to Clover as she is.”
Sefina slowly turns to look up at me. “What is she talking about?”
“I didn’t say anything. It must’ve been Poppy, Shifter, or Bomber. But yeah, you did that. I saw it,” I admit.
Kelta clears her throat as she returns to piloting and briefly darts her eyes in my direction.
I growl. “Ifeltit.”
“Along with a few other things,” Kelta utters under her breath.
I scowl at her.
“I didn’t see anything,” Sefina says. “Unless migraine spots count.”
“Yeah,” I say. “A blue pulse wave.”
“I am not some sort of ultrasonic pulse machine.” Sefina stretches her neck and then checks her weapons as if to distract herself. “Whatever. Kelta, what does this object look like?”
“A cylinder in the middle with white bars and two semicircles of symbols that light up over the ends.” Kelta pulls up an image. “This was the best Clover could find in the ship’s history, from back when it was being built.”
