He went with the obvious. “You have implants?”
Her reply was measured and calm, but her expression stayed guarded. “I do. I work with machines. Having augments helps me do my job better. I can interface directly with systems likeLivy, which speeds up repairs and makes sure I don’t miss any problems. The implants are registered and completely legal.”
He held up a hand in a calming gesture as his face spit into a grin.
“You’re a cyborg. Like me. Like us.”
Her shoulders visibly sagged and her smile widened. “Technically, yes. Though my abilities are nothing compared to yours. And congratulations. You’re one of a very small company of beings who didn’t react badly to that discovery. I really should hang out with more cyborgs.”
He didn’t want her hanging out with others of his kind. She could hang out withthem.He and Mace were all she needed.
The possessive thought surprised him, but he didn’t question it. He’d long ago learned to listen to his instincts, and right now, they were all telling him the same thing. He wanted to know Tix better.
He didn’t reply to her last comment. Instead, he moved the conversation forward. “So, can you fix theTrue?”
“I can. It will take me a few hours.”
“Really? That’s all you need?”
“This won’t be pretty, but it will be enough to get you to Ashur and back again. I need to recalibrate the engines, replace a few parts and check a few areas that are throwing errors.”
He decided it was time to roll the dice. “You’re smart, capable, and cute as hell. I’ve got to know, are you seeing anyone?”
Tix’s mouth opened, closed, and then opened again. “Are you asking me out?”
“Not yet. Think of this as a friendly inquiry into your availability.”
“Ah. Well, no. I’m not involved with anyone. My life has been more than a little insane lately. I haven’t had a lot of time forsocializing. In fact, dinner with the two of you last night was the first time I’ve done that since I got here.”
Her gaze turned appraising. “What about you?”
He chuckled. “If I were, I wouldn’t have asked. Mace and I have rules about dating. No cheating. No bullshit. And there’s one other thing you should know about us.”
“What’s that?” She cocked her head in open curiosity.
“We share almost everything. Including the females we date.”
Her eyes went wide, but there was no missing the spark of interest in those brown depths. “So, you’re a two-for-one deal?”
“We are.” He liked her description. It summed things up without making it feel complicated.
Tix licked her lips and then nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Xaber backed off. He’d made the offer, and now it was up to Tix to decide what she wanted to do. She needed to get to work, and then he had a delivery to make. When he got back, they’d continue this conversation. Mace was interested, but there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in a supernova he’d make the first move. This would wait until he got back to Defiance.
“I can get Mace to pick up whatever parts you need,” he offered.
She waved him off. “No need. I checked the inventory while I was in the system. You have everything I need on board already.”
That couldn’t be right. “We do?”
“You do. In the parts lockers behind you.” She pointed to a bulkhead a few meters back.
Xaber eyed the blank metal wall. “What parts lockers?”
She laughed. The bright, merry sound bounced around the small room. “Veth. It’s a good thing I’m here.” She walked past him, placed her hand on the bulkhead, and pushed. The wall rolled back, revealing a modest cubby space crammed with equipment.
“Well,fraxx. This is why we need you, Tix. Please save us from everything we don’t know about this ship. I’ll leave you to it. If you need anything, ask Livy or just call my name.” He tapped his ear. “I’ll hear you.”
