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 ofhispain, 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, theday, 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 wasTix.
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 himthat. 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. Shesawhim—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 lifebefore 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.
