“Ourbattles,” Xaber corrected.
Mace stomped through the rain in one direction. Xaber led her back to the previous area, the arid one. “We’ll dry off a bit before we go back to theTrue. You look amazing right now, but no one but us gets to see you looking this hot. It will only cause problems.”
“Speaking of problems, how traumatized is the manager of that hotel going to be once Mace shows up?” she asked.
Xaber shrugged. “That depends on how quickly she accepts the situation and hands over your refund.” He winked at her. “Don’t worry. Mace hasn’t killed anyone…lately.”
“He had better not. I was promised dessert.”
“We’ll keep that promise.” He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Youarethe dessert tonight, mechanic. And we’re going to eat you up.”
A shiver ran down her spine. Holyfraxx. Nothing had ever sounded so good.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Xaber wantednothing more than to get Tix somewhere private so he could get her out of her wet clothes and into something more comfortable… like a hot shower or a bed.
It wasn’t just that he wanted her. The chemistry between the three of them was undeniable. But being with her wasfun. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so relaxed and happy. Even when dark thoughts had threatened, she’d helped him find the light again.
They meandered back the way they’d come, lingering in the desert area until they were merely damp instead of dripping wet. After that, they went to pick up dinner. Mace had sent the name and location to him through their link.
“Is he there yet?” Tix asked. They were on the promenade now, dry enough not to attract attention.
“He went inside a minute or so ago.” Mace had kept him updated until he reached the hotel. Since then, he’d gone quiet.
“The connection between you must be really handy sometimes.” She waved a hand vaguely. “I know. I know. You both said it can be annoying. Still, I can think of so many ways that could be useful.”
He spoke without thinking. “There are humans on this station with the same tech implanted. The Vardarians have something similar, too.”
He saw the flaw in his logic a split second after he spoke.
Tix shook her head. “They all have nanotech. Either they’re mated to Vardarians, or they were injected with medi-bots because they have cyborg partners and good connections. According to the gossip I’ve heard, that stuff is almost impossible to get.”
“It is. But it won’t be that way forever.” The corporations had tried to stop the tech from spreading, but they’d failed. Now that the Vardarians were in this part of the galaxy with their own version of the nanotech, it was inevitable that more beings would obtain the nanotech in one form or another.
“That’s true, but do you really think someone like me could get it?”
“We don’t know what the future will look like. I mean, ten years ago I thought I’d be a war-slave until I died on a battlefield in some forsaken part of the galaxy. Things change.”
It occurred to him that if Tix stayed with them, they’d need to figure out a way to get her the medi-bot treatment. Cyborgs lived lifetimes longer than normal humans. He’d lost too many beings he cared about to lose another one. Not if there was a way to stop it.
They were at the kiosk picking up dinner when Mace finally got back in touch.“Tell Tix I have her things and the refund has been processed. I’ll meet you at the ship.”
“Tix will be happy to hear it. She’s worried about you. Everything go okay?”
“Well enough. No blood spilled. Where are you?”
“We’re acquiring dinner. Tix took a while to decide. If you get there first, sort out the bedrooms and make sure she’s got access.”
“On it.”
He paid for their order and accepted the bag from the cheerful Pheran vendor. Once they were on their way again, he let Tix know Mace had accomplished his mission.
“Was there any fallout?” she asked.
“All he said was that he didn’t spill any blood. I know my batch-brother well enough to know that he means he did some emotional damage but nothing more.”
Tix laughed. “She earned that much. Could you tell Mace thank you for me? And I’ll want to hear all about it later.”
