Page 32 of Veiled Vixen

“Shit.”

“Shit? That’s all you have to say? In case you haven’t noticed, he’s not dead, Veila. So what the fuck is he talking about?”

“Ask your.…” She squints at me. “He’s not your brother. Is he?”

“Crux?”

“Not Crux. Luck.” She snarls his name. Like she hates Luck.

“No, actually. Luck is not my brother. Not my real one, anyway. We tested our DNA a long time ago to be sure.”

“Because he’s your soulmate, isn’t he?”

I shrug. “Sure. Whatever. I’ll agree to that.”

She huffs out her disgust. “So that’s why.”

“That’s why what?”

“That’s why our bond isn’t what the others have. You were already in love long before you knew about me.”

“Um… well, not that it’s any of your business, but yeah. I’m sure that’s part of it. There’s this little snag though, right? One called Nyleena? So. I’m pretty sure Luck and I don’t have a future together.”

Veila sighs and studies me for a moment. “If she were not here. You would…?”

“Choose him? Yup. I would.”

“And Tray? How does he fit in? And Brigit? How is it that you have so many choices? It doesn’t seem fair.”

I actually laugh at that. “First of all, I am just one of those guys everyone likes. I can’t help it. That’s just who I am. Second of all, I have no choices, Veila. Luck and Tray both have their soulmates. I’m the unwanted third wheel. I love Luck, not Nyleena. And he loves me, but he loves her more. So that’s going nowhere. I love both Tray and Brigit. But do I see myself with them forever? How could that work? They’re not physical. They’re AIs. As you well know. What am I gonna do? Just live in a virtual for the rest of my life?”

She considers this for a moment. But when she replies, she’s moved on to another subject. “Did you tell your brothers about the ships?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I was in cryosleep for six weeks. Thanks to you. And it doesn’t seem to be a high priority right now, considering Crux is convinced he’s a ghost, Luck is at war with us, and you’re fucking pregnant.”

She sighs again. Then drops her forehead back to her knees and stays that way without saying anything else.

Conflicting emotions swirl around inside me. Should I walk over to her? Stay here? Comfort her?

Sunfucking stars, man. Why the hell would I comfort her?

It takes me a few minutes to accept why. But I do. Don’t have much choice.

She and I are connected. Like it or not. Real or not. There is something between us. Something that draws me to her. And if we had met under different circumstances—like out in the galaxy somewhere—and I didn’t already know about this soulmate bullshit, I’d have chalked it up to plain old attraction.

Because let’s face it. Veila is beautiful.

Maybe I’m not into the silver, but like before, there’s that little hint of rose gold underneath her harsh white. And there’s a part of me that craves that side of her.

Not this side, though.

“Well, are you gonna say something? Or are you just gonna stand there like an oaf? Why are you here?”

“Oh,” I say, then decide Crux was right. I have to use this bond to get what I want. It’s what she would do, if she was in her normal state of mind. So I walk over to her and slide down the wall so we’re sitting so close our knees bump against each other.