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Jessica
Yes, I’m pacing and no, I don’t care if it bothers anyone else. S’Tou’s sweet, offering to take me to a healer to remove my Kostan nanos and replacing them with Gharian ones while we wait. I balked, feeling like having the enemy’s tech gave me an advantage. Except, as Cinq’s anti-virus wormed it way across the galaxy, reaching me through the Kosta and Vahd datalinks, my advantage evaporated.
Which reminds me of our favorite Vahdmoshi hybrid, I stop in front of S’Tou to ask, “Have you heard from Quin, yet? Is he okay?”
S’Tou grins. “He is and sends his hello. His old nanos came out fine and he’s been given ours as a replacement.”
I sigh, relieved the process was easy for him. “And Nilt? Anything from him?”
He shrugs. “Other than he’d found some of his old crew? Nothing after that.”
“The little shit,” I mutter, knowing what he’s up to and resuming my pacing. “Is stealing artifacts as bad as hacking into someone’s mind? I hope not for his sake.”
“What do you think?” S’Tou chides me and even Stacie smiles.
I pause, my face hot from embarrassment. “Right. He’ll probably be fine.”
“Which he?” Stacie asks. “Nilt or Cinq?”
“Both,” I reply. “Although, Cinq has a higher priority at the moment.” The two snicker and I grin at them. Of course, Cinq is my main squeeze no matter how much I like Nilt. I walk over to a tall window. Crystal archways turn yellow as people walk under them on their way to the palace. “How much longer do you think they’ll be?”
“Not long. Noni has been keeping me informed.”
I whirl around to face S’Tou. “What? You’re just now telling me this?” I go to him, sitting opposite where Stacie’s sitting. “What’s happening?”
“Well, she’s not giving me a broadcast because doing so is not allowed. Cinq’s privacy and all.” He turns to face me. “But she’s been able to give me updates and they’re almost done, she thinks.” His eyes cloud and he nods. “I’ve told them where we are and they’ll soon be here.”
I get to my feet, the bottom of my soles sore from the pacing. “They’ll come in through the same doors we did earlier?”
“Yes.”
I want to jog down the hallway to him but before I can reach out, the waiting room door opens and Cinq is on the other side. Running to his arms, I ask, “How long do we have together before you’re exiled?”
He holds me, chuckling. “Do you not believe in our persuasive powers? I’m allowed to live in civilization again, thanks to your and Noni’s arguments on my behalf.”
“Don’t kid yourself, VilKrell,” Noni says. “Your abilities in saving Gharians from the virus might have played a huge part, too.”
“Eh,” he says, burying his nose in my hair. “You probably had the fix figured out at the same time I did.”
“Almost, yes, but you have a superpower I don’t.”
I can’t see her expression but her admiration for Cinq comes through in her tone. I give him an extra squeeze as he replies to Noni, “Thank you for the confidence in my abilities and for accepting me as a responsibility.” He lets go of me to hug her. “You’re the younger sister I never wanted.”
She laughs, giving me a wink when our gazes meet. “Aw, you big softy. Finding love again has reminded you how to be a Gharian being.” She lets go, stepping back. “Now that I am responsible for you, both of you need to report to a healing station for nano therapy as soon as possible. I want to dissect and inspect Jessica’s Kostan nanos.”
Cinq nods but I need to know more about where we are. My bet is these people don’t have maps and I’ll need to know to get anywhere on the planet. “Innovator SearShell?”
She laughs. “Noni, please, and yes?”
“I don’t suppose a healing station is hard to find? I can’t access the Gharian datalinks, yet, so I can’t find anything here without help.”
“Not to worry. I’d planned on spending more time pleading with the emperor to let me access Cinq’s skills, thus, my schedule is far more open than I’d expected.” Her eyes cloud for a second then clear. “I’ll call my vehicle and take you to one of the best healers in the area. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be at the front entrance when you’re ready.”
S’Tou hugs me. “We need to go, too. Stacie’s having dinner with my family this evening. Contact me when you’re able and we’ll make plans.”
I hug Stacie as Cinq clasps hands with S’Tou and says, “I will and look forward to seeing you again.”
Reluctantly letting go of my friend, I smile, agreeing with my bondmate, “We both do.”
