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Chapter Eleven
Ranvir went from asleep to alert in an instant. It was a skill he’d acquired long before becoming a cyborg. It had kept him alive when he lived in District Twelve. As a cyborg, his senses were even more enhanced, and they were feeding him vital information.
He was in Taly’s suite. That came from his memory banks.
He was in Taly’s bed. That came from his olfactory senses. Her distinctive scent surrounded him.
Taly wasn’t with him. He felt the loss of her warmth in his soul.
How had that happened without him noticing? But more importantly, where was Taly?!
Surging out of bed, he began pulling on the clothing he’d left on the bench at the foot of the bed. His cybernetic processors calculated he’d slept seven point two five hours, more than enough for his organic brain to be refreshed. Pulling on his boots, he went in search of Taly.
He found her in the dining hall speaking to the colonists.
“I know Yelmurn isn’t ideal,” she was saying.
“Why can’t you take us to Gamma-2?” a large, aggressive male demanded.
“Because that’s not wherewe’regoing,” Ranvir’s gaze speared the vocal male as he crossed the room. The male retreated a step as Ranvir came to stand beside Taly. “It’s thanks to Taly we’re not leaving you on Vemara.”
Shocked gazes filled the room, and he could tell they knew what that would have meant for them.
“We are grateful.” Oved was the first one to speak. Ranvir recognized him as the male he hadn’t left behind on the Celerity. “We’re trying to understand our situation. Some of us have lost everything, so even if you did take us to Gamma-2, we wouldn’t have the final payment needed to claim our land.”
“But at least we could find work there,” the male from the back argued.
“You can find work on Yelmurn, too,” Taly assured him. “It also has a spaceport where you can book passage when you’re able.”
“But that could takeyears!” the same male exclaimed. “By the time we get to Gamma-2, our land will have been sold to someone else. There has to be more you can do for us!”
“More?” Ranvir’s voice was so cold everyone took a step back. “You have your lives. Again, thanks to Taly. If that isn’t enough for you, I’m more than willing to show you to an airlock.”
“That… that won’t be necessary,” Oved stuttered, then looked to Taly. “Besides what some of us are saying,” he glanced at the still muttering male behind him, “We are grateful for everything you’ve done, Taly.”
With that, Oved urged the group out of the room. Ranvir waited until they were alone before rounding on Taly. “What were you thinking meeting with them alone?”
Taly frowned at that. “Why wouldn’t I? They just wanted some information.”
“Information that some of them weren’t pleased to receive,” he spat out.
“They just survived their ship blowing up,” she reminded him. “They have the right to be upset.”
“Yousurvived a ship blowing up too, not once but twice. You’re not whining and complaining,” which shocked both halves of Ranvir’s brains. He’d never encountered someone as selfless as Taly. It didn’t compute with who her parents were, how she was raised, or the monumental fame she’d achieved.
She should be a selfish, spoiled debutante. But she wasn’t, and despite what Ganesha had said, he knew he was falling in love with her.
“I…well, I guess I hadn’t thought about it like that. I mean, I still have the Troubadour, and I…” she trailed off, giving him an uncertain look.
“And you?” he encouraged quietly.
Taly knew she was taking a risk, exposing herself like this. Which was funny, considering she’d been willing to risk her life to save Nas. Here she was risking her heart.
“Taly?” he prompted.
“I was going to say I have you. I just wasn’t sure you’d want to hear that.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close. “And you do. I crawled into your bed after all.”
