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“Ptolin? Oh, that’s unrelated.”
Orion thought he saw an uncustomary alertness in his father’s gray eyes. Something he wasn’t used to seeing in Per Halen.
“You missed a lot when you were gone, Orion. This will all be part of your handover training, should you perhaps begin to take that seriously.”
“Oh, I am. While I’d love nothing more than to be at the bar right now, the red flags all over this expedition will behanded overto me soon enough, whether I like it or not.”
Per Halen pinched the bridge of his nose, a tired sigh bowing his shoulders.
“How’s Kaia?” he changed the subject.
“Good.”
“Did she do that to your face? You should take care, Orion.”
“Really? You’re gonna give me fatherly advice about beingcarefulof my five-foot-two-inch girlfriend? Did you forget what I am, Father?”
He was the uhyre in this relationship.Hewas the one at risk of snapping her in half. How clueless could Per Halen be?
“Ah, yes, I forgot you missed this part in your years away—”
“You mean my years of banishment.”
“We… your mother… has run a full genetic study on Halena genes. With the help of Dr. Geeson, actually. He’s confirmed your uhyre genes are diluted enough to not pose a significant uptick in violent tendencies compared to humans.”
Orion couldn't help it. He laughed. “Have youseenme, Father?”
“Yes, you’ve always been quite… formidable. But it just so happens that this is due more to your ancestor’s careful selection of physically privileged human mates than your uhyre blood. Something your present choice may throw a wrench into, I might say, but that’s neither here nor there.”
At least it was clear to Orion that his parents hadn’t been spying on Kaia. If they had, they’d have recognized that she actually had asignificantphysical advantage. The speed at which her muscle developed was testament to that, and it surprised even him—not that he’d tell Kaia that. She spooked easily with mention of her growing strength, knowing what it would lead to.
Though judging by the previous night, he may have chipped away at that particular barrier. His tongue spiked at the mere thought of waking up to her straddling him, watching him. The knife was unexpected, but admittedly effective.
“I’ll leave you to it, my boy.” Per Halen fell back into his usual bumbling manner.
Orion had no idea what his father had been implying. Obviously the percentage of uhyre in him was low, but the telltale dominant traits of the genes were still there. He’d just gotten tunnel vision and chased his fiancé down in a dark hallway. He left her bruised and broken all alone while he went to punch dents into some walls. And he loved every goddamn minute of it. What was his father suggesting? That it was all him? That he was just completely fucked in his completely human head? Not to mention the exorin Kaia had so willingly swallowed the night before.
And why had she done that anyway? She was so scared of getting addicted to him before… She dodged one bullet on theZenith, and now what? She just didn’t care anymore? At first he thought what he’d done snapped her into submission. But the stinging cut she’d left told a different story.
No… His fiancé was keeping a secret of some sort.
* * *
He’d found her in the simulation rig that afternoon. She was strapped into the makeshift Raptor cockpit, the observation glass all around silencing whatever expletives she was mumbling to herself as she stared at the radar display. Orion leaned his elbows against the rail surrounding the rig, where a couple of others loitered, including a guy he’d seen in her class a few times. He reeked of animosity as he glared at Kaia in the rig. Orion made a mental note to follow up on that later.
The interior of the rig flashed red as she crashed into whatever obstacle she was meant to be navigating. The glass was one-way, and he huffed a chuckle as she threw her head against the back of the seat, grimacing her frustration. His amusement was cut short by a mirror snicker next to him.
It had come from a brunette Orion had recognized as another of Kaia’s classmates.
“So silly, isn’t it?” the girl chirped with a small smile. “Radar nav isn’tthathard. Poor thing.”
Orion cocked an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
The brunette shifted closer. “It’s so admirable, you bringing that girl here, Orion. Giving her a better life, you know? And your mother letting her play pilot like this is so generous.”
Who the hell is this bitch, and why does she think we’re on a first name basis?
“Do I know you?” Orion asked.
