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“You committed to helping the cause,” I say. “You don’t need to worry about me. Stay where you are and don’t even think about deserting on my account.”
Raina grits her teeth. “I heard all about what happened from Niko. I’m gonna slit that guy’s throat when I get my hands on him. And to think I let him party with us onmywedding day. Are you okay?”
“I’m perfectly safe. In fact, the main argument between us is that he’d wrap me up in bubble wrap and carry me around in a lockbox if he could.”
She shrugs, and her eyes slide off screen toward wherever I imagine Niko is. Is he waiting for her outside the comm booth?
“Wear him down,” she says with a sly smile. “Honestly… throw him a little blowie, and he’ll probably do whatever you say. I should’ve done that to Niko and maybe he wouldn’t have locked me in a hotel room.”
I roll my eyes. “See, you say that and yet I know not even you would actually do it. Besides, for reasons I won’t explain, I got an idea of his size, and I’m not confident I could even pull that off.”
She bursts out laughing. “Kaye! Well, I guess I skipped the part where I asked if you’re considering the matebond situation.”
“Sometimes it feels like I don’t have a choice,” I admit. “I might not feel the matebond, but how I can I ignore it?”
“What do you mean?” She asks, her smile fading. “He hasn’t pressured you, has he?”
“No,” I say quickly, flushing as I recall the moment where he made me hot, and all the dirty things he’s said to me. “That’s not… What I mean about the mating call is… How can I not consider it when rejecting him means such terrible heartbreak in their culture?”
“Oh, please. Don’t tell me that you’re so willing to solve other people’s problems that you’d be his mate just to spare him the trouble?” She rolls up her sleeves. “If he’s about to pity trap you into this, Iwillsteal an escape pod and come get your ass. I don’t care if the Azza are crawling into this ship through the vents, I didn’t sign any paperwork!”
“You said that already,” I mutter. “No, seriously, don’t worry about me. And you know that if I was willing to stay with a man to avoid hurting his feelings, then I’d still be married to Chris right about now.”
“Good, I’m glad.”
“Ti kaia…” I hear Niko’s voice from offscreen. “Are you plotting desertion? And on our sweet-moon? I’m hurt.”
“Of course not.” She winks at me. “And it’s honeymoon.Honeymoon.”
A little taste of the world outside this ship is enough to relax me. I chuckle, leaning back in my seat.
“It’s our little joke that this war campaign is our honeymoon,” she sighs. “When I told Niko about the concept, he really liked it. And even though I have no idea when we’ll be out of here, he promised that the first thing we’ll do is go on a trip somewhere with a beach.”
“Niko’s very sweet,” I say. “I’m glad you’re happy, even under these circumstances.”
“I never imagined I’d get married,” she says. “It always seemed so boring to me. I thought it would be like a prison. So learning how to run firepower on a fighter ship on my ‘honeymoon’ is not bad at all. Maybe what I feel for Niko is melting my brain, but since I’m the only one who’s been in your shoes, I guess I should give you advice.”
Considering that Raina’s idea of advice usually has something to do with violence, I brace myself.
“It sounds like you’ve already forgiven him,” she goes on. “Which is just so typical of you. But if Niko loves him so much, I figure he can’t be all bad. Give it a chance.”
My eyes widen. That’s the last thing I expected Raina to say about someone she’s pissed off at.
“You know I hate having regrets. But if there’s anything I regretted, it was waiting so long to let Niko in. When he was lying in regen, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I don’t know what this mating call shit means, but there might be something to it. Otherwise, what’s between me and Niko must be a very big coincidence.”
“It’s no coincidence that I’m attracted to him,” I say, tapping my fingers against my knee.
“So you believe in it,” she says. “The mating bond…”
“No, I—” Do I?
An alarm starts blaring from Raina’s connection.
“Oh shit… Kaye, we gotta go. Remember what I said though. Say the word, and I’ll find a way to get you out of there.”
“Good luck,” I manage to shout to her before she cuts off the comm line. It’s just another reminder that we’re already mixed up in this war. And why shouldn’t we be? After all, the Azza are the ones that almost stole mine, Raina’s, and Frankie’s lives forever.
Kalla’s not quite the same as any other soldier. If he were, it would be easier to ignore the terrible things he’s done. To love a man who followed an order, a man who trusted that the point of the war would counteract the horrors… That’s a tale as old as time, right? Loving a soldier— that’s easy to digest.
