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He sat on the bed and settled her on his lap. A hairbrush manifested in his hand, and he worked from the bottom up.
“I always wondered at the length of your hair.”
“The Uraddan researchers kept shaving my head so that the tattoo was readily available. There were more like me, but they all died.”
“How many were there?”
“Twenty-six. I was the only survivor. Turns out the researchers were shit at their jobs.”
“Were you born in the lab?”
“Sort of. I was made in the lab. Nelith is my progenitor.”
“Are you just saying that?” He paused.
“No. I am a clone. Maker’s mark is on my skull. There is no getting away from it. It’s why I get such fun assignments. They were pissed when I didn’t develop the blade that Nelith has, but my horse came in handy.”
“You don’t look the same as Nelith.”
“Genetics can be completely random. I am made of the same stuff as her, but in me, it came out different.” She chuckled. “Technically, the activity is the same, but I choose a different way to manifest it. Nelith manifested as a child while trying to learn to bake with her mom and sister. She was slicing apples with her fingertips when a neighbour turned her in.”
“How did you manifest?” He resumed brushing.
“I held it in until I escaped. I had seen images of horses, and they looked so fast, so I wanted to have one. That is my manifestation. The armour also came from images I was shown, but that was later. Sympathizers unlocked my cage, and as soon as I got to the road, the horse appeared under me, and I was off. We galloped down the road, past checkpoints and everything. When I got to the border, someone was waiting.”
He paused and wrapped his arms around her. “If I had been there, I would have gotten you out.”
She chuckled. “You were in your early teens. I was seventeen.”
“I had already activated. I would have come for you.” He hugged her.
Xeva reached and then put her hands over his. “Thank you.”
He kissed her shoulder and went back to brushing her hair.
When he was done, she said. “Thank you. I understand if my origin is appalling. You have a solid family, and the idea of clones is a little freaky for most people. Thanks for not saying that I am not a real person. I got that a lot in training.”
He turned her on his lap. “You are a person. You are my person. I also have seen you with Nelith, and you definitely have a family. You have a sister.”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
“So, you picked a horse because you saw a video?”
She nodded.
“Good thing you didn’t see a whale.”
“It would have taken longer to get through the gate.” She smiled.
“I would like to kiss you, but we are no longer under contract.”
His features were so serious that she waited for a few heartbeats before she said, “I haven’t kissed anyone outside of a contract before. I wouldn’t mind trying.”
His brows nearly met as he frowned. “What?”
Insecurity flashed through her. “Uh, never mind. I suppose I should get back to bed. I am tired.”
“You like to run, don’t you?” His expression was sweet all of a sudden.
