Page 46 of Trained as His Mate

It was always the same with her. Quaia’s eyes rolled back in her head as she tipped her head back and whisper-screamed at the ceiling.

“I believe your health appears to be… robust,” Avalar said. “I will inform the captain.”

Quaia was speechless, panting slightly from her temper tantrum. It had been weeks since she’d been sent, via shuttle, to the station with Avalar. The first week, she’d been truly ill and weak, and the wait hadn’t been difficult because she’d spent such a huge amount of time sleeping.

But after that, it had become unbearable. She was awake, her memory was intact, she had gathered that she’d been returned from her crash site by Captain Torian.

But Torian himself was not on the station. Avalar had used a variety of excuses for his absence: his revoked docking license was a personal revocation (which Quaia knew to be untrue); her physical health wasn’t strong enough (which she also knew to be untrue, even if she hadn’t been able to get cleared for flight duty by a physician, she was in perfectly fine health to see a person).

And now, now she was cleared for flight duty, but Farange had refused to let her fly. Even though he had a backlog of cargo and no pilots. Farange was also suspiciously disaffected by her destruction of his ship; he almost even seemed happy about it.

But he wouldn’t disclose anything about that, either.

Also suspicious, though not unpleasant: the continued absence of High Mother.

Quaia stared back at Avalar. “You mean you’ll inform him. As in, he will finally come and see me?” she asked warily.

Avalar nodded solemnly. “If it is his wish, my friend.”

Quaia resisted the urge to boil over. She exhaled to calm herself down, and sat down on her bed. Avalar couldn’t depart for Torian’s ship—not the Andomocles, but another ship, also unexplained—for hours. “Well,” she said. “Fine. Do you want to play a game or something to pass the time? I’m bored out of my gourd here.”

Avalar seemed hesitant, approaching with reticence as Quaia took out a flight simulator hologram game. It wasn’t great, but it could be fun, and it was better than doing nothing with Avalar, who was like a vault with information.

Quaia looked at her. “What’s up? I know it’s a stupid game, but you won’t tell me anything I want to know, and this way we’re at least doing something.”

Avalar pursed her lips. “There is… no problem,” she said quietly.

“You don’t seem to want to play, though,” Quaia said, tipping her head and looking at her Voklish friend pensively. Avalar was still smiling.

She’d always assumed this was because she had secret information and enjoyed keeping secrets. But now that she gave it some thought, that wasn’t really Avalar’s personality. Or at least it hadn’t been, on the Andomocles.

“What’s up with you?” she asked Avalar.

“Up with me?” Avalar asked, feigning to not understand the idiom.

“Well, that’s a dead giveaway,” Quaia said. “You know what I mean… oh, my Suns, you’re blushing.” Quaia felt a rush—for one thing, this was, at last, something interesting to distract her from her incessant thoughts of Torian. For another, it seemed like… was it too good to be true?… Avalar had a love interest.

“Avalar,” Quaia said, when she didn’t say anything. “Are you smiling about something, you know… not about any of …” she swept her hand around her quarters, “…this?”

“Perhaps.” Avalar smiled secretively.

Quaia plopped on the bed. “Avalar. Come on.” When her friend didn’t say anything, Quaia threw herself backwards and gave an exasperated sigh. “Don’t tell me Torian said you can’t tell me about this!”

She sat up. Avalar smiled and twisted her hands. “Okay,” she said in a whisper. “I suppose…”

“Don’t tease me,” Quaia snapped. “Get over here and tell me everything.”

Avalar’s eyes shifted between the bed and the door.

“Oh,” Quaia said. “Hmmm… I see. Okay, don’t tell me everything. But just tell me something. Before you go. Who are you meeting?”

Avalar shook her head and grinned, looking at her feet.

“Please, Avalar!”

Avalar looked up at her. “It’s no one you know.”

Quaia looked up at the ceiling and crossed her arms. “I know everyone on the station.” Her eyes went wide with alarm, and she tipped her head to look at Avalar. “Please don’t tell me it’s Farange?”

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