Page 4 of Essa

I should probably figure it out with him in our minds, but he's annoying me right now. I got us this far, and he's still so skittish. I get it. We're one bad stop away from being back in the lab, back to having slave collars around our necks and being forced through experiments. But I'm bad about risk assessment. Who would've ever guessed that when you get rid of fear responses, you also become bad at fully thinking things through?

"You're a crew that works for the Intergalactic Alliance, but you don't mind breaking laws if it means helping others. You see us as helpless, so you're willing to take on this job even if the IA didn't sanction it," I say, shrugging my shoulders before continuing. "The crew we're meeting with is one that doesn't work for the IA. They're known amongst runaway clones, though. Not that there are many of us. They can help with fake identification and new lives. Like you, they take pity on helpless creatures."

"I doubt they're doing it to be altruistic," Alik says.

"This is the payment they asked for." Seth pulls out the vintage sewing patterns we managed to find on Earth. "We don't know why they wanted these, but it's what they asked for."

Jovi grabs one of the paper envelopes. The patterns are neatly folded inside. The image on the outside is a colored sketch of a woman in a dress with way too many layers. I've never seen someone wear something like it on Earth except for the period dramas I remember from Original Adam's memories.

"Okay, so here's the plan. You're trapped on the ship with us for the next few weeks while we act like everything's normal. The crew we're sending you off with is busy with a run right now. It's safer for all of us if you stay here until they can safely come to get you." Alik tosses the envelope back to Seth, who stuffs it into his pack.

We don't have a lot of possessions, one backpack each. It's helpful to keep light possessions when we've been on the run for the last couple of years, not staying anywhere long enough that we might get tracked down.

Do you trust this?Seth asks.

We have no choice.I answer, hating that this is our life now. We have to put our trust in strangers. I don't like relying on anyone but myself.

"Fine by us," I say.

Alik looks between the two of us. He has three eyes, and all three hold more suspicion than any other emotion. Yeah, this crew is willing to help us, but that doesn't mean any of them trust us. Good, there's nothing we've done to make them do that. In all honesty, they shouldn't have allowed us on this ship at all. They don't know us.

Stop staring everyone down.Seth's words are exasperating, but he's probably right.

Nothing good comes from me questioning everyone's authority on the ship. I might have issues with authority figures, but that doesn't mean I should be openly hostile to all of them. I mean, I want to, and I could, but Seth is here, and as much as I hate relying on someone else, we're a pair at this point. Wherever he goes, I go. We keep each other centered, and sometimes, I have to listen to him even if I don't want to.

I drop my eyes, letting Alik think he's won this round of seeing who can stare down who the hardest. It's a stupid game that I'd easily always win because I have no fear. This male is stronger than me, taller than me, and more powerful in every sense. I have secret weapons, though—one none of the people on this ship need to find out about.

"You'll be staying in the pleasure crew room," Jovi says. He smiles at both of us, his features smoother, less filled with apprehension than his partner. "We aren't sure how much you want to interact with us, so you can have this." He tosses something over to us, and Seth grabs it. It's a pendant attached to a chain. Seth's brows furrow as he looks at it.

"It's a pleasure crew pendant." Jovi laughs. My jaw tightens, eyes hardening.

"We're no one's fuck toy," I snap.

Jovi's easygoing attitude is gone in an instant, his gaze turning just as deadly as Alik's. "Our mate was a pleasure crew. Seeing as you didn't know that, I'm going to let the disrespectful comment slide this time."

Apologize now.

My nostrils flare as I stare up at Jovi, not blinking. He growls low in his chest, the sound rumbling through the room. It makes my teeth pull back until I bare them at him, a movement he mirrors.

You're going to get us killed, you stupid fuck!

My jaw is stiff as I force words through my teeth, my lips barely wanting to form the movements. "I'm sorry."

Jovi's eyes narrow slightly, but he nods, his expression softening, but it doesn't return to the easygoing smile he was wearing earlier. Alik stays staring at me, but I don't meet his gaze. Seth's already told me I pushed him too hard. I shouldn't be trying to push anyone, but I can't help myself.

"Look, just use the pendant to let us know if you want us to acknowledge you," Jovi says. "Green means we can hang out with you. Red means to leave you the fuck alone."

I snatch the pendant away from Seth, finding the notch to change the color. I click through it a few times until the pendant lights up a bright red. I hold it up, cocking one of my brows up at them. I can feel Seth cringing beside me, but I don't care about that. I care about getting all of these aliens to leave us alone. I'm being asked to be civil around them, and that's hard enough in small bursts.

Alik and Jovi share a look before shaking their heads. As they leave the entertainment room, I can hear Jovi mutter under his breath. "Fucking assholes."

I should feel bad that Seth is getting lumped into my assholeness, but I don't. I may not be able to act like a normal human, but I've kept us alive this long. And the way to survive is not to grow attached to anyone. I've already broken that rule when it came to Seth. I can't let us get close to anyone else.

Why do you have to act like that?Seth asks.

I don't answer his question. He doesn't need me to. I'm this way because I was made to be this way. As much as he hates how I act sometimes, he loves me. I won't let anything happen to us. Never again, and if that means I make enemies all across the cosmos, so be it. As long as he's safe, there's nothing I wouldn't do.

I want to get you back to the room.I say, ignoring how upset he is with me.

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