Page 71 of Grulen

“This reminds me of the best female circles on Arona,” Niksen said.“Direct and supportive.Our species have more in common than I originally thought.”

Morgan grabbed the hanging silk next to her and twisted in her hands as she considered her options.The other females left her alone and talked quietly about other unimportant things.Finally, she huffed and released the fabric.

“I’ll go see Makai now.”

“Good for you,” Kara said.“Do you want backup?”

“Thanks, but no.I should do this on my own.”Morgan stood and dusted her hands off.“I can do this.”

“Of course you can.You’re a strong, independent female.”Niksen’s tusks jutted from her lower jaw as she grinned.“We have faith in you.”

“Thanks, everyone.Hopefully, this works out.”Morgan gave the ladies a smile before she left.

Words of encouragement followed her as she made her way to the bridge.

“Can I speak to you privately?”

Makai narrowed his eyes briefly then jerked his head toward his attached office.She kept her spine straight as they entered the room, and he sat in his chair.He motioned to another seat for her.

“What do you need to talk about, Morgan?”

“What are your plans for after Arona?”

“Why?”

“If we don’t have another mission, I think we should go to Costonia and help Stalad discover his memories.”

He leaned back and rubbed his chin between his thumb and forefinger.

“You think that is an effective usage of our time and resources?It’ll take us close to a week to reach Costonia.”

“I believe it’s the right thing to do.”

“If he’s willing, we could drop him off on Arona and he could find passage from there.”

“No!I mean, I don’t think that’s fair to him.He’s been an asset to the ship.”She hesitated.“However, if that’s what you think is best, then I’d like to disembark at Arona and go with him so he has a friendly face during his recovery.”

Makai stared at her before chuckling.

“I’m teasing, Morgan.I asked Stalad this morning if he felt it was time to go.He said yes.I instructed Yaz to calculate the shortest route.”He hesitated.“What are your plans once we’re there?”

“I’ll stay until he knows who he is.After that, I don’t know.”

“I’m not sure how long theFortitudecan remain at Costonia.”

“I understand you might have to leave without me.I expect I will be welcome back there.I did spend a year on the planet.”

“What if he has a mate?Are you prepared for that?”Kind blue eyes watched her closely.

Inhaling deeply, she said, “If that’s the situation, I’ll deal with it.”Her eyes watered.“I just need to know one way or another, Makai.Even if there is no one, it still might not work out between us.Until we know who he is and what his life is, everything is in flux.”

“You’ll always be welcome to join us, Morgan.”He reached across the desk and covered her hand with his.

“Thank you.I think we both knew I would leave eventually.My training doesn’t really fit with what the Wing Raiders can use.”

“You’ve become family.We take care of our own.”His fingers squeezed once before he drew his hand back.

Sniffing, she said, “I’m going to miss all of you.”

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