Page 25 of Alliance

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If I shaved off my curls, would I be able to see my own wiring like that?

He grinned a little wider, then unfurled his matte black hand one finger at a time.

“Traveler,” he introduced himself. “You must be the young lady.”

“Hello, I am Roz.”

I took his hand and gave it the perfect amount of pressure for a human handshake. His bottomless eyes sharpened.

“Indeed…”

“Captain?” Fásach said, pulling our attention. His ears were tense, a crease in his brow as he inspected the man’s human features. “It’s been a long time.”

“Has it?” he asked flippantly.

“You’ve changed.” Fásach gestured at his face. “Alot.”

“So have you.”

Traveler scanned the yiwren from tip to toe, my hand still clasped in his. TheMummer’scode vibrated between our palms, and my focus fell to it with fervor. What was he saying to me? Why couldn’t I understand it?

“Roz?”

My eyes snapped up to Fásach. His ears were angled back, Safia and Misila under his palms now. He’d picked up their bags while I was lost in thought and stood holding mine out to me. I let go of Traveler’s hand and took my things, bashful that I’d fallen out of time sync. “Sorry.”

Traveler showed us to our quarters. He insisted that they weren’t much, but I’d never had more than a charging pod. When he showed Fásach and his daughters to their room first, Fásach brushed his fingers against my forearm to stop me from leaving.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, concern still evident in the set of his ears. The hair along his back stood up, pokingat his shirt, making his shoulders look larger. He glanced at Traveler leaning in the doorway, waiting patiently. “Traveler is doing us a favor, but don’t mistake him for a friend, Roz.”

I opened my mouth to deny it. Traveler was being kind, wasn’t he? He was helping us get to Yaspur without asking for anything in return.

The velvety edges of memories pressed against my mind. I was shorter, holding my papi’s hand amidst a crowd of humans lined up at an armed border early in the morning. He held my hand too tightly as we walked into a market, then down an alley. We never returned to that border again.

And we’d always avoided men with authority after that, no matter how nicely they smiled.

I pressed my lips together and gave Fásach a single nod. “I understand.”

He let my arm go with reluctance as Misila pulled him into their room, even while his eyes remained fastened to mine.

“We’ll get settled,” he said as she tugged on his shirt, “then I’ll come find you.”

“Okay.”

The door between us slid shut and my heart skipped.

“Miss him already?” Traveler teased.

I blinked up at the captain, thinking about how I should answer, but he rolled off the wall and sauntered down the passage without waiting for one. I followed on his heels, listening to theMummeragain now that it was quiet.

“Your room,” Traveler said with a flourish as the next door opened.

“All of this is just for me?” I asked with excitement. A long, slender bed took up the entire length of the room on one side. There were four shelves, a printing bay, and a wardrobe set in the wall large enough to clean an outfit and a pair of shoes.

Compared to Fásach’s home it was very small, but for just one person, surely it was big.

Traveler seemed amused as I stepped into the room two paces, bumped up against the bed, and turned to smile at him. “Thank you, Captain Traveler.”

He smirked. “Just Traveler. Nearly forgot the most important feature.” He joined me and the door closed. There was just enough room for him to lean over my shoulder and open a cabinet above the pillow. He withdrew a charging cable and waggled it from side to side, his chuckle warming my shoulder. “Won’t get far without this, will you?”