Page 25 of Her Cyborg Commander
She snorted with laughter. Over the last few days, they’d begun to be comfortable with each other. “In the bedroom, yes. In the real world? I’m still in control. I have to be.”
They lapsed into thoughtful silence that somehow never grew awkward. It was another change to the way they interacted. She liked it. She liked almost everything about spending time with Edge, unless they were arguing. Even that had benefits, since nearly every time they fought, they wound up having sex.
Today was no different. They’d spent the morning doing the usual chores around camp and then retreated to the shelter when the afternoon sun grew too strong. They’d argued before they’d even finished lunch and ended up back in bed with their meal still downstairs, half eaten.
Finally, Edge spoke again. “What if we went somewhere else?”
It wasn’t the first time the idea had come up, but something about his tone made her hesitate to say no without hearing more. “We could, but where? Cyborgs aren’t exactly welcome in most parts of the known galaxy. If we went somewhere populated, it would be like Haven all over again. If Jens comes after me, I’d be putting innocent people at risk.”
“The IAF protects plenty of planets and space stations.”
She tapped his chest. “The Interstellar Armed Forces are hunting us. Remember? I’d rather live the rest of my life herethan in a military prison. And what if they’re not the ones that find us? What if it’s Corporate Security? Some of the corporations are still aligned with Torex. They’d hand us over in a heartbeat. And even if they didn’t, being in corporate custody would make it too easy for Jens or the Shadows to find us.”
Her frustration with the situation bled into her next words. “I didn’t pick this place on a whim, you know. I considered all the alternatives I had available. This was the best I could come up with.”
“I know, minx. But when you made this plan, you didn’t have the same resources you do now.”
“And what would those be?”
“Me. You have me.” He paused. “And my scrip. I haven’t spent much of it. Wasn’t really a need back home. The Vardarian society might have its own issues, but they know how to take care of each other.”
Before River could reply, he spoke again, his tone brighter now. “Wait. What if we went to Vardarian space?”
“I…” she trailed off as she frantically organized her thoughts into something coherent. “Do you think that’s possible?”
“I have no idea, but I can ask. Tyran’s afraxxingprince of the empire. Surely he can pull some strings?”
“We’d have to talk to him directly. And we still need to bring Eddi back,” she mused. This wasn’t something she’d considered before, because if she’d told anyone what she had planned, they would have stopped her.
“Sevda could always come get Eddi. She mentioned that she’d love to go off-planet at some point. It can’t be easy for her. She was a scout for decades, and then suddenly she’s grounded. In some ways, she’s as much a prisoner as we are,” Edge said.
“You realize that’s true of the Vardarians, too? They can leave, sure, but how many have gone back to the empire? Everysingle one of them left for a reason, and they don’t want to go back. Some of them can’t.”
He nodded. “I know. I didn’t see it at first. I was too angry about…” He grunted and managed a partial shrug. “About a lot of things.”
“No kidding,” River commented, her tone dry.
“And I’m still not over all of it. I don’t know if I ever will be. If I get a chance for payback, you know I’m taking it.”
“And you think I don’t want that?”
His brow furrowed into deep lines as he considered that. “Is that part of the reason you came out here alone? Revenge?”
“Maybe.” She hadn’t considered that to be a driving force behind her decision, but she’d been too caught up in the how part of her plan to really think about thewhy.
She didn’t feel like going down that particular wormhole right now, so she changed the subject back to their original topic. “You’d really be okay going into exile with me?”
“Minx, in case I haven’t made myself clear, I am not going anywhere without you. That said, if you really want to stay here, we’re going to need more supplies.”
“Hardly. I’ve got more than enough to keep us going for at least a year. If you like nutri-bars and reconstituted algae broth.”
He grimaced. “I do not. And neither do you. I cannot believe that’s what you brought to eat!”
“As backup supplies. The ready-to-eat meals aren’t so bad.”
“Says you. I’m starting to question your taste, minx. They must have broken something while you were still in your maturation tank.”
She stuck her tongue out at him before replying. “My tongue works perfectly, as well you should know.”
