Page 163 of Star Claimed Omega
Soleil didn’t look up; she just cleaned and muttered the greeting. ‘Welcome toKahawa Metro. What can I get you?’
After a short pause, a dulcet voice intoned.
‘I’ll take anythingyouserve.’
That vocalization hit hard as its smooth, familiar intonation washed over Soleil.
Her head jerked up. Her breath hitched, and her knees almost buckled.
Miral.
Standing at the counter, an amused half-smile curling her lips.
Her long sable cloak shimmered under the café lights, threaded with metanoid fibers that caught every movement like rippling starlight.
The fabric swayed with predatory grace, the high collar framing her stunning ebony face.
Just beneath the folds of that gleaming obsidian drape, Soleil glimpsed the distinct curve of holstered weapons, compact, deadly firearms that were custom-forged and whisper-silent.
Her gloves were fingerless, black with embedded sensor threads, and the gleam of her wristband flickered with blue tactical pulses.
Her boots were matte alloy, soundless, her style badass to the core.
Miral stood, head tilted with an amused half-smile curling her lips, her eyes sparkling with affection as she studied Soleil.
‘New haircut? I like it,’ she intoned.
Soleil took a ragged inhale. ‘How did you find me?’
‘I have a knack at finding those who don’t want to be found,’ Miral replied.
Her heart slammed in her chest. ‘Are you here to arrest me?’
Miral’s face softened. ‘Never. You acted under coercion, that is now clear. From Signet’s end, you’re clear, even according to Xander. You’re not a fugitive, Soleil. You’re a survivor.’
The words struck harder than they should have. Her throat tightened.
‘Do you have time to talk?’ Miral murmured.
Soleil hesitated. ‘I’ll check with mykhan. Take a seat.’
She moved to the rear of the eatery, the tension in her spine radiating with each step.
Krohn was barking orders to a Lina when she approached.
‘I’ve got a guest,’ she said, wiping her hands. ‘I need five minutes with them.’
Krohn didn’t even glance her way. ‘Visitor or not, if you leave the counter, I’ll dock your pay for the time taken.’
‘You sure you want my friend hearing that shit?’
‘Fokkyou, I’m the boss around -.’
Krohn’s words cut off mid-rant as he leaned beyond her and spotted the cloaked figure at the front.
Miral pulled her hood back just enough for her eyes to glint at him.
Her liquid synth eyes glowed with such menacing radiance that Krohn’s face drained of color.
