Page 42 of Breakaway
"Thank you, Zill," I say, scooching up his body until I can place a kiss on his cheek. "I'm going to shower now. Do you want to see if we can both fit in there?"
Zill looks over to the bathroom, and I can see the gears in his head moving as he tries to figure out if it's even possible for us to both fit in the shower. He tilts his head slightly, and I realize he's listening to his shadows. It's fascinating to watch because I don't think he even realizes he has tells when he's doing it. His brows go up for a second.
"If we don't fit together, can I stand against the wall and watch you wash yourself?"
"I would expect nothing less," I tell him. He catches my ankle as I go to crawl off the bed, and when I turn to look at him over my shoulder, I wonder if he's managed to rouse himself for a seventh time.
"They want you to know that they can fit with you no matter what."
I let my gaze flick over the shadows that are still dancing around and swirling, ready to please me even if Zill is too exhausted.
"You'd better stand close enough then."
And with that, I wiggle out of his grip and make a dash for the bathroom. Zill is slow to move, but his shadows chase afterme until their length runs out. I start up the water and am only a little surprised when the first smoky tendril wraps around my wet body.
CHAPTER 16
ZILL
Breaking News! New collector pieces for fans or a dirty cash grab? Empress to release old albums with new covers.
The transport is filled with shadows, all trying to keep themselves tucked away and not in anyone's business. Well, all of them are except for mine. Mine are currently roaming over Reese's body as she stares out the window, eyes wide. Watching her, in awe of the world and the beauty of it all, is something I love seeing on her face. She's been up to port stations before, but she told me it never gets old seeing the world from so high above.
"Where were you from?" Reese asks, her nose still pressed to the glass as we continue our descent back to planetside.
I'm about to tell her that my family's always been on the west coast, and I'd still be there if not for starting up the security company and being needed out in space more often than back home. But it's not me she's asking, something I would've known if I were in her head.
"Middle of nowhere Montana district," Kolos says, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning his head back against his seat. "My mother works for a very successful family in weapons manufacturing. And before you ask, because I can already hearit rattling around in your head, no, I have no interest in working for them. Dreadful people, truly."
"And you?" Reese asks, not bothering to look at Isha as she asks.
"My brother and I were born on Sombra. It's a nicer planet than Earth, no offense. But when you're as strong as Skia and I are, it's expected of you to find work outside the system."
"Do you regret it?" Reese asks, finally turning to face the other woman.
"Do you regret your line of work?" Isha asks, a small smile on her lips.
"Sometimes," Reese answers, then looks back out the window. "But I've enjoyed it more than I've regretted it. Plus, I wouldn't have met Zill if I'd stayed working at the bar I was serving at when I was nineteen."
"That's another reason Sombrans travel so much," I say, wanting to be a part of the conversation. Reese is much quicker to turn to face me when I talk than she was with the other Sombrans, and it's silly to feel smug about it, but I do. "We're looking for our soulbonds."
"How common are they?" Reese asks as my shadows squeeze her a bit tighter.
"Most of us eventually find them," I say with a slight shrug. "Our shadows guide us in ways that we're pretty sure are meant to help us locate them."
"And bonds with other species are common?"
"They're more common with some species than others," I tell her. "Humans are some of the more common ones because of our compatibility. Lokans are relatively normal to be bonded to, and Straxions, I think."
"Rytharians," Kolos says. "Quite a few of us bond to Rytharians."
"Which is always so surprising to me, seeing as the sheer amount of sexual thoughts on that planet is so great that you can hear them as soon as you enter the atmosphere," Isha says with a little shiver. She's being dramatic, of course, but the people who live on Rythar are voracious breeders.
"Probably because of how horny all of your shadows are," Reese says more to herself than to anyone in the transport, but we all hear it. Isha glares at me as if it's my fault my shadows are making Reese judge all Sombran shadows, while Kolos snickers at the comment.
"They are insatiable once they're awoken," Kolos says, and because I don't like the idea of him talking about anything sexual with my soulbond, I glare at him until it's clear he should change the subject. "Speaking of insatiable, do the two of you plan on the events of last night frequently? It's fine if so, I'm just trying to figure out what precautions to take so my shadows and I don't listen in. Then again, it wasn't like I needed to be in anyone's head to hear Ree–"
Reese holds up a hand, and Kolos stops talking, his taunting smile still on his lips as he looks to my soulbond. Neither of them speaks, and I wish more than anything that I were in Reese's head so I could listen to whatever it is she's telling him. Based on the way Isha's lip is twitching as she tries to conceal her smile, it's clear to me that it's an enjoyable conversation.
