“I’m sorry you got your hopes up,” Lucie said, even though she longed to ask this man all about the woman whose DNA she wore.
Santiago pushed his hand through his hair, staring at her.
Lucie could see in his face the thousands of questions that he wanted to ask her. The chief of those would be: “I want to talk to you formuchlonger, while I pretend you are Blake and can have her back in my life for a little while.”
Which was exactly why he could not ask that of her. On this, the social rules were firm. The Varkan institute where she had been transferred had been just as firm. In situations like this, it would be unfair to Lucie to linger in the company of someone who’d known the human her DNA came from.
It would also deliver nothing but pain for this man.
Lucie shook her head, anticipating the unspoken question.
One of the uniformed crew came up alongside Santiago. “Captain…”
Santiago blew out an impatient breath. “I’ll be right there.”
The crewman glanced at Lucie. His eyes didn’t narrow. He didn’t look shocked. Clearly, he had not known Blake whoever. He trudged away again.
Santiago shook off his distress. Lucie could see him do it. He understood the etiquette, too.
But it was taking everything he had to distance himself. She could see it in the fine trembling of his hands. The way he wassquaring his shoulders and breathing heavily. His pulse was visible on the side of his neck, beating hard.
“I’m sorry,” Lucie repeated. She picked up her pack. “I’m only in Charlton for a few days, then I’ll be gone.”
“To where?” he asked, trying to sound disinterested. Merely polite.
Lucie hesitated. Should she tell him where she would be? It would be better to make a complete break. Just disappear out of his life with no clue where she had gone.
But he was trying to be polite, to smooth over his gaff. Was he embarrassed?
It seemed only fair to meet him half-way. “Nicia,” she said. “Three days here, then three on Nicia. It’s sort of a grand tour, you see…” She grimaced at the her patently peppy tone.
“Charlton, Nicia…” He raised a brow. “The Ivory City…and…Shanterry?”
Lucia felt her lips part. “How did you guess?’
“All the Varkan historical hotspots,” he said. “Youarea new Varkan, aren’t you?”
She could feel her cheeks heating. “I’ve been sentient for nineteen years.”
“And how long have you been a Varkan?”
She pressed her lips together. “Ten years.”
Santiago smiled. He wasn’t laughingather, she knew that. “A mere baby,” he said softly. Then he frowned. “Nicia in three days? That’s my flight.”
Her middle sank. She suddenly didn’t want to be on that flight. Not at all.
This was getting worse.
She squeezed the strap of her pack. “Well…I should let you get back to work.” She could see past him, to where the crewmember was standing a discreet distance away, clearly waiting for Santiago to finish chatting with the passengers.
Santiago’s fists tightened. He nodded. “Yes,” he said firmly. He stood for a moment more. “Have a good life…”
Was he waiting for her to supply her name?
Lucie nodded. “Yes, you too, Captain Santiago.” She turned and hurried along the painted lane toward the landing bay door. The bright lights beyond the bay now beckoned for a different reason.
Once she was beyond the door, she could slide amongst the people out there andreallydisappear.
