Page 83 of Command

Hopefully soon, he would. When he had his vaccine.

Threxin dug in his uniform pocket after dressing, extracting a communication bracelet. He tossed it to the bed beside her, enjoying the way her eyes widened as she registered it.

“This is safer,” he said. “It links only to me.” He held his inner wrist out, showing her the adhesive comms device there.

Alina nodded and bit her bottom lip, trying to hide a smile as she took the bracelet and held it in her lap, fingers rubbing the metal.

“Thank you.” She glanced up at him from beneath her bangs.

Threxin forced himself to tear his eyes from her—if he’d waited any longer, he feared he’d never leave.

CHAPTER 38

ALINA

After Threxin had left, Alina sat slumped at the canteen with her nutrigel packet, which they’d now been switched to due to rationing. She sucked at it absently, trying to ignore the bland taste and somewhat disgusting smooth texture. She was still technically off, but her leg and hand had healed so well that she felt fine enough to get back to work, at least doing Kaia’s meal runs. Instead, she found herself taking advantage of her mandated time off.

Any other time Alina would have been raring to go make herself useful for Kaia. But lately she’s found herself caring less about her duties to Kaia and more about her role in her people’s cohabitation with the uhyre. And about Threxin, if she had to be brutally honest.

Sleeping next to Threxin felt right, even if it did take time to get used to sharing such a small bed with such a huge creature. Alina got uncomfortable sometimes, feeling the need to make space in the middle of the night. But when she’d try, Threxin always grabbed her with a sort of uncaring possessiveness and hugged her into him so tight that she couldn’t move an inch. She should feel claustrophobic, but something about his breathing and his heart against her ribs settled her down and lulled her to sleep.

Alina felt for the comms bracelet he’d given her in her jacket pocket and smiled. It made sense, logistically, that he’d open a line of communication between them that involved more than them sneaking to each other’s cabins. It was safer that way. But even though she knew perfectly well his decision to give her a comms line came from a place of logic and reason, it still felt like a gift. It felt personal.

“What are you so happy about?”

Alina came out of her daydream to find Julia Robinson pulling out the chair across from her, nutriwrap in hand. They both glanced at the uhyre guard in the doorway, who scanned them but didn’t move. The canteen was one of the few places people could still talk, a little, even just for a few minutes.

“Oh, I… Just happy my leg is feeling better,” Alina said, shoving the bracelet deeper into her pocket and going back to her wrap.

“Good, then you can get back to work at the dock.”

Alina raised an eyebrow. “Umm… I’m not sure I can move quite enough to… They said I still needed to rest for a while…”

Alina may not have felt an urge to be useful to Kaia anymore, but shelikedher job de-oiling Ariels at the dock, and she knew they were very short-staffed. Besides… sticking close to the dock might get her more information on what was going on with the communication Isabelle had sent out after the jump.

The thought of Hydra Company descending upon them at any minute quickly killed her good mood.

“I know, but I’m sure we can find some way for you to be useful,” Julia said, shoving the rest of her wrap into her mouth. “Come on.”

This was objectively out of character for Julia, whom Alina always liked but always knew exclusively in the context of their joint shifts at the dock. She’d never seemed inclined to care about roping Alina into more work. And she had a bit ofa weird look in her eye, though she was obviously trying to act casual in front of the uhyre guard.

“All right,” Alina said warily, trying to force a not at all suspicious smile on her face. “Let’s see what I can do.”

Uhyre guards did not stop them as they followed a normal shift change toward the rear dock. Only instead of Alina’s familiar path, Julia turned into an even darker side passage that she’d never seen before.

“Julia? What’s going on?” Alina whispered as the sounds of the shift change faded behind them. She peered into the darkness of the passage, expecting to see the eerie glow of apertures up ahead at any moment.

“I’m delivering some meds to my nona,” she whispered. “And I need another pair of hands.”

Alina’s heart jumped. “Down in the CRD?” she hissed, to which Julia gave a small nod.

Shit, we could get in so much trouble.

“Julia, I don’t know if I can?—”

“I’m bringing meds down and bringing samples back up for some of the elderly there,” Julia whispered. “Nobody guards this passage. They think it’s a dead end.”

If she got caught, Alina would be in so much trouble… But hell, she was probably in the best position to do something like this. If Threxin was going to go easy on anyone, maybe it’d be her… Or maybe she was delusional.

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