Page 71 of The Program

His words shouldn’t have shocked me considering the topic of our conversation, but it still took me aback. I hadn’t really thought of starting a family yet. I had only just fallen in love, and that relationship was complicated enough without the added responsibility of taking care of children. Everything was so up in the air, but that wasn’t the question he asked. Right now, bringing children into this world wasn’t the best choice, but in the future?

I pictured Artemis’ belly round with my babies, little Terran-Griknot children already running around her legs. They’d have her big brown eyes and my blue-toned skin, and tiny little fingers and toes…

The answer was yes. I did want children, and I wanted them with Artemis, but not now. Not like this.

‘This isn’t how things are supposed to go, Ryk, and Idon’t want to talk about me right now. Why didn’t you tell me you had a brother, or that he was herewith yourparents?’

He turned his head away from me, and at first I thought he was dismissing me and my question until I tracked his line of sight to where T was braced against the wall, head hung low and his mask askew. His spikes were raised and bristled as if ready for a fight. Poison dripped from their tips, so everyone was giving him a wide berth which explained the void-like bubble that surrounded him. No one wanted to get caught up in his storm.

I recalled the way Artemis didn’t even hesitate to run to him, to offer him comfort as soon as he released that first bellow of pure grief, loss, and fury. I remembered the way he’d leaned into her embrace, taking that comfort even if only for a moment before he’d pushed her away.

Whatever past they shared, it was long and complex and there were clearly still feelings involved. What those feelings were was still a mystery, but I thought I’d figured out at least some of it. At the very least T’s feelings for Artemis were romantic, but I wasn’t sure if they were reciprocated. Artemis was incredibly hard to read beyond her distaste for him, and her reaction to his anguish took me by surprise.

It took usallby surprise if the surreptitious glances the others kept making between the two were any indication. I think a few of them, especially Dorian and Cadmus, were interested in their story more so for the way it kept their minds busy when they felt so useless. We all felt useless.

I was almost certain that was the reason Artemis was throwing herself into trying to break down the barrier so much. I could practically feel the guilt radiating off of her like a scorching heat.

Between everyone’s heightened emotions and the two unconscious bodies of our friends, this room was starting to feel stifling.

‘I messed up,’ he whispered, his voice so low and quiet I almost believed I’d imagined it. ‘Back before we met. I was on Burnos because my family… well, they lost faith in me. What I did… I’ve regretted it every day since, but I can’t turn back time. I haven’t spoken to my father in many solars, and now…’

‘Now you never will,’ I finished for him, the sadness of it all making my own voice waver. His father was gone, and he would never get that closure.

‘What…’ I paused, wondering if I should even ask the question, but then decided if he didn’t want to tell me then he wouldn’t. ‘What did you do?’

He sniffed, then turned watery burgundy eyes on me. The raw emotion in them was staggering, and something I had never before bared witness to from my ever-stoic Tornu friend. Shame coloured his cheeks, and he averted his eyes when he answered.

‘I had an affair with Tormik’s fiancé.’

I blinked, not expecting that. ‘Uh, I mean that’s not great, but surely you all could have talked through it…?’ I hedged. Sleeping with your brother’s fiancé wasn’t the nicest thing to do, sure, but the way he was behaving was as if he had murdered someone instead.

He let out a humourless, self-deprecating chuckle. ‘She couldn’t handle the backlash when we were discovered. She killed herself.’

And there it was…

‘Oh,Foryk.’ I wrapped my arm around his shoulders as far as I could reach. My arms were long, but his frame was wider, so I only managed to wrap the tips of my fingers around the other side.

We sat there in silence from that moment, his tears making tracks down his cheeks but he never made a sound. Eventually, his body collapsed against mine as the exhaustion of the day finally got to him. Dorian rushed over when he noticed me straining under his weight to help me lower him gently to the floor. He didn’t even stir, fully in sleep’s grasp.

My eyes connected with Arty’s from across the room, concern etching deep grooved into her forehead and around her eyes when they flicked toForyk’s prone form. She then glanced briefly towards T, who’s name I’d just discovered thanks to Foryk’s story. When his eyes continued to burn holes through the floor, Artemis turned back to her task, those lines digging even deeper into her face.

Dorian stayed nearby, watching me curiously as I studied my woman. I had imagined the two of us coming together in passion, our naked bodies intertwined, more times than I could count. But each of those times was infinitely more romantic than fucking her at the behest of an evil scientist who just wanted to knock her up and steal her baby.

My baby,I reminded myself. If we did this and my little swimmers were successful, he would also be stealingmychild. And a royal child, at that.

‘You probably don’t have much longer until he comes back,’ Dorian stated, the reminder not one I needed. I was well aware of the time crunch and the stakes, but that wasn’t the issue. I had no problem fucking Artemis. The circumstances and the environment weren’t ideal, but exhibitionism wasn’t something I was concerned about. In fact, I was turned on by the idea, which was why sharing lovers with Foryk had become our go-to bonding activity back on Burnos.

The issue was that this would be Artemis’s first time, and I didn’t want it to be this way. She deserved romance and courtship and all the love and respect in the Intergalactic Union and beyond. I didn’t know how to give that to her in this situation, especially with the way she was currently avoiding me and focusing all her intent on getting us out of here.

So, my response was a noncommittal grunt.

‘Is there… some way we can help?’ he asked, and my head whipped around to stare at him in shock.

‘No, I just mean… with all of us in here the two of you won’t have any privacy. Is there some way we can make things easier for you both when you… you know…?’

I sighed. ‘I don’t know. I don’t know what to do or how to do this without causing any more trauma to her. Or others. This is fucked up.’

A deep, rough groan resounded throughout the room. Everyone halted what they were doing and turned to stare at Reece who was finally stirring for the first time since we’d arrived.

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