Page 47 of Kiss of Fury

Honoria held out a steaming cup. “Can I come in? Talk to you for a minute? This is for you. It’s not coffee, but it does offer an energy boost. I thought maybe you could use it.”

“I could. Thank you.” She felt like a wet dish rag. She stepped aside, let the other woman in, and gratefully accepted the proffered mug. She took a sip. Pleasant, rich almost-nutty taste. Not sweet but not bitter. “I suppose you’re here on behalf of the elephant in the room.” She peered over the rim.

“Mike is miserable. He’s afraid he’s lost you forever.”

“He’s not wrong. Do you have any idea what he is—whattheyare?”

“They’re cyborgs. I won’t say more than that because you should get the story from Mike. I can guess what you think you know, but I’m asking you to please give him a chance to tell you his side.

“When I found out about Steel, I ran into the paddock. Steel threw himself between me and a charging horniger. He nearly died saving me. Almost losing him altered my perspective. I realized it mattered more what Steel is now than what he had been.”

“But they’re assassins! They killed the mayor and twenty-four other people! How can you excuse that?”

“They were not involved in the Chicago massacre, but the conversation is veering down a path you need to walk with Mike. If you have any questions after talking to him, I’d be happy to answer them, but get the story from him first. He’s at our cabin.”

“I’d planned to go talk to him this morning, but—”

“I’m ready!” All dressed, Brody entered the main room.

“I have to feed my son and drop him off at the school.”

“I can do that if you’d like,” Honoria offered, smiling at Brody.

“All right, thank you.” Her heart and stomach fluttered at the prospect of seeing Mike.

“Do you know where I live?”

“No.”

“We’re the next row down on the other side. Come. I’ll walk with you and point out our cabin, and then I’ll take him to the mess.”

Verity took one last sip of the hot beverage, regretting not having extended more of an effort to connect with Honoria. Ironically, if she had, she might have learned the truth sooner.

How had the other woman accepted that her husband was a killer? Honoria must have felt there were mitigating circumstances. She had a hard time imagining what those could be. She could accept Mike being a cyborg—that didn’t bother her at all. But killing people for hire? No. No, no.

She bundled Brody into his coat, donned hers, and they left the cabin.

Chapter Twenty-One

Fury hung his head. “She hates me.”

“You can’t think that way. Wait and see.” Steel tried to be encouraging, but the fact he didn’t outright contradict him spoke volumes.

He’d spent the night at his friend’s cabin. “You didn’t see her face.” He squeezed his eyes shut in a vain attempt to block out her expression of terror.

“I know what you’re going through. I’ve been there, my friend. Honoria freaked, too.”

“But then you got gored by a horniger, and she realized how much she cared for you. I wasn’t that lucky.”

“Yeah, that was pretty lucky—me almost dying,” Steel said drily.

“What if Honoria can’t convince her to come talk to me?”

“Then we’ll try something else.”

“What?”

“I don’t know yet.”

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