Page 32 of Hunting the Warlord's Daughter

“I’m used to wearing glasses. If we have the time, fine, but it’s not important.” She waved her hand as if dismissing the idea.

“It certainly is important. It’s importantto me.”

Her eyes intensified in color, a piercing shade of violet-blue that never failed to touch his soul. She squinted up at him as if she were looking for clues, trying to figure him out.

He nearly caressed her cheek, if only to assure her that he had things well in hand, that she needn’t worry; he’d always look out for her. But “always” was a loaded word. Aye, first cousins with “forever” and a “real marriage.”

You’re not to pressure her.He started to lift the glasses to her face, as he had in the camp, but as she tilted her chin up, he placed them in her palm instead. “You need to be able to see,” he said gruffly. “I don’t understand why the warlord never sought to repair your vision. I’d assumed he had long ago.”

Wren frowned at the glasses cupped in her hand. “Sabra thought it was intentional. He wanted to keep his prize racehorse hobbled so I couldn’t run away.”

Kaz let out a sound of disgust.

Wren donned the spectacles. They sat crookedly on her nose. “Well, if you can arrange it, and it doesn’t slow us down, I’ll be grateful. If not, I can hardly concern myself with a little nearsightedness when so many in the Empire suffered and died from diseases and injuries. No one’s died from those things on Coalition worlds for centuries, I heard in the camp. Why is that? I’ll tell you.” She pushed hard on her glasses. “My father spent his money on war and not medicine for regular people. He and all the warlords before him did the same. No wonder the goddesses fled over the border. No wonder the people rose up and overthrew the government. They had to rid themselves of the worst disease of all—their leadership! Now they fear a relapse.” She poked her finger against her chest. “Me. Maybe they’re justified, believing I’m a threat to peace. Well, they can’t have me yet. There are wrongs to be righted first. I want to help people hurt by the war, especially the children. I don’t know how exactly, but that treasure is going to count for good.”

Her braid swinging, she hunched her small shoulders and spun away to glare out the viewport. “No one will stop me,” she said under her breath. He felt as if he’d just witnessed the passage of a small, yet fierce, storm.

Kaz arched a brow at him.I told you so,her smirk seemed to say.She’s not at all what you expected.

Truth. She was much more.

Gone—long gone, it seemed—was the unsure thirteen-year-old. In her place was a truly tough woman, not some a timid, boarding-school-bred creature like so many noblemen’s daughters. In a short time, she’d proven herself to be independent and resourceful, driving home the realization that despite years of thinking about her, he knew very little about her. They might be heading into the Uncharted Territories, the wild fringes of the galaxy, but Awrenkka “Wren” Rakkuu was his very own uncharted territory.

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

Hadley waitedto board a lift to her quarters, her nose in her data-vis as she tried to make sense of a diagram of personality traits. Why was human interaction so confusing?

Bolivarr slipped into the lift as the door closed, sealing them into the compartment—alone. “Hey.”

“Oh, hey.” She inhaled his scent, his sudden, quiet presence. Her cloud shadow. A smile lit up his face, but his skin had taken on a slightly ashen cast. Shadows had lodged under his eyes and in the hollows of his cheekbones. He looked exhausted.

The door had barely shut when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.Goddess. She melted, her data-vis sandwiched between them. He tasted minty and sweet, like stim-tea, a potent beverage favored by the Drakken. “Wow,” she said against his lips. “What wasthatfor?”

“What’s the kiss for?” He shook his head.

“It’s been a while since we kissed. I was beginning to think of it as the curse of the—” She almost said red earrings. “The curse of too few hours in the day.”

“Way too few,” he agreed. “I’ve seen you hardly at all.” He hunched his shoulders. “You’ve been studying a lot, I guess.”

“The exam is in two weeks.”

“Don’t you have one tomorrow?”

“That’s only Advanced Quantum Mechanics.” As part of her Basic Starship Leadership Training course, she’d have to pass several modules on starship systems, plus advanced physics and engineering, all squarely in her skill set. “The one in two weeks is the problem: Interpersonal Relations in the Workplace.” She made a face. “People problems. Bleh.”

“I can help.”

She laughed. “I may be beyond help.”

His dark eyes sparkled. “I’ll be the judge of that.” The timbre of his voice did distracting things to her insides.

“Are you volunteering to help me study tonight? I have to go over this schematic.”

“If I may.” He traced his fingertip across the top fastener on her uniform collar. “I’ll make sure you’re well prepared for next week.”

“That does sound a lot more appealing than studying alone.”

“Of course I’m more appealing. You can go over my schematic if you need to.” He patted his chest. “All my planes and angles.”

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