Page 69 of Space for More

I’d considered calling out for help when Tysea herded me through the crowded hotel lobby, but their tight grip on my arm held enough threat of violence that I couldn’t make myself speak.

I slump to the ground and curse as fresh tears threaten to ruin my makeup.Focus, Eden! You don’t have time to cry.

This whole situation is so fucked. And for what? Why go through all this effort to catch Phelix in a deal for mundane medical schematics? It doesn’t make any sense. If he’s caught selling that type of data illegally, surely the crime won’t come with more than a fine that he could easily pay. They’re obviously not agents of the Xi Consortium, so who the hell are they? Enemies of his familyhoping to smear his house’s name? Even that doesn’t make sense, since they could’ve found a much more scandalous thing to catch him doing than trying to distribute lifesaving medical tech.

Banging on the door tells me my time is up. My eyes dart to the gun on my bed, and I grab it and shove it in my jacket right before the door swings open. Tysea glares at me and gestures for me to follow. I’ll probably never know the why of this situation, so I can only focus on the how. How to convince Phelix to listen to my lies. How to choke back the fear and heartache long enough to make it out of this safely.

When I arriveat the small seladin bakery I visited with Phelix yesterday, my hands are trembling so hard I have to shove them in my pockets to hide the immediate giveaway of my mental state. Phelix is already here, and a sob threatens to tear out of my throat at the warmth and concern that cross his face when he sees me.

I smile shakily and close the distance, feeling Tysea’s eyes on me even though they dropped me off a few blocks over. Who knows if they’re monitoring me or not? They gave me back my comm once I finished changing at the hotel, but I’m sure they have some kind of tracking installed on it at the bare minimum.

“Ph-Phelix!” I say as cheerily as possible and feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach when he smiles and immediately pulls me against his solid, soft bulk.

“Thank the Goddess you’re alright,” he murmurs into my hair, letting out a relieved exhale.

I squeeze him back and, fuck, the tears are here already.

“I’m s-so sorry, Phelix.” I try to pull back, buthe holds me tighter.

“Do you trust me, Eden?” he asks, voice barely more than a whisper and thick with emotion.

God, I can’t do this. This wonderful nexxit has fundamentally altered my life with his guidance and affection, and I can’t lie anymore.

“I-I can’t…”

He stiffens, but still keeps me against his body. “Please. I know I don’t deserve it, but I would do anything to keep you safe.”

I shake my head. “I trust you! But I c-can’t?—”

“Shhh, Eden, it’s alright. I know about Mezli trying to spy on me. I need to attend a meeting, and I want you with me. You’re the reason why I’m doing it in the first place. You opened my eyes to the injustices of this galaxy, so it’s only right that you’re by my side.”

He finally releases me, and I step back, doing my best to look him in the eyes.

“B-but…” I have to explain to him. Not saying anything doesn’t make the deception any less real.

“I need you there with me. Please. I need you,” Phelix says, pleading with his eyes.

The soft vibration of my comm on my wrist startles me and I glance down at it.

Tysea: We have eyes on you. Don’t do anything to jeopardize this.

“S-sorry, just an event notification for a panel,” I lie, expecting him to see right through me, but he nods. Wide eyed and trembling, I try to ignore his earnest expression. “Okay. I-I’ll go with you.”

Phelix grips my hand and squeezes it. “I knew I could count on you.”

I have a feeling those words will haunt me for the rest of my life, but there’s no turning back now.

35

“Well, well, if it isn’t the prettiest nexxit on all of Spire. Didn’t think I’d be seeing you again.”

I smirk back at Hadrell as their cybernetic eye contracts and then scans over my body. No doubt checking me for weapons. Their cropped white hair flops over their natural glowing eye as they finish their assessment of me, and they flash a fanged smile that only makes their angular face more roguish and charming.

“Oh, you know…after I saw you the other night cycle, I couldn’t stay away,” I say coyly, pressing my upper arms under my breasts to push them together.

Their eyes drop to look shamelessly at mytits and their grin widens. “Is that so? And here I thought you were spoken for by that handsome nexxit and your human companion. You decide to run out on them too?”

I grimace at the unsubtle reminder of how I ditched Hadrell. “I shouldn’t have done that. I had a great time. I just wasn’t in the place for more.”

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