Page 90 of Seer Prophet

“Is Jon going to be there? At the meeting?”

“Yes. They’ve got him patched up. He might be a little out of it, but Wreg assured me they’d both be there.”

I felt myself relax, but only marginally.

We’d only just gotten Jon back. That op at Macau was the first he’d been on since he and Wreg came out of hibernation?which seemed to take forever, by the way. Even Balidor grumbled about it a few times, wanting Wreg’s ear for this or that, and I’d heard Revik grumble about not having Jon’s input at more than one strategy meeting.

We carried on without them just fine, of course, but I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of losing Jon again so soon, no matter what the reason.

“How’s Lily?” I asked.

I knew without asking he would have gone to see her.

“She’s fine.” His voice held more warmth. “Asked about you, of course, but I told her mommy’s lying in bed like a lazy slug.”

I burst out in a laugh. “You did not.”

“Okay. Maybe not.”

“Anyway, if I’m a lazy slug today, it’s entirely your fault.”

“Gods, I hope so.” He paused, as if contemplating saying more, or maybe what to say. His voice grew overtly polite. “I hope you slept well. Better than me, anyway. I tried to leave you alone once you were out.”

Despite his polite tone, I heard the heat in his voice.

Since I couldn’t feel him, it only frustrated me.

Biting my lip, I changed the subject with an effort.

“You have everyone calling her Lily now. Every single one of the ex-Rebels calls her that.” I let my words grow faintly accusing. “I hope you know, you’vede factochanged the name of our daughter. Afteryouwere the one to name her.”

He only smiled through the link, clicking at me softly.

Truthfully, though, it was my fault, as much as his.

I had everyone calling her “Lilai,” short for “baby girl” in Prexci, after we first rescued her from the Tower. When Revik and I decided to name her “Elyashi,” after Revik’s biological sister who died, somehow “Lilai” and “Elyashi” morphed into “Lily.”

Only Balidor called her anything else, and that might have been pure, old-fashioned stubbornness. He called her by her full name, Elyashi.

Thinking of that only reminded me of the other thing that was bothering me, though.

I frowned at the wall separating our compartment from Lily’s.

“I want a date from him,” I said. “A real one.”

It didn’t occur to me until I said it that I hadn’t included Revik in my thought process up until then. He also couldn’t read me, given the closed construct of the tank.

He followed my train of thought anyway.

“We’ll get one.” His voice held even more warmth, along with a softer assurance. “We can talk to ‘Dori about that today if you want, wife.”

I nodded. My frown only deepened.

Lily hadn’t been out of the tank once since she’d come on board the aircraft carrier. I knew she was climbing the walls in there. Further, she needed to play with other kids, and run around, and see things that weren’t just on screens, or in VR. I hated her being locked up in there like a prisoner.

She was hardly ever alone, but that wasn’t exactly the same thing.

Hell, maybe shewantedto be alone sometimes.

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