Page 20 of Human Reclaimed
“I don’t think anyone’s ever been kidnapped so politely before.”
He winced. “I’m still sorry about that part.”
“What about you?” I asked, steering away from the kidnapping topic. “What made the famous combat commander turn colony protector?”
His eyes drifted toward the jungle. “After the war… I needed purpose. Something worth fighting for that wasn’t just blind destruction.” He paused, searching for words. “Out here, we’re building something. A future. A home.”
“I understand that,” I said softly. “Finding purpose after war isn’t easy.”
“No,” he agreed, studying me. “You found yours helping veterans. Right?”
I nodded, surprised he’d remembered that detail from my background. “It felt right, after everything.”
“Everything?” He leaned forward slightly, those deep blue eyes seeming to see straight through me.
I didn’t know why I told him. Maybe it was the alien moonlight, the strange comfort of being so far from Earth and my lonely life, or simply the way he looked at me—like he genuinely wanted to understand.
“My best friends, Travis and Meredith.” The names still caught in my throat after all this time. “We were on a special ops mission in the mountains. Ambushed. I tried to save them, but…” I swallowed hard. “I watched them die right in front of me. Three years ago, but it still feels like yesterday.”
Rune’s hand moved across the table, nearly touching mine. “I’m sorry, Talia.” His voice was low, rough with genuine emotion. “Survivor’s guilt is a heavy burden.”
I looked up, startled by his perception. “How did you?—”
“I’ve lost people, too.” The vulnerability in his eyes caught me off guard. “The hardest part is living when they can’t.”
That simple understanding—that perfect articulation of what had haunted me for years—unlocked something in my chest. “Yes,” I whispered. “Exactly that.”
I stared at Rune, my throat suddenly tight. Something profound and unspoken passed between us at that moment—a recognition of shared ghosts. The harsh edges of my defenses softened, crumbling like ancient stone against the tide of his unexpected understanding.
“Sometimes I wake up at night,” I admitted, my voice barely a whisper, “thinking I should have been the one who died in those mountains.”
Rune leaned forward, the moonlight catching the angles of his face. “And I wake up thinking of the cyborg units under my command who followed orders that led them to destruction. Orders I gave.”
In that moment, I truly saw him—not as a cyborg commander or my captor, but as someone who carried the same weight I did. We were both military strategists, both haunted by our pasts, and both searching for meaning beyond the chaos of war.
A strange sensation washed over me—a feeling of recognition so deep it felt primal, as if my soul had known his before. The thought was ridiculous. I’d never believed in past lives or soul connections. Yet looking into his piercing blue eyes, I couldn’t deny the pull between us.
“You should get some rest,” Rune said, interrupting my thoughts. “You’ve had quite an eventful day.” His mouth quirked in a half-smile. “I imagine the culture shock alone is exhausting.”
Though reluctant to end our conversation, I nodded. “I suppose being abducted and tasked with saving an alien colony does take it out of a girl.”
As we finished our meal, the twin moons climbed higher, bathing the marketplace in silver light. Rune stood and gathered our empty bowls, his movements fluid and natural. Nothing about him suggested the machine-like precision I’d expected from a cyborg. He was just… a man. A complicated, surprising, and incredibly attractive man.
We walked back toward the medical bay, our path lit by bioluminescent plants that lined the stone walkways. The jungle beyond the settlement’s edge pulsed with unknown life, mysterious and alluring.
At the medical bay entrance, Rune hesitated. “I’m supposed to return you to your recovery room.” He frowned, looking conflicted. “It will be locked for the night. Those were the terms I agreed to when?—”
“When you kidnapped me?” I finished for him, raising my eyebrows.
His expression clouded with regret. “Yes.”
I sighed, disappointment washing through me. After our connection at dinner, the thought of being locked away felt like a step backward.
Rune ran a hand through his auburn hair, a surprisingly human gesture of frustration. “I have an idea, but I might get in trouble for it.”
“I’m listening.”
“You could…” He paused, as if weighing his words carefully. “You could stay at my quarters tonight. I’d still be keeping an eye on you, technically following orders, but you wouldn’t be locked in the medical bay.”
