Page 50 of Human Reform
We took our food to a small table overlooking the edge of the settlement.The jungle stretched beyond, darkening as night fell.The first stars appeared overhead.
“So,” Sage said between bites, “remember that time you broke Tegan’s nose during training?”
I nodded.“Last year.He left his right side unprotected.”
She smirked.“And remember yesterday when you got a bloody nose defending him?”
This time, I couldn’t recall.“I don’t…”
“What about the night market?”Alora asked softly.“We came here for dinner two days ago.”
“Yeah, you told me later that you liked the sandwich,” Sage added.“Said it was the best thing you’d tasted.”
Fragments surfaced—sitting across from Alora, watching her smile as she took her first bite.The way her eyes had lit up.
“I remember… parts,” I admitted.“It’s like looking through fogged glass.”
Under the table, Alora’s knee brushed mine.An electric current surged through me, and suddenly another memory flashed—her body beneath mine, skin against skin, her gray eyes darkened with desire.
My breath caught and my eyes locked on to Alora’s.“We were… close?Right?”
“You could say that,” Alora replied softly, holding my eyes with a look that suggested we were much more than just colleagues.
TWENTY-ONE
ALORA
When Daxon had accidentally brushedmy thigh with his under the table, he seemed to remember something vivid by the look in his eyes—a flash of recognition that made his pupils dilate and his breath catch.I wondered what memory had surfaced but didn’t dare ask with Sage still at our table.
Her knowing smirk played on her lips as she observed us under the moonlight.The night market hummed around us, but all I could focus on was the way Daxon’s gaze locked on to mine, intense and searching.
I held his gaze steadily, trying to communicate without words that we were so much more than colleagues.That less than twenty-four hours ago, he’d been inside me, his body moving against mine like we’d been made for each other.
Sage cleared her throat.“Well, this is getting uncomfortable for the third wheel.”She stood, brushing crumbs from her tactical pants.“I should check the perimeter.You know, actual work instead of… whatever this eye-sex thing is you two are doing.”
I felt heat rise to my cheeks.“We’re not?—”
“Save it.”She laughed, already backing away.“Have a good night, you two.Try not to break yourself again, Daxon.”
As Sage disappeared into the crowd, an idea struck me.Maybe if I took him somewhere meaningful—somewhere we’d connected before—it might trigger more memories.
“Come with me,” I said, standing and offering my hand.“I want to show you something.”
He hesitated only a fraction of a second before taking it.His large palm engulfed mine, and that familiar electric current surged between us.
“Where are we going?”he asked as I led him away from the marketplace.
“Somewhere special.You took me there two nights ago.”
We followed the narrow path that wound between flowering plants that glowed faintly in the moonlight.Bioluminescent insects buzzed around us, leaving trails of blue-green light in their wake.
“This feels… familiar,” Daxon murmured, his thumb absently stroking the back of my hand.
The humid night air wrapped around us, carrying exotic fragrances from night-blooming flowers.The sounds of the marketplace faded, replaced by the nocturnal chorus of jungle creatures.
The path soon opened to the small clearing where the small river gurgled over stones.The moons hung suspended in the night sky, casting silver light over everything.
“The stars here,” I said softly, pointing upward at the unfamiliar constellations.“I remember looking up at them and thinking how no human had named them before your people arrived.And then I caught you looking at me as I was looking up at them.And you said you were trying to memorize that moment, just before…”
