Page 35 of The Sovereign: Part One
He reached for my hand as the transport pulled away from the curb.The movement was fast but fluid, the sensation not of speed, but of perfect calibration.With a kiss to my knuckles, he held my hand in his, exhaling as if he had been waiting to do this for far too long.
“I have so much to talk about,” he said, his voice edged with something like amusement.
I smiled.“Then let’s talk.We have approximately eighteen minutes before arrival.”
He chuckled, brushing his thumb along my wrist.“First, I want to know about your week.”
I told him almost everything, from the moment I last saw him in the Eidolon to the endless preparations leading up to my extended leave.My words spilled out, a blend of excitement and nervous energy, and he listened intently, his eyes locked onto mine each time he looked away from the road, as if my voice was the only sound he’d ever known.Maxim nodded at every detail, not just as a polite gesture but with genuine interest, as though each moment I described was worth remembering, that my story mattered deeply to him.
He leaned in slightly as he spoke.“It was a long week, to be quite honest.The past seventy-two hours in The Crèche felt… endless.Time didn’t just pass—it stretched, warped into something almost unbearable.The anticipation wasn’t just excitement—it was sharper, heavier, like standing on the edge of a cliff I was desperate to leap from but held back by something unseen.”
“I know the feeling,” I said, though next to his words, mine felt almost clumsy.And yet, to him, it seemed, everything I said was music.
He exhaled, a trace of relief in his voice.“I kept wondering if maybe this feeling was something only I was experiencing.It shouldn’t be a relief that you can relate, but somehow it is.”
“It’s a relief to be understood, and to know the feeling is mutual,” I said.
“Exactly.”
“I do have a question, though… if you don’t mind.Maybe I shouldn’t ask.”
“That’s nonsense.You can ask me anything.”
“At the Eidolon… do you remember?”
We weren’t supposed to acknowledge anything that hinted at Maxim not existing just days ago, at his design and calibration that made him perfect for me.We had always been taught to approach Vesture the same way we would any other courtship.Small talk in the first week, deeper conversations to follow.I half-expected him to deflect, but to my surprise, he didn’t.
“I do,” he said without hesitation.“I’d been asleep, a deep sleep, and when I opened my eyes, you were there, in the Eidolon, waiting for me.It didn’t feel as if we were meeting for the first time.More like… I’d fallen asleep with you beside me, waking up to something that had always been.”
“So, I didn’t imagine it.You did see me.”
“Was it that obvious?”he asked, amused.
I smiled.“I’ve just never heard of anyone having that experience before.I didn’t expect it.”
“I can’t speak for anyone else,” he said, considering.“But after you left, I went back to sleep.Then, when I opened my eyes again, I was standing in a Stasis Bay… and you were gone.I wasn’t worried, though.I knew you were home.But then… the wait began.”
I nodded, processing his words.He didn’t seem uneasy about breaking protocol, not in the slightest.Maybe that was by design.It made sense that the AI recognized my inherent curiosity, anticipated my questions, and understood that knowledge brought me a sense of fulfillment.Still, I worried this was confirmation that I hadn’t guarded my undesirable traits well enough from the system.
“Thanks for answering,” I said.“I know we’re not technically supposed to…”
“Supposed to what?”he asked, amused.
I hesitated.“Talk about… you know.”
His lips quirked.“It’s no secret that I’m a Supplicant, Isara.But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel things just as deeply.I just experience them differently.”
My eyes lit up.“I was just talking about this with Bellam!”I settled back into my seat, crossing my arms in satisfaction.“I knew it.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw a wide grin spread across Maxim’s face.
I turned to him.“What?”
He shook his head, taking his eyes off the road for a brief moment to meet mine.“You’re just…” he exhaled, looking forward again, his smile lingering, “incredible.”
The muted stir of the city followed us into the palatery, subtle but ever-present.Maxim stepped ahead, opening the panel for me with the same assurance he had upon his arrival.The touch of his palm at the small of my back as he guided me inside was gentle but sure, his warmth radiating through the fabric of my dress.
We stepped into the Ascens, the smooth climb carrying us to the top floor to Astris, Hyperion Proper’s most coveted dining experience that wasn’t exclusive to the Vanguard.Maxim’s hand found mine again, his long fingers enveloping mine, natural yet deliberate.Every so often, his thumb brushed across my skin, a barely-there motion, but one I couldn’t ignore.
