So I loop my arms around Aithar again and hug him a second time.
CHAPTER 14
MATHIRAS
Great. Just keffing great.
I look out on the dock at the two couples I’m separating and wonder if I shouldn’t go out alone. Adiron is clearly miserable at having to leave Jade behind. His mate is crying and clinging to him, and normally Jade is so calm and unruffled that it’s unnerving to see her upset. I can only imagine how torn up Adi must be. And to make matters worse, Aithar and Helen are hugging.
I knew that male was up to something. I knew his intentions toward Helen weren’t innocent. So I cross my arms over my chest and scowl at him, hoping that sends a message.
It does. Aithar detangles himself from Helen, gives her an awkward pat on the back, and then practically races up the ramp inside the Scarlet Gaze. Helen turns to look at me, a miffed expression on her lovely face, as if she’s mad I’ve chased off her wannabe-lover. She’s too young to have a lover, I decide. Maybe it’s a good thing she’s coming with me instead of staying behind, because she’ll get up to all kinds of mischief if she goes with the Scarlet Gaze. Maybe we should take Jade with us instead of leaving her behind.
I glance over at my brother. His mate climbs out of his lap and moves to the edge of the docks, and as I watch, bends over and pukes. Adiron rubs her back, grimacing. Okay, maybe not Jade either. It’s hard to be stealthy when someone’s constantly vomiting.
Helen walks toward me, a worried expression on her face. She moves to stand at my side, her gaze on Adiron and Jade. “Maybe they deserve to stay together,” she offers. “Can someone else come here in his place?”
It’s a sensible solution in theory. But if not Adiron, then…Kaspar? My brother is far too hotheaded, and he’d want to bring Alice and Sterre both, and that combination just makes him all wrong for the job. He’s got too much going on to pay attention to what I need him to do, and he’s too bloodthirsty and impulsive to let me take the lead. Then, of course, there’s the a’ani crew on the Scarlet Gaze. I’m sure if I talked with Straik, he’d let me borrow one of the crew…but I’ve got Helen at my side and I don’t trust them around her. The last thing I want is a lovesick idiot chasing her skirts and distracting me. “This is for the best,” I say firmly. I don’t suggest that Jade come along, because then Adi will be useless. “Trust me.”
“I trust you,” Helen says, her expression bright and sunny. “I’m sure you know best.”
Do I? Or am I just doing what’s best for me and no one else? I watch Adiron and Jade separate with another lingering hug, and I feel like a keffing monster as he watches her go up the ramp, his shoulders slumped. He looks like a kicked pup. I’ll apologize to him later, when all parties have been rescued and we’ve made the universe a little safer.
For now, it’s not about what we want. It’s about rescuing clones and ensuring that whoever’s behind this gets shut down. So I turn to Helen. She’s gazing up at me with wide eyes, her silky lavender hair fluttering in the breeze. Kef, she’s pretty. Kef, I’m stupid for promising she could stay at my side. That’s going to bite me in the ass, I just know it. “If you’ve said your goodbyes, let’s get going.”
“Do you have anyone you want to say goodbye to?” Helen asks, all wide eyes. “A friend in Port? Or on the other ship?”
I pause. I already talked to my brothers. Zoey, I had the conversation with earlier. I’m good. “I don’t believe in saying goodbye.”
“Because we’re coming back, right?”
I nod. “That’s right.” I won’t let anything happen to my people. Never. “You sure you don’t want to go over to the Gaze? Aithar is there.”
She gives me a sweet smile. “Like you said, it’s not goodbye. I’ll see him soon enough. Until then, I’m all yours.” To my surprise, she smacks a fist into her palm. “We’re going to kick names and take ass, like Zoey says!”
My mouth twitches despite myself. She looks so very serious as she completely flubs one of Zoey’s favorite sayings. “Kick ass and take names.”
Helen ponders that. “I think my way makes more sense. Where would we take their names? To a scrapyard? To Port? No one wants their names. They’d want the people. Or their money, right?”
“You’re overthinking this,” I tell her, but I’m grinning. In a way, I’m glad Helen is going with us. She’s pure joy, and she’ll do an amazing job of keeping our spirits up. I tend to get so focused on everything that needs to be done that I end up snarling at everyone around me, and Adiron’s going to need some cheering once he parts from Jade. I put a hand on Helen’s shoulder, feeling warm about things. As long as I can keep the careful boundaries between us, it’ll be no problem. Might even be fun to be just the three of us on the Sister. So I choose my words carefully and say, “I’m glad you’re with us, kid.”