“What?” I hissed, not a bit happy to hear this news. We were discussing my sex life with two alien men I didn’t know standing right outside the door?
Mia leaned close, as did Jamie, until I felt like we were in a footballers’ huddle, foreheads nearly touching. “So, what is going on with you and Darius?”
“And how can we help?” Jamie asked.
I squeezed both of their hands. “You already have. It’s so wonderful to meet you both in person. I can’t believe we are on another planet.”
“Yeah, and back home everyone still thinks Starfighter Training Academy is just a game.”
“How many people do you suppose are playing right now?” Mia mused. “Right this very moment?”
“Tens of thousands,” I guessed.
Jamie sighed. “Well, I wish they would hurry up and beat the game. We need them. This war is not going well, in case you didn’t notice.” She glanced down at my bandaged leg, still uncovered from when I’d moved the sheet. “What am I talking about? Of course you noticed.”
The war wasn’t going well? What did that mean?
“Forget about the war,” Mia insisted. “Tell us about Darius. What’s the problem?”
“I don’t know. The sex was great. Then we went to our first mission briefing, and I found out he was already a Titan…with a different partner.”
“Who?” Jamie asked. “A woman? Is he pair bonded to someone else?”
“Did she die?”
“I don’t know. He hasn’t said a word about it, and I haven’t had time to ask.”
Jamie winced in empathy. “Well, if she died, I could see how he wouldn’t want to talk about it. Might be too painful.”
Exactly. “Which is why I don’t think he’s in love with me. The sex is good, but there’s something missing, you know? He doesn’t talk to me. He’s not honest. He’s keeping secrets. And worse than that…”
I stalled, but Mia was having none of it. “Worse than that is what?”
“He was completely psycho on our last mission. Shoving me out of the way, ordering me to wait for him instead of doing my job. He treated me like I had no skill and no idea what I was doing.”
“You’re an Elite Starfighter. Damn right you know what you’re doing.” Jamie jumped to my defense.
Mia, however, had grown pensive. “Maybe you should give him a chance. If he lost his pair bonded in battle, maybe he’s afraid it will happen again. Maybe he’s afraid to lose you, too.”
“Maybe.” The idea was worth considering, but even that wouldn’t excuse not telling me about his past. I’d felt like an idiot in that briefing room, everyone there knowing his history but me. Me! When I was supposed to be the one he loved, his pair bonded, the one he shared everything with and trusted above all others. His freaking wife, for goodness’ sake. Or as close to a marriage as these Velerions got.
The nurse came back into the room with a smile pasted on her lips, the same smile I’d seen on nurses’ faces back on Earth. The I’m-here-and-it’s-time-for-everyone-else-to-leave smile. “Let’s get you cleaned up, Lily.”
I glanced down at my hands, clasped on either side by my friends, and noticed they were covered in dirt. “I guess I really need a bath.”
Jamie laughed. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but you stink, girlfriend.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“We’ll be back to check on you tomorrow. General Romulus promised me you would be given quarters on board the ship as well as a day or two off to heal properly.”
“The nurse said I’d be fully healed by tomorrow morning.”
Jamie slapped me on the shoulder and it stung. “Woman, take the day off. Trust me. Speaking of…” She glanced down at a display on her forearm. “We’re due for Queen Bitch patrol in half an hour.”
“What?” I asked.
Jamie stood and gave me a quick, gentle hug. “You’ve heard of Queen Raya and her planet-destroying missiles?”