Caia marched forward to reach up to capture Hester’s cheeks. “No one is going to take me away from you. I am safe. You are safe.”
Hester’s frame relaxed, the fight she had stormed in with gone as she leaned into Caia’s touch. She gazed down at her, her lavender eyes burning as she brushed a stray lock of hair off Caia’s face. “Sorry.”
“Me too. I should have waited for you to come back, then we could have come here to meet Poe together. I just got so excited.” Caia smiled.
“What am I going to do with you?” Hester chided, shaking her head.
“Take me back to our quarters and I’ll tell you.” Caia winked.
Hester leaned down and scooped Caia up, tossing her over her shoulder. Caia let out a fit of giggles as she waved to us. “It’s was nice to meet you! Welcome back, Dax!”
I sank down to the table as Dax and Brone did the same. “So that was interesting. Are they together?”
“It appears so. Their relationship has been complicated. They weren’t speaking before I left and now...” Dax trailed off. “I should have asked if they would allow me to document their-”
I slapped a hand over his mouth. “Don’t say it.”
The table erupted into laughter, breaking the last remaining bits of tension from the encounter with Hester and Caia.
When the laughter finally ended, Brone turned his attention to me, raising a large gray eyebrow. ”So, when are you getting Dax’s famous upgrade?”
I had no clue what Brone was talking about. I clutched my fork, a wave of dizziness sweeping through me. “Upgrade?” I twisted my head to stare at Dax. “What is he talking about, Dax?”
Dax’s hands stared to fiddle with the edges of his lab coat. “It’s not that important.” He lowered his gaze, staring at the empty plate of waffles in front of him.
Torque reached across the table, smacking Dax on the shoulder. “Not important? Are you hearing yourself, Science Model?” Torque gave Dax disbelieving look. “If she was mine, I would have done it yesterday.”
Dax’s face shot up to glare at Torque.
Brone’s blue eyes pinned Dax to his seat, a low rumble coming from his chest. “Do younotwant forever with your female?”
Dax stiffened beside me. “Of course I do! She ismine!”
I touched his arm, my hand trembling. “Dax?” My mouth ran dry. I had to know if what Brone was implying was true. “You created something that would give me forever with you?”
Emerald eyes meeting mine, he swallowed hard then nodded.
The fork hit the table with clang. I wanted forever with my cyborg so bad my chest ached at the thought. I pushed back from the table, the room that had felt like home moments before now feeling suffocating. I needed some air.
“No!” Green hands grabbed me as Dax deposited me on his lap. “I planned to tell you, I swear,” his eyes pleaded with mine. “All of this has happened so fast. I simply wanted to give you time.”
I knew he meant it. The knot in my chest unfurled and I could breathe again.
He leaned forward, resting his forehead against mine. “I want everything with you.”
I cupped his cheek. “Then give me forever.”